Another 2 month recap

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A missionary's life is rarely set to one consistent schedule and that seems to suit us just fine. Now it is true that as of late we have gotten into more of a pattern with directing the New Hope Tutoring Center Monday through Friday afternoons from 2-5. It is also true that interspersed with our daily routine are many surprises and changes of pace. Occasionally the changes of pace can be frustrating like waiting in line for hours at the immigration office just to turn in one more paper for our VISAs. Or trying to figure out a new route downtown because of a blockade or some road construction. My friend, John Behrens, once told me that Minneapolis has 2 seasons, winter and road construction. Santa Cruz is similar, but more like sandstorms and road construction. It is clear we're into the windy season when at the end of the day my beard feels gritty and stiff. 

But enough about the unwanted. In the past 2 months we have had some very welcome pace changers. I finally got some of the pictures transfered from our camera onto our Facebook group. You can find those albums HERE . Please Enjoy. 

The albums give a brief glimpse into a few events over the past couple months. 

1. Work and Witness team from Faith Evangelical Church in Billings, MT. 

     This group brought such diverse personalities with them and we were ready with just as diverse a schedule. You can see in the photo album that we did a little bit of everything including construction, VBS at various churches, a district women's ministry, music ministry, helping at New Hope Tutoring Center a few afternoons, and of course some sight seeing. We felt a great connection with this group and truly enjoyed sharing our lives with them for the 10 days they were with us. I thought it was pretty cool that God looked at even the minor details and included a couple of fellow Chicago Bears fanatics on this crew. Mike and Jonah you cheer from Montana. I'll cheer from here and our cheers will meet the ears of the team in the middle in Chicago. 

2. Gordon and Niki Elliott celebrate 30 years
While the work team was here they made a very sweet and hilarious tribute skit of Gordon and Niki's "love story". You can see in the work team photos how Gordon and Niki were almost rolling on the floor laughing. After the team left we had the privilege of hosting another small party for them at our house with some of their friends from the missionary community here. The highlight of the evening was when we played "The Not So Newly Wed Game" with the Elliotts and 2 other couples. All the couples were good sports and we had a great time. 

3. WGM Retreat
Every year World Gospel Mission Bolivia extends an invite to Evangelical Church Missions Bolivia to attend their annual retreat. This year it was hosted at Rio Selva resort just about a half hour outside of Santa Cruz. The whole week was a very enjoyable time with good guest speakers, music, and relaxation. We were lucky that it coincided with the Bolivian school vacation so we were able to close the Tutoring Center for that time. I apologize for not getting more photos of the whole week. Perhaps I can borrow some from some other Facebook albums. Check back on the FB group often for updates. 

4. Volleyball Tournament
On Saturday July 7th we hosted a Volleyball invitational tournament at the district lot. We gave invitations to all 7 district churches. Teams were required to pay 30 Bolivianos (approx. $5) to enter. The days leading up to the tournament had been kind of rainy and cold, but we still had a decent turnout and everyone had fun with some light-hearted games. I refereed most of the day and Molly sold snacks. All the money went back into the ministry of New Hope Tutoring Center. 

Well after 2 weeks of vacation for the Bolivian schools we are back to our regular schedule each afternoon at New Hope and continually appreciate your prayers. One main prayer concern right now is for some more volunteer tutors for each afternoon. Occasionally we'll have an afternoon where just Molly and I are trying to handle 50 children. You can see how that can get a bit chaotic. 

We are so grateful for your prayers and support. None of this is possible without your partnership. We truly value each and every one of you. 

Thanks for checking in.

Blessings to All, 
Bryan and Molly 

1 Praise the LORD, all nations! 
Praise him, all peoples!2 His love for us is strong, 
and his faithfulness is eternal. 
Praise the LORD!
Psalm 117 1:2

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