April is over

If honestly I'm having a hard time remembering yesterday's events let alone last week's... I have to look in my calendar and diary to understand what happened here.
Easter is gone. We planned to have a service at 5:30AM but it was cancelled due to rain. But I had my own early Easter service when I woke up from thunder, lightning and rain at 2:30am. I had never experienced a thunderstorm at Easter! The rain stopped around breakfast time and we had a meeting at 8:00am as usually on Sundays. Teacher Erlin had prepared a special drama with the older boys with an almost real giant stone at the Jesus' tomb, angel, women, disciples and Jesus himself who rose from the read. Good job!
Secretary Sharon and I went to an Ayoreo village to buy a gift for pastor's granddaughter Liz Daniel on her birthday. But since they didn't sell anything there we borrowed bikes and rode to "porter" - the little shop by Rincon's gates. Opa! I had never had such extreme bike ride before. Mud up to my knees! And I'm not over-exaggerating! of course there were some normal road sections when we rode normally. But we spent a great part of the road splotching through the mud and pushing our bikes. What an adventure. I spent about 10 minutes washing the mud off my legs. The mud is really pungent here, it's not coming off so easily. When I was clean I met my Latvian friends and we went to the little girl's birthday party which took place in her court where also ducks live... oh... how I would love to have a roasted duck... don't worry - I didn't touch them :D Teacher had bought the big speakers with batteries we use for special events on football field and we had really loud Christian children songs in Spanish. There was a huge cake, the famous empanadas and something like a hotdog. The little girl was very excited to do the birthday tradition - stick her face in the cake. Then pastor's monkey came and made a lot of noise. An hour later the celebration was over and everyone returned to their places. Something special happened at night - girls watched "Fireproof" in Spanish. Oh how happy I was to watch a movie I had seen in Latvia... Girls were laughing most of the time though. They laugh about everything.
Then during the week I had my regular responsibilities in school, kitchen and dorms. But on Monday night Ondina, Velta and I had an unusually long, deep and special conversation and prayer about a lot of things. Such a blessing! Then twice I was visited by some Ayoreo craftswomen and I was able to by some unique bracelets, necklaces and even earrings. My friends in Latvia will understand how happy I was for that. This week we received Baptistu Vēstnesis (Baptist newsletter) and Marta un Marija (Baptist women's magazine) from Latvia. Then we three Latvians took turns and read them. And I was surprised to see that there was and article in Marta and Marija about me going to Rincon written by my mom. My dear mom, I read it with tears in my eyes and smile on my face... so special... please save a copy of this issue for me! :) And big thank you to Latvian Baptist union for sending these magazines here every month! We look forward to receive them and read them with great interest!
We also celebrated pastor's son Daniel's birthday. I had the honor to decorate his cake and pour water on him at night... of course, you have to do it when he doesn't expect it :) everyone was very proud of me and said that I quickly learn the local traditions. Daniel said that I should watch out... but he didn't take revenge :D

Visiting boys

I finally went to visit boys dorms on Friday night. I usually spend all nights with girls but secretary Sharon had found a DVD player that was successfully connected to the TV and girls had a movie night. They watch the movie and are amazed but my movie is to watch them. Some have so strong emotions just as if they were in the movie themselves. Very exciting how they watch anything on the TV :)
There are evening devotions each night in every dorm. So I went to see how older boys do it. I expected to see very messy and dirty rooms and a lot of noise - like it usually is with 15, 16, 17 and 18 year old boys. When I was about 10 meters before the dorm I thought the boys have left because I didn't see anyone walking and it was so quiet. I walked in I couldn't believe my eyes - ALL 30 boys sit at their tables and are doing their homework in complete silence! I was speechless. I was even more surprised when I walked through their rooms. I had never seen such thing in my life - the rooms very SO perfectly clean that you could turn somersaults in white pants on the floor and your pants wouldn't get dirty. Their clothes and shoes are perfectly clean and in order, beds are made as nicely as in a hotel. I couldn't believe... I felt a bit ashamed of my 60 chicas who are as far from cleanliness and order as I am from Latvia...
Pastor with his wife look after the older boys' dorm. It's one of their 100 duties. They have to spend every night at the dorms. They actually have their own house but they spend all nights with boys. And as I learned later - the boys have to spend an hour each night doing their homework in complete silence. If they don't have any homework to do they have to read The Bible of another book. If they make some noise they get punished. Usually they have to squat or do sit-ups. And it works very well!
Pastor Samuel was leading the devotions. It's a lot shorter than in girls' dorms. There is a song in the beginning, a song in the end, a short Bible passage and pastor's contemplations. When Samuel had finished he turned to me. He said that they have nice and unexpected guests and he asked me to say something. I was surprised because I expected just to sit quietly and listen. But I pulled myself together and told the boys in Spanish why I am here, how God led me here and encouraged them to look for and pray for the right places and things for their lives. And I encouraged them to ask God great things and dream big dreams! God gave me words and I think I was able to speak quite normally.
I returned to my girls in the dorms... and I rushed to tell girls about the cleanliness and order I saw there... They too were shocked... who would have thought that boys in Bolivia are much orderly that girls!

Good Friday

I got to use the internet unexpectedly today. I wanted to quickly wish you happy Easter! THE LORD IS RISEN! We will have a Sunday service at 5:30 in the morning!

Today during the service teacher Erlin with high school boys showed a hight quality show about Jesus trial and crucifixion... so genuine, so real and so special...

Last night there was our usual Thursday missionary meeting where I had to speak. And I had prepared a 10 minute speech and I delivered the speech in Spanish. I prayed that God would speak through me because I really wanted to share some important things that were on my heart... and I managed to tell them! I made special apple empanadas. I bought the apples in Brazil. They are very rare here. I made delicious pasties with apples, raisins and cinnamon. I’ll make some in Latvia, too! They’re very delicious!

Last night a lizard walked on my pillow... she had never gotten so close to me. Weird feeling...

I received a package from my parents on Wednesday. Oh how delicious and good everything was there... even though it came for 2 months... everything was still good and this definitely was the joy of my day week!!! And I received a letter from Sandra - a huge happiness...

But yes, better don’t send me anything from Latvia... it might not come in time... if you send from The States it’s OK :)

Life goes on. And I’m going with it!

A lot of work and even more blessings! And I will be back in Latvia in three months!

One more week in horse speed

That’s how fast the time is flying by. You blink an eye and the day is gone... today was the same (April 19). It’s been 3 months since I arrived in Rincon and I’ve been away from Latvia for 3,5 months. Of course, of course I miss home. Sometimes I salivate thinking about a tasty Latvian food. Sometimes I miss someone to death, or a hug, or a shoulder, a conversation, an event in Latvia. I’m love to take a bath, wash my clothes in a washing machine, go to cinema or theater, I’d love to skype, call, chat with someone.. But you know - you can live without all those things when you don’t have other options! And I don’t have... And it builds up my character! There are some brave people who practice for marathon in Latvia (don’t they? :) ) But I train my character every day... and I’m very grateful to God for that. Although this gratitude doesn’t always come with shout of excitement. I can tell you honestly. But my gratitude is always genuine.

What has happened this week? Ondina and I went for a walk through Ayoreo villages last Sunday. We walked along clay and mud houses with straw roofs, across small rain created streams in the lower parts of the road where local women washed clothes or their children, passed thinner or thicker jungle parts. We walked to Rincon gates, where is a shop. I bought candles and waffles Ondina and I ate on our way home. A giant tarantula visited my bathroom this week and crawled down the wall... it seemed he’s coming my direction but luckily during the night he disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

One day pastor Samuel had to go to court to get legal rights to keep a tractor the mission had bought. Bolivian policeman confiscated it when they took the tractor to Rincon. The police had suspicions that something illegal is going on. We prayed and after 2 years of waiting they allowed the mission to get back their tractor. Theoretically at least :)

Fall is coming here. Seriously! Few mornings ago at 3 or 4 AM I felt like I need a blanket and I wore a cardigan when I had my breakfast! It’s something VERY rare. Some leaves are falling... and it’s not +39C anymore, it’s just +30C, +33C, +35C... sometimes it’s only +25C. One morning was the coldest - only +17C! But it’s hot again today. I have given Velta 2 computer classes. She is a very good student! I got lice! I was so happy I had escaped those insects for such a long time almost every girl has here. But I got them. I treated them with a really smelly poison and then washed them out with laundry soap :) I smelled a bit. But my head is clean now. A new building is being built in Rincon. There will be snack shop, school supply shop, and mission office. First trimester of school is over and we have to give grades to students. Therefore I had to work more with students who have lower grades. I remember how we begged the teachers to give us better grades... now I was surrounded with many hopeful and some desperate eyes. This Sunday I managed to connect my video camera with the TV and girls and I had a movie time with popcorn that Helena send from Nova Odessa. Big thank you! Popcorn was gone immediately. I’m very happy for this afternoon - girls very really excited to see my videos. I showed them last moments from Riga airport, my beautiful week in Brazil etc. It was interesting for myself to remember all these events :) Ondina and I hit a papaya palm with  stick and we got a papaya - it was so delicious!!! There was Palm Sunday, it was literally Palm Sunday, the church was decorated with real jungle palm leaves! What a beauty! A prayer for girls health was beautifully answered, she had a high fever one night and she was crying. We prayed that she would get better. An hour later she was able to get out of her bed and sit, and the very next day she went to school smiling. God also answered prayer for Velta’s back. One bone got misplaced one day. It’s unbelievable but the bone got back to it’s place itself. 

I recelved two fantactic letters from Latvia last week - this time big thank you goes to Anete K. and Liene P. - they gave me both emotional and gastronomical pleasure. Huge thank you! It took very long for these letters to arrive here based on the stamps but it’s good that they came. One night I was homesick... I missed Latvia and home so much... I cried... but then I pulled myself together and continued to go forward!

Doctors visited dorms the other day, they gave a shot. Girls made me get the shot too and now I have got a shot against tantum or something... I didn’t quite understand what it is but the nurse said I need it. OK. Now I’m imune to a local disease!

Everything is OK. I’m still in the right place and the right time. And at the end I want to quote Paul: “God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.“/Phil. 1:8,9/ Amen!

I continue to go

Where I’m going you’ll ask? Nowhere. I’m  still here - in the little village of Rincon in the middle of Bolivian jungle. But I have a feeling that I’m going along a long, long road in a big and stable car. Through one window you can see what one Latvian rapper once said: “Pole, pole, tree, tree, pole, pole, tree, tree... or something like that. The point is that nothing changes, everything repeats... it’s the same way here. Alarm goes off at 5:40, breakfast is at 6:20, right after I have “forced” out of their rooms to the Bible class. They always have some problems in the morning - lost shoes or skirts, for example... the Bible and notebook they used a day ago can’t be found. Then I have to help them get ready and leave the dorms more or less on time. When there is time and demand I make their hair, too. Then there are daily chores - breakfast, cleaning up the kitchen, cooking for lunch or English classes, lunch, kitchen, afternoon nap, school or kitchen, dinner, kitchen, snack shop, helping with homework, shower, evening devotions, teeth check-up... I have to do the same things in the same order. With some exceptions... and those exceptions are what I see through the other window - nothing is the same there. Everything is colorful, bright, joyful, full of surprises and real happiness and gives joy. There are all those “extra” times when I afford to spend more time with girls - when we sing, draw, play a game, go for a walk to the nearby bamboo grow or pig court, count in English or in Latvian (they love it). On this bright side of there road are all walks with or without Ondina. There are all those special moments when Velta, Ondina and I sit down after lunch and have snacks and talk and laugh. When we have an unusual meal, some kind of a celebration, an unusual sunset, bright full moon, a girl’s grateful or excited smile or hug, a letter from outer world, a special conversation, a good dream...

Everything reminds me of a normal family life - there is a daily routine, there are some joys. There are duties and surprises. There is responsibilities and rights. There are joys and sorrows. It’s easy and hard. There are mountaintops and valleys. There is laughter and tears. There is hurry and leisurely moments. Like we all have, don’t we? But the best thing is that the driver of my life never changes. It’s always stable, trustworthy, purpose driven, caring and completely safe. My Heavenly Father is always driving and he doesn’t let me off road :)

Big thank you to God for that!