Weeks 33-35

The quarantine continues!

Originally the quarantine in Bolivia was supposed to go until April 15; it’s currently set to lift on April 30. We’ll see what happens!

This extension has prevented volunteers from leaving the children’s home, who had planned to leave in April. They’re handling it really well, but please pray that God will open the way for them to go home!

My own flight home is scheduled for May 19th. Originally I’d wondered if elections would prevent me from flying on time, but now I’m wondering if the Coronavirus will instead! Please pray that borders will open up and travel within Bolivia will open again so that I can give my Dad and Mama a hug in May!

Meanwhile, God has worked a miracle in the midst of this nationwide lockdown – He brought house parents to the children’s home!!! Just like Him to put things together when it’s supposed to be the most impossible for it to happen! We are all rejoicing in what He is doing. But do keep the home in your prayers; a transition like this isn’t easy. There are good and beautiful things happening at HERO, but all the change isn’t easy on the kiddos. Pray for the wisdom of Heaven for the leadership of the home, that the peace and presence of Christ would rest there, and that the kids would adjust well and learn to love well through this.

As for me, things continue on relatively normally. A blessing this last week was that the kiddos from the home were able to come to the schoolhouse again! That made for a lot more fun at recesses, and my heart is always so happy to have more time with those precious kids. 😊

Sleep still isn’t great, but it was a little better this last week! Keep praying for me in that area; it would be great to be able to sleep well again haha. 😅

Exciting news though: I HAVE AN ELECTRIC SHOWER HEAD. 💃💃💃 In case you don’t know, that means that I now Can taken WARM SHOWERS. PRAISE JESUS. Haha seriously the only fear I had about coming to Bolivia that was realized was that I’d have to take cold showers. I’m grateful to have learned that I can survive such a trial… but I’m also glad that I don’t have to now haha! Haha I am genuinely grateful for the refining work Jesus did in my soul through that. But now I’m going to enjoy – and be forever grateful for – warm water coming out of a shower head. 🚿

Two weeks ago a small tarantula showed up in my room… so I named it Creep and caught it in a jar! ‘Cause that’s what you do with those, right? 😜 (Everyone says that I at least gave it an appropriate name. 😂) I then discovered that tarántulas are actually a mess to take care of so I left it go after a few days. Haha. But Creep was a lot of fun, and I’m glad for that gift from Jesus. 😁

Three weeks of school left! Which means three weeks left of my original commitment in Bolivia. So crazy to think about. Please pray that I can finish these last few weeks strong! It can be easy to lose steam as the end nears, but ours is a God who can make these last days the best we’ve had yet. I’m excited to watch what He will do!

And He wants to work wonders in your soul, too. May you know every day more and more of His love!

Blessings in Jesus,

Olivia