Mike and Aileen

D.I.N.K.s

2008-03-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Hello to all who have kept checking up on us after a couple months of stagnation. Mike and I are now submerged in a steady stream of work in our respective fields. Just finding jobs in our home state of Montana was a true blessing, but the type of work we're both doing really fits our interests too! Mike is using his creative bug to design all sorts of things. He does a fair amount of business branding, e.i. logos. I am just a couple weeks in to my position as a transportation engineer which happens to be an area of engineering that peaks my interest quite a bit. I couldn't ask for better co-workers, so praises there too! As for our not too distant future, we are trying to become informed home-buyers, and hope to have a little place of our own in early summer. We will just have to see what the Lord brings our way. We were very excited about an opportunity a month or so ago to acquire a lovely little car that is sure to take us on an adventure or two.

Maybe it doesn't interest you, but the title of the post is a fond little term Mike and I use for ourselves nowadays. (double income no kids) We heard a speaker in Bolivia use the term and just thought it was funny. Sorry I can't muster up much of a blog. Love to all!

Our two days of winter

2008-01-04T19:57:00.000-08:00

Happy 2008! I thought I'd get a post on here since its now a new year. Mike and I spent two weeks at my parents home over Christmas. We savored our meager two days with snow. Both were on skiing adventures. One of the downhill sort, and the other being cross-country. We saw some family friends of mine in the little town where I grew up. Wow, how we've all grown up. Mike is back on the trail, hunting down a job. It is down to him and one other applicant for one position. We wish all of you a blessed year wherever you are.

Also, after being literally on opposite sides of the world (Kelli in S. Korea and us in Bolivia) Mike and I finally caught up with a good friend and college roommate of mine!! She was reminiscing about her first job which was at this little diner we ate lunch in. I think that about does it for updating you about our going ons. Chau!

What We've Been Up To

2007-11-11T17:13:00.000-08:00

Here is a good portion of our mission family on our last week in Bolivia.

I'm sorry to say, this probably won't be a very exciting blog, but we did want to inform those of you who might look here for information about what we are up to these days since coming home from South America. Well, it took us about two weeks to catch up with all the family, which was nice. Of course, there's been some adjustments, a big one was saying goodbye to a large group of friends and coworkers and feeling a little bit lonely these first few weeks. We are trying our best to make the transition from volunteer work to full-time employment. Staying in Montana is high on our wish-list, but makes for very few openings in Mike's field of graphic design. We welcome your prayers for our future, to have wisdom and courage to follow where God leads. There are two opportunities for Mike that we are waiting on, and while we wait we are blessed to be able to live rent-free with Mike's mom in Billings. It is hard to put into words what this past year has meant to us. Although we can't share every memory or experience with you directly, we certainly have many of you to thank for your direct impact on our lives and many lives in Bolivia as well. We always love to hear about your lives, so drop us an e-mail or comment.

School Picture Day!

2007-09-30T14:26:00.000-07:00

I got volunteered to take school portraits for the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center last week (Pre-School through 12th grade). I guess you get what you pay for.

End of an Era

2007-09-09T14:49:00.000-07:00

Teaching English as a second language in a Bolivian University was not something I would have guessed we would do when coming here, but for the last four months we have really enjoyed that particular responsibility. Friday was our last class. There were some obstacles to overcome, especially having never taught English (or any other subject) before, but the rewards were well worth it. The students who stuck with it were eager and had unique personalities. They even threw us two parties during our time. One on the Bolivian Teacher's Day, and the other this last Friday. They made us a card and gave us balloons, and of course provided salteñas for all to eat.

On a little different note, two of our students from the American culture class we taught have come to the English church with us twice and seem very enthusiastic to get involved in some of the church programs, like a weekly English practice session. These non-Christian students have a love for learning and we are thankful that there is such a giving and God-centered Church with various things for people to get involved in. Thanks for all the prayers you have said for us and the people we work with. None of these things would be possible without them.

Thankful For 2 Years (and surviving the anniversary)

2007-09-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

A trip on a Bolivian Flota (bus) gave us an anniversary to remember. We started out on August 12th and I will never forget seeing the digital clock on the bus turn 12:00 am. At that moment the first day of our third year of marriage began and we also ran out of pavement, entering a windy mountainous road that would have me nervously peering over a straight-down edge into oblivion for the next 8 or so hours. Luckily, we made the 16 hour trip in a record-breaking 14 hours. Even though it was a fast and furious initiation in to mountainous bus travel, that two hours made all the difference with no bathroom breaks. All in all the buses were tolerable, although I can't say the same for the music, or at least the volume of the music. We quite literally had to put a sock in it on the ride home. A great memory, and yet a relief that we're not doing that again any time soon.

This Was Sweet

2007-07-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Today we were helping out with a VBS at a local church. There were all kinds of ingredients for a good time: skits, songs, puppets, sidewalk chalk, and best of all... Hoola Hoops. The kids eventually convinced an elderly woman from the church to give it a go. One word: AMAZING

I can only hope I'm that cool when I'm her age.

Sing a New Song

2007-06-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

The last three weeks have been eventful. First we were house-sitting and at the same time, in between apartments due to an impending move. Thus, we found ourselves in charge of three houses, three vehicles, six pets, and I didn't bother counting the number of keys. (Which is kind of scary to those of you who know this is the girl who forgot her winter coat two years in a row at the same gym at out-of-town sporting events.) Once we were down to a reasonable two apartments, two vehicles and two pets we were joined by my brother Nathan who was taking advantage of some leave from the Navy to continue the world traveling he has recently been on. We enjoyed a great six days of showing him all the 'hot spots' and giving him a glimpse into our lives here as missionaries. As it is said here: "Gracias por todo Nathan"! The week after that we made our move (which was right next door) official, which makes the tally at six moves for Mike and me. I'm happy to say this one was rather quick and simple.

So on to another little tidbit I have been pondering...I've recently been revived and appreciative of the fact that we can please God by singing. I would think that everyone likes to sing a tune now and then. I mean the ones behind closed doors all by your lonesome (since not everyone is a performer). I know I sure enjoy(ed) it, especially when I was younger. I remember my family having to instate a rule of 'No singing at the table' since, for some odd reason, it annoyed my brothers. There came a day, around middle school, when I became more conscience-striken with my voice, even at home, and I remember my mom saying she missed my singing around the house. In any case, I hadn't stopped loving to sing. I remember I would go to my mom's piano bench, which had a top that would lift up, and there I would find several music books, one being our church hymnal. I would go through it singing and marking down all of my favorites. Coming here, I have noticed cultural differences. One being that people sing more. More loudly, more publicly, just more and they're often times good in my opinion. I love learning new hymns, or old ones in another language :O). It just seems like we will never stop finding ways to praise and sing to the Lord, which is I'm sure what He intended. But, it's always sweet to go back to something I remember way back when, before I really KNEW that God was listening. Like this last Sunday when we sang 'Here I am Lord'. To think that when I sang that in the little East Glacier Chapel God said, "Yep, I see you. And I will lead you to love me and my people." Thanks be to a faithful and listening God.

"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be." ~ James 3:9-10 ...And let this not be so of me Lord

Noteworthy

2007-06-05T15:20:00.000-07:00

Today as we drove to the University we saw a boy, about 7 or 8, carrying a pair of antique-looking crutches (not using them, mind you) with a parrot on his shoulder. 2 minutes later we saw a man riding a bicycle down one of busiest roads in Santa Cruz with a lawn mower tied precariously atop the book rack. These are the kinds of things we're going to miss when we leave.

Ahora sí

2007-05-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

With the recent visit of our good friends Erin, Ben, and Lisa, also came the arrival of a new power cord for our computer. As such we figured we should write a new blog.

It was fun to be able to share some of what we do here with friends from back home. Somehow it's just not the same to try and describe our surroundings and the people we meet, so it was great to share some of those experiences first hand. Here are some photos from the week they spent with us.

Thank you Erin, Ben, and Lisa for the sacrifices you made to come here!

Technical Difficulties

2007-04-12T05:35:00.000-07:00

So, the power supply to our laptop went ka-poot. Unfortunately, we won´t receive a replacement part for probably at least another month or two, because it has to be shipped from the states. This means blog postings probably won´t be too frequent, and without photos. Also, our email server has been fire-walled at the university (where I am currently typing this), which means communication will be difficult. So if we´re not replying to your emails, you know why. Sometimes stuff like this happens here. What can you do?

Flooding

2007-04-05T04:55:00.000-07:00

For those of you who aren't already aware, Bolivia is in the midst of its worst flooding in 25 years. Thus far, at least 20 people have died, more than 100,000 have been left homeless, over 100,000 head of cattle have died (with another 500,000 at risk), and hundreds of thousands of acres of crops have been destroyed. A short while ago, Aileen and I had the opportunity to drive north to Trinidad, one of the hardest hit areas, and bring some food and supplies to be delivered by the Wings of Peace ministry there. We took SEVERAL PHOTOS while we were there. Please keep Bolivia in your prayers!

My Coaching Debut

2007-03-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

Its official, my high school girls basketball team has a winning record. Out of 5 games, we have won 3 (one in overtime by 1 point)! I absolutely love these girls. It is probably the most culturally diverse team you will ever see. Their countries of origin include Bolivia, USA, Switzerland, Taiwan, Japan, China, and Vietnam but all have grown up or at least lived here several years. They all know English quite well, but for most of them it is their second or third language. Their attitudes towards me and their teammates are 100% positive, and the only learning barrier that we sometimes encounter is when I use a basketball term that they have never heard before, such as 'block out', 'v-cut', 'turnover', or 'take a charge'. I am thankful to get my start as a coach in a country where basketball is NOT the ultimate sport (obviously that would be soccer). Here, we are lucky to have one practice and one scheduled game a week. The picture below is actually during the first game that we won. We set and accomplished some major team goals in that game...

...and thus, the girls held me to my bargain of having an ice cream party as a reward. Because our shindig fell just two days before my birthday, and because they are a thoughtful bunch, they surprised me with my very own birthday cake and signed the back of a Bolivian soccer jersey as a gift. Mike collaborated with them and put up decorations using balloons and toilet paper. That was a great day and birthday to remember!

Pinchy, Stingy Things

2007-03-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

We encountered a scorpion a few nights ago while having some friends over for dinner, and learned that standard scorpion-encounter protocol in Bolivia goes as follows:

1. Photograph the intruder.

2. Obtain an instument of distruction, preferably with a long handle. Snuff the punk.

3. Pay respects with a short ceremony, followed promptly by disposal of the corpse.

March Sadness

2007-03-17T14:27:00.000-07:00

This is the first time since we've been in bolivia that I've really, truly missed television. The NCAA tournament is taking place, and alas, I am with out a TV set. I find myself wondering why I haven't made more friends here with cable access... who's house can I invite myself to and park on their sofa for 10 hours?

Thus, I am reduced to checking ESPN's website with much frequency, torturing myself with photographs of all the scintillating fantasticalness I'm presently missing. On the bright side, however, I am very amused to find (as per epsn.com's banner ads) that Dick Vitale is now endorsing Hooters (???!!). This I find hilarious.

General Synopsis of Bolivian ER

2007-03-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, my (Aileen's) latest adventure was a trip to the ER at around 3:30 Monday morning. What started out Sunday morning as a typical day of stomach pains and more frequent trips to the bathroom took a turn for the worse the next night as I tried to sleep with a constant cramp and burning in my stomach. I was feeling by this time that it wasn't just a normal pain associated with diarrhea so, as I sat on the bathroom floor, Mike went to a website my mom recently made known to us, healthline.com and started evaluating my symptoms and possible causes for them. The pain would come in waves and centralize right around my belly button. It was when Mike saw these symptoms under the category of appendicitis that we decided to call our mission's field director whose wife happens to be a nurse. They were gracious enough to come right over and after a quick assessment and a prayer for the Lord's protection, we were off to the ER. The doctor and two nurses that were at my side made me feel calm and at home. Bonnie, the field director's wife, followed closely the doctor's examination and we were all relieved when I didn't respond to classic tests to affirm appendicitis. Thus, the next logical answer was a stomach infection caused by a bacteria I probably picked up in something I ate. They administered two drugs into an IV, one was an anti-spasm drug and the other to help the nausea, during which they took blood from the other arm to run through the lab. I was sent home to rest until later that morning when I could pick up the results, which would indeed confirm an infection. Now I am resting, taking the needed antibiotics, and feeling much better. All in all I give a shining A+ to the hospital and staff, but do not intend on giving them another evaluation any time soon.

Catching Up

2007-02-25T16:25:00.000-08:00

We've neglected to post anything so far about the youth camps we were involved with a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I'd rectify that. Aileen and I were asked to be the activities directors for junior high and high school summer camps (it's summer here) located about 2 hours north of Santa Cruz. We were definitely excited about the opportunity, but I'll admit, it was a lot more effort than what we anticipated. Planning games and activities for 3-4 hours each day (not counting their "free time") really sucked the ol' creative juices dry, even though we were given a couple of resource books to help things along. We now have a deep, deep respect for youth pastors around the world who do this for a living.

Moving on... I've gotta say, the thing that made this whole experience so amazing was the great attitudes the kids had. We ran into our share of obstacles in arriving at the camp. On the way to HS camp, the biggest of the 3 buses broke down just outside the city, resulting in 3 hours of "down time" along the side of a road in the Bolivian heat. Through all this there was very little complaining. When we finally arrived at the camp it started "raining pets" (as I've heard one Bolivian put it). So what do 75 teenagers do in pouring rain? They play Red Rover, of course.

I was so amazed by the flexibility of these kids. Amazing. The rest of the time at camp was pretty much sweet. A speaker named Dan Hardesty and his family flew down from the states to give talks at both camps twice a day. He was formerly a missionary in La Paz and currently runs a family and adventure camp called Triple-R Ranch as a ministry in Virginia. I learned much from him as did the kids. Plus I had the privelege of sharing a cabin with him and the senior boys.

I'll end with a small section of our supply list from our activities, and let you use your imagination to figure out the games.

40 kilograms of flour
18 dozen eggs
45 pairs of nylon panty hose
200 rubber "smiley balls"
Lots of Jell-O
2 water balloon launchers and a couple hundred balloons
12 sponges
4 toilet plungers
1 box of Fruit Loops

Oh yeah, check out Chad and Emily's link to the right to see some more pics and stories.

New Church in Sucre

2007-02-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

The last month or so has been busier than most. Lots of new experiences, travels, and the like. About 4 weeks ago we went to the city of Sucre. Aileen and I were sent there to aid a work team in the construction of a Church. Originally, a team of 10 men were set to make the trip from the States to help out, but that team was cut down to 2. Pastors from surrounding areas were petitioned for help to compensate for the lack of man-power, and as a result we the opportunity to work side by side with some amazing people for a little more than a week. A number of the men who came spent 15 hours or more on a bus (one way) to come and work long days and give of themselves.

A new building is much-needed. The building they currently meet in is approximately 12ft wide by 20ft long, lit by a single 60-watt bulb. During services, the congregation would spill outside, and people would have to sit in the dirt. A dog would sometimes jump from the adjacent building onto the tin roof and walk around, making it difficult to hear. When it rained it was impossible to hear anything. This picture is taken as the church starts to fill in at the beginning of a Sunday night service. My back was flat against the back wall with a wide-angle lens.

Passing buckets to pour the cement columns.

Inside the church after the puntales (supports) were completed.

The work team in front of the new building, minus Aileen, who was working in the kitchen, and a few others.

Unfortunately, we had to leave before we could see the roof poured (they had to await the arrival of some materials). It was definitely a blessing to us to be a part of the experience. We learned a lot from the men and women working there. Everyone was humble, encouraging, hard-working, and joyful in all things. That's such a rare and unique thing to be a part of. Thank you to everyone who was praying for this project. This church now has room to continue its growth! Please pray that the new building is filled as well.

We've been gone

2007-02-17T13:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the general lack of blogging lately... The last month or so has been pretty busy and filled with travel. We'll get a big fat blog posted in the next day or two. Promise.

White House

2007-01-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

Not long ago the truck Aileen and I are using while here in Bolivia, an '87 2-wheel drive Chevy, broke down. By "broke down," I mean the lever for the turn signal and windshield wipers fell off. Sometimes things just fall off here. Now, I figure a typical turn signal lever replacement in the states takes 1 day, maybe 2 if your mechanic is busy. In Bolivia, it means your vehicle is out of commission for 1 month while your steering column is stripped apart and you wait for a part to be shipped from Brazil.

So, while we await our repair, we've been given a loner vehicle. Behold, the White House:

This is a vehicle with a lot of history. It was bought new by the mission in 1983, a Toyota Land Cruiser Pick-Up, and was converted into a medical vehicle to bring aid to rural villages. They put a big white camper on the back to house a medical bed and various supplies and instruments, and was thereafter dubbed "The White House." Since 1983, she's taken a fair amount of licks. Now it sits under a shed a majority of the time, only used on rare occasions.

People here joke about it's lack of, well, everything. It doesn't have some of your modern-day conveniences, such as power steering or a dome light, but I like it. I like that I have to push a special button to give power the spark plugs when I turn the key over. I like that all of the knobs and switches on the control panel are labeled with somebody's personal Dymo label maker. I like that, If I wanted to, I could take off the roof, fold the windshield over, and cruise around safari-style. And most of all, I like having the ability to winch myself out of a pickle, should the need arise. Truth be told, I'd rather keep this than have our old pick-up back.

Daily Life

2006-12-29T15:05:00.000-08:00

Hi friends...Aileen here. I feel compelled to write to you with a few of my menial thoughts, in part to get over my fears of blogging. But also, this is for all of you who we were not able to talk to in person this holiday season. Mike and I miss you all and love you. Our thoughts are with you, although we are not. For me, with the holidays seemed to come a very perceptible loneliness. It was a time of new and very different experiences, and with that was a longing for the old familiar ones. But even withstanding the Christmas season, I have learned that this loneliness, a loneliness that I think we all have felt, comes not from being thousands of miles from family or in a culture different from my own, but because the daily mission in front of me has become more important than my time with the One who sent me. I see now that my daily life can not revolve around conquering my surroundings, however unfamiliar they are, but to go back to the One who does not change and who has put a divine order to my life, an order that is not dictated by what I can and cannot find at the market or if snow flies on December the 25th. He is with me and when I stop to give Him my attention rather than the Spanish words I hope to have in my vocabulary tomorrow, the loneliness disappears. It's amazing, and it works...it really works. This is an old habit of mine that some of my oldest friends might recognize, but I wish to leave you with a song. If you can find this song by Mercy Me (the song is called Crazy) and listen to it, I do recommend it. Or maybe there is a way to put it as a link on here, but, until then I will share with you a small portion:

"As I live this daily life
I trust You for everything.
I will only take a step
when I feel You leading me... Isn't that crazy.

I have not been called to the wisdom of this world
But to a God who's calling out to me.
And even though the world may think I'm losing touch with reality,
It would be crazy to choose this world over eternity."

Bolivian Bichos

2006-12-16T05:26:00.000-08:00

I kid you not, this ant was 1 inch long. You know a bug is big when when the locals start taking pictures with their cell phones.

Over the River and Through the Jungle...

2006-11-26T13:28:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we and the Jacksons decided to go on an excursion to find Los Espejillos (Es-pay-hee-yos: The Mirrored Holes of Water, loosely translated). We really had nothing more than some vague directions and a road sign off the main highway to go by, so the first thing we encountered was the Pirai River, which we had to cross sans bridge. We were a little apprehensive about using a borrowed vehicle to ford a river, so Chad and I waded across first, discovering it was no deeper than 12 inches at the deepest spot. We figured if a Toyota Land Cruiser couldn't handle a foot of water, a false advertisement suit would cover the cost of damages. So over the river we went. At this point we're already having a great time.

From there, we chose between two different trails, opting for the more beaten path. We wound through jungle for about 45 minutes, encountering natives pulling their oxcarts, dodging the occasional free-range chicken, and ignoring numerous requests from the wives to ask a local for directions, all the while not really caring if we found Los Espejillos or not. This was already one of the best adventures we had had to date. I'm pretty sure I had a big stupid grin on my face the whole time.

However, the Lord was merciful and granted us arrival at our destination. We parked our Land Cruiser, hiked up a short trail, and were greeted with this amazing sight:

We spent the next couple hours jumping off cliffs and swimming in water holes. It was the kind of thing you'd think you'd only see in a movie. Seriously, amazing. Here's Chad plunging off one of the bigger cliffs.

Also, we were reminded of what studly women we married (if such a term might be applied to a woman), as both Emily and Aileen took a jump into the reservoir. Not a lot of girls would make such a leap, especially without a dry change of clothes. Needless to say, they both went up a notch on the respect-o-meter. Here's my valiant better-half.

I'm getting all goose-bumpy just from recounting the experience. What a sweet blessing! We're already planning a return-trip with some overnight gear. There's a lot more to Los Espejillos than what you see here, but this is already pretty long and I'm tired of uploading pictures. Maybe later.

What we're thankful for

2006-11-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

90 people to eat Thanksgiving dinner with.

Sweet potatoes made with colored marshmellows.

Our family (We miss you and love you!).

Our sweet Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.

Cosmic Bowling

2006-11-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

Thursday night we had an opportunity to hang out with some students in one of the English classes from the University. We went to "Cosmic Bowling." The first thing you should know about bowling in Bolivia is that it's not quite they same experience as bowling in the States. Here, you pay to bowl by the hour rather than per game, so you have to be prepared to cram as much fun into the allotted time as possible. The second thing you should know is that Bolivians don't do a lot bowling, and as such they have a somewhat unconventional delivery. Here you see the over-handed technique. Not necessarily effective, but very intimidating to the competition, nonetheless.

That in mind, I proceeded to bowl the single greatest game of bowling in my life. It was amazing. I felt like **insert name of famous bowler here**. And just in case none of you believe me, I've documented the event. Note the 6 strikes in a row at the beginning of the game. I danced a victory jig.

Oh yeah, we also got to meet some amazing students and make some solid friendships. That was a bonus. Here's a picture of Franklin. He does a mean moonwalk.

Afterwards we went out for some pizza. They told us jokes they learned in English. We would tell them jokes we knew, and then explain to them why they were funny.

Q: What has a bottom at the top of it?
A: Your legs.

Some Bolivian Scenery

2006-10-31T07:11:00.000-08:00

These are a few pics we took on the drive to Samaipata.

Samaipata

2006-10-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went on a high school retreat near the town of Samaipata (semi-pa-ta). All week the high schoolers had been listening to Franco Salvatori speak at their school, and they finished off the experience by escaping into the mountains for a few days for some fellowship and some great teaching from God's word. We loved it there! We were 4,000 feet higher in elevation than Santa Cruz, so it was a lot cooler. We even got to wear sweatshirts in the evenings (huge bonus).

The students did a lot of team-building and bonding through various activities. We got to help facilitate some of the games and activities, as well as develop some relationships with the students. It is so much fun to see God at work in the youth here!

Some Pictures

2006-10-24T13:13:00.000-07:00

The compound where we live. Our apartment is on the far right behind the tan pickup.

Raining in our back yard.

Shooting hoops with our neighbors. Josh is the little guy on the right.

Just beyond the outside wall of our compound. That path leads to the Christian Learning Center where Chad and Emily Jackson teach.

A visit to Sr. Jackson's classroom.

In Honor of Nathan

2006-10-23T12:08:00.000-07:00

Hello readers. This post is coming to you from the illusive, yet quite real wife of the man who has single-handedly set up, designed, and kept this blog running. I make it a point now, to give you our first post from Bolivia because of my brother Nathan's persistent remarks about my absence from 'blog world'.

We want to thank you all for your prayers, for many blessings have occurred within the short time since our departure from the States. The first being, a strange availability of exit row seats on all of our flights, giving Mike much needed and joyous leg-room. Every night since arriving, we have been wonderfully doted on by a rotating cast of missionaries who provide a meal and company for us. It has been a great way to slowly be introduced to all of our co-laborers. We are also being eased in to our roles at the University and in to a completely Spanish environment there. I seem to cling to the hope that God has blessed me with the gift of language and may soon be speaking in full sentences with an abounding vocabulary. However, more frequently, I find myself thankful for the very real and concrete blessing of a husband who can quite capably communicate with taxi drivers, waiters, our new Bolivian friends, etc.

Our accommodations here are quite nice. We often joke that they are a step up from our apartment in Helena. There is a small air conditioner in our bedroom that is much appreciated during the night, and so far, fairly frequent siestas. We have lots of space with an extra bedroom and open dining room and kitchen. We are even said to have the best bathroom in our small gated community since the previous owner had just put in a bath tub a few months before leaving. There are three dogs (a dachshund, retriever puppy, and golden lab puppy) owned by various people in our compound and for an animal lover growing up with a golden lab, I am quite thrilled with their company outside.

We would just ask that you pray now for our newly planted friendships with those within our mission and at the University. Especially with the two Bolivians (a brother and sister) in charge of the sports program with whom we will be working closely. They both speak about as much English as I do Spanish, but are tremendously patient. Gerson, the brother, married a missionary's daughter who is fluent in both Spanish and English. They actually live in our compound, so we look forward to getting to know them. Thank you again for your support and prayers. It is in our plans to have a support letter ready for mail in a few days, and I am confident (mostly in Mike's ability) that pictures are soon to follow.

Dear Helena

2006-10-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

We officially have a departure date. Aileen and I are flying out of Denver on October 17 (cheaper than flying out of Billings). That leaves us with about 10 days here in Billings. The time it is a-flyin'.

During the 9 months Aileen and I lived in Helena, the Lord blessed us some amazing new friendships, a great church to be a part of and fellowship with, and some precious and treasured time to spend with Aileen's parents. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you Helenites (Helenians?). You befriended us readily, supported us through all the decisions we've made, and covered us in prayer. We can see, now, why the Lord had us in that place for that period of time. This mission would not be possible without all of you, and we are so thankful to have you partnering with us in this experience. We are confident the Lord will do amazing things while we are in Bolivia, and we look forward to sharing that with you. Thank you for ministering to us, and we look forward to seeing you upon our return.

At U-HAUL

2006-09-30T17:51:00.000-07:00

As I stood in line waiting to pick up our U-Haul truck, an employee and a manager were discussing a problem. The employee explained that a truck came in yesterday with 3/4 of a tank, and this morning it had 1/8 of a tank. Evidently people have been siphoning gas out of their trucks during the night. A woman in front of me was listening to their conversation and said this:

WOMAN: You'd better not give me a truck with bad gas mileage.

MANAGER: No Ma'am, we've been having a problem with people siphoning the gas. It came in with 3/4 tank and now it's down to 1/8.

WOMAN: Well I ain't paying for no gas hog.

She obviously doesn't drive a lot of U-Hauls. I was impressed with the manager's patience. For the record, Aileen and I got about 6 miles to the gallon with our truck.

Special Thanks

2006-09-20T09:45:00.000-07:00

Ben and Lisa not only treated us to the rad Switchfoot concert, but all kinds of fun things in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Ben took me golfing for an afternoon whilst the women went shopping. So double thanks to Ben for taking me golfing AND avoiding the shopping. We got paired with a 9-year-old boy and his father. There are few things more humbling than being out-golfed by a 9-year-old. Seriously, that kid was amazing. I did manage to avoid hitting any cars on the nearby highway, though. So hurray for that.

Amongst other fun and entertaining things we got treated to was the Seattle Aquarium. Lots of fishes, and seals, and sharks, and other aquatic-type animals. I find sea creatures very soothing. It was a good time. Thanks Ben and Lisa for all your hospitality and generosity! We had a blast.

Mike and Aileen Concert Series Part 2

2006-09-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

Now that we're without full-time jobs, we find ourselves to be the recipients of multiple acts of benevolence and generosity. While visiting friends in Washington last week, Ben and Lisa Mitchell treated us to a totally radical Switchfoot concert at the Puyallup Fair. It was pretty amazing, and much bigger than the Skillet concert blogged about previously. They sang a lot of their older songs, which I liked. They also jumped in the air a lot and did other various rock-and-roll-type maneuvers. So that was neat. At one point in the concert Jon Foreman (lead singer) walked into the middle of the crowd while singing. A crazy groupie girl attacked him, but he kept his composure nicely. I took a picture of him. The cool thing about this picture is that I unknowingly captured our friend Peter Bradley, who went to the same concert with some other friends, in the Grandstands in the background. I didn't realize it until we looked at the pictures 3 days later.

A Rare Perk of Moving

2006-09-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

In preparation for our venture to Bolivia, Aileen and I find ourselves moving all our junk for the 4th time within the last year. Moving is a pain, and the more I do it the more embittered I become towards the whole experience. Frankly, I have a bad attitude. But this move had a rare moment of glorious rapture. We own a pair of dumpy love seats that were given to me during college. They weren't always dumpy, but after 4 years in a house with 8 college guys it had taken its licks. One of these sofas was in particularly bad shape, as the last time I sat in it she cracked right down the middle, leaving me seated in close proximity to the floor. And feeling a little fat. With the move and all, we decided it was time she be put down.

Here comes the glorious part: rather than navigating the cumbersome furnishing through 2 narrow doorways and down the stairs of our 4-plex, I convinced Aileen to let me open the sliding door and throw the thing over our 2nd story balcony and into the back yard. A short-cut. I know this may sound stupid, but I derive a great deal of pleasure from throwing things off of buildings. I've found that the amount of pleasure experienced is directly related to the distance of the fall multiplied by the mass of the object (Xjoy = Distance x Mass). In this case, the fall wasn't all that far, but a sofa is by far the biggest thing I've thrown out of a building. Aileen was the lookout (to make sure we didn't squash any unsuspecting neighbor kids) and I was the chucker. Needless to say, we had a good time. I'd post a picture, but I didn't take one... Sorry. I promise if anything else goes over the balcony it will be better documented.

Skillet

2006-08-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

Aileen and I got to see a Skillet concert last weekend at the Great Falls fair grounds with our friends Pete and Jessica. Before the concert started, some random guy was talking to Pete and I in the men's room (the rootbeers had caught up to us). He asked us where we were from and all the usual stuff... nice fellow. Before we parted ways he offered to let us stay the night at his place. I think a Christian music festival is about the only place where it's OK for a complete stranger to approach you in the men's room and offer you a place to sleep. Turns out he was a youth pastor (we met his wife and little one shortly after). We respectfully declined and opted to drive the 90 miles back to Helena after the concert.

It was Ai's first rock concert. She loved it, but I think her ears are still ringing.

Aaand... We're Off!

2006-08-19T23:01:00.000-07:00

MIKE: OK, so here we are... blogging. We're bloggers now. Let me start off by saying that you should keep your expectations low. By that, I mean that you may not find deep, profound, life-changing thoughts here. We mostly started this just so that we can see ourselves on the internet. You're more likely to find a record of our day-to-day activities and events, or a record of things we find funny. By funny, I mean funny to us. Or maybe just to me. But don't dismiss the deep, profound, life-changing stuff just yet. Maybe we'll surprise you. So, overall, I guess I'm saying that we guarantee nothing.

That being said, Aileen and I are continuing to raise support for our upcoming mission trip to Santa Cruz, Bolivia. This process is admittedly more difficult than I anticipated, but rewarding at the same time. It's amazing to see the ways in which the Lord provides for us, and the people he has brought into our lives that want to partner with us in this mission. In the short time we have been in Helena, God has blessed us with some tremendous friendships to carry into this new adventure. You know that Relient K song, "For the Moments I Feel Faint"? It's been playing in my head this whole last week (one of my all-time favorites).