July 4, 2023
Dear Diary,
Happy Birthday America and Tarija. Today started out like a normal day. I got to meet another old friend. She came from 2-3 hours away to help us with the work/ translating. After breakfast and devotions we went to the church to get started painting. We only painted the bottom three feet and did two coats. I wore my dress inside out to try to keep it looking nice. Everyone thought I was smart but when I turned it right side out the paint had soaked through :(
We finished painting around 2:00 and then went to the pastors for lunch. After lunch we had some time to rest or do whatever we wanted so one of the girls and I worked on scrubbing out our paint spots with gas. We got pretty many of them out.
Around 5:00 Pastor's daughter came to take us to her work place for their 4th of July celebration. Since the 4th is also the day Tarija was founded they celebrated Tarija and America together with songs, speeches about the national anthems, etc. We girls got to sing "Amazing Grace". It's kind of crazy to think of the opportunities we get to be a witness because we are Americans. We had a light supper and got to make some new friends. We also met some other Americans and got to hear parts of their stories and why they’re in Bolivia, which was very interesting.
After we got home we had tea and debriefing. I really enjoy our evening chats and getting to know the girls better. I still struggle sometimes with knowing what questions to ask, etc. Or how to care well for my team. I'm always thankful for my co-leader. Especially tonight. God, thank you for the ways you care for me and that I can talk to you now matter where I am. Good night and tomorrow we'll be back to painting.
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