Wow, it’s been about 2 months since my last blog entry and what a quick couple months it’s been. Time is more or less snow-balling here as I have about 4 months left in this adventure. It may seem like a lot of time, but seeing how fast it’s been going so far, it’ll be over before I know it. I can’t begin to describe all of the experiences and things I’ve learned so far in my journey… but I guess I should try.

Just the other day one of my beneficiaries pulled me aside at the end of the day with tears in his eyes. I was a little taken aback and wasn’t sure what the problem was at first, so I asked. I don’t really know how to share in words what happened next, but he wanted to wish me a merry Christmas and tell me he thought of me as an older brother and won’t forget me. He said this because the next day his family was going to come and pick him up from the house and odds are we would never see each other again. I still can’t believe that this happened, and I think one day it will really hit me, but I think it’s a moment that makes this entire experience worth-while. To know that I’ve had such an impact on one person fuels the fire to go and continue to help the next person that’s in front me. But the thing is, I don’t even want this to be a conscious act (or acts) that I do, I want it to be a part of me – of who I am. For this reason I pray every day that God will pour out his Spirit on me; because it’s this Spirit that characterizes all of the things that I want to become and what I want others to see in me.

Changing gears for a moment, my mom and brother got to come and visit me for Christmas which was definitely an encouragement to me. We had a non-stop schedule almost from the moment that they landed. I was able to show them around La Paz as well as the Arco Iris projects. I could definitely tell that there was an impact made on them because one, my mom was emotional, and two, my brother was very quiet for most of the trip. The first may not be so odd, but if you know my brother, he usually makes things a lot of fun. I think mainly it was a culture shock and time is needed to process such things! I feel blessed that we had the means to share this experience - I won't just come back and have no one who (at least somewhat) understands what I have experienced. We also got to Copacabana on a two day vacation and got to see the world's highest navigable lake - which was truly breathtaking. To see the Andes mountains surrounding such beautiful blue water - and of course spending the time with at least part of my family - was priceless. Needless to say the Christmas experience was waaaay different than normal but great nonetheless. Why? Because it was ALL about being with family. Who cares about what's coming to you and what you've bought for someone when you are TRULY grateful for the family you have surrounding you - especially when you want to soak in the limited time you have with them! 

Perhaps I'll start blogging normally here in the future but this is a VERY brief summary of some major things that have happened in December.