Wednesday Update

Here's the latest update from the Bolivia Team. They will have access to wifi either tonight or tomorrow, so y'all should get more detailed update very soon. 

Here's a brief text I got from Nathan last night...Going to bed after long day. Good progress @ well & church. Will finish tom & drive to SC in the evening (should have wifi there!). Adam & Cody have been beasts @ the well site. Went to church tonight where we're working. Daniel, Cody & Laura shared testimonies/stories. John & I sang (mostly John- he brought songs but no one else would join him!). We all laughed ALOT about it. 2 girls from the church sang "10,000 Reasons." Precious. 

Keep praying for them as they finish today! It sounds like they are having a great time. 

SC=Santa Cruz 

Arrival in Bolivia - Finally!

Posted Sunday, June 22 (updated June 27)

Nathan here.  The team is in Bolivia!  Weather delays in Miami caused us to reroute our trip. We arrived in Bolivia this morning (Sunday) at 3:30, about 18 hours, a hotel stay in Miami and an impromptu trip through Lima, Peru, later!  We are doing well. Tomorrow we will begin construction and drilling a well. We praise God that we arrived and are excited about the week ahead.

2014 Team Departure

Our 2014 BPF short term mission trip team has departed, en route to Bolivia.  This years activities will include construction projects and water well drilling outside the city of Santa Cruz.   We have 3 teenagers and 7 adults on the team.  Several returning Bolivia, Kenya, Cambodia mission team veterans.  But also several first time participants.

God's mission is never delayed.   We however have been rescheduled in our flight plans. Due to weather problems in Miami last night, we are planning to arrive a day later, at 2pm on Sunday.  

Pray that we would remain focused on serving others and growing individually.  More later...

An Evening With the Beams!

On Monday evening, our Bolivia Team (made up of past & present trip participants) was able to spend time with Danny & Vanessa Beams (our missionary partners) right here in southern Brazoria County!  It was such a fun night of eating, hanging out, meeting families, and hearing updates.  Although we'll miss them (they'll still be stateside) when we go on our trip, it was great to see them beforehand and we're looking forward to working with their co-workers!

To learn more about the Beams and their work:  http://beamsclan.blogspot.com/

Sooo...what exactly will our team be doing while we're there??  We'll be working with our partner organization, Agua Yaku (http://aguayaku.org/) to drill water wells in rural communities.  This will not only bring clean water to that community, it also opens doors for the local pastors to share and minister in that community.  Please be praying that not only will God's love be shown, but that His truth would also be heard!

Here is a picture that Danny took last year!

More to come!
Michelle

Easy as Pie (Wednesday in Santa Cruz)

3 Apple, 2 Pecan, 2 Buttermilk

We spent all day on Wednesday in Vanessa's kitchen baking, baking, and baking to get ready for Thursday night's dinner and Friday night's sale.  Not pictured above are 3 chocolate sheet cakes (sheet? sheath?  I never know the difference), and 2 bundt cakes (which inspired many "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" references).

It was a crazy, laughy, flour-covered day.

Incidentally, I totally just Wikipediad the phrase "easy as pie" and my suspicions were confirmed.  It refers to the eating of pie...not the making of it.

Back im the USA

So we all got back on the states auccesfully. Only a few of us got sick on the trip. Myself included. Nothing slowed us down though. It is good to be home but I miss Bolivia and our friends there already. The transition home sale was a big success.  The ministry of EFCCM reaches much farther into Bolivia than I ever knew and is present in many cities there. It was interesting to hear about all the powerful thjgs God is doing there. Hope to go back soon and I hope many more will come. We eveb went to South Beach tonight for dinner. Too bad we only had time to stick out toes in the sand

Well team returns!

We just got back from Yapiroa!  What an awesome time. 3 wells successfully completed and the Guarani people are fantastic. It is hard to tell you how hospitable they are and how welcome they make us feel. Every day a different well and a different family slaughtered a goat or sheep for our lunch. Definitely some hard work and good eating. I am very proud to be part of such a great team. Everyone pulled together to overcome all obstacles. From old to young it was amazing. Last night we had church service, sang, and gave testimony (Robert R. and Kent E.). It was fantastico!  Our host team was the best as well. Danny, Marcus, Andrew, and Stephen. I wish everyone could be here. It is hard for me to understand how the Guarani/Bolivian people can be so nice and accepting. I wonder if we would treat missionaries the way they treat us. They may not have a lot possession wise but they are generous and sharing with everything. When we had no plares, they gave us theirs. When we had no gas for cooking they gave us theirs. When we had no bread they made bread for us. Anything we needed they found a way to provide. God may use us to bring them clean water but He uses them to give us much more!  It us really they who minister to us. Showing us what it really means to be content in all circumstances.