The Mom Life

"Thank you for everything, seriously. I am grateful to you for what you do. It is a great act of grace on your part. God bless you, friend."  That is the message of thanks one of our guys wrote a friend of mine this week for buying his school supplies.  The message of it goes for all our supporters though, because they are the reason we're able to help Edson with school supplies. Edson, a son in the faith to Seth Because of you we're able to provide love and a sense of family to kids that don't have that at home. They are able to see a healthy and happy marriage founded on Christ.  They receive hugs and hear the words, "I love you," when no one else in their life tells them this. We dream of moving to the Chiquicollo community, beginning a youth and children's outreach, and planting a house church. We dream of making a bigger impact, not just in their lives but in the lives of the people around them as well. A rainy day in Chiquicollo ...

Its been a year of firsts for our family, and Christmas in Bolivia is our most recent.  We decided to celebrate a little bit early with our normal traditions, so that we could extend it to our "weekend kids" without taking away from their time with family.  I am so glad we did...it was so much fun showing them what our Christmas is like and showering them with love and gifts (thanks to so many kind friends, family, and strangers!). We wanted to do a lot for these guys because 1. We love them. and 2. They don't do anything special for Christmas (as in no presents, traditions, etc.).  But, our budget is already tight, so we knew we couldn't do it ourselves.  So, the past few months, as friends asked, we started getting glimpses of what we could do.  A friend sent a ton of great little stocking stuffer type things (toothbrushes, toothpastes, shampoos, tissues, deodorant, lotion, playing cards, etc.) and I was really excited to have that.  They were collec...

We spend a lot of time thinking about our stuff.  Paying off our stuff, repairing our stuff, watching our kids break our stuff, updating our stuff.  Stuff takes a lot of our time and energy, thoughts and finances.  We get proud of our stuff, and want to show it off on Facebook.  Its an important part of life.   When our family moved to Bolivia, we started all over with stuff, only coming here with what we could fit in 10 suitcases and 5 carry ons.  So, pretty much clothes, a few blankets, and kitchen ware.  Like any good American, we started buying more stuff.  A blender, TV, stereo, beds, couches, a rug, table and chairs, fridge, and microwave, and so on.  I was excited about all the "new stuff" ten months ago, but now with three kids (one I half-jokingly call "the destroyer") and teens in our home all the time, our stuff is no longer like new.  Some of it has been thrown away after being broken beyond repair. Lola actually broke...

I recently wrote about the youngest Powell and a week ago my middle, Carmen, had her birthday, so I'll talk about her today. So, here goes! Where do I begin?  Right now, Carm, your favorite things include: flowers, coloring, dresses, sparkly things, pretending, and playing outside.  You have such a diverse personality...sometimes you can be Negative Nancy and find the most pessimistic outlook in the most positive of situations!  But then other times you're so helpful and understanding of your circumstances.  And then a lot of the time, you're just plain silly! We've told you as long as you've been a Powell that your name means "song."  Wow, we had no idea that telling you that would turn you into the little songbird that you are!  You are often singing, "Cristo, puede mover montes, solo Dios puede salvar, Mi Dios puede salvar," but then sometimes you randomly sing songs we haven't heard since we lived in the US!  You have an amazing...

Yesterday while Seth was buying our groceries for the week at the market, I took the girls to Panchita's (the closest thing we have to McDonald's here...but a Bolivian version with chicken being the main meat.) to play on their playground.  As they were playing I realized there are things about them at this age that I will forget in a few years and I need to be writing them down.  So, tonight I'll start with Lola, or L.B. Lola, you are so full of life at this age.  You've heard me say it enough, that you even tell people that old people love you, and its true.  You have the cutest "Bolivian grandmother" at church, a tiny little lady with short, curly grey hair that lights up every time she sees you.  You hug each other and she holds your little face in her hands and talks to you (in Spanish). You just look up at her wrinkled, kind face and smile at her.  You also have a special connection with the beggars here. When you see one, you immediately start ...

When you first read this title, your first thought might be of burgers and hot, delicious fries.  Unfortunately, we've been in Bolivia nearly 8 months and Five Guys burgers are becoming a distant memory. (There are no such burgers like that in Bolivia!) But, Seth and I have our own five guys, and I want to tell you a little about each of them.  You may think, "You moved to Bolivia for five guys?"  But, Jesus himself only intimately discipled 12 guys.  And for the time being, these are the guys He has given us to pour much of our energy (and food) into. Let's call the first guy Pedro.  Pedro is 15 years old, a little on the quiet side.  He is thin and has a very sweet smile.  His dad died in May, leaving his mom to raise him, his brother, "Dan," and their three year old sister alone.  She works a lot to barely provide for their basic needs, and can't be there for her kids much.  Pedro' plays with my kids every time he comes over...the gi...

Here's a breakdown of what we've been up to since arriving in Bolivia!  Wednesday- We arrived in Cochabamba.  We were exhausted from 27 hours of travel, but marveled at the beauty of the mountains with the afternoon shadows falling on the green slopes.  With lots of help we got all our bags and suitcases safely to the guesthouse.  We took a long, deep-sleep kinda' nap (best nap of my life!) and then had dinner at TGIFriday's with the Holman family.  A burger and fries?  Oh, yeah!  (Besides a Burger King, this is the only American restaurant in town.) Thursday- We bought groceries at IC Norte and had lunch at Panchita's...a fast food place in the food court attached to the grocery store.  We had chicken strips and fries.  The kids' meals were awesome... They come in a container shaped like a rocket that held their drink.  Then on top of the drink, there is a cardboard top that they covered with fries and chicken pieces. Very cle...