Second Grade Delights

75, 40, 31, 50, 100, 26 These are all ages that my second graders guessed when they were trying to figure out how old I was. I guess it makes me feel a little better that at least ONE of them guessed somewhat close to my real age. But 75? Really?

Rosalia, me, Humberto, Andreina & Reynaldo

A few weeks ago, a few close friends and I went to a natural hot springs way up in the Andes for Cochabamba Day. We survived the crazy, windy drive up, where the driver blared his horn as we flew around blind corners on the side of the mountain, and we had to back down a large section of the mountain because we stopped in the dust and couldn't get started again... But once up in the beautiful eucalyptus and pine forests, eating a communal meal with my friends on a large mossy rock slab, I was able to take a deep breath and soak it all in.

the beautiful Andes

What a gift true friends are. My time in the mountains with them was a good reminder of how much I need community, intentionality, and honesty. You can be praying for my friendship with Andreina. Because of her current job, she can't come to church. I meet with her several times a week, share scripture with her, and am hoping to begin to memorize passages with her. She's thirsty for the Word, but doesn't live in a Christian home, and doesn't have a lot of the tools she needs to study on her own. Aside from our discipleship relationship, Andreina is a dear friend, and has been a tremendous source of encouragement.

me, Andreina & Rosalia
at one of the waterfalls

Second grade continues to be a joy. A favorite from this week was a spelling test this Friday. One little girl's spelling test looked like this:
1. tree
2. fast
3. fly
4. try
5. I love you miss Katie!

No joke. It was great. I've been battling health issues on and off the past month, and was laid out last weekend with a high fever and 2 parasites. Ugh. I think I've given every possible fluid to the labs here to figure out what's wrong with me. I'd appreciate prayers for more consistent health, as I've gotten sick every two weeks since I've been back. Visa prayers are also appreciated. The Bolivian government is making it more and more difficult for Americans to get visas, so our process is currently completely stalled out. I know God has me here for a purpose, so I'm just going to rest in that. He'll work out the details.

Enjoy the fall for me!
Kati