Follow-up

Only one more month in Bolivia. Yes, we are heading back to the states to pick up where we left off and try to live a normal life. Can anyone really pick up where they left off after experiencing life in a third world country. Our lives will forever be changed.


My last day of teaching at the Santa Cruz Christian learning center occurred last Thursday, May 14Th. On that last day, prior to taking their final and handing in the required work book I took this picture of "my girls" wearing the aprons they made. From left to right are Gaby, Ziza, Marela, and Arriana. I will never forget them. I pray they choose to follow Christ and make Him first in their lives. A couple posts ago I wrote of the baby shower that I had for Rosa our guesthouse maid. Well, Rosa delivered a healthy baby boy on May 6Th. Rosa was dismissed from the hospital on May 9Th and sadly the baby had to stay in the hospital a week longer due to jaundice. But he is all right now. Traditionally Bolivians do not name their babies until they are a year old. They think it is bad luck to name the baby sooner because so many babies die before their first birthday. Rosa stopped by the other day to pick up her maternity wages and I took this photo. Nothing is official yet, in fact probably nothing for several months, but Rosa seems to think they will name him Samuel after his father.

We have been blessed these past four years to have a dear Christian women working for us. Her name is Nancy and Nancy has worked for the guesthouse and SAM missionaries for over 50 years. She started working when she was 15 years old. Nancy celebrated her 65th birthday the other day............ we think that she is older but no one really knows. She is almost blind and has a variety of health problems. She makes the best bread and sweet rolls I have ever tasted! Below is a picture of Nancy with Dan. Nancy is wearing on of the necklaces we gave her for her birthday. It is not the best picture of her, she had already worked all day and was preparing to go home. We will always be grateful for her hard work and endearing nature. She is a sweet and wonderful women of God. When she is not working she is visiting the sick and keeps very busy teaching at her local church.

Work Day at the SAM base

On May 1st, (Bolivia's Labor Day), South America Mission/Bolivia had a work day at the SAM base. Our goal was to do painting and repairs to the "El Atrio" our pastors training center, to repair ceiling tile, fix lighting and wiring, and to take down the kid's tree house which was had extensive termite damage. After all the work was finished we ended the work day with a "Chorozco" a traditional Bolivian cook out with plenty of hamburgers and Bolivian sausages, along with chips and banana chocolate cookies provided by Laurie Vanderzwaag. Below are some pictures of the people that came to work. Above is a picture of Tom Throssel preparing the wall to paint. Bubba Massey and I, (Neva) put two coats of paint on this wall. It was very difficult painting since there was a lot of tape and glue which had been used on the wall and hindered the paint from sticking.

In this picture is Cody Vanderzwaag and his Bolivian friend who are helping to tear the tree house down.

The above picture is of Dana Wilson painting the entrance to the El Atrio.

Above is Jenny Strebig. She first had to patch damage to the wall. There is a big problem in Bolivia with mold which gets in under the paint and eats away at the wall.

In the above picture is left to right.... Laurie Vanderwaag, Dana Wilson and Laura Boyce.

Above you can see Dan trying to sort through the wood we pulled down from the tree house. While some of the wood was damaged from termites, some of the wood was fine because the wood used was a very dense wood which is very difficult for the termites to penetrate.

In this picture Greg Dahl is working on a light fixture while Steve Vanderzwaag hold the ladder.

Angela Massey is putting a fresh coat of paint on the railing of the balcony which is on the second floor of the El Atrio.

In this picture Isabel (the El Atrio secretary), is helping Paul Kinezle put a coat of paint on the upstairs railing.

Bolivian Baby Shower

Rosa, the guesthouse maid is expecting her fourth child. It was really pretty unexpected..... at least for her. She was really surprised. Any way, I thought that it would be good if we honored her with a baby shower before she went on maternity leave. She was very pleased, especially since, as she shared with us, that no one had ever given her a baby shower. Baby showers here are pretty foreign. They just don't give things to other people, especially when each family struggles to take care of their own needs. I had invited about 22 people to the shower and hoped to get 8 to 10 people. To my surprise, about eighteen people came, mostly SAM missionaries. We had a lot of fun playing baby shower games and having some delicious eats together. In Bolivia only small gifts are given..... it is the Bolivian way, and no one puts their name on the packages so that no one is embarrassed by what was or was not given. In the picture below Rosa is opening her gifts. As you can see she seems very pleased.

Below the ladies had to hold a baby, hold a phone, carry a balloon under their blouse and then we strung up a clothes line and when we said "go" they had to quickly hold all these things and also hang clothes on the clothes line. The picture below shows the ladies before the game actually began. The winner was Angela Massey, the thin dark haired women on the end..... she did it all in record time. It was fun to watch.

School at Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center

This past year I have had the priviledge of teaching at the SAM operated Christian school known as Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center. In the fall semester I taught two First Aid classes and this Spring semester I taught Home Economics. The pictures of the girls below are the girls in my Home EC class. Their names in order are: Gabby, Arianna, Mariela and Ziza. The first three girls are Bolivian and Ziza is a missionary kid. It has been an interesting year teaching these girls about the fine are of home management. Hopefully they have learned things that they can use throughout their lifetime.

Below is the the name of the school, posted on the wall as you enter the gated entrance.

As you can probably guess, the school mascot is the "Eagles." The building below houses the library on the first floor and the chapel and computer lab on the second floor.

And, like most of Bolivia, animals roam free. This cow is a usual appearance right outside of the school entrance. The other day when we arrived there were pigs wallowing in the mud of the drive way.

For the past few years there has been a lot of construction going up around the school and this has affected their drainage system. The school has a lot of problems with standing water on the grounds, so much so that they have not been able to use their soccer field or much of their playground. This has been particularly bad when there was a dengue outbreak and with the standing water the mosquito population soared. Recently we have contracted a local firm to put in a new drainage system which we hope will fix the problem.

Here is a picture inside of the school gym. My home economics class is actually in an alcove of the gym and Dan and I often watch the kids in their gym classes as I wait for the class before Home Ec to finish up. During my Home Ec class Dan helps the special needs teacher with kids that need special attention.

With all the rain, this concrete basketball court has been the only place that many of the kids could go for recess.

This is a few from outside their lunch room, also known as the "Eagles Nest." On the right and also in the rear are class room, mostly used by the high school and junior high. The grade school kids classrooms are actually on the other side of the far class rooms.

Barrio Bolivar

One of the most recent South America Mission projects has been to build a child developmental center for children in Barrio Bolivar, an area almost completely inhabited by Ayore Indians. The Ayore people live in poverty and the children suffer from malnutrition and parasites. Hopefully the child development center will help by providing nutritious snacks for the kids, treating them for parasites and testing them for developmental delays so that the kids will not be handicapped by their environment. I have posted a few pictures of the kids from Barrio Boliviar.

Dengue Epidemic hits Bolivia!

This year has been one of the worse out-breaks of dengue in Bolivia in years! There have been over 50,000 "reported" cases of dengue and probably just as many unreported cases. For those of you that are not familiar with the illness, it is spread by mosquito, and is very similar to malaria. There are five different varieties of the disease with hemorrhagic dengue the most serious since it usually ends with death of the individual. Dengue "classical" is the most common and generally is milder than the other four varieties. Symptoms include high fevers, aches, pains, nausea, malaise, anorexia, hallucinations, rashes, and stomach ache. The illness usually runs its course within about ten days. Once you have had dengue you generally receive a life long immunity to "that variety" of the disease. You can still contract one of the other varieties.
This past Saturday the city of Santa Cruz declared a "dengue paro." A "paro" is the Bolivian word for "strike" which generally means that no one goes anywhere, but rather stays at their home. This "paro" was designed for everyone to stay at home and clean up their yards, getting rid of waste and standing water.
On Saturday morning someone representing the city came to our door and gave us all the instructions as to what must be done to clean up our yard for the paro. Everyone was instructed to place their garbage, such as old mattresses, refrigerators, pop bottles, car tires, leaves, etc. on one of the corners of their block and someone would be by to pick everything up. We always keep our grounds clean so we really did not need to do anything. We did put a couple of old tires outside and an old toilet bowl. Later in the day someone came by to inspect our property. That was kind of a joke because all they did was ask us if we had cleaned up our yard. Of course the answer was yes. Below, the picture of the giant mosquito with a red line through it was place on our exterior gate for everyone to see that we had passed inspection. Here is the garbage that made its way to our corner by all the neighbors.....................

By Monday morning scavengers had already gone through our garbage and made off with everything of any value.

Here is a picture taken from the local paper of one of the garbage heaps. There is so much garbage it will take weeks for the city to get everything hauled away! And yesterday we received torrential rains which made matters worse. If there was any mosquito larva in the garbage the rains only helped them in their growth cycle.

As you can see below, this is something that was in the local paper describing what took place.

Below you will see just one of many pictures of people with their families waiting for medical care.

Below is a picture of someone who was not as fortunate. They died from the dengue. Here is a typical picture of a wake. Usually when someone dies in Bolivia they must bury them within 24 hours because there are no embombing facilities. Family is notified of a death and they come together and prep the body and then sit together the remainder 16 or so hours until they take the body to the cemetery for burial. Bodies are usually entombed and not buried under ground.

Below is a picture of a women with her sick child. They ran out of hospital space and the child is on a gurney in a hallway of the hospital.

South America Mission Annual Field Conference

Each year alll the South America Mission missionaries are required to gather for a week long conference for a time of teaching, spiritual instruction and a time to take care of mission business. This year our conference was held January 5th through the 9th (2009) at a small resort by the name of "Los Cedros," which was about 40 minutes south of Santa Cruz. Bill Ogden came down as our guest speaker and Jeffry Olrick, a child psycologist also spoke. Front row (left to right): Marlene and Terry Throssel (came to teach the children), Raquel Strebig, Aleyna and Amara Holcombe, Georgia, Sam and Angela Masse, Bev, Benji and Bill Smith, Alyssa, Abby and Noah Holcombe, Philip Throssel, Dan, Jenny and Elizabeth Strebig Second row: Tara Wilson (came to lead worship), Dana Wilson, Kathern Strebig, Laura Boyce, Bubba and Ty Massey, Jeff Olrick (a child psycologist who came to speak), Alan Holcombe. Third row: Peter Throssel, Nick Smith, Racheal Kienzle, Jessica Smith, Katie Wells, Ruthie Nyquist, Lydia Emmans, Erica and Becca Kienzle, Angela Emmans, Laura Kienzle, Dan & Neva Fourth Row: Janine & Tom Throssel, Greg Dahl, Bill Ogden and Paul Kienzle.

These are the SAM kids!

And the SAM teens! left to right: Peter Throssel, Nick Smith, Erica Kienzle, Lydia Emmans, Ruthie Nyquist, Jessica Smith and Racheal Kienzle.

Abbott's take a Holiday

Everyone needs a vacation from time to time and it was time that Dan and I took some time off to rest and relax. We knew we wanted to get away, but we were unsure as to where to go. Intially we had planned to go to Peru in October, but then with all the political unrest our plans were canceled. We wanted to take a trip that was both safe and relaxing. Dan saw an advertizement for a cruise online and when we checked it out it seemed to be perfect for what we were looking for. We rationalized that the trip could prove to celebrate 1) Dan's 60th birthday, (November 29th), 2) our joint Christmas 3) my 55th birthday, (February 28th), and our 35th wedding anniversary, (May 25th). Our goal was to get away and to relax. We did both! We have many more pictures of the cruise than you will find on this blog, but we just could not put them all on. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we do.

This is a picture of Royal Caribbean's ship "Radiance of the Seas."

This was our cabin during our 13 days at sea. It was small but affordable. Fortunately, because of Dan's age we got a senior discount which really helped! We were on deck three, (the cheap cabins), and way in the back of the boat by the employees quarters.

It is required that everyone take part in an evacuation drill the first day out at sea. Here was ours.

Our first stop on day 2 was in Montevideo, Uruguay. The city is noted for its long beaches. It borders Brazil and is a tourist location. As we walked toward the center of the city we came upon this "square" or park where artisians had set up their wares.

In the middle of the square ethnic dancers performed for the tourists wearing traditional costumes. The men wore clothes characteristic of the gouchos which were Uruguayan cowboys.

As we walked downtown you can see the busy streets and below are the statues.

A women babysits her grandchild.

Below is a drum group that beat their drums for all the tourists coming off the ships.

We were out at sea a number of days. Our second stop along the cruise was Porto Madryn, Argentina. There wasn't much to do in Porto Madryn. We did walk around the town, and below you can see a picture of Dan on the beach with Porto Madryn in the background. We paid a local tour company to take us out to the bluffs so that we could see the "lobo de mar," or sea lions. Pictures of them follow. While there a tarantula tried to walk over Dan's foot. I took a picture of it.

In Punto Arenas, Chile we took a tour to a penguin santuary. The following pictures are of the drive there and of course, the penguins. I have a lot more pictures of penguins, but I think that you get the idea.

The following pictues were taken in Ushuaia, Argentina. This place was very nice with mountains dropping into the sea. It was beautiful! The city of Ushuaia is the last city before reaching Cape Horn. Many of the houses are European in appearance as you will see by one of my pictures below. Lupines, (the purple flowers) were very abundant. While we did not go to any of the tourist attractions here such as the old Russian Prison or Tierra del Fuego National Park, we did go out on a catamaran to see the "light house at the end of the world," and to get up close to the sea lions. When the ship docked an old Russian sub was anchored there in port.

On day 8 our ship went around Cape Horn. You can see the picture below. It was very cold and rainy on the day we went around the cape. The captian said that it was really a very nice day to go around the cape because they have had days when temperatures were frigid and dangerously high winds. As you can see there really wasn't much to see so the trip around the horn was kind of anti-climatic.

Below is just a picture of one of the two pools on board the ship.

Down by the cape our days were long. Some days the sun did not set until 11:00 pm. Below is a picture of a sun set that we actually did see. I believe it was on this same day that Dan and I were eating lunch in the cafe and a small school of dolphins swam by. It happened so quickly that if we weren't watching we would have missed it.

On day 11, as we headed north again, the ship stopped in Punta del Este, Urugauy. There wasn't much to do here either, but we walked around the penninsula, sat along the shore and watched the people. Below are a few pictures of things we saw there.

On day 12 there was a towel folding demonstration. There were so many people there that we really did not see much of the demonstration. However, with my soom I was able to take this picture of the monkey that they made for everyone to see.

Our last stop before the cruise was over was in Porto Belo, Brazil. While there we walked around town and then took a small boat out to an island where there was suppose to be an ecological park. The park was small but we did the tourist thing and then returned back to the main land. Below are the pictures we took during this stop.

Indian Petrografia

Once in Sao Paulo, Brazil we boarded our bus which took us to the airport. The following pictures are of what we saw along the way. We found Sao Paulo to be very dirty, and very old. There was a huge drainage/sewage ditch which ran right in the middle of the city and it was in dier need of being cleaned. There were homeless people in the streets begging. As you can see there were homes which were erected along the hillsides. We did not do any site seeing in Sao Paulo because we had been told that it was a very dangerous city to visit unless accompanied by someone who knew what they were doing. Since we were on our own we chose to forgo a visit to the city. We were supprised to see that there was a Walmart in Sao Paulo, however we unable to tell if it was open or if it had been abandoned.

Threat of Violence comes to Santa Cruz

(See photos below)
There have been some tense moments in Santa Cruz these last few days. We have experienced a roller coaster of emotions. The City's anniversary was the 24th and Bolivia turned 198 years old. After the Civic leaders took over the government tax offices and other institutions, and the city of Pando was taken over by the military, putting the Governor in jail, accusing him of being the instigator and the one responsible for 30 dead people during the fighting between government people and city people, the government called the opposition to a meeting. Things settled down and they begun to talk. But the government gathered their forces (cocaleros, farmers who plant coca and believed to be drug traffiquers), and blocked all the roads connecting Santa Cruz with the other cities. Commerce and traveling was stopped for three weeks.The opposition complained but the government said that they did not have any control over these people. Moreover, a big force of their people begun gathering from Potosí, Oruro, La Paz and Cochabamba and begun marching toward Santa Cruz to Take it by force. They were armed with rocks, mechetes, dynamite and guns. The government gave deaf ear to the opposition's complaint. The government wanted to repeat what they did in Pando: Create a conflict, send people with guns to start a fight, then use that excuse to militarize the city and jail the opposition leader, declaring Martial law, and accuse the Governor of murder.In Pando, the press was not allowed in, so the government could do as they pleased. There are reports that 15 Cubans and Venezuelans were killed during the fighting in Pando. The government sent a plane to pick up the bodies that were flown to Venezuela. Of course the press could not take pictures but the people saw them and the plane was tracked byradar.This cocaleros forces had the intention of arriving in Santa Cruz by its anniversary. Meanwhile, at the negotiating table, the government told the opposition that if they signed an agreement for their constitution to be placed for a Referendum, they would stop the march and the blockades. That Constitution was drafted and approved by the governmentwithout the opposition. Now they want to make it pass with a referendum that will be controlled by the government.The march got close to Santa Cruz, but the opposition did not give in. Meanwhile, President Morales is at the UN saying that there is a plot by the opposition to take over his government. CNN interviewed him with some direct questions: "Where is the military force that is being used by the opposition? President Chavez said that he is going to takemilitary forces to Bolivia. Your General complained Internationally. Did you side with your General? Did you complain to the Venezuelan Government? You say that you are trying to solve the conflict " Morales did not know how to answer these and many more questions and he was noticeably uncomfortable. (By the way...... CNN has not got all their facts straight....... the battle is not so much about the rich and the poor, but the same thing that they have been fighting about for centuries...... differences between the highlanders and the lowlanders....... yes, wealth plays a part in this battle, as does land issues..... but everything is far more than what you are hearing on CNN..... believe me!)The governments of Chile and Brazil intervened, Chiles' President read a message where she said that Chile also wanted to send an army to Bolivia, but an army of Doctors and Nurses to help women and children who live in poverty. And that they wanted the conflict to end and the negotiations to continue. The march stopped, and the blockades werelifted (except for a couple). People here were getting ready to fight. The university students were ready to meet the march before it got to Santa Cruz. The Attorney's Office sent their people to disarm those at the march, but they were beaten and they had to flee. The police said that the were going to protect the city but they did nothing to disarm the marchers. The police went to escort them when they got close to Santa Cruz. But as soon as a tenetive agreement was signed everything stopped. Things are back to normal. However the negotiations are still going. The news tonight reported that the governmental heads can not come to an agreement. The campesinos have vowed to return if an agreement is not signed by October 15th, so we may go through all this once again. The church has been praying and fasting. In many places in the world, people are praying for Bolivia. Most people might think that the intervention of Chile and Brazil changed things. But we know that it was God who is in control of everything, and answers the prayer of Hischildren. Praise His Holy Name!!!I wanted to let you all know that we are all ok. We expect the conflicts to continue, because Chavez has invested too much money to give up. But thru it all, we have not lost one day of work during all these tense moments. Life goes on as usual and God's wings are over us like the hen with its chicks. Our trust and hope is in Him. He rules over all.

For now Bolivia is like a pot that is simmering on the stove...... add a little more heat and the whole pot will overflow. The clock is ticking for the country of Bolivia....... and all of South America is at risk as well.

Many missionaries and North American business people have fled the country. We are here until a solution is found "or" whenever South America Mission desides to call us home. Our hope is that evangelicals will stay in Bolivia and continue spreading the gospel.

Thank you for your prayers and we earnestly hope that you will continue to keep Bolivia in prayer. Thank you!
Blessings to you all.

In Christ, Dan and Neva The following photos were obtained from our local newspaper:

We may experience violence once again in mid October. If Evol's government have not gotten the governors to sign his pact and agree to his new constitution he plans to send the peasants back to Santa Cruz to March and cause trouble. Pray that no one gets hurt.... Thanks!

Fun Night of Fellowship

Contrary to belief, missionaries can have fun too! On the far right is Emily Mercado in the white and Jessica Smith next to her in the blue. The other two people are members of the Arrowhead Ranch team, (Wisconsin). At this table is Laura Boyce with the green vest, Dan Strebig on the left with his kids, Elizabeth, Raquel and Kathern. And on the far right in the blue is Bev Smith.
On the left is Tom, Peter and Janine Throssel. In the pink with the long hair is Dana Wilson, on the right is Toni Mercado, and on the left is Beth HAuse.
This picture is of one of the members of the Arrowhead Ranch team and the bus driver.
This was a kids table. On the left is Steven HAuse, then Philip Throssel, Pablito HAuse, a member from the Arrowhead Ranch team, Benji Smith, and then two more girls from the team.

On the left is Elliott Tait, in the back are members of the Arrowhead Ranch team, and on the right in the stripped shirt is Paul Kienzle.
Whoops! This is a duplicate photo and I don't know how to delete.
At this table was Pastor Cody on the left in the rear, Nate on the left, Erica Kienzle in the front and Rachel Kienzle back next to Cody, Nick Smith on the right of her, Becka Kienzle to his right and Jose Mercado on the far right.
This is the meal we ate. It was called, "the head of John the Baptist." It was suppose to be round, but as you can see it is flat. It was a piece of chicken with rice, a boiled egg and a ripe olive all rolled up in a ball and wrapped in banana leaves. Then it is boiled. To be honest...... I'll pass next time......

This not a very good picture, but this is what it looked like after you take the banana leaves off. No....... you don't eat the banana leaves.

As is the custom, every Wednesday afternoon about 4:00 pm all the South America Mission missionaries, and also "Friends of SAM," (a few missionaries that don't have mission boards here), get together for prayer and fellowship followed by a communal meal. A couple of weeks ago someone, said that we never do anything fun together. Right away a discussion started as to what could we do that was fun. A plan was put into action and it was decided that the following week we would be having our prayer and fellowship at the SAM hanger, (that is our little airport), and it would be a game night with wiffle ball, game boards, a time of fellowship would be led by a visiting team from Arrowhead Ranch in Wisconsin, and for our meal we would hire a caterer to make a special dish, "John the Baptist Heads," for everyone to eat. Everyone was suppose to bring something to share. The plan was in motion and everyone was excited about doing something different for a change. Unfortunately...... the weather did not cooperate and it rained all day. Since the grounds around the hanger were so wet it was decided to move our meeting once again to the SAM base but to continue with our "fun" theme. Board games were played for about an hour, we sang songs, and our time of fellowship and prayer was led by Pastor Cody from Arrowhead Ranch. The "heads of John the Baptist were ........ well lets just say they were interesting. It is a Peruvian dish made up of a piece of chicken with rice, a boiled egg and an olive, made into a ball and then wrapped in banana leaves and boiled until done. I will be including pictures of the meal....... although the round head ended up being more flat. Personally, I am glad I tried it, but I don't care whether I ever have it again. Everyone had a good time, so that was what was important. We hope to have more fun nights in the future.

Teams 2008

Orange Hill Team/from near Marrietta, Georgia

East Cobb Presbyterian from a suberb of Atlanta, Georgia

Killian Hills Baptist, also from a suberb of Atlanta, Georgia
Lauren and Joe Boulinger/Killian Hills Team

One of the main functions of the South America Mission Guesthouse is to host work teams that come down to Bolivia, promoting the gospel and trying to improve the life of the Bolivians they work with. During Spring Break this past year, late February and early March a team from Palm Beach Atlantic University came and worked with several local churches. In April we hosted a team from Indiana which was associated with the Evangelical Church of America. Right after this team left we fed a medical team from Oklahoma for a week, which came down with an organization known as "Mission of Hope." We generally feed teams from Mission of Hope about three times a year. In late April we hosted a small team of educational staff associated with the International Christian Schools accrediting board. They came down to evaluate our Christian school, the "Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center," and to give suggestions as to how they could improve their curriculum and better use their facilities and staff. In late May Jeff Orcutt, part of the office personnel from the mission's home office came down with a small team which stayed at the guesthouse for a few days, but whose primary focus for their visit was to help with a construction project in a small town known as Robere, and to be an encouragement to the people there. In June we hosted another team associated with the Evangelical Church of America, but this time these individuals came from Montana. They worked locally, putting on VBS's in a local church. In late June the Orange Hill team, a SAM team from Georgia came. Their primary focus was to work with the Ayore Indians and to encourage the SAM missionaries here in Santa Cruz. Just a few days after the Orange Hill team left another SAM team from Georgia arrived, this one was from East Cobb Presbyterian. This was a really large team of 29 people, 16 of which stayed at the guesthouse. Their primary focus was to do construction and painting at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center, but they also went out to Poze Verde and worked with the Ayore Indians for a couple of days. Two days after the East Cobb team left the Killian Hills Baptist team, also from Georgia arrived. This was a team of 18 teens and 4 sponsors. They put on a VBS's at a local church and visited local boys and girls homes, encouraging them as they established relationships. Now that our busy season is over we can set back and evaluate the past few months and praise God for all that has been accomplished. Although we have been very busy, we have been truly blessed by the teams, and encouraged by their desire to reach the people of Bolivia with the gospel of Christ. As you can see, I have a few pictures taken of some of the teams that stayed at the SAM guesthouse in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

4th of July, 2008, Bolivia

Well, as is usual, the pictures came up before the text. At this table is left to right, Dan Abbott, Jimmy Davison, Greg Dahl, and Tom Throssel. Below is Marci McCarver, part of the Orange Hill team, a Bolivian girl, and Toni Mercado.
Here the kids are playing a game in the yard. (Greg is a big kid.... but a kid at heart)
Left to right, Heather Michelson, Adrena Sprouse, Raquel Strebig, and a couple girls on a work team at the Christo Viene girls home.

Beth HAuse and Larua Boyce
Janine Throssel and a couple girls on the team.
Bill Smith cooking beef and chorizo and Dan Strebig sampling.

Some of you may be wondering if we celebrate the 4th of July in Bolivia. The answer is "YES!" We as U.S. citizens, (I have to be careful when I say "Americans" because people in South America are "Americans" as well), are proud of our country, and as traditions go, feel the need to gather to celebrate the Independence of our country. (Oh, Canadian missionaries celebrate with us..... after all, the more the merrier!)

Each years celebration is different. This year we all gathered at Bill and Bev Smith's house. At the time we had people from Orange Hill Baptist Church from near Marrietta, Georgia, and they brought down brautwarst, hot dogs and sauerkraut to make it a very special day. The team also brought down special treats for the kids. A wonderful time was had by all. Here are a few pictures from our 4th of July celebration.

Well, as you can see the pictures downloaded first and the text last. You still can get the idea that we had a good time of fellowship here on the 4th. Incidently, Bolivia celebrates Independence day on August 6th so there will be plenty of fireworks on that day. You can pray that we get some sleep that night, since there will be a lot of partying going on as well as the fireworks.

Bolivian Adventure Day (BAD for short) by Dan Abbott

My day had started out not much different than usual. I had turned on the computer, checked our email and fed the dogs. I had just sat down to do my morning Bible study, (I am studying the “Kings”), when I received a phone call from Toni Mercado, another SAM missionary. Her husband Placido had been out in the jungle over the weekend and his vehicle had broken down. He needed help to go back out in the jungle to get his SUV. It was about 300 kilometers away, (roughly 200 miles), over “really” bad roads. We had learned that when his vehicle had broken down that Placido had to walk about 7 miles on foot to catch a motor taxi (motorcycle), which took him to a small town where he could catch a “floata” (a bus) back into Santa Cruz. Now he had to make the long trek back to get it running so he could complete his mission into the country, (campo). I did not have any major plans for the day so I was more than happy to help him out.

This adventure started at about 8:30 am on Monday, June 1st. Placido came to the base/guesthouse by taxi. Prior to returning to the campo to get his vehicle, Placido needed to purchase a few things to take out to the Ayore Indian village for one of their many ministry projects. Today he needed to purchase several bags of red sorghum seed. Placido had called a seed dealer and had been assured that they would hold the seed for him until he had gotten there to purchase it. When Placido and Dan finally got to the seed dealer he didn’t even have sorghum seed! (That is the way it is in Bolivia, you just show patience and move on). We finally decided to go to a seed dealer that sells seed to the Mennonites. He had plenty of the seed that we needed, so we bought eight bags. Two hours had passed and we were finally on our way.

I have been driving the “Zajicek Mobile,” (which is named after the real owner, Frank Zajicek who is on furlough in the U.S.), an old, (more than 15 years old, we have lost track), Toyota land cruiser. (Since all SAM vehicles are actually owned by the mission, when missionaries leave the field for a period of time their vehicles are inherited by other missionaries until they return. Presently the Zajicek Land cruiser is a base/guesthouse vehicle. Those who use it pay about 40 cents a kilometer and then the mission takes care of up-keep. The rate may be a bit steep, but when you consider how many repairs may be needed, coming and going into the country-side on really poor roads, it is probably worth it. From time to time we also use the “Cooper Trooper” which is also an old vehicle. It is presently in for repairs).

Our first stop was in Posa Verde, and Ayore Indian Village that we are familiar with, to drop off the seed. Placido needed to talk to a number of people in the village before we could be on our way. Our journey would take us about 400 miles round trip over rough, and sometimes non-existant roads. It would be a “very” long day.

Here is a picture of me standing in front of the "Zajicek Mobile" with the 8 bags of sorghum seed.




And here is a picture of Placido with the same vehicle and seed but from a distance. Placido wanted everyone to see that the Ayoreo farm a large plot of land. Most of it is done by hand since they have few machines.

We had not gone far when we stopped for lunch in a small town named Pailon. I could only speculate that the restaurant that we stopped at must have been a very good one since it was crowded with people, mostly Mennonites who had gathered for their noon meal. Placido ate steak cooked over an open grill outside. I settled for the chicken, rice, fried plantain and coca cola, simply because I felt they were a much safer choice. Our stomachs full, we finally hit the road.

At this point maybe I should give you a little lesson on Bolivian roads. The road we were taking today was a toll road, but it still was not very good. There are things that you really need to be aware of while traveling in Bolivia; pot holes, animals along side, or in the middle of the road, and speed bumps, (they put these speed bumps in the oddest places and often they aren’t marked. “Ouch!” I guess it is assumed that you travel the roads enough that you know that the speed bumps are there. In Bolivia it is “assumed” that you already know everything. It is a little frustrating at times). Just imagine the worst 2 lane asphalt road that you have ever been on, and then “perhaps,” you will understand what it is like to drive in Bolivia.

As we were traveling we passed through several small towns such as San Ramon, Los Troncos, Neota, and we finally got to San Javier, the closes of the towns to where the SUV was abandoned. The next 35 to 40 miles would be on back roads…. (I guess that you could call them roads). At San Javier we picked up a mechanic and his wife. Now the real adventure begins!

As we headed out of town, the first back road started out fairly wide, made of mostly dirt and rock, (a four wheelers paradise!). This road was called La Antigua via de Jesuits, (in other words “the Jesuit trail.”) It is several “hundred” years old!

The first obstacle we encountered was a bog in the road, created by a natural spring which ran near-by. At one time someone had made a small wooden bridge over the bog, but now it appeared that the bridge itself, which had fallen into disrepair, had become an obstacle which we had to maneuver around. Along the way we found several such bogs with the same broken down bridges, which caused us undue trouble and delayed our journey. In one area palm trees had been laid across the road, but unfortunately the trees had rotted and we had great difficulty getting across them. We finally decided to go around the logs, going up a steep hill forging a path through deep ruts. By this time, about six hours later, it was starting to get dark and we hadn’t even made it to Placidos abandoned vehicle.

It was about then, just after dusk that I saw a really strange looking animal in the road. It ran like a rabbit, but it really looked more like a small capybara. (You may have to look this animal up on the web or in an encyclopedia. We also saw a really peculiar looking bird. The bird was gray with a white ring around its neck. I’d have to say that was probably about the size of a large hawk. Placido told me that at one time the Ayore Indians considered this bird a god. (You can read the story about the bird and the Ayoro Indians in a book named “Death of the Bird God). Times have changed and the bird has been dethroned and is no longer considered deity.

At one time along our trek we drove across a small stream. It was probably 8 foot across and possibly 2 feet deep, with really steep banks on both sides. After passing through the stream I noted that the road started to get narrower and narrower, and in places was full of vegetation. We had to go through several gates, made primarily of barbed wire and sticks. And, finally after passing through the last gate, we entered a field, (no longer a road), and we drove over an earthen dam that had been created to make a small lake. Almost to our destination, we drove up, up, up a steep incline and through an area of stumps, and there, sitting in the dark, in a desolate place, was Placidos SUV.

The mechanic worked feverishly, using only the light of a flash-light. (It gets “really” dark out in the country. However, the beauty of God’s handiwork, the stars and the planets, was breath-taking!). After about a half hour the mechanic had figured out the problem, which had been electrical. He made some sort of “hot-wire,” to get the vehicle going and made a temporary fix so that Placido could drive it back to Santa Cruz. Meanwhile Placido and I loaded the trailer which had been attached to his vehicle with bags of grain which the Indians had filled and were sitting next to the trailer. I had noticed a line of large ants carrying something across the surface of the dirt and tried my best to avoid them. Placido on the other hand had not been watching his surroundings and stepped on an ant hill and the ants attacked him, giving him some pretty bad bug bites. About an hour later we had gotten Placido’s SUV going and the grained loaded and we were ready to head back the way we had come.

At this time I should say that there had been some Ayoreo Indians working in the field where we had found Placidos vehicle. They needed a ride back to their village. It was about 9:00 pm by this time, and I drove the base vehicle, (the Zajieck mobile), while Placido drove his own SUV. The mechanic and his wife, as well as a 20 year old Ayore man rode with me, and several Ayore men rode with Placido. The drive back was very draining, I was tired, dirty, and driving in the dark I hit several large potholes pretty hard. (In times like these I could use a good Chiropractor!). We didn’t make it back to the asphalt road until around 11:00 pm. I drove on to San Javier with my crew in-hand, while Placido had to stop at the farm to work out some details of his next visit. I dropped the mechanic and his wife off and then the young Ayoro man and I waited in San Javier for about a half hour for Placido to catch up to us.

It had been several hours since the workers had eaten anything, so once Placido arrived he sought out a street vendor so that the young Indian men could get something to eat. Our next stop was to a road-side service station so we could get some air in Placidos tires. A short distance down the road I purchased some gas, and Placido also needed fuel, however, since his vehicle runs on diesel, and since the station didn’t’ sell diesel we had to go on hoping to find a station along the way that would both have some diesel, (there are often shortages of diesel fuel), and that there would be a station open.

On our return trip we had to be very careful, since it was so dark, to avoid all the potholes, roaming animals and speed bumps. Since I didn’t know what to expect on the roads at night I tried to stay as alert as possible. At least two different times I came upon places in the road that had been dug out and were barricaded off for repairs. Instead of “real” barricades, the road workers had put branches around the area they had been working. There were no signs, flares, or anything to warn me of what to expect ahead. Driving at approximately 55 miles an hour sudden stops can be hazardous and obstacles like the ones mentioned above are hard to maneuver around, but we did just fine, due to the grace of God, “Thank you Lord!”

Somewhere along our journey back, between 1:30 and 2:00 am we finally found a gas station that had diesel so that Placido could purchase some fuel. Praise the Lord, we had avoided another problem; Placido did not run out of fuel!

Well folks, I don’t know about you, but it is hard to focus these old eyes in the middle of the night, or I should say morning. We finally made it back to Pailon where we dropped off the Ayoreo men. We managed to cross the infamous one lane bridge on our way back to Santa Cruz without any major delays. (This was a real blessing since people have been known to have to wait up to an hour to cross the bridge!). This was the final hurdle along the journey and gave us hope that we would be back in Santa Cruz soon. It was smooth sailing the rest of the way.

For those of you who might be interested, we drove pass fields of corn, soy beans, sorghum, cotton, sunflowers and aloe vera. The cotton appeared to be ready for picking.
Placido headed for his house and I headed back to the base/guesthouse. At 3:00 am, what seemed like a day later, I finally made it home and to my own bed. It had been a “very long day,” but for me also a great adventure.

Neva welcomed me home and said she had praying for me to return home safely. I know that others were praying as well. I could tell that God had HIS hand on me. I cannot say enough about the power of prayer and God’s provision.

Thus ends one of many Bolivian adventures. Approximately 400 miles and 15 hours later I took a nice warm shower and was tucked back into my own bed, safe and sound and ready for a good rest.

After about five hours of sleep I was back up again and ready to start another day. The dogs needed fed and I had things to do.

Later in the day we discovered that one of my tires was almost flat. It must have been from driving through all those big potholes. God had gotten me back safely before any of my tires could go flat. What may seem like a small thing to most people meant a great deal to me. I cannot even imagine how much later and how much more of a problem we would have had if the tire had gone flat during our trip. God is good!

I hope that my story has not bored any of you, if indeed anyone is reading this summary of my day’s adventure into the wild. I did however want to give each of you something to think about;…. just think about our awesome God, and how much He is involved in of every detail of our lives, both great and small. We serve a risen Savior who is powerful, loving and merciful. Just think of all the blessings people miss out on when they don’t know or serve Him. I stand in wonder as I contemplate how He is active and working in my life every day. I praise God for his faithfulness to me. I am convicted by my sin and realize that my life would be hopeless without Him.

I want to thank everyone for their prayers.

We treasure your correspondence. Please keep in touch.

In Christ, Dan Abbott

Who AM I?

Who am I? Who am I that Jesus would love me? I'm nothing...... a flake of dust..... I am just one of the hundreds of billions of humans living in this massive world of confusion, yet Jesus loves me. I'm not all that special, not that attractive, not that talented....... but GOD loves me..... I am a sinner.... I fall short ...... yet GOD cares about me..... Why? Haven't we all asked ourselves that question one time or another? GOD's Love..........I don't deserve it, grace........I can't comprehend it, His mercy....... It is too good to be true........ Yet....................... "I believe!"

How about you, "What do you believe?" To you, who is Jesus? Do you think there is a heaven or a hell? If you were to die right now, where would you go? If what you believe were not true, would you want to know?

The Bible says, " For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
"For the wages of sin is death, but the "gift" of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ my Lord." (Romans 6:23) "Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. " (John 3:3) "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." "But GOD commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord" and believe in your heart that God raised from the dead, you will be saved. for it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." (Romans 10: 9-11). "And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again." (I Corinthians 5:15). "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in."

Many years ago I trusted Jesus to be my Savior and Lord of my life. No longer do I live, but Christ lives in me and through me. It was the most important decision of my life, and I have "never" regretted it. GOD is real and I can trust HIM.

How about you friend, who are you living for? GOD wants to have a relationship with you. HE is just waiting for you to invite HIM in. Think about it........................

_____________________________________
I have posted a few more pictures so you can experience Bolivia through our eyes. I hope that you enjoy them.

As you look at the following picture, you are probably wondering about what these are........ they are cows heads, mounted, and ..... as you eat your beef sandwiches these poor creatures stare and ask the question "Why?" Cows heads are common sights at many restaurants that serve beef. I took this picture at our favorite restaurant here in Santa Cruz, "Los Lomitos."

The following picture was taken in mid-April while we were serving lunches for "Mission of Hope," (also known as Mision Esperanza). Mission of Hope brings down medical teams that provide free medical counseling and free surgeries. This group of doctors and interns came from the University of Oklahoma.
Pregnant, and beautiful. The following two pictures are of the "toborochi" tree we have in our back yard. It is also known as the "pregnant tree." If you look at the trunk of the tree I think you will understand why they call it that. It is a very beautiful tree that only blooms in April and May each year. Unfortunately, the tree loses it blooms after just a few days, and many people have an allergic reaction to the blossom. I, myself sneeze a lot when it is in bloom.

One night the Sophomore class at the Christian school, (Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center) had a taco night to raise funds for class projects. The next two pictures show a Mariachi band that performed for us, and the third picture is everyone sitting around in the school gym eating the tacos. They were pretty good by the way!

The next three pictures are just some shots I took one Wednesday evening during our group meal.



And yes, we have birthdays here while on the mission field too. The next two pictures are of Kenny Krestan Jr. (Rudy for short), celebrating his 12Th birthday.

Here is a picture of Sandy trying to sneak into to the apartment. She loves being in the center of everything.

The next two pictures were taken at the English speaking church here in Santa Cruz, the Trinity Union Church. This is the church that we are attending at the present time.

And, sadly, we have had to say goodbye to a number of people. Several SAM missionaries are going home on home assignment, (furlough), while others are leaving the field. The next two pictures were taken at the farewell party, (known as a despidido) for Kenny and Diane Krestan who have been on the field here in Bolivia for the last 18 years. Their ministry is changing and they are going to be working at the home office in Fort Mill, SC . They will be sadly missed here in Bolivia.



Prayer Requests:

1. Please pray for us as we prepare for ministry teams coming throughout June and July. It will be a very busy time for us and we often get worn out.

2. Pray for the teams coming down that they will be organized and have a passion for the people of Bolivia, that they speak into their lives as they try to make a difference.

3. Pray for safety and good health for us as well as our colleagues.

4. Please pray that we will find ample time to dig into the Word of God and grow closer to Him every day.

Thank you for your love and support. It means a lot! Dan and Neva

"34 Years"

May 25th, 2008..... a very special day for us. The day marks our 34th year of marriage. It is hard to believe that 34 years ago we were walking down the aisle and making promises to one another. We really didn't know each other well....... but God has worked in our lives and has blessed our time together. There have been good times, as well as bad, but God has been there every step of the way. Our relationship has changed through the years, just like the seasons, and we have grown in our love for one another. God is good, and we praise Him for making a difference in our lives and for HIS countless blessings. May 25, 1974, Oak Grove Christian Church, Shellsburg, Iowa

Back in the saddle again.

In March of 2005 we started a journey that has brought us a long way from Illinois. Dan had worked at John Deere for thirty-one years, and I was a registered nurse. We had long thought of serving the Lord on the mission field when Dan retired. And........, as everything, God amazes us daily, as we allow "Him" to direct our paths.

Hello friends and family,
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord," plans to prosper you and not toharm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Greetings from Bolivia! Yes, we are back in the land “down under,” in South America that is! We arrived Wednesday morning at about 10:00 am, about two hours later than scheduled. As it turned out, American Airlines had over 1,000 flights that they canceled on Tuesday for maintenance. Our flight just happened to be one of the ones which flew despite grounding issue. In our minds, that just confirms that we are where God wants us to be.

While we waited to departure on Tuesday, Donna Burlingame and Diane Lambert surprised us, and came to see us off. What a sweet gesture, thank you!

The flight was relatively uneventful, accept for the chaos we experienced in La Paz as some people got off the plane, and then others got on to fly on to Santa Cruz or Miami. Due to security issues, everyone’s seat and belongings had to be searched on the plane. People were standing in the aisles and it was difficult for anyone to go anywhere. Meanwhile the overhead speaker kept on instructing people to sit down during the inspection. The plane heated up, and combined with the high altitude I started to feel short of breathe. The plane was poorly lit, we were all hot, and since we were all in such a small space, I started to feel really claustrophobic. I panted off and on for a while, and had we not taken off when we did, I probably could have had a panic attack! “God is good,” and we were finally underway. In just a short time I started breathing comfortably again, saving everyone from witnessing this 50 something from making a scene.

Not much has changed at the guesthouse since we left last September. A few rooms have been painted and the wall around the compound has been raised by another two feet. Today three men came and put sharp spikes on top of the wall all around the compound to discourage thieves, (ladrones), from entering.

We also now have another dog. “Schatzie,” which means “sweet heart,” in German, is a four month old German shepherd pup. Since our one year old Labrador has proved to be a poor watch dog, (she wags her tail and licks would be robbers), we are suppose to try to teach Schatzie to protect the base. So far she seems to be nothing but a playful pup. We hope that her bark will scare intruders away.

Rosa the maid and Nancy our cook were very pleased to see us. Nancy, who has had issues with her eyes due to glaucoma, is actually doing better than when we left. This is a real answer to prayer, since we really depend on her when we have work teams.

“Steamy,” is the best word I can think of to describe how it feels to be in Bolivia. Temperatures have been in the upper 80’s and the humidity is very high. This is quite a change coming from the mid-west. When we left Illinois it was approximately 45 and raining, and today it was about 95. It will take some time to acclimate to this change.

A work team arrived last Friday night. While it is not a big team, only 10 members, they keep us busy just the same. Wednesday was our usual prayer meeting day with group meal to follow. Last night we fed over fifty people. We had milenasa de pollo, (which is a type of fried chicken), mashed potatoes, a large garden salad, and a choice of apple or lemon pie. Everyone was satisfied. However, when there are a lot of people, there is also a lot of work. I was still cleaning last night after 9:00 pm and then I started working on things for breakfast the following morning. Since the team is not planning on having any more evening meals at the guesthouse, I have given the cook the next week off, and I will be preparing the remainder of the team’s breakfasts, and taking care of her food needs. It is just one way that we can save a few dollars and keep a healthy guesthouse budget.

It was good to see old friends, and fellow SAM, (South America Mission) missionaries. Since we left in September, a number of people have left the field, and still several more are planning to leave on furlough.

Right now the economy of Bolivia is in about the worse shape than it has been in a long time. Prices are higher and the dollar continues to drop in value. The inflation rate is at 15%. We spent close to $100 today for groceries to buy basics and replace necessities. We plan to be a little more frugal this term, primarily out of necessity.

Traffic on the streets has gotten congested, and seems worse than we remember; so much for getting anywhere in just a few minutes.

While in the states it appeared as though things in Bolivia had remained politically stable, with relatively few real problems. Now that we are here we are finding that tensions are on the rise and we may see first-hand some political turmoil. Right now tempers are rising over a simple thing as vegetable oil. The country of Bolivia has long been divided into two groups, the “Collas,” or highlanders, and “Cambas,” or lowlanders. A good many of the collas are indigenous, (Indians). Our Presidente, Evol Morales is also indigenous. Since so many of the collas are complaining about the cost of vegetable oil, Presidente Morales has made a ruling that no one, (especially the lowlanders), can sell their vegetable oil out of the country. This has created a hardship on the farmers, those who process the grain, truckers and merchants. It all trickles down and the country loses more and more money each day.

Another conflict is over bus fares. Santa Cruz depends on buses, also known as “micros,” to transport the masses of people that live here around town, to work, to school, and to the market. For several years bus fares have been one and a half bolivianos per person. The bus companies say that they cannot make a profit so they have raised the average fare to two bolivianos per person. The people refuse to pay this increase, primarily because they cannot afford to do so. Even though the fare is two bolivianos, people continue to pay only the one and a half bolivianos. This cannot, and will not continue for much longer. Something “will” happen and it will not be pretty. Bolivians, on the whole will not give an inch. They are right and that is all there is to it. Let’s hope and pray that a transportation strike settles the problem and there is no bloodshed.
On May 4th the nation of Bolivia will be voting on two separate referendums. Presidente Morales wants to give 150,000 hect acres of land, (belonging to the Cambas/lowlanders), to the collas, (indigenous people). This referendum seeks approval to do this. Of course the “collas,” or highlanders, primarily Indians; Presidente Morales people, are organizing and planning to vote in record number. It is anticipated that this referendum will pass and the nation will be split. If the referendum does past, this will bring the country of Bolivia one step closer to civil war.
Also on May 4th, the people of the east, mostly “Cambas,” will be voting for “Autonomia,” (Independence) from the nation. They have already done this twice, but with each referendum, the country is pushed closer to all out war with their neighbors. Let’s pray that it does not go that far.

We experienced a little frustration today……. When we went to the grocery store to purchase groceries, Dan tried to withdraw money out of the ATM. The machine gave Dan the desired amount of money, but then it proceeded to eat his card! When we got back to the guesthouse we called the bank which owned the ATM and we were instructed to call our bank in the states and have them put a block on our card until they could find it and we could retrieve it. I did do this, and have been reassured that once we get our card back that we can have our card re-activated. It was just a little scary at the moment. Dan ran back up to the grocery store to get the required information off of the ATM and it appears there were others that had the same problem. A number of people were standing around the ATM, as frustrated as Dan, trying, without any luck to get their cards back. Believe me…… it was not a fun experience.

Right now our schedule for the next few months goes as follows: April 4th-14th Bridgeway/Ligonier Church April 16th-24th Veterinarians April 16-24th Mission of Hope, working Ayore Indians, April 26th-May 2nd ACSI, Educators here to work with the SAM school. May 23rd-25th Charles and Hanna McCall stay with us as they prepare to leave for the U.S. May 28th-June 8th Jeff Orcutt here with work team/going to Robore, May 29th-June 2nd Krestan Family at Guesthouse preparing to leave for the U.S. June 12th-June 24th Lagroner Evangelical Church June 26th-July 6th Orange Hill Baptist July 12th-July 19th East Cobb Baptist July 22nd-July 30th Killian Hills Baptist

Prayer Requests:
1. Please be in prayer regarding the May 4th referendums. Pray for a peaceful solution. Pray that God’s will will be clearly shown.
2. Pray that we will be able to retrieve Dan’s debit card without any problems and that it will be reactivated before we run out of funds.
3. Pray for us as we get settled, get acclimated to living in a “hot zone,” and that our lives will demonstrate the love of Jesus to those around us.
4. Pray for our families we have left behind. For our children and for aging parents; that they will be of good health, there needs met, protection from evil, and that they will seek out God and His counsel in time of difficulty.
We want to thank everyone who has supported us in our decision to serve God in Bolivia. It was not an easy decision to make, but we know that it was what God wanted from us. We wanted to be faithful to Him in all we do. Please continue to pray for us and we will keep you in prayer as well. May God richly bless you all.
In Christ, Dan and Neva Abbott

What is a Guesthouse?

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who labor labor in vain."

The South America Mission Guesthouse was built aproximately 40 years ago on the out-skirts of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. At the time people wondered why they were building so far out of town. However, the city of Santa Cruz has grown dramatically in the past few years and now the "SAM" guesthouse sits relatively close to the center of the city.

The guesthouse sits on about 1/4 of a city block. Our address here is: 639 Nuno de la Cueva. The guesthoue/ SAM base consists of a building which houses the "sala" what Americans would think of as a living room, a dining area, kitchen, computer room and our apartment. There are two buildings on the grounds that house our guests. All total we have seven rooms which our guests live in. Each room is made differently, but the majority of our rooms have a full size bed and a set of bunk beds in them. There are communal bathrooms, (with locks for privacy), which have a shower, stool and sink. In total we can accomodate aprox 22 people comfortably, depending on number of each sex and whether there are families being housed. We also have a library with a variety of reading materials. At the back of the compound is a pastors training center called the "El Atrio." It is just one of many ways that SAM reaches out to the community, training potential leaders for God's work.

The SAM guesthouse was created primarily for our SAM missionaries. There are times when our missionaries are traveling through the area, or are in a time of transisiton and need a place to stay. Often missionaries are in periods of "limbo" when they are preparing to leave the mission field to go back to the states on furlough, returning to the field from the states on furlough, have have family and friends that are visiting Bolivia which need safe, comfortable housing.

Another important focus of the guesthouse is to house work teams that come down from the states to provide support to the missionaries, and work in areas of construction, medical support, evangelism, musical ministries, Christian education and much, much more. These teams stay at the guesthouse where we provide a clean, comfortable bed to sleep in, and delicious, nutritious meals that are safe to eat. Our busiest times are in the summer months, June through August, when churches in the states can organize missions trips to the area.

Another focus of the guesthouse is to be a meeting place for SAM missionaries in the area. Each Wednesday afternoon the guesthouse becomes a hub of activity where missionaries come for their weekly meeting to pray together, study the Bible, and to offer emotional support to one another. Following the meeting we sit together for a communal meal and fellowship together.

Important meetings and activities are centralized at the Guesthouse as well. It is an important aspect of the South America Mission ministries here in Santa Cruz.

Dan and I are often up at the crack of dawn working on meals. The days can be very busy and very long. Although we do have employees, (Nancy, Rosa, and Zaco), who work week-days, our work can be tiring. We are a support ministry, and that support does not have regular work hours, or a job description. Every day is a surprise and we try to be as flexible as possible. That is where our trust in God and His provision keeps us strong and helps us through the day. We serve a great God who is control of all things. Praise God for that!

Below is the offical document we keep at the guesthouse for visitors to help them should they have questions. Perhaps reading through the document will help our readers understand the guesthouse, the rules, how we financially operate, and our functioning capacity:

Welcome to South America Mission Base and Guest House

We hope that your stay with us is pleasant, relaxing and encouraging. In order to make your stay as comfortable as possible, please read the following information:

Security: Upon your arrival you will be given a room key, a key to the living/dining area, and two keys to the gate, one for the small door and one to open the paddle locked double doors used for vehicles. The gate is locked at all times so please keep your keys with you. We suggest that you lock your rooms when you are off the base premises. If you get locked out of your room the base hostess has extra keys. If you are locked out at the front gate, please ring the doorbell. If you leave the city for a period of time but plan on returning to the base, please leave your key with the host family. Please return them to your hosts when you check out. Please understand that lost keys can cause major concern. A fine will be assessed accordingly. Parents please do not let children answer the doors.

There is a full time guard at the “El Atrio,” which is the big building at the rear of the compound. Be mindful that we do have a 24 hour guard and he does walk through the property occasionally.

Quiet Times: Please observe a quiet time from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am nightly.

Telephone and E-mail: Please keep your calls short and record “all” phone calls on the phone log in the sala. Be sure and document the time prior to dialing and the time after you hang up. It is necessary to do this because often guest’s guesstamate their time and the guesthouse must eat the cost. Rates are posted in the front of the phone log. The expense of using the phone will be added to your base bill. There is a computer available to guests at no charge for the purpose of e-mail/ internet use. Ask the base hosts if you have any questions about e-mail. This is a Christian facility and we expect out guests to use wisdom as they surf the web.

Bathrooms: Please do not flush toilet paper down the toilet. The plumbing system here in Bolivia does not function in the same way it does in more modern countries. Put all paper and sanitary products in the trashcan. Please ask your hostess or maid for another garbage bag when you need one. The maid will dispose of garbage for you.

Base facilities: The living room, dining room and kitchen are for guests and you are welcome to use them when you so desire. Feel free to use these areas for reading, TV relaxation, or entertaining guests. Children are welcome as well. Please leave the area neat for the next person’s use.
The balcony area above the patio is also a great place to relax. If you use this area at night, remember that sound carries and be considerate of other guests and base personnel. Children under the age of twelve are not permitted on the balcony without being accompanied by an adult. Teens may use the balcony, but this is strictly at their parent’s discretion. Teens should ask for parental permission prior to using the balcony. For the benefit of all, no alcohol or smoking is permitted on the premises.


Outlets: Your room has both 110 and 220-VOLT outlets. The 110 outlets are brown or black and the 220 outlets are white. For the sake of your appliances, make sure you use the correct voltage. We are not responsible for damaged appliances.

Showers: The showers have electric showerheads and the water is heated as the water passes through. Therefore you have a choice of slower running hot water, or quick flowing cooler water. For your safety, do not touch the showerhead or switch on the wall during your shower. This is to avoid electrical shock.

Room Care: Towels and linens are provided and can be exchanged for clean ones by asking the hostess or base maid. The base maid will clean shared bathrooms but will not enter a private room unless asked to do so during your stay.

Kitchen: There are two refrigerators in the kitchen. Guests may use the first refrigerator as you enter the kitchen for storing smaller items such as sandwich meat, cheese, juice, soda pop, etc. You may use the kitchen to cook meals or use the micro wave oven. The kitchen is fully equipped with pots and pans as well as dishes and silverware needed for putting together a meal. We do expect our guests to clean up after themselves and to put back all used items where they originally found them.

Maids and Workers: Please do not ask favors of the employees of the Mission. If you need assistance contact the hosts for arrangements.

Laundry: The Guest House provides laundry service most weekdays. Rosa, the base maid, is responsible to do this. You will find a hamper in your room. When you want clothes washed, put your hamper outside your door in the morning. If you have special instructions, please let us know so we can advise the maid. We ask that guests not use the laundry room except for ironing or hand washing of articles of clothing. Laundry is done Monday-Friday except in case of an emergency. If you need to have something washed on the weekend, please talk to the Base Hostess. Clothes are hung out on the clothesline if the sun is shining. Laundry Cost: $1.50 per load of wash. $1.50 per dryer load. The maid keeps a tally of washer and dryer loads in the laundry room. You will be charged for laundry at the end of your stay.

Children: The base or the base host and hostess do not provide babysitting services. Please be ready to supervise your children or make arrangements for someone else to watch them. Younger children should be supervised at all times. If you need to be away from the base, please make sure that your children have a responsible babysitter. Children may play outside on the playground equipment at their parent’s discretion. If your children play inside the Guest House, the parents are responsible to see that toys and other items are put away. Please do not allow children to eat in the living room area unless otherwise approved by your base hosts. Please let the base maid know if a plastic sheet is needed on your child’s bed. As good stewards, we want to protect the mattresses and assure a sweet smelling sleeping area for the next guest staying in that room. Portable cribs available on request. Children are not to play in the parking area or on the roof above the host apartment. . Children are not to throw the fruit, and fighting with sticks or poles is not acceptable. Children are to respect one another as well as those adults around them.

Water: Filtered water is available at all times. Each room will be provided with a thermos and cups, and cold water can also be found in the big blue igloo located on the counter between the kitchen and the sala. Glasses can be found in the cabinet above. While the water in Santa Cruz is relatively safe, for your health and well-being during your stay we recommend you use the filtered water provided.

Room Privacy: For obvious reasons unmarried males and females should refrain from spending time together in individual sleeping quarters.

Pets and Animals: Please do not bring animals without prior clearance from the hosts. We don’t allow pets inside the guest rooms.

Toy Closet: In front of the kitchen pass-thru is the toy closet. Please be sure all toys are put away in the toy closet when your children are done using them. A variety of games are also available but children using them taking care that the games remain intact. Small children may often put toys in their mouths. If your child is observed doing so, after they are finished playing with the toy, please place it on the kitchen counter for cleaning.

Library: Everyone is welcome to use the base library located at the rear of the base between Room #6 and the bodega. The library is often locked, and a key can be obtained from your hosts. Books and tapes removed from the library should be recorded in the library log on the center library table. They should be returned within a reasonable time, and when returned placed back on the shelf, and a line should be drawn across your name in the library log. Children under the age of 12 should only use the library when there is an adult present and library items can be checked out with the help of an adult.

Noise: Bolivian’s love to party and because of this we often have a night or two of loud music. We have found that the best way to handle this is to close the window of your room and turn the air conditioner on. There is however a $2.00 fee per night for air conditioner use per room.

Wednesday nights: Most Wednesdays at 4:00 pm S.A.M. personnel have a Bible study and prayer time in the El Atrio followed by a family meal at the base. Rather than using the kitchen on these evenings, guests are encouraged to join in and participate in the fellowship meal. Reservations can be made with the hosts or kitchen staff no later than 10:00 am the morning of the meal. There is however a $2.50 charge for each adult and children are charged between $1.75 to $2.00 depending on age. Everyone staying at the base is welcome to join us in the El Atrio for Bible study and prayer time as well. If the weather is good, children are expected to play outside during Bible study unless they choose to attend with the adults. Cold water will be provided by the porch swing with cups. Exceptions can be made for those children who need to do homework, and they will be permitted to work on their studies in the sala. If it appears that they are not studying, then base staff can choose to expel them from the sala.

Base property: The fruit, plants, flowers, limbs, etc….. should remain as they are. These things are here for “everyone’s” enjoyment and therefore should not be picked, played with or destroyed.

Repairs and Suggestions: Please let us know of any needed repairs as soon as possible. We always want the rooms and property to look their best. Any suggestions you have will be appreciated and will be thoughtfully considered. Thank you for your help!

Room Rates:
S.A.M. Missionaries: $3.00 for adults, and $1.50 for children
Individual Visitors: $6.50 for adults, and $3.50 for children
S.A.M. Teams: $6.50 for adults, and $3.00 for children
Non-S.A.M. Teams: $8.00 adults, and $4.00 for children

Paying for your stay: Please check with the Base Hostess before leaving, regarding payment of your bill. You will be charged for your room, meals that you may have eaten at the base, phone calls, air conditioning used, and laundry. You may pay in Bolivianos or dollars.

May the Lord bless our fellowship together during your stay. Let us know if we can be of help to you. We are here to serve you and to make your stay enjoyable.

If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to speak to the base hosts.

Guest House Phone Number: 352-2636
Mailing Address: Casilla 2010, Santa Cruz-Bolivia
Street Address: 639 Nuno de la Cueva
Hosts: Dan and Neva Abbott cell# 700-91166
e-mail address: danevabbott@yahoo.com

At the Guesthouse

We have three employees: Rosa, the maid works Monday through Friday, cleaning up after teams and keeping facilities looking nice. Zachideus, (Zaco, we call him), is the gardener and handy-man. Zaco works Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. And Nancy is our cook. Nancy was retired about three years ago but she still comes in when we have work teams to cook for us. She also comes in on Wednesdays to help with the evening communal meal. We don't know what we would do without her. Also shown in these photos are our living room, known as a sala, the kitchen and dining area, the Wednesday fellowship time and some of the SAM people eating their Wednesday night meal.

Work Teams

Campus Crusade Team from Florida who cam to work in the local schools and churches Orange Hill Baptist, (Georgia), came primarily to do construction and to work with the Ayore Indians
This is a team of young people from a church in Paraguay which came on a missions trip to Bolivia to "serve" the Bolivian church.

This team came from Tennessee and served the SAM missionaries during our annual Field conference, providing a Bible school for SAM children so their parents could take time to study the Word and to fellowship with one another.
This team came from Killian Hills Baptist Church, (Georgia), and they worked at Stansberry Home, an orphange for children that are either orphaned or have been abandoned.
This team is with Evangelical Missions, and I believe that they were from Indiana. They were a construction team, working on a church building.

I believe, ( I lose track), that this team was from Texas, and they were a construction team that came to work at our Pastors retreat center, Palmar.

This team came from Pennsylvania and came to work at Stansberry Home Orphanage.
This team was a group of college students from Liberty University. They had a music ministry, pounding away on five gallon drums. They performed in the streets, at schools, and at the plaza, downtown. They sounded like the music group, "Stomp," and the "noise" they made attracted large crowds which allowed them to share the gospel with large groups.
This team was from Palm Beach Atlantic College in Florida. They came to work with the rural churches.

I have mentioned that one of the reasons we have a guesthouse here in Bolivia, is to provide a safe place for people from the U.S. coming down on missions trips to stay as they come and work with our Bolivian brothers and sisters in Christ. Here are a pictures of just a few of the teams that we have worked with:

Our SAM Missionary Family

This is Elliott Tait, one of the newest member of the SAM Bolivian team. Elliott works in an area called Robere with the youth and churches of the area. This is Virginia Swartzendruber. Virginia has been a teacher at the Christian Learning Center, which is a SAM operated acredited school for missionary children here in Santa Cruz for many years.
This is a picture of the 2006 annual Field Conference. I really wanted to put this picture first but when you are not real computer savy you get what you get.

Dana Wilson works with Bolivians instructing them in Missions and providing locals with the tools to become missionaries. This is the Strebig family, Dan, Jenny and Rachel and Katherine. They have since had another baby, Elizebeth. Dan works with teams, planning, transporting, and helping them navigate the area. His wife Jenny is Bolivian and works with our Children's ministry program.

This is the Throssel family. Tom works for SAM air as a mechanic and takes care of scheduling and clarical responsibilities. They have two boys, Peter and Phillip. Janine also works in our children's ministry program.
These are the Vanderzwaag's. Steve is our financial officer and therefore is in charge of funds needed both by the mission and by individual missionaries. Steve also works on a number of committees and has a big responsibility at their local Bolivian church. His wife Laurie works with the youth at their church and also with their women's ministry. They have three boys; Cody, Jonah and Jordan.
This is Frank and Luz Zajicek. They work in San Ignacio, a rural area in church planting and growth. They now have two children. Marie Victoria is in the picture, but they also have a son named Steven.
These are the Kienzle's. Paul and Laura work in church planting, and work with the professional class, teaching English, offering Bible study and support ministries. They have three girls: Erica, Rachel and Becca. (Laura by the way is originally from Bettendorf, Iowa)

These are the Krestans. Unfortunately the Krestans are leaving the Bolivian field, seeking God's leading as the chose to serve Him in the states. While here Kenny and Diane worked with the professional class and with local Bolivian pastors in a support ministry. They have three children: Rachel, Kendra and Kenny Jr. (also known as Rudy). These are the McCalls, Charles and Hannah. Charles and Hannah are also leaving the mission field at this time. The Lord is leading them in another direction and they are faithful to follow His leading. They have a new baby, the newest member of the SAM family. Her name is Lily.
These are the Mercados. Both Placido and Toni are doctors and they work with the Ayore Indians in a variety of areas. They have two children: Jose and Emily.
This is Laura Boyce and she is a teacher at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center, a SAM school for missionary kids.

This is Greg Dahl. Greg is a pilate with SAM air. SAM air provides emergency flights to rural areas and is a support ministry of South America Mission. They also fly pastors to rural areas that would be difficult to reach by car or bus.
These are the HAuse Family. Jeff and Diane have worked for many years in urban ministry. Jeff also has a leadership role with SAM, directing and providing direction. His wife's name is Beth and they have four children: Marie, Brittany, Stephen and Pablito, (little Paul)
This is Katie Wells. Katie works at the Santa Cruz Christian Learning Center and she is an art teacher.