The Last Days

This past week has really been a blur! I can't believe how fast the time has gone; I leave tomorrow. This week has been a week of goodbyes. I said goodbye to my Spanish teacher, Blanca. I also had to say goodbye to the Casa which was more difficult than I expected. They made me a picture frame with pictures of my class so I would remember. I truly hope I will be able to come back someday to visit the Casa again. Finally, last night I said goodbye to Ivan. He's gone to Santa Cruz today and will most likely not make it back in time to see me off at the airport. I think the hardest thing is knowing that I still have goodbyes in front of me...
There have been positives this week though. The elections went peacefully and Evo is once again in power. Also, we now have four little kittens! And other than a short trip to the vet and an experience of cutting umbilical cords (which I would rather not ever experience again!) everything went well!
I am so looking forward to coming home and seeing you all again and telling you all of my stories! Until then, keep me in your prayers; I still have to brave the airports!

Winding Down

I realized that I didn't write a blog for last week. Apologies! Sometimes I look back at a week and have no idea where the time went. So here are two weeks at a glance! I've been keeping up going to the Casa even though the kindergartners are done for the summer (it's summer here if I didn't mention that before). Being there without the kids has actually presented me with some really good opportunities. I've been helping Tia Cinda (the head teacher of the kindergarten class) prepair for next year. This means doing lots of drawings and posters for the walls and thoroughly cleaning the room. With the kids around, I never had much chance to really talk to her; trying to take care of a class of 5 years olds is hard enough so trying to have a conversation with such a language barrier was pretty much out of the question. But with the kids gone, I've been able to have some really good talks with her. I've been able to practice my Spanish and have been very excited as to how much I am able to understand. Cinda has been working at the Casa for 13 years and was able to give me a better idea of what the lives of the kids are like outside of the Casa. I have been very blessed to see the love she has for the kids and the passion and dedication she has to her job.
These past few weeks have also been filled with trips to the ear specialist and you will be happy to hear that the infection is gone and my ear is 95% better! Hopefully everything will be cleared up by the time I get home!
Yesterday, I moved out of my apartment and into Rebecca's house. There are a few reason for this. 1) her cat is having kittens...I'm moral support :) 2) Elections are tomorrow. When elections happen here, the entire city shuts down; no public transportation, no public gatherings, etc. Also, elections here spark lots of protests and unrest. Depending on the direction the election takes, no one really knows what might happen afterwards. Please be praying for the election and the future of this country as well as for safety. and 3) my time here in Bolivia is coming to an end, only 12 more days until I'm back in Canada! This means it's time for me to start de-briefing and thinking about what it will be like to come home. Until then, I'm going to enjoy this plus 30 degree weather :)

graduations and birthdays

Have you ever been to an event that made you so happy and yet so sad at the same time? This week was all leading up to such an event for me: the graduation of my kindergarten class at the Casa. I was blessed with such a wonderful week with the kids! Much of it was spent in preparation for the big event on Friday. The kids had learned some songs and some dances, some of them had speeches to read, and everyone needed to practice for the ceremony. When the day finally arrived, I don't think I knew what hit me! I wasn't expecting such a big celebration, but it really was! In the morning, all of the kids changed into costumes for the dance; the girls all wore skirts with flowers in their hair and the boys wore straw hats! For the next dance, the chicken dance, i made them all little beaks to wear! Then we all went back up to the room where it had been transformed into a fair complete with a bank full of fake money, a supermarket, a movie theater, and a restaurant! After lunch we helped the kids get ready for the ceremony ( They had the whole deal; grad gowns, sashes, graduation hats..) Any parents who weren't in jail came to participate. The ceremony was great and, in true Bolivian fashion, was followed by food! The whole thing, however was very bitter sweet because now the kids have gone on summer vacation and I will not see them again. I don't think I've quite been able to process this yet. I'm going to miss them all very much.
This weekend I was able to spend with the Whittles, a family who has come for a year to volunteer at the Casa. I had a wonderful time celebrating my 20th birthday with them and the rest of the missionaries!
This week and the rest of my time here is a bit of a question mark. With the kids at the Casa gone, I have the option of helping the teachers there prepare for the next year or to hook up with a different mission work for my last three weeks here. I will keep you updated on what happens!
Prayer requests:
wisdom for what I should be spending my last few weeks doing
homesickness
Praise reports:
Being able to spend as much time as I did building relationships with the kids at Casa
God providing me a family with all the missionaries to celebrate my birthday!
Here are some pictures!

The art of being still

This week has been another that has been filled with difficulties. In fact, there were many times this week I just wanted to come home. Don't worry, things have gotten better! Here is my story. Tuesday was looking up! I was starting to feel better and was sure I'd be over my cold by Monday and ready to get back to life as usual. My body had other plans. Wednesday morning I woke up with an terrible headache. When I tried to get up, I instantly felt nausious. I managed to get over to the couch and called Ivan to tell him I wasn't going to be able to go anywhere that day. I layed there unable to get up to get anything to eat until 3:00 when Ivan called me to see if I was feeling any better. When I told him my headache had only gotten worse, he said he'd be over in ten minutes. Ivan came a few minute later with a doctor who concluded I had a bad ear infection and precribed me some antibiotics. He wanted to take a better lok at my burn and get it cleaned up so he told me to come to the hospital that night. I went over to Rebecca's so I wouldn't have to be alone and spent the rest of the day puking and trying to lay as still as possible. This is the point at which I just wanted to go home! That night I went to the hospital, got my burn cleaned, picked up some more antibitotics, and got a shot of pain killer so I would be able to fall asleep.
I've been getting progressively better. I still have fluid in my ear which makes it hard to here, but there is no more pain. I am able to eat normally and function on a pretty normal level now! I am very thankful for how God took care of me over the whole sickness and can see His hand inmy recovery as well.
There are positives to this whole experience though; these past two weeks have forced me to stop and be still. When thrown into a new environment, it is easy to be overwhelmed by everything that is going on around you. I was pretty much focusing on surviving; learning the language, getting to know the people and the basics of the organisations I was working with, etc. I was failing to take time to slow down and contemplate what it was I was actually doing and how I fit into the big picture of what God is doing in Bolivia and even in my life. It has been good to be forced to slow down and get perspective. I am only here for a month more; then I go home to Canada. But there are people who will not leave, there are people who have dedicated thier lives to caring for the people of Bolivia. The kids at the Casa will still be here when I leave. They will stay here trying to survive in their devistating social situations; their only safe haven, the Casa, suffering budget cuts because of lack of funding. Life and ministry in Bolivia will continue once I leave. My burden to pray for and support the work going on here in Bolivia is growing heavier, I pray yours is as well.

The week I knew would come...

This week has been intereting to say the least; a few really good things, a lot of really bad things! The week started out with a Holiday! Last Monday was the day of the dead. Everything shuts down and everyone filters through the street fairs to the cemetary to put flowers on the graves of their loved ones. I went with the McBeths and the Guthries to Tiquipaya, a small town a few minutes out of Coch to witness the festivities. After checking out the cemetary, we succeeded in driving to the top of one of the surrounding mountains ( a terrifying expedition for a prairie girl such as myself!) The day was a hit, but getting home at the end of it, I could feel sickness coming on. The next day I woke up with a nasty cold. Pushing through, I went about my day as usual. After Spanish lessons, Ivan picked me up to get my Visa renewed (yay for not being illegal!) However, in the process of scooting around on his motorcycle, I gave myself an impressive 2nd degree burn on my leg from the exhaust. The next two days I spent in bed trying to recover from my cold.
Friday I felt well enough to go back to the casa for a communal birthday party! The kids dressed up in Halloween costumes, the was a clown and cake...so much fun! After casa, I headed over to Rebecca's for the weekend. This Sunday, I went to church in Sacaba which was a great experience!
I came out of the weekend on a high note, feeling much better. Today, however, I woke up at 2 in the morning after breaking the blister on my burn in my sleep. I found that I have no hot water in my shower and no drinking water in my kitchen. Not to mention the internet keeps cutting in and out. I am not too proud to admit that today, I am feeling quite defeated. With my time in Bolivia half over, I am finding myself missing home, missing the comforts of Canada and missing Tim. Please pray that tomorrow I might wake up feeling strong enough to tackle the challenges that will meet me!

"Because I Live in Bolivia"

The missionaries here often hold up their hand and put up all five fingers one at a time; this is a recognized symbol signifying five words "Because I live in Bolivia". When things are taking a long time or aren't working out as they are supposed to, simply raise your five fingers and everyone is able to sympathize. I had a "because I live in Bolivia" experience this week! I was supposed to move into the apartment at the Seminary on Sunday, but when we arrived, we didn't have a key to get in the gate. After driving back to the Baptist center to get the key, we made it through the gate, but the lock to the main building had been changed. We decided to come back the next day. In the meantime, I moved into the apartment at the Baptist center. On returning the next day, we realized they still hadn’t managed to get the water working in my seminary apartment. At this point, we realized maybe it wasn’t the best choice to move into the seminary. So after all this, I am now staying in the apartment at the Baptist center. Although it was frustrating to get the run-around, I think it is best I’m staying here. I still get my own space and my own kitchen, but it is much safer and much more central.
Other than my apartment fiasco, my week has been really good! Casa and Spanish lessons every day. On Friday, the teachers were having a meeting and I was left to take care of 22 kids between the ages of 3-6 with only one other teacher. I discovered I really need to learn how to say “sit down”, “stop hitting”, “don’t climb that”, “what’s wrong?”, and “don’t climb out the window” in Spanish!
I’ve also been getting a chance to know the other missionaries with CBM here and am starting to grasp the bigger vision for Bolivia. There is so much need here but so much potential! When on a short term mission trip, it’s easy to only see the positive aspects of a different culture and become frustrated at how church back home doesn’t function in the same way. After being here for a month now, I’m starting to see that every church in every culture has it’s short comings and that the church in Bolivia can take positive models of how we do things in Canada just as much as the church in Canada can learn a lesson from the churches down here. We are all imperfect humans trying to be transformed into the image of a perfect God. Thankfully, grace and love seem to wash over all of our mistakes.
Highlights:
Moving into my own place
Getting to know the missionaries
Prayer requests:
That I will be useful to the Bolivian Church and it’s missions in the short time that I am here.
Continued health

This week was rather different in regards to my routine. Instead of going to the casa and to spanish lessons everyday, I joined the team from Kitimat on their adventures! On tuesday morning, we went to visit the family of a previous pastor. He was pastoring one of the most active churches in Cochabamba when his wife gave birth to triplets, two of which were blind. She went to Spain to work and send home money and he needed to quit as a pastor to take care of his family. It was a short but very impacting and emotional visit.
Wednesday morning, we went back to Chipare, the jungle area. We met again with the pastor who coordinated the churches of the area together with his Protogé, Jaun. Jaun is from a tribe located deep in the jungle, he makes the 8 hour walk to the city every month to be trained.
The Kitimat team went back to Canada this past friday and now things will start to change a bit! for starters, I should be moving into my new apartment today! ( although you never know in Bolivia, the move may be postponed again!) I also got the chance to stay with Rebecca Alward at her house the weekend- a much needed and apreciated rest!
This is the beggining of my fourth week in Bolivia and there is some definite culture shock that it setting in. I am learning that things move at a slower pace here, which is something that has been difficult to adjust too! The heat, the food, the trafic... all things that are very different here than in Canada! I still have a lot to learn!
highlights:
Being able to build relationships with the Kitimat team
getting to spend some time relaxing at Rebecca's house
Prayer requests:
adjustment to culture shock
moving out on my own
internet connections!!
Continued good comunication with Tim

Altitude

Another week gone by! Time seems to be going so fast! This week I teamed up a little more with the group from Kitimat BC. They have been wonderful to tag along with! Paul and Linda, the pastors who are leading he group were missionaries here in Bolivia inthe 80's and again in the 90's so they have been such a great source of information and advice. They joined me working at the Casa this week and we helped paint their back courtyard/dining room/ playground as well as work with the kids.
Working with the kids has been so wonderful! I taught one little girl named Jhessel how to do simple math on here fingers and she was so excited she went around showing all the other teachers. Then she went and got her work book and took me through every page teaching me the spanish words for everything! I can't help feeling they are leaving a bigger impact on me than I could ever hope to leave on them! They are truely amazing kids who have come out of such a cruel environment.
This weekend I had the chance to go up and visit La Paz. The ride there was an adventure in it's own; swirving through the Andes Mountains! La Paz is about 12 000 feet about sea level and the altitude makes you feel like you can never ctach your breath-this made for an interesting few days! The city of La Paz sits in a bowl in the mountain; it seems as if there are no flat surfaces at all: everything is either up or down hill! On Sunday, we drove about an hour out of town to a Baptist church on lake Titicaca who were celebrating their 82nd aniversary! After this, we went to a completely different environment about two hours away to visit the pre-incan ruins. The ruins are of ancient temples and places of worship. The place was filled with Idols, alters and places for sacrifices (human sacrifices). It gave an erie look into the lives of people who tried so desprately to communicate to lifeless gods; it made me thankful that I know the God who is alive and who provides.
Highlights:
taking the kids from the casa to play inthe park
gettin the chance to see the pre-incan ruins
being able to breath again when I got back to Cochabamba!
Prayer requests:
That my spanish will continue to improve
That I will be able to connect more with the kids at the casa
That I will be able to ge the academic aspect of my internship finished ( I have a paper due on friday!
God Bless!

no snow and lots of sunshine!

Well I've been here for just over a week now but in many ways it feels like much longer; I have exprienced so many things! The day after I arrived I went with Ivan (the CBM contact here), Saloni (my CBM contact in Canada who was here for a visit) and Carolanne (a psychotherapist who is here for two weeks teaching counselling at the seminary) to a region called Chiparte. Chiparte is the jungle area of Bolivia. It was amazing to see the country side change from dry mountains to green rainforest in a matter of minutes! While we were there, we visited a pastors conference and saw the building they were trying to repair to use as a satelite for the seminary. I learnt alot that day about Bolivian culture (and their crazy driving!)
Back in Cochabama, I've started working at Casa de la Amistad which is a place that brings children who have gone to prison with their mothers out of jail during the days. I've been working the the kindergarten class! I think they are teaching me as much spanish I am teaching them english! The kids are great and have been wonderful to get to know! It is hard to picture them leaving the casa and walking back into the prison. It is easy to try to think of them as kids who go home to a loving family every night where all their needs are provided for, but this is not the case; these kids come from the epidome of a broken home. I am contantly humbled by their joy and love for each other.
Other than Spanish lessons (I'm getting better!), I have been spending most of my time at the Casa. A few days ago, a group from Kinemat, BC came so I've been tagging along with them, going to visit some churches.
Some highights from the past week:
-Getting accustomed to the altitude and avoiding sickness
-riding on Ivan's motorcycle
-30 degree weather!!
I'll post another update soon!

Here are a few pictures of my first few days!

Here at last

Hello Everyone! It has been quite a long few days! Over 48 hours of flying and layovers, but I'm finally here! I'm staying at the centro baptisto for a few days before moving into my appartment at the seminary. On arriving I got to meet Rebecca, Ivan, Emigdo and Saloni! Today has sort of been a wirl wind ever since I arrived; lots of orientation and trying to retain it despite the lack of sleep and altitude adjustments! But I'm here and I'm safe! I'm sure I'll have lots more to report this next while what with the cultural adjustments, learning curve and figuring out what life will look like day to day. Thank you for all your prayers, I was relatively adventure-free at the airports! Dios te bendigas!

Here we go...again!

Well I was blessed with another week in Canada! At first, I must admit, I was pretty frustrated that things didn't work out to go on the 26th. But after some time to recover from the shock, I had a really good week. I was pretty rushed before, leaving the day after my module ended, but now I've had time to take a breath, finish off some assignments and steady myself. Not to mention it was a bonus to spend some more time with Tim! I feel as if I'm more ready this time round! I leave tomorrow morning (Oct 2nd) and after a few days of flying from Saskatoon to Toronto to Miami to Santa Cruz to Cochabamba, I will arrive on the 4th. Please keep me in your prayers as i travel (hopefully the most dramatic of my airport adventures are over!) I'll be updating you all soon! Shalom!

Remember how I said that adventures always find me at airports? well my first unexpected adventure happened this morning as I went to check in. There was confusion over weather or not I could get my travel visa extended once in Bolivia (this is what CBM has always done) and after calling all over, they decided they would need more assurance of me getting my visa once in Bolivia and as a result would not let me leave the country! CBM is working things out and trying to ge me what I need as soon as possible and I'm hoping I'll be gone within a week. Please pray that things will be sorted out quickly! I'll kep you all updated.

here we go...

I leave in less than a week (I take off on Saturday morning)! Coming to this realization has brought with it an onslaught of emotions. I'm very excited because I know that Bolivia is were God has been calling me and He has been preparing my heart for it. However, leaving behind Canada (or more specifically leaving people in Canada... even more specifically leaving Tim, my fiance, in Canada) is much harder than I thought it would be! Tim and I did long distance over the summer, but we would be able to see each other every couple of weeks. It seems like we were given such a short window of time in September to be living in the same city and now I'm off to the other side of the world! Despite the pain of distance, I know this will be a rich time in our relationship where God will bring us closer together, even though we will be far apart. It is also difficult to leave my family as well as my church family behind. Know that as I spend time in Bolivia, I will be thinking of and praying for all of you back home and wishing that our experiences over the nest few months could be shared. I want to sincerely thank all of you who have offered me support in raising funds. no amount went unnoticed. As I make myself ready this final week, I ask for prayers that I will be given courage. I've never ventured out so far, and never on my own. This internship is going to force me to face many of my own personal fears and weaknesses. I'll update again once I get to Bolivia and fill you in on all of the adventures that always seem to find me in airports!
Blessings,
Kallie

Getting ready

Hello Everyone!
WElcome to my first ever blog post! The purpose for this blog is to keep you all updated when I go in my internship to Bolivia this fall. I'll try to update this pretty regularly once in Bolivia, But for now, i'll put up a copy of my support letter which will give you a better idea of what I'll be doing!

Kallie Josephson
6174 Wellband Dr.
Regina, Sask
S4X 4A2
Dear friends and family,
As many of you know, I have spent my last two year studying global ministries at Horizon College and Seminary in Saskatoon. This summer, I have been so blessed to spend the first half of my internship working as a youth intern at Westhill Park Baptist Church. As the summer is winding down, I am beginning my plans for the second half of my internship where, after much prayer, I have felt led to spend serving in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
I will leave for Bolivia in mid September and return mid December. I will be going in partnership with Canadian Baptist Ministries and as such will be staying at the Baptist Seminary and will be mentored by CBM field staff, Rebecca Alward. During my stay in Cochabamba, I will be helping with many different Projects. One of the most notable will be working with an organization called Casa de la Amistad. In Bolivia, when women are sent to jail, they most often bring their children with them. Casa de la Amistad works with these children, bringing them out of the jail during the day, feed them, give them an education and try to help them experience life beyond the prison walls. I will also be working with the Bolivian Baptist churches, teaching English, and working with abandoned children.
I would greatly appreciate your support and prayers. If you feel led to support be financially, I would be very grateful. The amount I must raise for my three month stay is $7520.00. This amount will cover my airfare, accommodations, food, transportation, etc. All of my funds need to be in by the end of August. Checks can be made out to Canadian Baptist Ministries and my account number is S 3240. Support through prayer is equally important. Here are some things you could keep in mind while praying for me:
My safety as I am not going with a team and it will be my first time traveling alone
For the language barrier and that I would pick on on Spanish quickly
That I will create strong and lasting friendships with the Bolivian churches
That I would know how to best love and care for the people I will come into contact with
For my fiancé, Tim Hutton, and I as he will remain in Saskatoon. Pray that our relationship will continue to grow stronger despite the distance.

Thank you all for your support and prayers!
Kallie Josephson