IOU Bolivia

¡CHAPARE!

2011-04-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hello once again, it has been an extremely long time since the last post, for which I apologize. It has been filled with some pretty busy weeks. One in particular happened about 2 months ago when Katharine, Jon, and I went to stay at one of our orphanages in the Chapare. We spent a total of three days there, repainting there house, playing with the kids, and also watching the children for a night while Elsa the house mother was rushed to the hospital to have a baby girl! The trip went very well we were able to paint the house as well as fix some of the holes in their window screens. At times the heat and humidity were brutal and the mosquitoes overwhelming as well as Jon getting amoebas on the way down which lasted the whole weekend. Other than Elsa and Samuel, the house father and one of the nicest guys I have ever met, having a new baby girl another very exciting part was the Surubi ride back. Surubi is a type of catfish but is also the word used to describe a crazy form of transportation here. Surubis are like minivan busses that hold about 7 people and work like Greyhounds. The only difference is that Surubi drivers are paid by the amount of trips they make which causes them to be some of the craziest drivers ever, thus giving them the name Surubis because they fly down these crazy roads swerving like a fish in between oncoming traffic. It was a wild ride and sometimes very scary but we made it back to lovely Cochabamba safely and with some great news! ¡Hasta Luego!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

2010-12-24T07:29:00.000-08:00

Merry christmas from Bolivia! So the past couple of weeks have been pretty hectic, the Ross family arrived and stayed at the Hacienda for a while, we had the christmas babywashing, lost power because of a eucalyptis tree and a wind storm, and broke a tienda´s window playing soccer. Needless to say pretty crazy! I bought a bike the other day in La Concha and have been riding it with the orphans! We also made a trip out to Kewiña to check on the progress of the two orphanages being built there and bought two pigs for the Deaf Orphanage. It was pretty awesome and Kewiña is probably the most beautiful place I have been. I haven´t had to serenade any drunks and haven´t gotten lost on a truffie anymore so I would say its been a couple of very successful couple of weeks, but then again they´re always successful when you´re working to help others.

HOLA!

2010-12-06T08:09:00.000-08:00

So my name is Jed and I'm a new intern from New Hampshire in the US. I'm gonna be here for sixth months and have been here for two weeks now! Cochabamba is awesome and has already provided me with some crazy experiences! For example, my third night here i serenaded a drunk bolivian man for two and a half hours on the steps of La Hacienda, where i am staying, and then a couple of nights later i got on the wrong truffie thinking i would do some exploring and ended up an hour and a half later in the middle of nowhere, pitch black, and the truffie was so packed people were hanging on to the side and riding. Little did i know that it was the last ride for the night and was making its final stop out in the middle of nowhere! So with some very broken and horrible spanish i was able to ask the driver what i needed to do to get back and he pointed to a very tiny truffie heading the other way and i jumped out and chased it down. Rode it back to somewhere (not sure where) where i got out and took a taxi back to middle of Coch. From there i proceeded to walk about 2 miles back to La Hacienda. Needless to say i had had enough of automobiles.

So my time here has been very exciting and so much fun, working at the orphanage and the center as well as doing baby washing every weekend is such a blessing and so much fun to do! God only knows what the coming weeks will hold!

Introducing IOU's Newest Teammate

2010-09-30T16:52:00.000-07:00

After nine months of family and friends praying for a fast delivery, our prayers were definitely answered. At nine o’clock pm on September 21st we were eating ice cream. At 11 o’clock we called the doctor. At 11:30 I was 3cm dilated. At 12:30 we were heading to the delivery room and at 1:35 am on September 22nd, after two pushes, Miles Michael Ellis was born.
A fast delivery is just one of the many blessings we have received in the past week since Miles has arrived. From a hospital bill a third of the cost of the U.S. to our Christian doctor who generously delivered Miles for free, to being able to skype with my sisters in the hospital to Miles sleeping through most of the night. We feel like God has showered us with gift after gift on top of this new little person in our family.
We have also noticed that it is truly a blessing to have delivered in Bolivia, in a country filled with poverty and tragedy. Too often it is easy for us to become numb to the countless stories and statistics we hear about children being hungry and homeless. Being parents has now given us a new look at things and, while it reminds us to be truly grateful that we have everything we could possibly need to take care of our own son, it also reaffirms the importance of being here and working with children in need.
Its heartbreaking to me that one child every five seconds dies from hunger while I have both the capability to nurse and can afford to buy formula. Here in Bolivia we have been asked to take children who were being neglected by their mother and were literally eating grass because they were so hungry.
We have three pediatricians who are offering their services to us and yet there are nine million children who die each and every year from preventable illness. We met baby George who was born in the same neighborhood of our first orphanage; he had a condition where he couldn’t suck to breastfeed. It is a curable condition, however, the mother couldn’t afford the doctor and before we could locate them, baby George died.
40% of the world’s population lives on less than two dollars a day and we see the affects of this every week at our Baby Washing ministry. It is very difficult to know that these mothers cannot even afford to buy milk for their children let alone clothes and yet back at home Miles has a closet full of them.
The hardest reality to deal with is that Braeden and I can love our new son so much and want to do absolutely everything for him while our orphanages are being filled with children who have no parents at all to love them.
Again, we want to thank everyone for their prayers for us and our new little addition. We are so grateful for all of the gifts, cards and expressions of joy. Now we ask you to continue to pray for all of the children who are born into poverty. Pray for their parents who long to give them what they need but are unable to. We too continue to worry about getting the new Littlest Pet Shop that our child wants for Christmas just remember those who continue to worry about where their child’s next meal will come from.
Tiffany

San Lorenzo August Update

2010-09-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Braeden, Tiffany, Aldo, Wendy and I went to present some sports equipment to Villa Israel School. They’ve been so good to us in accepting new children in them middle of the school year. Then we stopped at the orphanage and said “Hola” and encouraged the house parents. Moses, 11 yrs old, asked if he could fix the flat tire on the bike. He’s waited two weeks for permission. I’ve got to re-affirm that everything in the house is his to use and enjoy. Tuesday, we were able to fly to San Lorenzo. Over the Andes Mountains in the Amazon rain basin…God does nice work. Great progress on the orphanage and two thumbs up from the church to explore putting in a Christian radio station. https://sites.google.com/a/iteams.org/radiosanlorenzo/home Wednesday, Bonnie and I met with a lovely couple with Words of Life that have been supporting their ministry through jewelry making. Thursday, most of our team was able to make the trip to the rain forest to check on the tree farm, encourage the houseparents and meet our newest angel, Graciel. 10 months old and re-affirms all the bad days are worth it. Praise God our brakes failed as we came into Cochabamba. Friday, meeting with Bosques Tropicales about lumber export and new tree farm prospects. Met Tony from Bolivia Mission Air at the corner and God is heaping blessings on them these days. Saturday, Can’t wait to wash some babies and fix the brakes. Sunday, See our CIC family and worship our Father. Praise the Lord for another week of just trying to be obedient. Love Him, love others and invite others to do the same. Can’t wait for next week!

35 Cows

2010-08-21T10:26:00.000-07:00

I visited Nemecio last night. We met earlier this year when we needed a piece of property in San Lorenzo to build an orphanage on. He and his family are Christians living here in Cochabamba; however they’re both from, and continue raise cattle in, San Lorenzo one of the most remote sites in Bolivia. IOU was able to purchase a beautiful 5 acre building site from Nemecio for our next set of homes. I’ve always been impressed with his gifts in business and the generosity he displays with both his money and his time. When we first met, Nemecio had suggested we raise cattle to support the children. I quickly dismissed the idea because I’m more comfortable with manufacturing and sales; however, he brought it up again last night. He asked what the monthly expenses were for an orphanage and I replied $1000. On his iPhone he banged out a few numbers, and confirmed it would be 10 orphans per home and then showed me the answer…35! He continued, “Miguel you only need 35 vacas per child”

Nemecio purchases year old calves from local breeders for $100 and grazes them on the nutrient rich pasture around San Lorenzo and sells them one year later for $200. After paying his ranch hands, veterinary and taxes he’s able to purchase his next calf and still profit $70 per head. I explained to Nemecio that I wouldn’t be much good on a cattle drive and he offered to manage the cattle for half of the profit. He would manage everything from purchase to auction. It amazes me to think that a one time gift of 35 cows would provide all the earthly needs of an orphan all the years they live in the orphanage.

I’ve been resisting the requests of several friends who suggest starting a sponsor-a-child program. I’ve been hesitating because it’s a lot of administrative work tracking and responding to monthly gifts; however, I wonder if this might be a nice compromise because it is still for a child but only requires a one time gift. I’m immediately reminded of the generosity this summer of VBS programs from three churches; Mosaic Community Fellowship Church in SC, Fellowship Reformed Church in Holland, MI and St. John Lutheran Church in Allendale, MI. Between these three groups of children they raised nearly $3000 during their one week VBS program. Although much of this was raised for specific needs or projects it reminds me of the power of children in our adult world.

If you are looking for a way to connect your youth group, Sunday school class or even your family with an orphaned child; have a cow. James tells us in 2:18 “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do” Wouldn’t it be a great testimony if our children could care for the fatherless and the least of these with their own young hearts and deeds?

Goodbyes And New Interns

2010-06-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

So the Timmer family leaves today to go back home to the States. It is quite a sad day for me because this might be the last time that I will see Mr & Mrs Timmer, Mallory, Sydney, Emmy and Gracie for I will be back in the UK by the time they come back. But I know that we will all meet one day again in heaven and we will have the rest of eternity to spend together in the presence of The Lord.

Apart from the above, things still stay the same out here. I keep going to see the kids at Muyurina, bible studies are still running and El Centro is still as crazy and fun as ever!

A new but old intern arrived last month, Kristen Polcyn. She was an intern here a couple of years ago for 11 months and it has been great being able to meet someone who did exactly what I'm doing out here. Hear from her experiences, what she enjoyed doing and to see how the kids still remember her! Kristen has only a couple of days left but she will write an entry soon telling you about her trip to Potosi.

The only thing that I don't like about meeting new people is the fact that I am going to have to say goodbye to them not knowing, once again, when I will see them. But as a friend once said "I prefer to have met you briefly on this Earth and having your friendship forever than never have met you and never have come to known you". And that is very true, I thank God for the friendships I have made while I've been out here, not knowing when I will see them again.

Another new intern is arriving on Wednesday morning called Melissa. I think this is her first time out here, so it will be very exciting showing her the Bolivian ways and orphanages.

Not much is going on apart from the World Cup starting in a few days and I cannot wait to see my country (Spain) win this cup!

Until next time!

Thank you all for your prayers

Real Team Players

2010-05-31T20:32:00.000-07:00

Teams are always a big encouragement to us and we’ve been plenty encouraged this year.

We’ve enjoyed teams from Nashua Christian Academy, Devon Park Christian School, Beechwood Reformed Church, Bedford Community Church and a small Detroit team that tackled some special projects.

Check out a couple of theses sites to see what they were up to. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNEUuhXXPyY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV_PNpVwYBw&feature=channel

If you’re ever interested in coming down with a team just let us know.

What's in a name?

2010-05-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

One of the most frustrating things about Bolivia is their government departments. We’ve had the joy of seeing Veronica, Franki and Dalia growing in size and faith over the past five years in our Muyurina-Frutillar Orphanage. We’ve struggled to get them their birth certificates during that entire time. Countless meetings and false starts have finally led us to victory. With birth certificates they can finally be legally registered at school and we can now apply for carnets (legal ID) that are required for college, voting, jobs and so much more. Just a piece of paper but a huge victory. Praise God!

Want a baby? Come to Bolivia

2010-05-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

Speaking of babies…

The Mosey were an important part of our ministry for nearly a year. Ted and Caroline decided to cut their service time short to prepare for their second child; born just a few weeks ago was Ada Scarlet. We praise God for their continued friendship and support of the ministry through technical support and fundraising events.

Braeden and Tiffany in Bolivia

2010-05-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

The Ellis family joins us.

It was truly an answer to prayer when Braeden and Tiffany felt called to join us. They were able to come on a wing and a prayer and get here in record time. We were able clean out the guest rooms at our house and turned it into an apartment for this growing family…that’s right they’re expecting their first child this September. Bonnie and I are so excited to have our first grandchild here in Bolivia. Please pray for this brave couple who will be running the entire ministry on their own for the next two months while we’re state-side getting Sydney started in college.

Farewell

2010-05-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

Annie here for her last blog. :(
with just 2 weeks to go now till I head off travelling I'm trying to soak up as much as Cochabamba as I can and do all the things I've wanted to do here since I arrived.
I've tasted all the main typical foods including silpancho, saltenas, pique machu etc. I have yet to try Chicha the sort of corn beer thing as I'm not drinking here but on my travels when I return to Bolivia I will clear up any things missed then!
I'm going to try to climb Mt Tunari on Monday because thats something I've always wanted to do!.....could be interesting with the altitude but we'll take it slow!
So what have I learned from my time here and what will stick with me forever?
Well I have really learned alot about myself (so cliche I know) but its true, I've learned that all around the world their are amazing people that you can make friends with for life. That I have definitely learnt to make compromises in my lifestyle depending on the circumstance...and the amount of money I have?! The things that will stick with me forever are the children here and their stories, the way we can give them a second chance and to see their lives and relationships flourish with this opportunity they've been given, the poverty and the culture of Bolivia, the massive clash of developed vs undeveloped, poor vs rich and of course my friends and all the lovely people I have met here which I hope I can stay in touch with as much as poss!
If you ever have a chance to come out to Bolivia, especially Cochabamba, jump on it! get here! see its beauty and culture! witness the many lives you can change and that can definitely change you!
thankyou for reading!
Annie x

Sam arrives!

2010-04-07T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hello I am Sam and I am the new intern from England. After four flights I arrived in this beautiful country on Friday 2nd April in Cochabamba to start my 3 month mission trip. The journey was OK until I touched down in La Paz where the altitude posed a big problem for me. Thankfully I only had to be there a couple of hours... Mike, Sydney, Gracie and Annie where waiting for me at Cochabamba airport and I was already getting really excited at this opportunity I was given.

I was glad to escape wet, miserable and cold England and arrive in this nice, sunny weather! I had the pleasure to meet Marcelino, Sofia and the orphans from the orphanage at Frutillar and do Bible Study and play with the kids. Having lived for fourteen years in Spain has been a great blessing to me for I am able to speak to language and interact with the Bolivian people. After the orphanage a group of us went for some drinks and I was able to meet some of Annie's friends. On Saturday Annie and I visited the Albino Patiño Centro in which we looked after the toddlers and tried as hard as we could to feed them. This was a totally knew and very heartbreaking experience for me. I was to hold an eight month old baby who was the size of a one month old baby! After we fed the babies and toddlers we got the Trufi (Bolivian transport) to the centre of town, the traffic was hectic!

Easter Day, Sunday, was the local election day and all means of transport was forbidden so Annie and I had to cycle down to Church which wasn't too bad. We were invited to Easter lunch at the Timmers house which was delicious and very much appreciated.

On Monday, the thing I was dreading most happened, my card (I think) got swallowed by an ATM... The Bolivian ATMs are different from the ones back home so I didn't realise I walked away without my card. I called my bank and it has been cancelled but I think it will take about five weeks for my new card to arrive in Bolivia, not good!

There are a lot more stories to tell but not much time! So I better go and... Until next time!

God bless you all and prayers are very much appreciated

Team times

2010-03-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while and we've been really busy with two teams in the last few weeks. One from New Hampshire (24 16-18 yr olds) where we spent 3 days in camp kewina, doing general jobs around the buildings...we painted the roof and some of the rooms, we also did a vacation Bible school two of the days where we had 90 7-9 year olds a day and had craft, bible and games stations. It was quite hard to communicate a lot with them because they didn't speak much spanish, mostly quechua. I think we felt like we did get through to some of them though and they deffinitely had a great time. Unfortunately a lot of the team got sick whilst we were there and so reduced numbers made it a bit harder but it still went pretty smoothly.
The other team was a huge team from Canada which didn't come through us but we took to Chapare for 2 days. We did some really good work on the orphanage at villa catorce; cleaning up, varnishing and making the place look much more ready to live in. Then we went to the other orphanage (21) in that region to see the kids and to stay the night. It was really nice to see them again and I spent a lot of time helping with homework and chatting to them, trying to translate their spanish for the other team members!
The Moseys have now left which is very sad and we all miss them alot. I'm staying with the Timmers now just for a while until we have the sister of the house mum from frutillar's family staying and looking after the hacienda and keeping me from being lonely and scared up there! Also awaiting the arrival of my friend from the U.K. to be another intern with me in April, he's from Spain so his spanish is going to be very useful for all of us!
So a few more teams are joining us shortly which will keep us nice and busy too.
I'm hopefully going to be starting to work with the after school center this week on a tuesday which will be fun and I've still got things like babysitting baby Angelito once a week and many other little things. My spanish classes are great and I feel like I'm learning alot now I suppose I just need to speak and practice it alot more.
So I think thats my update!
Annie

Cochabamba Crazy

2010-02-09T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hi its Annie,

I accompanied on the chapare visit and enjoyed it very much. The kids were really sweet and we got to play with them for a while which was nice. The humidity nearly killed me though! Also getting up at 4am to make it there for an 8:30 meeting wasn't something I can say pleased me much! Ha...I'm not a morning person! Had to be done though.

I feel like I'm pretty settled here now and am even going bowling, to the cinema and enjoyed some night life! Probably not what I expected I could do and probably not what I should spend my money on either!

The weather has been gorgeous for 3 days now and so I've done a little soaking...may be a little burnt though!

I've managed to take trufies now...even if I did miss my destination by one street because I wasn't paying attention and trying not to fall out the thing!...maybe a little practice is needed here.

So carnival seems to be in pretty full swing...water balloons flying everywhere...some good dodging is going on by me! I've got a bet on that if I don't get hit the whole of carnival I am owed an ice cream sundae! Lots of sprinting from buildings to taxis!

I'm now staying around 5 nights at the Mosey's which is really nice and after finding a TARANTULA at the hacienda this week!!...I'm pretty happy about leaving that place! It was just sitting on the living room table! So many photos were taken and I've left him in a tupperware box because thats all we could think of doing....although a little cruel...what else do you do to kill it?!

I'm helpingout once or twice a week babysitting a little adopted boy because his mum has gone back to the states for a while. So last week I managed a 24hr shift with little Angelito. Hard work but a very cool dude! Getting up to feed him his bottle will give me very good practice for being a mother myself...even if that is in a good few years!

Tigerlilli and Leon are doing good and I've made the top level of the Hacienda kitten proof so now they are alowed out for a little fresh air. There are a few new arrivals to the chicken coop...after the last 2 chicks dying, we bought five slightly older chickens and one has already been frightened to death...yes it sounds like I'm an awful animal keeper...not really its those stray dogs!...but Ted Mosey helped loads by pretty much barracaded the chicken run with all sorts including a fair bit of barbed wire. They should be safe now...Oh I hope so!

The kids at frutillar are doing well, really enjoying school now its back on. The biblestudy we have started went well and we ended up doing two becasue they didnt really take long and they all participated well! We are off tommorrow to help them with homework which I'm looking forward to seeing as I feel like I haven't used my brain in months!

Chapare Visit

2010-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

This week we piled in Mike's car and headed out to Chapare! There were many things on the slate for this trip. Included in the things to accomplish were: meet with a church that is partnering with us on the almost complete kilometer 14 home, get the power turned on for the 14 home, meet with the Sindicato (local governing board) about the operating home at kilometer 21, and meet and better understand the situations and needs of the childred at the kilometer 21 home. Many other things were accomplished on the trip and many new relationships were formed. It is truly amazing to see how the work that has been so long in process is starting to bud and bear fruit. We thank Him for everything that is being done in Chapare and are happy we can play a part in it! Below are pictures from the trip:

Above: The kids preparing for Carnival (alot of water baloon throwing).
Right: They could use a little practive filling them up!

Bottom Three
Top: Mike with the head of the Chapare Sindicato. Also, he is wearing a Evo for President hat to amuse them:)
Middle: The kids were excited to show us their rooms and beds.
Last: Kids biggest to smallest.

Orfananto San Fransisco

2010-01-31T14:04:00.000-08:00

Here’s how our last week went. One department of SEDEGES (child welfare) told me that I needed a psychological analysis as the director of IOU (International Orphanage Union) so we could re-new our orphanage license. I went in for my appointment and they said they couldn’t afford to hire a psychologist, could I? Another department scolded us for taking in two children prior to our license being renewed when their grandparent’s house was destroyed by a flooding river. The same department brought us four children the very next week because they had no-where else to bring them. I didn’t know if we should laugh or cry.
Our home in San Fransisco. Samuel and Elsa have two children of their own; Ruth (5), Cristhian (1) and they are caring for their niece (9). We accepted two sisters when our partner church Nueva Jurusalén brought them after a flood destroyed the grandparent’s home; Liz (9) and Mary (4). The next four children came from the government; three siblings whose mother passed away and whose father would leave them for days at a time while he worked out of town. Jhamil (9), Erika (7) and Luis (5). The most recent is Hilda (9) whose parents passed away one year ago she lives with her godmother who runs a chicharia (saloon). Hilda has epileptic seizures if she doesn’t get injections three times daily. Her 15 year old sister must prove to be more useful because the godmother kept her.
I met with Abel on Saturday; he’s the Social Worker for SEDEGES in the Chapare region (rain forest). He said there are over 300 children in his area alone waiting for homes. He’s about 25 years old and stares into the faces of countless orphaned and abandoned children and says, maybe next week. I asked him where we should build the next orphanage and he laughed and said “Anywhere, I’ll fill it”. Out of the nine departments of Bolivia, Cochabamba has more orphanages than any other. I ask God every day to allow us to be the ones to provide a home for all the rest of the children. None of this would be possible without your prayers and support.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
Mike and Bonnie

2010-01-25T11:02:00.000-08:00

Annie here,
So yesterday I got to take home to the Hacienda two of the Timmers kittens! Another great addition to the team! Tigerlilli and Leon...(a tiger and lion to protect me up there!) Thats really exciting and it's really nice to have some company!
I've just been given a list of things I can now do and I'm interested in helping at 'el Centro' which is an after school club and also doing lots of little projects with the kids at the orphanage including some Biblestudies and some conversational English lessons and also taking a few kids at a time to bake cookies or help with the chickens etc. So I'm excited to see these things starting up!
Unforunately three of my five new chicks were killed so I will need to improve a little of the security in the chicken run! and maybe find some older chickens that will lay sooner to boost the numbers again :(
Still can't sleep very well...it may be down to the kittens though!?...they are currently staying in my room!
I stayed two nights at the Mosey's appartment this week and may start staying here a fewnights a week until there more people join me in the Hacienda.
Taking so many taxis on my own now...I'm getting the hang of this city!...next thing Trufies! (the colourful buses that go round the city for a little cheaper)
here's a few pics of the animals!!

New Intern!

2010-01-19T12:30:00.001-08:00

Hey all I (Annie) have just joined the Timmers from Bath, England.
I'm living in the hacienda on my own at the moment and await teams and another intern in February. I have been here about a week now and am enjoying the rays seeing as the whole of Britain has been in a snow blanket! I'm just getting used to the way of life here in Bolivia. Trying to improve my spanish and bearings so I can take taxis on my own around the city and become a little bit more independent! I have been introduced to as many markets and coffee shops as possible and tommorow I'm going to a football match between the two Cochabamba teams which is really exciting! I love football and have been to a few matches in England but I hear Bolivian matches are a little dangerous and lets say..interactive!
I have been introduced to the orphans at the orphanage just down from the hacienda and they've also come up to sift through the many generous contributions in the store room up there and taken away some clothes and toiletries...they had so much fun doing that and trying on clothes!
On Friday the Moseys (another mission family here for 9 months and leaving in March) and I took all the kids to the park which was a laugh, they all had a go on the bumper cars and had a lot of fun! We are planning to take them all once a week in two taxis to the park or something before they go back to school.
I was really surprised when I went to the supermarket how many English imports there were!! So I'm doing just fine with my Heinz tomato soup and Hellmanns mayonnaise! I was worried what I would eat here but I'm doing just fine so far!
My spanish is also something that needs much improvement and I'm planning to take a lesson a week to get back up to scratch...I used to know alot more but in the past few years have forgotten. So prayers for my Spanish to be picked up easily and that I can sleep better at night...also an annoying extra!!
Thanks for reading!
Annie

NEW INTERN!

2010-01-19T10:40:00.000-08:00

Chapare Orphanage and New Intern!

2010-01-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

A lot has been happening lately in Cochabamba and there have not been nearly enough blog posts to document it! Here is a quick post to highlight a couple of the things that have been happening.

Above is a picture of the new houseparents at "Orhanage 21" in the Chapare region, Samuel and Elsa.
Our new guests:
Liz Fanny 9 yrs old
Mary Cruz 4 yrs old
Their mother abandoned Liz at birth and left the baby with Grandma. She returned 5 years later to drop off Mary Cruz and has had no other contact. Grandma and Grandpa are in poor health but were caring for them until the river crested this year and destroyed their house and everything they owned. Please join us in praying for these girls as they adjust to new surroundings and faces.

Last but not least, we are excited to welcome a new intern to our team! Annabel (Annie) is joining us from Baath, England. She'll be helping with the ministry for the next 5 months and just arrived in Cochabamba this week. Above is a picture of Annie learning the secret hiding spot of Evelyns baby doll. Welcome, Annie!

Radio Interview

2009-12-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

On December 11th we were invited by a friend and "The Well Radio" anchor Gina Johnson to come on and share with her listeners. If you were not able to tune into the interview, you can click below to listen.

If you or someone you know has an outlet to speak in the media where we can share our story and spread the word of what He is doing here, please let us know!

Sending back a piece of Bolivia for Christmas!

2009-12-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas is just around the corner, and this year IOU was excited to try something new for the holidays: homemade Christmas tree ornaments! Christmas trees aren’t quite as popular in Bolivia as they are in the States, but that’s what made the whole experience even more meaningful and fun. Last week we took a herd of very excited children from the orphanage in Frutillar up to the IOU guesthouse for some serious silliness and crafts. They spent lots of time carefully painting and decorating the ornaments, and were happy to be making something special for the people who love and support them a world away. Decked out in their holiday finest (bed sheets tied around their necks to keep their clothes clean) and perched on little thrones (phone books stacked in their chairs), the IOU kids created beautiful memories to hang from your trees this Christmas.
Starting December 5, the first 50 coffee orders from BoliviasBestCoffee.com—no matter the size of the order—will receive one free ornament enclosed with their purchase. Thanks in advance for all the coffee you drink to support this ministry, and your hearts for these little children. This is their way of saying thanks and giving back to YOU!

Business Growth

2009-12-02T09:21:00.000-08:00

A special thanks goes out to Carlisle & Company for allowing us to pick the brain of consultant Samuel Frank! Samuel joined us in Cochabamba for 3 weeks in November and provided pro-bono consulting for IOU’s supporting businesses, including Bolivia’s Best Coffee and hardwood flooring exportation. His hard work and insight were a great asset to IOU and helped to streamline our communications and give “backbones” to many of our ideas.
His passion, enthusiasm, and friendship will be missed, but we are confident he will be back! Thanks for using your gifts for IOU, Samuel!

We are also excited about the opportunity for exporting high-end wood flooring as another means of supporting IOU. Cochabamba is home to Jolyka, a company that sells exotic wood flooring. Jolyka has their FSC certification, a difficult “Green” certification to obtain and the only flooring company in Bolivia to boast this title. If you know someone in the flooring business or custom home-building business, we would love to connect with them and talk about an opportunity to sell high-quality wood flooring at a great price and help the children of Bolivia. Jolyka has graciously offered to allow us to export the wood at cost to benefit out mission.

We are blessed to have termendous support for Bolivia's Best Coffee, opportunities with Jolyka flooring, and childrens' lives that these businesses have the opportunity to touch. Our deepest appreciation to all those who donate their time, talents, and networks to help further the businesses that support His work in Bolivia!

Chapare Visits

2009-11-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

The IOU team has made several visits to the Chapare region over the past couple of weeks. We've been checking on the construction and progress of different orphanage homes in the area. We've been fortunate to have to lots of visitors from the U.S. this month to encourage and assist us, and make the 4 hour trek to Chapare more fun! Here are pictures of Puerta Villaroel, being built right next to the supporting church.

And speaking of orhanage progress, this weekend we'll be helping the houseparents move into the Villa Israel orphanage...the first step in reopening and on our way to being able to accept children there. Prayers for a smooth process during this time would be wonderful!

Navidad En Bolivia

2009-10-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

Looking for a way to give back this holiday season? Why not help make this Christmas special for IOU kids in Bolivia by contributing for individual Christmas gifts? Please visit www.NavidadenBolivia.info for details on how you can contribute not only to children in Frutillar, but also to other ministries across Bolivia as well! Please feel free to pass along the site to your friends, family, churches and neighbors:)

Updates on Frutillar and Villa Israel

2009-10-16T05:58:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update on what's going on at Frutillar and Villa Israel lately. (By the way, this is Caroline Mosey! My family joined the IOU team in June:) All the kids at Frutillar are doing great! We've had a wonderful time getting to know each child and their personalities. We love to stop by the orphanage at least once or twice a week and take the kids to play soccer or bring over a movie to watch on a big projector (when Marcelino says they don't have too much homework, that is!)

Mike and Ted were able to meet with Santo and Rosi last week to discuss becoming the houseparents of Villa Israel again. I'm excited to report the meeting went well and, Lord willing, they will begin the process of moving back into the orphanage in late November!

Happy Anniversary

2009-10-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know that Bonnie and I will be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary on October 20th? I shared that news with a taxi driver earlier this week. He told me that he was on his 2nd marriage and they have a six month old baby and this relationship was doing so well either. He asked me for advice, that doesn’t happen too often. It was a short ride but I still managed to give him a two point sermon. First I told him, to recognize the fact that he married an imperfect spouse; he laughed immediately and agreed. I waved my finger at him as he looked for approval from me in the rearview mirror. I assured him that was only half of the first point and that she also needed to recognize that he wasn’t perfect either and they both need to be tolerant and forgiving. As I began point two he seemed a bit more somber and attentive. I told him he had to let her know he appreciates her constantly. We celebrated communion this last week along with many Churches that set aside the first Sunday of the month. We discussed the chances of a successful relationship where you only communicate or celebrate a loved one once a month or once a year? He asked if the flowers in my hand were for our anniversary and I told him yes but not our 25th year; it was to celebrate an anniversary of another day together. He charged me 10bs but I gave him 20bs if he promised to by his wife flowers with the change. Not everyone is blessed to have a wife like mine that would follow me to the ends of the earth; however, all marriages are a blessing. I pray for each one of you that’s been blessed with a partner to share your life with.

Another Brother

2009-10-07T09:38:00.000-07:00

Another brother! Remberto’s younger brother, Juan Pablo (Juanpi), graduated from high school last year. He’s been training with a good friend of ours Nate Hitson who started a ministry to street boys through a carpentry shop. For the past four months Juanpi has been working side by side with Javier, a Bolivian pastor and carpenter. Just last week Juanpi gave his life to Jesus Christ. I can’t tell you how excited we were when we learned that another of Remberto’s family has joined His family. Victories like this allow all our struggles and grief to simply melt away. Praise God!

House Parent Interviews

2009-10-07T09:36:00.000-07:00

Exciting things happening this month. We’ve been praying for house parents for three homes and we now have four candidates to interview. Praise God! It’s our hope and prayer to re-open Villa Israel with our previous house couple, Pastor Santo and Rosi. Their baby is now six months old and we’ll be speaking to them this Friday about returning. Our prayer is that this home can re-open immediately. We also have three couples to interview for the two homes in Chapare. God willing, we’ll be back in Chapare next week to conduct interviews and make a selection. It was heartbreaking to learn of yet another state-run orphanage that is closing down as financing jeopardized the care of 27 children.

Building Update

2009-10-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

On the building front, Remberto hopes to finish Villa 14 de Septiembre in November and be accepting children before Christmas. He was also thinking of assigning his brothers to finish the home in Puerto Villarroel. In an effort to push through the final houses we’ve also hired a contractor to build the home in Villa Candelaria (Camp Kewiña). He believes that if we start this month we’ll beat the rains and be able to finish the interior during the rainy season. Go Team!

Evo Visits Our Chapare Neighborhood

2009-08-03T16:22:00.000-07:00

Sindicatos – Imagine a community where there are no police, lawyers or judges. All you have is a group of property owners who elect officials, meet once a month and decide all legal issues including who can own property in their district. That’s a Sindicato. They’re a powerful influence, especially in the jungles of Chapare. Last week as we attempted to get an audience with the sindicato in Villa 14 de Septiembre we had just given up when the sindicato from Villa 21 came racing up behind us in a beat up old mini van. As they all jumped out and approached us many ideas ran through my mind but we were surprised to hear that they wanted to invite us to the grand opening of their new school. Constancio, the president, explained to the rest of his sindicato how the IOU ministry has had a heart for their district for the past three years, helping the Cuban clinic by installing a sink with running water, holding clothing drives for the children and allowing two grade school classes to use the orphanage as we waited for our orphanage license. The sindicato was offering us a unique opportunity to be present as Bolivia’s President Evo dedicated the new school financed by Venezuela and Cuba.

We arrived mid day on Friday so we could spend some time cleaning the orphanage; the thirty children really took their toll on the home. Our builder, Remerto, and his wife Vic and their daughter; played host to our family and our new partner Ted. Bonnie purchased a 10 pound Surubi river fish and she and Vic prepared a feast for us. We slept well that night in the orphanage and woke early, about 4am, to a chorus of roosters. The village has known for the past few months that President Evo would be visiting; however, we were amazed at the scurry of activity that morning and even minutes before his arrival. The school construction team was still painting the roof and front wall as Evo’s helicopter circled the village.

He landed directly in front of the orphanage on the football field. Remberto and Vic had met the president before when he visited the village one Christmas morning and asked Remberto about the orphanage construction project; he was very grateful on that day and must have been extremely pleased seeing it finished now. We were amazed at the casual atmosphere as he walked among the people he still considers his neighbors. Evo walked thru the crowd with very little security and we were allowed to be in the front row as the program began. After a traditional dedication of the school to Pachimama (mother earth) Evo was invited to a traditional folk dance with some of the teachers. He worked up quite a sweat as they passed him around like a party favor. After a few comments about the school and a lengthy commentary about party responsibilities the speeches were over. However, the festivities were just beginning. In a surprising turn of events; Evo disappeared into a room with some of his staff and emerged in Bolivian National Soccer uniforms. They then began a one hour futbal game with the local team. Although they lost 5-4 I was amazed at the casual atmosphere. We truly felt like we could have stayed and spoke with the president if we wanted, yet we chose to leave and allow him to spend the remaining time with some of his strongest supporters and closest friends.

As Bonnie was leaving the stadium she walked past Evo’s helicopter on the way to the orphanage and one of the pilots asked her if she’d like to sit in Evo’s seat. Bonnie kind of chuckled as he helped her up; when he looked at her curiously she said would you do me a favor? Tell Evo that a gringo sat in his seat this morning. He laughed hard and said “Yeah, I’ll be sure to tell him” and the other pilot said a bit more serious “No, we will not be telling him you sat in his seat.”

The relationship between IOU and the sindicatos are very important but also a delicate balance because we want to be blessing to them but not only be seen as a source of resources. The villa 21 group had asked us to help pay for the Evo party; however, that’s not our reason for being here. We did; however, have some extra office equipment we donated to the school. We have also committed to a life long partnership with the sindicato, school and neighborhood church as they help us raise the orphans God sends to the home we’ve built in their village. Please join us in praying for Villa 21 (San Francisco) and these vital relationships.

A Christmas Surprise

2008-12-24T13:30:00.000-08:00

Holla everyone, This is Craig Dukelow and I am the newest intern down here! I am from New Hampshire and this is my second time visiting here. The first was just a short term trip though but have wanted to come back ever since and now I'm finally here. I arrived mid November to a house full of girls! It has been great though and they are all awsome and I love them! The bummer is that they are all gone now!
It is Christmas week and we have been buying, wrapping, and delivering Christmas presents! Villa Israel is doing really well and all the kids are super pumped for Christmas. On monday we had a really cool opportunity to take both villa Israel and the Fruitar kids for airplain rides. A family from CIC (Timmer's church) that has a airplain jungle ministry and they gave us three free rides in their Cesna plains as a Christmas present to the kidos! It was a ton of fun and they all LOVED it! There was a couple that were a little nervous, but once in the air, they were all good. The next day we had them write thank you cards to Mano a Mano... and they all came out super precious!
Something very special happened today. Little Franz has been in the malnutrition center for about three weeks. Today though on our way back from dropping off some presents at the orphanage, Mike got a call saying that little Franz had the doctors ok to go home. We were all super excited and went straight over to pick him up. As soon as he saw us, He ran over beaming to Mike's outstreached arms! He has improved immensly and he now has a little pot belly rather than a skinny ribcage showing which is very encouraging to us all!

We took him straight over back to his Villa Israel Family. They greeted him with hugs,chears, and chanted his name! It was so cool to see the love they all have for eachother and the beautiful family they have become! Although all the Christmas presents will be much appreciated, I think that Having Franz home will be the best present of all. Thank you all for you love and prayers and have a wonderful Chritmas as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!
Merry Christmas, Craig

Neydi... child #10!

2008-10-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

About a month and a half ago, the newest edition to the Villa Israel orphanage arrived with a big, beautiful smile, and cute little braids. Neydi is 6 (or 8), depending on who you ask, but has a gentle little voice and an affectionate smile. She had been bouncing around from place to place before she came to us, but seemed to adapt easily to new situations.

Neydi with one of her new brothers, Elian

In her time with us so far, Neydi has won our hearts with her sweet spirit and her eagerness to try new things. We had a scare when she ran away for more than a week, but since returning to us, it seems like she has adjusted better into the Villa Israel family, taking on her role as a big sister to the younger kiddos, and learning from her older siblings.

Neydi loves to read, color, and discover. She´s working on the basics of spelling and numbers, but is rapidly progressing, and is a bright little girl. We´re also excited that Ana, the only other girl besides Charlie and Liseth´s little girl, has another girl to play with.

Please remember to keep these kiddos in your prayers. Life has thrown them so much already, and they need all the prayers they can get.

Thanks!

Katie Stewart

Timmer intern

The end is in sight.

2008-10-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went to Chapare (the jungle). We had a meeting with a camp and church that together want to give us land for FIVE new homes!! We also saw the work in progress at Remberto’s new project and went to the other home that Remberto recently finished where I’ve spent some time helping with construction. The finished home is now just waiting on Sedeges (The child services agency here in Cochabamba) to approve all the paperwork. Remberto, Vick, Mickey, and Judith are staying there until a family is ready to move in. We also played with the neighborhood kids down by the river. They did their best to make sure that we “bathed” and even though we didn’t strip down to our underwear like they did, they succeeded in drenching us. It was really great to go back to the jungle to see the homes, and people that I’ve grown to love there. It was really neat, too, that we got to see very different stages of the homes in one day. Obtaining the land, constructing the house, and finishing it!

Sharing the Ministry with Community Leaders

2008-10-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Pastor Nelson

2008-10-18T06:55:00.000-07:00

Iglesia Bautista de Candelaria

2008-10-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is the Church we are hoping to partner with. Its a vibrant Church with some exciting ministries.

Luke 21; The Widow's Offering

2008-10-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

This is where Dave and Dana found a lovely widow caring for 15 orphaned children. Her roof was so bad that when it rained many of the children slept in mud.

"I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:3-4

Maria's Giving Heart

2008-10-18T06:23:00.000-07:00

Maria, who donated the lot, was cooking in her kitchen. I wanted to share a couple photos of just how sacrificial their gift was. She's squeezing juice for us, setting the organges on a car battery that she uses as her counter.

October 10, 2008

2008-10-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

Remberto is making great progress. He's poured the footings deep and raised the foundation a bit higher because of the heavy rains here in the tropics.

Church Members at the Dedication

2008-10-18T06:01:00.000-07:00

After the Bible study we emmediately went to the proposed site. Pastor Faustino Ciprian and others prayed over the property and the children who will one day call this place home.

Patricio and Maria's Sacrificial Gift

2008-10-18T05:48:00.000-07:00

When the Church property was too difficult because of title issues, Patricio and Maria Real approached us with their own gift of a building site.

Iglesia Villa 14 de Septiembre Bible Study

2008-10-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Mission Trip!

2008-10-13T16:36:00.000-07:00

Kristen here: just copying my blog over in case you were wondering what we interns are up to these days. Fyi: Bethany is our newest intern.

Two days after Katie and I returned from Chile we took off for Potosí, which is up by Oruro and La Paz (more north). We left Saturday morning and are currently on the drive back. Sooo much happened, I’m afraid to write all of it, because I think you might be a little bored…but I’m going to anyways. So grab a cup of tea (or rice milk!!) and settle down for a long one…!

We spent the night in Oruro (unexpected stop). We had a bit of car trouble so we had to have it fixed there. We were pleasantly surprised to have a bathroom and warm room to sleep in. However, this was only the beginning of the bolivian hospitality that we experienced during our short-term mission trip.

Our team consists of Dr. Jorge (Potosino, Dr. Jorge has a huge heart for his fellow potosinos, he consistently travels out to the campo to offer medical assistance as well. He directs Red Vida de Esperanza, the group that we went with). Javier, a missionary with Mission Unida Mundial. He lives in Vinto (right by Nate’s workshop where I go about twice a week), but works in a village in the mountains. He speaks Portugues, Spanish, and Quechua. Waldo, is a dentist and also part of the leadership of Red Vida de Esperanza. He’s a clown, literally, and enjoyed entertaining the kids and us. He’s also from Potosí. Hermana Vickie, is our cook, she’s a very sweet lady and make’s sure we’re all behaving! Rosi, is also a dentist and just finished her practicum in Chapare. This is her first mission trip and she was very excited to participate. Also my roommates Jen, Katie S, and Bethany came along.

We went to seven communities, very rural and poor communities. They were all very different, but most of them were cold. The first village we went to, we made a late arrival, but there were still townspeople up waiting for us. They then proceeded to bring us mattresses, blankets, tea, and bread. We realized pretty early after our arrival that this was probably the poorest community we had ever seen in Bolivia, or elsewhere for that matter. I felt guilty when I realized that because they had given us a bunch of blankets, it probably meant that someone had to go without. What sacrifice! We stayed in the school, both windows were broken but the boys taped them up with cardboard before we went to bed.

Almost all of the schools had a special ceremony welcoming us, complete with the bolivian national anthem (I have a few lines memorized and a cheat sheet that I can use to memorize the rest of it!), interpretive poetry, songs and traditional dance. In most of the villages the older generations spoke mostly, if not only quechua. I have a long ways to go to be fluent in quechua, but I have learned a few helpful phrases. (Ama wakaychu—don’t cry!)

For our program we did puppets (a skit about dental health, as most of the parents and grandparents have rotten or no teeth.), a clown drama, games, bible memory verse--Juan 3:16, coloring pictures, and distributing Samaritan’s Purse boxes. It was so neat to see the kids that receive the boxes, and get to tell them how and why they came here. (Helpful hint, to those of you who do boxes for samaritan’s purse or busses international I strongly suggest that you don’t include playing cards. In the rural communities that we have visited, cards are associated with gambling, casinos and other destructive addictions that the churches are fighting against. Soo….go with some cool sunglasses or gloves or something…)

We also participated in a few church services where I had to give my testimony twice—talk about being put on the spot…however it was really neat to hear it translated from Spanish into quechua!!

The biggest thing that God has been teaching me is to give my best every day…there’s a song by Jesus Adrian Romero (one of my most favorite artists), called Te Daré lo Mejor (I’ll put on a video of it, even though I don’t expect that many of you will understand it…), it basically talks about giving God our best every day, because that’s what he deserves. There were probably about 5 other verses, messages, or comments that convicted me even more. I just want to be able to stand before God with as few regrets as possible.

I have so much confidence in this organization that we have come with. Dr. Jorge, is the founder, and I feel like he has a really well balanced view of ministry. During our time in the campos, he was always meeting with the church and community leaders. We had tea with the teachers from one of the villages, and three of the teachers, openly mentioned that they were looking for a meaningful religion. Not worried about what others might thing, Dr. Jorge took the opportunity to share with them how meaningful his relationship with God is and how he offers that to all of us. He also encouraged and challenged them to keep on investing in the kids of the community. He preached at church a few times, did health exams in communities where there is no doctor, played games with the kids, and made sure all the needs of our team were met.

I give credit to all you short-term-teamers out there. I feel like this trip has been the most draining week in my eight months of missionary work here in Bolivia. ‘Though I wouldn’t trade it for the WORLD!! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to see more of Bolivia, hang out with kids, learn from my teammates, get out of my comfort zone.

Umm…there’s so much more I could write right now…but I imagine I’ll add some more by the time I post this. I’ll also try to post some PICTURES on my foto blog!!

Thanks for hanging in there!!

Kristen

Intern Update. August 2008.

2008-08-18T11:30:00.000-07:00

Soo we said a bunch more goodbyes this week… Rachel (Kristen's sister was here for 2 weeks to help out) left Wednesday night, Adrian left Thursday night and Tiffany moved out on Thursday. The house is so empty it almost echoes… Why does everything have to happen at the same time?!!

Adrian is off to language school in Peru, then to Quito to work with a youth ministry there with IT, then off to explore a million other countries. He was a fantastic brother, we were all very grateful for his kindness, and super funny sense of humor. He was also a good baker, he enjoyed treating us girls to dinner and dessert often. In fact the day after he left Jen, Katie S. and I decided to go on a sweets fast since we have gotten so used to having sweets around all the time. I feel healthier already!!

On Saturday we did a “Hygiene Day” with the kids at Villa Israel. A bunch of the kids have not been there very long, and usually come from poorer neighborhoods or the Campo (countryside), therefore cleanliness is not something they’ve grown up with. Kim did a puppet show and Aldo the psychologist talked about the importance of being clean outside, but also inside—having a clean conscience, asking forgiveness for wrongs, etc. We also brought some liquid soap (Aldo told Roberto that when he got a bit older the girls would like that he had clean, good smelling hands!), stools for the littler ones to reach the sink and toothpaste and toothbrushes. I was shocked by how excited the kids were!! Brandon ran up behind Kim and gave her a really big hug and thanked her, sometimes it’s the littlest things that get kids excited! It’s really sweet to see the older kids there interact with the little ones. They’re so protective and gentle. It makes me really happy, and kinda proud too, not that I taught them that, but that I get to work with such sweethearts!!

The Timmers come back next week. From what I’ve heard they’ve had a good time visiting supporters, hanging out as a family, and reuniting with old friends. They did get to go see a bunch of people from Bedford (you may recall that we had an AMAZING team from Bedford a few months back, they’re also sending another team this fall…can’t wait!).

Well, that’s about it for now…have a fantastic day!

God bless!

Kristen

Hygiene Day

2008-08-18T11:07:00.000-07:00

It was really sweet to see the older kids interact with the little ones too. They’re so protective and gentle. It makes me really happy, and kinda proud too, not that I taught them that, but that I get to work with such sweethearts!!

The new editions...

2008-07-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Meet Elian and Franz, two Quechua brothers who arrived at Villa Israel about three weeks ago. They came from a mountainous region near Cochabamba, speaking only Quechua. When they first arrived, they were shy, sick, and hurting, having just lost their mother a few days before. Now, they are beginning to come out of their shells, and the other kids at Villa Israel have begun to treat them like part of the family.

Elian is a delightful six-year-old with a sweet, shy smile. He´s constantly chattering away in Quechua, and has a deep thirst for learning. He takes pride in learning his letters, and is content to draw or read for hours. He´s also got a mischevious streak, and can climb a tree like a little monkey. When you hear him laugh, it sounds like God´s joy is actually bubbling out of him!

Franz is a long-lashes two-year-old who still carries the weight of his mother´s death on his face. He likes to sing, and will also chatter away in a mixture of Spanish and Quechua as you hold him. When he first arrived, he couldn´t bear to be put down, and would scream and scream to be held. He´s slowly adjusting, and has learned how to cope without constant human touch. He loves to draw, and often waddles around the orphanage, checking out what the other kids are up to.

We are so grateful to have these two new kiddos in our lives, and we´re excited to see how God will grow them in their new home. Pray that they will continue to heal in healthy ways from their mother´s death, and that they will sink their roots down deep in the peace and joy of God. Pray that Franz will stay healthy, and that Elian will learn quickly so he can enter into school soon.

Thanks for reading,

Katie Stewart

New intern: Katie Stewart

2008-07-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Imaynalla!

My name is Katie Stewart, and I have joined the rest of the interns here until the beginning of December. It´s silly, really, that I haven´t introduced myself yet because I´ve been here nearly a month. This is my second time in Cochabamba, as my heart grew roots here when I spent the summer in Coch 2 years ago. I developed deep and lasting relationships with the kiddos at the Muyurina orphanage, as well as rich friendships with some of the Bolivians here that we worked/work with. It has been a powerful experience to be back here and to pick up right where I left off.

As for a little more about me... I´m a born and raised Colorado girl, coming from a small mountain town called Carbondale (near Aspen, CO). I graduated a year ago from Whitworth College (in Spokane, WA) with a degree in education, and spent most of my year out of college, working as a teacher. I LOVE backpacking and being in the outdoors with a passion (good thing I was born in Colorado!), and my family and I spend a good deal of our summers (and winters and falls and springs...) in the outdoors when I´m home. Music is also a passion of mine, and I hope to share it here through my pennywhistle I brought:)

When I return from Bolivia in December, I´m unsure where my path will lead me, but my hope and heart´s tugging is that I return to Coch. I have found so much purpose working with Latin Americans, and particularly Bolivians. I´ve found a growing passion for Quechua, and I´ve also been able to use my gifts as a teacher in so many ways with the niños here.

Bueno, I think that´s all for now. I´m including a picture of me and sweet Ana (from Villa Israel) at the end of this.

Tinkuna cama,
Katie

Interns + Kiddos= FUN!

2008-07-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

(minus the two newest little guys...)

Just so you know...

2008-06-26T11:59:00.000-07:00

We´ve had so much transition over the last few months I (Kristen) thought it would be a good idea to give you an update of who´s still here...
Right now it´s me, Adrian, Katie T., Katie S. and Tiffany. There you have it... Stephanie and Andrea left last weekend. Katie S. arrived two weeks after her scheduled arrival date. They are not messing around when they say you have to have a yellow fever shot (it used to be optional).
Kim + Elaina left a few weeks back.
Jaclyn left the first of the month.
More later...!
(Katie T. and Stephanie are (were) both interns at the center. They live at the Hacienda with us, though).

Devon Park Orphanage

2008-06-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Dear friends,
It's with a joyful heart that we begin the Devon Park Orphanage blog. Bonnie and I with all our children had only just arrived in Michigan (almost a Canadian province ehh?) when we received an email from Randy and Beth Fox. Devon Park Christian School in Frederiction New Brunswick has been blessing Cochabamba with short term teams for the past five years. Each year their graduating class has given of their time and resources to bless the ministries of Bolivia. I had suggested to one of these teams that if they some how could fail their final exams they may be able to return to Bolivia with the next years class and they emmidiately coined the phrase "Failing for Jesus"

Despite my questionable advise to the senior class; Randy and Beth Fox, Drew and Kandi Ingraham along with other faithful staff and parents have had it on their hearts to partner with Bolivia in fundraising for the construction of an orphanage. It's a beautiful testimony to the very reason I.O.U. (International Orphanage Union) exists. Family sized homes, with Christian parents, raising the orphans to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. As you read this please join me in praying for God's clear leading on this project, the students, parents and faculty.

Partnering with Villa Candaleria

2008-06-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

We were approached by the Cadwells, Dave and Dana, in early June of 2008. They've had an active relationship with Bolivia for the past five years. Working alongside the Baptist Church Villa Candaleria near Colomi, Bolivia. They were touched by the story of a local widow who cared for the young orphans from the area. This past year the child welfare department decided that her home was not sufficient for the children and they were relocated to orphanages in Cochabamba. Dave and Dana have had it on their hearts to help us build the next IOU orphanage in Colomi. Praise God!

2008-06-12T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
My name is Andrea and I am currently an intern for IOU...obviously. This is my third time in the beautiful country of Bolivia. I have been to Cochabamba twice before to work on teams with the Timmers. I had always wanted to come for a longer period of time, so this summer was my chance! I will be here for a total of 6 weeks. So far I am having a great time, getting to know the kids, and learn my way around.
I am from Chicago, and am currently living on the North Side. I have one more year left at North Park University in Chicago. I love it! I am a double major in youth ministry and communications.
God is really taking my time in Bolivia to show me his faithfulness, and how much he loves me if I am willing to accept it. Please keep all of us interns in your prayers and keep reading all of these great blogs!

With Love from Bolivia
Andrea Huntzicker

Orphanage #6 IOU

2008-06-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you about an amazing church about 10 km from the third orphanage in the jungle. Villa 14 de Septiembre has most likely the strongest church in the tropics. They have planted several churches themselves and continue to support them. The church has created a Christian radio station that reaches thousands of listeners in the remotest of areas. The congregation, made up of mostly farmers, tithe their crops each and every year and gift them to ministries through out Bolivia. The elder board had approached us awhile back and asked about partnering with us. As we finished the orphanage just up the road they attended the dedication and offered a piece of property behind the church. Because of a few legal issues we opted not to accept their offer and within a week one of the couples from the Church offered us 400 sq mtrs on the main road. Remberto and I decided to meet with the Church last week. When we stopped to speak with them we found that they were at their weekly Bible study and prayer time. We found the location in the jungle and as we approached them down an over grown path I knew immediately this was a Church that loved the Lord. There were nearly thirty members each with their well worn Bibles lying in their laps as they sat on blankets, tree stumps or just in the dirt as I would imagine Jesus and His disciples did. As we visited many of them shared stories of orphaned children that had to be sent to Cochabamba because there were no orphanages in the tropics. God has blessed us with some surplus ministry funds so we will be starting the construction in faith. However, if you would like to consider this project for your Church, youth group, family or business please let us know. We’ve been able to make some changes to the design of the house and keep the construction cost at $20,000 again this year.

2008-06-08T19:36:00.000-07:00

The third orphanage is called "The Palace" by many villagers. It did turn out a little bigger than we expected.

2008-06-08T19:18:00.000-07:00

We had a great opportunity to witness to the village officials and syndicato as they heard our testimonies and love for the orphaned children of their neighborhood. We were blessed with the evangelical president of the tropics and a half dozen local pastors who shared favorite Bible vs and shared their hearts for Jesus.

2008-06-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

The dedication was an amazing time of celebration. We purchased a side of beef and the woman of the church spent all morning preparing a fabulous meal for the community officials and Church members.

Ground Breaking

2008-06-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

We've learned a bit more about patience and to wait upon the Lord. Fleetwood provided the funding to build this home last year and we've been waiting and waiting for the lot lines to be drawn. In the land of "tomorrow" it really is tomorrow! Praise God.

We enjoyed the time of prayer this past month with NPU (North Park University) from Chicago. We were able to bring some of the children from the Villa Israel orphanage to join us. It's amazing to think that God has already identified the children and house parents who will call this place home.

2008-06-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

Hola! My name is Tiffany Du Mez and I arrived in Bolivia about 3 weeks ago. I will be an intern here for the Timmer family through International Teams until December 20^th (My family wants me home for Christmas J ). The day before I left to come to Bolivia I graduated from North Park University, which is where my story begins….

North Park University is a small, liberal arts college on the north side of Chicago, Illinois. NPU prides itself on pushing into big issues including racism, poverty, and other social injustices. Through this, NPU focus’ on taking what we learn in the classroom and bringing it to the ‘real world’: from the classroom to the community. In May of my junior year I took one of the 8 (Appalachia, New Orleans, Alaska, Mexico, Thailand, Zambia are the others) global partnership trips through our University Ministries department. My eyes were opened, my heart was changed, and I had to go back.

After a lot of good byes and even more prayer, I have found myself living in the Hacenda (house on the hill) with the seven other interns. So far, I have seen things I have expected to see, while felt things I could never have imagined. Although each day is a struggle to be away from my family, friends, and mentors the smiles we create, the change we see, and the hope we bring makes each day worth it.

Joys and things I’ve learned:

Always carry toilet paper
Futbol games mean business in South America
Ketchup is International
God is faithful

Prayer requests

I am still very much learning the language (and still will be in December) so I pray that I will be given continued grace with my abilities. And continued growth with my skills.
Continued safety and health. I have been so blessed to not become sick as many around me have and I am very grateful for that.

I think that’s about it. More of my adventures can be found at my own blog (tdumez86.blogspot.com)

Love and blessings

Tiff

New Intern: Kim Bishop

2008-05-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody! My name is Kim and I am from Weare, New Hampshire. I am 20 years old and going into my sophmore year of college at Liberty University in Virginia.
So where to begin writing my story is always the hardest part. Do I start with what first brought me to Bolivia or go even farther back to what brought me into missions? I guess the beginning is always best...
I was first introduced to ¨missions¨ and ¨missionaries¨ at a Christian summer camp when I was about 9. It sounds young, but that´s where the spark began. Since then I traveled a lot with my family which grew a love for traveling and I saw my parent´s relationship with Christ which encouraged me to grow deeper in love with my Savior. All of these things mixed together in highschool to make me want to do missions trips when the opportunities were provided. My first missions trip was 10 days in Ukraine during my freshman year of highschool. I absolutely loved it. I returned during my junior year and did another trip to Mississippi with my school during my senior year. These 3 trips confirmed my passion for missions, yet I was unsure how that would turn out when I went to college.
Bolivia came into the picture when my church decided to begin missions trips here and ironically my dad was the first person to come here and ¨scout it out¨ for my church. He fell in love with the place and I continued to hear more through the missions trips that followed. I just decided to plan a trip here with a friend and all the details came together!
So far my time here has been challenging and so amazing at the same time. I am only here for another 11 days, which will turn out to be almost a month in total, yet I can tell already that I will have to be back!

New Intern: Elaina DeStefano

2008-05-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hi my name is Elaina DeStefano, I am 18 years old and from New Hampshire. This is my first time in South America , and working with Iteams, and God has been very good since my time here! I go to Liberty University in Virginia, and next year I will be a sophmore. In attending Liberty Univeristy I have already seen a growth in my faith, and I love how Liberty pushes you to continue to grow in your realtionship with christ. My first experience with missions in another country was when I was a junior in high school. I got the amazing opportuntiy to go, along with other juniors around New England to the Dominican Republic. I was there for 10 days, and that trip really opened my eyes to how many things could be done to help God´s people, there just needed to be poeple willing to do them. Since than I have been to Uganda as well, and each of these experiences have made me want to continue to do missions even more. I am here in Bolivia for about two more weeks (all together it will be a month). Interning has been really good so far, and it has also allowed me to experince true Bolivian culture! I have already developed a heart for the people here, and I am sure I speak for the rest of the interns when I say we all have. It is my prayer that God can use all of us in anyway he sees fit to bring glory to His name, and bring love to His people.

Interview with Michelle.

2008-05-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

This week we are going to highlight Michelle!!! Michelle will be leaving us in a week. We’re super sorry to see her go, but we know this is how God wants it…for now at least.

I took a few minutes on the bus to ask Michelle some questions about her experiences here and how God brought her here.

Michelle is from California. She accepted Christ at age 6 after hearing about God´s power to change Saul´s life, she then realized that if God could change Saul´s life and use him so greatly that surely he could use her too.

She has a BA from Biola University in Intercultural Studies and a minor in Bible. She explained to me that all that she learned there gave her more of an insight into missions and God’s heart for the nations. She has a love for Mexico and explained how her involvement with Tijuana Ministries (Mexico) grew her love for Hispanics, their language and ministry with them. Tijuana Ministries was an every other weekend trip where they would go to a battered women’s shelter of sorts. They spent time building relationships with the women, doing VBS with the kids, and basically just helping them get back on their feet.

Michelle shared that her favorite thing here is tutoring the kids. She enjoys spending time with the kids, and feels that it’s very rewarding to watch the kids progress. (Side note: the kids she tutors got their evaluations back yesterday and did very well. Go Michelle!!) She also feels as though her eyes have been opened a lot to the poor and their needs.

She confesses that the first thing she’s going to eat when she gets back to California is some authentic Mexican food…mainly just the frijoles, though!!

One life change that Michelle has learned here and feels that she will maintain when she gets back to the states is patience!!

We LOVE this girl and know that God will use her no matter where she is in this great big world!

Person of the Week!

2008-05-07T09:16:00.000-07:00

Martha Telleria ....

is a very important person in the Villa Israel home. She is Lizeth´s mother and she is also a huge help to the home. Martha lives next door to this orphanage and each day comes to cook and clean as a way to help out Lizeth and Charlie. Martha is also a help in teaching the children how to live the the way of the Lord.

How she got started being apart of this home:

Martha was building her home at the same time the Villa Israel was being built right next door. She met Mike and the International Teams staff this way. It was through Martha that Lizeth and Charlie heard about the opportunity to serve as house parents. Martha was also excited in the idea that she too might have the opportunity to work with orphans.

Martha has always had a heart for children. Her and her husband have 4 of their own. Lizeth is the oldest with two other sisters, and the youngest is a 3yr. old boy. Five years ago Martha also had the pleasure of looking after a young baby girl from Brazil and caring for her as she was her own. The mother was here in Cochabamba and gave her to Martha because she said she could not care for her. She looked after this little one from the time she was 5 mos to 3 years old. The child then developed a health problem and she had to give her up to those who could care for her more properly. This really grew her desire to work with needy children.

One of the pleasures she says of working with these children is to see them grow up. She also wants to see them grow in the fear of the Lord. This is a pleasure and it is also a challenge she says and a huge responsibilty she feels blessed to have.

Please pray for Martha as she works to make a difference for these children! Thank you!

Barnabas's from Bedford

2008-05-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

Kristen here, just wanted to give you a little update on what’s going on for us interns.

Michelle and Jaclyn are winding down their stay here, but are not any less passionate or dedicated to their work. Finish strong! That’s what I always say. We’ll have four more girls joining us next week. Two from North Park University and two from New Hampshire (they’re associated with the church Bedford that was just here).

Matt and Elsa (the couple that arrived from Chicago about two months ago) just started a bible study and dinner night with us interns at their house. That’s been an amazing time of fellowship, learning and sharing struggles. What an answer to prayer!

Last week we had a team from Bedford Church (BCC) in New Hampshire. (Check out their blog if you want to read more about their experiences here).

We did a lot of things while they were here as far as visiting the orphanages, malnutrition center, going to a futbol game, up to the Cristo, doing a bread run to Sipe Sipe, visiting the Incan Ruins, visiting the center and doing some work projects there. It was a VERY busy week, but we loved it! I personally, and I think ALL of the interns, were incredibly encouraged by this team. They challenged us in our relationship with God, offered a new perspective to the ministry we are doing here which sometimes starts to feel…well, a little monotonous, and spoiled us. When they left they just encouraged us in what we were doing, challenged us to grow in our walks with God and even left some parting gifts (a new radio for the hacienda). We were floored!! This church that they come from has been a big supporter of the ministry here for years and plans to continue to be committed for the long haul. They're an inspiration to us all!

And while I know that the house parents, the kids, and the Timmers were all encouraged by this team, we interns were especially thankful for this team of Barnabas’s. ("Son of Encouragement". See Acts 4, 11-13).

New Intern-Adrian Nickols

2008-04-20T11:51:00.000-07:00

Monday we received a new intern, Adrian Nickols from Tasmania, Austrailia. His home city is Hobart, Tasmania. Adrian is 26 years old. He will be with us here in Cochabamba for 4 months, and will then join another team in Ecuador through International Teams.

Before coming to Bolivia Adrian worked for three years as a Business Analyst through the Tasmanian government Dept. of Health and Human Services. Adrian came to Bolivia because he desired to take a break from work but also to give back to those in need in a different part of the world. He says he desires to learn about a different culture and to make a difference in these kids lives here, even though he is only here a short time. One of his good memories from this last week was when we watched the kids for the house parents of the Muyurina home for a couple hours while they spent time with Nathan and Kate Spies. We watched Toy Story and ate pansitos (really good bread) and Coca-Cola!

Here are some more fun facts about Adrian:
His favorite food is: Chicken Parmasen
Sport: Cricket
Fav. Team: Sydney Swans (football)

Thank you for your prayers for Adrian as he adjusts to life and work here. Also, please pray for Justin Barrett, as he went home to Texas this morning after being here 11 months. Please pray for his adjustment back home.

HOUSE PARENTS OF VILLA ISRAEL

2008-04-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

(Charlie and Lizeth pictured with Miguel at his Birthday party two months ago)

Since we have been interviewing all the children from both homes, we figured it would be good for all of you to know who the house parents are. The house parents of the Villa Israel Home are:

Charlie and Lizeth Lamas Rivera

This young couple are the loving house parents to 7 children currenly living in this home. Charlie will be 24 years old on April 22nd, and Lizeth is 20 years old. Her Birthday is Sept. 16th. Charlie and Lizeth have been married a little over a year and half and have a baby of their own named Andrea. Charlie is currenly in school working on his Master´s Degree in Micro-Biology. He would like to work in a laboratory when he finishes. He enjoys doing medical research. Lizeth has been a Christian for 12 years and met the Lord through her Christian family. When she met Charlie, her and her family ended up leading him to the Lord!

Charlie and Lizeth have been house parents to this home for 8 months, since it´s beginning last August. They learned about the opening to be house parents through Lizeth´s mother who actually lives next door to the property. These house parents consider their job here as a blessing.They say it is a great opportunity to teach these children about the things of the Lord and to instill in them what a Christian family should look like.

One of the things Lizeth says was hard when they first started working with these children was that many of them came from hard family situations. They carried a lot of baggage with them and this affected how they would behave. For example, some of the children used to tell her that they wanted to leave. They would also give them a hard time about going to church and would just play in church as well when they did go. Now she says it is such a blesssing because their home is like a family. The children call her and Charlie Mom and Dad. She says as a whole they act like a family and also do things as a family like going places and eating meals together. Now she says the children do not want to leave, but consider this their home.

Thank you for your prayers for Charlie and Lizeth as they have a huge responsiblity to raise these beautiful children.

-Michelle Anthony

AIM World Racers go to the Chapare

2008-04-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

We went out with the World Racers to Remberto´s site for about a week and a half. We worked sooo hard and I hope you can tell!! Here´s some pictures of what we accomplished and some other random pictures of us working and goofing around with the chickens and kids!! We held a kids service one night at the church. It was a great experience! One of the girls from the team also organized a love offering for Remberto. We ended up raising about $90 USD to show our appreciation for the way he took such great care of us and to show our support of he and his family. He truly modeled an attitude of Christ in how he put us before himself every single day. He´s an inspiration to us all!

House Update

2008-04-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last week a couple of folks headed down to Puerto, and these are the latest photos of: Elsa and some kids in front of the church, a bunch of people staring at a poisonous snake on the ground, the progress of the home, and Josaiah, Alejandro´s son!

ERLAN our Child of the Week

2008-04-13T11:49:00.000-07:00

Our last Child of the Week for Villa Israel is the precious and youngest child, Erlan de la Fuente.

Erlan is a quiet kid, but who is always ready to give a hug and a smile when you walk in the door. He is a blessing to have in this home. His sweet spirit is an encouragement everytime I come. Erlan has 3 brothers who live at the home with him who I wrote about earlier. Their names are (oldest to youngest) Jhoel, Brandon and Samuel. Erlan is 4 years old. We aren´t sure of his exact birthday date. He will be entering into school next year.

When I asked Erlan what was his favorite thing to do, he said it was to have classes with Justin and Jaclyn (who take turns tutoring him). He also enjoys helping Lizeth the house Mom around the house with chores. Since Erlan recieved a Bible for Christmas, he very often asked his house-parents or us interns to read him a story from the Bible. He already loves God´s word!

Her are some other fun facts about Erlan:

Favorite color: Orange

Favorite Food: Rice!

Sport: Soccer

Another fav. activity: Loves to hear stories from the Bible

Wants to be: a teacher

Thank you for your prayers and support for Erlan and the other children in this home :)

SAMUEL- Child of the Week

2008-03-20T10:47:00.000-07:00

Samuel de La Fuente

Samuel is 6 years old and is a delight to be around. Samuel is brother to Jhoel, Brandon and Erlan in this home as well. He always has a smile on his face and very joyful.

Samuel has his birthday soon on April 2nd. He is in Kindergarden at this time. He is learning his numbers and colors. His favorite parts about school is eating breakfast there and playing. Kristen (the newest intern) has been tutoring Samuel lately. They are studying reading and addition. Kristen says she loves working with him because he is so easy going and easy to teach. Outside of school he likes to color.

When Samuel gets older he wants to be a painter.

Thank you for your prayers for Samuel and the other children at this home.

Newest Intern KP

2008-03-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Why hello there,

My name is Kristen. I’m the newest intern here. I’m from good ol’ OH-I-O. I love it there. I graduated from Cleveland State University in May of 07 with a Bachelor’s in Spanish. I’m from a big family, which kind of prepared me for this opportunity here in Bolivia with IOU (as did the Spanish degree!). My family now lives in Texas and they’re a bunch of fun, beautiful, godly people who had a profound influence on my life and my relationship with Jesus and others.

So far my favorite thing here is tutoring. Who knew?! For me it’s really rewarding to see the kids learning and I get to spend some quality one on one time… This picture is of me and Samuel at Villa Israel.

So…yeah. I guess that’s all for now.

Have a fantastic day!!

Kristen

BRANDON- ¨Child of the Week¨

2008-03-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

BRANDON

(Brandon and I (Michelle) pictured )

Brandon de la Fuente is brother to Jhoel, Samuel and Herlan, who also live at the home in Villa Israel. Brandon is an easy going kid, who I (Michelle) have had the privilage of tutoring since my time here in Sept. 07. Brandon is about 8 years old. Some things he enjoys doing are coloring, drawing, reading the Bible (someone reading to him), and doing his homework from school. He also enjoys helping with chores around the house. His favorite sport is Soccer. Brandon just started the first grade about a month ago. He is learning to read and to add and subtract. When he grows up he wants to be a policeman.

Thank you for your support! Please pray for Brandon this week for his new school experience, that he would learn to read and write well, and for his future. Thank you so much.

Pictures!!

2008-02-28T07:32:00.000-08:00

Kristen, here. Just wanted to put up some new pictures of our stay in the Chapare so you all can see the progress. This is the orphanage... (side view)

And this is what we worked on. Scrubbing bricks!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

GOOD WORK KIDS!!

Happy Birthday Miguel

2008-02-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

Well, we started this week by trying to get out to Villa Israel. Now, it wouldn´t seem to be that big of a challenge, but the awesomeness of Bolivia is that when people are mad about something, they start blocking roads. So we couldn´t get out there until Monday night. Which ended up working out incredibly well. We went to go celebrate the birthday of Miguel. Now it may not seem like much, but we brought a cake and that nice set of clothes you see him wearing in the picture. He was so shy about it all, and it was such a sweet sight to see. Oh, a cool observation about Bolivia. I have noticed that birthdays will often have a religious bit almost every time. This time Lizzette prayed thanking God for Miguel, who turned seven, and then Miguel got a chance to pray. After the festivities had died down, we started to talk to the parents about school schedules and when we could come visit. Come to find out, half the kids have school in the morning, and the other half will have school in the afternoon. So we took a group picture with all the kids thinking that we might not have that chance again, and headed out.

We came back the next afternoon, and that house was a completely different place. I don´t even know why. It could be that half the kids were at school, or it could be that the kids we were working with had calmed down in school. But either way, it was amazing! We each got to work with a kid in a one-on-one situation. I´m looking forward to these times we get to go play at Villa Israel.

In other news, the Center has been pretty low on number the past couple of times we have been there. Again, we could complain about this, but I have loved it! We have gotten a handful of kids to love on, and we are now able to focus on these guys. Building strong relationships was not exactly as possible with tons of kids running around demanding attention. Now we just kind of chill, and we get to just relax and spend quality time with the kids God brings us.

Prayer Requests: We are still hashing out the scheduling of our week now that school has started. I pray that we will be wise with the time God has given us and that we will be sensitive to the opportunities God gives us. Also, we are entering our team season... which means that the number of people living in our house will increase dramatically. Please pray that I will have patience.

Oh yeah, last night I got my first hair cut in Bolivia....

Remberto´s Testimony

2008-02-23T09:05:00.000-08:00

Justin, Kristen (new intern) and I (Michelle) had the chance to travel and work in Chapare with Remberto´s family this month. During this time we learned more about Remberto and how he came to know the Lord and how he started to work and build orphanages for Internatinal Teams. Please sit back and enjoy this great story....

Remberto started to work for Mike Timmer about 5 years ago. A friend of his was also working for him and that´s how he met Mike. He decided to take on a project for a few weeks to start and see how it went. At the time Remberto was thinking about moving to another country in South America in order to make more money.

After his first project, Mike asked him to work on the Muyurina
Orphanage, which was the first orphanage built here in Cochabamba through International Teams. At the time Remberto was not a Christian, but a Catholic who did not have a relationship with Christ. Mike would talk to him about the Lord, but Remberto didn´t really want anything to do wtih Chrsitianity since all he knew of Christians was them telling Catholics how bad they were. His perception of Christianity was not one of love, but of harsh judgement.

During their time working together, Mike started to pray for Remberto´s salvation.

After the first orphanage, Remberto was asked to help on home #2 in Villa Israel. It was during the time of building this home that Remberto started to open his heart to the things of the Lord. He started to observe the Christian workers and to ask more questions about Christianity.

During this time Bonnie would ask Remberto about his salvation but he would just say he was not ready to become a Christian.

After awhile, Rembeto started to go to Cochabamba International Church with the Timmers. After two years of working with this family, one day Bonnie asked him again if he would like to recieve Christ, and he said he was ready.

Remberto´s ministry of building a home in Chapare started about a year ago. He now works with his brothers and a friend. There have also been many short term teams and interns come in to help with this home. We hope to have the house completed by mid-April to beginning of May.

There is a church on the same property as the new home in Chapare. It is the hope that this church will have a big part in the spiritual development of the orphans there. Remberto is a leader in this church and has had a big part in preparing the members to receive these orphans into their congregation and lives.

Please pray for Remberto and his team as they strive to finish this home, and for the church as well.

Pray requests for Remberto:
1. His wife is expecting a baby very soon but needs a c-section. Please pray for a safe and healthy delivery.
2. Direction for Remberto after this project.
3. Remberto would really like the funds to buy a truck in order to haul small teams and supplies back and forth to the work sites.

MIGUEL- "Child of the Week"

2008-01-31T08:45:00.000-08:00

MIGUEL ANGEL CHOQUE

Miguel, who is six years old, and lives in the Villa Israel home is our child of the week. Miguel is a joy to work with. He is an easy going kid, who enjoys the company of others. Miguel´s brother Roberto (who was last week´s child of the week) also lives in this home. Miguel is currenly in tutoring with Jaclyn, one of the interns here now. Right now Miguel is studying his alphabet, basic math, reading, his colors and basic English.

Here are some other fun facts about MIGUEL:

Favorite food: Sandwich

Brothers and Sisters: Roberto, Jackie, and Evelyn

Likes: To paint, play video games and transformers.

Favorite Color: Orange

When Miguel gets older he wants to be: A Professor

Thank you for your support and prayers which help Miguel and the other children at this home learn more about the Lord and grow in their character as well!

ROBERTO-"Child of the Week"

2008-01-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

Roberto Fernandez (right)is this weeks "Child of the Week" at Villa Israel Orphanage.

Brandon, Michelle, Roberto (left) (tuturing class)

I (Michelle) have had the pleasure of working with Roberto for the last 4 months in tuturing each week. As of now, I am working with Robeto in reading, double and triple digit addition, and subtraction. We will soon move into multiplication. One of the joys of working with him has been seeing his academic and personal development. When I first came to work with him, it would be so hard to get him motivated. We would start on a project and he (without even trying) would say ¨no puedo¨ (I can´t). He would also shut off every few minutes and not respond to anything I said. Now this is rare for him, and he is so much more motivated to work during our tuturing session. He also is developing in his reading. Roberto can read, but he is a bit slow at it. So I have him read to me during our time. I also give him a book to read for the week and the next week we exchange it for another. He now loves to read and try to see if he can do it on his own. Roberto is usually very cheerful and happy. He is a fun kid, who likes to joke around and enjoys the company of others.

Here are some fun facts about Roberto:

Birthday: March 24

Siblings: Roberto has one brother (Miguel) who lives with him at the home, and two sisters who do not.

Likes: He enjoys drawing and painting.

Color: Favorite color is red.

Favorite thing in school: Art projects

Grade in School: 2nd.

Passing Time: Likes to hang out with friends and neighbors who live nearby

2008-01-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

Last week, we went to summer camp, and I will say that it was far better than I expected. It was a great time to learn about the Bolivian culture, practice some Spanish, and make some friends. The camp was pretty good size and had 700 people there from all parts of Bolivia and even other countries. We met people from Sucre, Santa Cruz, Chile, Argentina, and of course Cochabamba. And it was so cool to see how God provided for us. To start off, we left on the morning of a blockade, which I was under the impression that you don´t cross blockades with a car much less a bus. But we approached the blockades, and every time, they would decide to move the cars and let us pass on our way to camp. It was amazing. And God continued to work through the rest of the week by providing people that we could understand easily, friends quickly, and when we couldn´t understand we were never far from someone that could translate. That was definitely a first in Bolivia. And on the last night, there was a banquet, and we got to see what a formal event looked like for Bolivians. All in all, I would say it was an amazing experience. So glad we opted to go.

JHOEL- ¨Child of the Week¨

2008-01-13T12:22:00.000-08:00

JHOEL at Villa Israel Orphanage.

Jhoel has three brothers who live with him at the orphanage, Erlan (4), Samuel (6), and Brandon (8). He also has a baby brother who does not live at the home,but with his mother, and another brother on the way. Jhoel has been at this orphanage for a few months now and is really starting to feel that this is his home. Jhoel, being the oldest of all the children before Anna arrived, has a true leadership position among the rest of the kids. Jhoel is leadership material, and has become an example for the rest of the children at Villa Isreal.

Here are some interesting and fun facts about Jhoel:

He enjoys coloring, playing soccer and other sports, and watching movies. Something Jhoel really enjoys doing is visiting other places like parks or the public pool, which Nate and Kate have taken them to a couple times. He enjoys getting out. He also enjoys going to the Cancha (the outside market here) with his house parents and helping to purchase food or supplies for the house.

Jhoel is 10 years old and his birthday is March 27th.
He will be entering the 3rd Grade in February when he starts school.
Jhoel is studying addition, subtration, English and writing with Justin. His favorite subject in school is writing.
His favorite color is red.
His favorite food is asado (a type of meat).
When Jhoel gets older, he wants to work in a bank as a teller.

Please pray for Jhoel as he enters school next month, for his growth in the knowledge of the Lord, and that he would use his leadership abilities for the good in the house and outside as well.

Video!!

2008-01-03T06:43:00.000-08:00

ANA- Child of the Week

2007-12-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

ANA TORREZ is the newest member of the Villa Israel Home so we chose her as our child of the week this time.

Some things to know about ANA: she is 12 years old, and her bithday comes very soon, January 11th. She says she will be going into the 2nd grade when school starts. Ana enjoys reading and writing in school. She enjoys playing, coloring, watching TV, and sleeping. Her favorite colors are blue and pink.

Ana has 8 brothers and sisters. She says this is her first time in Cochabamba and is from a town called Yayawa. Please be in prayer for Ana as she adjusts to her new home and her new siblings and parents.

Even after 23 years of marriage...

2007-12-17T18:05:00.000-08:00

Date night for me and my beautiful bride.

...every now and then a kiss!

2007-12-17T18:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Grace...

2007-12-17T18:00:00.000-08:00

Gracey turns four. Seen here with her boy friend Luis.

Thanks Giving at the Timmers

2007-12-17T17:55:00.000-08:00

Bonnie is amazing and no holiday shows her God given gifts better than Thanks Giving.

2007-12-17T17:50:00.000-08:00

The last of the walls. A week away from the roof.

JHOSELIN- ¨Child of the Week¨

2007-12-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

JHOSELIN is our child of the week at Villa Israel.

Here is a bit about JHOSELIN: Jhoselin came to Villa Israel orphanage a few months ago. She is from Cochabamaba. She is 7 years old and her Birthday is February 7th. She has two brothers, who unfortunately do not live at the orphanage with her. She enjoys coloring, and her favorite color is purple. She likes dogs and cats. Her favorite food is baked chicken. She hopes to one day be a dentist. Jhoselin has been studying with Justin, one of the interns here each week and is preparing for school which starts in February.

Child of the Week -#1

2007-12-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

Each week we will be posting a ¨child of the week¨from the Muyurina and Villa Israel Orphanages, so you can learn more about each individual child. Our first from Villa Israel is

JHOSELIN, who up to this week has been the only girl at this orphanage.

Jhoselin is from Cochabamba. She is 7 years old. Her Birthday is the 7th of February. She has two brothers who do not live with her at the orphanage. Jhoselin´s favorite color is purple and her favorite food is baked chicken. She enjoys drawing and painting. Her favorite animals are dogs and cats. She hopes one day to be a dentist.

Playing and Working

2007-12-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

Last week, I got to go out to Romberto´s site and hang out with them for a week. I took some pretty cool pictures of us playing around. Oh yeah, we did some work on throwing the concrete on the walls as well!

Update in November

2007-11-29T08:55:00.000-08:00

Michelle here. No I haven´t written anything yet since being here. Guess I don´t know what I should write! But I shall....

Jaclyn and I are stomach sick right now. We had a marvelous dinner Sunday night at our Spanish teacher´s home, ever since then we can´t eat! I know you wanted to know about that!

Tuesday, Justin went off to Chapare to help out with the work out there. Tuesday was also his Birthday, and we celebrated Saturday night by going out to eat and having ice-cream! Justin should be out there until next Thursday or Friday.

We are really enjoying our time at the Muyurina Orpahnage that is near us. Everytime we go we are encouraged and love playing and tutoring the kids there.

We are still painting/putting protective stuff on the walls at Villa Israel. We have also had some challenges lately with the children there. We were left to watch them the other day, and were a bit disappointed with the children´s additudes towards us. Though this is all apart of the kids adjustment to the homes they are in- including learning discipline and respect for others. This is a prayer request! Also, please pray for wisdom in how to prepare these kids for school in February, which for many of them it will be their first time in school.

Finally , we enjoyed a great dinner at the Timmer´s for Thanksgiving. They were kind enough to have us over when we don´t have our own families with us.

2007-11-15T08:58:00.000-08:00

The other day Justin and Jaclyn took two of the kids from the Zona Frutillar orphanage over to the center. It gave them the opportunity to get out of the house, hang out with us, and meet new kids at the center! Unfortunately, Michelle was feeling under the weather so she stayed back at the hacienda to rest. Their summer break is approaching until January, so any opportunity to get them out of the house we wish to take it! The kids had such a blast riding in the trufi´s as well as making some new friends at the center! We are planning on going to Muyurina twice a week to tutor and hang out, whereas before we were only going once a week.

We have not gone to baby washing for the past 3 Saturdays, but it will resume this Saturday. Justin and Michelle are excited to start back up with it as Jaclyn is excited for her first time to experience baby washing in Plaza Principal. We also hope to finish our painting project tomorrow at Villa Israel, which we are looking forward to finishing! The hacienda is a little bare besides the three of us and our dead little mouse friend that we found in our living room the other day! That happens to be the third mouse that has lost his life at the hacienda! Please continue to pray for energy and guidance as we continue to love and pour into these kids for Christ through tutoring and play time! Until next time...

Even More Pictures

2007-11-15T06:52:00.000-08:00

Steven did a great job with updating us on the construction, but we have a couple of more pictures to add!

And We Have Walls!!

2007-11-15T06:39:00.000-08:00

This just in! Pictures of the construction in the jungle. They have walls!!!

Bicycle Diaries

2007-11-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

Along with giving the kids at Villa Israel a playground, they also recently recieved a bike. And oh how they enjoy that bike. They even tried to ride it through the house, but Marta, the housekeeper, put a stop to that quite quickly. Whenever we go over there, someone is almost always on the bike. It is amazing what we took for granted as children. I don´t think I would have been that excited about a bike for that long. But they love it, and we love that they get to spend that energy so enjoyably.

Living in Coch!

2007-11-08T05:41:00.000-08:00

Wow, Steven had done a good job of updating this page... but sadly he has left us. He has gone back to Canada, and we are all... (it is quite tempting here to insert some idea that conveys happiness, but in all honest we are...) sad. But life goes on, and we are having a good time in Cochabamba. We spend much of our time playing with kids and the rest of our work time is devoted to painting. Twice a week at each orphanage, and twice a week at the center is enough to wear anyone out. We have started to learn our way around on the trufi system, and we have learned to keep our eyes wide open to see where we can go by what bus. Other than that, Justin and Michelle are in the Christmas drama at church, and Jaclyn is getting settled. Yeah, that´s all of us. It is quite a change from the summer crew of at least ten if not up to twenty.
We have also been able to host a couple of families as they come on a vision trip, and we got to inroduce Kim, a new long term missionary, to the joys of Bolivia.

Camp Week!!!

2007-11-08T05:05:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, around 50 high school kids came to Villa Israel to paint, finish up the playground, and do a Backyard Bible Club for our kids and the kids that live nearby. It was fun to see the kids get out and interact with other ¨adults¨ than just the IOU staff. What a job those girls had! They needed to keep the kids out of the house for three hours, and I´d say they did a good job overall! While the kids were playing, other students were painting the inside and the outside of the house and putting together the rest of the playground. Now, the kids have monkey-bars and two swings in their backyard. We also brought them a bike, and surprisingly it has been a big hit with the older boys.
A bit of sad news, Sandra and Paula were taken away by their parents, and we were all quite sad to see them leave us. We also had Miguel and Roberto´s older sister Jaclyn with us, but she was not able to stay as well. So now, Jhoselyn is the only girl in the house, and she is handling that quite well!
Other than camp and the change in the family, we have been there around four times a week cleaning up and just playing with the kids. It has been a blast!

Last Post

2007-11-02T15:09:00.000-07:00

WOW! Looking at the last post here in the IOU Bolivia Interns, was September 20, 2007.
As of right now I only have a matter of 4 days left in Cochabamba to return home. You may ask me if I´m excited to head home, well the answer is, yes and no. Yes because I haven´t seen my family and friends for a good 6 months, but no because I´ll be missing my family and friends here in Cochabamba. After this, I´m able to see my family and friends everyday for the rest of my life, or at least a majority of my life but the Timmers and the interns, no idea!
Definitely been a long journey and quite an amazing one, opportunities given to me, making new friends, being closer with the Timmers, getting to see more interns and the huge progress of IOU, it just makes me smile but comes November 6, I don´t think that I´ll be smiling anymore saying goodbye one last time to Bolivia, well at least hopefully not one last time.
I don´t know what to expect because I´ve waited a really long time and can´t believe the 6 months is up. The Lord has provided so much and I´m thankful for that. I pray that IOU will continue to do the work that God has called each and every single member of IOU to do and that God will provide them their needs. And of course to one day expand to other countries or territories.
God Bless each and every single one of you.
Dios De Bendiga (I hope that how you say God Bless You)

Final Stay

2007-11-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Leaving on November 6, 2007, I knew for sure that I needed to go back to one of the worksites at least once more before I head back home, and I did not know what to expect from our boss. I was hoping that for the whole month of October that I would be in Chapare but once October 1 came, I knew that it wasn´t going to happen, and a week had gone by, and still no words on when I´m heading back to the jungles. I was sad, sort of frustrated but a week later, at church Mike brought me the awesome news of Remberto coming to Cochabamba for a couple of hours tomorrow that I should get ready and stay in Chapare for 2 weeks, and I thought to myself, it´s ok that I´m staying for 2 weeks because I would´ve been really sad if I didn´t get a chance to say my goodbyes to Remberto. The next day, I was ready to head out and Mike had told me, that there´ll be sections of the roof that needs to be painted before putting them on top of the orphanage that I should be careful and it´ll be my project for the time being there. That is exactly what I did for actually 1.5 weeks there and finished early.Remberto and I had called Mike a few days before my departure, and the good/bad news came in, where he would not be able to pick me up because of the camp week going on at his daughters´school, so I didn´t know when I´d be going back to Cochabamba. Later on Remberto told me another week because of the camp week. The good news was staying for an extra week, the bad was that I was running out of clothes to wear and the insects were getting at me more.Throughout my time there, seeing the progress that´s been made, it´s been a huge relief because the weather was hard for Remberto and his workers to work in; one day would be raining hard for 5 hours straight and the next day would be sun, for the next 5 days and then rain hard again.After another call to Mike before the day of my departure, I asked him when he would be here and he told me actually another 2 more days, so I waited and when the day came, he didn´t come as he told me again the next day for sure. Got picked up and the total of time spent in Chapare this time was 3.5 weeks.I´m so thankful that God has given me so many blessings and opportunities here and there. My prayers go out to Remberto, his workers and his family that they´ll continue to work efficiently everyday in Chapare. It´s definitely been great spending a total of 2 months, within the 6 times I´ve been in Chapare, and Mike, if you´re reading this, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!! Everytime I look at my Chapare pictures, I´ll remind myself that it was you who gave the go for me to head to Chapare, that I might have been frustrated when week 3 came of Chapare came, but I´m not, I´m actually really thankful. THANK YOU!!!

Beginnings

2007-10-17T15:01:00.000-07:00

Fleetwood Orphanage property

Fleetwood Group is an amazing company located in Holland, Michigan. They
produce some of the finest wireless electronics and educational furniture
but that's not what makes them amazing. They are Christ center and
employee owned. Willing missionaries; not enough funding. That was the
unusual backdrop to the beginning of the Fleetwood story.

Norwood Hubbell founded Fleetwood in 1955 with two inspirations:

First, he was convinced God had called him to lead a company that would
provide funding for missionaries struggling to get the financial
assistance they needed.

Second, he had a great product idea - mobile educational furniture.
True to their calling fifty years later Fleetwood remains convinced they
are called to take a Christ-centered approach to business.

Diane Suits an employee/owner at Fleetwood asked us to share with the
Fleetwood's mission committee what International Orphanage Union was doing
in Bolvia. One month later they asked if they could fund the construction
of our fifth orphanage. We serve an amazing God!