Stir Fry

Would you serve a traditional Bolivian meal for Mother’s Day?

The kids that have lived with us have always enjoyed my version of a stir fry.  When they come home they want me to make it.  A number of them have asked for the recipe but have never made it.  Oscar on the other hand has made it with me a number of times.  When the men of the chapel were deciding what to make for the mothers Saturday night they decided to make stir fry. 

Oscar was the head chef and Osvaldo was a helper.  They borrowed the big wok from our house and a number of the young men from the church pitched in to help.  I told them if they wanted me to I would go down to the chapel and help.  They didn’t want that but Oscar called me a number of times to make sure he had the procedure right. 

He forgot the part where you turn down the fire.

They made enough for all the mothers and everyone else that was there.  Stir fry for 60 people.  Luis, one of the young men made a huge pot of rice.  It was a great success.  

PAINTING THE BRICKS

PRAISE THE LORD, WE ARE IN THE NEW CLASSROOMS.

Painting the bricks

How do you get rid of the cement and plaster that has gotten on the bricks and left them looking messy. You paint them.  I'm not kidding.  The last job the builder does is paint the bricks.  They paint the bricks brick color and the paint the cement between them cement color.  It leaves everything looking nice and clean.

Finished and ready for the second floor

Notice the steel rod sticking out of the top, it is ready to begin construction  of the second floor.  In 2013 we will need more classrooms.

END OF THE FIRST TRIMESTER OF CLASSES

The little kids choir

Friday night was the program for the end of the first trimester of classes.  I am always impressed at the amount of work the students and teachers put into these programs.

The high school presented a mime about Creation, The Fall of man, and Salvation.  It was very well done and very impressive

After the program the parents go to the classrooms and pick up their kids grades.

NOAH AND FABIAN

I just got back from two days in the city getting repairs done on the van.  It is a Toyota Noah, a model not marketed in the States.  It was born in Japan with the steering wheel on the right side and converted to the left side for use in Bolivia.   It is always a challenge finding a good mechanic who has time to do the work.  The good ones are always busy.  Some seem to think if they own or can borrow a wrench and a screw driver they are mechanics.  When the job is done you want to be shown the old parts that were removed to be sure the new ones you paid for were installed.  I guess I have become cynical.  Anyway the steering on the van is fixed and it does not rattle as it goes down the road like it used to so I am happy.  Now I have to replace a front wheel bearing that is starting to growl.

I saw Fabian Wednesday, he is finished with the rehab program and is having a hard time.  There is no work here in Portachuelo.  We had arranged for him to work with a fellow from the church in Santa Cruz and live with his aunt.  He would learn welding.  His family (who ignored him for 18 years) decided that welding was not a worthy profession and supposedly are looking for something else.  Right now he is cleaning a lot his aunt wants to build on.  For a year Fabian has had a very regimented life.  In rehab he was told when to go to bed, when to get up, when to eat.  They kept him busy all the time.  He was with his companions in the program all the time.  Now he is alone much of the time.  He told me that three times he has been offered drugs in the neighborhood around his aunt’s house.   I gave him a cell phone so we can stay in touch.  He will be coming home for the weekend.  Please continue to pray for Fabian.  He has some difficult days ahead.

TAMARA AND ANTONIO WED IN OUR HOUSE

Tamara started attending some of meetings at the chapel about a year ago.  She spends a lot of time talking to Marion.  Her life has been traumatic, with lots of people problems.  She received the Lord as her Savior but  Antonio has not.  He has been to some of the meetings and is coming to our house with Tamara for counseling.  Their relationship has been difficult.  They have been together for a number of years and have two children.


Tamara and Antonio were married with a civil ceremony in our house last night.  Their relationship with her family is not good.  Her mother refused to come to the wedding.  Marion and I ended up as the organizers of the wedding reception.  

Tamara and Antonio in the center  with their witnesses and the civil register

The bride was an hour late, but the bride's maid and the best man forgot about the wedding so they were two hours late.  They were witnesses who had to sign all the legal papers along with the bride and groom.  The civil register who did the ceremony has done a number of them in our house.  He sat here for two hours waiting for things to get under way.  He is used to the Bolivian concept of time.


Several of the ladies from the Chapel came to help prepare the food.  A delicious meal was served to 50 people.  The young people from the Chapel pitched in to help set up things before the wedding and served the food.  Everyone helped with the clean up afterwards.  

Great food!

Pray for Tamara and Antonio, things are not going to be easy for them.