The Epilogue

Well, we've officially been back in Canada for a week now, and the journey of processing has only just begun for the three of us.  It is interesting to think that we were saying our goodbyes at the airport just last week and that now we are settled back into our routines of life in Canada.  I know, speaking for myself, that I will never be the same.  The experiences that we have been a part of this past semester have molded and shaped our personal lives and callings.  We have made friendships that we will never forget, we have gone through conflicts and trials that have taught us about ourselves, and we have experienced God in new ways and with new eyes.  Although I am sad to say that this chapter of our lives has come to an end, I am confident that this marks the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.  We are now entering into a time of personal reflection on our past four months so that we can reengage in our own culture with a fresh awareness of what missional living means.

I would like to personally thank each and every one of you who faithfully read our blogs and who supported us either financially or prayerfully over the last semester...  We have been so blessed by your generosity and support!  We hope that you have been encouraged through the reading of our blogposts, and we hope that it was almost like you were adventuring alongside us the entire time.  If you would like to hear more stories, to get some clarification, or just to say a word or two, feel free to comment on this post and we will reply.

May God bless you, and may you be encouraged to go into your world and live a life that is worthy of the calling!

Last Day in Bolivia

Today was our last day here in Bolivia.  We currently are sitting here in the Santa Cruz International Airport, awaiting our flight to Miami.  We arrive home at 4:45 tomorrow evening and we will be writing our final blogposts/reflections throughout this week.  Thank-you all so much for reading our updates and for all of your continued support (we've reached over 3000 hits). Over the period of the next we will update some more pictures and stories so keep your eyes on the blog!

Goodafternoon Blogreaders,

I'm sorry to inform you that I don't have any new updates on the current political situation here in Bolivia.  As of right now, we have yet to hear more information regarding the outcome of the Santa Cruz referendum or the riots that it has brought with it.  We would like to let everyone know that we are safe and that we have had no major problems here in Cochabamba.  Both Dave and I were able to attend church yesterday without encountering any large protests.  At this point, we hope that the worst of the rioting has ended and we ask you to join with us in prayer for Bolivia.

Here's just another reminder that we will be Canada bound exactly one week from today. Our plane lands in the Pearson Int. Airport sometime in the evening on Tuesday, May 13.  We look forward to seeing all of you when we get home, and until then, we send our thoughts and love.

Felipe

Lockdown

So in case you haven’t noticed, Phil and I are still in Bolivia. For all who didn’t know, we've decided to extend our trip by a couple of weeks. Our main reason for doing so is because we didn’t want to spend our final weeks in Cochabamba writing papers. We wanted to have time to just relax and savour our time in Bolivia with some of the friends that we’ve made.
So far we’ve had a great time. We have continued to work in a few of our ministries (Phil: teaching English and working on a promotional video for CBM; Me: working with Jireh), and we have also been able to spend some quality time with our friends. However, life without Tarryn has not been easy. The other day we were making dinner for a few of our friends and began panicking when we realized we had no idea where our cheese grater went. We tried to call Tarryn but we couldn’t get a hold of her, so I had to resort to ripping the cheese into pieces by hand. We have managed to survive thus far without her, but your continual prayers would be appreciated.

On a more serious note, we would appreciate your prayers for Bolivia in the next few days. Due to a number of complicated political circumstances, political tensions are increasing in the major cities of Bolivia. On May 4th, a referendum is being put forth in Santa Cruz that could lead to protests and blockades. (We are not in the Santa Cruz region but there will likely be some unrest in Cochabamba, as it is one of the major cities).

Our return date is the 13th of May. We hope to spend the next week spending more time in ministries and with our friends, saying our good-byes.

Thanks for your support. May God grant us strength as we represent Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Dave

Leaving on a Jet Plane

This was the journal entry I wrote on the plane back to Toronto:
As I am writing this just as the sun is about to rise. Reflecting on my time in Bolivia, I could say that it was all fun, that it was all encouraging and all uplifting, but that wouldn't be true. Although most of our blog posts have highlighted the good times we have had here, the past four months have seen many challenges. However, I believe that it is in the these times God teaches us the most.One of the biggest things that I struggled with in Bolivia was my identity. In my own country I prided myself in who I felt I was. I was someone who could hold intelligent conversations, make people laugh, encourage my friends and give advice. These things told me like, I was smart, funny, a good friend etc. However, in Bolivia, I had none of these. In the beginning mostly, I rarely knew what was going on and when I did it was difficult to find the words to ever contribute anything worthy. Because of this, I never imagined developing close friendships and for a long time I didn't. Who would want to be my friend? I was the quiet, awkward foreigner? haha.

However, God used this to teach me a lot about myself and my relationship with Him. He challenged me on how I viewed myself and who I really was. Do I really need these things that I associated with 'Tarryn' to really be the child of G od I am called to be? So often I get caught up in the North American persuit of individualism and my relationship with God becomes an attempt to "better [myself] and to be more upwardly mobile in social status". This was a quote that I took from the Cross-Cultural Communication class we took with Dave Roberts that describes some people's motives for learning a new language. However, I often feel as though in pursuing God I am actually just trying to better myself and my life when I need to be focusing on my identity in Christ and what that consists of in light of sharing the gospel of love to others.There were times in the midst of learning this, and in the midst of a new culture that spoke a different language than my own, that I felt isolated. It was in these times, when I was forced to rely on God, that I was closest with Him. Something else I learned on this trip that God has been teaching me for many years, and will continue to teach me for the rest of my life, is His faithfulness to provide. From little things such as a chance to rock climb and play hockey with the Jireh kids (Dave's and my favourite sport) to bigger things, like the community of Christians here that provided me with support and friendship. (Paola, Jhaki, Saul, Lineth, Ruben, Ariel, Julio, Myrela, Ever, Luis, Pablo, Jose, Ben, Ivan, Christina, Emigdio, Pat and Terry Janke and Phil and Dave).  It was through these people that God showed me His love. Like I mentioned before, I asked myself, "who would want to be friends with someone with whom it was so difficult to get to know?" I rarely talked at the beginning and put little effort into getting to know people in comparison to what they put in. However, I was shown an unconditional love and acceptance that I have been blessed with only a handful of times before in my life. I was blessed with gifts of their time and presence, and coming from a culture that values time significantly, it meant a lot. They showed a commitment to get to know me, regardless of what I showed them. It is amazing how much God uses Christian community to show us His love. Truly, the Christian community I experienced in Bolivia has been an example to God's relationship with us, and now my time is done. Oh wow, I can see the sun coming over the clouds just now.
-In Christ, Tarryn, Tarry, Tarence, Theresa, or Carjen

Tarryn and the Despedida

Goodbye Tarryn.  You will be dearly missed here in Bolivia, but we know that we will all see you again in the Great White North in no time!  I don't know how Dave and I will live without you here (or what we will eat), but we know that your family misses you.  We hope you have a great trip home.  Blessings and brotherly love, 

- Dave and Phil

Family and friends, I would like to recount to you the story of "the Despedida" which tookplace last night, but first a few thanks are required.  Dave and I would like to first off thank the Start family for loaning us their daughter (and sister) for the last four months, we have thoroughly enjoyed her companionship and we know how proud you must be of her. She has taught us so much, and we can see how much she is growing into an amazing woman of God (who can speak Castilliano too).  Also, to all of Tarryn's friends back home, thanks for letting us borrow your friend (and unlike most things we've borrowed, she will come back in better condition than she left).  We've heard numerous stories about you and I apologize in advance if you have to endure the even more stories about us!  I know Tarryn loves you all and missed you so much, thank-you all for your support along the whole way.

Now, for the story of the great despedida.  Tarryn's goodbye party (or despedida) was held last night in our friend Julio's clubhouse and todo el mundo was invited.  We were joined by 34 of the friends we have made over the last 4 months (Tarryn is now famous around the world) from Bolivia, Canada, England, and Brazil.  We started out with a time of some good socializing and fellowship; reminiscing about the past semester together.  As the seats filled in, we played a little "Cheppi-Cheppi" (also referred to in  a past blogpost) which is always a total laugh.  We then joined together in a BBQ, because no matter where you are in the world you can't meet together without eating!  After the meal we did the logical thing to do after a meal in Bolivia... we danced!  Traditional Bolivian music filled the air and we joined in dancing many different traditional dances (most of which I don't think Canadians are genetically designed for).  

After working off all the calories from the meal we were ready for some cake, but, as is custom before eating cake, we made public speeches about Tarryn and how greatly she will be missed.  Dave and I serenaded Tarryn to a lovely rendition of "Leaving on a Jetplane" and we too shared a few words about the "third musketeer" (or our bandita).  After eating cake we naively thought that the night was coming to a close (it was now nearing 11), but it was only getting started.  It wasn't long before we went inside of the patio for some cafe and before we knew it someone had found a couple guitars.  We sang worship songs in Spanish, English and Portuguese (usually in what ended up sounding like a strange re-mix actually) taking in every last moment of our time together.  It was definitely the perfect last-night-in-Bolivia to remember.  I have no doubt in my mind that neither Tarryn, nor Bolivia will ever be the same.