First full week!

My name is Carrie..i arrived in cochabamba last wednesday july 18 to work as an intern for the timmers. so far my time here as been an adventure! when i first arrived we pretty much went straight to the jungle to work with the interns and team that were already there. that thursday we concreted the bottom floor of one of the orphanages being built. everyone worked very hard all day and i didn´t hear one person complain which is truly amazing! we came back from the jungle on friday. saturday we went to mt. tunari and the team did a vbs with the san miguel village. it was so beautiful out there and the people seemed really interested in what everyone had to say. it was a very surreal moment to have some one from the team speak in english then mallory timmer translate to spanish and then a man there translate that to ketchua? that afternoon we went to the baby washing on the town square. other stuff that i have been blessed to be part of is going to both of the orphanages that are up and going and to the center an afternoon program for children. i can really see the Lord working in the lives of not only the bolivians but everyone who comes here to serve Him. the timmers have such a heart for the children of bolivia and it has been so encouraging to me to see their obedience to what the Lord has called them to!

HASTA LUEGO INTERNS!!!

GOODBYE TO SOME GREAT INTERNS!!!
The Hacienda has been pretty quiet lately once 5 interns left (Joli, Ashley, Laura, Justin and Scott). They have been such a great blessing to the ministry here in Bolivia and in my life. They´ve taught me a lot with their testimonies, their actions and their encouraging words. During our group prayer, one thing that I mentioned was that, during mission trips, everything is great except for saying goodbye to those you love the most because you don´t know when´s the next time you´ll see these amazing people again. We will definitely see each other in Heaven because we know that God has saved us all a spot in Heaven, but not sure about seeing each other again in Heaven.
Seeing interns come and go is really tough, even for teams that are amazing because you just wonder how God picks these specific people to come to Bolivia.
Just recently, a team had just dropped by for a week and a half and they´ve been such a blessing also. Mike and I both mentioned that they were our favorite team because of their willingness to help and being flexible with everything. Out of the 5 teams I´ve seen so far, they have definitely been the best on my life.
It has definitely been great getting to know my brothers and sisters and I pray that throughout their time here, God has been changing them and molding them into the person that He wants them to be. I also pray that the fire inside of their heart would keep burning for God. Let me re-phrase that, instead of a fire burning for God like a small fire burning on a candle, their passion for God should be like flames burning in a house.

Day 5...I'm sorry your party cannot be reached...

They made it to the jungle. More when we can find a computer.

Sipe Sipe and the Incas-Day 4

Hey friends,
Monday we were blessed with the Haagenson family. We were rather hard on them as we ran from the airport to the guest house and only gave them time to brush their teeth before we loaded back into the truck...and I mean loaded. Sixteen of us in an extended jeep Toyota Land Cruiser proved too much for one of our tires and we blew ten feet from where I wanted to park anyways. We serve an awesome God!

A "Bread Run" in the impoverished village of Sipe Sipe means handing out hundreds of pieces of bread and fruit to the children and often parents in the poor village. We were able to draw a small crowd in the market as we sang of our love for Jesus. At the same time a pagan festival was in full swing a few blocks away with elaberate costumes and although it was morning many men were already drunk on the cheap corn wiskey called Chicha. Our small crowd heard Thomas tesimony as told by Deb in full costume and character. The salvation bracelets were handed out afterwards.

Back in (and on top of) the truck for the hour ride up the mountain to visit the Inca ruins called Inkaraki. It was a lovely time of fellowship and picnic sharing the beautiful view of God's handy work in the Andes Mountains.

Day 3

Hey friends,
Happy Sunday! We loved sharing our church with the team. They were able to worship in Spanish and English. We had a great message from the book of Joshua. After church we visited the largest statue of Jesus in the world. Some of the more ambitious people climbed the 2000+ stairs. The more intelligent ones road up in the car and walked up 200 stairs. A lovely lunch at the house followed by our testimony was the perfect day of fellowship. Our six interns are preparing the meal tonight at the guest house for your loved ones; I'll let you know tomorrow how it turned out.
Chau for now,
Mike

Mosaic Team Day 2

Hola friends and family from the Mosaic Mission Team to Bolivia,

They were all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning when I picked them up; and its a good thing because we were on the move all day. Please forgive me for not putting photos on the blog the camera I borrowed didn't work with my USB cable. We'll add extra photos tomorrow.

We left emmediatly for the 2nd home, Villa Israel Orphanage. What a hub of activity as the team began to clean the paint spatter off the ceramic tile. We were able to paint the kitchen ceiling, finish the varnish sealant on the walls, re-paint the staircase hand rail and repair the doorbell all while entertaining the new resident brothers. Joel, Brandon, Samuel and Erlan, 9,7,5 and 3 years old respectfully were really excited to have visitors. By their happy faces its hard to believe they've only been in our orphanage for three days.

After lunch we paid a little visit to La Concha, our giant open air market, said to be the largest in the world. The group was able to purchase a few momentos of Bolivia. The team also had it on their hearts to use some of their extra funds to purchase a wash machine for the new orphanage. So we rushed back to the orphanage to drop this wonderfully generous gift.

We raced to the central plaza where we introduced the team to Baby Washing. A wonderful ministry that meets every Saturday to provide warm baths and fresh clothing to all the children of the homeless mothers in Cochabamba. In addition to the baths mothers are offered the opportunity to wash their own hair and enjoy a glass of milk and fresh bread. Your team then stayed late to share the story of creation and Deb had all the children circled around her as she shared with these homeless children how God wonderfully made them and considered them all so very special. Crayons, stickers and a worksheet were given out to each of the children and we rushed off to dinner.

You've got some wonderful friends serving the Lord here; thanks again for sharing them with us.

They've Arrived

We're so thankful the team arrived especially Kelle after her last minute arrival of her passport in the Miami airport. We've kept them pretty busy with orientation, baby feeding at the Albina Patino Nutrition Center and a fun filled afternoon with the children from the Muyurina Orphanage. They stayed awake just long enough to meet the Timmers and enjoy one of Bonnie's fabulous meals.

Heading out to the Jungle

So, five of us rode out to the jungle again to help build an orphanage. This time we rode in the back of a cargo truck in hammocks. Quite beautiful and ever so wonderful! We then unloaded the cargo: oodles of reabar, forty concrete beams, and six thousand bricks. The kids in town helped us, so we got to go pay them in ice cream. So we worked until the tenth of July, and then we came back to Cochabamba to clean the Hacienda, guest house, and to prepare for the team coming in this weekend.

It was really interesting coming in to the jungle this time because I didn´t really want to go. I don´t usually feel at home, and the odds that you will get sick spike when going into those living situations. However I started to feel at home in the jungle this time. I got to play with the kids in their living environment and get my head around how they live every day. We played Tarzan by swinging from the jungle vines behind the church, and we got to go explore parts of the village. We also had a birthday party for Jhonny, one of the guys that works with us. In their culture, they crack an egg on the head of the birthday kid. We were a little hesitant to join in, but it was fun anyway. Yeah, I still prefer the city life to the jungle, but it just keeps getting better and better.

The Haagenson family will be joining the Mosaic Team. They're looking forward to sharing a missions experience as a family.

This is the Mosaic Community Church team from Piedmont, SC. God willing they will arrive July 13th. We're so anxious to share the beautiful children of Bolivia with them.

Well we're on the 2nd floor and Remberto believes we'll be putting the roof on by the end of the month. He's a bit out of his element because we've asked him to put in wood floors. We all get stretched in different ways.

Jessica´s adventure

Hi! My name is Jessica and i arrived here in Cochabamba June 10 and will be leaving next Tuesday, July 10. My time here has been both an adventure and a challenge. I have experienced many new firsts here in Bolivia. My first time living in a different country, my first time working in an orphange, my first time being forced to speak another language in order to communicate, and the first time i have been able to see how a missionary family works and opperates. I have had a lot of fun with the other interns and each of them has challenged me in a different way. I will take the things i learned from the amazing people here with me always. I pray for all the best for each of them.

Even the small things matter

Last week the interns split up and seven of us headed to Remberto´s site, Nueva Jerusalen. We started off our week by moving a pile of bricks up to the top of the orphange and built a temporary floor for the workers to lay the bricks. Although it seemed like a small deed, we knew we were helping in some way. Romberto´s wife Vic made us the most amazing meals every day, including chicken dishes while chickens ran around under our feet! The next day we shoveled sand into a pit for the workers to mix into cement for the bricks. That night we were blessed to sit in on a church service and sing Sanctuary for the crowd of Bolivians. Ben painted a beautiful mural on the outside of the church, his artistic talents really shone through. Romberto led us out into the jungle to harvest yuca, a root that grows under a certian tree, and we got to cut it up and fry it for dinner that night. Just being able to see how they all live off the land and help one another was humbling for all of us, it really made us greatfull for everything in our lives. We came out there to help build the third orphange, but what we took away from it was so much more.

Hey there! My name is Jessica and I have been here in Cochabamba since June 10 and I will be leaving next Tuesday, July 10. This trip has been such an adventure and a blessing for me. It has been an adventure because this trip has been full of new things. It was the first time I lived in another country, the first time I worked in an orphanage, the first time I had to speak what little I know of another language in order to communicate, and the first time i got to see how missionaries work and live. Each of the interns here has challeged me in a different way. Here are just a few ways i have been challeged: Stephan helped me realize the importance of a sense of urgency when it comes to the souls of those you love. Ashley challenged me to be more compassionate, empathetic, and encouraging to all those i am surrounded by. Lisdsay showed me how important is to love those around you, in word and deed, when they are present and when they are not. And Eric challenged me to be more selfless in my actions. I will carry these lessons with me forever. I am so grateful that God put these people in my life and I wish all the best for them.