June 30, 2023
Dear Diary,
Last night we got to the airport around 9:00 p.m. After some problems with getting checked in (we made a mistake with the amount of luggage, then the machine printing luggage tags ran out of paper, and they said we had to be vaccinated for COVID or have a recent COVID test) We saw God show up in COVID test problem and the girl who needed actually did have a recent enough test that we were able to continue out trip. We safely got through security and then the girls went to buy masks while my co-leader and I talked about the trip and how things were going. I am so thankful for her and the way she takes time to talk things out and challenges me to be a better leader. And I’m very glad I don’t have to lead alone.
We had a total of three flights and the last two were short enough that I wasn’t able to sleep, but the sun rising out the window was very beautiful. After getting the girls their visas we sat at the gate and talked about goals for the trip. The girls got to have a Spanish lesson when one girl bought “agua con gas” (carbonated water) on accident, instead of “agua sin gas”. And we almost missed our flight.🙈 (I’m feeling like a skilled leader at this point) We arrived in Tarija, Bolivia around 10:00 in the morning.
We were joyfully met by the pastor and his wife, piled all our things on the back of his red truck and went home. Four of us are staying at the Pastor’s and the other four are staying with his sister. We spent the morning resting, sleeping, getting settled in, and cleaning up a big water mess in the bedroom.
After a lunch of fish we went on a drive to see the country side. The pastor told us some of the history of the city. It actually was founded on July 4th so we’ll be celebrating the states and Tarija together😊.
After we got back several of us girls went to buy some cookie ingredients with a friend, followed by a conversation about what the Mennonites believe, if we can marry God, and some other random things. I enjoy having conversations that make me think about what I believe. Plus, it’s stretching to have to use my Spanish for that kind of conversations. This evening we had leftover fish for supper and then we girls as a team talked about how our day went and what the plans are for tomorrow. After we said goodnight to the other half of the team we washed the dishes and now are going to bed. Good night…
Comments