April 30TH

Saturday 12.30pm, April 30, 2011 San Fernando

Dear Gramma (and world),

We are having such a lovely rain right now. I am sitting in my room after lunch, looking out the window.  In my yard I have avocado trees, banana trees and my little garden. Past my yard is wilderness. The church lot here is at the edge of town. I can see all sorts of trees with a palm tree jetting up the tallest. Every thing needs rain.  The village crops are getting dry. The people grow corn, sugar cane, yucca, rice, bananas,  and different kinds of squash.  There are also grape fruit, orange and lemon trees. It’s been so hot and dry these last few weeks. The rainy season goes from December until March, or early April. April and May it only rains occationally, then June and July  will be cool and dry.

I have been thinking so much about you lately. It’s been a year now that I’ve been back here in Bolivia, and it will be another year before I see you again. That seems long doesn’t it? I love getting your chatty letters, I have long since owed you one. Posting this letter on my blog is a bit more public, but it’s faster than me sending a real letter and others can read it too if they want. Please do continue to write me letters. I love hearing from you.

For lunch I got creative.  Earlier I had made arroz con Leche (rice with milk) this morning  from milk my neighbors had given me early this morning when I went to have Mate’ with them. But I thought I should have something green for lunch. I think it’s been over a week since I’ve eaten any sort of vegetable. People here don’t grow any sort of green vegetable. I’ve tried to grow and had no luck with green pepers, cucumbers, peas and letus.  However, I do have a Gaint Winged Bean Plant that is huge and out of control. It has beans, but I’m not a huge fan of them. When the bean pods are full grown they can be a foot long and have large white beans inside. When they are not full grown, like the ones I picked today, you can cut up the pod and boil them until they are soft. I have seen bean pods in some Asian food. Today I picked bean pods and Chaya leaves. Chaya is a leafy plant of which you can eat the leaves. They are similar to spinach in taste and nutrients. I brought both of these plants with me in June when I first came to San Fernando, the middle of nowhere land. For lunch I cut up the bean pods and the Chaya leaves, then put them in a pot with water to boil for a while. When they were good and soft I drained them, and put garlic salt and a little ginger on them. Then I added some flour and mashed it all up, adding a little water and more flour to make a dough of sorts. I dropped little balls of dough into the well oiled fryng pan, (that I would be lost with out) and I fried them up, pressing them down to make  little “burger” shapes… I guess they turned out to be a veggy burger of some sort. They were actually good and I finally ate some veggtables.       I also made some lemon ade, from lovely lemons I picked from a tree behind my house.

During the week I am teaching here, there and every where.  It’s good. I have actually been very busy.  You know how I fill my time. For the most part, this is a relaxed culture, so I’m curious what the folks think of me here as I hussle around. Last night I was visiting a woman who comes to the church occasionally with her husband and kids.  I am not as close with her as I am with others. In the evening when we were sitting drinking Mate' (the socal tea that you pass from one person to the next), she said that she and her husband always wonder why I don’t stop at their house more often! I have visited them now and then, once every week or so, but from her continuing to talk about it, they both want me to visit more! She told me her husband urges them all go to the church. And when company comes or they can’t get out, he feels bad. Right now he is out of town. She told me that he often opens his Bible and reads. When I do visit and he is there, he has many questions for me. Other folks I visit don’t ask as many questions. But every one likes visits. There is an older couple I told I would visit today, but it’s raining. I’ will go later in the afternoon.

These last two months Paola has been living in the church with me. She is a 15 year old girl from here in San Fernando. She never knew her Dad. Her mom died when Paola was less than a year old. Paola was raised by her grandparents. Last August her sick grandmother was taken out to a large city far away, to get medical help and has not come back.  Paola had been staying with her aunt and uncle before I asked her to come live in the church with me, until Dina came back. We have had a good two months here in the church. I know she has learned a lot and I have enjoyed the company. I am leaving it up to her if she would like to stay after Dina comes. She could share a room with one of us.

Oh, did I tell you I have chickens? And a duck?  Yes, they are part of my little family, six chickens, a little duck, an old mama dog from across the street who thinks this is her house, and my sweet cat. It seems like every house has chickens, I wanted to try to raise them. Having them wander free is more annoying than anything because they always want to come inside, and they do their business everywhere. I feed them corn when I can get it, and rice otherwise. It seems like my whole life here is one big experiment.  It has all been going well, for the most part. But I truly hope and pray God brings a Bolivian pastor and his family to replace me. Who knows where I will spring-board from here next? I look forward to spending time on the farm with you and Grampa. I dream about living there with you for longer than the usual few days that I see you when I am passing through.  


At some point I would like to get married. That would change everything about this traveler life that I have had for years. Two nights ago I was having dinner at the house of a couple who comes to the church here faithfully. I enjoy them. We were eating fried piranha and rice. I had mentioned that earlier in the day I went to the river alone, and was so glad the piranha don’t bite people right now. They were surprised I went to the river alone. Then I told them that I have been doing things alone for years. In the States I went camping alone, hiking alone, running and swimming alone. I came to Bolivia alone, yet not alone--always completely accompanied and lead by my Father God, the creator of the Universe. As we ate piranha, he said that I was an adventurist. I guess he is right.

Ok the rain has stopped. I think I will get my guitar and head down to Dona Saferina and Don Vitals house to visit them. He can’t see very well or walk very well, and has a hard time hearing, but it touches him when I visit. So, here I go.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH GRAMMA and GRAMPA! My mom told me you have been going to a Saturday night worship service at your church! That is great. Seek God and you will find him. Read the Bible more and THE GOD OF THE UNIVERSE WILL SPEAK TO YOU DIRECTLY!

MUCH LOVE FROM SAN FERNANDO!

Katie

Joshua 1.9