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
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
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
God Bless
Saturday, September 13, 2008
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
God Bless
Thursday, September 4, 2008
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
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
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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
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
Thursday, August 14, 2008
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
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