As I am writing this just as the sun is about to rise. Reflecting on my time in Bolivia, I could say that it was all fun, that it was all encouraging and all uplifting, but that wouldn't be true. Although most of our blog posts have highlighted the good times we have had here, the past four months have seen many challenges. However, I believe that it is in the these times God teaches us the most.
One of the biggest things that I struggled with in Bolivia was my identity. In my own country I prided myself in who I felt I was. I was someone who could hold intelligent conversations, make people laugh, encourage my friends and give advice. These things told me like, I was smart, funny, a good friend etc. However, in Bolivia, I had none of these. In the beginning mostly, I rarely knew what was going on and when I did it was difficult to find the words to ever contribute anything worthy. Because of this, I never imagined developing close friendships and for a long time I didn't. Who would want to be my friend? I was the quiet, awkward foreigner? haha.However, God used this to teach me a lot about myself and my relationship with Him. He challenged me on how I viewed myself and who I really was. Do I really need these things that I associated with 'Tarryn' to really be the child of G od I am called to be? So often I get caught up in the North American persuit of individualism and my relationship with God becomes an attempt to "better [myself] and to be more upwardly mobile in social status". This was a quote that I took from the Cross-Cultural Communication class we took with Dave Roberts that describes some people's motives for learning a new language. However, I often feel as though in pursuing God I am actually just trying to better myself and my life when I need to be focusing on my identity in Christ and what that consists of in light of sharing the gospel of love to others.
There were times in the midst of learning this, and in the midst of a new culture that spoke a different language than my own, that I felt isolated. It was in these times, when I was forced to rely on God, that I was closest with Him. Something else I learned on this trip that God has been teaching me for many years, and will continue to teach me for the rest of my life, is His faithfulness to provide. From little things such as a chance to rock climb and play hockey with the Jireh kids (Dave's and my favourite sport) to bigger things, like the community of Christians here that provided me with support and friendship. (Paola, Jhaki, Saul, Lineth, Ruben, Ariel, Julio, Myrela, Ever, Luis, Pablo, Jose, Ben, Ivan, Christina, Emigdio, Pat and Terry Janke and Phil and Dave). 
It was through these people that God showed me His love. Like I mentioned before, I asked myself, "who would want to be friends with someone with whom it was so difficult to get to know?" I rarely talked at the beginning and put little effort into getting to know people in comparison to what they put in. However, I was shown an unconditional love and acceptance that I have been blessed with only a handful of times before in my life. I was blessed with gifts of their time and presence, and coming from a culture that values time significantly, it meant a lot. They showed a commitment to get to know me, regardless of what I showed them. It is amazing how much God uses Christian community to show us His love. Truly, the Christian community I experienced in Bolivia has been an example to God's relationship with us, and now my time is done. Oh wow, I can see the sun coming over the clouds just now.
-In Christ, Tarryn, Tarry, Tarence, Theresa, or Carjen
There were times in the midst of learning this, and in the midst of a new culture that spoke a different language than my own, that I felt isolated. It was in these times, when I was forced to rely on God, that I was closest with Him. Something else I learned on this trip that God has been teaching me for many years, and will continue to teach me for the rest of my life, is His faithfulness to provide. From little things such as a chance to rock climb and play hockey with the Jireh kids (Dave's and my favourite sport) to bigger things, like the community of Christians here that provided me with support and friendship. (Paola, Jhaki, Saul, Lineth, Ruben, Ariel, Julio, Myrela, Ever, Luis, Pablo, Jose, Ben, Ivan, Christina, Emigdio, Pat and Terry Janke and Phil and Dave). It was through these people that God showed me His love. Like I mentioned before, I asked myself, "who would want to be friends with someone with whom it was so difficult to get to know?" I rarely talked at the beginning and put little effort into getting to know people in comparison to what they put in. However, I was shown an unconditional love and acceptance that I have been blessed with only a handful of times before in my life. I was blessed with gifts of their time and presence, and coming from a culture that values time significantly, it meant a lot. They showed a commitment to get to know me, regardless of what I showed them. It is amazing how much God uses Christian community to show us His love. Truly, the Christian community I experienced in Bolivia has been an example to God's relationship with us, and now my time is done. Oh wow, I can see the sun coming over the clouds just now. -In Christ, Tarryn, Tarry, Tarence, Theresa, or Carjen
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