La Fuente

Heat Wave

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 17:25:00 +0000

Things have been very hot here, the last couple of days have seen lows of around 85 F (30 C) and highs over 100 F (37 C). With the humidity, the heat index has to be over 110 F (41 C). This equates to not much sleep and lots of sweat. The fans in our house have been working double time . . .

My weekend with Lidia finished great, we got to talk some more and after some sound advice from some friends of ours, we decided it's best for now if we are just close friends since we realized that our emotions were controlling us and not the Lord. Although we do know some about each other, there is still a lot of things we don't know about each other and we feel it's important to not rush this step. Plus, Lidia herself is still in the midst of some decisions on the next steps in her life and she is not ready yet to commit to a serious relationship at least until after this process is over. I think we're both on the same page now and realize that there is a gap still between us, but we also still believe it can be closed with time. Please continue to pray for us as we move forward. . .

Yesterday I went with the Jovenes to Villa Alba where we did another Happy Hour with the kids, and it was a great time. We additionally served them breakfast of bread and hot chocolate (typical). Four kids received the Lord as their Savior and we left content with what the Lord accomplished through us. Last night we had our Jovenes meeting and also discussed some changes to get more people involved and also modify the format a bit to try and get more people to come and also have people be more enthusiastic. It was a positive meeting and I think we are all excited to make these new changes.

Some of you ask me about the political situation - it’s still fragile. Both sides are still at an impasse yet dialogue continues, which is positive since before the violence there was no dialogue. Evo is currently seeking legislative approval for a referendum on the new constitution, which could take place in December, but probably realistically won’t happen until next year.

Doctrine, Simplicity and Application

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 22:13:00 +0000

So I have been in Santa Cruz the past three days visiting my girlfriend, Lidia. We are having a great time, but also have had a lot of emotion in the last couple days, which I think is a result of us sharing so much so fast and wearing ourselves out. You can be in prayer for us as we seek God's will and wait for HIS timing, not ours.

Lidia and I were talking yesterday about our faiths, something that we had previously not done and we come from different denominations (she's evangelical and I'm Presbyterian). The subject of baptism came up when I was talking with her dad on Saturday and yesterday she and I talked about it. Our two churches have different views on baptism, specifically infant baptism. My church baptizes infants and hers does not, it is something strictly done after accepting the Lord. The evangelicals follow Jesus's example and believe it's not appropriate to baptize until one has accepted the Lord in faith, that it is important to profess commitment to God in front of the church and in most churches a prerequisite for taking communion. So, for me to say that I was baptized as an infant raised a huge red flag between us. As I explained my interpretation of the Presbyterian doctrine, she started telling me about her experiences in YWAM.

One of the things she said to me that she liked about her experiences in YWAM was that she was learning theory and getting to put it into practice at the same time. Her denomination is very simple and very literal in their interpretation of the Bible and it got me to thinking, do we as Christians in denominations sometimes overthink doctrine and "miss the forest for the trees" and try to complicate things that really shouldn't be difficult to understand? She suggested to me that I consider studying the Bible in a YWAM school where they have a non-doctrinal approach to study so as to have a non-biased view of the Bible (or at least as much as possible) and then if I still wanted to, to attend seminary. So, that has been on my mind and I am praying about what the Lord's will is for me. She mentioned to me that there were YWAM schools in the States where she thought we could both go and she could learn English while I do the study. It's something I am beginning to think about since I definitely want to be a "Christian first" as my friend Chris once said and "Presbyterian second".

Some developments

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Since I last wrote, some significant things have happened in my life and in Bolivia. The situation here continues to be fragile, but this past Monday after nearly two weeks of a closed road between Trinidad and Santa Cruz, the MAS supporters (pro Evo) in the east decided to lift their roadblocks. Gasoline arrived yesterday with lines over three blocks long in most places (3-5 hour wait). Food is also beginning to arrive again and I believe diesel too. Things are returning to normal, although the government and opposition have not reached an agreement. MAS supporters (pro Evo) are threatening to bring back the blockades if the opposition doesn't agree to the government's offer by Monday. Most government offices have been returned too and all airports in the country are operating as normal again. Basically, we're back to status quo.

In the church, this weekend we are having a Bible reading marathon. September was the month the first Spanish Bible was translated, so we are doing a non stop reading marathon for about 36 hours. Apparently it takes ~70 hours to read the whole Bible, so we should be somewhere in Psalms when we finish. People from our church, other churches, the school, other schools and random people have all read a little bit (including me). Tomorrow are having a special all day outing with the church where we will have a morning service, eat lunch together, play games and then go for a swim, have some baptisms and then do our communion services. Should be a fun filled day.

And now to my personal news. My good friend Lidia who has been in Chile the past year more or less involved with a YWAM counseling school returned two weeks ago and contacted me last Tuesday. I called her and talked with her at great length. Apparently after discussing our relationship with her mentor in Chile just before she left and sharing some emails, particularly one of my later emails that was pretty honest and direct her mentor said, "Lidia, you should pray about this, this guy seems serious about being with you and entering ministry with you". This got her attention as you can imagine. So returned and she told me she wanted to spend more time with me and pursue the possibility of marriage in the near future. However due to the political situation, she's been stranded in the south border town of Yacuiba where her parents live and has not been able to return yet to Santa Cruz. But we have spent a good amount of time (hours) on the phone sharing things with each other and getting to know each other on a deeper level. I feel the Lord bringing us closer together and each time I am sad to say goodbye on the phone. She is planning to return to Santa Cruz this week (if the blockades don't return) and so I am planning to go see her next weekend which is perfect since have Monday and Tuesday off too for a couple of holidays! I'm SO excited to spend this time with her and am praying the Lord gives both of us wisdom as to timing and future plans together. I am falling in love with her more and more each time we talk and get to know each other.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Thank you to all of you who have been concerned about my safety, for your emails and prayers. I am pleased to say things appear to be getting better in Bolivia now. Yesterday, Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera met with the governor of Tarija, Mario Cossio for 7 hours, and the second meeting in three days to discuss a solution. Mario represents the group CONALDE (National Democratic Council) which is the group of people supporting the autonomy movement in the east. Apparently the meeting went very well, so well that both sides feel confident an agreement can be reached, possibly as soon as tonight when President Evo Morales returns from an emergency summit in Santiago, Chile to discuss the crisis with other S. American leaders. As a gesture of good will, the roadblocks in the Santa Cruz region have been lifted.

I just read a very good summary of how the whole crisis started, some of its earliest beginnings took place in 2000 before I ever set foot on Bolivian soil. It also explains the suspicions of Morales over US Ambassador Philip Goldberg and why he ordered him to leave. There is still a ways to go in resolving the situation completely, but things are definitely more optimistic and these talks could lay the groundwork for a more stable Bolivia.

Trinidad has remained calm and peaceful throughout this whole crisis, the only things we have been affected by are the roadblocks which have prevented food and gas shipments from arriving. Apart from that, life is normal here.

Bolivia on Edge

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:36:00 +0000

Well, undoubtedly news from Bolivia has surfaced in the States, so let me bring you up to speed on the events that have taken place here in Bolivia this week.

Let me start by saying that things are fine here in Trinidad. Everyone is working, schools are open, and things are basically normal. I feel safe, and so far no violence has taken place in the city. I am continuing to work as normal at La Palmera.

To give a recap of the past six months briefly which has led to this. You'll recall earlier this year, four departments have voted for autonomy (Pando, Beni (where Trinidad is), Santa Cruz and Tarija) via the movement fueled by their regional governors (prefectos). Additionally, Chuquisaca (where the city of Sucre lies) has joined the autonomy movement out of desire to restore Sucre as the capital of Bolivia, claiming they have a more representative cross section of Bolivia than La Paz. The recall vote that was held last month reaffirmed the prefectos of the autonomy movement as well as Evo, which as I eluded to some time ago was seen by both sides as a mandate to carry out their agenda. Evo has a communist driven agenda and is supported by Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.

This week, the autonomists have spoken up via actions in Santa Cruz, Tarija and Beni. Tuesday in Santa Cruz, a group of autonomists and handicapped people took several offices for national governement ministries and one resulted in a confrontation between military/police which involved tear gas. At least 50 people were injured in this. In addition, Tuesday the airport here in Trinidad was taken by an affiliated group, as well as in two other cities in the Beni but there was no confrontation involved in any of them. This has suspended flights here and is costing the airlines $60,000/day. Yesterday, more offices were taken in Santa Cruz for other national government ministries and also the bus/train terminal. About 12 such offices have been taken in total. The current state of the country is that there are over 30 roadblocks in the eastern part of the country blocking every major route and also exits to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. This is preventing travel, supply shipments (most notably cooking gas and fuel for transportation) and some food shipments from arriving. But we have plenty of cows here in the Beni, so we won't run out of meat and there is always bread too. So I won't starve!

Additionally last night, President Evo Morales accused US Ambassador Philip Goldberg of conspiring with the people in the east and has told him to leave Bolivia immediately. His accusations of course have no basis, but the ambassador has been embattled for quite some time now and earlier this year there was speculation that Bush would recall him and appoint a new ambassador, so really it's probably a good thing for US-Bolivian relations that he leaves.

But, one piece of good news . . . the Bolivian soccer team drew with Brazil 0-0 in Brasilia last night in their World Cup qualifier, so that is something to cheer about as nearly everyone expected Brazil to win easily! Bolivia has very little chance of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup at this point, but hopefully they'll move out of last place in the group.

Coping with life in Bolivia

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:24:00 +0000

So, many of you probably wonder, how can you live in a place so politically unstable? To be honest, it's not easy. As eventful as things currently are here, I'd much rather trade the peacefulness of places like the US, Canada, Europe or even other S. American countries. But, I'm realizing it's another trial from the Lord, again testing my patience and trust. If I could give one word to sum up what God has been teaching me this year, it's trust and I've seen it in nearly every area of my life. And honestly, it's been very difficult. But, He has kept me safe, given me food every day, given me a wonderful community and a lovely place to live. This place is darker every day, in need of God's love and so I feel even more privileged each day as the Lord works in my life and gives me the tools to bring His light to the world.

Currently in our youth group (Jovenes) meetings we are learning how to use the EvangeCube, which some of you have probably heard of. They are cubes that change into 7 different images portraying the message of the gospel. Another pastor in town is teaching us a 6 lesson course on how to use them as ministry tools. After we finish we hope to go to surrounding communities (like Villa Alba, San Pedro Nuevo, etc.) and share with these people (especially kids), the message of the Gospel. Last weekend we went to Villa Alba, had a happy hour of worship with the kids and distributed Bibles, it felt so rewarding to see the joy on these kids faces and let them know that we hadn't forgotten about them.

Today though, I am enjoying an unexpected "Sur", cold front which is much colder than normal for this time of the year. It's allowing me to get some rest and take my mind off of other things in my life and just enjoy my day off. But this peace would not be possible without the trust God is teaching me. So my challenge to you is, where are you placing your trust today?

Bolivia in the NY Times

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:55:00 +0000

For those of you interested in Bolivian politics, there was a NY Times editorial published two weeks ago about the situation here. It's pretty accurate.

There is also a very good response to this editorial from Jim Shultz, who is a an American, living in Cochabamba, Bolivia and who is a political analyst. He can sometimes be very liberal in his remarks, but I found this particular response to be really good. This response was published last week in the NY Times.

Things are peaceful here in Trinidad. At the moment the repercussions are mostly just inconvenience. But I'm learning to live with it and am definitely keeping an ear to things.

The latest development, passed over the weekend was a decree by Evo Morales that roadblocks are now illegal. The department of Santa Cruz has publicly announced yesterday that they will refuse to obey this. This puts the situation back into Morales' hands as to whether or not he will use force to remove them. A similar situation arose in Oruro a few weeks ago that left one person dead and several injured.

Please keep Bolivia in your prayers as this is a very fluid situation that seems to get a bit worse every day.

My birthday in Trinidad

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:07:00 +0000

My birthdays in Bolivia the past two years have both been special. Last year I spent it with Lidia and we had a special time together and this year I spent it with my dear friends at La Palmera. This is the fourth time I have been in Bolivia for my birthday, but the first time I have spent it in Trinidad. The day started off with the staff singing happy birthday to me after devotionals. Throughout the morning various students came up to me and wished me happy birthday with a hug and kiss (customary here). Then as I was in the lab, one of the classes sang happy birthday to me and in English! I was impressed. In the evening, I decided to throw a barbecue (parrillada) with steak, sausage and grilled chicken for my friends from the project. About 25 people came and we had a great time. I paid for the meat and the birthday committee from the school paid for the sides of rice, salad and drinks.
My birthday spilled over into yesterday as well when the graduating class gave me a card with special messages from all of them. I think at some point my eyes watered up with emotions of being grateful, as I realized what a wonderful community I am part of. Thank you to those of you praying for a great birthday for me.

In other news, I went down to immigration yesterday to inquire about the process for a 2 year visa (the next one for me). The visa requires me to send all of my paperwork to La Paz for processing. However, after speaking with a guy at the immigration office, he was honest with me and said I'd be better going to La Paz and presenting in person because there are people who have sent their papers from Trinidad and haven't heard anything for months, mostly due to laziness on the part of the people at the Trinidad office and mail delays. So, it looks like I'll be heading there in a couple weeks to take care of all of this. However, because there will likely be a delay in processing, I may take advantage and take a trip to Lake Titicaca for a few days, which is just a short 3 hour drive away from La Paz. You can be in prayer for this visa process as I've learned dealing with the official stuff is never straightforward.

The Post-Revocatoria news

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:49:00 +0000

Yesterday was the "revocatoria" or recall vote on Bolivia's President, Evo Morales and all nine of the regional governors. Despite recent protests and rallies (including one here at the airport in Trinidad that prevented Evo from landing with Hugo Chavez), the day was peaceful. The results were that Evo retains his office with 63% of the voters in favor. Four of the nine departments voted heavily against Evo though (Beni (where Trinidad is), Santa Cruz, Chuquisaca and Tarija). Three governors were voted out, those of La Paz (who was not part of Evo's MAS party and had spoken out against him quite a bit), Cochabamba (Manfred Reyes Villa who was responsible for the death of 2 people on the streets of Cochabamba last January) and Oruro (where a recent police shooting took place). However, all of the key oppositions governors - Ruben Costas (Santa Cruz), Ernesto Suarez (Beni) and the governor of Tarija were approved with overwhelming support.

Evo gave a speech after the unofficial results congratulating Bolivians on completing a historic day without violence. It was respectful and he indicated at least in his speech to work for a "united Bolivia" specifically naming all nine departments. How serious he is, we'll see in coming weeks and months. Clearly now, Evo is riding a lot of momentum and my guess is that his next move will be to ratify the new Constitution. How things unfold depends entirely on how the opposition reacts, but for the time being we can expect status quo - strikes, protests and road blockades.

Keep Bolivia in your prayers, this is a very sensitive situation and is far from over. . .

The Lord's work at Camp

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 02:20:00 +0000

I just returned from a three day camp at the La Palmera Chaco (about 45 min from Trinidad) and it was a great camp. The kids learned about obedience as the theme. Last night was a wonderful time in communion with the Lord and the Holy Spirit was moving our group and there was a call for people to come forward and pray the sinners prayer. Then they called forward classmates and leaders to pray over the new Christians and later invited parents and family. It was so beautiful with people weeping in happiness, and then we capped it off singing a slow paced worship song "Nina de tus Ojos" (apple of your eyes) which talks about how God loved us when we were sinners. It was the perfect evening to finish off the camp program.

Next up: My 3rd parade for Bolivian Independence Day on Aug. 6 and then my 28th birthday on the 12th!!

Back in Bolivia

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 16:48:00 +0000

Well, after a lovely two week visit to the States with my family, I am now back in Bolivia. I got back to Trinidad on Sunday afternoon. Upon arriving I have found that there are a lot of protests going on for various things (all government related). This will all be capped off by the "revocatoria" vote in a couple weeks in which all of the governors, Evo and his vice president will get an up or down vote on staying in office. This has been a controversial issue, so regardless of the results there are sure to be more protests and maybe even defiance.

However, in Trinidad we are enjoying things. Today we are leaving for a three day camp in the Chaco with the kids in grades 3rd-7th. The theme will be on obedience. I'll be back on Saturday afternoon.

Also Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning I spent with Woody Roland, the director of ITeams Latin America. It was so great to spend the time with him and share what's been going on in my life and what my future plans are, especially seminary.

"Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!"

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:59:00 +0000

During my quiet time this morning, I was reading Luke 5 and came across this phrase in verse 8. This is of course after Simon Peter has witnessed Jesus filling their nets with fish after hours of previous fishing catching nothing. Simon Peter was skeptical that fish would come and after they did realized he had little faith and was ashamed to be in the presence of Jesus.

How many times do we have moments like this in our lives where we have doubt and then later realize it wasn't necessary? How many times is our faith shown to be weak? It is a challenge to trust God and to believe He can do anything, especially after routine failures and unsuccessful results. But as Jesus proved that night on the lake, He can make anything happen, it all depends on timing. Many times there is something he wants us to see in the midst of our trials and that is why we fail. . .

Pittsburgh, the beach, vacation . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 21:44:00 +0000

I am writing this post as I look out at the Atlantic Ocean at our beach cottage for the week here at Emerald Isle, North Carolina. It is a family favorite spot that we have been coming as long as i have been alive (seriously). In fact there still exists a phone booth where apparently the rest of the family found out about my birth some 28 years ago.

Earlier this week I visited Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, the seminary I am seriously considering attending. I stayed with my friends Chris and Eileen who live in Pittsburgh (Chris just graduated from PTS). They did a fabulous job showing me around and were very hospitable. After visiting this seminary, I have to say I'm quite excited and I would say Pittsburgh is solidly my first choice. My meeting with the Dean and Missions Director put to rest any doubts I may have had and assured me that engineers and scientists can do just fine in a seminary environment where more of the people have a liberal arts background.

I also had the opportunity to visit the ITeams headquarters in Chicago on Wednesday during a long 6 hour layover. It was so great to see everyone and I forget sometimes just how friendly and helpful the people there are. They enjoyed seeing me and getting updates on how things are going in Bolivia and of course with Lidia too.

And now, I've reached the best part of my vacation - some R&R with my family at the beach. For me it is much needed as this has been a very stressful spring in Trinidad for the folks at La Palmera. And for me too. It feels good to be back on American soil even if it is for just a brief time, but I am also looking forward to heading back on Saturday night and being back with everyone again in about 10 days.

Reflections on Villa Alba

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:55:00 +0000

It was such a joy to finally be able to serve people who were victims of the flooding. The smiles on these children’s faces were priceless. Still it was sad to see such extreme poverty. Some children were running around barefoot (possibly laziness). Nearly all were dirty. It was so encouraging to see some of them coming over 30 min early for camp and waiting for us to eat our breakfast and start up. It was obvious they hadn’t had this much fun in a long time.

When we arrived on Monday, we started by putting together a place we could use for showering since in the Bolivian countryside, people shower with a bucket of water, pouring water over themselves with a large cup. It’s strange to think there are still places in the civilized world that are without electricity, without running water. It was a glimpse at what life must have been like prior to electricity. No television, no computers, no internet, no music (other than live music from a guitar), no lighting. These people are the poorest of the poor and live in a state of poverty that probably all of us will never fully comprehend. Still, they are some of the nicest people I have met, truly grateful for what little they do have and with a sense of hospitality that is second to none.

We brought a generator, but it stopped working after the first night, I think the Lord wanted us to live without the comforts of electricity for one week. One thing that was amazing were the stars, they were so bright and you could even see part of the Milky Way Galaxy!

The other thing that struck me was during our time of community service. I went with my group to a house about a 15 min walk from the center of the village and we were demolishing a traditional thatched style roof house made of palm branches (typical for homes in the Bolivian countryside) that was damaged in the flooding so the people could start over rebuilding it. Bats, wasps, numerous bugs and even a poisonous snake were found living in it!! To think that these people are starting all over in rebuilding this home. It'll take several weeks at least for this home to be rebuilt.

I am convinced the Lord was at work in all of us. It certainly made me appreciate the simple gifts God has given me and the others that were with us. At least we live in an area that is more modernized. Sixteen kids accepted the Lord out of 50, a fantastic number! Two of our girls from the group as well entrusted the Lord. By the end of the trip you could feel a sense of team spirit and cohesiveness. The people on this trip are the core of our Jovenes group and I hope their team oriented attitude rubs off on the rest of the people who attend.

the Lord's work in Villa Alba

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:58:00 +0000

This week I have been away in the village of Villa Alba, a place where there is no electricity, no running water, and the only phones are a phone station in the center of town. I went with the Jovenes (youth group) to do a camp for the kids there.

This week leading up was pretty bad. We went from having 24 leaders to 21, from having several musicians who regularly lead worship to just one of our youth who plays the guitar. The list of logistics piled higher and higher as I realized more stuff needed to be sorted out. To top it off, I lost my bank card last Friday, literally the day before I was to take out a large sum of money to buy food. Fortunately I borrowed the money I needed off of a few of my roommates.

It was then that I realized I was having some serious spiritual oppression as I began to get discouraged. I had a feeling in the back of my mind that God had big plans in mind for the trip . . .if we could just get there.

Somehow we did get there. After a 5 hour delay Monday to pack and get some last minute stuff sorted out, we finally headed off. That night, our pastoral advisor, Milton, said that in order to share the love of Jesus with the kids, some of us needed to find it ourselves (since a few of our youth that went do not know the Lord). Right then, two of the people in the group entrusted the Lord. Out of our 21 leaders, I counted 17 people that I knew were Christians. This was the first night.

Over the next few days, we had 50 kids at the camp. In the morning, a few arrived half an hour early, ready for camp! The first morning, Milton asked if anyone knew the Lord, no one raised their hand. By the end of the camp, 16 of these kids entrusted the Lord. The ones that didn't left having a better understanding of the Gospel and through us, the Lord planted a seed in each of them that I expect will reap results further down the road.

Our three goals for the week were 1) to reach out to the kids 2) to reach out to the community and 3) to come together as a group and unify more. I can confidently say we achieved all three. However, I also have realized it will not be enough to do a camp once a year. Many of these kids live in non-Christian homes and probably will not attend church. So, I am currently thinking of having a time of worship and teaching at Villa Alba maybe once every one or two months. I know the kids will enjoy this.

The Lord definitely was working through us this week and it felt so rewarding to see these kids smile and have lots of fun.

Teacher strike ends, Andean New Year, etc.

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 01:05:00 +0000

This Wednesday, the teacher's strike officially ended. I'm not sure what, if any concessions were made by the government or what the terms were in the agreement, but I just know we are back to normal hours at school and other schools that were closed are now back in session. As I said before, it's unlikely that anything will change regarding teacher's pay, I guess this is a universal fact - teachers everywhere are underpaid.

Tomorrow is June 21, and here in Bolivia the indigenous population will be celebrating the Andean New Year (and also the shortest day of the year). There will be llama sacrifices, one of which will take place at Tiwanaku, the oldest known ruins in Bolivia dating back a thousand years ago. Evo is sure to be present at this ceremony too.

And in personal news, June 21 is also the day that I met Lidia, one year ago so we are celebrating this special day (at a distance) since our friendship has been a special one. As I look back at our first year of friendship, it's been a great one and I thank God daily for her presence in my life. We'll see what the future holds for us, I trust God that He will do what is right for both of us.

Thoughts on the US Pres. Election

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:59:00 +0000

My blog to this point has been almost entirely focused (as it should be) on my work here in Bolivia and the effect national politics have on my stay here. But, as the Presidential election nears, I want to share some things I have observed in relation to things facing the US, but more importantly how my experience here has changed my views in some ways. This might be a long post, so feel free to skim it . . .

Right now, for me the #1 issue as for most Americans is the economy. As a missionary I notice the dip the dollar has taken over the last year and it may not seem like much but the value of the dollar against the boliviano has dropped 10% in one year. This means every dollar I take out doesn't go as far as it used to, meaning I have to be even more careful on what I spend money on.

Another thing that I have noticed is how addicted our country is to oil. We have reached the point where gas prices are so high that it is beginning to impact our economy and it will only continue to get worse as the demand for oil goes up worldwide and the population grows. Because of this we need the government to put more incentives out there for alternative energy. For too long, the big oil companies have put money in the pockets of politicians to prevent any serious change. And now, oil companies are making record profits and oil is the newest precious commodity that gold and silver have been in centuries past. I don't know that for automobiles we will ever get off the oil standard (or at least in my lifetime), but we can look for alternative energy sources for powering our homes (solar, wind, and even nuclear) and other areas like that. This will give us a threefold solution of 1) reducing our dependence on foreign oil and as a result 2) reducing our interest in the affairs of oil producing nations and 3) help clean up our environment a bit more.

The last major issue for me is national security. Terrorism is a real and legitimate threat during the 21st century and although we need to be tough and we need to put full energy into fighting terrorism, part of me believes we are targeted because our military presence is global. We talk about our military being "stretched thin" and this is true, but I think what really needs to happen is a major reorganization of how and where our military is deployed worldwide to focus on where the biggest threats are against the homeland and not covering every corner of the globe. I think having a global presence invites more problems.

As I browsed through both Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama's websites yesterday, I was surprised to find on these issues, my views aligned more with Obama than with McCain. I also like Obama's idea to bring faith back into the forefront of American life. I know many families in America have lost this, for whatever reason. I know many people in my parents generation attended church as children and in this generation it just isn't done as frequently. I applaud Obama for his efforts in trying to bring faith into the Democratic party, something usually dominated by Republicans.

For these reasons, I am seriously considering voting for Obama, something I never thought I would do. However, I also think McCain is right that there is too much "pork barrel" spending in the government and it is a concern in getting our national budget on track. I'm not an economist, but I'm pretty sure having lots of national debt isn't a good thing.

I still don't like the fact that Democrats tend to engage in a lot of party politics, I don't like the fact that they spend lots of money, and some of Obama's foreign policy views scare me. But I'm starting to think maybe Obama's slogan of Change for America is really a Change for the Democratic Party and regardless of what happens with the election is a good thing for America. We need a responsible, respectful second party that will cooperate, negotiate and be creative. We need that second point of view rather than a filibuster. We'll have to see how the debates and campaign unfolds, but I'd say I'm closer than I ever thought I'd be to voting Obama. . .but still not entirely convinced.

Teacher strike and Villa Alba mission

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:27:00 +0000

Yesterday, today and tomorrow there is a 72 hour teacher's strike nationwide. The teachers are striking over their wages. The average wage for a teacher in Bolivia is less than $2 per hour. Every school in Trinidad except La Palmera is closed. Thankfully everyone but one teacher is continuing work. To show support of other teachers though we are only having half days of school for Primary (Secondary already get out at 1pm because they start earlier and don't have lunch). In the afternoon the teachers are going and marching in town. It's strikes like these that cripple the education system in Bolivia. The real losers are not the teachers, but the students who will lose three days of school that will never be made up.

Another development which is quite exciting is that I am finally planning a mission trip with the Jovenes!! We had the desire to do a camp for some kids at this Quechua community outside of Santa Cruz, but in the process found out about a problem in the church there and so we were forced to change locations. We ended up choosing the small village of Villa Alba. Yes, this is the same Villa Alba I wrote about a couple months ago that was completely flooded and that we took food to. It is only now FOUR MONTHS LATER that the families are finally returning to their homes (some finding their homes badly damaged) and moving out of the provided tents.

This is a small village of probably only a couple hundred people, with no running water, no phone service and people living in very rustic conditions. We will be going there June 30 - July 4 and having a day camp for three days for the kids of this village. We will be doing the theme "Jesus is my friend" since many of these kids have never read the Bible. The last day we will spend helping families make repairs to their homes so hopefully they hold together better in the future. I am VERY excited about the opportunity to help out this village that is in such need and everyone in the church is quite pleased at our effort to do this trip. Pray for the people of Villa Alba and for us as we plan this trip and the camp.

An Autonomous Beni

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:47:00 +0000

Yesterday passed uneventfully with peaceful voting and hardly any conflict. I heard about a minor scuffle in one of the smaller plazas but by and large the voting went forward as expected with no problems. I spent the day hiding out in the house, but heard firecrackers going off all day. The people of the Beni have now approved the autonomy referendum with over 80% of the voters in favor of the measure (talk about overwhelming majority). It now joins Santa Cruz as a declared autonomous department and we wait to see what happens next.

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that things are fine here and nothing major happened in the way of conflict. This morning life is back to normal . . .

Autonomia Si! . . .

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sat, 31 May 2008 14:43:00 +0000

. . .is the slogan being plastered all over Trinidad. Tomorrow is the vote for the Autonomy statute for the Beni department. An overwhelming approval is expected which means it will join Santa Cruz in being the second department to accept the autonomy status as defined by the local government.

This is something that has been in the works, really for about a year. To clarify though, autonomy as defined here is NOT independence, but rather a decentralization of national government, basically which will give more power to the local government and grant it certain freedoms it did not have such as land management, police authority, etc. The Beni will still be part of Bolivia though, and still be subject to the national government on a lot of issues.

Thursday night, the biggest rally in the city took place just a block away from La Palmera from 4pm until midnight. Fireworks and firecrackers were going off all afternoon/evening and there were people speaking during most of that time too.

To me, I've really refrained from voicing my opinion on all of this, mostly since I don't know all of the intricacies and details involved. In general, I do support the idea of autonomy because it makes sense that local people should govern themselves on local issues and national government should tackle the bigger problems that face the entire nation. I think in some ways this may help the situation in Bolivia to settle down by giving the people in the east what they've wanted for the past decade at least: a greater degree of independence to allow for greater economic development. We'll just have to see. . .

Tomorrow we expect a peaceful voting session with little if any conflict, though streets will be closed all day.

Off to Camp!

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:31:00 +0000

Well, I'm heading off this afternoon to the La Palmera annual camp out at our Chaco about 30 min outside of Trinidad. The theme for this year is "Do you love me? Do you not love me?" and it is focusing on interpersonal relationships and friendships and teaching these adolescents about the differences between love, friendship and their implications and what the Bible has to say about each. I'm no expert on this, so please pray that the Lord will give me wisdom to teach this, and maybe I'll learn a thing or two as well! We are doing this topic because there are a lot of young couples in the school right now and the pastor felt it important that the kids hear this so that people don't get hurt. We get back on Saturday afternoon, so it will basically be three full days out there and three nights. Until then . . .

One Year in Bolivia

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Fri, 16 May 2008 12:45:00 +0000

It was on this day, May 16, 2007 that I entered the Republica de Bolivia. Wow, what a year it has been. The Lord has taught me so much in my year here that I look back on how much I have changed, grown, stretched myself and how many friendships I have made with the Bolivians and other volunteers.

Probably the biggest thing I have been learning is trust. Trust in the political situation, trust in the future of the project, trust in my finances and trust in my relationship with Lidia. It is difficult to trust God with the things you care about, but I've learned that He does a much better job with managing the issues in our lives than we do. It's helping me to be at peace with where everything is and in that peace I am learning to love Him so much more. He has kept me safe, given me energy to complete my work, given me the money to be here and blessed me with a wonderful friend in Lidia who such a blessing in my life and very Godly woman.

It hasn't been easy to learn this lesson of trust - there have been lots of moments of stress, frustration and it's in those moments I realize it's out of my control and that's when I discover the joy of not having to worry about it. I am by no means fully trusting God yet, but I am learning to let go of my worries, stresses and fears.

Today also happens to be the 322nd anniversary of the founding of Trinidad, there is a four day festival commemorating this.

I thank you all for your unwavering support of my work here - financially, prayerfully and emotionally. I wish you all the best as I begin year #2 and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for me this year.

Monkey on the loose!

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:32:00 +0000

WANTED: Small brown monkey named Ramona. She looks cute and cuddly, but don't be fooled, she is a living terror! Ramona got loose and climbed on the roof of Lucho and Lorna's guest house before jumping on the balcony of the neighboring church and stealing some medication from the room and scaring some poor kid who was an innocent bystander. This prompted some jeers and discontent from the neighbors. She has been loose now for 24 hours, but is confined to the area of Lucho and Lorna's yard and surrounding buildings. Her baby is locked in the cage still, so that keeps her from leaving. Ramona has a history of getting loose. In the past they have tricked her into drinking wine and getting her drunk until she was a bit slower moving and could be easily snatched. I swear I'm not making any of this up!!

Never a dull moment in Bolivia . . .

Relief to Villa Alba

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 20:24:00 +0000

Tuesday I went with a group of people to the nearby village of Villa Alba to deliver food, clothing and give medical attention to those who needed it. It was an interesting experience and a very fulfilling one. As I previously wrote, it was a couple of weeks ago that we attempted to go, but couldn't due to bad road conditions and since that time the rain has not let up. However, over the past week we have had nothing but sunshine which has allowed the road to improve enough to be passable.

The drive out there was fine, but the last stretch of road we crossed some pretty gnarly tire tracks where people had gotten stuck. As we approached the village you could still see water covering some of the entry area. It was about ankle deep though and so the truck in the end was able pass through to a dryer area of the village that is now completely dry but was 1 meter underwater a month ago. Probably about 60 people received medical attention (illnesses and pain mostly) and about 50 families received food and clothing. We used the porch of a home for a makeshift infirmary and my friend Tony, who is a dentist, pulled several teeth with the people sitting on a stack of lawn chairs! We learned that this community had been flooded for two months. I can't even begin to imagine life in a flooded area for two months.

Pictures to come in my next update from this trip . . .

Weekend with Lidia

noreply@blogger.com (Jimmy Bollinger) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 22:55:00 +0000

So it's been awhile since I talked about how things are going with Lidia, so here's an update. As I told you all at Christmastime, she has been at a YWAM school in Chile since September of last year studying counseling. Well, she returned to Bolivia this past week but it was a very brief visit because she has decided to return to Chile this time to be a leader at the same school so she only had two weeks to travel to and from Bolivia, visit her family, friends and church.

So, I made the journey to Santa Cruz this past weekend to see her for the first time since she left. We only had a brief time as it was a whirlwind visit for her and she had tons of things to do. We sat in the plaza in Santa Cruz and I listened to her tell me all about her time there. Then I surprised her by telling her that I wanted to support her financially with her return to her school. I also told her I had some leftover pesos from Chile/Argentina that I didn't use during my vacation there amounting to about $30. I gave them to her and as I did so she broke into tears. She said, "thank you, you have no idea how God is using you as an instrument in my life. I was beginning to think my decision to go back was a mistake and you were the person I least expected to give me money." So, after this I gave her a big hug and told her I was there for her if she needed anything. And then I prayed for her.

I feel good about where we are in our friendship, God is still in the midst of things and I can tell He has some work to do in her life, but I'm confident He will do it and in time we may be able to pursue a deeper relationship. In the end, I left Santa Cruz having more peace about where we are and with a greater trust in God to do the right thing with our friendship, something I have been struggling with. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us and continue to do so, your prayers are working!!