A few months ago a member of our church told me she had an idea of a way to honor us for ten years of service in Bolivia. She had rallied some other people from church to help her with this idea. They wanted to bring DaRonn’s mom down for a visit. She had never been to Bolivia before. This member of the church said that she wanted DaRonn’s mom to see all we had accomplished and be proud of her son. I told them this was a great idea.

For the following weeks we communicated across the continents to prepare: the tickets, the time off work, the passport, the visa, and the vaccination. Finally she came! We had a wonderful week with Grandma Charlie in town.

On her final day in the city of Cochabamba we observed Pedestrian Day, during which use of motor vehicles is prohibited. After the church service we had a nice little walk together. Back at home we made fun photos for posterity.

We are so very grateful for this amazing gift given to us by the church body here at Iglesia Cristo Nación. ¡Los cristonacioneros son lo máximo!

Enjoy some pictures from our final day together.

"Aragatza" best ice-cream in town and it's sold from the side of a truck

Gabrielle wanted to bring our poodle Shep along for the walk (photo by Raimy O.)

Another photo by Raimy O. of Timothy

DVD sales in front of our gate. That's our ministry's sign. DaRonn and his mom share a love of movies.

The blue graffiti says "Rechaza el Engaño" which means: Resist Deception

Our neighbor in the market. She sits here every day.

The Washington family with Grandma Charlie

Mother and Son

The wall started white. A blank canvas beckoned.

A tree emerged. A tree to carve our thanks upon. A tree like the one of our Lord. For we know that giving thanks often follows sacrifice.

We mark the entrance to our home with thanks to Him. The rebellious act of scribbling on the wall redeemed by His grace in an act of penitence. Our sin redeemed by His love. Our hearts purified as we enter His gates with thanksgiving.

The first thanks: books, snakes, my children, and three prayers.

Thanks grew as a tree does. Friends coming and going added their thanks to ours. Thanks given in community ministers grace to the givers. Some approach the wall with timidity and say with their mouths, “I feel uncomfortable writing on the wall.” Yes, breaking from the routine to say thanks can make one uneasy. Facing the wall and taking action does not come easy to all. Others grab up a marking tool and jump up and down in front of the opportunity before them. “How many can I do?” They beg to pour out permanent thanks. Not surprisingly the youngest ones, and the ones with childlike hearts, are most prompt to spill out heartfelt thanks. Shorter lives make for longer thanksgiving. How can that be when longer lives have had more time to be filled with blessing? I must decrease and become like my short ones so that He might increase.

Love, the word most often inscribed by many hands and hearts. Unintentional, yet we know Who intended it. The One who first wrote love on our hearts.

Family, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, and friends follow as the most common thanks. Unity, the graffiti of gratitude.

Thankfulness taught while kneeling down by modeling and molding, we write then we pray.

My top three favorite ones:

Tyler told me the two figures he drew are himself and God, and that God is the bigger one.

In red letters across the truck of the tree a child thanks God for The Cross. Amen.

And a final look at the whole wall on this Thanksgiving Day. If you come to our home, please add your thanks to this gratitude collection.

“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving” (Psalm 100:4)

10 days from now marks 10 years as missionaries for us. A few short trips took us to a smattering of other countries but most of that time we have done life in Bolivia.

A verse of scripture sums up how I feel about this anniversary. Nearing the end of his life Paul says these words to the young man Timothy, his protege.

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Notice the verb ‘am’. Present tense. After years of miracles, skin of the teeth rescues from certain death, preaching the good news to multitudes and writing a great chunk of what we have come to know as the New Testament of the Bible the man says he IS the worst sinner.

In my teen years verse 12, just a few lines before the one above, was my favorite of the whole Bible:

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry

I reveled in the truth I connected with in these words. Then I skipped past the wealth of hard wisdom in the following verses and dove into the admonitions of holy living. Now, I can understand more of what I used to criticize in the words of Paul.

Before, I used to say, “How can Paul, such a great hero, say he currently holds the ranking of the worst sinner?” Now I understand. More life means more time to mess up. More mess ups means more reliance on the grace of God. I get it now.

Paul lived about 30 more years from the moment Jesus met him on the Damascus road. His radical conversion took him from persecutor of Christians to persecuted believer. Since my conversion 25 years ago I have served him faithfully. You would think I had the right to put on a more-holier-than-thou hat and strut the wonderfulness of me for all that has been accomplished.

Not so. I despise the thought.

Were someone to try and put such a load on my head I would throw it down and smash it in the dirt with the heel of my foot. Give me a ratty, sweat-stained baseball cap to shove on over my ponytail that I might bend my head down and continue to work, unidentified and unnoticed. I am the worst of sinners. Jesus Christ came to the world to save sinners. These are trustworthy sayings.

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Paul and Timothy hung out together. I wonder what they talked about. Being human and young I imagine Timothy asked Paul about his extremes: the worsts, the bests, the most favorite, the most amazing, etc. Not all their talks were Bible worthy material.

In the coming days I would like to share some lists that talk about these last ten years, and maybe even some of the years preceding those.

The index:

1. 10 Lists (10/22)
2. 10 Heroes (10/23)
3. 10 Favorite Spots in the World (10/24)
4. 10 Tastiest Foods in Bolivia (10/25)
5. 10 People Who Changed My Life (10/26)
6. 10 Best Missions Books and Articles (10/27)
7. 10 Most Memorable Moments of Culture Shock (10/28)
8. 10 Answered Prayers (10/29)
9. 10 Hopes for the Coming Years (10/30)
10. 10 Scariest Things About Missions (10/31)

In Cochabamba, the city of Eternal Spring, Fall comes and goes unnoticed when the world celebrates the resurrection of Christ. So we have a pretend Autumn when the months start to end in brrrrr. Our luck this year brought early rains which usually don’t start until our Summer comes in November. Our September Spring chilled off a bit and put me in the mood to celebrate Northern Autumn.

While in the States I visited my favorite bean shop in the whole wide world. Spice Merchant in Wichita, Kansas has never failed me. I found a new decaf flavor: Pumpkin Spice. Whence first I laid my eyes on it I knew I had to have a party.

This week my coffee loving friends gathered around the fresh brew and the Autumny yumminess they graciously brought to share. I opted for an evening party so the house felt more cozy with candles and low light. Knowing the theme a few of the gals even dressed in warm Autumn colors. What a night! The kids buzzed around indoors and out. The conversation rivaled the treats with a tantalizing nature. My heart swelled with the goodness all around.

Even though in all that fun I forgot to snap a few pics I do have a nice fallish one to share. My daughter Gabrielle and I just happened to be both wearing orange to a different party not long ago. A clown there gave her an orange heart shaped balloon. A perfect photo op if I do say so myself.

Happy Autumn my friends!

We are coming up on the celebration of 10 years as missionaries. {yeah!} I feel as though I should be a fount of wisdom spitting out juicy nuggets of knowledge on everyone I meet. Every time I sit down to write a sage filled post on the topic, though, I got nada! Zilch. Zero. Othingnay.

I want to talk about it. Really. So that is where you come in to save the day. I invite you to ask me anything.  Pursues these babies for some ideas : 10 years as a missionary, 15 years married (in Nov.), 5 kids (4 homegrown, 1 imported), orphanage, church, other missionaryish work, Bolivia, Spanish, coffee, cacti, and sushi. Or just get creative!

You can ask all over the place: Twitter, Facebook, ‘the @’, or email.

It has been like forever since I did a vlog. I might just dust off my good ol’ point and shoot camera and record my answers in a live interview session. Would that be fun? You like videos right?

So go ahead. Please ask me anything!

My husband purchased a Kindle for me for my birthday! Yeah! We have friends coming down this month who will be bringing it with them.

I am still getting used to using the Amazon site to shop. Nothing can ever replace the glorious walk by a row of book shelves that engulf you with possibilities and promise, not to mention the wonderful smell of paper pages and binding glue all crisp and waiting to be touched. Libraries and book stores are some of my most favorite places in the world.

Practicality dictates, though, that an e-reader is the best option at this juncture. So an e-reader I will have. I am so excited about it!

This is where you step in and virtually take me by the hand and show me around. In the comments, if you would be so kind, you can orient me in the following:

1>> As far as I can tell Amazon is the most internationally friendly site for acquiring books. Are there any other libraries or shops online that you recommend I peruse?

2>> What novels should I add to my reading list? I say novels because they are my preference but really this would be your chance to tell me of your favorite books, fiction or non. Go ahead and list as many as you like!

Yep, that is what you can help me with. I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

… and later: 10, 30, 15

Hello June! I like you.

5 … Iglesia Cristo Nación, the church we pastor, celebrates five years this month.

5 … House of Dreams, the orphanage we started, also has it’s fifth birthday this month.

35 … Me on June nineteenth.

Coming up later this stellar year:

10 … November first marks ten years as full-time, cross-cultural missionaries for our family.

30 … November first is the thirtieth anniversary for our home church in St. Joe, Word of Life Church.

15 … November twenty-third is our fifteenth wedding anniversary. Yeah!

Interesting all the multiples of five in one year.

Bonus: Gabrielle turns 10 this year and Tyler turns 5.

As the rains wane and the climate settles back into the eternal spring here in the Cochabamba valley city I remember the triple rainbow we saw from our porch and I smile.

As the full moon rises laser lining the clouds with steely white against ominous gray I pull my hoodie around my body and shiver, happy that I stepped out to fill my lungs with cold.

As the door bangs announcing the arrival my love my heart jumps anticipating his hands on my hips and kiss on my head thrilling every fiber of my being like the first time and every time following.

As the shrieks and laughs of tickle play from the papa chasing his pajama covered kids around our wood floors so that they may all lay down in their beds still gasping for breath pierce my grumbling I sigh for joy at the close of a rough day.

As the smell of coffee and scented candles mix around in my head with last minute angst about the room to room preparations for a friend and her young boys to come to our home I stop to clap my hands with my own son who is exited to be hosting.

As the tears well and spill on the face of my new born teenager my arms ache to grab her and tell her that this too shall pass, bidding her to step off the roller coaster ride of emotions and rest for a moment.

As my fuzzy sock feet soak in the warmth of the tiles hot from the midday sun I turn my squinted eyes to the sky and let my face feel majesty, sovereignty and goodness in the rays from on high.

P.S. this 777th post at ‘the @’ is dedicated to letting wonder fill the soul even when other stuff would try to crowd. I would love to hear of the wonderfulness in your life if you care to share.

My oldest daughter turned thirteen today. I am truly happy. Thankful list follows…

1. She wants to hang with me today getting manicures, making jewelry, and shopping
2. She still plays with all her siblings
3. She dreams humongous
4. She sings at church, even though the other singers are over ten years older than her
5. She talks to me everyday about everything
6. She considers deeply about friendship
7. She rarely complains about sharing a room with her younger sisters
8. She prays and reads God’s word
9. She has creativity bursting from every fiber of her being
10. She has a captivating beauty that shines from the inside out
11. She writes stories galore
12. She likes hip-hop dancing and old school rap music
13. She’s my Raimy Baby forever and always

A self portrait by Raimy with her youngest brother