Feliz dia de Canada!  I know I haven't been around here much lately, but that'll eventually change once I'm back on Bolivian soil I'm sure.  But thanks to all you faithful ones who still come and check each day to see if I've written anything interesting or worthwhile.  =)  I appreciate it. 

I celebrated Canada Day with my sisters, brother-in-law and my nephew and niece.  We walked over to the park to watch the fireworks.  Other than the part where we had to try and navigate walking back in the dark with two little ones in tow, with thousands of other people...it was a lot of fun. 

A couple of pictures...

Getting tatooed...



Showing off said tatoo's...



My good lookin' niece and nephew!



What it means to be Canadian!

What it means to be a Switzer!

So that was Canada Day!  It was a good time.  But Canada Day usually is.  I was sadly asked by one of my American friends today what Canada Day was.  Uh...it's kind of like July 4th...except better.  =)

Before I go, could I ask you to pray for the guys back in Santa Cruz?  I spoke with Isabel yesterday, and some of them are definitely have a rough go of it.  There are different things happening, but I can safely say that a couple of the guys are making some bad decisions that may mean they'll be finished at the home when I get back in August.  I hope that doesn't happen, but that seems to be the direction they're moving in.  So please pray for wisdom, conviction and a sense of God's presence and direction in their lives. 

Thanks everyone!  I'm coming up on my last month here in Canada.  That's crazy!  But if you'd still like to grab that coffee or lunch, just let me know!  It'd be great to hang out!
 

Sit back, relax and enjoy a little trip down memory lane.  This is my "Ate a pig/Got caught in a riot" story from August of 2005...


It’s a little difficult to know where to start. Yesterday was my birthday, so we killed a pig. We chopped it up and cooked it in a big pot. The meal had a decided "Fear Factor" element to it. Fortunately I wasn’t really expected to eat the more...interesting parts, and the parts I did eat were really good. Then we had a Jet Li movie marathon (although I gave up after the first movie). For those of you who are unfamiliar with Jet...he makes fairly mediocre martial arts movies but is BELOVED in Bolivia and considered one of the great actors of our time. All in all, it was a fun day. Thanks to all who wrote and wished me a happy birthday!! I appreciated it.

Now onto the bigger story. Let me start by saying that I’m okay...and I was on the Bolivian national news. You know any story that starts out like that is going to be good!

I decided to take a quick trip up to Cochabamba for a couple of days to see Julie and the people I worked with last year, before the team from Saskatchewan arrived and I got busy. About an hour into the trip, my bus suddenly pulled to a stop and the driver shut the engine off (which I’ve learned is never a good thing). The young fellow beside me said, "Bloqueos!" (blockades). Bolivia has experienced some unrest lately, and blocking roads is a common way to make people pay attention to whatever woes you might have. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but surprisingly it was a somewhat sedate experience...at least at first. We just all stood around and waited and whatnot.

After about an hour, MY bus decided that they’d had enough, and they convinced the driver to drive closer to the front of the line (there are probably over 100 buses, cars and semi-trucks lined up now). Once we stopped everyone starts saying, "Come on men! Let’s go!" and all the guys get off the bus to go deal with this blockade. I’m thinking, "I’m a man! I’m not gonna just sit here with the women and children!" And so I got up and joined them. Although in hindsight....

So we walked about a mile or so across this big bridge, to where a very large tree has been cut down and was lying across the bridge. A couple of the trouble makers saw us coming and took off on their motorbikes, but our group (and now there are many more of us, as we managed to convince other buses to join in our crusade!) managed to grab four of the guys motorbikes, and drag them onto our side of the blockade and flattened their tires. Then we all gathered around the tree and started to lift it off the road.....and then we all jumped back because the tree was covered in thousands of little biting ants that enjoyed climbing all over us. We knocked off as many of the ants as we could and then made another attempt...and believe it or not, we eventually managed to toss this big tree off the road. The crowd was pretty empowered by this, which is, I think, what led to the next chain of events.

We all started walking down the road. I was thinking that we were just going to walk to a spot where we could get back onto the buses more easily, but we kept walking...and walking...and walking... By now there must be nearly 1000 people walking (there were crowds as far as I could see), with all the vehicles idling along behind us. I really didn’t know what was going on (which is not actually that unusual), and inside I’m thinking, "Okay seriously guys...are we walking to Cochabamba?!" After about an hour, I could see smoke on the road and I suddenly realized that, of course, there was another side of the blockade. The reason we were all walking was for effect...to try to intimidate the "bloqueo" people.

As we got closer, I could see burning tires and waving flags...and even more people. By now there were news cameras and everyone was kind of standing around to see what was going on. In my own defence, things seemed quite calm and peaceful. Our side sent an envoy of about a half dozen people to try and convince the bloqueo people to let us pass (made up of a couple well dress ladies and business type people). They came back angry because the demonstrators refused.  So they started expressing their frustration to the news cameras. At that point, I was standing about 30 ft. from the blockade (which isn’t that big of a deal, since people are allowed to cross it, just not vehicles).

The next part got a bit confusing. All of a sudden there was a roar from the crowd on the other side of the blockade (my guess is that some hothead on our side did something stupid). Our side started to run back the way we came and although I still wasn’t really sure what was going on... it seemed prudent to join them. Then the guy beside me turned to look back, and got cranked with a big rock right in his chest (I saw him later without his shirt on, and he had a huge bruise/welt). I was still fairly calm at this point (as a side note, I think I was born without that self preservation gene that everyone is supposed to have...the "Uh oh!" gene as it were), but I did figure it might be a good idea to get off the road. So I ran over beside a house and hid next to it along with some other people. The "front" went past us, and seriously it was like anything you’ve ever seen on the news...people yelling and running...the ground covered with bricks and rocks from people throwing them...

I had my first moment of fear at this point as I watched all the buses start trying to turn around. All the drivers were scrambled to try and get out of the area. I really didn’t want to get left behind without any of my stuff (in the midst of a war zone), so I started running after them. I saw a lady from my bus, so I stuck close to her. The problem was that we were now running in the midst of all the grumpy people who were throwing rocks and I wasn’t sure if they would recognize me as one of the "nice gringos". I started trying to figure out in my head how to say, "I’m not from the United States! I’m Canadian!" in Spanish (my apologies to my American friends, but at this point many Bolivians aren’t that happy with Americans and it’s best to emphasize one’s Canadian-ness). Fortunately no one paid that much attention to me, and I suddenly saw my bus. It had pulled off the road into the ditch, so I quickly jumped on. It was crazy...people were crying...everyone was crouching on the floor and the curtains had all been pulled shut in case any rocks or bricks came our way. And it was about 100 degrees on the bus since all the windows were closed, so that didn’t help matters any.

But as is normal here, as fast as emotions went up...things started calming down. And as a great testament to the joys of capitalism...within 20 minutes or so, there was a little old lady selling fruit salad outside our bus. And trust me when I say it was the best fruit salad I’ve ever had!

I did eventually make it to Cochabamba. After a half an hour or so, everyone started abandoning our bus (it became obvious that it wasn’t going anywhere). The guy that had been sitting beside me said that he was going to head to the other side of the blockade and see if he could find a bus that was planning on turning around and going back up to Coch. So myself and a girl grabbed our stuff and joined him. Like I said earlier, it’s one of the strange things about blockades here. You can’t drive past them...but there’s no problem walking. No one even paid us the slightest attention. We ended up getting a taxi to the next town and another taxi from there. Eventually we got to a town where there was a scheduled bus to Cochabamba. It wasn’t a very nice bus...and I had to sit beside the biggest guy on the bus who kept taking over my side of the seat whenever he fell asleep...but I made it (at 3 AM...six hours late). Oh ya, and we had a flat tire at one point too.

So...that’s the story. For those of you who are praying for me....thanks! =) For those of you who are unduly worried for me, God’s brought me this far so....it’s all good. But by all means, continue praying!

This story happened about two weeks after arriving in Bolivia that very first time.  Crazy.  Still one of my favourite stories.  It wasn't the last time I ate crazy pig parts or the last time I had adventures with public transportation... 

Come back soon and I'll post another classic "Missionary Ken" story.  =)  Ah my life...
 

When I left Bolivia last week, somehow I had this idea that I was coming home to summer in Canada. In my defence, I haven’t been home in May for over four years. When we landed in Chicago, I looked out the window and saw a lot of brown...not so much green. I figured that wasn’t a good sign. But then the stewardess on the flight from Denver to Saskatoon made the announcement that it was 33 C in Saskatoon. That put a smile on my face and made me feel better. It would be just like home in Bolivia!

In hindsight I think she meant 33 Fahrenheit...

When we pulled into the gate and people stood up and started putting on their winter jackets, I knew I was in trouble. I actually did okay though. The cold took my breath away for a moment when we left the airport...but I did okay. When my mom locked the keys in the car outside Superstore and we had to wait in the cold for a tow truck...I did okay. Even when I woke up this morning to snow all over the ground...I did okay. I even walked for an hour or so this afternoon...outside...and I enjoyed it. It was nice to experience the crisp, snowy air. Someone had a wood fire burning and the smell of the smoke made me feel kind of nostalgic for winter in Canada.

But when I left the house tonight and it was storming and snowing and my car was covered with frozen ice...  Come on people!  That’s just too much....

So...I think you’ve all had your fun now, and it’s time for summer. For those of you who laughed at me on Facebook? Aren’t you enjoying this same winter weather that I am? Is it funny that you’re freezing your butts off just like me? Just curious... =)

At any rate...obviously I’ve arrived safe and sound in Canada. It was a bit strange leaving Santa Cruz. I said goodbye to everyone and went into the security area. The security people told me they were boarding another flight and asked if I would wait a bit longer. So I went back out into the waiting area, just in time to see Isabel and the guys walk across the lower level and leave the airport. That was kind of a strange feeling.

It’s been a bit strange in general, being home. I went with my mom to Superstore the afternoon I arrived (where the aforementioned keys in the car incident happened...), and it ended up being kind of overwhelming. I had a moment where I thought I might have to go back out to the car. It’s a good thing the feeling passed...since I wouldn’t have been able to get into the car anyhow...  =)

It’s a hard thing to explain, really. I’m not sure I can right now. It was just weird to see so much in one place. It’s really something, the country we live in...how much we have available at our fingertips. Walmart hit me the same way later in the week.

Anyhow...a couple of prayer requests before I go. If you could pray for the guys back in Santa Cruz. I’ll write more soon, but some of them are going through a difficult time. A couple of them are making some bad decisions. Pray for God’s Spirit to work in them. As well, pray for those who are running things while I’m gone...Isabel (my girlfriend), Tonchy and Jorge (my pastors) and their wives, Noelia and Viviana. It’s a lot of work that they’ve taken on, on top of everything else they do. But both Tonchy and Jorge didn’t even blink when I asked them if they’d be willing to help. They were excited to be able to have the time with the guys. Hopefully they still feel that way after three months. =) There’s no doubt that they’re going to have to deal with some tough things while I’m gone. I’m praying though, that God will use their words to speak into the lives of the guys that are struggling.

I don’t want to leave things on a negative note though. God is doing some great things in the lives of most of the guys. I had a couple of great conversations the night before I left. The guys just shared what the house means to them, and how God has changed them over the past year. So that was good to hear. I’d been a bit discouraged before that. It’s easy to focus on the negative and forget the good.

At any rate, I’m home for the next three months, if anyone wants to hang out and grab a coffee. =) I’m staying at my sister Wanda’s house...her number’s in the phone book. Just give me a shout. If you’re interested in hearing more about Bolivia, or if you think your church might be interested in hearing more...just give me a call. I’d love to tell you more. =)

I’m looking forward to seeing you all! It’s good to be home, and it’ll be fun to have the chance to hang out!

Thanks for praying everyone...
  

My last week in Bolivia...

Let's see...I got crashed into by a taxi driver who tried very hard to blame me and get me to pay for the damages...which were more serious for his little car and not so serious for my big truck.  If you look really, really close you can see a dent in my back bumper.   He, on the other hand, had to throw his headlight into the back seat.  And he won't be openning or closing his hood for awhile...  In the end he backed down and just told me that it was on my conscience if I didn't pay.  Yea...I can pretty honestly say that it never even got close to being on my conscience.  The funny thing was that I didn't really catch most of his little speach about my conscience and whatnot.  When he was done I just looked over at Isabel and was like, "Well...can I go?"  She was like, "Yep." 

Good enough then.

We went to see "Wolverine" for my despedida (going away party)...in Spanish.  Fortunately my fellow Saskatonian, Olya, was there with me, so we could discuss what was going on and what we thought was being said.  Best moment?  When the American military guy tells Wolverine to fight for his country.  Wolverine replies, "It's not my country!  I'm Canadian!"  Olya and I woo hoo-ed loud enough for the whole theatre to hear.  Even if no one else appreciated it, my guys thought it was pretty funny...

For those of you who pick up on the details and notice that I'm about to post this at 3:30 AM-ish and wonder why I'm still up (when I leave for the airport in three hours).  I'm waiting for my clothes to dry.  We've had 30+ degree weather for the past month.  The day before I'm about to travel and I need to do laundry and have clean clothes?  It's cloudy, cool and humid.  I've got clothes hanging all over the house with our fans going full speed to try to dry them and get them packable.  I'm thinking I may be a little damp when I leave in...three hours and twenty one minutes...

Finally....we've had some definite up and down moments with some of the guys here this past week for sure.  But I sat down with Andres last night and we had a great conversation about his life and how he feels he's changed and matured while living here at the house, over this past year.  That was encouraging to hear.  =)  I learned early on that this is the kind of ministry where you can be dealing with some pretty lame things one moment and then be encouraged and see good things happen the next.  It was good for me to have that conversation and focus on some of the good that God's doing... 

Thanks for praying everyone.  Please continue to do so!  =)  Things will go one without me here, so I know my volunteers and the guys would appreciate your prayers! 

I will be on Canadian soil at 2:10 PM, Friday afternoon.