September 9, 2007
Dear Friends:
Our FIRST working furlough!!!
We are so excited about Steven’s short trip to the U.S.! He will have the blessing of presenting our ministry in many churches across the country. His primary focus is to raise more support for work funds. We are also raising the funds for a badly needed vehicle! Please keep these needs in prayer!
Last letter we told you about a Bolivian funeral. At the other end of the spectrum of life, we have birth! Here in Bolivia, parents will take a long time to carefully consider what name(s) to give their children. There is a complex method of determining a person’s heritage by examining their “apellidos” [last name], but much care is taken in choosing their given names. It is not unusual for children to have 3 given names, so our children fit right in!
It is a deep honor for a child to be named for you. While the naming does not enlist the honored person as a “God-parent”, there is still an expectation of spiritual and emotional investment in that child and/or parent. The parents of a newborn have about a year to figure the name out. The 1st birthday of the child is a BIG deal, with lots of relatives and the “giving of blessings” by all involved.
Our taxi driver, Marco, is a sweet Christian man who has been hurt by things in his life. We have known Marco for a year now and have seen him grow in his spiritual life through our talk while riding with him. We have to use taxis a LOT here, so there are many opportunities to witness and counsel! He and his 2nd wife had just had their baby prior to meeting us. As he and his wife Susi began working on names for their baby, they went through a variety of choices. During this time, we were able to help him from time to time with one thing or another, but mostly we gave him our friendship and mutual respect. This offering of respect for her husband and our compassion for Susi, blessed Susi as well.
When the time came to name their baby, since the 1st birthday was approaching, it was quite a surprise when Marco told us that Susi had decided upon a name and Marco had agreed: Leonardo Steven [not "Esteban"... STEVEN] and yes… they named their baby boy for my husband, Steven!!!! But the blessing didn’t stop there. They invited us to Leo’s birthday party the next day.
When we got to the party, we were met with some skeptical eyes at the “gringos”. Why were they invited? Those eyes were joyful and friendly by the time we left. The birthday customs were familiar, and yet different. A very special part of the celebration was when the family members were called over to say a blessing “over” Leo. That was really special! They spoke of how they loved and respected Marco and Susi and what they hoped for Leo in the future. So you can imagine our shock… humility and speechlessness when we were asked to say a blessing over Leo too! As one of Leo’s namesakes, Steven was asked to give Leo a blessing. We were so honored.
Please keep Susi in prayer. She is not yet a believer, and we long to see this sweet family united in Christ!

Serving Christ in Bolivia
Steve, Cyn, Thomas, Nicholas, Staton and David Johnson

A friend mentioned how she want grocery shopping at Wally World (Wal-Mart) on Labor Day. And that got me to thinking about Wal-Mart and how MUCH time I spent there when living in the States.

And speaking of Wally World, I HAVE to tell you this! lol… Down the street from us, here in Tiquipaya, there is this small shop (they are called tiendas) that often has “clothing grab bag days” out front. I don’t know how it works, but a few times each week there are huge “bolsa” bags (bags made of VERY sturdy plastic cloth, coming in all sizes and designs) with rivers of jumbled clothing spilling out of the tops. Each bag is the epicenter of a jumble of ladies pawing through the piles with great attention. They are thoroughly focused on their task!

[No, determined shoppers is not what made me think of Wal-Mart. Just hang on, OK? ... that part is coming!]

In between “grab bag” days, the big bags are gone and the shop doors are wide open, with some very attractive clothing is on display. Lorien drew my attention to the displays as we rode past in the taxi, and for a few weeks now, we’ve been intending to go look. Lately I have noticed clothing that looked as if it might fit me.

Well… the other day I had some extra time on my way home, so I asked our taxi driver to pull around. I went in and looked at a few things… the shop owner saw the sizes I was looking at and brought me a HUGE pile to try! I found some really cute tops and even a pair of “culottes” in microfiber. Each piece cost 25Bs (about $3.50USD). Since 25 bolivianos is the average price of the used clothing at La Cancha and I hadn’t had to fight the crowds, haggle down OR despair at finding ANYthing in my size… I paid the price without a grumble.

Now HERE is the surprise… as I was going through the items at home, little did I know that I had ACTUALLY been to Wal-Mart! LOL…. the microfiber culottes were the George brand, WITH the original price tag from Wally World! LOL… I was tickled to death at that! The George design line was a staple for me while on deputation. I always knew how the sizes would fit and never had to try it on before buying.

So I have had my “Wal-Mart fix”! ROTFLOL….

Now if we could just get Wal-Mart to buy an airline company, then stick a Wal-Mart “tienda” in the back of the plane, we’d be all set! lol… We don’t REALLY need that airplane bathroom do we? Remember, you heard the Wal-Mart in an airplane idea here first! LOL…