Day 1
Why are you going to Bolivia?
I have had this question asked many times over the last
year. Some people ask it in a way that
seems like they are really asking, “Have you lost your mind? Why would you go to a place like
Bolivia?” Others seem excited for me and
the adventure of moving to a new country.
And a few have seemed angry that I am moving away from family, church,
or school. So what do I say?
I met Bolivia by accident in 1985. I had made plans to go to a school in
Valledupar, Colombia with the Assemblies of God. But I had graduated in December and did not
have a job. Colombia was waiting until
the school year started in August. Eight
months was a long wait with no job. I
made a phone call to the Assemblies office to tell them I was ready to come in
the summer, though I don’t know how that would have gotten me a job.
God had something different planned than Colombia. When they answered the phone and I said who I
was, I was immediately put on hold. A
few minutes later I was being asked to fill an emergency vacancy for a teacher
who was having a difficult pregnancy. I
accepted.
The morning I left for Bolivia, two weeks later, it was
snowing. I was having second
thoughts. It was a few hours before I
was leaving for the airport. I remember
going for a walk in the snow and asking God what I was doing, wondering if I
was doing God’s will. It was one of the
most beautiful snows I have ever seen.
It was thick on the ground, but not sticking to the roads. I was thinking if it were too late to back
out of Bolivia. When I returned home I
read the book of Haggai. In chapter 2 a
verse stood out that says, “from this day forth I will bless you.” It was one of the times in my life that I
felt God speak to me. The message I got
out of the verse was to go and watch God begin to bless me.
The next day I arrived in the sweltering heat of the
tropical rain forest of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.
I didn’t know anybody and knew even less of the culture. But it turned out to be five years of the
most meaningful years of my life. The
people I met, and kids I taught, became family.
One of the girls I taught in Bolivia, when I visited in July of 2015,
who is now a mom, told me when I return this year, I will be returning with
family. So that is one of the answers to
the question. I am returning to
family.
So what I want to do in this blog is tell you why
Bolivia. I want to tell you about the
culture from my point of view. I want to
introduce you to the church of South America.
I want to compare teaching in a private school with small classes to a
public school with large classes. And I
want to talk about the writing process, because I am going to try to become a
writer.
I would love you to follow my blog and ask questions. I would appreciate you sharing my blog with
people you think would enjoy it. And
please tell me what you think.
May the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have
come to take refuge, reward you fully.
Ruth 2:12
