It is almost time to go. The past week has been filled with goodbyes and last minute preparations. There can be no thinking that things can wait until next week! The last packing is the worst. Things that have been moved many times already now have to be packed to keep, packed for Bolivia, or discarded. Hopefully, a few more hours and that will be done.
And then there are the unexpected things. The stove in the house just quit. It served us faithfully for 28 years and I was counting on getting a new one when I came back – whenever that would be. Now someone else will benefit from a new one while I cook on an open fire. How ironic! Auntie Tena received word that she could move into a room with an exterior window at the Seniors Lodge so we will move her on Friday.
We will be leaving on Monday, we hope. The next weekend will be spent in Sioux Center, Iowa with Jake’s parents. Then we will proceed to Florida to attend the ECHO conference on Tropical Agriculture. ECHO is an organization that provides a clearinghouse for information on tropical agriculture for missionaries and development workers. We are looking forward to this conference and are sure that it will be challenging as well as interesting. After the conference we fly to Cochabamba, arriving there on Nov. 12. Language School starts on Monday, Nov. 14.
Language school will be challenging. Jake feels especially apprehensive about this part of the journey. We ask for prayers that we are able to learn Spanish and that we will be willing to practice it. Even though the learning may be easier for me, I know that I will have difficulty actually using it.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Thursday, October 13, 2005
A Year of Changes
How time has flown-- since the last blog but also in the past year. When we think back it was only a year ago since we left Bolivia the first time. We then spent some time in Peru before heading home. The experience left its mark on us, and it wasn't just a sun tan. Our son, Tim, had decided in August that it was time to leave the family business and try his wings. That meant that we would be running a large greenhouse operation with the two of us and we no longer had the energy nor the interest. Bolivia seemed a wonderful opportunity for change, and a chance for Jake to fulfill his dream of tropical farming. We felt drawn to the people of Patajusal, Bolivia. We knew in our hearts that we could offer them something but that they would also be able to offer us so much more. We did not, and do not, know what but we have faith that this is what we are to do.
We wanted to return to Boliva but did not try to make any arrangements until the last week of November -- and we needed to be back by Christmas since it was Jake's mother's 80th and we also had to start the spring crop. Never did I think that we would be able to use our almost expired air points. But we could and we got the last two seats on the plane, leaving the next week and returning just before Christmas. OK, so the seats were right beside the engine and it was lound, but normally they do not assign those seats. To us it was a confirmation that we were to return to Bolivia and continue with our dreams.
The missionaries and development workers in Santa Cruz went out of their way to make us welcome and to show us their projects. After a very busy two and a half weeks we returned to Alberta and made a firm decision to wind down the business in one season and head for Bolivia. We operated a 2 acre greenhouse, selling both wholesale and retail.
The first decision was to scale down on the wholesale since is not easy to control the number of retail customers entering the garden center. Even with this change, our business did better financially that we had anticipated. We were blessed with great staff and our spring bloomed. Arranging for the sale of the assets other than the land and house was the next step. We engaged a reputable auction company, and although we tried to keep the whole thing under wraps, that was not possible. Within weeks the whole industry and community knew that changes were taking place. Such a move was a novelty and some wondered if we had more guts than brains. Our auction was held in July, just after the season had ended. It was very successful and we felt that we were truly being guided in what we were doing.
Other things also fell into place. We could not decide if we should rent out our house. Some days we were renting, then we decided not. In the end the decision was taken out of our hands. A couple from about 50 miles away phoned and were interested in the house. We had purchased a motor home from them the year before but we did not know them well. However, we are now living together in the same house and things are going well.
People have said to us that everything just falls into place. But there is no way that could have happened. We strongly believe that God opened the doors and guided each part of the process. There are too many things that we simply waited to make decisions -- and they were made without us worrying about them. Now we pray that God will continue to guide us and show us what we are to do. Sometimes we only see His hand in retrospect, showing us that he is always there.
We wanted to return to Boliva but did not try to make any arrangements until the last week of November -- and we needed to be back by Christmas since it was Jake's mother's 80th and we also had to start the spring crop. Never did I think that we would be able to use our almost expired air points. But we could and we got the last two seats on the plane, leaving the next week and returning just before Christmas. OK, so the seats were right beside the engine and it was lound, but normally they do not assign those seats. To us it was a confirmation that we were to return to Bolivia and continue with our dreams.
The missionaries and development workers in Santa Cruz went out of their way to make us welcome and to show us their projects. After a very busy two and a half weeks we returned to Alberta and made a firm decision to wind down the business in one season and head for Bolivia. We operated a 2 acre greenhouse, selling both wholesale and retail.
The first decision was to scale down on the wholesale since is not easy to control the number of retail customers entering the garden center. Even with this change, our business did better financially that we had anticipated. We were blessed with great staff and our spring bloomed. Arranging for the sale of the assets other than the land and house was the next step. We engaged a reputable auction company, and although we tried to keep the whole thing under wraps, that was not possible. Within weeks the whole industry and community knew that changes were taking place. Such a move was a novelty and some wondered if we had more guts than brains. Our auction was held in July, just after the season had ended. It was very successful and we felt that we were truly being guided in what we were doing.
Other things also fell into place. We could not decide if we should rent out our house. Some days we were renting, then we decided not. In the end the decision was taken out of our hands. A couple from about 50 miles away phoned and were interested in the house. We had purchased a motor home from them the year before but we did not know them well. However, we are now living together in the same house and things are going well.
People have said to us that everything just falls into place. But there is no way that could have happened. We strongly believe that God opened the doors and guided each part of the process. There are too many things that we simply waited to make decisions -- and they were made without us worrying about them. Now we pray that God will continue to guide us and show us what we are to do. Sometimes we only see His hand in retrospect, showing us that he is always there.
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