Our Trip To La Paz

Happy Easter!

It’s Sunday evening and we’ve just gotten back from our trip to La Paz. We’re all exhausted. The trip was an amazing and interesting experience. Not only did we enjoy Bolivia’s capital, but we also got to see some of Bolivia’s most renowned sights and places. The first night we arrived we went out for dinner on one of La Paz’s most busy streets. I was amazed by the city. It’s located in the Andes, in a sort of crater surrounded by smaller mountains with huge snow-capped mountains in the distance. The city is similar to Cochabamba except that it has larger, more modern style buildings and the temperature is quite a bit cooler.

The next day was pretty action-packed. We first drove to a place called Tiwanaka, a sight famous for its Incan ruins. Although it still has not been fully excavated, there was some very interesting stuff. First we saw an idol of mother earth (I can’t remember how to spell it but their god was basically a version of mother earth) and then we looked though a museum filled with Incan artifacts. We also saw some very interesting temple-like structures with altars and idols and such. It was good to be reminded of the fact that Bolivia has a rich history and that much of its present culture has been influenced by its Incan ancestors.

After Tiwanaka we traveled an hour or so to another notable feature of Bolivia, Lake Titicaca. Lake Titicaca is a lake located on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It sits 3,812 m (12,507 ft) above sea level making it the highest lake in the world. It was beautiful. While we were there we got to try some of the Titicaca trout, which was delicious. We also got to learn a little more about Bolivian history at another museum. (Oh and not to mention get a little friendly with some lamas and alpacas.)

This morning we visited the Fist Baptist Church of La Paz and Terry preached a great sermon as usual. Once again I was blown away by how welcoming the Bolivian Christians were. Being around them always makes me fully appreciate the fact that in Christ we are all brothers and sisters.

Before I finish I should add to the comment that Phil made in his last blog about Bolivian Catholicism. When we arrived in La Paz we got to see one of the Good Friday parades. It consisted of a large group of people wearing strange costumes (which closely resembled those of the KKK) carrying different statues from one church to another (Mary, Christ on the cross, and Christ in a transparent casket). Although some aspects of it were quite strange, I was moved by how apparently serious these Catholics took their religious traditions. On the other hand, I couldn’t help but draw the conclusion that many of these people had reduced the significance of the death and resurrection of the Lord and Savior to a ritual they perform once a year and remember on the odd Sunday. It aches my heart to think that those to which the gospel has been entrusted have forgotten or failed to understand that the cross ought to affect every facet of our lives.

Please continue to pray for us as we strive to serve Christ in Cochabamba.

Dave

Ps: Special thanks to Phil and Tarryn for making my Bolivian birthday memorable, and for getting me a delicious, wet Bolivian birthday cake (which my nostrils thoroughly enjoyed).