Trip through the Mountains
0 Posted: January 6th, 2012
The week before Christmas, we loaded up the car with Christmas presents and headed to Bolivia. It is a 7 hour drive to the border.
In the first hour and a half, you climb from 7500 to over 13,000 feet and for the rest of the drive, you remain above 13,000 feet, reaching altitudes up to 15,000 feet.
The people who live in what they call the ‘altiplano’, or high plain, are a tough people. They live in harsh conditions. We drove through fog, rain, wind, and even hail. We thank God for providing us with a 4 wheel drive vehicle which handled the road conditions like a pro!
Pastor Ben and Pastor Ernie from Bolivia met us at the border, we transferred all of the gifts, ate a quick lunch, and drove the 2 hours back to Alas de Fe church. Alas de Fe Church is in El Alto which looks over the big city of La Paz.
We were able to bring special gifts this trip for the preschool children. When Matt lived in Bolivia in 2007/2008, he built an awesome playground that the kids play on every week, rain or shine.
The playground has always been great for the older kids, but a bit out of the preschoolers’ age range. To take care of that, this trip we purchased a plastic mini-playground that fit in the preschool classroom so that the preschoolers can safely play inside.
The preschoolers loved it! The slid and slid and slid down the slide. They just couldn’t get enough! We also bought them legos and blocks with which they can express their creativity and engage their minds.
They had so much fun with their age-appropriate toys!
The children’s ministry in Bolivia just keeps growing and growing.
For Christmas, Matt and I wrote a drama which was performed during the Christmas Eve children’s outreach. All week while we were in Bolivia, Matt and I helped direct the practices as the children’s team prepared for the big day. We gave tips here and there and helped pack hundreds of goodie bags for the kids to take home.
MCMINTL was able to give so that the children’s ministry could reach more children. Thank you for your giving and prayers that allow us to pour into the lives of children around the world.
It was a great trip and God gave us favor and went ahead of us every step of the way.
We are grateful that we’ve always had favor as we’ve moved in and out of countries in South America. Please continue to partner with us in prayer for more leaders to work in the children’s ministry at Alas de Fe Church as they reach out to many children in one of the poorest regions of the country.
