Wow, what a ride! 

We have been so blessed to have this experience.  I know we are only around 4 months into our year, but I am just so incredibly happy to be here! Now that I have had the two teeth that were causing me the most trouble pulled, I can finally get going on the several jobs that have been laid before me. For someone that is rarely sick, I have been ill several times in our short time here. Teeth can really mess you up!

The most recent addition of my “Jeffy do” list is the Casa Padre Bertram. This is a retreat house the Catholic Diocese of Coroico allows the UAC-CP use for simply maintaining the buildings. The main house has 17 bedrooms, a kitchen, 3 big bathrooms, a large multi-purpose room, and beautiful sidewalks for contemplation with benched areas for small group activities. The smaller building is the big kitchen and eating area. The pictures that Susan will post will show you all what I am talking about as far as the outdoor stuff. What a beautiful setting for retreats! The lists of things to do were plumbing, carpentry, screen repair, and glass work. As some of you know, I hate plumbing. So, of course, that is what is giving me headaches. I managed to accomplish 2 of the 3 of the plumbing tasks, but one is still a mess. The glass was easy, and I didn’t cut myself once! The carpentry consisted of a board that I think had dry rotted. It was responsible for holding up a shower stall door, so it had to go! Taking it out of the wall revealed that when it had been put up, it had had nails driven into it on the back, and then the exposed nails were pushed into the wet concrete on the wall. I’ll use anchors, thank you very much.

We continue to find joy over most hills, and we also continue to share God’s peace with everyone we meet. We pray that you are all well, and if not, that God will make you well. Please continue to pray for us and those that we share with you.

Shalom!

Jeff

Hey guys!

A while ago, I was blessed with the chance to be able to run a library for the children down on the lower campus. It’s something that they all really enjoy, and it’s awesome to see them get an opportunity that they normally wouldn't! The library is open from 12:30-2:30 Tuesdays and Fridays for checking out/returning books, and 2:30-3:30ish on Thursdays for reading only. It took me a while to learn all of their names, but there are about 159 people who've ever been there to check out a book, and out of those, I normally get about 40-50 kids every Tuesday and Friday, and about 20-30 of the whole number are adults/parents/teachers/siblings. It’s amazing to see these kids checking books out for their parents! I have all ages, anywhere from 4 or 5 to grown adults. On Thursdays, the reading day, I try to get someone (other than me) to read, and these past few times, I’ve gotten one of the other volunteers to read for me. Her name is Mai, and she’s from Vietnam. She speaks both Spanish and English fluently, so we can talk, and she can talk to the kids fluently, which is something I sometimes have trouble with.

It’s amazing to come walking down the hill into the campus and start walking over to the library and hear this several times, “Vas a abrir la biblioteca?” Which, for our non-Spanish speakers, means, “Are you going to open the library?” I also hear excited screams and yells when they see me coming that make me feel very appreciated and gives me a good feeling about what I’m doing for these kids. I have several girls (Usually Valeria, Mayerli, and Melanie with the occasional show of Karen or Maria Fernanda) who like to help me clean up, and there’s an older German volunteer who likes to come and read, interact with the kids, and help me clean up afterwards. Ursula and the girls are a very big help, and I’m thankful for all we’re able to do down here, with help or without it.

Peace,

Delaney