School Daze, House Hunting (again!), and My People

*Written in May...posted very late!

While I'm not feeling so well tonight (I think Lola and I caught a virus at school), I thought I'd try a little writing/updating.  Seth's playing the Wii with the equivalent of our Bolivian son, and the kids are in bed after our traditional Friday night family movie.  I better get some writing in before this Tylenol p.m. kicks in! 

About a month and a half ago, a friend at church approached Seth and I about the possibility of teaching at his small Christian school.  We actually had looked into sending our kids there for this year last November, but realized with tuition, transportation, and supplies, we couldn't do it.  But if I taught there, our expenses would be covered.  So, we decided I should go for it.

Homeschooling has been fun, but my social and active kiddos needed the outlet that school provides and their spanish will be incredible a year or two from now.  (They have an English class several times a week, but everything else is in Spanish...art, music, Bible, science, social studies, math, language, Quechua, etc.)  So, its been a rough transition...there's no school lunch and I can't leave until 2.  3 p.m. lunches have become the norm, but its still really weird.

(I send the kids 2 snacks during their recesses so they're not starving.)  And I love teaching English to my 7-12th graders (I only have 16 students in my Advanced English classes), but working surrounded by coworkers that don't speak English when my Spanish is still far from what I want it to be, is sometimes awkward.  I find myself often asking my advanced kids or the other English teachers what the announcements are and what the teacher newsletters, etc. say.  I can't even understand our kids' homework a lot of the time.  Can you imagine?  Great motivation to learn though!  My students are great, and I really look forward to my classes with them.  Its been fun seeing how Bolivian schools are different, but different isn't necessarily bad.

The ministry God has for us here has really changed and grown over the past year.  Our home has become such a hub of activity...there are days that it seems the doorbell literally rings non-stop!  Seth's Monday night Bible study keeps growing and growing.  We end up elbow-to-elbow in our living room with people occupying every spot and seat there is. Its wonderful,  and the meetings are really valuable to this maturing group of young adults.  The majority of this group was led to Christ through missionaries here years ago that are now in the states due to their age and health concerns.  Seth challenges them and encourages them in the lively way God is able to use him. 

Then there's "our boys," the 8-11 that are in and out throughout the week.  They come for discipleship, to wash the car, help the kids with homework, or just to eat dinner and hang out a bit.  Our home is a refuge for them, away from their home life that is often very hard.  We're doing more things with their families, and trying to build a stronger relationship with them.  Today Seth went to the home of one of our guys, and found his mom crying, exasperated with her son who doesn't respect her.  Seth talked with him for a while, got to the root of his disrespect, and gave him some suggestions on how to demonstrate respect, even when he doesn't feel it.  When they returned, he hugged his mom and apologized and they both cried.  Seth said it was such a sweet moment.  We want more opportunities to interact with their families like this, and so we've been praying for months for God to help us find a home in their area (a poor part of town, where its hard to find places for rent).

Since getting a car recently, we drive through there every now and then and there's just nothing.   And then one day Seth found one online that said, "Chiquicollo."  We figured, why not take a look. Its more than we want to pay on rent, but who knows.  First, the location is PERFECT.  It is a 5-10 minute walk to where the boys live and where the youth outreach is located.  Also, rather than having a wall around this single home, its in a community of homes, lived in by one family-sisters and their family and the grandparents.  There's lots of grass and it feels a little less Bolivian for these Mississipians since we can actually see our neighbor's home across the chain length fence.  The thing I wanted in a home out there, is a totally separate space for our family, if our home with be opened up to more and more people, I'd like to maintain some privacy.  This home has all the bedrooms upstairs, and plenty of space downstairs for entertaining.  Hospitality has become a huge part of our ministry, so we could see so much potential in the space.  Its bigger than any house I imagined us moving to, but its so perfect.  Of course, our "boys" are planning their graduation parties and birthday parties there, but moreso I can see many more people in our home regularly experiencing the love of Christ and being drawn to him.