How Time Flies

I am within three weeks of flying home and time just seems to move faster and faster each day. This last week, I went to Bob and Lisa’s house for Thanksgiving. I had a lot of homework to get done (I know I procrastinate, don’t we all?) and it’s a good thing too, sounded like the football games wouldn’t have been worth watching anyways. I am now one week from having to have all my papers finished and turned in. YIKES! That has come way too soon. I am so ready for it to be over with though. As some of you may have figured out, I hate to journal. (might be a reason I do so poorly keeping up my blog) Anyways, I had to keep a journal the whole time and I have grown to hate it with a passion. That will be the best feeling when I actually write my last entry. But I still have plenty of other things to do.

In the next few weeks we are going to wrap up our series over the fruit of the Spirit by talking about Joy and Peace. I picked them at the end cause I figured they would fit the best with Christmas. We have a lot to get done here in order to be ready for the happy birthday Jesus celebration we put on for the kids on December 20th. Kind of wishing I would have flown out earlier. But I really do want to see the fruit of my laboring and it should be a great time.

On a side note. I am almost out of food at my house right now. As I look into my fridge, I have a hot dog and some eggs and cheese. In the freezer, I have 3 hamburgers and some frozen veggies. I do have some mac and cheese but no milk to make it with. The only thing outside of hamburgers that I can make is…pancakes. I have a huge bag of mix that just needs some water. With the little amount of time I have left, I am wondering how much more food I should buy. I don’t want to throw much stuff out but as you can guess, I don’t think three weeks of pancakes would be good for anyone. Maybe I can just buy a case of Ramen noodles as an emergency plan.

Blessing
Jon

Hockey and Visiting Austin

On Saturday I had the privilege of going to a hockey game here in Stockton. The house was full as the crowd was estimated at 9,700 people. It was a good time but unfortunately the local team fell 3-1. You can see the pictures and some video clips on the right hand side of my blog. The ice was colored pink and the Thunder (Stockton’s team) were dressed in white and pink to commemorate the fight for breast cancer. It was great to see the local team support a great cause and the community rallied behind them and sold out the arena.

Today I took a two hour trip down to Fresno to visit Austin Pettigrew. We went out for lunch at the local Vietnamese restaurant. I have never had Vietnamese food before so it was yet another new experience. I order a dish that was pretty much a noodle soup with several different meats in it. I’ve had shrimp, crab, and pork before but not squid and fish balls. (not sure how to describe them) Kinda chewy? I could of passed on them but hey you have to try it before you say you don’t care for it.

I guess I should back up and explain who Austin is. He is a senior at Huntington and is majoring in sports and rec ministry. He spent the summer working at a camp in southern Cali. He is currently continuing his internship in Fresno working with World Impact. They are heavily involved with church planting in several cities in the western states. Austin spends a lot of time interacting with the various church groups and youth in the area. It was great to meet up with another classmate and talk about how things are going.

After a two and a half week trip up to Oregon and Washington, Bob and Lisa (the directors) are back from vacation. I am glad to see them refreshed and ready to get back to work. It is exciting to have them back in the office again.

-pray for school. I have a month to finish a lot of work.
-pray for Thanksgiving season. We have a lot of work to get done so that we will be ready to distribute holiday food boxes.

Blessings

San Francisco and Cookies!

As you can see from my blog site, I have uploaded some new pictures. I went to San Francisco this past Monday. It was a great time but rained most the day. In the pictures you will see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the houses that are in the intro of the old show Full House. I had seafood fresh off the coast (yum!) I tried clam chowder, calamari, and oysters for the first time. The only one I didn’t care too much for was oyster, I also had some fish. Sorry Howard Miami, it was better than the fish fry.

The last couple of weeks have been kind of interesting since my mentor and his wife have been on vacation. That has left Christina (the other missionary) and I in charge. Needless to say, I am ready for Bob and Lisa to be back. We have also been blessed with a higher than average attendance. We have averaged close to 25 kids each day these last couple of weeks. Yet another reason to have Bob and Lisa back.

Tomorrow we have a birthday party for all the kids at the center who have November birthdays. This month I have been selected (more liked forced) to provide the treat for the kids. Well since we did brownies two months ago and cupcakes last month, I decided to make some cookies. If you know anything about me, right now you are laughing and feeling bad for the kids. I am proud to admit that I have messed up easy mac and more recently hamburger helper. I am not a cook. Good thing I have a mom and girlfriend. My mom gave me the ingredients and my girlfriend talked me through the process in AIM. So hopefully I don’t burn too many of them (at least I can eat those cookies).

On Saturday, I am going to a hockey game here. There is an amateur hockey team and they are having a breast cancer awareness game and we decided it would be good to go and support breast cancer and watch some good hockey (ok the good hockey thing is suspect but oh well). I hope to have some pictures up for you.

One blessing that has happened out here is that proposition 8 passed! If you listen to Focus on the Family you may know what I mean. It is the proposition that marriage is to be defined as one man and one woman. It passed on Tuesday 52-48 percent. It is now in the California constitution. Praise God! Unfortunately, the opposition has begun to file lawsuits and fight back. Pray that the ruling will be upheld and continued support will be given.

-pray for strength as the holiday season is fast upon us.
-pray for focus, I have some homework to get done and the time frame is getting tighter by the day

Teaching and an upcoming event

The other weekend we had a work team come out from the local church that I go to (Quail Lakes Baptist Church). (and on another side note, I found someone yesterday at the church who grew up Mennonite, just thought I would add that)Later in the week, I received a phone call from the jr high leader, he wanted to know if I would be willing to teach Sunday school this Sunday. I figured I would give it a shot, if it works out then maybe I will have some sort of connection with the church…and if not, I am only here another two months and they have plenty of other people to ask (the church is around 1,200 people). Sunday went great, I thought the kids interacted well. I used an idea from when I was in Bolivia. We were going through a book by Max Lucado called It’s Not About Me, and I used some stuff out of a chapter that talks about how we were made to glorify God and we looked at Isaiah’s calling in Isaiah 6. We talked about the stages that Isaiah went through in order to be transformed into God’s servant so that he could glorify God and what does that transformation mean to us today. If you haven’t read Lucado’s book, I recommend it.

This Friday we are taking the kids to a fall party at QLBC. The theme that they put together is Trunk or treat. I guess people drive their cars in and decorate them like Bible story themes and kids go from car trunk to car trunk to get candy. They also have a super cool guy coming. He rips phone books, smashes pop cans in his hands, bends steel bars, and other cool stuff. He also is a devote Christian and travels around sharing the Gospel to youth. It’s going to be fun!

As part of the college course I am in, I have to keep a time log for two weeks. I find that to be kind of annoying. I hate having to check the time every time I change to a new task. And besides, I don’t really want to know how much time I waste. That makes me feel like a bum. I have also decided that I really should get started on homework for school. It’s not that I am real far behind, I just would rather get it done so I don’t have it hovering over me in December.

Well that’s all for now. I hope to take my camera with me to the fall party, get some cool shots for everyone to enjoy.

Blessings

Settling down

It’s hard to believe I have been here for almost a month! Wow that went quick. I just now feel like I am in the flow of things. It is a good thing because Bob and Lisa (the directors) are heading to Washington and Oregon for a couple of weeks.

Last weekend I have had the pleasure of getting in touch with Ashley Scally, another PRIME student who is in Santa Cruz with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She came into town with a softball team that she is coaching. We were able to spend some time catching up with each other. I have also contacted Austin Pettigrew, a PRIME student who is in Fresno. I plan to head down to there next Monday.

These last couple of weeks have been crazy, the school system in CA has a modified schedule which means kids have a shorter summer with breaks in the school year. The kids were out for two weeks on vacation so we decided to open an hour early. Our numbers grew from around 20 to at least 30 kids a day.

This week the kids are back in school and it has been great to get that extra hour back. We are currently doing the fruit of the Spirit with the kids. Each week we are picking a new fruit and using it as the theme. Last week we looked at Peter’s life as a model for self-control. We looked at Peter’s life as a disciple and compared it to his life as an apostle.

On Saturday, we had a work team come out from Quail Lakes Baptist Church, the church that we attend. They helped clean up trash around the center in the morning and then played with the kids during the afternoon. I think they enjoyed it and we appreciate them coming out to help.

Well that’s all for now!

-Please pray for Bob and Lisa as they are going to be on the road traveling for the next few weeks.
-Pray for Christina and I as we try to keep things moving here while Bob and Lisa are away.

Blessings

Stockton Peniel

I have been so busy trying to keep up with a new change of pace that I often have put the blog on the back burner and now I’m sure it’s burnt. Anyways, I arrived here last Tuesday and haven’t seemed to have had a day off yet. Bob and Lisa have been great support helping me with transitioning to yet another culture. I have really quickly began to recognize that God brought me here because he saw that they need more help here. Sure enough, they have put me in charge of leading all the Bible times.

The ministry, Stockton Peniel, is a ministry that was originally started in the late 1800s for homeless women and children. Since then it changed to a homeless shelter for everyone then back to just a ministry that is designed for kids. Our center is located in the heart of gangland here in Stockton. Within a two mile radius we have 16 registered gangs. Our ministry is an afterschool program for youth. We try to provide a safe environment for youth to go to afterschool from 3-6 where they can get help with homework, play, and learn about the Bible and Christ’s love for them. Last week we averaged about 15-20 kids a day and this week we have had a couple of days with more than 30 kids!

What I do for the ministry is design a lesson plan and execute it during Bible Club time. Each day we have time for the learning center (time for academics) and then for Bible club time (I think you know what goes on there) and then we have time for games. Each week we have a new lesson and it breaks down into four days. The first day is designated for memorizing a Bible verse that has to do with the lesson. The second day is for the lesson out of the Bible. The third day is either crafts, skits, or something that is hands on to help drive home the lesson. Then Fridays are fun days, we either have worship time, or games.

For those who are interested, yes I do live “in the hood” I am in one of the houses the mission owns. And no there aren’t bullet holes in the house. Well not yet. The house was remodeled three years ago by a contractor who was willing to donate the time and money. Just one way we see God working here. I’m sure I will have many more blogs to continue that theme. I am living by myself in a one story, two bedroom house. The best part about it is……it has a dishwasher!!! Ok I am lame but I hate doing dishes. Right mom? I hope to take some pictures of our birthday party and buildings so look for a link in the near future.

-Pray for my safety. The neighborhood seems calm and safe but you never know with all the activity that goes on around me.
-Pray for growth in the children’s ministry as well as someone who will be willing to start up a youth program for Jr/Sr high.
-Pray God’s direction to be revealed as the ministry is trying to figure out where to go from here.

Blessings

Going to California

Thanks everyone for all your prayers. The last few days have been crazy but God has been with me. I left on the midnight flight out of Santa Cruz and arrived in Miami at right about 8 am on Thursday. Moved through customs really easily with the help of Beverly.(They must of thought that she was my grandma) I even got to Indy about 10 minutes early so my brother didn't even have to pay for parking. But of course I crashed last night at 10. This morning I woke up at 8:30 only because my brother woke me up. I called the office at WGM and we have just about everything worked out. I will be heading to Stockton, CA on Tuesday morning. Not sure how the finances are going but it sounds like if I have to raise any, it won't be much.

Blessings

Heading Home

I am sure by now you are think… “It’s Wednesday, when is he going to update us?” Well, how bout I do that right now. Here is what I know. We fly out tonight catching a red-eye. Leaving at 11:45 p.m. on AeroSur (if you know anything about this airline, 11:45 really means 2 a.m.) We are supposedly arriving in Miami at 6:10 a.m. on Thursday. We have to run the marathon in order to get through customs (those who have gone through customs in Miami know what I mean). But we are fortunate enough to have two older ladies coming along with us. Hopefully we get to the head of the line since they requested wheel chairs. I know, your thinking I’m ridiculous for mooching off of old ladies….wait a second. You forget who has to get their luggage. Yeah, I’m sure I will pay my dues before it’s all said and done. Right, back to the schedule. I have a nice layover in Miami which is good because of the typical delay in flights. I don’t leave Miami for Indy till 11:25 a.m. I should touch down at 2:20 p.m. Thursday afternoon.

Now I’m sure you would like to know…”Now what?” Well, I have talked to WGM and am in the process of finding a new site for three months. As of now, it looks like I may be going to CA. I need to work out the details with everyone and talk to the missionary out there but it sounds like a good possibility. The unfortunate thing is….CA is expensive! It may require more fund raising (something I am not fond of doing). I am guessing you may be wondering what would I will do out there. Let me get back to you on that one. Need to talk to the missionary first.

It has been a great learning experience here. I’m going to miss all the kids here. But the Lord has decided on other plans so I trust that everything is under control and he will guide me in the right direction.

Please pray for:
-Safety in travels for the five of us who are leaving tonight.
-Those that are staying back in Bolivia, doesn’t look promising right now.
-Students at the school. With all the rumors it’s hard to focus. Everyday they get up and ask the question “I wonder if we have school today?” It’s especially hard on the seniors not knowing if this day will be the last time they see all their classmates.
-That everything will fall into place and that the direct me to a new PRIME site.

Blessings

Flight

Well it's official. I received word today that they were able to get a ticket for me and it's quicker than I thought it would be. I leave on Wednesday night flying to Miami. I will land into Indy on Thursday afternoon at 2:20. After that...well that is now the question needed to be answered. Stay tuned for more info...

God Bless

On the road again? I just got here

I’m sorry if this update isn‘t the joking lighthearted blog that you are used to. But news came this morning that I will be heading stateside. The U.S. embassy has recommended that citizens should get out. The executive board has agreed that it is time to move some people out. And as they look at the evacuation plan, I am first on the list. This means that they hope to have me on a plane next week. So as of right now, I am waiting for more information. I will continue to keep you posted on the situation. I ask that you pray for safety of all the missionaries here in Bolivia. Pray for discernment for the missionary boards as they determine what is best for everyone. Pray for the Bolivian leaders that they can come to a peaceful resolution.

God Bless

No Coffee For Me Please

I forgot to mention this in the previous blog but I am sure you love to read stories of 22 year old guys turning into 8 year old girls. (Me!) Today we had a cold front come through and with it came rain. The house I live in tends to have drainage problems when it rains a lot. I tell you this for another purpose. In the shower today, I noticed something coming up through the drain. I bout dropped a load in the tub as I jumped out of it. Good thing we have shower mats, I am sure I would of slipped on the floor and smacked my head if we didn’t . Anyways, there was a huge black spider trying to come up the drain!!! AHHH!!! It was so big that it couldn’t get up through the grate in the drain. But his legs were feeling around the tub. Anyways, I grabbed the plug and stuck it into the drain and had the quickest shower known to man. Then after I got out and dried off, put some clothes on (in case I had to run out of the bathroom screaming like a girl…ok I wouldn’t do that but I did want my clothes on), I pulled the plug and let it water go down only to find he had been washed away. Wheeew!!! Ok, so I am slightly embarrassed but am positive you laughed. Let’s just say after that ordeal, I didn’t need any coffee today! At least something good came from it.

God Bless

Apologies Are In Order

For all of those who get on a regular basis, I am sorry for the two and a half weeks of dead silence. It wasn’t meant to be this long I promise. I have actually written three blogs posts but have messed up and lost them in the process of posting them. GRRR! So now with the advice of my dad and brother, I write my blog out in Microsoft word and then copy it over to the blog site. And without further ado...

The start of school has come with a dose of sports. The kids are in the swing of soccer and volleyball season. The teams have all played two games and I am pretty sure everyone has won at least one of them. I never really have cared for soccer but I am impressed with these kids and their skill level. I hate to say it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they gave our college team a run for their money. No disrespect to the college but when you live in a culture dedicated to a sport, you have some good players. I guess I could say it would be the same as having a high school basketball team come down here and play their college teams. (if they have any)

We have also had the pleasure of having our first Jr. High event. We started out the semester with the Jr. High Olympics. The events included the torch relay (running balls from one bucket to another using only a plunger... aka... the torch), hammer toss (panty hose with a ball at the end of it), and gauntlet (crazy game involving a cone on someone’s head and a bunch of balls flying everywhere). On a side note, imagine two guys walking around a market gawking at women’s underwear looking for stockings. (Mike didn’t know that word in Spanish, I don’t know why he would.) Let’s just say that was a very awkward position to be in. And if you haven’t noticed by now, I did load up some pictures of the Olympics already.

This weekend we are having the Senior retreat. (no, I don’t mean senior citizens, Seniors in high school) We are going out of town about an hour to a ranch. Some activities that are available include: golf, swimming, horseback riding, volleyball, soccer, ultimate frisbee? (I hope, I miss that a lot), card games, team building activities. Etc. Should be an awesome time. Oh..I am sure you’re wondering why a retreat. Well, we get the Seniors together to talk about transitioning out of high school and into college. What to expect when it’s time to leave here and head to another country, entering a new environment, and leaving an old one without regrets. It should be a great time for building relationships and setting up for a great final year of high school. It runs till Sunday night so I won’t be around this weekend. I hope to blog early next week with some sweet pictures and videos.

Continue to pray for:
-Seniors as they will be getting a lot of information this weekend.
-The school as they are in need of a high school English teacher.
-The Bolivian field, we are in need of a treasurer.
-Bolivia. There are some political issues that seem to keep mounting the pressure here. Could turn ugly but let’s hope it doesn’t.

God Bless

Recapping the weekend

This past weekend was a blast. On Friday the school had a half day so we decided to have the kids over for lunch (tacos!) and then out to bowling. I scored a 117!! (so what if we happened to have lane bumpers, I wasn’t the one who asked for them).

Sunday was the first time I had the privilege of meeting the pastor of the English speaking church (he was back in England for the summer). What a variety this church is! For those of you who know the Mennonite game (where you try to figure out how you are related someone or at least know of them) we play a similar game. We try to guess where each other are from based on the accents. Church was great. Pastor Andy started a series over stewardship that will go throughout the semester. This week was over Psalms 8, the Lord created the Earth extraordinarily beautiful. He then created us with glory and honor even though we messed it up with sin. He gives us value (God cares for humanity v.4), purpose (made us rulers over the Earth), and gave us a personal relationship with the King (Christ's redeeming grace).

Sunday night was another amazing experience. I had the opportunity to go to a "classico" or a rival game. The two teams were professional soccer teams from Santa Cruz. Let's just say the crowd was ready for this game. We arrived about 20 minutes early and they end sections behind the goals were filled with fans jumping and chanting. After the green team (Oriente) scored the first goal of the game, the crowd started shooting fireworks. Security isn't very tight here in Santa Cruz. If you have high speed internet, I've posted a video of the crowd so you can get a better feel for the craziness! In the end, Oriente beat Blooming 2-0. As the Blooming players were coming off the field, their fans tried to shoot fireworks at them! Talk about loyalty (sarcasm). We decided we should try to get out of there because there has been several times to where the fans meet outside of the coliseum and things get rowdy. Sure enough we turned the t.v. on the next day and there were clips of police shooting tear gas into the crowd to disperse them.

On Monday we had Bible study with the high school. We had 45-50 students show up. We are starting a series over Max Lucado's book "It's Not About Me." This week's lesson was over being self-centered and how Christians should be Christ-centered instead. What does it look like to be Christ-centered in your lives?

As you can see it has been a busy weekend. Thank goodness we don't have anything going on today. Since the vote to keep the president did not go the way some districts wanted, five of the nine districts decided to make a statement and are striking today. So nobody is allowed to drive anywhere today. You should of seen the stores last night. On our way back from Bible study, we decided to stop in and get a few items. As we pulled in, it looked like Hurricane Faye was heading for Bolivia. Everyone was stocking up! (It's just one day) We decided that our lists weren't worth the wait.

Pray for:
-Tomorrow's prayer meeting (I start leading the youth)
-The government in Bolivia
-All the students in the US as they make final preparations and begin to head back to college (wow, that feels weird to say)

God Bless,

Jon

School Time

School has officially arrived here in Santa Cruz! I started this week at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center also known as SCCLC (I'll be using that acronym to keep from getting carpel tunnel). I hope to get some more pictures of the school and students in the near future.

We started off school this year with 1/2 days on both the Monday and Friday. On Monday, Mike had the seniors over to lunch just to set the tone of the year. We talked about setting the standard for the school year and how younger students will look towards the seniors on how to respond to certain situations.


Wednesday, Mike opened up chapel with a message from Colossians 3:17 (our theme verse for the year). "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Mike talked about practice making perfect and challenged to students to think about what they are practicing.

Tomorrow, we have another 1/2 of school so we are taking the opportunity to go bowling! I am excited about this. I hear there will be a prize for the person who is closest to the average score. I might have a chance at that one.

This week has been fun and exciting with a few ups and downs. (It's hard to remain in a conversation that switches back and forth from Spanish to English). But I look forward to the challenge of getting to know all the students and being able to lead activities with them.

Continue to pray for:
-the political situation here (something fishy is going on)
-the students at the school as they begin a new year
-me as I begin to develop relationships with students

God Bless.

P.S. I think the school's memory verse is super cool and you should learn it too!


"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17

A bad finish to a good day

First of all, I want to say thanks to everyone who sent birthday wishes. It's always nice to know that so many people are thinking of you.

Well...my birthday was an eventfull day that needs to be blogged about. The original plans were to help with a party at Mike's house for the youth and then fly out to Tarija in southern Bolivia that night. The party went off without a hitch. We were afraid it was going to rain but it appeard to hold off (at least until I left.) We served spagetti for the party. While I was stirring the spagetti sauce, it decided to bubble up and get me. A nice, steaming hot blob of sauce caught the frontside of two of my fingers. OUCH! I tried to take pictures but I can't seem to get one that shows the true color.

Well I had to leave the party at 7 (which convienently was the same time that we were to start eating.) I didn't get any spagetti. We got to the airport and everything seemed to be in order. Had Subway, first American food in 2 months! Anyways, the plane was late but thats nothing new. When we finally got on the plane, we took off only to turn around 5 minutes later and land back at the airport. The pilot explained the problem (didn't do me any good, I don't know Spanish). I had to call a missionary and hand the phone to the airline attendant. So I waited in the terminal for 2 1/2 hrs for them to fix the plane. It didn't happen. Finally, they came and said that we were going to have to come back for the flight at 6:30 in the morning.

As I was waiting for my luggage to come off the plane, I found out that my neighbors were coming out to pick up someone else from the airport who were flying in from Miami. So I waited with them for a ride home. We didn't get out of there until 1:30 in the morning. The other problem was this. Usually the day flights leave from another airport and we didnt have anyway of getting ahold of anyone to confirm which one until 5:30 in the morning. By that time I had 3 hrs of sleep and I would of been pushing it to get to the airport in time. I'd had enough, so I stayed back and here I am now wishing I was in Tarija and wondering if I will get a refund.

It was a long night.

Jon

Once upon a time... (hopefully never again)

This has nothing to do with my ministry in Bolivia but I've told some people about this and they told me I had to blog about it. So here it goes...

I was cleaning my apartment the other day (sweeping the leaves out of my entry way) when I happen to notice something scurry out from underneath a leaf. I didn't get a good enough look to see exactly what it was but it was big and black. Well today I was cleaning around the same area and when I opened the door to come into the apartment and there he was! A tarantula! I just a bought jumped out of my shorts. Once I came back down from the ceiling. I grabbed a broom and swept him out the door. Now everywhere I go, I am looking for the guy and hoping he doesn't have buddies.

Ok, now that I have made my confession, I feel better. Hope you enjoyed the story. The moral of the story is... Always remember to check your shoes before you put them on.

Jon

A guiding hand

I have all the pictures from my three week adventure posted on my photobucket account. Check out the link "Kunkle Tour 08"on the right side of my blog. I came into town on Monday afternoon. I was afraid I would be flying back by myself without knowing enough Spanish to get me anywhere in Santa Cruz. The Lord gave me a guide. As we were sitting in the airport restaurant waiting for my departure from Trinidad, a man came up and started talking to John (the missionary). He was heading back to his house in Santa Cruz and it just so happens that he was a bilingual Bolivian. As we talked more while waiting for the plane, I found out that he lives just a few blocks away from the school and his daughters go to the middle/high school. Although we did not ride home in the same taxi (i wanted to go out to the mission office before coming home) he was able to get me in a cab and send me in the right direction. What was even more surprising was the taxi driver knew some English as well. He had spent 5 years in Los Angeles a while back and had picked up some English. So we were able make small talk on the way to the the mission office.

Since arriving back in Santa Cruz, I have had my first major accomplishment. I went shopping by myself. If you have ever been a culture of a different language, you know how big of a step this actually is. It is easy to close yourself up from the culture through the fear of not being able to protect yourself from the environment around you. Not to say the environment is bad, you just don't know how to defend yourself if situations happen to turn that way. Anyways, I have found some things have made their way down to Bolivia. For example, Betty Crocker's pancake mix, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes (they are called Zucaritas), Ragu Spaggetti sauce, Oreo cookies, Dr. Pepper (rather expensive though), and Kraft's Mac and cheese and many others.

The future plans for me include flying out for my last adventure before school starts. I will be flying south to Tarija and will be there for almost a week. I am sure there will be lots to do there.

Pray for:
-discernment for my future plans after college.
-the political landscape of Bolivia. (I'll be sure to write about it later, there are big decisions coming soon)
-the staff of the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center as they are in the middle of class prep. and wrapping up summer assignments.

God Bless,

Jon

Recapping the week

Finally I have time to write another blog. This past week has been split between San Borja and Trinidad. In San Borja, I finished up on my English pronunciation classes and also was able to spend some time with the youth playing Triominos. Not sure how to explain it. Kinda like Dominoes with triangle pieces. On Friday, I said good bye to my friends in San Borja and made the 1\2hr flight to Trinidad. Which now that I think about it, it took 6 hrs to get to San Borja by car and only 1\2 by plane. Doesnt seem to add up. Anyways, today I am now in the final leg of my Kunkle tour. We went out to a ranch to go horse back rideing and the ranch was using all the horses to vaccinate their cattle. So to much dissapointment, we settled for steaks and chicken by the lake. I have also spent close to 4 hrs stuffing prayer letters into envelopes for the missionary family i am with now. I guess I still have to work for my keep around here. Tomorrow we go to church and who knows what in the afternoon. Church again at night and then on Monday, I take an hour flight into Santa Cruz. Home sweet.....home? ok maybe not quite but still looking good for now. Just in time to finish the project that's due on Friday. Pray for safe travel once again as I will be in the air Monday.

God Bless

Long time no talk

Sorry it has taken so long to update everyone. I am currently in San Borja. I have been here for a week now. Unfortunately, the internet connection is about the speed of a snail. By the time I get done checking my emails and replying to everyone, I am so frustrated with waiting that I forget to write on my blog.

Right, on to business. Since I have been here, I have picked up some English teaching skills. I have spent all this week working with the youth in the church teaching them English pronunciation as they have been teaching Spanish. It's a win-win situation. I have enjoyed getting to know them better, also. Tomorrow we are going fishing. I am not sure what to expect but they claimed it will be an all day excursion. Hope the bugs aren't bad.

In my spare time I have been busy helping cutting out patterns for hand puppets. The missionaries d0 puppet seminars for the churches in the area. They teach them how to make a puppet skit and how to make puppets so that they can make their own for the children. Might be a good idea for those who want a Vacation Bible School session.

Next week I will be teaching more English. I leave next Friday and although I have enjoyed being here, I really miss being able to keep up to date on the internet. I also miss being able to post pictures for you guys to see. I've got some good ones.

Continue to pray for safety and God to continue to open the hearts of the youth in Bolivia.

God Bless,

Jon

lost in translation

Finally I have some time to write out a blog. It's been crazy the last week and a half. I am currently in Ascension de Guarayous. I arrived here Saturday afternoon and took time to rest up. I needed a vacation from the vacation (I'm sure you can all relate to that). On Saturday night, we drove out to Nina's church in a little town called Santa Maria. It's about 40 Km. (Don't ask me to convert that.) They have a youth night each Sat. The youth work on thing like Bible memory, singing, and what we called sword drills in the U.S. (looking up Scripture quickly) We turned around and made trip twice on Sunday, once in the morning for Sunday School and then in the evening for their service.

Yesterday Miguel (Nina's assistant) and I went with the pastor back to the church to finish Nina's office. Nina is a doctor who has her own office on the back side of the church and they have just finished plastering and painting it. We went out and hung up her cabinets and moved things back in.

One the way back, Miguel wanted to explain something to me and with neither one being able to speak each others language, my dictionary was our only hope. Miguel grabbed it and looked up the word "perezoso." In English it translates to "lazy or idle". I was confused...is he tryin to say that I was lazy? If so, I don't know about Bolivian culture but in America, that's and offensive remark, espcecially if you don't know the person very well. It turns out that he wasn't calling me lazy, he was trying to tell me there was a sloth in the tree we just passed. Now it makes sense! Lazy...sloth...duh. Good thing we had that dictionary...right?

Tomorrow, I travel to my next adventure. I am heading to Trinidad with Joe and Ellen Kunkle. I there is a meeting with the executive committee of the Bolivian church. So I am not sure what that will include. (I have a hunch it means more Spanish).

-Pray for safe travels as we will be on the road again! (almost broke into song there)
-Pray for the meetings and discernment amongst those involved and that their decisions will continue to further God's work in Bolivia.

God Bless.

A quickie!

It's midnight and I have to be up at 5 am so this is real quick. Had a great time with the missionaries at their annual retreat. I've posted a link to the pictures. I hope it works. The speaker for the retreat was Dave Embreight (sp?). Dave is the senior pastor at Nappannee Missionary Church. I am heading off to my next adventure in the morning. Hopefully I will have time tomorrow night to write a longer blog. God Bless

Up coming dates

Today I went to church, and for the first time in a month I understood every word that they said! Maybe it's because the church is in English. Yeah, there is an English speaking church real close to where I am staying. It was nice to finally sit through a sermon and actually know what was going on.

Yesterday, the neighbors had their church over to play volleyball, basketball, and soccer. It was a good time, they wore me out though. I am glad I decided to just watch the soccer match. And I think now would be a good confession time, it gets old when you can't talk to the Bolivians because you don't know Spanish. It only gets magnified worse when the six year old missionary neighbor understands more than you. I need to study Spanish more.

As far as this next week, I will be off with the other missionaries to their yearly retreat. We are going to Rio Selva. I have very little information about what this place is like, but what I hear sounds good. It's going to be a great time. I am leading the youth sessions during the retreat.

After the retreat, I will once again be living out of my suitcase. I leave the retreat with Joe and Ellen Kunkle. We will be heading to their home in San Borja, then off to Trinidad with John and Pricilla Kunkle, and finish off the tour with a trip to Ascension to meet Nina Kunkle. It's the Kunkle Tour 08! I wonder if I get a t-shirt? Anyways, I will be returning to Santa Cruz on the 26th? Something like that.

Which brings me to my next point, once again, I don't know what kind of living arrangements I will be in. So if you don't hear from me for a couple of weeks, I maybe out of contact. Just keep checking the blog, something will appear eventually.

-Pray for a spiritually refreshing retreat.
-Pray for safe travels for all missionaries.
-Pray that God will continue to use me to further his kingdom.

God Bless

Tastes like chicken....kinda

This week I have been getting a chance to meet the missionary families in Santa Cruz. Each day I have had a meal with a different family. It's a good way to get to know each family more on a personal note. Today I went to lunch with Betsy and Gerson Tejeda. If your wondering, Gerson is a Bolivian. Anyways, we went out to an all you can eat buffet. How it worked was you take a plate and fill it up with what you wanted, but no meat. They brought different meats around from the grill and would cut it off of the bigger slab for you. They had a rather large arrangement of meats. They had me try several different types, but would not let me know what it was until after I had eaten it. One meat was white and looked real fatty. It had an indescribable taste, wasn't bad, just not a good texture. I asked what it was....cow udder. I think that's the last time I will eat that. I also was given chicken heart, that was pretty good, just hard to get the thought out of your mind.

Anyways, we had a prayer meeting today. Had a good time singing and praying. I've really not had much going on this week. Worked on some homework and preparing for next week. Kinda nice to have some time to just relax after having two crazy weeks.

Another interesting thing going on around here is the constant pounding on a hammer and chisel. There were leaks in the roof during rainy season and they are going through my living room and chipping out all the plaster that has been water damaged. They were supposed to be working on it before I even got to Santa Cruz the first time. They just started yesterday. Go figure. They operate on Bolivian time. (Kinda remind me of Pa Kettle. "I'll get to that one of these days.")

-Pray for safe travel for all the missionaries going to the retreat this next week.
-Pray for Rick Lampen's father as he is having stints put in around his heart tomorrow.
-Pray for God to continue to bless the ministries here.

Jon

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

In my somewhat more permament home

Hello everyone. I am now unpacked in Santa Cruz. It appears that I won't be here very much until school starts in Aug. I have this next week to prepare for a youth retreat. If all the plans go correctly, I will be heading to several different places with several other missionaries here in Bolivia. I could be living out of my suitcase for the next 4 weeks. Some places mentioned on my schedule include; Rio Selva, Guarayos, Beni, Tarija, and Chaco. Of course everything can change but the hope is that I will be able to visit these places next month.


Now, I am sure your wondering "what is up with the Jesus statue?" In Cochabamba, they had a statue of Jesus at the top of a hill looking over the city. It was built in the 80s? At least I think thats what I was told. Anyways, he is a pretty big guy, I thought they said something about having a 120 foot wing span (he should try out for the basketball team). Ok so that was a lame joke.

Yesterday, I spend most of the afternoon in training with the assistant field director. He gave me information about the expectations of the Bolivian missionary team. It was a good meeting. Afterwards, we went to supper at Burger King. Apparently it's the only American food chain that has made it down here. Then we went grocery shopping. It's hard to shop when you don't know any products, correct prices, or where anything is. I think I'll make a habit of shopping with someone for a while. One thing that was mentioned to me is that WGM will pay for Spanish tutoring if I am interested. I am very interested. Once I get back to Santa Cruz, that is one thing I want to get worked into my schedule.

Today I went with the Browns to church. Not sure what they said but I did get through half of 1 Samuel before the sermon was over. By the way, if you haven't read 1 Samuel, I would recommend you take some time to do so. It's good reading. After church, we went out to dinner and enjoyed some Bolivian food.

As far as the weather here, It has been overcast and windy here. I would say it got up to about 55 here today but it felt colder. The wind is a south wind. That would be like a north wind in the US.

As you may have noticed, I am in the process of figuring out how to add pictures and videos to my blog site so that you can see what's going on. The site may be in construction stage this week.
Continue to pray for safe health (especially since I am supposed to start drinking the water here.) It isn't bad, the water at my house is well water. But you never know. Pray that I will continue to stay focus and do my reading for school so that I don't get behind. Pray that I will continue to be an effective tool for God's work.

God Bless,
Jon

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was. Then the LORD called Samuel.
Samuel answered, "Here I am." And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down.

Again the LORD called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
"My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down."

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD : The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

The LORD called Samuel a third time, and Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me."
Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!"
Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." (1 Samuel 3:2-10)

Continue to listen for God's voice, you never know when it will come and if you aren't paying attention, you may miss it.

Wrapping up

Well we are wrapping up the two week work trip today. We leave Cochabamba at 12 today and everyone leaves out of Santa Cruz at 11 tonight. I am really going to miss this group. They have been such a great group to be with. Hard working and very welcoming. There wasn´t a time with this group that I felt out of place.

Last night was yet another exciting experience. One of the Bolivians who works with us has a band on the side. His group came to the hotel to play for us. As they were playing, the church showed up. We had 40+ people in an apartament style room. I was fortunate enough to get one or two on video but I have to wait till my battery charger is here before I get it online. Hopefully I can put it on here, if not, maybe some pictures.

We didn´t eat supper till 10 last night, by that time, I was just ready for bed. I didn´t even finish half my plate. Everyone was confused. (If you know me, I can almost always finish my plate and maybe someone else´s.) I even passed on ice cream.

As for the seminary, we didn´t "officially" finish the job, we were three rows off. But we actually, did about 3 times as much as they expected us to get done. I am just glad it´s over without more injury. We had a number of aches and pains down here. Bruised wrist, appendicitst (sp?), bummed elbows, jammed fingers, sore backs, and other similar pains. We sure kept the doctor busy. Even still, God was with us the whole time and we all grew out of this experience.

As for me, I will be back in Santa Cruz this next week and then we leave for a missionary retreat the first week of July. I have to lead the youth sessions for the retreat. Time to get started on the planning. After the retreat, there has been mention of being on another work trip before I start at the school in late July or early Aug.

Pray for safe travels and easy adjustment into my next assignment.

God Bless
Jon

flame throwers and t-shirts

today has been a rather interesting experience. instead of having the normal work day, we took a break. at the moment, we may be able to finish all the work for tomorrow. if that is the case, it would leave thursday for everyone to get rested up before traveling on friday. so instead of working, we went shopping. well actually the ladies went shopping , the men just stood around. after going to an orphanage on sunday, we made a list of items that the kids needed and the ladies went shopping for them today.
fortunately, i joined the other group. by now i´m sure you are wondering what the title is for. here it goes. we decided that there are some of us here who could use a haircut. so we broke from the group and went to the barber. i had the privaledge of being the first one in the chair and being the great missionary he is, dan did not tell me anything. after they put the apron on, he lights a match and a wick. i am kind of curious now because the wick is attached to a spray bottle. then he proceeds to pick up a comb and sprays it. of course the spray is highly flamable and i am beginning to freak out (in my head). surely he isnt going to fry my hair off. fortunately, he was sterilizing the stuff from the last person (u never know who has lice). the barber proceeds to cut my hair much like those from the early 1900s. with sissors and hand propeled clippers. it was a rather unique experience.
now on to the other part of the title. after we were all trimmed up, we began our walk back to the other group. we went down this road that contained a lot of used clothing stores. just browsing along when all of a sudden, a grey t-shirt caught my eye. whould u have guessed that a huntington university t-shirt would be on a manican here in chocabamba, bolivia? sure enough it was here and if i had a camera (battery is dead, im waiting on a charger) i would have taken a picture. i guess it is a small world after all. well thats all for now.

God bless,
Jon

One Week Down

well today marks the first full week here in Cochabamba. We have a lot to be proud of. It was estimated that we may have laid over 12,000 bricks in one week! Way more than the missionaries expected. So much that we may be out of work sometime next week. This group really knows how to get to work. Last night we went for Italian. (I know, why italian in Bolivia?) It was real good. I had lasagna and ravioli, and chicken fettichini (sp?) and your wondering how I had all of that. Well you just make sure you sit by the girls and wait for them to give up. And I thought I would lose weight, not with this good food. Just wait till I have to buy my own food, then I may lose weight.
Tonight, we are going out to a youth service which starts at 8 and goes till 10:30. It´s 45 mins away too. Talk about a long night. Tomorrow we go to church in the morning and are going to an orphanage in the afternoon.
One last note, we have a guy here who found out last night that his grandfather has passed away. Just ask that you pray for Matt and his family as he has a hard decision to make on whether to leave early or stay and finish his trip.

God Bless,
Jon

new adventures, friends, and random stuff

cochabamba has been great so far. the group i am working with really knows how to work. apparently i have made a name for myself, i am now know as the farmer. i also was given the opportunity to lead devotionals tonight. i went over james 5:13-18. this group is so good at making discussion happen so it turned out to be a good devotional time.
last night we went out to a restaraunt called dumbos. you can imagine what it is like (i thought it would be like a chucky cheese) but it was actually a nice sit down restaraunt with good ice cream. the only problem was their inabilility to cook their chicken properly. i guess you cant get everything.
we have been hard at work laying bricks at the seminary. today i spent most of the time putting cement mix into buckets and pulling them up to the second floor with a rope and pully. i feel like i just got done baling hay (those who have done that, know how your fingers hurt from constantly grabing and lifting). tomorrow we will continue to lay bricks and more bricks and oh yeah did i mention that we are laying bricks?
one last note, we have been going to the worksite by way of taxi trufi, basically you pay the equivalent of 20 cents to ride in a cab that runs the same route all the time. if there is room you squeeze in and ride until you need to get out. there are times when you may have six people in a toyota camry. oh did i mention that most of their cars are stickshifts too. lets just say you need to be comfortable with your body sometimes because you may be crammed in a car like sardines.
well thats all for now, pray that God will open up doors of opportunity for minstry.

God Bless