New Beginnings: 14 Floors & 11,000 Feet

God has showered his goodness upon us, and everything about our entry into Bolivia has gone better than we had hoped. Thank you for all the prayers and support, we feel so blessed to have so many people behind us and so many blessings from above. We write to you from our new apartment in La Paz that rests on the 14th floor of a 30 floor building that towers over the Zona Sur (Southern Zone) of La Paz. We feel so blessed to be in this very modernized, although small, apartment. Days before arriving to La Paz, a family from the school offered this apartment as a way to help offset the tuition cost for their child to attend Highlands. We are so thankful for that mutually beneficial opportunity that only God can orchestrate.

In true Bolivian fashion, we had our mandatory travel quarantine cut short in Santa Cruz after spending five days in a hotel, one of which was without power for a full 24 hours. On day five the Bolivian government removed the seven day travel quarantine requirement, and it just so happened to coincide with a time when the power was completely out in our hotel. So we were able to get to La Paz earlier than expected on the 20th and we started settling into our new digs shortly before the three day weekend lockdown quarantine started. We are currently under another three day weekend lockdown where nobody can leave their homes until Monday.

This has allowed us to spend a lot of time inside settling in and making our new apartment into a home. Before the lockdown began again we were able to get many of the apartment needs purchased at the local markets, and pictured here was our Saturday quarantine work project. Slowly but surely we have adjusted to our new life in La Paz together. However, it was a little tougher for Audrey as she spent the first week adjusting to the 1-2 punch of both Bolivian food poisoning and the La Paz altitude. It was tough to be locked inside while Audrey was overcoming her sickness, but the quarantine rules did allow for us to get out and go to one of the designated pharmacies that was open for emergencies and pick up the necessary medicine. We can safely say that she is now at 100% and we praise God that it didn't get any worse. More good news came yesterday as the government announced a much looser and more open quarantine phase for La Paz starting in September. We won't be having any more weekend lockdowns, and we can be out longer and more freely on the weekends, praise God!

Looking back, it was so easy to worry and question our entry into Bolivia, especially with all the paperwork, pandemic circumstances, Audrey's lack of visa, the overall way in which things are constantly changing in Bolivia, and the fickle nature to which the government can operate. However, God had us in His hands the whole time, and it is amazing to see how everything has worked out. He took care of us and provided a smooth transition through it all. All glory to Him. We reflected on this often over the last couple days as we count the blessings to the start of our new life in La Paz. We have so much to be thankful for and we want to always remember how blessed we feel to be the hands and feet of Jesus as we seek to spread the Good News to those in Bolivia. After Audrey recovered from her sickness we went on a self guided tour over the city using the Teleferico cable car system and talked about all that God had done for us and all the we know He will do. We are anxious and excited as we seek to learn and grow through the opportunities given us.

It is winter here, a dry, sunny, and windy season with fluctuating temperatures of warmer sun blasted heat sandwiched between morning chills and dark cold nights. However, for us it is also a season of new beginnings. We are anxious but also aware that there is much ahead of us as we transition to life together in a new country and new culture. We still are working on learning and growing in many ways, one of the biggest being our Spanish skill. Please be in prayer for us as we seek the best ways to grasp the Spanish language and cultivate our ministry here. We both have to keep in mind the bigger picture of what God has for us here, and we both must put in the hard work daily to grow more effective in our ministry here. Each day still brings opportunity, and we are very open to that, whether it be with our students online, or in the streets with the people we interact with. One thing is for sure, we feel blessed every morning to look out our window, sip some heartwarming coffee, and get a glorious reminder of our great and glorious God who loves us, and has blessed us, far beyond what we deserve.