Maintaining Friends and Making New Ones

I had a nice afternoon drinking coffee with Dr. Paola. I'm grateful to God for her life, her friendship and affection. Her life of faith and her love for God are a great blessing to me. I've known Paola since we arrived in Tarija! She and her family sometimes come to get togethers on Sundays, and we're always encouraging each other to continue trusting in our Heavenly Father. We're having a lovely chat here!

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We attended the family festival at Nehemiah's old school to watch his former classmates. His old class danced "Potolos", a typical dance from Bolivia. I am thankful that I have been able to maintain the friendships we still have with some mothers and their kids. It has been a great blessing to spend time with them and taking advantage of the time every time we see each other to encourage each other to seek God. It's also great to see Nehemias happy as he spends time with his friends!

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The World Cup! (... well a smaller version)

All the schools in Tarija have a week or so when the students play soccer (for boys) and basketball (for girls). Each class forms a team and they play against other classes that are close to their age. This last month Nehemias' school had their "world cup". I'm grateful to see my son enjoying the sport with his new friends and to meet new parents!

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I'm thankful for my Nehemias' new friends. My son has told them that he is a Christian who goes to church, and Santiago and his family also say that they believe in God, but because of his parents' work, they have stopped meeting together. We have already met his mother, Carla, and it has been a nice time with her sharing the Good News and encouraging them to go to church. We pray that they return to church, and also are praying that we might be a light for their return and longing for our Savior.

Marcos and Santiago like to come to our home to play or cook. I am grateful that their parents trust us and feel free to send them and I love spending time with them and they are always asking questions about the Bible.

God bless you always. Pray for Bolivia!