Watts HAppenings in Bolivia 8, October 22, 2005
Dear Family and Friends,
Well one more week and we´ll be into month 5. I can´t believe how fast time is going and how much Cochabamba starts to feel like home, as we get to know our way around, establish our routines (or fall into a rut, depending on how you think about it!) and begin to make lasting contacts with people. However, emails are still our life line and seeing one from someone from home (not just someone trying to sell me books (at home, usually an easy sell)) brightens up our day as we talk about what was said and how much we appreciate and miss you. So keep those cards and letters coming!
Another way we´ve been keeping contact with people has been through the phone. It´s cheaper to go out to a call (llamada) centre (80 centavos a minute - about 15 cents) to phone our families so we usually walk about a mile to do that. A few weeks ago we all went down to the llamada centre near the university so Anna could make a call and Kent and I ended up at different internet places. After Anna had finished her call she came flying into the cafe to say there was a problem with the 100 Boliviano bill we had given her. I emailed Kent who came to the rescue (his Spanish is better). We went to talk to the guy at the llamada centre. We explained that this bill couldn´t be bad because we´d just gotten it at the bank. He showed us the bill under a black light - something missing. However, the guy didn´t have a chance to scam us - we have street smarts acquired from long years of being at the Mustard Seed! I said (in good Spanish - surprising how good you get when you´re mad!), "How do we know that is the same bill we gave you, Señor?", since there had been some time between the money being paid and the problem being discovered. He argued but we left, Susan with steam coming out of her ears, Kent being calm and reasonable and Anna (smartie!) hanging on to the change the guy had given her! However, at the back of my mind I kept thinking, "I hope we didn´t scam the guy. How do I know for sure the bill we got from the bank was OK?"
Another person we´ve gotten to know has been our security guard. Every neighbourhood chips together and hires a guard, who watches over the neighbourhood day and night (usually different guys, but sometimes the same guy is out there for 24 hours). They patrol the streets, blowing a whistle every few minutes (I figure to let the verones - thieves - know where they are so they can rob a house in a different part of the neighbourhood!). They get paid very little and part of the benefits package (or all of it!) includes the neighbours taking turns feeding the guys lunch (big meal) and supper (smaller meal). The guard we´ve gotten to know best is Walker (Kent keeps calling him Johnny for some reason!), because we keep feeding him whenever we have a big meal and he´s on. Kent just can´t get away from feeding people! Walker sure appreciates it and it´s a little inroad to witnessing to him. You can pray for our relationship with our guards.
Anna and I have been taking a turn doing Sunday School. We have about 30 kids (mostly little ones) who mostly speak Spanish in the class. Anna rides shotgun (keeping them all in the room) and I teach. We both sing, help with crafts and play games. One of our favourites is Llama, llama, alpaca - you may know it as "Duck, duck, goose"! God keeps blessing us in the small things. Many of you know my poor sense of direction (Kent says at home, turn me around in the living room and I can´t find my way to the fireplace). We needed to buy some crayons for Sunday School last Saturday and so we got a taxi to La Concha (giant market 10 by 10 city blocks), trying to describe what we wanted - I´d looked up crayons in the dictionary, mi otra biblia. It turns out they call them Crayola! Anyhow my Spanish must have been really off that day because the taxi driver started to take us out in the country towards Sacaba! When he made the turn that I KNEW wasn´t the right way (at least I thought I knew!) we get him to go to the Cancha. When we got out I had no idea where we were - nothing looked familiar, so we started walking. Within 2 minutes we were in front of a librería, no, not a library, which is biblioteca, but a bookstore/paper seller. These hardly ever have art supplies, but lo and behold! this one did! As we walked along after buying the crayons, I said, "Wow! That was really a miracle for us to get exactly where we need to go!" Kent dryly replied, "It´s a miracle anytime you get where you want to go." He is talking about the woman who couldn´t find Acadia University from Main Street, Wolfville, NS!
Most of the kids at Sunday School are from an orphanage run by Peter and Delia Morehouse, a couple a little older than us. This week they had some very good news - the adoption came through for two of their little girls(Laura and Nicole) that they have been trying to adopt since before we were here 3 years ago. They are going to be dedicated this Sunday, so please thank God and pray for them with us.
Speaking of thanking God, we sort of missed Thanksgiving on the Sunday or Monday so finally got around to poultry on Wednesday.I had bought the chicken at the grocery store in a bag and chilled, like at home. As always I opened the bag and began to poke around in the back end of the chicken to get the giblets (for gravy) and haul out any stringy bits. When that was done I pulled the chicken out further to discover that the neck was still attached to the body, instead of inside the cavity. I got the knife and pulled the whole thing out of the bag, ready to chop off the neck (to add to the giblets), when I saw that (you guessed it!) the HEAD was still attached to the neck!!! I screamed (trying to control the scream, thinking "If Anna sees this there´s no way she´ll eat her supper!") and Kent (my hero) came running to see what was wrong, as the feet fell out of the bag, also. He later said he had visions of the chicken being full of cockroaches! My Dad used to say that when his family of 10 had a rabbit for dinner, when he was a boy growing up, his part was the under jaw. Kent said if Dad had been there he could have had the under jaw of the chicken. "Gladly!" sez I! Next time I won´t be so surprised. (Yeah, right!)
Anna is back from camp. They came back a day early because the weather was so bad. Anna said "They kept telling us that it was going to be cold and rainy before we went down, but they only planned stuff for sunny days." Obviously they didn´t have Camp Whitbourne, Nfld. experience, where one plans for mostly rainy days and some alternative activities for sunny ones! Kent, who went out to school to pick her up, says most of the kids looked pretty tired and miserable, which are usually signs of a good camp!
Thursdays afternoons the wives of the students at the Seminary have a meeting, where they learn about how to be "a good pastor´s good wife". This week the meeting was at my place, and my usual translators, Pat Jenke and Iris Morales (both missionaries/profs at the Seminary) were both away. I got on OK and they all enjoyed my tea buns, cream and jam. Trying to tell them the recipe in Spanish was quite the challenge, however. At one point, someone asked something about the tiempo (which can mean weather or time) and I figured they were asking the temperature of the oven (although why, since these gas stoves only have bajo, media, alto, etc.) and I began 4 .. pause while I think of what is Spanish for hundred? ... When one of the younger ladies interupted "Hours?" We more experienced cooks had a laugh at that! I really enjoy the "mujeres reunion" - women´s meeting.Women have lots in common the world over, especially pastors wives, since the pastor isn´t always good and neither are the wives! Mujeres is pronounced something like MOO Hairys, so whenever I talk about the meeting I keep seeing cows with long curly wigs!
Pat Jenke got back last night from visiting with her family. Her Dad is doing much better (thanks for your prayers) and is now at home with some help from DVA.
Thank you again for your prayers and support. I am very conscious that you have enabled us to follow God´s call in our lives.
Blessings,
Susan, Kent and Anna Watts
Well one more week and we´ll be into month 5. I can´t believe how fast time is going and how much Cochabamba starts to feel like home, as we get to know our way around, establish our routines (or fall into a rut, depending on how you think about it!) and begin to make lasting contacts with people. However, emails are still our life line and seeing one from someone from home (not just someone trying to sell me books (at home, usually an easy sell)) brightens up our day as we talk about what was said and how much we appreciate and miss you. So keep those cards and letters coming!
Another way we´ve been keeping contact with people has been through the phone. It´s cheaper to go out to a call (llamada) centre (80 centavos a minute - about 15 cents) to phone our families so we usually walk about a mile to do that. A few weeks ago we all went down to the llamada centre near the university so Anna could make a call and Kent and I ended up at different internet places. After Anna had finished her call she came flying into the cafe to say there was a problem with the 100 Boliviano bill we had given her. I emailed Kent who came to the rescue (his Spanish is better). We went to talk to the guy at the llamada centre. We explained that this bill couldn´t be bad because we´d just gotten it at the bank. He showed us the bill under a black light - something missing. However, the guy didn´t have a chance to scam us - we have street smarts acquired from long years of being at the Mustard Seed! I said (in good Spanish - surprising how good you get when you´re mad!), "How do we know that is the same bill we gave you, Señor?", since there had been some time between the money being paid and the problem being discovered. He argued but we left, Susan with steam coming out of her ears, Kent being calm and reasonable and Anna (smartie!) hanging on to the change the guy had given her! However, at the back of my mind I kept thinking, "I hope we didn´t scam the guy. How do I know for sure the bill we got from the bank was OK?"
Another person we´ve gotten to know has been our security guard. Every neighbourhood chips together and hires a guard, who watches over the neighbourhood day and night (usually different guys, but sometimes the same guy is out there for 24 hours). They patrol the streets, blowing a whistle every few minutes (I figure to let the verones - thieves - know where they are so they can rob a house in a different part of the neighbourhood!). They get paid very little and part of the benefits package (or all of it!) includes the neighbours taking turns feeding the guys lunch (big meal) and supper (smaller meal). The guard we´ve gotten to know best is Walker (Kent keeps calling him Johnny for some reason!), because we keep feeding him whenever we have a big meal and he´s on. Kent just can´t get away from feeding people! Walker sure appreciates it and it´s a little inroad to witnessing to him. You can pray for our relationship with our guards.
Anna and I have been taking a turn doing Sunday School. We have about 30 kids (mostly little ones) who mostly speak Spanish in the class. Anna rides shotgun (keeping them all in the room) and I teach. We both sing, help with crafts and play games. One of our favourites is Llama, llama, alpaca - you may know it as "Duck, duck, goose"! God keeps blessing us in the small things. Many of you know my poor sense of direction (Kent says at home, turn me around in the living room and I can´t find my way to the fireplace). We needed to buy some crayons for Sunday School last Saturday and so we got a taxi to La Concha (giant market 10 by 10 city blocks), trying to describe what we wanted - I´d looked up crayons in the dictionary, mi otra biblia. It turns out they call them Crayola! Anyhow my Spanish must have been really off that day because the taxi driver started to take us out in the country towards Sacaba! When he made the turn that I KNEW wasn´t the right way (at least I thought I knew!) we get him to go to the Cancha. When we got out I had no idea where we were - nothing looked familiar, so we started walking. Within 2 minutes we were in front of a librería, no, not a library, which is biblioteca, but a bookstore/paper seller. These hardly ever have art supplies, but lo and behold! this one did! As we walked along after buying the crayons, I said, "Wow! That was really a miracle for us to get exactly where we need to go!" Kent dryly replied, "It´s a miracle anytime you get where you want to go." He is talking about the woman who couldn´t find Acadia University from Main Street, Wolfville, NS!
Most of the kids at Sunday School are from an orphanage run by Peter and Delia Morehouse, a couple a little older than us. This week they had some very good news - the adoption came through for two of their little girls(Laura and Nicole) that they have been trying to adopt since before we were here 3 years ago. They are going to be dedicated this Sunday, so please thank God and pray for them with us.
Speaking of thanking God, we sort of missed Thanksgiving on the Sunday or Monday so finally got around to poultry on Wednesday.I had bought the chicken at the grocery store in a bag and chilled, like at home. As always I opened the bag and began to poke around in the back end of the chicken to get the giblets (for gravy) and haul out any stringy bits. When that was done I pulled the chicken out further to discover that the neck was still attached to the body, instead of inside the cavity. I got the knife and pulled the whole thing out of the bag, ready to chop off the neck (to add to the giblets), when I saw that (you guessed it!) the HEAD was still attached to the neck!!! I screamed (trying to control the scream, thinking "If Anna sees this there´s no way she´ll eat her supper!") and Kent (my hero) came running to see what was wrong, as the feet fell out of the bag, also. He later said he had visions of the chicken being full of cockroaches! My Dad used to say that when his family of 10 had a rabbit for dinner, when he was a boy growing up, his part was the under jaw. Kent said if Dad had been there he could have had the under jaw of the chicken. "Gladly!" sez I! Next time I won´t be so surprised. (Yeah, right!)
Anna is back from camp. They came back a day early because the weather was so bad. Anna said "They kept telling us that it was going to be cold and rainy before we went down, but they only planned stuff for sunny days." Obviously they didn´t have Camp Whitbourne, Nfld. experience, where one plans for mostly rainy days and some alternative activities for sunny ones! Kent, who went out to school to pick her up, says most of the kids looked pretty tired and miserable, which are usually signs of a good camp!
Thursdays afternoons the wives of the students at the Seminary have a meeting, where they learn about how to be "a good pastor´s good wife". This week the meeting was at my place, and my usual translators, Pat Jenke and Iris Morales (both missionaries/profs at the Seminary) were both away. I got on OK and they all enjoyed my tea buns, cream and jam. Trying to tell them the recipe in Spanish was quite the challenge, however. At one point, someone asked something about the tiempo (which can mean weather or time) and I figured they were asking the temperature of the oven (although why, since these gas stoves only have bajo, media, alto, etc.) and I began 4 .. pause while I think of what is Spanish for hundred? ... When one of the younger ladies interupted "Hours?" We more experienced cooks had a laugh at that! I really enjoy the "mujeres reunion" - women´s meeting.Women have lots in common the world over, especially pastors wives, since the pastor isn´t always good and neither are the wives! Mujeres is pronounced something like MOO Hairys, so whenever I talk about the meeting I keep seeing cows with long curly wigs!
Pat Jenke got back last night from visiting with her family. Her Dad is doing much better (thanks for your prayers) and is now at home with some help from DVA.
Thank you again for your prayers and support. I am very conscious that you have enabled us to follow God´s call in our lives.
Blessings,
Susan, Kent and Anna Watts
posted by Bibliomaniac | 7:36 a.m.
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