Tarija-Day2

Christ for the City staff meeting. Lots of yummie food!

Another parade!

Street scene

A very old Methodist church

All local buses are painted like this

Just in front of the hotel

Hi, I'm back! When I left yesterday I was talking about counseling sessions. First of all, the place where we were staying was huge. It was like a motel, but it was actually a private home. The counseling sessions took place in separate rooms of the house. Rosario had her own appointments. As I said yesterday, she does some kind of healing therapy for women only. Carlos, John and I had the couples. It was set up as a visit among friends. One couple was a widow with a son who married a man who had never been married. They had the usual problems of a blending family. The other couple was a pastor who had difficulties saying "no" to people, which did not leave much time for family. They have two pre-teen daughters and a baby with special needs. It is also his first pastoral assignment. Carlos is very wise and quick to go to the core of the problem. Rosario's last appointment went long, so we had lunch very late, but the airport is so close to the house that we got there with plenty of time for our flight.

When we arrived to Cochabamba, our luggage did not come out. There were only about five passengers getting off; therefore, the employees immediately realized that our luggage was still on the plane. They went and got it off before the plane took off again. They were all so nice and apologetic! I really like these people. 

John caught a cold and wanted to go to bed, but I went with the team to have Bolivian food. It is all so different! I am going to blog just about foods. Carlos and Rosario walked back to the place they are staying and I walked back to the hotel with the director of Christ for the City in Bolivia. She is a very nice single woman. I have to put her in touch with Francie O. I ordered chicken soup for John. After blogging, I went to bed also. 

Today was a relaxing day. We got to sleep late because we only had to be at Christ for the City's office at 4:00 pm for the weekly staff devotional. We really enjoyed those in Costa Rica, and this one was just as interesting. We started with a time of worship and prayer. Carlos talked about Ephesians 6, "our war is not against flesh and blood..." He said that the number one reason workers leave the field is because problems with other workers. He warned the staff about allowing the enemy take a foothold on their relationships. The discussion went on about their field experiences with the enemy. One of them works with the Yulki, and unreached native community up in the jungle. He has had a lot of hair raising experiences because it is such a dark place. He says he comes from a fundamental background (his dad is a pastor) and was totally unprepared for this. Other workers shared their experiences. Some just recognize opposition when they are about to do something big for the Lord.  Still, Carlos told them to be aware that the enemy can use relationships among the staff. It was a great meeting. 

We walked backed with another staff member. This girl speaks English and is in charge of short-term trips. Would you like to do some urban outreach in high risk communities? She's your gal! We did some shopping on the way. Since we are getting to know the city, she only had to walk with us part of the way until we got to the main street where our hotel is located. I forgot to tell you that there was another parade this morning. These were students protesting drugs. Oh, well!

Tomorrow I have another tea at 4:00 pm, and another marriage workshop with Carlos and Rosario.


Until next time...from South America