Wow, we're actually here!

That's what I keep saying to myself as I look around and realize that Brad and I are spending our first time together in a foreign country. Bolivia has been a wonderful adventure so far. We are enjoying our time here very much, and are learning so much every day!

So far we have...

traveled a really long time on a plane before finally arriving here in Cochabamba,

our second day of flying...almost there!

Beautiful Bolivia

explored our neighborhood and gotten to know some of the local customs,

These mountains are always visible from Cochabamba.

Stands like these are on almost every corner where people sell their goods.

The traditional dress of women. We see this on about 30% of women here in the city. It's pretty much all you see further out in the countryside.

Construction workers

eaten some new foods and enjoyed buying things from the local market,

Isn't the produce beautiful here? Check out the size of those avocados (far left)! Recognize the mango?

Something new in the lower left--it's called tuna and is a fruit from a cactus. It tastes a bit like cantaloupe, but with many seeds that you just swallow down.

and enjoyed sharing many new experiences with each other!

Our first week in Bolivia has been full of exciting new experiences, and we have accomplished a lot! We have taken 16 hours of language study where we have learned many new things and gained needed confidence. We have met some missionaries and Bolivians who are helping us to find our way around and learn the local customs. (Thanks, all of you!) We learned about a Bolivian holiday called Carnaval. It is kind of a mix between the Andean celebration of the provision of the rainy season and the Catholic-based pre-lent party. It has become pretty rowdy and full of water balloon fights. We've had fun trying to stay out of the cross-fire!

We also had some progress on the literacy front! We had a very informative meeting with an established literacy mission here in Cochabamba that works in the Quechua language. They offered to use their many contacts and check on local churches that could be interested in beginning a literacy ministry in Spanish! This is a huge step forward for us, since it will allow us to follow-up only with the churches that are interested in literacy. We never could have contacted so many churches without this help! Praise God for sending such a useful contact so early on in our trip! They also spent a few hours with us, sharing the state of literacy work in Cochabamba and telling us where the need is greatest here and the best way to approach a literacy ministry. We have a good idea now of what we can expect to accomplish here and what the people need. We are excited to be able to solidify a little further what our future in Cochabamba might be if God continues to open the doors here!

Some praise items:

• We arrived here safely!
• We have had no health problems, which is amazing since our bodies are adjusting to many new things.
• Great connections with people who know a lot about Literacy work here.
• New friends that are helping us get to know Cochabamba.

Some prayer requests:

• Continued safety--it's a big city (about the size of Nashville, TN in population)
• More connections with churches interested in literacy ministries
• Guidance as we pray about where God is calling us to work.
• Patience and understanding for us as culture shock and missing home sets in.

Thank you all so much for thinking of us while we're so far away!