There are people who say that we have bullies and we have victims. The implication of this attitude is that a bully is someone cruel and a victim is someone to be pitied. While this attitude is accurate to a degree, there is point where the distinction ends. Yes, when a bully aggresses against someone, they are acting with malice for the intent of victimizing another person [note: sweeping generalization]. And an innocent person who has been...

We have been in Bolivia for almost 4 years. That is so amazing to me, and yet in many ways I feel as if I have lived here all (or at least most) of my life. [permanent post in Essays] We haven’t had a hard time with the culture. My parents and ancestors are  from small-town Texas (after they debarked from the Mayflower, they headed straight for Texas!) and I spent my early years and many summers in those same small towns. I also...

With the rainy season flooding the crawl space beneath the house, we have had trouble with rodents. It has been driving me batty and we finally got to the point where we agreed that we would have to get poison — they kept eating the bait and totally disdaining the traps available in Cochabamba. Then Tuesday night one of our cats killed a big one. We thought that was the end of it. We thought wrong. Late Wednesday night my hubby,...

Since I am blogging at the moment, I thought it would be a great time to share the blessing God has visited upon us concerning the English classes we give. In our post-modern society, often the best way to reach a person’s heart with their need of a Savior is to meet their daily physical needs. Being able to earn enough money to support a family is one of the biggest needs of the people God has brought into our lives. In spite of what the...

sigh… our “new to us” house is GREAT for ministry and classes! But I had NO idea how significant the lack of hot water was going to be to us. Right after moving in to the house we started getting sick. It quickly became clear that we were getting sick from the bacteria and amoebas that flourish in the water here. Even though our water in the city is treated, the water in the city is even more “dirty” than outside...