peace

Whew, there is a lot to be done in the next 72 hours! As my family and friends know, I can tend to get really overwhelmed with life at times. But the Lord has really been reminding me these past few months that it's going to be okay. It won't be perfect, and it most likely won't go the way I'd like it to, but I will survive and can even try to enjoy the difficult, stressful times by the grace of God. He is always faithful, and if I can take a minute to remember who he is and that he is what I want my life to be about, the next task on my to-do list won't seem so daunting.

God grant me the serenityto accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time,
accepting hardships as the pathway to peace,
taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it,
trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will,
that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
~Reinhold Niebuhr

a few of my favorite things

Every day here is a gift. But at the end of the semester with tired students, being exhausted myself, and missing my family and friends, I sometimes have to choose joy by reminding myself of my favorite things here, in no particular order of importance:This is Pepsi, the puppy that belongs to the family that runs the tienda beside the school. He is so super cute and has the sweetest personality. He's my adopted dog in Bolivia (I even let him come into my classroom!).This is one of the owners of Pepsi, two-year-old Janela, who lives beside the school and comes to play after school almost every day. She is so beautiful, and she loved having a photo shoot.

Of course, as much as they can drive me crazy, I love my students dearly. They definitely make the favorites list. Aren't they precious?Another of my favorites is the fun I have with my teacher friends. What a blessing to be among a fun group of believers that love Jesus and love life!And last but not least, one of my favorite things about Bolivia is the scenery. How do people deny the existence of God when seeing such a breathtaking view?

I'm so thankful for the provisions and blessings of living here in La Paz. (All that to say, I'm also thankful I only have 9 days until I'm flyin' home!) Thank you, God, for the loveliness of my home here and my home in the States!

thankful

Last weekend an incredibly generous family, whose child Matthew is in my class, hosted the whole Highlands staff for a traditional Thanksgiving feast in their home a few days early. (Just a reminder: They don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Bolivia.) It was such a blessing to have good food and wonderful quality time with my family here, especially since I miss my family in the States so much. A really touching moment was when we were all sharing things we were thankful for and the mom who hosted broke down in tears when telling us what a blessing the school was to her. It's really amazing to see how we can bless each other and build each other up...I don't think she'll ever really know what a joy it is to all of us to have Thanksgiving at their home each year. After a delicious dinner, we watched "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" and played games around the fireplace. I'm thankful for such a sweet time. It made missing Thanksgiving with my family back home a little bit easier.

On another note, this past week at school we celebrated Spirit Week with Crazy Hat Day (her hat says "I love first grade"),

Tacky Day,

Favorite Book Character Day (I was Olivia the Pig. If you haven't read any of her books, I highly recommend them),

Pajama Day (this kid didn't soil his pants, he just sat in the dirt...too funny, especially in his onesie!)

and Team Day, which was like a big field day for the whole school. It was really incredible to watch the high school kids lead the little ones and encourage them in the events (and also a nice break for the teachers!). I was able to observe the students from my station, and it just became so evident to me how much God's hand is over the school.
This was refreshing, especially since that evening my roommates and I were invited to a student's house for dinner and, heartbroken, I observed the parenting skills, or lack thereof, of a single father. It seems many parents at our school try to buy their way to kids' hearts, don't know Jesus and try to depend on their own strength day in and day out to guide their children, and put the responsibility of raising their kids onto their hired help. It can be overwhelming, but by the grace of God, I'm thankful to be at Highlands to try to point my little ones to their Heavenly Daddy that won't ever fail them.
Thank you, God, for the beautiful people in my life, who all teach me so much every day.

playing dress-up

I'm not a huge proponent of Halloween, especially here in Bolivia, because it can be so dark and demonic. I do remember that I loved to dress up as a kid to go to a church function or trick-or-treating, and I'm sure my sister would be happy to tell you about the Halloween when I dressed up as the Solar System. So weird. This, however, might be the cutest costume ever. And the cutest little girl ever. My sister Kelly even made this wig for my niece. Oh, I miss those girls. Maddie, I'm sorry I missed your second Halloween and won't be there for Thanksgiving, but I'll be there for your second Christmas!
In other dress-up news, it didn't work out for my roommates and I to have our costume/masquerade party Halloween weekend, so we scheduled it for the following. We were not characters, but rather an era--an incredible decade in which fashionable clothing was at its peak of classiness and hairstyles were big and beautiful. We were the '80s. Here's the female crew in attendance. L to R: Sarah Palin, 80s chicks, pregnant hick lady, Tim the biker, butterfly, and ant

Since my roomies and I can be overachievers, we didn't settle for just dressing up in 80s attire--oh no. We learned the dance to "Thriller" and performed it for everyone, leggings, hot pink lipstick and all. Who says missionaries can't throw fun parties?

i heart my school

I had a visitor in my classroom the other day. His name is Pimiento (Pepper in English). We have a few dogs that live on our school's campus. It's quite humorous that they hang around the playground and the office, and the kids play with them all the time. This one morning before school Pepper came in my classoom and hung out for a while. It's fun to have some furry friends around since I don't have time or space for a pet right now.

Friday was my first parent-teacher conference day, and I survived! Most of them said their children were very happy and loved school. What an answer to my prayers, both to have survived conferences and to find out that my students do actually enjoy my class. I still have to be mean Ms. Letchworth oftentimes as they learn the rules and routine of a full day at school, but what a blessing to know that my little ones enjoy coming to school and learning! I pray that they can continue to learn and grow, to see the love of Jesus in me and the other teachers, and that I can rely on God's strength to teach and love them well the remainder of the year.

P.S. Only 9 weeks until I come home for Christmas break!!! But who's counting? :)

dos adventures in bolivia

I've been quite adventurous the past 2 weekends, if I do say so myself. The weekend before last I braved the infamous Death Road, a mostly dirt road here in Bolivia on which many people have been injured and a few killed. My friend Sarah and I geared up with a local company to try our luck, and, minus the scare when we both got a little too close to the cliff, we had an amazing time! This is pre-road practice...yes, I'm that good that I can close my eyes while riding.

Phew! Talk about an adrenaline rush. We descended from a high elevation into the jungle. That little tiny strip is the road.
After we finished victoriously, we stayed at a lovely wildlife reservation/lodge. There were animals everywhere...not just dogs and cats, but monkeys, macaws, an ocelot, ducks, bunnies, and more monkeys. It was one of the coolest places I've ever visited. Monkeys would jump up on you and "talk" to you. Now I'm not an advocate of evolution, but it was really fascinating to watch how humanlike these guys' actions were. That hairy thing on my lap is a spider monkey.

One of our other teacher friends met up with us and spent the night in our tiki hut-type cottage after we played in the jungle together. It was so peaceful and relaxing, and an incredible reminder of the beauty of God's creation. Fabuloso.
Last weekend I traveled to Copacabana (yes, like the song) with some other teachers and students from my school. We hiked and camped for three days...the longest I've walked in my life!

Even though the hiking was a bit strenuous (think Bolivian mountains at 14,000 feet), it made everything else that much more rewarding. Arriving at our destination was that much more victorious, meals were that much tastier, and sleep and rest were that much more appreciated.

It was great to get to know some of the older students better and to bond over hard work and appreciating the wonders of God's creation...
...including some llamas along the way...
...and some pigs. These animals are proof that God has a sense of humor.
The views were absolutely breath-taking (well, both the scenery and the lack of air at such high altitude).

My favorite part was camping out the second night on the beach of Lake Titicaca.
I'm so grateful for opportunities to travel rather inexpensively and experience life in another culture. I'm beginning to learn the importance of living it to the fullest! I have a much greater appreciation for the Creator and his creation, for rest time away from work, and for shared experiences that allow people to grow closer. Thank you to all of you who've made this bit of traveling possible. What an amazing couple of weekends!

spring has sprung!

Yes, my northern hemisphere friends, it is now officially spring here in South America. My roommates and I got these beautiful flowers to celebrate the start of primavera for 10 bolivianos, which is less than $1.50! I'm going to get some spring cleaning done today on my day off. Here in Bolivia they have holidays for kids, just like Mother's Day, etc. Today is Students' Day. So happy Students' Day and happy second day of Spring from La Paz! Don't be too jealous. We didn't have Labor Day off, and I miss the sweet time of fall with the leaves changing colors and pumpkins and the crispness of the air. Fall in that way doesn't really happen here, even in April. But it's still bella, and I intend to enjoy the 75-degree weather and sunny skies until Christmas!

joy

I came across a quote the other day: "Joy is not in things; it is in us." From a Christian worldview, this means that, no matter how much our circumstances change--where we go or what we have or don't have--the joy deep within us never leaves us. Jesus is God with Us, Emmanuel, and I've been reminded of that in so many ways the past few days that I've been extremely homesick. Thank you to those of you who have sent prayers and words of encouragement my way as those reminders. It's just a weird feeling to miss people and a way of life I was so accustomed to and still experience the excitement of being in a new culture, exactly where God has led me to be. He's teaching me to look for the joys in the everyday: the incredible mountains surrounding me, my students' excitement about learning, the sweet and funny times I spend with friends, and the sacredness of serving here as a missionary. Even though I miss some of my old comforts, and even if things appear to be a little politically unstable in other parts of the country, I am reminded of the ever-present gift of God with me:
"Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God—soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God."
(Psalm 43:5)

home

I've been a little--okay, a lot---homesick this past week. And if I may, I'll just vent a little about the things I miss. First of all, I miss my family a ton, even the ones I didn't see all that often when I was in the States. I miss talking after dinner with my folks in Greenville, watching "So You Think You Can Dance" with my sister and brother-in-law, and spending precious time with my favorite niece in the universe. (Isn't she a doll?) I miss my good friends, many of whom were scattered about anyway, but I could've arranged to visit them from a couple hundred miles away as opposed to the now 2,000-mile distance. I miss my Bible study girls, my incredible church, and my Glenwood girls. I miss Diet Mountain Dew. I miss Target. I miss driving my own car. I miss Cracker Barrell and Nannie's Sunday lunches. I miss familiarity. But if all of the unfamiliar things I'm experiencing are now becoming more familiar and routine, I'm at a bit of a standstill between two worlds: one that used to be my comfortable home and one that is becoming that way. Although wonderfully challenging and an incredible opportunity to trust in the Lord's constancy, it is a bit unnerving at times. Hence the reason why I find so much joy in going to
restaurants that remind me of people or places in the States:

Thank God for Blueberries! This restaurant in particular reminded me of my mom because, not only do they have delicious pancakes that are almost as good as hers, but the decorations inside are also cats and moons and stars, which are trademark of my mother if you know her. Thank the Lord for this oasis up in the city, away from the crowds and smog and car horns, and a little reminder of the place that, no matter where I go, will always be home.

incredible hikes

I haven't remembered to blog about it until now, but the first week I was here, my director took the other two new Highlands teachers and me up to a mountain called Chacaltaya, which sits at over 17,000 feet! We drove most of the way up, but what we walked was a steep, rocky climb, so I was pretty proud of us. Here is one of the amazing views from the top.

We had a sip of coca tea at the lodge on our way back down, which was hot goodness because that wind was so chilly! Yes, our coca tea was water and coca leaves, the same plant from which cocaine is derived. It's supposed to calm altitude sickness, and it didn't have any weird effects on us, regardless of what the excited look on my face may say.
This morning--4 am, as a matter of fact--we drove a couple hours up to a trail called Taquesi. Our director made my roomies, me, and a couple others a yummy breakfast of egg and ham burritos and coffee before our pretty strenuous uphill climb.

Almost there!

And here are my roomies and me at the top of our hour climb. What a wonderful way to worship on Sunday morning!
We each shared Scripture as we took in the beauty of God's creation. "I lift my eyes up to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. " (Psalm 121:1&2)

birthdays in bolivia

Friday night I had the honor of celebrating a staff member's birthday around a campfire, which felt wonderful in the not-quite-spring night air here in La Paz. This is a picture of the birthday dude playing Chubby Bunny. He won with a whopping twelve marshmallows. It was disgusting. Before I was grossed out by the game, however, we made yummy s'mores, looked at the stars, and discussed how Australia is not the appropriate name of the continent. My New Zealand friends corrected me: It is Oceania, or more even more correct, Australasia. Get it right, U.S. school textbooks.
I also hung out with some lovely ladies whose hearts and lives all encourage me so much. Here is my sweet roommate Sarah, who is the other one that is new to teaching, Bolivia, and Spanish like me.

Tomorrow happens to be Sarah's birthday! Unfortunately, especially for her, we don't get the day off (Labor Day is a U.S. holiday, as I had to remind myself) but we are celebrating her at dinner tomorrow night. Happy 21st, Sarah! I hope that you feel loved and appreciated for the awesome person you are! I'm thankful you're in my life!

rabies, highlands, and mushrooms

Tonight I found out some helpful information. I can get rabies vaccinations here for about $10. It would have cost me $1000 in the States! This is pertinent info because our school has some German Sheppard watch dogs that like to bite every now and then (but don't worry...only if you are on campus when after dark). Besides the Germans and the three other dogs that live on our school campus, we also have sheep that graze around our school, and they usually come right up to the fence.

In other school news, my kids are great. I feel like we're getting to know each other, the daily routine, and what we're supposed to learn in first grade. :o) For the most part they are well-behaved, eager to learn, and very creative. It's exciting to be at Highlands, one of the few Protestant Christian schools in the country, and also exciting that I get to teach the Bible. We really try as a school to integrate the Bible in a practical way into all curriculum so that students have a Christian worldview from the beginning, whether or not they are Christians. Many of them are highly influenced by Catholic churches and schools which are very different from those in the states. Catholicism here is a mix of worshipping Jesus, the saints, and animal spirits, since much of the Catholic theology is intertwined with the paganism of the indigenous people. Thus, many of my six-year-olds are already confused as to who God is and what a relationship with Jesus is all about. I'm honored that I get to be one of the first to teach them about what life in Christ looks like. Here they are making gardens of Eden.

And here are some views of my fun little classroom.

Thank you to everyone for providing things to help the kids learn and make my room look nice!

Here are my crazy kids...this is how we say "thank you" in La Paz. :o)

Lastly, a quicky funny...I was trying to ask the guy at the grocery store what some vegetables were, thinking that they looked like mushrooms. However, instead of saying, "Are these like mushrooms?" I ended up saying "Are WE like mushrooms?" I'm sure he thought I was referring to my friend and me. I didn't realize my blunder until after I walked away with the vegetables, which to my disappointment were only rotten-looking potatoes. The only mushrooms, I guess, were Sarah and me. I love learning to laugh at myself!