Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Dear Friends:
What a blessing to live in this beautiful and loving country. We have been working hard to teach ourselves the language. In the absence of tuition for language school, we have sought whatever opportunities the Lord brings our way to learn more about speaking Spanish. One of the ways the Lord is teaching us the language is through good Bolivian friends who speak Spanish. Through these friendships we learn culture and we share hearts and the needs, joys and sorrows of life, and how these life events are observed in our country of Bolivia.
This month we were blessed to be honored by our friends in both ends of the spectrum of life. One set of friends had their father die after a long, painful illness. This precious man was a Believer, as are these friends, and so his home-going was not a hopeless occasion! It was such an honor to be asked to attend the funeral. For the most part, only family and close friends are invited to a funeral. By the surprised and skeptical looks we received, it was obvious that few “gringos” were ever invited to funerals. But the welcome given to us by our friends, and by our own demeanor at the service, gave the rest of the group a confidence to relax around us. We were so honored by their acceptance!
A Bolivian funeral was a very different experience for us. The memorial at the funeral parlor was very brief, as the room had to be cleared for the next service. As we left, the mourners for the next funeral were crowding around the doors. Cemetery space is dear in Cochabamba, and so the dead are buried vertically in vaults, similar to New Orleans. What a shock to realize that the smaller squares facing the paths were for children! It’s the same kind of shock you have when you see those tiny caskets. It was heartbreaking to see how many of the vaults were child-sized.
Another shock came during the vault-side service when, after the “predicación” [sermon] and during the time of singing, the grave workers came by and began plastering over the opening where the casket had been slid inside. For some reason, it seemed more “final” than the burials we are used to. It seemed odd to seal the vault in front of the family, until we realized it was proof against grave robbing by the workers.
The last shock came when the cemetery “officials” demanded payment from the widow while the assembly was still singing. It seemed so cold and callous to us, as did the grave workers waiting for their “propina” [tip] for having plastered over the opening.
We learned a lot about our new culture through this experience and it brought us even closer to our dear friends, for having shared their grief and having given support to them in their time of sorrow.
Prayer:
The need for tuition for language school cannot be overstated! $300 per month is needed.
Please pray for the three ladies Cyn is leading in discipleship training. These ladies need to grow in the Lord. Also pray that our witness to Suzi (pronounced “Soosee”) will bare fruit and she will be saved.
Blessings!
The funds have been raised for the second phase of our visas! This is a vital step in our permanent residence status. We will have to do it again in two years, for the third and final phase.
Serving Christ in Bolivia
Steve, Cyn, Thomas, Nicholas, Staton and David Johnson