Meanwhile in Trinidad . . . .
Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile, there has been stuff happening, but I have been swamped with work and haven't had a chance to write until now. Let me bring you up to speed:
Last weekend we finally got some much needed rain which put out the fires in the area and ended the smoke problem. Since then we've had 4 days of rain in the last week, and it's currently overcast with a good chance of rain today and tomorrow. I think it's safe to say rainy season is upon us, although the heavy rains won't hit until mid December. The airport has reopened as of 8 days ago and things have more or less returned to normal weatherwise.
My young people's group (Jovenes) is going well, I've had three meetings with them since I took over leadership and we have done three different dynamics - one week with just games, one week with worship and a message and this past week worship, group discussion and a game. I think the group discussion worked the best, so I plan to keep that format for the future meetings (plus it's easier to prepare).
The computer projects are still looming, the most daunting of which is a system that will track the data of students, sponsors and families at the school that the church, administration and sponsorship coordinators can use to help with managing records. Then I also have the school website to finish as well as a website for the football (soccer) team.
My class is going well, we are doing typing right now, so it's nice because I don't have to plan anything, the kids just use the software that I found and installed. Some of them are enjoying it so much they come in after school to practice! I gave my first exam last week and it went well, but I have yet to grade it, so I have no idea how they did.
And personally, things are going better for me. As I had mentioned in my newsletter I have been really drained of energy lately and have been spiritually challenged. Part of it is from stress on several levels (projects, class, Jovenes and the heat) and part of it is from the longer term cultural adjustments I'm making. As of today, I have now been in Bolivia for 5 months, so I am hitting a wall that missionaries typically hit in the 4-6 month range where they feel lost, broken and unsure of themselves. Your prayers would be most welcome in this time of trial for me. I'm doing well with it though and I have a great group of people here that are encouraging me and the "be calm, take it easy" attitude of the Bolivians has helped me to realize I don't need to be worrying about my work all the time, and just to take things as they come.
This week is La Palmera Anniversary week, the project is celebrating its 22nd anniversary. There will be all kinds of festivities including an inaugural ceremony, a parade of lanterns (at night), a soccer/basketball parents tournament (which I am participating in), talent night, a food fair and a night of worship/praise at the end of the week. I'll report on this next week with some pictures.
The other major development is that officially as of December 1, Americans will now be required to have a visa to enter Bolivia. This has been in the works for the whole year and was expected to be coming, but it's now official. The word is that visitors will NOT need to apply for one, but simply show up at the airport and pay a $134 fee as well as fill out some additional paperwork. Evo's defense of this is that the US Embassy charges $100 for an appointment for Bolivians to apply for a visa and that US citizens can easily afford this. It's another step in the tit for tat game Bolivia is playing with the US.
Anyway, I hope things are well with everyone and GO ROCKIES!!
Last weekend we finally got some much needed rain which put out the fires in the area and ended the smoke problem. Since then we've had 4 days of rain in the last week, and it's currently overcast with a good chance of rain today and tomorrow. I think it's safe to say rainy season is upon us, although the heavy rains won't hit until mid December. The airport has reopened as of 8 days ago and things have more or less returned to normal weatherwise.
My young people's group (Jovenes) is going well, I've had three meetings with them since I took over leadership and we have done three different dynamics - one week with just games, one week with worship and a message and this past week worship, group discussion and a game. I think the group discussion worked the best, so I plan to keep that format for the future meetings (plus it's easier to prepare).
The computer projects are still looming, the most daunting of which is a system that will track the data of students, sponsors and families at the school that the church, administration and sponsorship coordinators can use to help with managing records. Then I also have the school website to finish as well as a website for the football (soccer) team.
My class is going well, we are doing typing right now, so it's nice because I don't have to plan anything, the kids just use the software that I found and installed. Some of them are enjoying it so much they come in after school to practice! I gave my first exam last week and it went well, but I have yet to grade it, so I have no idea how they did.
And personally, things are going better for me. As I had mentioned in my newsletter I have been really drained of energy lately and have been spiritually challenged. Part of it is from stress on several levels (projects, class, Jovenes and the heat) and part of it is from the longer term cultural adjustments I'm making. As of today, I have now been in Bolivia for 5 months, so I am hitting a wall that missionaries typically hit in the 4-6 month range where they feel lost, broken and unsure of themselves. Your prayers would be most welcome in this time of trial for me. I'm doing well with it though and I have a great group of people here that are encouraging me and the "be calm, take it easy" attitude of the Bolivians has helped me to realize I don't need to be worrying about my work all the time, and just to take things as they come.
This week is La Palmera Anniversary week, the project is celebrating its 22nd anniversary. There will be all kinds of festivities including an inaugural ceremony, a parade of lanterns (at night), a soccer/basketball parents tournament (which I am participating in), talent night, a food fair and a night of worship/praise at the end of the week. I'll report on this next week with some pictures.
The other major development is that officially as of December 1, Americans will now be required to have a visa to enter Bolivia. This has been in the works for the whole year and was expected to be coming, but it's now official. The word is that visitors will NOT need to apply for one, but simply show up at the airport and pay a $134 fee as well as fill out some additional paperwork. Evo's defense of this is that the US Embassy charges $100 for an appointment for Bolivians to apply for a visa and that US citizens can easily afford this. It's another step in the tit for tat game Bolivia is playing with the US.
Anyway, I hope things are well with everyone and GO ROCKIES!!
posted by Jimmy Bollinger at
7:04 AM
1 Comments:
Hi, so my name is Denise and I'm going to be volunteering at La Palmera next summer...in approximately 190 days but who is counting! I'm so excited to meet everyone!
By
GalloPinto2, at 10/20/2007 08:42:00 PM
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