Cochabamba Coffee Talk

new coffee blog

2008-01-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

We have moved. This is our new address. Enjoy!
5 Cup Family

finally

2007-11-27T10:12:00.000-08:00

We have made it to the States. It has been fun seeing all of you that we have seen and we have thoroughly enjoyed our time. The turkey we had at Thanksgiving was soooo good.

Several people have asked me where the new blog site went...I spoke too soon and should have waited until I announced the new site. Sorry about that. I do have it and the address is here. The only reason for the change is that I can do more graphic stuff with wordpress. Well, the kids need me so I had better go.

Hope you like the new site. Ciao. daryl.

Enjoy the video

2007-10-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

A little summary of our last two and a half years, enjoy!

saying goodbye, saying hello

2007-10-19T16:31:00.001-07:00

In 2 weeks we will say hello to friends and family, most of whom we haven't seen in over 2 and a half years. We are very excited. Rachel is a charmer. Ben and Naomi, yes you'll be surprised at how much they've grown. We will all look different I'm sure. And I'm sure we'll be shocked at all the changes in you our friends as well. Three of our sending churches have gone through a major building projects, and 3 have also changed lead pastors. And I don't even know how much an egg-nog latte costs now, probably can't afford it anymore :)

One of the things we're so looking forward to is worshiping in our heart language again, with other people. We sing and pray together in our home, but it's just not the same. And I'm looking forward to being able to preach and teach in English. I won't have to be thinking, "did I just say that right? did they get my joke, or did I just use the wrong word?"

But we're also saying goodbye for a number of months to good friends. This is our small group from church, Fico and Roxanna next to Daryl, Omar and Anna on the left, Ximena and Tito on the right. We've been in each other's homes for meals and birthdays, now for church too, we give each other rides to and from church, Dan and Fico lead worship together, Anna bought traditional Bolivian outfits for us to bring back to the States with us, we've laughed together, shared life together, and we will miss worshiping with them in Spanish.

And this is our Wednesday night Bible Study with Shirley, Shara, and Osman. We celebrated our last time together with Frankfurts (a local restaurant that puts American burgers to shame, mmmm so good). Shara's getting married in January. Osman just graduated from college. Shirley is changing jobs. We'll miss sharing Christmas and the New Year with them.

God has been good to us. We feel very blessed with friends all over the world.

Daryl's in Chile

2007-10-19T15:55:00.000-07:00

God did something really special for Daryl. She left yesterday for a women's missionary conference in Santiago Chile, should be just now arriving to her hotel. It's being hosted by Women of the Harvest, the same organization that has published now 3 of Daryl's articles.

This will be her first trip in over 5 years by herself. She was so excited, not just because for the next 4 days she'll be able to worship and speak in English with other women who also live a missionary lifestyle, but because she only had to take one bag! It was so funny to hear her pack, mumbling to herself, wow, no diapers, no wipes, no juice bags or extra onesies,... I can take this dress without worrying about little nose marks, I can take this top because I won't be holding a 2 year old...

Daryl, we miss you already. You deserve this special trip gift. Thank you for all your hard work here with our family, friends, community. We're praying that you have a truly refreshing time.

Tonight was bath night, Naomi helped her sister get dressed, and then promptly told me, "since I'm the mommy now, I think I need to sleep in your bed tonight papa."

Rachel keeps getting up at night looking for mama.

Benji is convinced that each plane that flies overhead (we only have about 3 a day) is the one carrying mom to Chile.

Benji is also going to a school called "Little Fishies Preschool" when we get to the States in just 2 weeks. When I asked him yesterday what language they speak there, trying to help him remember that school in the US is in English, he promptly told me, "they speak fish there, it's a little fishies school." I'm convinced he thinks he's going to be a little fish like Nemo.

And since we're packing, here's some un-posed shots. Yep, the suitcases are back out of storage, what better to do than climb inside and practice zipping each other in while your little sister takes a bath.

see all of you in the Northwest soon. To everyone else, please come visit us, we'll be in Oregon for 11 weeks. love from Bolivia, Dan for the 4 of us in Cochabamba

2007-10-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today my friends and I got together for one last lunch all together before half of us head back to the States for the holidays. For the last two years these women have become my friends. We have talked, cried, laughed, listened, and shared our lives together.

My dear beautiful friends you have meant so much to me. Thank you for listening and sharing your lives with me. You were all an answer to prayer and have been a blessing in my life. God has gifted all of you in so many ways. I will greatly miss you these next couple of months. I love you all.

The following is a poem that my friend wrote for us. It pretty much sums up life here and the feelings I have of heading back to a place I haven't been in almost 3 years.

Hola and Hello

So you are going back
To visit your home
In the very familiar
You may feel alone

Food is fast
Traffic too
You needn't wait for waiters
They will wait on you

Are my loved ones changed?
Or is it me?
Where do I put this paper
After I pee?

A handshake or even a hug
As a greeting
But try not to kiss
Or strange looks you'll be meeting

Phone book directories
Instead of ask a friend
Museums, malls, libraries
And Starbucks without end

Your worth is not based
On what you own
Be it clothes or cars
Or the fancy iPhone

Bi-cultural, bi-lingual, bi-everything at best
A missionary, a wife, a mom and all the rest
But you must remember that above all
As a daughter of God, how valuable you are

And please don't forget
That back here in Bolivia
No matter what happens
There are friends here that love ya'

Chaucito
Hasta pronto
Pues
Nos vemos amiguita

La Paz, part 1

2007-10-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

I'm (Dan) back briefly in Cochabamba from a youth Evangelism Crusade going on in the capital city of La Paz and El Alto. Both cities are above 10,000 feet in elevation, and having just come out of winter, it's still really cold there (even inside buildings since central heating doesn't exist. You can see our scarves and hats in the pictures I've attached.

We received a group of 28 Peruvians who arrived on Saturday to help with the Crusade. Over lunch they told us about their 36 hour journey, including a 6 hour delay at the border during which they spread out as a team, sharing their testimonies and the gospel, and saw 5 people come to Christ.

Please continue praying as we work to reach, disciple, and mobilize Bolivian youth and young adults. In numerous conversations with the 15 young adult groups participating in the Evangelism Crusade, the biggest need continues to be leaders who are willing to invest their time and disciple this generation. I've been overwhelmed with the need for mentors as I've traveled to La Paz now 4 times in the past months. and I've been blessed by the numerous significant conversations and the receptiveness and hosptiality I've received. I'll try to send a more complete update when I return again on Saturday.

Praises
* Today after 2 years of paperwork and standing in lines, we finished everything needed to get Permanent Bolivian ID Cards for Naomi and Benji! This morning's appointment only took 2 hours of waiting, so we celebrated by all going out for ice cream.
* I have had safe travel during the long 6 hour bus rifdes, and have only gotten sick once in all 3 trips!
* Daryl and the kids are doing well during the times when I am gone, though it's always hard to be

Prayer
* Pray for many decisions for Christ and recommitments to walk with Christ between now and Saturday, and for the follow-up which will be going on for the next 12 months.
* Pray that the pastors and leaders of the churches would see the importance of investing their time in the youth.
* Pray for Daryl as she prepares for her trip to Chile next month, and for our family as we prepare to be in the States Nov. - Jan.

Love, Dan Daryl Naomi Ben & Rachel

Screaming Youth Meetings

2007-09-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

"college students will always surprise you"

This was a favorite reminder of Corey Rose, College pastor in Eugene for over 20 years now, and a mentor of mine. And now having been involved in college campuses and youth ministry in 3 countries, I have to agree. College ministry is dynamic, thrilling, exhausting, fun, suspenseful, and normally quite an earful too.

For the last month my job has involved traveling back and forth from La Paz in preparation for the first ever Bolivian Baptist Youth Crusade. It's a pretty big deal, 12 months of preparation, 12 months of follow up, and this coming week 9 days of consecutive evangelistic youth meetings in 15 places simultaneously. So if you think of it, pray for all of those involved in coordinating, teaching, welcoming. And pray that many youth would be reached, many youth would be challenged, and the church would grow.

Also, be thinking of Daryl and the kids as it's always hard for them when I travel, and I'll be gone for 7 of the next 9 days.

Ok, off to get my suitcase ready. Dan

cochabamba day

2007-09-20T06:03:00.000-07:00

Last week we celebrated Cochabamba Day. It is a lot like the 4th of July. There were parades downtown, parties, and sometimes fireworks.

The kids all dressed up for school in traditional Cochabamba dress. The girls are called "Cholas" and the boys "Cholos". There are still women and men here who dress this way, so when you walk down the street you will see a mix of modern dress and traditional dress. (However, the Crocs that the kids are wearing aren't traditional, but they could put them on by themselves).

Wanted to let you all know that I have been working on setting up a new blog about our lives here. So within the next couple of weeks I hope to have it ready, which means I won't write on this blog anymore. I will give you plenty of warning and all the links and stuff so you will be able to find us.

Take care and have a good day!

good to be back

2007-09-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Been quite some time since I have written. Honestly, I had reached a point of computer burn out. Didn't want to sit in front of the computer, didn't really email, and basically haven't communicated much. Been working hard on restructuring things in my life (ie, having too much to do and not doing any of it) and figuring out what my priorities really are. So, all that said, I missed blogging and looking forward to writing more.

The biggest story I want to tell you is that Ben accepted Christ as his Savior (this happened actually in the middle of the summer and I totally spaced telling you all the good news).

Ben was sitting in his room playing with his cars. I walked in to check on him and he told me a little story about trucks flying through the air. After the truck story this is how the conversation went.

Ben: Mommy, I have Jesus in my heart(he took his little hands and covered his heart).
Me: Oh Ben that is wonderful. I am so happy. When did you accept Jesus?
Ben: At school with Tia Gabby(his teacher).
Me: Really.
Ben: Yes! Jesus es muy fuerte, podoroso, y tiene ojos lindas y tranquillo. Y Jesus esta en mi corozon(Ben did say this all in Spanish. The translation is: Jesus is very strong, mighty, and has eyes that are kind and peaceful. Jesus is in my heart).
Me: wow Ben.
Ben: My heart was black and he washed it clean like this (he pretended to wash his heart). Mommy is Jesus in your heart?
Me: Yes Ben he is.
Ben: That's good because I wouldn't want you to have a black heart. Ok?

I was very excited for Ben. For me it was a reminder too that God speaks all languages. Both Naomi and Ben accepted Christ as their Savior in Spanish. I am thankful too for the teachers who shared the Gospel with my children and were able to solidify what we had been teaching at home.

WOOHOO!!!

Raul's Legacy

2007-08-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

On Friday August 10^th in the evening, Pastor Raul Gosalvez went in for his 5^th surgery, and God took him home. Over a month ago Raul went in for what we all thought was a routine gall-bladder surgery, had complications, and was in intensive care for over a month before he went home to be with Jesus. Our church is in mourning, but the congregation has been brought together as we pray together, give together, cry together, walk together.

Raul was born in 1956 in the northern Bolivian state of Beni. His mother died when he was 2, and his father passed away when he was 12. But God used Guillermo and Dorothy Kirkendall, missionaries with Wycliffe Bilble Translators, who became adoptive parents for Raul. He worked with the Summer Institute of Linguistics as a translation helper, and then followed God’s call for further biblical training to become a pastor. Raul worked as a missionary pastor in the frontiers of Bolivia, planting churches in Bermejo, Villamontes, and Yacuiba before coming to Cochabamba to teach at the seminary, to pastor our church La Muyurina, and to become a national leader for pastors and churches. He leaves behind his wife Ruth of 24 years, and four children, Damaris, Abigail, Ariel, and Abner.

Raul’s life verse was Galatians 1:10 “Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of God.” He was not rich in material things, never owned his own home, or his own car, but his legacy was evidenced in the hundreds and hundreds of people who traveled from all over Bolivia for his 5 memorial services.

Raul, thank you for your example of a life well lived. You ran the race. You fought the good fight. And now you are in the presence of Jesus Christ, the Savior you loved so much and preached so frequently about. We your church and all those whose lives you touched will miss you deeply.

our pastor

2007-08-10T16:32:00.000-07:00

We just received news that Pastor Raul passed away.

Please pray for his family, his wife Ruth, daughters Damaris and Abigail, and his two sons Abner and Ariel.

Pray for the church as they go through this time of losing their pastor and friend.

Pray for Dan as he comes along side the youth pastor and other members of the church.

This is a very sad time for us.

Daryl for us all.

Ambiguity Reigns

2007-08-10T11:54:00.000-07:00

With our short term teams we have always emphasized the words “ambiguity” and “flexibility”. Megan Cunningham from Grace Community coined the phrase “ambiguity reigns!!”, meaning we may make plans, but God directs our days.

I just returned from a quick trip up and back from La Paz where the plan was to meet some leaders from the various churches during the day, and share my testimony at a missions conference in the evening. I did share my testimony, and I did meet with leaders. But while visiting the Christian Radio Station, I was somehow invited to participate in a recording for a radio program. It was a dramatization about Norman Dobbs, a Canadian Baptist missionary who was brutally martyred along with his congregation of 8 believers in 1949. I guess my accent was just what they needed. In fact, they told me my Spanish was too fluent. Norman had a thick accent and poor grammar, so I had to sound more gringo than normal.

Later that evening, in the middle of the service and just before I was to share, I was told we would also be acting out the Norman Dobbs drama after the message, including me having to preach briefly as Norman did, and then be “killed”. In a matter of a couple hours I went from being a visitor, to a voice recording, to an impromptu actor. And it turned out to be a powerful drama not only for the audience, but also in my heart as I was impacted by this simple Canadian man and 8 rural Bolivian farmers who gave their lives for the gospel here in Bolivia.

Ambiguity, flexibility, maybe it’s just a good way to go through life.

Please pray

2007-08-05T16:16:00.001-07:00

This is the college group we've been working with along with the short term team from FBC Eugene. We get to do ministry with such a great group of students.

We'd like you to especially notice two of the gals in our group, they are the daughters of our pastor Raul Gosalvez. Damaris is in a brown sweater just above Dan's head, and her sister Abigail is just above her to the left, in the gray sweatshirt. They are core members of the leadership, worship, and Awana ministries, and both very active in our community.

3 weeks ago their dad and the pastor of our church went to the hospital for what was supposed to be a 2 day procedure to remove gall stones. But so far Raul hasn't come home. He has had 4 operations and numerous complications and infections, his body keeps rejecting the medications and isn't healing, and his vital organs are shutting down. On Friday the doctors said there is nothing more they know to do, and told Ruth, Damaris, and Abigail, to begin preparing themselves in the event that Raul doesn't recover.

Please pray for God's miraculous healing over Raul, for his wife Ruth, his 4 children (Damaris, Abigail, Ariel, Abner), for the hospital staff, for our church, for the other churches we worship with, as we walk through this very very hard time. Please pray that Daryl and I have the wisdom and cultural sensitivity to know what to do, how to comfort our friends, how to help our church in this time.

thank you for walking and praying through this journey with us,
love Dan & Daryl

happy birthday naomi!

2007-08-05T06:54:00.001-07:00

Felicidades Naomi! Happy 5th Birthday! We Love You! Love Mama, Papa, Benji, & Rachel.

Walking with God day by day

2007-07-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

I don’t really remember knowing my grandpa. My dad’s father had a stroke when I was young, so my only memory of him was being immobilized in a chair, staring blankly at a TV. My other grandpa died before I was born. My brother bares his name, Timothy Arthur. Art had been a ranking officer in the navy. He was an engineer and an inventor. As a kind of memorial, my grandmother left his workbench untouched in the basement, tools and equipment gathering dust, waiting to be used by their passed-away owner. I used to pick up the antiquated electronics pieces, wonder about their use, wonder what he had been like.

Grandpa Chase is a neat man, married to one woman all his life, retired teacher, full of stories, Daryl’s grandfather. I remember one day I asked him if he had fought in any wars. He said “yes, WWII.” What did you remember? What was it like? Did you get shot at? “No, I didn’t get shot. I was stationed in Korea.” I tried to recall the battles, and couldn’t remember one over Korea. Then he said, “I was a mailman, I sorted mail, that’s what I did for the war. I didn’t shoot anybody, and I didn’t get shot at. But you should have seen the looks on their faces when I would deliver the mail bags.”

This week I’ve started reading in Chronicles.

1 Chronicles 26:1 The divisions of the gatekeepers: From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph 2 Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth and Eliehoenai the seventh. …

You have to realize, these 3 verses are just one part of 4 chapters, 132 verses listing the divisions of priests, rotations for temple duty, divisions for musician groups, regions for their ministry, divisions of gatekeepers, the gates they guarded, the army leaders, family leaders, really really boring stuff.

And as I thought about these lists of people, and Grandpa Chase, and walking with God, I tried to imagine what each day was like for them.

Zecharaiah: “Hey Jedial, how’d your day go?”

Jed.: “You know, the usual, we had some weary families coming through our gate, some disputes to settle, a LOT of sheep, man they stink. How bout you?”

Zech.: “Yeah, yeah, a lot of the same. Hey, did you hear about Jashobeam’s division, he’s on army guard this month, I hear they’re going to the northern front. I wish I was there instead of counting people and sheep every day.”

I don’t know what your days are like. Want to know my week? Let’s see, I took a day off because we’ve had a month of visitors and short term teams straight. I spent half a day on the phone, one day just buying supplies and renting a bus for the next team to arrive on Monday, 2 full days doing financial reports, gave 6 baths, 21 goodnight kisses, 30 bedtime stories. And I find myself having similar conversations in my head.

Me: “What did I do today…? reports, errands, phone calls,… buying paint for the orphanage.”

Myself: “Did you hear about the missionary family in Zim-exiting-wayia? They planted 3 churches last month, and saw 500 people come to Christ. What did you do again?”

I: “Uh, wow, sure sounds great there… I spent all day doing a month of accounting work. Wish I was doing something more important like those guys.”

Anyway, back to Chronicles, the Holy Spirit spoke to me as I read, and reminded me of a verse in Micah.

Micah 6:8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

God places each person in a different place. Grandpa Chase served our country by sorting mail. My other Grandpa was a navy engineer. Not every soldier jumps out of planes, or mucks through trenches. Each name in those 4 chapters of Chronicles was given a job, a job assigned by King David, and it was important, even standing watch over sheep going in and out of the gate.

I’m learning that walking with God isn’t always exciting, filled with things that make great prayer letters, noticeable things. I learning to obey, to work hard for Him not for others, to be faithful to the tasks He gives, to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly even when I’m buying paint. And He’s pleased with that, that’s what my God, my King requires of me.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for the day. I'm already late for a lunch meeting, and then off to a travel agent, and then a goodbye dinner for a friend leaving the country.

Thanks God for Chronicles. Enjoy your day!

Dan

still alive & running

2007-07-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

Hello all!

This month Dan and I have felt like we have been running.

We had a college team from First Baptists Eugene this month. The time with them went well and for it being our first team I think the overall consensus was pretty good. My in laws were also here for the month, partly to visit but mainly to help with childcare so that I could help Dan with the team. Next week another team from Grace will be arriving and helping us out with painting a classroom in an orphanage. This week is being spent planning for their time with us.

And what have I been doing this week? Running of course. Running errands, running around the house cleaning up and sorting(after all we moved at the beginning of June), running after the kids, running, running, running.

There is so much to tell about the last month with the kids, the team, ministry, and life. But first I wanted to start with an email that Judy (my mother in law) wrote during one of the days she was here. What she talks about is something that seems so simple, going for a walk. However, when you are in a foreign culture going for a walk can be pretty intense. Returning to the house after accomplishing a task can be very rewarding.

Dear friends & family,

Yesterday, Thursday, Denny and I took a huge step to independence in a foreign country. We walked to the Palace Portales as there was a scheduled tour in English at 11 am. When we arrived we learned that it will be today at 3:30 pm. Normally Dan & Daryl would have taken us in their car or called a cab but we wanted to try it on our own. We had a map and could follow the streets. We had a good time just walking by ourselves. We had also learned enough to be able to greet people on the street with "good morning" and a smile.

Since the tour was rescheduled we decided to continue walking downtown, at last along the Prado, toward a wonderful ice cream place, Globos. Once there I was able to order 2 double scoop cones in Spanish. I felt so accomplished! Of course the menu was printed so I didn't need to remember the words just read them and pronounce them. I am sure my pronunciation was not perfect but we got the cones. :) Yummy!

Dan had told us about a leather shop where Denny could buy a good belt. We found it on the other side of the plaza but the shop was being remodeled and their stock didn't have too many choices. We did find a shoe store 3 shops down, however. Shoes are our weakness. I was able to find 2 pairs of shoes and 1 pair of boots. The owner spoke some English so we were able to get the right sizes and colors. Denny found a pair of shoes for him also. It was just nice to be able to do some simple things in another country and another language without needing Dan or Daryl there all the time.

We stopped for lunch and people watched along the sidewalks. It was interesting to watch the guards keep the beggars away from the clientele who were eating lunch. All in all it was a great day for us. When we returned home Dan was proud of us also for finding our way around and getting back home without getting lost or hit by random drivers.

Today we are headed for a bus tour of Cochabamba in the morning and hopefully the palace tour this afternoon. Ciao, Judy (Mom)

saying goodbye

2007-06-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we said good-bye to the other Collins family.

Something I have learned over the last few years is that saying good bye is part of a missionary's life. I think it is one of the hardest parts of this occupation.

how we met.

God brought our families together a little over a year ago. Darrell and Cindy Collins had just returned from the States. They were in Texas applying for a pastorate, a position that would put them close to their children and grandchildren. Well, the position didn't work out and Darrell and Cindy returned to Bolivia.

Dan and I had been very lonely and missing family. We were craving an older couple to mentor us as well as be adopted grandparents to our kids.

About a week after Darrell and Cindy returned to Bolivia, we found out that they lived four houses down from us. We met and became friends immediately. Soon after we met, Darrell and Cindy started babysitting for us, we had Bible study together once a week, called each other on the phone asking for eggs, flour, and whatever else. Many times we just sat and talked about life, sharing our stories. God brought us together in such a special way.

Yesterday, Cindy and I hugged on the driveway and cried our eyes out. She became like a mom to me, a grandmother to my children, and a dear friend. I will miss her terribly. Last night Dan and I lay in bed listening to Darrell and Cindy leave their home of 12 years for the last time(we were next door neighbors for 3 weeks since we moved). Dan and I held each other and cried. Saying good-bye hurts. I went to pick up the phone today to call Cindy and realized she isn't there anymore. I am actually crying as I write this.

Darrell and Cindy... we love you. Thank you for pouring into our lives, for being an example to us, and for being our friends. We already miss you heaps. I pray that God blesses you as you begin a new ministry in the States. We love you.

I need to go get a kleenex.

procrastination

2007-06-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

I am sitting at our dining room table, playing games with Ben, and thinking about how much I have been procrastinating with this blog.

Moving takes a lot out of a person. The other night I counted 11 moves in 9 years of marriage (I am having a hard time concentrating with Ben's little voice in my ear asking me why I have earrings. He's home sick today). After 11 moves I have quite the system and our house is put together in about 3 days. I don't stop until the house is done and then I crash for a couple days, do nothing, and watch movies all evening long. So blogging and keeping everyone updated has taken a back seat for the last few weeks.

So to update you all very quickly I will say whats been going on in list form

*Dan has been teaching an anthropology class (all in Spanish) at the Baptist Seminary. He loves teaching and we heard from other missionary professors that Dan's students love him.

*We have all been fighting stomach stuff again. I will spare you the details.

*Our first short term team arrives next Tuesday.

*My in-laws arrive this Friday.

*Our house is a dream.

*Naomi is becoming quite the artist. The other day her and I sat and did art projects together. It was so fun. These are some of the clothes that she has made. Naomi only used scissors, no drawing beforehand, and these were all her idea. She wants to be a fashion designer when she grows up. I told her to go for it!

*Rachel has achieved new levels of ultra sonic screaming to get our attention. It is really hard to ignore when you have to plug your ears. She also laughs a lot and wants to do everything just like Ben and Naomi.

*Ben still keeps us laughing. Someday I'll write a book of Ben quotes. The latest conversation went like this:

The kids and I were watching Prince of Egypt. During the crossing of the Red Sea, Naomi asked why the people were so scared. Before I could answer Ben jumped into the conversation.

Ben: Well, if I saw whales in the water and I was walking then I would scream AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (this scream was as loud as he could which made me jump) like that and tell God to protect me because whales are big and I'm just a little guy.

*Dan is loving discipling the youth at our church. For his birthday they all came over to sing Feliz Cumpleanos. They even brought a cake, card (hand made, signed by all), and they all shared how much they appreciated him.

*I am getting out all the time, loving the art class, participating with the women of our church, taking care of sick family, and enjoying our new house.

I have a ton of pictures to upload that I would love to show you. So until next time. Ciao.

moving and the internet

2007-05-31T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone.

Looks like the house is ready for us to move. We will be moving tomorrow and Saturday. I am not looking forward to the actual moving but excited about the new house.

Our internet will be down for a couple of days. Just until Monday. So don't panic if we don't respond to any emails. Our phone will be out too until we move.

The kids just got home from school so I gotta go. Let you know how it all goes next week.

Ciao! Daryl.

david or peter or laser beams?

2007-05-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

The other night I was giving Ben a hug and kiss good night when he asked me a very serious question.

Ben: Mommy can I ask you a question?
Me: Sure (I'm thinking he's going to ask something about God or friends at school)
Ben: If I ever have to fight a giant... do I hit him with a rock like David in the Bible or do I chop of his ear like Peter did to the soldier?
Me: Not sure Ben what do you think you should do? (at least he had Bible characters in his question).
Ben: I think I would fly like Peter Pan and then kill him with my laser beams.
Me: Sounds good Ben. Good night.
Ben: Thanks for answering my question Mommy.
Me: Always glad to help.

moving

Well, we will be moving in one week. So far everything is packed that we can pack. Dan has the moving days scheduled. He decided not to use a moving company as we have some friends to help move and watch the kids. I am very much looking forward to moving into this house. It is so much more cozy and safe. So, I will do my best to keep you all posted. Our week might me a little crazy as moving day moves closer. Thank you all for your prayers as we go through this transition once again. We need them.

the art of moving

2007-05-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Yes, as you can see by the title we are moving yet again. I won't bore you with all the details as to why, but I will say we are very excited about the house we are moving into. The house is only four houses down from our current house, much more family friendly, hidden from the street (a plus in this country), and more conducive to having guests.

Having moved so many times in our lives, I have discovered there is an art to moving. This time around we are going to hire a moving company to pack our house, take apart all the furniture, and move it into the new house. The fact that we can have a company do this takes off a ton of stress for both Dan and I. To hire movers in Bolivia costs the same as buying ten pizzas and multiple liters of pop to feed all your friends who help you move. How could we not hire movers? Our friends have given us good reviews on the two companies that are in our city and so in about 2 weeks we will be calling.

I plan to keep you all updated on our lives and ministry, however, our schedule keeps filling up. After we move we will be having two teams this winter (summer for everyone in the northern hemisphere), my-in laws are visiting, and our boss will be visiting in August. So I will do the best I can.

the art class

Quite a few of you have asked how the art class with blind students is going. I love it! The gals I am working with love their jobs, the students are wonderful, and it is a great outlet for me. I am learning a lot about painting with textures (which is my favorite art anyway) and my Spanish improves every time.

Llallagua

2007-04-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

This is our traveling missions team, Victor (our traveling mechanic), Jhonny (yes, that's how you spell his name), and Sonya.

I (Dan) just returned from my second weekend trip to a little town called Llallagua. They have a small community of believers and just finished their church building, so it was a weekend of celebration. It was a good to visit my friend Emilio, a Bolivian missionary doing a great work and to visit with his church.

They even invited me to share, so there I was, my thoughts a mix of English and Spanish, but preaching in Spanish and being translated into Quechua. I spoke on being connected to the vine, and my translator Valerio was very gracious and elaborated on certain parts he felt the congregation really needed to hear. Really, I think they should have just invited Valerio to preach, but it wasn’t my decision to make, I was just there to help Emilio.

I also learned two very valuable culture lessons. 1^st - DON’T eat heavy foods like potatoes and meat (lamb) on your first day above 12,000 feet, your stomach and body will revolt all night due to altitude sickness :( It’s better to stick to tea and soup with lots of broth. So next time…

And 2^nd - the word for “70” in Spanish is very similar to “hind end” in their particular slang, so I inadvertently made a small group of people chuckle with my accidental mispronunciation during the dedication. Language learning necessitates a complete loss of pride, and a good sense of humor, at yourself :)

goodbye amoebas

2007-04-10T11:12:00.001-07:00

The results are here: amoebas

That's actually a new one for me, so I guess I got my wish for something interesting.

I'm on the right pills as of last night, and already feeling better. Thanks for all the concern and nice "get well soon" notes.

love Dan

master of the universe

2007-04-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

I (Dan) think this is the third time I've had some sort of stomach thing since January. So today I'm just lying around moaning. I don't know who you should pray for more, me, or Daryl who has to put up with a sick husband again. Tomorrow morning the lab will be open, and I'll find out if I have another parasite, or bacteria, or amoeba, or something new maybe this time, that would make it more interesting. Then I'll tromp off to the pharmacy, buy my packet of pills, and begin to rid my system of critters.

Anyway, I was reading our last post, about life going well, and it really is, even with being sick 3 times in 3 months. In fact, it seems to be going better because I'm sick. I had been relatively healthy for the first 18 months here, it's just the last 3 or so that my stomach has become a top pick for parasite vacation spots. But it's also in the last 3 months that God has done some really incredible things in our family, ministry, friendships, and lives. I think it's related.

When I got sick in January, I mean, I was really really really sick. And God and I had this yelling session. I'm serious, I was walking around our bedroom, too sick to venture far from the bed or bathroom, and I began yelling at the ceiling. I was angry, confused, sick, miserable, and wanted some answers. There's something freeing in talking to God honestly. He can handle it. He can take it. Not that God gave me any answers. It's just that I connected with God, in a hard but deeply personal way, and concluded, if anything good happened in the next months, it would only be God, because I was just too sick and tired to accomplish anything.

A few weeks later the youth at our church wanted to start a "contemporary" early morning service, and they asked if I would share a short sermonette. It was Wednesday, I asked them to wait till Saturday, and in the middle I prayed. On Friday God gave me something to share for Sunday. This went on for the next 4 weeks, each week asking for something more, each week receiving an answer just in time to share it on Sunday. The same has been true with prayer requests about other ministry things, about our family, about our personal lives. I don't like being sick. But it's been really refreshing to catch a glimpse of God at work.

I like this comic posted above, reminds me that there is only one Master of the Universe, and it's not me :) And I was listening to this song by Steven Curtis Chapman, "God is God" and it was a good reminder this morning.

And the pain falls like a curtain
On the things I once called certain
And I have to say the words I fear the most
I just don’t know

And the questions without answers
Come and paralyze the dancer
So I stand here on the stage afraid to move
Afraid to fall, oh, but fall I must
On this truth that my life has been formed from the dust

God is God and I am not
I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting
God is God and I am man
So I’ll never understand it all
For only God is God

And the sky begins to thunder
And I’m filled with awe and wonder
‘Til the only burning question that remains
Is who am I

Can I form a single mountain
Take the stars in hand and count them
Can I even take a breath without God giving it to me
He is first and last before all that has been
Beyond all that will pass

Oh, how great are the riches of His wisdom and knowledge
How unsearchable for to Him and through
Him and from Him are all things

So let us worship before the throne
Of the One
who is worthy of worship alone

Happy Easter