Present

Holy smokes, Batman! I just finished, The Coffeehouse Gospel- Mattehw Paul Turner and it was really all that I had hoped. Of course I did think that he glossed over a few topics that I thought he could have elaborated on a bit more, but thinking about it, I am ok with it. Why, because he is speaking about the gospel, how to share it and what it is to share it. The thing is, I think the problem isn't that we don't have the answers, but that we as Christians as a whole try to have all the answers. We try (as do many in life, believers or non-believers) try to package up life into a nice gift box, intricately wrapped with a beautiful bow. Sometimes, most of the time, life doesn't have a beautiful bow, let alone a nice gift box. Life is life, what is happening when you are planning, I have been told. The gospel is the story of a man who lived life and gave up his life so that we could have everlasting life. That is a lot and not that simple. Life is real...it happens everyday and everyone living it has a similar story, but we do God, the creator of life, an injustice when we don't stop to listen and respect people's stories of life. He loves all of us, each one of us and so many times we are run by our agendas and not by our hearts (the one God gave us) and we miss....miss what, life and with it the gospel. It's everyday: Hurt, Love, Redemption, Truth. No pretty box. God has given us life and with that a story, of how he works in that life that he was so kind to give us. He also gave us two ears which is one more than the one mouth we all have as humans (unless you are a special model). Am I using my body proportionately? Not always.
Humans want to live; we want to connect and we want to be heard...all of us. So the question is, are we listening? God listens, he is the best listener of all, he knows all languages, he hears the unspoken. I don't think that I use the abilities or tools that He has given me enough or in the right ways. Sharing the gospel isn't always about giving...I think sometimes it is about waiting and taking part. St. Francis of Assisi is quoted in the book, "At all times share the Gospel and when necessary use words." Be present. The Lord is always present, and there were few times when he was present here on earth that He actually spoke to large crowds. He was relational, He was invested, He was present. Are you rushing through your day, watching the time tick by and worried about deadlines? Or are you living, flexible and present? I want to be present.

The Day to Day...

School, friends, traveling, grading, and Futbol Americano...doesn't sounds very different from normal life in the states, does it? This statement is not to oversimplify my lifestyle here, but is to say, life is life, no matter the country or culture. School is going well. Week 5 is on its way to being history and progress reports were turned in at the beginning of the week. Time does fly. I started on my travels to Bolivia 6 weeks ago, this Friday. In a way, that blows me away; how could it be that much time has passed already.... on the other hand, it does feel like I haven't seen my mother’s face in quite sometime--wait, no, that's a lie...I saw it yesterday and her and dear ol' dad even got to meet Polonia, my wonderful Bolivian maid. She was so happy to meet them. I know you are probably saying, back up...maid. Yes, it's weird to be honest, but it is part of the culture and it helps the employment and poverty levels here. If you have questions, I can answer them at your convenience. The wonders of great communication! I truly attribute quite a bit of my smooth transition to the gift of the Internet and Skype. It is great to be able to talk to you all and get your updates and hellos.
The staff at school is great. A small group of us had an hors d’oeuvres and wine-tasting party at one of my friends' home (which has a breathtaking view of the mts.) There is physical documentation of my help in the kitchen. I know many of you laugh at that comment, possibly even aloud, yet yes, you are hearing correctly that I, Lyndsey Deane, sautéed shrimp, made brueshetta,( I know I spelled that incorrectly) and more. I was not the head of this extravaganza, yet, I did contribute and others actually thought I knew what I was doing (don't worry, I did inform them that cooking was less than my forte!)

El espanol es poco y poco (it's little by little) Yo voy a ir a leccion de espanol lunes y jueves. (I go Mondays and Thursdays) I wish I had more time to study, but it will come. I also am going to yoga classes two times a week at school. They just started so I am a little sore, but it is something new to try. I even got to watch the Borwn's at Steve and Rachel's house...they don't look any better in Bolivia. The Bears didn't look too bad. I only saw a bit, Rachel made Chilli and we all hung out...I graded papers, as usual.
Church is good. It is a small American Church, made up of internationals.(American's really) Everything is in english, but it seems to be very outreach driven. I like it. The women seem pretty great and I am starting a high school girls bible study this thursday evening. I had some coffee last week with two of the girls and we are starting something up, so God willing...it will take off and we will all learn a little something.
So that is the update. I have been gone every other weekend since I arrived, but I believe that we will be home this weekend due to a little transportation issue with a friend's vehicle; yet to be honest...it is nice to be in La Paz, exploring the local area and relaxing.

Hope this finds you all well....the mountains still take my breath away.