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