We are fast approaching 6 months in Bolivia, we were told that this can be quite a hard time for missionaries emotionally. Some days are quite tough, we are a bit homesick, missing all our buddies back home and sometimes feel frustrated with our Spanish (so please send us lots of encouraging emails). But we are getting more and more involved with the community here and the projects we have been planning are starting to get going. We worked in the library this week and did a puppet show and games for the kids.
This weekend we went on a walk with the youth group into the mountains. It was decided on the spot without any police checks / risk assessment / permission slips…. has the world gone crazy! The way things are done here are quite different to the UK. The plan was to sleep out under the stars after a bonfire and songs, but it started to rain at about 3.30 am and the boys gallantly gave up the only tent for the girls… 24 girls in one tent … and the boys had to find shelter under the spindly trees. We were asked give a talk about boy/girl relationships. We were amazed how willing they were to take part in the discussions and how fervently they expressed their views. Ruth was happy because we camped next to a river… the closest thing to the seaside for 6 whole months …. (feeling serious Gower withdrawal symptoms.) We got a lift back to Sucre in the back of an old VW camper van – a great way to see the view!
We are also doing the second of our married couples course at our house – talking about “Love and Respect”. This is a real challenge for our limited Spanish but we’re going to have a go!
We got our visas – so we are now legal thanks to our friend and lawyer Grover! He wants us to say that he is charming, single and available and has his own motorbike!
On the instruction of LLink we are taking a few days off next week. We have decided to visit La Paz and do a walk through the jungle to Croico on an Inca trail. We start in ice and walk down through 6 eco- systems to the jungle.
Dean and Ruth's Diary 