Fun Filled February

It was a good thing February had an extra day this year, because we had a fun filled month with lots of activities and celebrations. Things like Team Day, Carnival Break, the Classico, a Renaissance & Reformation lunch party, and Audrey's birthday kept February very full and very fun. We also had some visitors from within the NICS network and many other great opportunities to connect with people.

The month started with our Team Day competition that we have once a semester. Sadly neither Audrey's team (Yellow) or Mark's team (Blue) won this semester, but the real fun came in watching the kids compete in the games and watching our school come together in a unified olympic style day.

Things progressed from there thanks to the Carnival Break that followed, which gave us a four day weekend to enjoy the parading and watery foam war that ensues. It is a unique holiday in that people are always "packing heat" in the form of water-guns, water balloons, and foam spray. Everyone is liable to get a heavy dose of water and foam dowsed on them if they aren't careful, and the downtown parade turns into a watery war-zone of fun. It is a fun filled blend of Bolivian culture and celebratory madness.

The fun and celebration continued with a surprise birthday party for Audrey. There was less water and foam than Carnival, and the balloons were filled with air instead of water, but the hoopla and festivities were just as grand. It was a great time of getting people together to celebrate Audrey and appreciate her role in the Highlands community.

Mark continued his busy party panning with a role play lunch party for his students where they dressed up as characters from the Renaissance and Reformation eras. It was an entertaining time of watching John Calvin, Leonardo da Vinci, Martin Luther, Henry VIII, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and Pope Leo X argue over pizza and personal accomplishments.

The fun didn't stop there as that historical lunch party was followed up with a visit from the NICS MemberCare coordinator and her husband. As the head of the MemberCare team at our school, Audrey played host to Yoshi and her husband as she showed them Highlands and La Paz. It was an encouraging visit as Yoshi and her husband brought uplifting devotional times and a specialized training on worldview in the workplace.

The month then concluded with some heated competition between Bolivia's biggest soccer rivalry called "El Classico", which pits Audrey's team of "Bolivar" against Mark's team "The Strongest". We had the opportunity to attend with our Bolivian friends Dani and Sarita, as well as another couple from the school. It was an entertaining game that ended with two goals being scored in the last five minutes to end the game in a 4-4 tie. While no one was able to claim victory we did however get two losers as Mark and Dani made a bet involving a jersey swap at the next student vs teacher soccer game. Because of the tie they both had to wear the opposing team's jersey (maybe more painful for Dani than Mark, but all in good fun)

Another noteworthy event from the month was a day of school cancelled due to the immense amount of rain that has hit La Paz in the past month. The infrastructure couldn't handle the amount of water and created sinkholes, mudslides, and debris all across the roads. Fortunately for our area the worst that happened was a day at home doing virtual school. Sadly other places across La Paz experienced much worse, including some dead from the natural disasters.

We now enter March, a month that will include Mark coaching the first ever boys basketball team in a tournament, Spiritual Emphasis Week at school, the high school Mission Trip to the jungle, and conclude with Spring Break. Please keep these things in your prayers as we continue to pour into the opportunities that the Lord provides for us here. At times it can be very fun to be here, with new opportunities and experiences. Through every activity we remain mindful of how things like this can be opportunities to build relationships, model Christ, and encourage others. Pray we can do so effectively despite our imperfections and shortcomings.