First, I want to thank all of you who made Christmas truly feel like Christmas. From waking up Christmas morning to a slight dusting of snow on the Andes, to a traditional North American Christmas dinner and games of charades and Scrabble with the families from The Center, it truly felt like Christmas. The thoughtful cards, packages, and notes on the Christmas blog my dad and aunt made for me truly made me feel surrounded by love from everyone at home. It's all of you that empower me to do what I'm doing, thousands of miles from home.
snowy Andes!
(way more impressive in person, I promise)
I started Christmas Eve off by helping to make api and buñuelos (traditional hot corn drink with a deep fried pastry), trying desperately to keep up in Quechua with the Hermanas in the kitchen as we cooked. The Christmas Eve service was my responsibility to run as worship leader (gulp!), but I was delightfully surprised by how smoothly it ran, and how much joy there was in sharing with our church community. We sang Christmas carols in Quechua and Spanish, and I shared O Come O Come Emmanuel, both singing and on flute, in English. Close to midnight, we ended the service singing Noche De Paz (Silent Night) while holding lit candles in the dark.
The new Center land
Yesterday I got the news that we'd found land for the new Center, and that for only $1,000 more than the initial property we were looking at, we could purchase land twice the size! (1,000 square meters). Toty and I went to look at the property yesterday, and I felt like I was stepping into Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
The new property is in a rural area, literally at the foot of the Andes. Right next to the property are fields FULL of flowers, cultivated to sell in the market. Flocks of sheep graze in the green hills around, their shepherds young boys or girls from the neighborhood (and maybe one day soon, new children at The Center!).
The view
There's a lot that lies ahead of us. We have land, and that's an incredible start, but we have much to build. The first step is to build a wall around the property (an estimated $5,000) and then to work to get water and electricity connected. Once we have the wall, we should be able to start building the actual Center building (an estimated $40,000-$60,000). Sounds daunting when it's just numbers on paper, but we serve a God who provides with ABUNDANCE for His children, and in ways that seem impossible to the world. Just a few months ago, we would have never even dreamed of owning land for The Center ministry!
the new land even comes with its own sheep!
The new Center land is in a neighborhood where there are lots of children, and even more need. It appears that a good deal of the children live in adobe, one room houses, where the family's livelihood depends on the crops of flowers, corn, or other crops. We hope to spend the next few months getting to know the kids and beginning basic programs at The Center, even as we begin to build at the same time. Life in Bolivian is known to change daily, so I'm trying to hold lightly our plans for the next 6 months, and also trying to gear up for part-time or full-time construction work in the midst of establishing relationships with the kids, too.
We still have a long way to go in raising sufficient funds for the entire Center building. We have a little seed money to start on the wall, but are praying that God will continue to provide for the rest of The Center building. Please pray about if God is calling you to be a part of His work in Cochabamba, Bolivia. I am confident that if we call on Him, He will answer! Gifts for The Center are tax-deductible and can be given at www.iteams.org/give (designate for Katie Stewart-The Center).
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