Wow! What a crazy past couple days it has been. We have been slowly getting accustomed to Cochabamba and are starting to get the hang of a few things here... but there's still so much to learn! I will try to keep what has happened the last couple of days short and sweet but there's just so much to tell!
Saturday morning we went to La Cancha (the large market here in Cochabamba) with Joana. We helped her buy a few things such as meat, pasta, herbs, etc... It was LOCA. Absolutely crazy... I have never seen anything like it. I thought Haitian markets were crazy..absolutely NOTHING compares to La Cancha. ha! It consisted of holding tight onto my purse so nothing was stolen, staying as close to Joana as I could so I didn't get lost, and making our way through crowds of people, vendors, food stands, and random meat products, and not trying to get run over by any vehicles. It was crazy, but so much fun, too! There were so many sights and sounds, and it was a little overwhelming but a lot of fun, too. I honestly don't know how we will ever be expected to get around there by ourselves. It is blocks and blocks of just packed chaos. We also went to our first ATM there and figured all that out.
After La Cancha, we were a bit exhausted and came back to the house and rested. Last night, we went to the oldest daughter of the Quiroga family Shari's house. She was married last year and has a 6-month-old son Matias. He is SO CUTE! Her husband was gone working all night, so she invited us over for movies. She lives in a condo in a different part of town on the 9th floor. There was an amazing view of the Cristo statue in the distance and you could look out over the entire city---the views here continue to amaze me! It was a lot of fun watching movies, eating, and just getting to know the family better. I showed them a picture of Tate because he is about Matias's age, and they finally understood why I call him my chunky little nephew. :) They kept saying how "gordito" he is and giggled, saying he was so cute. I also got to share with them a little bit about Ryder and his story, which was a blessing to share how God has worked in his life and our family's. They agreed that GOD IS GOOD. :)
A little more about the Quiroga family, just so you have an idea of who I am staying with this summer! They are GREAT people, and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful host family. David: the father; Toty: the mother; Shari: oldest daughter (with son Matias); Joana: daughter in her 20's/teacher at El Centro; Jorge: 21-year-old son; Isaac: 15-year-old son. I have enjoyed getting to know them all individually through conversations and time spent with them! Best of all, they all are SO patient with our Spanish and willing to teach us and correct us. They all know pretty good English as well! I am definitely impressed!
This morning, Sunday, we went to church at El Centro (the center where me and Leah will be serving). It was our first trip there. Joana kind of showed us the ropes of how to get there so soon we will be able to do it ourselves. We have to take three different trufis (like a taxi) and stop at different places. It might take a bit to figure out exactly where we are going here. Everything looks so similar and is very confusing to me! Once the trufi drops us off as far as it goes, we have to walk up a pretty steep hill to El Centro. That was the first time I've really noticed the altitude change here! It is a good walk, and I am expecting strong calf muscles by the end of this. ;)
Church was so great. They have church at El Centro with a small group. It was about 5x more kids than it was adults, as a lot of the kids who go to El Centro attend without their parents even. There first is a "Communion Service" where we sang songs, had a very short message, and then took communion. They also had the kiddos greet us, which was really cute. I can't wait to get to know them better. Then there is a short break where someone provides a light "snack": cafe con leche and cookies (OREOS!:)) Then we had another service all together. Everyone sang together, prayed, some people share, etc. and then the kids go to their own little church/Sunday School. Then the 15 or so adults/older kids that were left got into a circle and the rest of church was set up much like a Bible Study. We studied John 6 and Gustavo led us through a way to study the Bible. It was a great experience-- being able to worship in a more intimate setting, with people of all ages participating, and studying the Bible with a group of brothers and sisters in Christ. Gustavo (or Gus) is a great guy. We met him today at El Centro. He is probably in his 20's and is such a genuine man. He clearly has joy for the Lord and loves the kiddos there and serving God. We talked to him for some time after church as well. A couple of my highlights from church were singing a song we sang with kiddos in Nicaragua and singing "10,000 Reasons" in Spanish, which happens to be one of my favorites at home. Before singing, they asked the kids all the things we should be thankful for. It reminded me of how many reasons we really do have to serve and praise our God. No matter where we are in the world-- we ALL have 10,000 reasons!
After church, they generally go out to eat. So, we went to this supermarket which had a sort of food court (looked very similar to America!) and ate. I had some pizza-- couldn't pass up some good American(ish) food for once. :)
It has been a VERY good couple of days! I haven't been dealing with really any homesickness, which is such an answer to prayer. I have been adjusting well and slowly getting used to life here. The last days have been busy with getting to know the Quiroga family better and getting to know Cochabamba, so I am excited to finally start serving and working at El Centro this week!
Prayer requests:
1. Safety in travel: There really are no rules of the road here. The driving is absolutely crazy! It is fun, but please pray for safety as we are often taking a car or many trufis to get to and from where we need to go each day.
2. Pray that I continue to adjust and learn how to get places, how to do things here, etc. It will be nice to finally be able to do some things "on our own".
3. Pray that our first week at El Centro will be great and that we will start forming wonderful relationships with the kiddos there.
4. Communication: Complete immersion in another language is difficult. There are times when I'm feeling so proud of myself and all I can say in Spanish and there are moments where it is frustrating, I can't get the right words out, and I just struggle with it. Pray for perseverance in learning and that I won't always feel so drained from all the Spanish each day.
Well, that was kind of long, so that will be it for today. :) There is just so much to tell and so many great experiences to share! I hope everyone is doing well and finding beauty in each day like I am learning to find here in Cochabamba. :) GOD IS GOOD!
Adios y vaya con Dios,
Breanna
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