First week of work

After a long 4 and a half months of language school I (John) finally started my full time work with FH this past week. Going into Monday there was a bit of nervousness due to the language barrier and unknown expectations, but overall an excitement to get started. The staff at the FH office in Sucre was very welcoming and accepting and the first few days were filled with meetings and orientations. For the first few months I will predominately be working in a slum region just outside the city of Sucre called Horno Ckása.The people who live in this area are mostly families who have moved to the city from the countryside to find work and stability. As in most large cities in developing countries the slums represent ¨broken dreams.¨ Many people move to Sucre with the dream of getting an education or finding stable work due to severe conditions or problems in the campo outside the city. However they find rather quickly that the city is overcrowded and work is not available. Many resort to alcohol/drugs and crime. This area in particular is known for violence and there are lots of gangs that make the streets extremely dangerous at night and during special elections and holidays. My work in Horno Ckása will be focused on strengthening the existing Christian churches in the area, and training them in biblical principles of wholistic ministry. Right now, there are four pastors that live and work in the area and partner with FH to reach the community. My focus will be to work with these pastors (Pancho, Miguel, Félix and Elvis) on issues they face within their churches as well as challenge them to a deeper level of faith and grounding in the Bible. After a period of adjustment I will also visit several work zones outside of Sucre to begin creating relationships and integrating training on Biblical worldview. Overall, I am very excited about the opportunities that have been placed in front of me.After spending a few days in Horno Ckása I can see the incredible need for healing, reconciliation and hope in this area. May the Lord continue to open my eyes to the brokenness that He sees, and direct my ways according to His agenda. I look forward to sharing with you stories and updates as the weeks pass. It was a good first week and I look forward to many more!

Pictures of the area:

View of the city from Horno Ckása

Home of an FH sponsored child.

Streets of Horno Ckása

Another first in Bolivia

Last week January 13, I (John) experienced my 31^st birthday. It was also the first week of work for me so my time at home was limited. Jennie and Ella welcomed me in the morning with a gift before work and Ella serenaded me with ¨Happy Birthday¨, I would guess, probably close to 30 times throughout the day. Jennie has also mastered the art of baking at high altitude and she cooked me up my favorite desert of all, a peach pie. Not only did the pie look incredible (see below) but it tasted spectacular. It was a great day and I am so thankful for my beautiful wife and wonderful daughter who serve and love me each day. They made my special day memorable and fun.

Changes

Yesterday marked the start of a new phase for our lives here in Sucre. John officially started working in the FH office! This new change comes with mixed emotions. We have been in language school for 5 months, and while we will not miss the homework, we will most definitely miss some of the teachers that we have gotten to know so very well. We are looking for ways that we can keep up some of those relationships. One way is to continue to participate in some of the extra activities the school offers, like cooking classes. Below are some pics of the last cooking class we attended.

John is dangerous with that knife!

The teachers of the last class brought their son along. Ella and Fernando became fast friends.

On the other hand we are very excited to start the work the God has for us here. There is a whole new group of FH staff to get to know as well as new villages outside of Sucre to explore. We look forward to the new adventures ahead of us!

John on his first day of work. (Jennie made him take this picture!)

New Years in Sucre

It really is amazing to us that it's already the year 2010! Our time in Bolivia has really flown by. This was our first New's Years in Bolivia and we didn't do anything too significant to ring in the new year. There were a few special treats that we were able to find at the store - the most exciting being a few cans of Dr Pepper soda! The caffeine came in handy as we stayed up to see the ball drop in New York (which was actually 1 am in Sucre.)

But much to our surprise, about 15 mins before midnight, we started to hear what sounded like the entire city was being bombed! I think every household in Sucre had started shooting off fireworks. They were going off quite steadily for 15-20 mins. It was actually pretty impressive. Here is a little video clip below. It doesn't quite do it justice, but you can get the idea. Blessings to all of you for 2010!

Freedom in the midst of pain

As our family rests this evening enjoying the blessings and anticipation of a new year, we can’t help but recognize the deep sense of peace and assurance that we have claimed over the past five days. Eight short days ago we rejoiced in the fact that Jennie was pregnant and our second child was expected some where around august 26^th. It was Christmas Eve and we grinned with anticipation over our new Christmas gift from God. Because the mission field can sometimes feel lonely and isolating we decided that the next day (Christmas) we would share with our family our news and joy. It was a wonderful surprise for all and a blessing for us to see their joy and excitement.

On Monday (Dec. 28) we were enjoying an afternoon of relaxation when Jennie starting experiencing some unusual cramping and heavy bleeding. Knowing that this was not a good sign we scheduled an immediate appointment with an OBGYN here in Sucre to have the situation diagnosed. After meeting with the doctor that evening we were referred to another location were Jennie was to undergo a sonogram for further testing. The sonogram revealed the difficult news that sometime that day Jennie had miscarried the baby. The test also discovered that because of the type of miscarriage Jennie had experienced an immediate surgery was needed to remove the remaining tissue and stop the heavy bleeding. Therefore, on Monday evening at 10pm we scheduled a D and C operation for Tuesday morning at 8:00am. Typically, this is a fairly low risk surgery in the US, but the unknowns of Bolivian medical care loomed heavy on our hearts. Not only did we not fully understand the situation due to the difficult language barrier but the hospital, doctor, anesthesiologist, and surgery methods were completely new to us. With no complications during the night, we checked into the Hospital on Tuesday morning and Jennie underwent surgery shortly after 8:00am. The operation went smoothly and within an hour we were recovering in the room. From what we were able to understand there should be no long-term effects and the doctor is expecting a full recovery within weeks.

We share today with thankfulness in our hearts and stillness that only comes with the assurance of God’s promises. Though the pain is still fresh we have felt greatly encouraged over the last few days and have realized the incredible nature of God’s faithful and loving presence. The physical and emotional healing is progressing quickly and we fully recognize and embrace the mystery of God’s timing in challenging situations. The memory of the special gift God granted for those five days is accompanied by the humbling realization of the enormous blessings that have been abundantly given. Though the loss is fresh the truths of Scripture are freeing and have never been stronger. We appreciate the words of encouragement we have received from many friends and family. Your presence, though distant physically, has made us feel a little closer to home.