An Answered Prayer

 

                              my new kitty, Shalom

I have a roommate!! Ok, so it's not exactly the roommate I was picturing.  She's gray with black stripes, curls up in my lap when I read, and loves to purr.  On Sunday, I got a kitty, and she has been perfect company ever since.  I named her Shalom because she has brought me so much peace.  It's amazing the difference it's made already to have something to care for and something waiting for me when I come home.  Shalom certainly isn't an adequate replacement for a human companion, but she'll certainly help the wait!

me and the jóvenes who came over

Earlier this week, I was really blessed to have about 15 youth over to my house to grill hamburgers and play games.  It was a holiday, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Cochabamba, so we had the whole day to enjoy each other's company.  We spent the early afternoon grilling and eating hamburgers, and then played a game called 60 Segundos (which is a mix of charades and pictionary) until evening.  It was the first time I was able to use my house to facilitate community, and it was really great to finally use my house for something other than myself.  The youth group hasn't been very cohesive lately, so it was really encouraging to see so many people come, and to see them really enjoy each other.  Plus, it definitely helped me feel like I'm not alone here:)

Laguna Alaláy (translation: Lake Brrr!)

Bolivia's got it figured out.  Every year, on the first Sunday of September, the streets shut down and the citizens celebrate Pedestrian Day.  It's just what it sounds like!  No cars are allowed, and for the whole day, Bolivians take to the streets on bicycles, skateboards, tricycles...  I went with the pastor and another friend from church.  We left early in the morning and rode to the lake, then rode through the normally bustling streets, stopping for a traditional hot corn drink and deep-fried pastry.  It was such a peaceful day, and neat to see families out together, enjoying the freedom of empty streets.

me, Pastora Charito & Gary

the normally traffic-congested market

You Know You're In Bolivia When...

1. Scorpions lurk in the most unexpected corners (official scorpion count: 6)

2. Taking out the trash requires listening every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning for the trash truck bell, then dashing down 3 flights of stairs and halfway down the block to hand the trash truck my trash

3. Buying groceries requires a couple mile trek around the largest open air market in the Western Hemisphere, haggling for prices and lugging produce in colorful bags

4. Public transportation suddenly makes a pit stop for the driver to buy a water, check remaining 3 tires after one pops to see if the bus is still driveable, or to fill up on gas

5. Your milk comes in a bag

6. Complete strangers jump to your rescue when drunk, homeless men harass you (this happened just the other day, and even though I felt confident in handling the situation, I was so grateful when two other women standing next to me on the street told him to get lost and pulled me next to them so I wasn't alone anymore.  THAT is the true heart of the Bolivian people)

Mi llajta en Bolivia

A Tour around my house...

my bedroom

a second view of my room

my kitchen

 

my dining room

 

 my living room

 

my bathroom & shower

As you can see, although my apartment is still a little bare, it hardly looks like I live in a third world country.  I have the basic necessities like hot, running water (at least most of the time), a fridge, and even an oven.  I still struggle with the tension of having so much, when most of the people in my church don't have any of those.  But God has been generous with me, and has given me in abundance.  I can only hope that I can be a good steward of His resources and share what He has given me with others.

my apartment building

(I live on the top floor)

Many of you have been asking what kinds of things you can send to me in Coch.  I'm certainly not homesick yet, but I know that there will definitely come a time when I feel the tension of being away from my birth home more strongly.  Especially once fall is in full swing the mountains in Colorado!!  So, if you'd like to send a package, here are some ideas.  The first few are things I can use in my ministry at The Center

Package Ideas: need to be under 4.4lbs!!!
-old magazines (especially National Geographic, Times, Newsweek, etc.)
-easy English picture books
-Spanish picture books (easy and hard)
-pictures
-novels
-movies(DVDs)... the only way to watch movies here is to go to the theater or buy pirated copies:(
-granola bars
-gum
-tea (decaf anything, especially Celestial seasonings!)
-trail mix

celebrating Rosalia's 15th birthday

with some of the church 

Earthquakes and Fireworks

 My soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.  Psalm 130:6

this is what I left behind...

A few days after arriving, I sat at the kitchen table of the Quirogas, my teammates and leaders of The Center. We talked over tea and fresh bread (the typical Bolivian dinner) about my expectations and hopes working at The Center. The Quirogas shared more of their heart and vision for The Center, reaffirming in my heart that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. They see past all the rough edges of the kids, the fights, the lies, the harsh words, and see what Christ sees in all of us: the image of our Creator.

 this is what I came home to!

(the view from my balcony, looking east)

After talking some about my role, which may be shifting and changing, at least in the next few months, to meet needs as they arise, Joana and Toty shared a powerful story of a 11 or 12 year old boy at the Center named Jose Armando. During the fair at the Center a few weeks ago, where the kids get to buy things with points earned thru good behavior the previous quarter, Jose Armando had taken points from 3 other younger kids and had spent them as his own. When Toty confronted him, he admitted what he’d done, and was told there would be serious consequences for his behavior. The next day, in Toty’s language class, she told the kids to write a story about whatever they wanted. Jose Armando wrote about how he was a bad boy, often made bad choices, and hurt others. But he finished his story by saying, “But I want to change. Now that I have God in my heart, I want to change, and I know that I can.”

 The Center

It’s stories like these that remind me how what I’m doing at the Center, what we’re doing at the Center, is simply sharing the truth of Jesus Christ with the kiddos, and trusting the Holy Spirit to do the rest.

Then there's the typically Bolivian snippets of my life that delight me and keep my life interesting.  I walked out my gate the other day and two donkeys were just hanging out right next to my door.  I handwash my clothes on the roof of my four-story apartment building, looking out over the whole city and drying my clothes on a clothesline.  Friday night, fireworks went off every few minutes a few houses down, for no apparent purpose that I could figure out.  Saturday afternoon was interrupted by loud noisemakers, a mariachi band, and a formal procession carrying an altar with some sort of religious symbol inside.  The procession stopped right across the street from me, and the people (mainly indigenous men and women) threw confetti and poured out a little of their beer on the ground, honoring Pachamama, the indigenous earth goddess.

the video I took of the procession

while trying to hide on my balcony

Last Friday, I was on a trufi headed to the market, and everyone was talking about the earthquake that morning in Cochabamba, a 7.5 quake with an epicenter just a mile from my house.  I was so confused!  I couldn't figure out where I had been or what I had been doing that I'd missed an earthquake that HUGE!  It wasn't until I read the paper, looking for more information and I read the word "simulacro", which means "simulation" or "drill".  Good grief.  It was just an earthquake drill, but with real people pretending to be hurt in the "earthquake zone" and real emergency personnel responding.  I'm not sure whether I should feel reassured that Bolivia is prepared for the real deal, or nervous that there's enough of a possibility to be prepared for.  My understanding is that there are small earthquakes, or tremors, almost daily in the city, but they're so small, most go undetected.  I've been told there's nothing to worry about; the fault lines apparently are not major enough or close enough to affect the city.

reuniting with Andreina

one of the girls from my church who I disciple

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.  Keep it up.  I'm still struggling with the isolation of living alone, but I also know that there are invaluable lessons to be learned in the stillness and quiet my living situation has forced me into.  Sounds good when I put it that way, but it really has been a battle, and I know it will continue to be.

I hope to send a newletter update in the next couple weeks with more detailed stories about what The Center is doing and what my part of the ministry looks like.  If you don't think you're on my list to receive my e-newsletter, be sure to let me know!  But until then, suffice it to say that I am overflowing (seems to be a lot of that in my life lately!) with how much I love my job at The Center and how perfect it is for me.

Overwhelming goodness

My heart is overflowing.  I get it now.  I get what David meant when he wrote in Psalm 23 that his "cup overflows".  David continues, saying "surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life."  These words have become rich, deep truth in my life as I finish support raising and prepare to return to Bolivia.

Before sharing anything more, I need to say THANK YOU.  Thank you to all of you who have made it possible for me to get to this point because.... drumroll please... I AM AT FULL SUPPORT AND HAVE MY PLANE TICKETS TO BOLIVIA!!!  God's faithfulness never ceases to blow me out of the water.  He never stops surprising me with His goodness, and amazing me with His abundant provision.  I'm excited to share that I leave Colorado on August 10th, and return to my home in Cochabamba sometime on the 12th.

My full support was made possible in large part by the incredible, tireless work of so many people in both the churches I grew up in.  The Church at Redstone, the church where I was dedicated in 25 years ago, planned, organized and executed a couple fundraisers, one of which was a benefit concert, held last Sunday night.  Church at Carbondale, the other church I call home, provided the beautiful space for the concert.  Many people from both churches volunteered their time for the event.  The benefit featured the bluegrass band of dear family friends, the Werdens, and was a mix of the gifts and skills of SO many other friends and family.

Just a few slices of the yummy 40 pies baked

In addition to the music, the benefit featured around 40 homemade pies, donated by bakers up and down the valley I live in, sold by the slice or auctioned off.  The picture above is just a small taste (hah!) of what was offered, from brumbleberry to shoofly, classic apple pie to peach pecan...  the choices were endless, and people who came for the benefit ate freely!  All told, the benefit itself raised almost $3,000 in donations, and that evening I also reached full support in monthly pledges.  In less than 3 months, God has provided all my one time set-up costs and commitments of over $1,400 in monthly pledges with more coming in.  If that isn't a miracle, I don't know what is.

Sharing my heart for The Center

My prayer all summer has been that I would be able to raise more than I personally need, so that ALL the extra support can go towards meeting the great financial needs of The Center's ministry.  The majority of the team at The Center are Bolivians, and they have limited connections to the resources in the States.  Up until now, there has not been a lot of money to fund the heart and vision of The Center, and to respond to the deep needs of the surrounding neighborhood.  Since many of you have responded so generously to God's call to give, I am now able to pass on to The Center's ministry out of the overflowing abundance.

Alternate Route

the fantastic band that played for the event

I'm so encouraged by the response of my two churches, my friends, my community, to the needs of the Bolivian people.  There is so much hope in what The Center is doing, and hope in the way people want to come alongside the oppressed of Bolivia to bring about powerful change.

I leave in less than 3 weeks, but plan to send e-newsletter updates, as well as updating my blog.  If you are reading this, but didn't get an e-mail alert about my latest post and want to be on my update list, please shoot me an e-mail at kata.stewart@gmail.com.

I leave you with this:

Psalm 145 

 ³ Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;

       his greatness no one can fathom.

 ⁴ One generation will commend your works to another;

       they will tell of your mighty acts.

 ⁵ They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty,

       and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

 ⁶ They will tell of the power of your awesome works,

       and I will proclaim your great deeds.

 ⁷ They will celebrate your abundant goodness

       and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

training and support

 mi mamá y yo

According to my "Countdown", I'm only at about half my support, but I have several potential supporter pledges, I am actually closer to 2/3 of the way there!!  I have raised all my one time expenses, and just need to raise $300-$400/mo more in monthly pledges.  I'm very hopeful that I will get the support I need to be able to return to Bolivia in time to keep my visa.  I believe I need to be back to Bolivia by August 12th in order to keep my visa.   It's been incredible to see the ways that God has provided for me so far, and I have so much hope that He will continue to provide what I need to be able to return.  So, a big THANK YOU to all of you who have been a part of that.

My focus now is to get a larger base of monthly supporters.  If I want to stay in Bolivia longer than 2 years with Iteams, then I need to have more sustainable, consistent support.  If you are still praying about supporting me, please consider making it monthly support.  Even $10/mo helps!  If you are interested, it's really easy to set up support online at www.iteams.org/give.  The best way is to set up automatic monthly withdrawal, since my monthly paycheck depends on people remembering their monthly support:)

Jen, Kristen, me

I'm also in the thick of training in Elgin (Chicago) with International Teams.  I got to see several good friends from Bolivia when I got in to Chicago, and it was such an encouragement to be around people who are behind what I'm doing and who have even more faith than I do that God will provide all my support on time.  Training itself has been really great.  Lots of introspective activities that aim to help me understand myself better so I know how I'll fit in on a team, how to flex and be adaptable with others who are different from me, and to know what my strengths are so I can be more effective on a team.  We've learned a lot, too, about the full-fledged spiritual battle we're about to enter into, strategies to keep us looking to the Lord in the midst of it all, and what kinds of attacks we might experience.

Elsa, me, Kristen, Jen

God is good.  His faithfulness is so steady in my life.  I am grateful for every morning I wake up and have the grace I need to keep serving Him.

Prayer requests:

1. more monthly supporters
2. roommate in Bolivia
3. details and final support to fall into place for a timely return to Bolivia (August 11th or 12th)

moving... and HOME again!

party w/ the youth at my new house

I moved for the first real time since coming to Bolivia, and it was one of the easiest things I've ever done.  I was really only moving about 8 blocks down the road, but a good portion of the church offered to come over my second to last night in Coch to help me move everything.  They brought over their aguayos, the traditional blankets, and carried all my boxes on their backs.  When we got to my new house, we ate snacks and they prayed for me, my journey, and my new house.

carrying my boxes w/ aguayos

A few days later, I got on a plane (unbenownst to my family) and flew to Spokane to be at my brother Collin's graduation.  I wasn't supposed to come home until the beginning of June, but my boss gave me special permission to leave school 2 weeks early to be able to go to Collin's graduation from Whitworth.  I pulled up to Whitworth right when my parents were walking across the parking lot and ran to give them both big hugs as they just looked at me open-mouthed.  When I saw Collin, he was so surprised he just froze, unsure of what to do with himself or me.   It was really special to spend unexpected time with my family during graduation.  We just soaked in time together over blueberry pie, a worship service together at Collin and my church in Spokane, and hugs and pictures together after graduation.

 the fam

Granddad, Grandmom, Grampy, Gramma

me, Collin, mom, dad

My trip home brought several realizations.  When going through immigration, I was told that if I wanted to keep my residential visa of one year, I could only be out of the country for 90 days.  If I leave Bolivia for longer than 90 days, I will lose my visa and have to start all over again from scratch, beginning with ANOTHER objeto determinado, more long days of waiting in lines at immigration, and possibly another long journey before I can get a one year visa again.  So, long story short, I need to raise all my support before August 14th so that I can return to Bolivia and keep my visa.

goodbyes with 2nd grade
(they threw me the sweetest surprise going-away party EVER)

I must really need a lot more lessons in patience, because it seems like the visa process is NEVER over, and there’s almost another twist that thickens the plot.  But, as of yet, I've never been kicked out, arrested, or had any permanent repercussions, so for that I am grateful.  I have lots of Ebeneezers, lots of memories of God's faithfulness in the past.  It's the Ebeneezers that give me the confidence to keep moving forward in faith.

 saying goodbye to my housemates

My second realization came when I was getting on a plane for one of my connections to Spokane and the lady next to me asked me if I was leaving home or coming home.  I didn’t know what to tell her.  Where is home for me?  According to the Bolivian government, Bolivia is now home.  According to my family and half of my heart, Colorado is still home.  It's just the beginning of the tensions I'm going to feel living in Bolivia two more years as a missionary.

So, 79 days and about $25,000 left (or only $900/mo) to raise.  Thank you to all of you who have already come alongside me in prayer and financial support.  If you are planning to support me before I return to Bolivia, make it sooner rather than later!  I can't buy my return ticket until I have 100% support raised or raised in monthly pledges.

P.S. I leave soon for over 2 weeks of training in Chicago with International Teams.  If you want to write me, my address at training in Chicago from June 10th -June 25th is:
  Katie Stewart
  c/o International Teams 
  411 West River Road
  Elgin, IL  60123-1570

otherwise, I'm just at home in Carbondale, CO:
745 Sebree Place
Carbondale, CO 81623