Day 1
Happy New Year from Texas. As I look out the window and see the snowy fields surrounding me, I realize I am still asleep. I am in North Texas and we are looking at a day that is forecast to be around 65 degrees. It is overcast now, mostly gray. The forecast promises sun later in the day. A winter day in North Texas, with the sun shining can be so beautiful. I understand why settlers moved here 150 years ago. Snow? I’m not sure I’ll see it while I am here the next few weeks.
I haven’t written a blog in a few weeks. A mixture of being a bit overwhelmed by the situation here and missing Bolivia, meant I wasn’t writing. But writing is what I want to do with the rest of my life, so I need to get back to doing it.
I decided a few days ago that I would start it up again on January 1st and would republish a few of my earlier posts, with some additional thoughts. It kinda makes sense to start on January 1st. I can continue writing the entire year and end on December 31st.
So I begin with the first post from this blog which was entitled “Why are you going to Bolivia?”
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. How do I respond?
I met Bolivia by accident in 1985. At that time, I was making plans to teach at 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 for me 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. I just wanted them to know I was ready.
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. 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 having second thoughts. I decided to go for a walk in the snow. I do a lot of good thinking on walks. And a lot of praying. On this day, I was asking God what I was
doing, wondering if I was doing His will.
I was wondering if it was too late to back out of Bolivia and how I would
tell everybody I wasn’t going to go.
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 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 back in the 80s, who is now a mom, told me when I visited in July 2015, that I will be returning with family in Bolivia. That is one of the answers to the question. I am returning to family. Some of my dearest friends in Bolivia, treat me like family.
Another reason to return is my desire to
write. All my life, I have had the
desire to write. I don’t know if I am good
at it, or if what I write is good in others’ eyes, but I love to write. I said before that this is a rewrite of the
blog I started in July 2016. Since then
I have watched myself become a better writer.
At times the creativity has flowed at unexpected times. I might be out for a walk and suddenly have
an idea for a chapter in my novel or a new blog. I would rush home to sit in front of my
computer and write for a few hours. One
night, a school night, as I am about to fall asleep at 11 pm, I suddenly got an
idea for my novel Onesimus. I knew how
to make a chapter work that I had been thinking about for over a week. Forget sleep, I told myself. I was writing till 4 am. I might only be a good writer in my eyes, but
I must write.
As I resurrect this blog here on the first day of 2017, my goals have changed a bit. I still want to introduce you to the culture of Bolivia, from my point of view. I have since learned that some of my Bolivian friends will comment, and through the comments, you will learn even more than this Gringo can ever know. I want to introduce you to some beautiful places in this enchanting corner of the world, places you might not ever visit, except in this blog. I also want to talk about the writing process. Recently I have had four people tell me they want help in writing a book. No, I am not an expert, but I can share my experiences and my mistakes, and maybe that will help those people create that great novel. Mostly, I want you to know why I love Bolivia so much. I do love this place.
I would love you to follow my blog and I want you to ask questions. I might think I have explained things well, but your questions might show me that I needed to go a bit deeper. I would appreciate you sharing my blog with people you think would enjoy it. Since most of you are connected to me on Facebook, just click share. People will be able to experience this that might not otherwise unless you do the clicking. 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
Below is a link to my author page on Amazon. There you can learn more about the books I have recently published. If you buy a book, please leave a comment in the recommendation section.Mark's Author Page
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