Laundry by hand!

That’s what has more or less occupied my time lately, as we continue to settle into our new life here in Cochabamba. My respect for Bolivian women has skyrocketed as I’m sure my gringa laundry skills pale in comparison to their skills, especially considering I’m only doing laundry for two adults and many women here are doing laundry down in the trash-lined, dirty river that flows through Coch for huge families. Scott and I have been quickly adjusting to other drastic differences between the States and Bolivia, namely that we cannot flush toilet paper (yep… there are trashcans next to every toilet in this country) and that we will put our lives in jeopardy every time we walk across or drive through the streets here where red lights are merely suggestions and where every driver uses the horn constantly. We’ve laughed a lot as we adjust to our new neighborhood, too: stray dog fights at two in the morning, stray cats mating outside our bedroom window, or Scott’s favorite guy who drives by constantly throughout the day selling fruit out of the back of his car. The man has a megaphone attached to his car and, in a ridiculously loud monotone voice, repeats OVER and OVER, “Bananas, mandarinas, y papayaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas.” Needless to say, Scott told me I’m not allowed to buy fruit from him because he’s afraid he will start coming to our neighborhood on weekends, too. Because we’re adjusting well and enjoying all of the novelty of our new lives, we are both definitely anxious to find defined roles as we begin our work with the ministry here. Pray that, as Oswald Chambers says, we “never hold anything in reserve. Pour yourself out, giving the best that you have, and always be poor.” We want this to be a year where we make ourselves less and make others more, where we give our best for something bigger, and where we take the challenges that we face in this very different context to make us stronger individuals, a stronger couple, and more thoughtful and compassionate human beings.