Lily's kids

Lily's kids

Saturday, October 20, 2012

A glimpse of a week

Sunday: Kia rides down to church staring out at God´s beauty. The HEAVENS declare the GLORY of God! Listening to little children shouting out praise songs. Lunch with one of the Tias and meeting her large and extended family. Delicious chicken and getting eaten by bugs at the river. Apples!!! Walking back down the mountain to church with 4 amazing friends. Laughing and slipping and falling down the dusty roads. Yummy food. Worship. Ride up to CDE wedged between my best buddies. Millions of stars overhead.

Monday: HEAT!!! Races with all my little ones. Being in charge of 4 young boys all afternoon meant lots of laughs. Fresh delicious bread and coca-cola and yummy noodles from my wonderful neighbor.

Tuesday: Laughing and giggling with Captain America aka Captain Chipmunk. Washing clothes. Sweet Peniel walking! Walking up to my house as it starts to hail. Banana cake! Laughing with tia´s during concha and carving soap into cute bunny rabbits for homework. My favorite soup with quinua and mani.

Wednesday: Singing in the Guarderia and the little ones playing instruments. New doll house that the kids love. The little boys all went crazy over the barbie motorcycle. Washing more clothes! Homework and lots of handwriting with R. Telling stories and talking with L and J. Helping burn frindges off fabric for the tia to sew. :) always new things to learn

Thursday: New Puzzles in the Guarderia which is the best thing ever. Favorite new puzzle, Ben 10! Finished reading the book of Esther and so encouraged by her faith and trust in God. I can do ALL things through Christ. Helping out in 1 and doing art homework with R for 6 hours. Hearing horror stories, rolled up paper wars, and craziness. Lots of laughter and screaming from E.

Friday: 2 babies in the Guarderia plus a visitor´s baby. Meeting the founders of CDE and getting confused trying to talk in English. Which ended up mostly Spanish and a little bit of English. Can´t talk in English here anymore! haha! Being in charge of 6 little ones ranging in ages from 1-9 all afternoon. CONCHA!!! Soccer, talking with crazy boys. Encouraging R and listening. God is good in the midst of trails. Be praying that God would draw near and save these kids. Watching the kiddos dance with sweet little J on my lap.

Saturday: Helping out in the kitchen. Rice, noodles, chopping up turnips, tomaotes, green veggies, pumpkins, onions, potatoes... lots of laughs... lots of yummy food. Eating and smiling all through lunch at the goofy 4 year old on my left and best bud across from me. Washing pots and walking down the mountain to town.

Just a peek into an average week. Crazy how fast time flies. So much happens in one week. Keep the kids in your prayers. That God would draw near and open up their hearts. My heart breaks as R tells me that he could care less about God. As E makes light of death and says he doesn´t need God. Pray that God would open up hearts and eyes to the truth. He is good and knows every pain these kids have felt. Thanks for your prayers! Lots of love from Bolivia! God bless!
Lily

Monday, October 8, 2012

2 months!!!

Happy 2 months in Bolivia!

Today I...
-Got lots of hugs from my wonderful listeners in the Guarderia
-Got told "My name isn't Juanes anymore, it's tweety-bird" by a 4 year old
-Killed a cockroach

-Talked all through a yummy lunch with my sweet little friend Ariel
-Washed and washed and washed clothes by hand :)
-Tickled a VERY ticklish, toothless 8 year old
-Laughed after little Andres dropped a spoon and searched and searched for it until realizing it was right under his foot! haha
-Helped cook a birthday dinner for Dani
-Ate yummy dinner and LAUGHED at some very crazy boys
-CAKE!!!
-Hung out and talked with the Tia and one of the older girls

Crazy how much craziness happens in one day. Always lots to do and lots of laughter. Times where it's really hard too but the happy moments outshine the rough ones. God is so very good!
~Lily

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Rainy afternoon


Rainy afternoon

Rainy saturday afternoon... running outside to grab all the clothes hanging out to dry and laughing and screaming as we grab armfuls! Sitting with some of the girls and laughing and
telling stories. Running in the rain with broken flip-flops barefoot covered in mud. Laughter. Clouds above and below my mountain. Listening to rain and thunder farther away. Pretty amazing saturday. :)

The sky this morning
~Lily
*Just realized this was post #200!!! Crazy!

Back Home :)

Nothing like coming back to Caranavi!!! As I was walking up to my house I had several little kids scream "Tia LILY!!!!" and then got LOTS of hugs at the Concha. Love coming back home! I have to head back to La Paz sometime next week to finish up all the paperwork. Waiting to hear from my lawyer so please be praying that I will hear from him quickly so I can finish everything up. Kind of a bummer to have to head back one more time but trusting God's timing. He is good! More coming soon!
~Lily

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Some of my loves

David and Andres riding bikes in the Concha
Missing these little cuties! Can't wait to head back to Caranavi tomorrow!!!
Meeting with my lawyer tomorrow morning to finish up all the paperwork
so please pray it goes quickly and smoothly! Can't wait to get back and get lots of hugs!

Peniel is getting sooo big!!! Walking now!
Lots of love! Crazy how fast the time flies!!!
~Lily

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Almost 2 months

It's almost been 2 months back here in Bolivia which is crazy! In LaPaz this week for hopefully the last time! My passport is STAMPED with permission to stay in Bolivia for 1 year! Have one last thing to do tomorrow before I head back to Caranavi. I've been really blessed with an amazing bolivian friend helping me out and driving and helping translate and a great lawyer who knows what he is doing!

Even being away from the kids for 3 days, I miss them like crazy right now! Which makes me laugh cuz I'll see them this weekend.

It's crazy to think that by this time on my last trip, my time was almost up and now I am just getting started and still have LOTS more time to love on these kids and learn and LAUGH! Amazed by God's goodness!

I'm super excited because in a month or so there's gonna be giant flying ants for like 3 days. And in those 3 days you catch as many as you can and break off their heads, cook them up and eat them. :) And I am really excited to try it! I will definitely put up pictures when they come!

Seen some pretty crazy bugs. Some of them are HUGE! There's giant moths bigger than my hands, the other day there was a huge bug as long as my fist with HUGE pinchers. And lots and lots of little tiny bugs that you can never find until after they bite you. Thank goodness for bug repellent.

Lots of love! God bless!
~Lily

Spock

Did you know I found Spock in Bolivia??? :)

Monday, October 1, 2012

Learning to laugh

The other night at Concha I said a phrase and immediately all the boys started laughing and mocking me. And I knew I had said something wrong. When they finally stopped laughing enough to explain it, I realized I had said something REALLY bad and was faced with two options. I could get embarrassed or I could just laugh at myself cuz it was an honest mistake. So I laughed and laughed and am still laughing at the many mistakes I make each and every day.

I love learning how to laugh at myself and see how God has a sense of humor. He has a sense of humor in giving me 4 sisters and then placing me here with 15+ boys ages 11-14 which always includes lots of make fun of Lily times which usually makes me laugh.

Last night after I had just gotten into La Paz, two Bolivian friends and I were talking about life plans and one said that his old neighbor had lots of plans but died without doing anything. So go and do something. Live and enjoy this life that God has given us. Laugh. Give everything to God in prayer and then do it. God will direct you and guide you. But don't wait. Our lives are short and quick and we are given this time to live and glorify God.