It is ridiculously hot right now. It must be at least 100 degrees out…and I’m talking Celsius, not Fahrenheit. I just woke up from my customary Sunday afternoon nap and went looking for the guys so I could complain about how hot it is. After all, what’s misery if you can’t share it. But low and behold, the house is empty and everyone left. I’m not exactly sure where everyone is…and being the guy responsible for the coming and goings of this household, I should probably care, but…the house is empty and everyone left. It’s nice having the house to myself. It doesn’t happen very often. Besides…you know…I’m sure they’re fine…

Actually, they’re probably playing soccer at our neighbourhood soccer field. Seriously, the sun could go nova, end the world and burn everything to a crisp…and the guys wouldn’t even notice the increase in heat. They’d just keep playing. We have to drive around in the truck with the windows up, sweating to death, because no one wants a little sun to touch their skin. But add a soccer ball and they’ll spend two hours in the scorching heat in nothing but soccer shorts…

Every Sunday afternoon, there’s a standing game at the field. Each team has to contribute one Boliviano (about 20 cents) per person to play. Then the winning team gets the other team’s money. I can’t quite decide if it’s a good (or ethical) use of their limited financial resources or not…but it gets them out of the house for two hours, so…

I would just say that it’s their money so who cares…except that I’m pretty sure it’s my money. They have a tendency to “forget” to give me my change from their bus fare on occasion…so I’m pretty sure I’m funding this little business venture.

Fortunately they’re pretty good, so they usually win. Being the good Christian leader that I am, I’ve told them I want my cut (I’ve kept it to only 10%….pretty generous I think), but somehow after they buy pop on the way home, there’s never anything left. I think when Andres moved in last week the guys were mostly just happy that they had another good player for their team.

And being the good missionary that I am, what do I do when the house is quiet and peaceful for those two hours, you ask? Spend that time in prayer and contemplative meditation?

Nope…I make microwave popcorn…

Here’s the thing…I really like microwave popcorn. It’s mostly why I bought a microwave. Well, not really…but truthfully, it’s why I was most excited about having that microwave.

But microwave popcorn is kind expensive here, so I can’t really afford to buy it for everyone. If the guys try it and like it…I’ll never hear the end of it. You have no idea. So the only time I can make it is either late at night or when everyone else is gone. Sadly, my first thought when I realized the house was empty was… “I can make popcorn!” It’s not like that’s what you really want to eat when it’s 100 degrees out. And I’m not proud of my selfishness…sneaking my bowl of microwave popcorn into my room at two in the morning. But we are who we are, and I can only be so selfless and thoughtful before my head explodes.

So here I sit. My fan blowing on my face…my big glass of Coke and my bowl of popcorn beside me. Soon enough the guys will come banging and clomping in from their game, arguing about who has to cook supper or whatever. I’ll have to jam the last few handful of popcorn down my throat and guzzle what’s left of my Coke, and we’ll start it up all over again.

But that’s okay. I enjoy my life and my few moments of peace.

Ha…David just threw a rock in my open window because he doesn’t have his key’s and the gate’s locked.

Like I said…all over again…
 

I’ve been writing a lot lately about the political situation here (for obvious reasons), so I thought today I’d write a bit about how the guys are doing.

As I’ve said many times, there are always ups and downs at the house. From what I understand, that’s normal with teenagers at the best of times. I don’t remember being especially difficult as a teenager, but other parents have shared stories with me about their kids (I can say this ‘cause my folks have dial-up and don’t regularly check my blog…).

Our situation is, of course, a bit more unique. Some of our guys have families, but most aren’t especially close to them. One of the fellows is planning to spend this Christmas with his parents. He told me the other day that this was the first time he can remember being home for Christmas.

Others of the guys have no family at all. One of the guys was on the streets from when he was four until he was fourteen. He really has only vague memories of his parents. So I need to constantly keep in mind that, even though some of the guys were in a Christian boy’s home for awhile, most have had no significant parenting for the majority of their lives.

I don’t want to use that as an excuse for bad behaviour with the guys…and I don’t. But it’s helpful to keep things in perspective. I wonder who I would be if I hadn’t had the Christian upbringing I did.

That all being said, things are going remarkably well at the house these days. Ask me tomorrow, and that opinion may have changed, but today…it’s mostly all good. I can see God at work in their lives and that they’re growing. Some more quickly than others…but that’s to be expected.

One major encouragement has been Jimmy. He received Christ while living at the home in San Luis, but I always questioned how much he really understood. He could never really articulate why or what happened when he became a Christian. He wasn’t at the other home for that long before he went back to living with his parents (he was mostly at the home to play soccer and because his family didn’t have much money). He moved in with us about a month or so after we opened.

Jimmy has a great personality. He’s generous and compassionate, and even though I would say he’s the youngest and most immature Christian of the bunch, he is by far the most trustworthy guy I know. Lately he’s been reading his Bible most nights before he goes to bed. He rereads what the pastor preaches on each Sunday. He’s also at least a chapter ahead of everyone else in the book on sexual purity we’re studying (he made me laugh a while back when I saw him carrying around Josh Harris’s book on dating because “…he wanted to know when it was okay to have sex.”).  =)

It’s been amazing to see the growth in him. He’s studying to be an electrician, but lately I’ve been seeing more and more ministry gifts in him. I wonder if maybe God has something else in store for him. Please pray for protection and for wisdom for him. He’s learning and changing, but I’ve no doubt that he’s still experiencing a lot of temptations some days to go back to his old life.

I could tell stories about each of the guys…how God is changing them…how past lifestyle and sin issues are still struggles some days. I can see God working and I can see Satan trying to destroy. It’s why I come back to John 10:10 so often. The thief is trying to steal kill and destroy…but Christ is here to bring life. That becomes very obvious, very quickly here.

So please continue praying for them. Pray for me too. =)  Because of where these guys have come from, and how hard it is for them to trust that other people do care for them, I need to make sure I spend one on one time with each of them on a regular basis. I told a friend the other day that it’s kind of like being one of those guys who spin plates. You get them all going, but then have to come back to spin each one some more or they start to wobble.

Of course it’s not just me doing the spinning…which is nice. =)  God’s Spirit is moving and working and mostly I just need to pay attention and see where He wants me. A week or so ago, one of the guys was going through a difficult time. He was out on the deck by himself for a couple of hours. At one point I went out to see him, but to be honest, I was tired and it was cold out there. I didn’t really pay enough attention to the situation. The next night I was sitting in a meeting at church and felt God convicting me on that and prompting me that this young guy needed someone to talk to.

So all the way home I prayed that God would give me another opportunity to talk to him. As I drove up to the house, he was standing there by the front gate by himself. We had probably the best conversation I’ve had since starting this ministry. God was at work…I just needed to be available. Even my Spanish worked better than normal that night. =)  We ended up praying, standing by my truck in front of the house, right on the street. Once again I’m sure my mostly Catholic neighbours wonder what the heck kind of cult the gringo is running…but it was a good moment.

The guys in the home these days are; David, Jimmy, Juan, Andres, Jesus, Franz, Ruddy and Sandro…in case you want to pray for each by name. Pray for spiritual and physical protection…for wisdom and strength to do what they know is right…for peace and joy…for spiritual growth. They’re all studying these days, and that’s been challenging for some of them. So pray for understanding in their classes as well.

Thanks for reading and for praying. Please feel free to pass this blog address onto anyone you think might be interested in what’s going on down here. We can always use more prayer!

It’s hot and sunny today…summer is on it’s way!  =)  Just thought you’d like to know…
 

The good news, the bad news and the surprising news…

The good news is, all the campesinos (highland people who oppose our civic government here in Santa Cruz, and who support our president) who’ve been marching towards us for the past weeks suddenly decided that they would not enter the city. This was a welcome piece of news for sure. At one count, there was over 8,000 of them bearing down on us here, most armed and all angry. They were told that they could enter the city, but not with their guns. Perhaps the idea of a fight with the police before they even got to the city was enough to deter them. They held rallies and demonstrations in smaller towns surrounding the city (and still are in some places), but that’s as far as it’s gone. We need to be cautious though. Although some groups have disbanded, others are still active. The blockades between here and the Boy’s Home out in San Luis are still up and last I heard, there are a LOT of people still demonstrating. But all in all, it’s obviously good news.

The bad news is Evo our president. I’ve stated before that I appreciate some of his ideas and if he could implement them in a rational, thoughtful way…I might be more supportive of him. But it seems he can’t. This week he spoke to the United Nations, and by all accounts, parroted Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. This is not good news. The most disturbing part (that I know about) was his comment that, “Bolivia is for Bolivians…” That`s basically exactly what Chavez said about his country before he kicked out all the missionaries… The difference here in Bolivia is, of course, Evo doesn’t have the same support from the masses that Chavez had. But still…not what one wants to hear…

The surprising news is that another missionary organization is pulling out of Bolivia this week. Gospel Missionary Union (Corina’s mission) made the decision over the weekend. That makes two missions to pull out in the last week. It’s surprising because (in my opinion) things are much more peaceful this week. But they were bothered by Evo’s speech at the UN, and decided that it was time. I’m sure that there were other considerations for them as well. I was telling my friend today that of course they (GMU) have to think about families with kids and whatnot. Not just single guys like me who are mostly oblivious.

It’s hard though. That means more friends who are leaving. Corina will be staying (her husband isn’t able to leave) but Heidi (who runs the children’s ministry at El Jordan) has to go. She is not happy about that. She loves being here. I think it would be easier if there was a sense of impending doom or something…but like I said, there’s really not. So they all have to be gone by the end of next week.

Please pray for us here. It’s a bit of a confusing time. Some people are very concerned…others not at all. TV reports are contradictory…one station says one thing and another the complete opposite.

But in the end it’ll work itself out. For the time being, I have no doubt I’m where God wants me and that’s good enough. It’s nice to be able to tell the guys that I’m staying with them. It makes them smile every time. We were making plans today on how to defend the house if/when the fighting starts. We’re planning on a big tower on one corner of the property and a tunnel out the back if we have to escape (for future reference…we’re definitely watching too much TV). I said we needed to make bows and arrows to defend ourselves. One of the guys told me he knew where to buy illegal guns.

Good to know.

Thanks for praying everyone! I’ll keep you updated as best I can…
 

I haven’t got much to add today.  According to the news, thousands of campesinos (highland people who are opposed to the current government in Santa Cruz) are arriving today in the city.  It seems like they are anticipating violence and have already made the declaration that any blood is on the hands of the city leaders.  Marcee and I and another friend met this morning for prayer and to discuss the situation.  We all agreed that it’s difficult to know what exactly to expect.  Most people here don’t seem that concerned (or at the very least, as concerned as the situation seems to merit), which is strange to us.  When you watch the news, there’s more coverage of the city’s annual ExpoCruz than the demonstrations and marches that are approaching.

Please continue to pray for us.  Pray for peace and wisdom for all those that are involved in these marches and for the leadership of both Santa Cruz and Bolivia.  This coming week is going to be interesting no doubt.  Marcce and I have both made the decision to stay and both of us sense God’s peace in that decision.  But it’s hard to say goodbye to those of our friends who are evacuating.  And for sure it’s a difficult time for those who are leaving as well.  There have been lots of tears in the past few days.  So please pray for them as well.

I’ll do my best to keep you updated.  On the home front, Andres (one of the boys from the home) moved in over the weekend.  Please pray for him as he adjusts to living with us.  I’m sitting down with the guys this afternoon to talk about some basic “how the house needs to run” and respect issues.  Typical teenage stuff.  So…life continues…  =)

Thanks for praying and for thinking of us down here!
 

Things once again have the potential to flare up politically here. In response to the trashing and occupation of a number of government offices here in Santa Cruz a couple of weeks ago, supporters of our president, Evo Morales, are marching towards the city. They’re coming from two different directions, the north and also the southwest (for those of you familiar with Bolivia, that group is now in El Torno, where I used to live). The group coming in from El Torno numbers around 1500 while the group in the north is much larger (in the thousands). Both these groups are armed and…not very happy.

Last week, all of the presidents of the various South American countries met to discuss the situation here. They declared their support for Evo, but also put a caveat on that support. They said that he had to call a halt to these marches and not allow them to enter the city. So far, that has not happened. The leaders of the Departmentos (provinces) here in Bolivia are meeting and talking right now, and reports are positive with regards to those meetings. But so far, these groups continue to move towards the city. It’s expected that they will arrive sometime on Monday.

As of today, the US government has pulled out all non-essential personal from Bolivia, including DEA officials, the Peace Corp and embassy staff. As well, some evangelical missions have begun to evacuate their people. But bear in mind that there are still a number of missions and ministries that continue to work here, and that so far have not made any decisions regarding whether to leave or not. On a more positive note, both the Mormons and JW’s pulled out as well. =)

It’s difficult to say exactly what the future holds. There’s much potential for peace…and much potential for conflict. I guess we would just ask you to continue to pray. There’s not much else we can do. Marcee and I have evacuation plans in place, but to be honest, it will take a lot for me to decide to leave. I’ve already told the boys that we’re in this together. I want them to know that I’m not about to abandon them.

For those of you who have plans to visit Bolivia in the coming months, I would ask you to just sit back and be calm for the time being. By all means pray, but also understand that this could calm down and be over very quickly. There’s no sense getting worked up over something that may not, in the end, be very big.

If the people here in Santa Cruz are any indication, there’s nothing to fear. People seem calm and life is continuing as normal. This weekend, Santa Cruz is hosting “ExpoCruz” an annual business fair (very similar to Agribition). It’s a huge deal for the city. One of our friends made the joke that ExpoCruz is all anyone is really concerned about right now. If the news is any judge, that’s true. That’s mostly what everyone is talking about. I’m planning to go anyhow… =)

So please keep praying, and I’ll try to keep you updated as much as possible.

Thanks everyone!

 

There are important things happening in Bolivia and much that I should be writing about…

But all I can think of right now is the guy who just walked past the restaraunt trying to sell a taser.  He was making it zap and everything.

Shoot…I kind of want one.

 

Last night the guys cooked an extra plate of food because they thought Jesus was going to be there. But he couldn’t make it (Jesus the kid who lives with us….not Jesus God. Just to be clear. It was starting to sound a bit weird to my ears…like a plate of cookies for Santa Claus…). Anyhow, Juan was begging for the extra pork chop (and the way he was acting, you’d think I don’t feed these guys. I do. Again…just to be clear), so I told him that if he put all my wet clothes from the washing machine out on the clothes line, he could have it. In his desperation…he agreed.

In hind sight it seems, perhaps, this my not have been an appropriate response on my part. Bribing one of the guys with food to do a job that I’m too lazy to do. It felt sort of Old Testament-ish (sell your birthright for a bowl of soup because you’re hungry kind of a deal). I probably need to come up with a new tag for some of my posts, a “Worst Missionary Ever” category. I wish I could say that I felt bad afterwards…but I didn’t really. It sort of makes me smirk. Like I said…worst missionary ever.

Things have calmed down considerable here. It seems that the violence shocked enough people that now everyone is willing to talk more. So that’s encouraging. Most of the blockades to the city have come down and for the most part, life is returning to normal. I wouldn’t say that everything has been resolved, but…it’s better anyhow.

One interesting side note though. One of the remaining blockades is out in Tikipya, the town right next to the Boy’s Home. Last Friday they actually had a terrible fight there, one of the worst in the area. El Torno (where I used to live) is virtually shut down. All of the stores and restaurants are closed, for fear that there will be more violence. They showed video of the blockade on the news last night, and the trucks were backed up for miles. This is the highway were most of our fruits and vegetables enter the city. I talked to one of the guys from the home yesterday (he goes to university and we grabbed a coffee) and he said that he has to walk more than three kilometres to cross the blockade. That’s crazy! There’s no word when that blockade will come down, and I have a feeling that it might be awhile. Emotions are definitely high there right now.

My truck is still at the body shop. And probably will be…forever. I’m trying to stay positive and whatnot. But come one… Some work was done on the body and now it’s getting a new bumper cover made. That part is actually kind of cool to watch. They can make everything here! I watched a guy make a plastic tale light cover once….you couldn’t tell the difference between it and the original. But…it’s ssooooo ssslllooowwwww. I’m not a slow kind of guy mostly.

My last piece of news is that it seems we might be getting a new recruit for the house. A fellow from the home who I’ve known for a long time and worked with a lot, has decided he would like to move into the city and live with us. Please pray for him as he packs up his things and makes the move. He (and I) are excited about this, but I’m sure it’s not going to be an easy transition for him. He’s been a the home for a long time.

Thanks for reading and praying everyone!

PS Oh yea…my other funny moment. I shared at youth group last Friday…in Spanish I’ll have you know…which was kind of fun. I have no problem speaking Spanish with the guys or with people I know well…but this was a little bit more intimidating. It seemed to go okay though. We watched a video and then I talked about how, in Jesus’ day, disciples wanted to not just know what their rabbi’s knew….they wanted to be like their rabbis. That’s why Peter wanted to walk on the water as soon as he saw Jesus walking on the water…he wanted to be like his rabbi.

Anyhow, afterwards, I wanted to know if the guys understood what I was trying to say, so I asked Jimmy and Juan if they understood what I was trying to say. Jimmy quickly responded, “Yes! I understood everything! You’re my rabbi…”

Hmmm…not exactly what I was going for (especially in light of the porkchop incident…). But it made me laugh. =)

Oh, and the mime thing.  I mentioned before that there are lots of street performers right now.  Last night I saw my first mime, though.  I was kind of surprised.  I felt obligated to pay him as I ended up being the centre of his act.  Yea…that was fun.  But he did make me smile, and my standard is that if any of the street performer guys actually do entertain me…I pay them for their services.  It seems the least I can do. 

But I really didn’t expect to ever pay a mime for anything….

It’s difficult to know where to start. A lot of people back home in North America are aware of the difficulties Bolivia is facing right now. CNN seems to be reporting that the city is in flames and we’re close to ceasing to exist as a country. For sure it’s true that we’ve just come through three or four days of violence in the city (in the city centre, near the main plaza, as well as in a few of the outlying, poorer communities). Office buildings have been vandalised. Cars have been set on fire or turned over. All of the major roads into the city are now blockaded. Then today, the news arrived that in one of the other lowland provinces, martial law was declared by our President in response to the violence that was taking place there. There’s no question that this is a time of crisis in Bolivia.

But then there’s the reality that as I sit here writing this in a nice, air-conditioned restaurant I’m surrounded by calm, laughing people enjoying a coffee in the warm, evening air. Earlier today there was a march for peace organized by the churches of the city, and I watched as thousands of Christians walked by, singing and celebrating and waving flags (those would be the charismatics, I think…those Pentecostals have seriously nice flags!). If I wasn’t watching the news, I might not even realize that anything was happening in the city. It’s the reality of Bolivian life.

So on one hand, I do want to ask you to pray for Bolivia. It is a serious time. There are lots of shortages of basic items that greatly affect the quality of life here. People can’t find propane for cooking…last night as we drove home from youth group, every gas station had line-ups of hundreds of cars waiting for fuel…some of the markets are short of vegetables and other staples of life for people here. And of course this affects the poorest of the city the most.

But as I said, life for many of us continues unaffected. Obviously we don’t venture near the areas that are most impacted by the unrest. As well, parts of our local market have shut down as people choose to stay closer to home. Like I said, there are shortages of lots of things. I actually had kind of a funny moment on Thursday. One of the guys, Jimmy, and I went to buy a few things we needed for the house. My job is usually buying meat for us. I noticed that the meat market where I shop was closed, but the chicken place was open. I was worried that maybe there wasn’t any more meat, so since there was chicken…I stocked up. Kind of a lot. Then as I left the chicken store…the meat market opened. So yea….we’re good for chicken anyhow…

As I said, it is a serious time here. But on the other hand, political unrest famously has a habit in Bolivia of flaring up and then calming right back down again. A few days after the crisis you’d hardly know that anything happened. So we’re just playing a wait and see game here. I’ve been asking people at home to pray and not overreact to what they’re hearing or seeing on the news.

Some prayer requests….

The most serious event here is the declaring of martial law in the Pando (the other lowland province I mentioned). Bolivia is a country that was run by the military until the early ‘80’s, so most people remember that time and are obviously concerned by the President’s choice to send the military into Pando. I think if he chooses to pull the military back out as soon as things calm down…we’ll be fine. If he doesn’t, I have a feeling that things may escalate.

As well, please pray for calm, rational hearts and minds for the people here. It feels like most of the violence and vandalism (and stealing) has been caused by younger people who are just looking for a fight. Watching it play out on TV, I almost got the sense that it was just a game to them. There’s definitely a confusing message as to why this is all happening. No one seems to be fighting for the same thing. Autonomy…rights for handicapped people…needing a new computer monitor…they all seem equal in the minds of many people who were causing the problems this week. By far the majority of people here would like to see this come to a peaceful conclusion. Santa Cruz (unlike some cities in Bolivia) has never been a place where violence was considered an appropriate solution to a problem. I’ve never felt like I was in danger in the four years I’ve lived here. I still don’t really.

Brazil and Chile are both sending diplomats to help negotiate between the vying groups here, so please pray for wisdom for them, as well as all the Bolivian political leaders. Pray that a peaceful solution will be found quickly, and that things can return to normal.

Ending on a note of praise, I would like to add that God is definitely watching out for this poor missionary! =) As I said, we’re facing serious fuel shortages right now. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, even back last year. As I left my house this morning, I noticed that I had about a half a tank of diesel left and wondered how much longer that would last me. I was helping one of the guys, driving him around to take some pictures for a school project, and as we went past a gas station, I saw the usual long line of cars waiting for gas. But then I noticed that instead of barricades in front of the diesel pumps (indicating they didn’t have any), there was a car parked there. I yelled, “They’ve got diesel!” and pulled a highly illegal U-turn and screeched into the station. Within minutes, there was a long line of cars and trucks behind me that stretched for blocks. I…on the other hand…was second in line! Well…except for some guy that backed up into the pumps from in front of me for some reason. But still…I only waited a few minutes and I had a full tank!

So chicken and diesel…I’m good to go…

Thanks for praying everyone!

PS As I searched for a picture for this entry, I’m already seeing headlines in my Google search that talk about the violence ending and compromises being reached. So that’s good to hear!

I’m sure this isn’t as interesting to all of you as it is to me…but…it’s my blog. I get to write what I want…

So…I got to drive my new truck for a couple of days this week, between the mechanic and the autobody guy (where it is now). Let me just say…it brought a smile to my face. It’s fast and smooth and oh so bad on gas…

I’m definitely going to need to convert it to propane as soon as possible. Especially since we are now in the middle of diesel AND gasoline shortages. After struggling for so long with never having enough diesel, I finally get a vehicle that runs on gasoline and the city runs out. Go figure. If I was a little more cynical, I think it was somehow me. I drove around all morning looking for a gas station that actually had gas… But…nothing.

Granted my tank of gas would probably have lasted a bit longer if I didn’t have to demonstrate to every person who got in the truck how fast it could snap your neck back when you stomped on the gas. =) The first night I had it, I showed up at the house to surprise the guys…and of course we had to go for a ride…a fast ride…with a little fish-tailing off the pavement onto the dirt at the end of our road. It was entertaining…

Before any of you city folk feel obligated to write with a comment…this is a farm kid thing. I don’t expect you to understand. =) My dad and brothers have done the same thing with every vehicle they’ve ever owned. I have stories.

Anyhow, my favourite things about the truck.

1. It has a V8 and makes my old truck feel like a go-cart.

2. It has very comfy seats that don’t poke you in unfortunate parts of your anatomy.

3. THE BACK WINDOW GOES DOWN! There is nothing cooler than that.

4. I can control the stereo from the steering wheel.

5. It’s large and intimidates other smaller vehicles (ie. dumb taxi drivers).

6. THE BACK WINDOW GOES DOWN! I’m quite easily entertained.

7. It makes cool rumbly noises when you step on the gas. That was cool when I was in high school and it’s cool now.

8. It has rear window defrost. That means nothing to us Canadians, but the boys thought it was pretty amazing. Of course I will never get the opportunity to demonstrate it.

9. The tires squawk every time I turn onto the pavement from our dirt road (see point 1). The only time my tires squawked on my old truck was when they came off.

And best thing about my new truck? My girlfriend thinks I look “dangerous” in it! That’s not a comment about my driving skills by the way (at least…I don’t think so…). And let’s be honest…it looks pretty amazing with a good looking latina girl in the passenger seat too!

So…Ken’s pretty happy with the new truck. I’ll post some pictures for those of you who care, once it’s finished at the autobody place. As a side note, I now know that my autobody guy’s son’s name is Wilbur. I wasn’t there for 10 minutes and he’d written his name in the dust on every available surface on my truck.

Thanks for reading and for caring…

This is just a quick note to let you know about a couple of random things…

*    We seem to be surviving the blockades alright.  I haven’t been back to the market since they started, but I’m hearing that things are a bit sparse and over-priced.  We need to pick up a few things in the next couple of days, so we’ll see.  There was video on the news of more trucks dumping loads of dirt to block more highways into the city.  There’ve also been rumours that the government will shut off water to the city in response to the blockades.  So far that’s just been rumours though. 

*    The guys are doing well.  There are still a couple of situations we’re dealing with, with specific boys…but we’re working through it all.  Yesterday my co-worker Marcee had lunch with us and shared her testimony with the guys.  It sparked some good conversation later.  I also saw one of the guys reading his Bible for about an hour last night in his room.  He’s a fellow that I don’t think understands much about his relationship with God…so it was good to see that.  I get the sense that there’s a growing desire in him to learn and grow.  He was reading a Christian book on dating the other day because he “wanted to learn when it was okay to have sex”.  =) 

*    And on that note, I’ve started a new Bible study with the guys on Thursday afternoons.  We’re reading a book together, Neil Anderson’s “Purity Under Preasure”.  An excellent book on sexual purity.  One of the guys was commenting early on that he “doesn’t read books”.  But after our first study, he was out on the patio reading the next chapter…so I took that to be an encouraging sign.

*    Finally, my truck is finished with the mechanic today.  It’s been given a clean bill of health.  Now it’s off to the autobody shop for a bit of cosmetic repair.  It got a bit banged up on the trip down.

Thanks for praying everyone.  I appreciate it!  And we need it!  Talk to you again soon…