Filed under: Anne
Chalk this one up as another thing that you don’t realize how much you appreciate until you don’t have it anymore (such as condensed soup and canned pumpkin)! Although there is a factory in La Paz that makes pretzels, or as Avery says “cretzels”, we have not been able to buy any since probably October. Friends have inquired at this business about pretzels and were told that pretzels are a “holiday” food. So apparently Christmas is not a pretzel-worthy holiday, but Easter is! I’ve never been that crazy about pretzels before, but I had been craving them, so now I think we are working our way through our third or fourth bag of them within a week! So when you go to the store and you can choose between honey-wheat, garlic, sticks, those big Bavarian kinds, etc. in your snack aisle, be thankful because not everyone can buy pretzels on demand!
(In my head, that’s supposed to rhyme!) Ah, yes! The uncertainties of life in La Paz. We’re in the middle of prayer at church and we hear folks praying for the supposed “paro” (strike) that is supposed to - might - may - could - happen tomorrow, Tuesday or Wednesday. These strikes can be anything from a stoppage of public transportation to a full closure of all stores, cafes, schools etc.
And here it is, the end of Easter break! (more…)
While we’ve been called away by the Lord, all the way down to the “mission field” in Bolivia, God has been at work around Lake Norman, NC. Check out this link of a story about a good friend and brother of ours, John Robinson. He goes to our church, but man if the whole Body of Christ hasn’t come together around him! He’s someone we’re glad to know, so we’d like you to meet him to. Check this out: http://www.charlotte.com/243/story/554338.html
If you come to our apartment and go out to our courtyard patio, you’ll see a big rock on the ground. Now, that rock normally is for propping open the screen door. But it can also be used for other purposes!
If you turn that rock over, you will likely notice the large, black spot. (more…)
It’s Easter Sunday. Avery has a bit of a fever, so we have been home.
When you’re home on a holiday, you think a lot.
I was on Skype with my friend, Cory, and he mentioned that, at 6:00 a.m. today, he ended his Lenten meat-fasting with a hearty Easter breakfast, including a McDonald’s breakfast sandwich. Made me think about things I’ve been missing while here in La Paz. (more…)
Filed under: Tom
I’ve been waiting to say that… er, type that.
The Lord is risen, indeed!
A blessed Resurrection Day and Easter Season to you all!
Anne did a gret job with the elementary kids on Good Friday, taking them through a real hands-on trip to the cross. If you’ve seen stuff Anne does with kids and worship, you can picture it and wouldn’t be surprised.
Oh, and if anyone is interested in checking out what happened at our highschool chapel on Good Friday, visit my worship blog.
Chau for now,
Tom
Filed under: Anne
This week, I learned the important lesson that you should always have someone check a translation of a parent letter that is going home in your name! I gave the school secretary a letter in English to send home with all the elementary students, and since many of the parents only speak Spanish, she only sent home her translated version.
The letter was supposed to ask parents to help with Teacher Appreciation Week in May by bringing in treats, helping with recess and providing a special lunch. Apparently, the word “appreciation” means something similar to evaluation in Spanish. The secretary got a little confused and then kind of ran with it. So essentially, she sent a letter from me, inviting parents to come to the school that week to “evaluate, examine and give their opinion” of our teachers. Needless to say, some of the teachers were a little miffed that I was supposedly inviting all the parents in to critique them, so I had to go to each one and explain that it was a translation error. The parents were also confused because some of them assumed that I thought the “evaluation” was going to be so hard on the teachers that they need special food that week to make them feel better.
Thankfully, the secretary volunteered to send out an email soon to correct the misunderstanding, so I hopefully I won’t come off looking too silly!
Filed under: Anne
Okay, so this is really cheesy, but we are very excited to welcome back something that has been missing from our lives for the last two and a half months since we returned from Christmas break. It was a stable landmark in our first semester here as we adjusted to life in La Paz. Yes, it’s our favorite mountain - Illimani! Due to cloud cover and rain, it has been hidden all these weeks, including the whole time my mom was here for her visit. Finally, about a week ago, the drizzle and dreariness lifted, and our gorgeous blue skies are back. Illimani is about 22,000 feet high, so it looms over La Paz, but it is a bit elusive, you can only see it from certain vantage points. We have a great view from our school of its snow-capped peaks contrasted against the clear sky and the black smaller mountains in front of it. I know I’m gushing, but it really is stunning. It’s the picture at the top of our blog, and I’m adding another picture below so you can get a glimpse of why we longed for its return. . .
