Prayer Request

Please excuse my absence here, life has been moving at break-neck speed down here.
There are a few things we would covet your prayer about and we are so grateful to have such faithful family, friends and supporters we can go to during our busy life.

1. Please pray for my dad(Jim), who is in the process of having a bone marrow transplant this week for his myeloma.

2. Please continue to pray for the leadership of the Bolivian Baptist Union.

3. Pray for our kids as they finish grade six tomorrow and have a few months off to rest and rejuvenate.

4. Pray for Carin as her volunteer position is finished at Highlands International School and God's doors are opening in other areas.

5. We are transitioning again in the next two weeks (more to come on that) and need clear guidance, peace, and perseverance.

6. For Jesus' light unto our feet.

Thank-you so much for upholding us in prayer, it is the only way we can stay here.

Carin

Interview

Go here to hear an interview with Duane and Terry Smith from Canadian Baptist Ministries, about the micro-credit program in El Alto, Bolivia.

Blessings,
Carin

Foto Friday

Coffee cherries

Blessings,

Carin

A snow day...of sorts.

	A snow day...of sorts. Today is a snow day. As you all know, a snow day is when you can't go to work or school because...well...there is too much snow. In Bolivia we don't have snow days, we have Blockade days. These are days when roads are blocked in protest and it is impossible to pass and therefore we have to change our plans. I had intended to be in Cochabamba today for meetings but instead I am back in El Alto and find myself with some unexpected free time. I thought I would use it to send a note to all of you; a mini update so to speak. I have been on the road visiting some of our projects this past week, seeing some of the work being done in small rural communities. I have witnessed men and women working in cooperation with one another for the betterment of not only their own families, but for the entire community. The three men pictured above live in a community called Licoma, six hours drive from La Paz; an area where many rural farmers have turned to the production of coca to support their families. My visit was to see the results of a project that is nearing completion, to witness what has transpired over a three year period. I can only describe the what I saw as remarkable. Often when people try to start a small business they begin with production and then try to figure out how to sell what they have made. In Licoma, the project staff working with our partner agency OBADES (Baptist Organization for Social Development), began with market development and then moved into the area of production. What resulted was the formation of an association of 18 families that are raising pigs and chickens for use in the local markets with plans for export into La Paz in the near future. What started as an idea has now grown into a small and thriving business providing hope for local producers who want to support their families outside the coca trade. Licoma is only one example of the projects Canadian Baptist Ministries is involved with here in Bolivia, projects that impact the lives of people from the rural farmers in Licoma to the children living in prison with their parents, from the young person training to be a Pastor in Cochabamba to the small congregation in El Alto seeking to be a light to their community. CBM staff, along with our Bolivian partners, work everyday to share the love of Christ in both word and deed with the people God has placed in our presence. Thank you for your continued support and prayer for both the work of CBM and our family and ministry here in Bolivia. God bless, Duane

Foto Friday

Disturb us, O Lord

Disturb us, O Lord

when we are too well-pleased with ourselves 
when our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, 
because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, O Lord

when with the abundance of things we possess, 
we have lost our thirst for the water of life 
when, having fallen in love with time, 
we have ceased to dream of eternity 
and in our efforts to build a new earth, 
we have allowed our vision of Heaven to grow dim.

Stir us, O Lord

to dare more boldly, to venture into wider seas 
where storms show Thy mastery, 
where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.

In the name of Him who pushed back the horizons of our hopes 
and invited the brave to follow.

Amen

- Desmond Tutu

{ A friend posted this on FB today and I loved it and wanted to share}

Foto Friday