Back In The Swing

We’ve made it back to Bolivia safely and have been settling into life bit by bit. Here are some highlights of our time over the past three weeks:

• We started by searching for a new home and found an apartment that we’ll be ready to move into next week. Deciding on a place was only the start though, as we quickly needed to become experts at navigating Cochabamba’s massive outdoor market. It takes a little longer to settle on furnishings when you’ve first got to weave through a maze of tarp woven shops to hunt down the right stove, fridge, couch, table, etc.  
  
  
• We had a chance to sit down with several of the leaders amongst the different partner organizations we work with to officially introduce ourselves as Global Field Staff and explore their hopes and vision for both the near and distant future.
  
  
• This past week we spent time with our friends at OBADES (Baptist Social Development Organization) at their retreat in a remote town. This event brought all of OBADES’ staff from across Bolivia together to renovate three chagas homes. It was great to see people find creative ways to support the work effort even if they were a little out of their comfort zone. We really enjoyed getting to know the team better without a strict agenda and were inspired by their clear passion to serve their communities and live out Mark 12:30-31.
  

This coming week is also ramping up as we prepare to spend time at a camp for kids involved in serval different vulnerable children’s programs. We then head off to El Alto to visit the Integral Mission Center where we’re looking forward to meeting with leaders there and listening to their struggles and successes.