Botanical Buddies

You know that feeling of self-discovery when you realize something about yourself that has always been there but never been formulated into words and uttered? Epiphany and light-bulb-moment are terms for this occurrence. Last week one happened to me. Do you want to know what it is? Of course you do, that is why you are reading. (smile!) Drum roll please: I am an outdoorsy gal. There you have it! Stuff like skiing, hiking, swimming, camping and beach fun all float my boat. In any inclement weather I prefer to be out of doors. When given the choice I want to be communing with nature. And I drag people along with me. (another smile!)

Here is a group of pictures taken on our last Fun Friday. We picked up the kids of a fellow home school family and headed to the botanical gardens. Before unloading the truck I assigned Botanical Buddies so that they could roam and explore; yet still be safe. It was a blast!

Day on the Countryside at Parque Pairumani

Day on the Countryside at "Parque Pairumani"

This lovely national park sets on the side of a mountain just about a 45 minute drive outside of the city. We piled up in the truck and spent Saturday morning as a family enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. We wrapped up the excursion with ice-cream from the "Aragatza" ice-cream truck (best ice-cream in town is sold from the side a truck).

The guys
DaRonn, Timothy (8) and Tyler (20 months)
DaRonn is not a outdoorsy kind of guy. But he had fun leading us up the side of the mountain on a half an hour hike. We hung out looking at a small river and the beautiful mountain tops.

The girls
Me, Gabrielle (6) and Raimy (10)
It was good to be together as a family doing stuff. The day was brisk yet sunshiny. We had a picnic when we got down from the top. Gabrielle said it was the best lunch of her life.

May Day

Today in Bolivia we are observing Labor Day. This term seems to be an oxymoron seeing as it is observed by everyone taking the day off from work (except for the market workers, they are so industrious). Yet we are glad to give our team a day off. They work very hard and we are appreciative of them. Of course, my husband, the team leader, is glad to have the office all to him self to work. I must commend him, though, for sleeping in until 7:30 today. This is something he hasn’t done in a long while. I was actually up before him which is a rare occurrence indeed.

My day will include work as well. Aside from the usual laundry, dishes, cooking, cleaning, baby care, and food sanitization of groceries bought right before closing time at the store last night I have some fun things going on. An extra home school class taught by one of our friends: Spanish. As well as art this afternoon with our missionary / neighbor / church member / fellow home school family. After art the kids have a birthday party to go to at the bowling alley. Then we have church tonight. I enjoyed teaching while DaRonn (my husband the pastor) was gone, but I am so glad that he is back to share this evening.

The art project for today is shrinky-dinks. I tossed around the idea of making May baskets. I have some great childhood memories of May Day sneaking up to the neighbors’ houses, ringing the door bell and then running away to hide behind a bush to watch them discover their surprise treat. But, since that is not a tradition here and I have been saving styrofoam trays for weeks the anticipation has got the better of me. Here are the instructions for the project on line if you are interested: http://kidscrafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/make_your_own_shrinky_dinks

What childhood memories does this season invoke for you?

Funny Fruit - Granada

“Look my tongue is purple!” Raimy greeted me at the gate of her friends’ house where they had passed the afternoon. Promptly she went on to explain that they had been sucking on ‘granada’ fruit. The English term for this historic fruit is pomegranate. The boughs of this full bushy tree growing beside their house were decorated with dozens of pinkish colored balls of fruit. There are hundreds of bright red seed pods inside this fruit. You scoop up a bunch and put them in your mouth. Squishing them around the seed pods burst open and you swallow the tart juice then spit out the tiny cream colored ‘pepa’. And your mouth is tinted purple. Pomegranates are common trees to have in your yard here in Cochabamba.

For an interesting history of this word click here: pomegranate etymology

Video Tour of House of Dreams Orphanage, Cochabamba Bolivia

The video is 8 min 40 sec long. If you can, I would encourage you to watch. You will see the facilities of our House of Dreams Orphanage and some of the kids who live here. For privacy purposes we do not disclose the specifics of individual histories. You will hear my husband explain in general some of the histories.

Common FAQs:

1. How many kids you have? We are caring for 21 children now

2. What is your capacity? We are licensed for 42 children; economically we have ceased receiving children until our funds increase

3. How many workers do you have? On paid staff we have 8 people. Aside from that we have a team of about 5 faithful volunteers.

4. Where do the kids come from? We work closely with the equivalent of Social Services here in Bolivia. They bring us children that have been abused, abandoned, left under park benches, found in public bathroom stalls, and even those that have been left in garbage cans.

5. Can you do foreign adoptions? Spain and Portugal, yes. We are in the process of investigating the possibilities for other nations.

6. When did you start the orphanage? June 2006

7. What ages of kids live here? Our boys and girls are newborn to 5 years old

8. How many adoptions have you had? Three of our children in the last year and a half have been adopted into Bolivian homes.

9. How are you finances? Good people from the willingness of their heart support us on a monthly basis. We are at about half of our budget and always looking for new supporters.

10. How can I get involved? You can pray, give financially, come and volunteer, and you can get the word out by passing along this link or asking people to visit our web site:

www.christnationministries.org

Orphanages in Bolivia play the part that foster homes do in the States as well as the typical caring for orphans. Some of the parents of the kids are being trained and taught on how to be better parents. If they are unable to meet the state’s expectations then the immediate family if the child is investigated to see if any of them could take the child in. If all family situations are unsuitable then the process for adoption begins. It usually takes six months from the time a child enters our home until they are available to be adopted, unless they are no family ties found, then the process is usually three months. Just recently the United States has agreed to allow Bolivian adoptions. We are still looking into the requirements; but that option is now open.

Click here to watch the video.

Or copy and paste this link in your browser: http://christnationministries.org/English/videoblogdaronn.html

As you see the images please say a prayer for the work here. Thank you for taking the time to read and watch.

Laguna de Alalay

Yesterday for Fun Friday we went to the Laguna de Alalay, a man made lake in the South part of the town here in Cochabamba. Since it was Good Friday there were many families out walking, biking, playing soccer, picnicking, and fishing. My kids especially enjoyed forging a way to the shore line. It was hard to find because parts were flooded and overgrown. I let them take the lead exploring and eventually we made it through. There were piles of old lily pads that had been pulled out from last season that we had to climb over. The fish water smell was not as strong thanks to the breeze. Wild horses grazed on the banks as the men with bamboo poles waded in knee deep to catch fish for their families seated on the grass under the shade of the trees. There was even a man selling ice-cream out of his styrophome chest. The kids pulled up the large water plants and inspected the long hair like roots. God really has surrounded us with fascinating creations. As evening set in the mosquitoes awoke and were hungry so we left. As we were walking to the truck my son pronounces, “Thanks for a very fun Fun Friday mom!”

Backyard Adventures

Just 15 minutes from our home sprawling on the side of a mountain lays Tunari National Park; this was our fun Friday destination today. The sun shone on my children’s way as they headed out on the trail to adventure and exploration. For an entrance fee of just a buck fifty we will be back again; and next time with a picnic lunch. Here are some snapshots from our morning.

Video Tour of Ministry Office

Have you got 7 ½ minutes to spare? My husband made a video tour of the ministry office and posted it on our web site. Later he will have the tour of the orphanage and the church up but he started with this one because this is where we start our real life tours. You get to see a glimpse of the busy street called America out front. See if you can guess what the lady carrying the tall pastel colored thing is selling. Also you can see that right by the gate there seems to be a pile of vegetables. There is a little old lady who sells her wares there every day. The tour is pretty cool if you ask me.

Click here to watch: http://christnationministries.org/English/videoblogdaronn.html

It’s Not Nothing

“Even the ones that know about God are doing it,” my surprised daughter exclaims.

“Maybe they are not doing it; maybe they are just watching,” hoping beyond all hope the older one attempts to console.

Standing at the window my children observed the rituals being played out below. Sights of dancing, costumes and heavy drinking filled their eyes. Loud music pumped through huge speakers thudded in our chests and rattled the glass.

Wait for it, wait for it. Dread of all dreads the inevitable question sits in the air after the child looks over her shoulder with a worried look on her face and asks, “Is it bad mom?”

Too angry, ashamed and annoyed by these customs to respond I didn’t answer.

The fact that they are differentiating between the choices of their friends to come to church one Sunday and then participate in the ritualistic observance of Carnaval the same week shows me their value system is being shaped. My kids seeing pagan practices first hand does not bother me. Maybe it should; but I am pretty sure that the inundation with the things of God that we provide sets a very clear standard before them of what we believe.

Culture is the physical expression of the values of a people group. Just as money does not have good or bad qualities culture cannot be classified as a good or bad thing. It is a tool that society employs. The uses of tools like money, a hammer, the internet and culture can and are brought into question as to the positive or negative effects that they have on people.

So we can look at the practice of throwing water balloons at anyone and everyone. Is it bad? We have to consider the effects. Then we can look at the two days of continual dancing and drinking. The effects that this has on people should be considered. Then we look at La K’oa (or Q’owa). This is the burning of trinkets made of paper and sugar along with certain plants and dried animal fetuses every first Friday and especially during the festivals of Carnaval said to bring the blessing of the Pachamama. What effects does this practice bring to the people of Bolivia?

Marginal Christians attempt a condescending explanation of the importance of keeping the traditions of the ancestors alive. Why keep alive something that is killing the soul of the nation? That is the ironic fatality of the issue though. The people feel alive and connected to something greater than themselves when they observe the traditions. The devil subtly twists what was intended for good and disguises the captivity as freedom and independence.

Abolition of all carnavalistic observances may not be a realistic goal. A close look at the Kingdom of God shows us that we don’t work from the outside in; rather significant and lasting changes come from the inside out. My goal is to work with people close to me. This begins with guarding my own heart. Then I have my own children and the children of the orphanage. After that the families of the church have been placed before me. Beyond that our influence extends through media.

Shaping the culture of their hearts is where I must focus my energy.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)

2007 Christ Nation Church Toy Give-Away

A father came through the door. His son was on his weary shoulders. I am sure that his son was not the only burden he carried this overcast morning. The shirt on his back was so worn down in places that his sunburned brown skin showed through. His dark head bent down as he was walking past me.

“Feliz Navidad,” I said as I placed my hand on his shoulder. As he raised his head I made sure to make eye contact with him and his child. An identical broad smile broke out on the faces of both. The boy was clutching the present he had received.

This morning we woke to the rich sound of rain on the window panes. Though the rain lulled me and said I could say in bed a few more minutes the excitement pulsing through me prevailed. I whispered an honest yet slightly desperate prayer, “God, the rain is fine for now; but when we start let there be sun.” The cloud cover and drips gradually dissipated as we went about with the final preparations.

Volunteers began showing up asking how they could help. Some, deemed bus captains, climbed on empty busses and were scattered through the city to fill them. Others took posts in the main sanctuary wrapping up the toys. Others then separated them into huge piles; one for the girls one for the boys.

The neighborhood buzzed with anticipation as the street in front of our church building began to fill with children. They had come because of a flyer, a radio announcement or a personal invitation. The busses began to arrive from the orphanages, prisons and needy neighbor hoods brimming over with children of all ages.

And the sun came out! The program started with fun songs about Jesus. The animated voice of our church’s children leader pumped out over the speakers telling the children about Jesus. Another song was about to start so she invited a few children up on the make shift stage, the flat back of a large truck, to dance with her and do the simple motions.

Then came the thing everyone had been waiting for: the toy give-away. In all 2,207 toys were given to the children of Cochabamba, Bolivia today. Our church, Christ Nation Church, of about 200 members collected some 2,700 toys to give away. We have worked together for the last 7 weeks to be sure we had enough toys. And this was without corporate sponsors; just the members giving of themselves to bless this city. The left over toys will be used for other events and to stock our prize bin in children’s church.

Two years ago we launched this great annual event and gathered together 400 kids and gave them each a toy for Christmas. Last year we raised the bar and challenged the congregation to gather together 1,000. They did it! This year we told them that we were going to bless 2,500 kids with toys. The goal was met and exceeded.

We have coupled this toy give-away with a faith project for the church. These toys were sown as a seed towards having 300 people attending church on a weekly basis in 2008. (Personally, I think that we will exceed this goal too as we work together.) This number will put us in a strategic position for beginning the process of buying property and building. Pastor DaRonn, my husband, is so good about challenging us to grow and reach out to people with the love of Jesus. He says, “If the church is doing what it should be doing the world will take notice.” I wonder what he will tell us is our goal for toy collection in 2008. Whatever it is I know that with God we will reach it.

Here are some pictures from this morning:

Some of the toys collected for the boys.

Some of the toys collected for the girls.

This member of our church is 91 years old. She is helping prepare the toys.

Our children's leader on a truck on the street in front of our church, Christ Nation Church.

Some of the 2,207 children that received a toy for Christmas.

DaRonn and I handing out toys along with the other 20 some volunteers.

Merry Christmas!!!

Summer Break

We are full swing into summer break. It feels very nice to have finished a school year and be able to focus on the year end festivities. The Bolivian school year runs from February to November. It makes logical sense to start and finish a school year in the same year; so we follow that system with our home schooling. To the South of the equator summer is November to March (more or less). For Cochabamba, Bolivia that means the rainy season. It has been relatively dry thus far; we are hoping for more rain since this is the only time during the year that rain comes.

We got our Christmas tree up this weekend. This is the earliest we have ever gotten it up. We had a bunch of fun as a family decorating, singing, laughing and munching.

Though I do so miss the frost and snow that enchant this season I am glad for my husband that we live in a place that they call “Eternal Spring”. He does not like the cold at all. I think I am getting used to my palm trees and sunshine on Christmas day. I am looking forward to it, actually.

Yeah for summer!

A Voice for the Dreamers

The day this photo was taken we were just hanging out with the kids who live at our orphanage. We named it “House of Dreams Orphanage” because we believe that the kids who receive care from us will be able to dream big dreams for their lives.

As I sat there one of the little girls came up and whispered something in my ear. I couldn’t quite make out her sweet lispy whisper but she turned my head towards hers with her hands and threw back her head laughing from the bottom of her gut. I couldn’t help but laughing with her. It became a game with the other kiddos around and we laughed hard for quite a while.

I thought about that later. How is it that this little girl is able to play and laugh? She has every right to be depressed and complain. Think about it… no parents, taken from everything familiar, has to adapt to a new way of life, and who knows what kind of memories plague that 4 year old mind. And yet she laughs. Could I say that I would do the same placed in circumstances of similar gravity?

DaRonn put together a two minute video that I would like you to watch. Click on this image to link through.

If after watching this video you would like to become financially involved with the “House of Dreams Orphanage” then you can follow the giving instructions listed here and write us an email to let us know you want to get involved at: houseofdreamsorphanage@juno.com

Christ Nation Ministries – DaRonn and Angie Washington
PO BOX 8644 – St. Joseph, MO 64508
Checks must be made out to WOLC with Washington – Bolivia on the envelope and not on the check.
http://www.christnationministries.org/

Thanks for thinking of these little ones in your prayers.

Bowling Champ

Acting upon good advice my husband has recently acquired some pass-times. One of those is bowling. He has formed a bowling team with members of the church and Tuesday nights they all don their team t-shirts and have a blast at the one and only bowling ally in this city.

Each month they break into groups of 3 and have a championship. DaRonn’s was on the winning team this month. They had so much fun! Here are some pictures. You will also notice that DaRonn’s name is on the board for the men’s division of high scores. This is for all the players of the city, mind you!

Click here to see a slide show of the event.

Messages to Danny

Though I have walked those hundreds of stairs to the statue of Christ more times than I can count we saw something we have never seen before on our climb last week. Today I took my camera. These messages were found written on the steps spaced all the way going up. The author is anonymous.

Danny: Every effort has it's reward
Take it easy
Don't give up
Danny I love you

This final one was a part of another series numbering the steps, but I thought it was nice continuation to the encouraging messages.

Cochabamba Botanical Garden Slide Show

Basement Beginnings - 5

Part 5 – Cochabamba, Bolivia
(The end?)

A friend once said that in real life “happily ever after” is not the end; rather it is a beginning. This little series ends here. But as the title implies, the events that led up to our move to Cochabamba in 2003 were just the starting of what is happening now. The day of small beginnings is not despised.

Sometimes I walk around on the grounds here and I marvel at what has been established. What began in a basement and moved through various other small-room stages is now anything but little. Yet there is in me anticipation for greater things to come. We are not through. We have only just begun.

I could not finish this series without expressing in written form my deep gratitude to the Lord God for all that He has done. His hands have formed, led, corrected, applauded, and consoled us. My heart swells with thanks to Him.

Basement Beginnings - 4

Part 4 – Santa Cruz, Bolivia
(Maids quarters)

Youth is marked by three outstanding characteristics: invincibility, omniscience and hope. Without these one would never risk it all in pursuit of a passion. The Neverlands and Narnias, Wonderlands and Lands of Oz would never be discovered were it not for these three magical spells that have been spoken over all wide-eyed girls and boys.

DaRonn and I were enchanted and our mysterious land yet to be discovered was Bolivia. After a 10 day trip with a group from church to help with a crusade in the spring of 2001 we were ever so much more convinced that we were to spend our internship time in Santa Cruz, Bolivia with a missionary couple that were connected with Tulsa’s Victory Christian Center. They graciously extended the invitation for us to come and we spent the summer months in preparation.

A few significant things took place. In July we decided that if we were really going to live overseas fully supported by donations then we must practice now; so DaRonn stopped working his temp jobs that he might dedicate his full attention to the fund-raising process. August brought us our third child; she was 10 weeks old when we moved to Bolivia. In September the twin towers were hit; thus changing airport procedures forever.

We were red-flagged because of the five one way tickets we had purchased for our family. Our bags and babies were searched at every checkpoint. I landed in humid Santa Cruz exhausted and hoarse after the journey that took close to 24 hours. Trying to make use of all our carry-on and check-on privileges we had checked 13 duct-taped rubber tubs and had 10 hand bags. Three-year-old Raimy and two-year-old Timothy each had a little rolling bag to tote around. I had the baby on a front pack and a back-pack on the back keeping my hands free for my toddlers. DaRonn carried the rest.

We left October 31 and landed November 1, Bolivia’s “Day of the Dead” on which they celebrate their dead ancestors by visiting the grave sites and sharing a meal together, leaving the leftovers for the spirits to enjoy. How odd it was as we drove into the city to look around and see every person dressed in black. Due to the fact that I had completely lost my voice I was unable to carry on a conversation with the missionary that had kindly picked us up from the airport. I was left to my thoughts. The main theme running through my mind was, “These people need Jesus.”

The missionaries had benevolently offered for us to stay with them until we could find our own place. The home they lived in, along with their four children, was in a neighborhood with dirt roads and high walls around all the houses. We were directed to a room behind their small place in the maid’s quarters. There was a bathroom attached to it. A double bed and a small table took up three fourths of the room. There was a closet and some wicker furniture as well. This was to be our home for the next six weeks. We shared it with the mosquitoes, spiders, quite an impressive variety of ants, biting flies, lizards, and scorpions.

Our next two years in that city were filled with adventures and challenges that could cover many pages. We were placed over the bible school operations, a public school outreach program and the children and nursery at the church. This couple had founded all of this work in the seven years they had been there at the time of our arrival. All the while we were learning Spanish and learning the Bolivian culture. Our internship was useful and I am grateful for it.

We knew that eventually we were going to launch out with a separate work. The instances that led to this breaking away will be saved for a later date. Suffice it to say that I am happy that we left the “maid’ quarters” stage of our missionary career. Cochabamba was the next destination as we packed up to move in November of 2003.

Cochabamba, Bolivia at a glance

Neighboring Market

07/07/07 @ 07:07

Here I am at 7:07 this morning with a friend from the States who decided to climb the stairs with me. There was no one around to take the picture – so the angle is funny. :-) As we started our ascent I got some shots of the city.







Where were you at on this memorable date?