We are so blessed. I think it's good for me to just sit in that daily- I am blessed. I can be a lot of other things too, like sad, angry, fearful, stressed, happy, excited. But I can hold blessed alongside all the other things that I am. That in itself is a blessing.
We ended 2024 and started 2025 in the States. Being able to travel and see churches and family and friends is a gift from God. Every time I go to the States I think about how blessed I am and wounder at how much more faith and hardships people in the past had- they left their homelands and knew they probably would never return. I am blessed that I can go back to my country of origin and see people and it only takes about 36hrs, not months of travel.
The time in the States was really good. Catalina actually handled all the travel and new places really well. Both Pilar and Cat were able to make some friends and enjoy the fun of being in the States with it's chick-fil-a (Cat's favorite), horses, libraries, cousins, parks and friends. I enjoyed getting to see people I hadn't seen in four years including some of my brothers. I also enjoyed the chance to share with churches what is happening here in Tarija. Tarija has not been easy emotionally and it was good to how how people reacted and to be offered so much encouragement.
February meant the beginning of the school year for the girls. School is divided into first and second levels here in Bolivia. First would be like elementary from 1st grade -6th and second level is middle-high school so 7th-12th grades. I wish there was middle school here! This is Cat's first year in elementary and Pilar's last year so it's a big year for both. Cat has done really well with the change from kindergarten. Besides my girls doing well, I'm also blessed with now being able to drop them off and pick them up at the same time. This was a big deal for me to the extent that I stated telling people how excited I was for it in the middle of last year. I'm also thankful that school here is only half days and I love that my girls can be home more than at school.
The team was blessed by the visitors from South Gate Church of Christ (the church that sponsors us). 5 people came from South Gate and I was doubly blessed by my brother, Tim, also come with them to translate. It was a wonderful time and besides a sand storm and winds making them have to drive to Houston instead of fly, the trip was mostly smooth. As I mentioned above, Tarija has been a lonely and emotionally hard place for the team. I don't think people who have never lived away from their country of origin realize how encouraging and what a huge impact it is to have people visit you. The group was able to encourage us in many ways, including seeing things that, maybe because it's been hard, the team couldn't see. God is working here and He is using us.
Prayer time before church on Sunday. Ladies Tea with Glynda Scott giving the class.
Thank you for your support and prayers. We appreciate them so much and they make a big difference.