The Epilogue

Well, we've officially been back in Canada for a week now, and the journey of processing has only just begun for the three of us.  It is interesting to think that we were saying our goodbyes at the airport just last week and that now we are settled back into our routines of life in Canada.  I know, speaking for myself, that I will never be the same.  The experiences that we have been a part of this past semester have molded and shaped our personal lives and callings.  We have made friendships that we will never forget, we have gone through conflicts and trials that have taught us about ourselves, and we have experienced God in new ways and with new eyes.  Although I am sad to say that this chapter of our lives has come to an end, I am confident that this marks the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.  We are now entering into a time of personal reflection on our past four months so that we can reengage in our own culture with a fresh awareness of what missional living means.

I would like to personally thank each and every one of you who faithfully read our blogs and who supported us either financially or prayerfully over the last semester...  We have been so blessed by your generosity and support!  We hope that you have been encouraged through the reading of our blogposts, and we hope that it was almost like you were adventuring alongside us the entire time.  If you would like to hear more stories, to get some clarification, or just to say a word or two, feel free to comment on this post and we will reply.

May God bless you, and may you be encouraged to go into your world and live a life that is worthy of the calling!

Last Day in Bolivia

Today was our last day here in Bolivia.  We currently are sitting here in the Santa Cruz International Airport, awaiting our flight to Miami.  We arrive home at 4:45 tomorrow evening and we will be writing our final blogposts/reflections throughout this week.  Thank-you all so much for reading our updates and for all of your continued support (we've reached over 3000 hits). Over the period of the next we will update some more pictures and stories so keep your eyes on the blog!

Goodafternoon Blogreaders,

I'm sorry to inform you that I don't have any new updates on the current political situation here in Bolivia.  As of right now, we have yet to hear more information regarding the outcome of the Santa Cruz referendum or the riots that it has brought with it.  We would like to let everyone know that we are safe and that we have had no major problems here in Cochabamba.  Both Dave and I were able to attend church yesterday without encountering any large protests.  At this point, we hope that the worst of the rioting has ended and we ask you to join with us in prayer for Bolivia.

Here's just another reminder that we will be Canada bound exactly one week from today. Our plane lands in the Pearson Int. Airport sometime in the evening on Tuesday, May 13.  We look forward to seeing all of you when we get home, and until then, we send our thoughts and love.

Felipe

Lockdown

So in case you haven’t noticed, Phil and I are still in Bolivia. For all who didn’t know, we've decided to extend our trip by a couple of weeks. Our main reason for doing so is because we didn’t want to spend our final weeks in Cochabamba writing papers. We wanted to have time to just relax and savour our time in Bolivia with some of the friends that we’ve made.
So far we’ve had a great time. We have continued to work in a few of our ministries (Phil: teaching English and working on a promotional video for CBM; Me: working with Jireh), and we have also been able to spend some quality time with our friends. However, life without Tarryn has not been easy. The other day we were making dinner for a few of our friends and began panicking when we realized we had no idea where our cheese grater went. We tried to call Tarryn but we couldn’t get a hold of her, so I had to resort to ripping the cheese into pieces by hand. We have managed to survive thus far without her, but your continual prayers would be appreciated.

On a more serious note, we would appreciate your prayers for Bolivia in the next few days. Due to a number of complicated political circumstances, political tensions are increasing in the major cities of Bolivia. On May 4th, a referendum is being put forth in Santa Cruz that could lead to protests and blockades. (We are not in the Santa Cruz region but there will likely be some unrest in Cochabamba, as it is one of the major cities).

Our return date is the 13th of May. We hope to spend the next week spending more time in ministries and with our friends, saying our good-byes.

Thanks for your support. May God grant us strength as we represent Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Dave