April: Jam packed with God's goodness

April contained two major events that everyone always looks forward to, Bolivia Day and the Mission tip. Sprinkled throughout the month we also had a community service day with the high school and Mark coached the boys in another basketball tournament. Audrey and Adeline also safely returned from a successful trip to the U.S. to see friends and family and then both started coming to Highlands as Audrey returned to work. It was a jam packed month indeed, but one where we could clearly see God's goodness.

This is the third year of going to serve alongside Pastor Benjamin in the jungle village of Buena Vista. Mark, along with four other teachers, led 20 high school students on a six day mission trip where they did various service projects, put on church services, and carried out vacation Bible schools for the children of the 80 family community. Despite being without their luggage or having running water for the first two days, the team made the most of it and served with willing hearts. It is always a highlight of the year for both the students who go on the trip as well as the teachers. For Mark it is an amazing opportunity to lead and serve alongside his students.

The Lord truly was working through both the students who went and the people they went to serve. This being the third year, the relationships with the community of Buena Vista felt even stronger, and many of the kids remembered many of the previous members from years before. A major celebration came on the final night of the trip when one of the guys in Mark's discipleship group wanted to be baptized. They filled up a blue water barrel and in front of his peers Leo declared his declaration and dedication as a follower of Christ. It was a special memory from the trip, alongside other memories of the kids faces during vacation Bible school and the well earned sweat from the service projects.

April also included the much anticipated Bolivia Day, where each class performs whatever traditional Bolivian dance they have been practicing for the past semester. It is a big community event that the school hosts, and where people from the community can come see our school and school culture. The final two acts are the teacher dance and the entire high school performing the traditional 10 minute Caporales dance. It is an amazing site to see the entire high school in unison perform this complex dance. When it comes to the teacher dance it's a little different...Despite not being the best dancers, most people appreciate seeing a group of gringos attempt to dance the traditional dances decked out in the traditional costumes, which this year included what can only be called a "bull costume" for Mark as they danced a traditional dance called the "Waka Waka".

It was a great day of memory making for the three of us. It is also really cool sharing those memories with the students and the Highlands community as well. Things like Bolivia Day, both the practices leading up to it and the performance day itself, are a great way to further bond with the students and the Bolivian community. The same goes for some of the other events mentioned earlier like Mark's basketball tournament and the high school community service days.

Now that April is over and May has begun, so has the home stretch of the school year. School finishes May 28th, and so things now shift to the end of the year, which is a busier time for Audrey. As guidance counselor she does a lot with putting on the graduation ceremony and getting student schedules organized for next year. Luckily she has a new work companion in Adeline. Audrey and Adeline come to school every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

It has been a huge praise that the school would allow Adeline to come with us, and for both of them to stay home on Tuesday and Thursday and work from home. It has also been amazing having them on campus and having Adeline's smile brighten up the work day. We are also very thankful for the staff members who have been willing to help make this work, although we know they prefer helping out and holding our precious bundle of joy instead of grading or lesson planning.

Please keep the process of taking Addie to school in your prayers. We are still in the early stages of this experiment and praying for how to address next school year when in August things could be very different with her. Prayers for the both of us are also greatly appreciated as the end of the school year can usually be pretty busy as well. Pray for continued ministry opportunities with the students. Usually the end of the school year brings a time of reflection, especially for the seniors who will be moving on, and that can lead to some good God centered conversations.

Thank you for taking the time to keep up with us and for your prayers. The home stretch can be challenging, and we know we must rely on God's strength and grace to get us through. We are so thankful for His goodness to us, and for the things He is doing here at Highlands. Pray that we continually make the most of the opportunities provided and that He continues to work through broken vessels like ourselves. We are set to return stateside from June 2nd to July 27th, so let us know if you would like to meet up!

Enjoy the Waka Waka!