FELIZ NAVIDAD DE BOLIVIA!!

Greetings to all of our wonderful family and friends…. from South of the equator!!!

  I just can’t seem to get Christmas in my head! It is difficult for me to feel “in the spirit” when it is 75 degrees out, the sun is shining bright, we’ve broken out our shorts and flip flops and it’s SPRING in Bolivia! This is all a new experience, indeed, celebrating the holidays in another country. By the time you all receive this letter, it will be summer here and full on winter in your half of the world. I pray that this greeting finds you all blessed and doing well. We miss you all so much and continue to feel extremely humbled at the blessing and opportunity we have to be here, serving the Lord in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

  We have crossed the 8 month mark, which is somewhat surreal, considering how long we waited on the Lord to even get here. What a ride it has been. Adventurous, challenging, humbling, exciting, scary, glorious, fruitful, difficult – these are just some of the adjectives I can think of to describe our time here so far. There have been sad days and happy days; hard days and easy days; boring days and fun days; crazy days and calm days! God is good and He has been with us every single step of the way as we have strived to adapt to this culture, learn the language and customs, get a new home established and settled, determine our ministry goals and purpose, and learn to balance home, family, and service. Thus far, we have served at Cochabamba International Church (www.cicbolivia.org)  – Lowell leading worship and helping to develop the worship teams and musicians – and us as a couple, leading the student group (7-12^th grades) on Friday nights. We have lovingly labeled our group “The Mix”, because it is a beautiful mix of many nationalities, languages, and local schools. Our goal is to build up these kids, help them come to know Jesus in a real way, and grow deeply in their walk with Him. Please pray as we develop relationships with these students – some are missionary kids and some are Bolivians, both of which have unique needs.

  The opportunity for Lowell and I to teach at the boys’ school, Carachipampa Christian School (www.carachipampa.org) , came up several weeks after we arrived in Coch. There were needs for music and art teachers, and we fit the bill. We are both teaching high school (

7-12^th) two days per week. The majority of the teachers at this SIM (www.sim.org) established school are self -supported missionaries from all across the globe. We see this as an added opportunity for ministry with students – many of which also attend the youth group at CIC. Pray that in addition to passing on our passion for art and music to these kids, that we would pass on our passion for Jesus, most of all!

  We can hardly begin to express our thanks and gratefulness for your prayers and financial support, which make this life here completely possible for us. We know that God is bigger than the economy and He has shown that clear and true! You make sacrifices for us, and it brings me to humble tears.

“Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy, and their extreme poverty welled up rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.” 2 Cor. 8: 2-5

  As this year comes to a close, would you pray about making a one-time donation to our mission or joining our monthly support team? We are always praying for members to “share in this service to the saints…”! If you feel led, please use the enclosed envelope to send your donation or monthly commitment. We are praying that the Lord would be close to each and every one of you during this time of celebrating the birth of our Savior. May you enjoy His blessing, your family, and be focused on HIS mission for the world – reconciling them to His Son, Jesus!

Merry Christmas & A Blessed New Year -

Feliz Navidad y Un Año Nuevo Beato -

The Ballew Family in Bolivia! (www.theballews.org)

Mission Address:           Stateside Address:                Bolivia Address: (do NOT send $ here!!)                              

Ripe For Harvest                c/o Robert Ballew                     La Familia Ballew

P.O. Box 487                      P.O. Box 293                            Casilla #6505

Monument, CO 80132       Frost, TX 76641                        Cochabamba, Bolivia

                                                                                              South America

Beautiful Quechuan girls proudly showing off the Bibles we gave them on a one day outreach with our church

Olivia and her friend, Isabel, dressed up in their traditional Cochabambina outfits for the dance they performed at their end of school year program

The best family photo we could come up with recently. I decided it was appropriate for me to have my eyes closed. 

6 MONTHS!!

Yes, it's true. We hit the 6 month mark last Saturday. Can you believe we've been gone from home and in Bolivia for 6 months?? Wow! It has really flown by and by God's amazing grace, it's all been good! No, these past 6 months have not been without their many challenges, but all in all, as we reflect on the transition period, God was glorified and we are truly amazed at how he has provided for us and allowed us to be here. We continue to be humbled by your love, prayers, and financial support. We love to pray for you all so please let us know how we can lift you up.

We are getting settled into a routine now that we have been in school for more than 6 weeks. The boys are all doing well - they are true champs! It has been a hard season for them, getting used to being in a formal school setting again and having so much homework, but they are really persevering through the daily challenges. I am so proud of them - they are my heroes! Last week and this week the boys participated/are participating in what their school calls "Outdoor Education Camps". The elementary camp was last week for 3 days, so Liam and Jude went to a camp nearby to participate in that. This week is the high school camp (which is 7-12th grades) and they are going to a camp about 2 hours away called "Camp Kewina". Aidan and Lowell both went - Aidan as a camp participant and Lowell to help lead the worship and supervise the approximately 80 kids that are attending. Aidan also has the opportunity to go with a small group of students on an overnight hike and tent camping trip for 2 of the days of camp this week. We are so thankful that the boys got this opportunity considering they had to miss church camp with our home church and family camp this past summer. Small things that ease the pain of homesickness just a little.

Lowell and I are enjoying the student ministry at CIC. We named the group "The Mix" because of the great mixture of nationalities, languages, and schools that are represented by the group. Lowell and the boys are still leading the music and we are hoping to take the group through the Crazy Love study by Francis Chan soon (as soon as it arrives in the mail!). We are both busy teaching at the boys' school as well. I am enjoying using my art abilities and knowledge to teach the high schoolers plus minister to them as I do it! Lowell's ministry there is a bit more involved, as he helps lead the worship for the chapel days and is teaching the entire high school (7-12th gr.) Christmas music for the school program. Lowell was able to take a group of the students recently to an event to raise money and awareness for a local ministry that helps support all of the "street kids" here in Coch. There are hundreds of kids, all ages, that live on the streets and hang out in the streets during the day, trying to beg for money to survive. Many of them will try to wash your car windows for you to make money, or even juggle rocks or do cartwheels in front of your car so you will "pay them for their entertainment". Sadly, many of these kids use the money they "earn" to buy glue that they sniff and get high on. I have seen kids as young as 7 or 8 years old sniffing glue, and even a young pregnant girl doing it on the side of the street. Please pray for this ministry that reaches out to these kids and that they will respond well.

Olivia is struggling a bit with wanting to go to school every day. She would so much rather stay at home. She has also been quite homesick and is missing her dear friends so much. She literally holds a photo of her best friend from back home and cries. Please pray that the Lord will comfort her and help her to feel happy and content and safe here. She has made some good friends at school and church, but needs a lot of reassurance and love still. She is speaking Spanish up a storm, though!

I must admit, that I too, have been quite homesick lately. I believe it is the "6 month mark blues". I have really been missing my dear friends, my home church, and my family. I also believe that when you are on the mission field, one of the most difficult times emotionally is the holidays. As you all approach the fall season and the two major holidays of the year in the states, we are here...thinking of it all. I love autumn and everything that goes along with it, especially Thanksgiving. It has just turned spring here in Coch, and it is beautiful. The rains have begun (with much more to come, we hear) and everything is "springy"! It will be very strange to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas in warm, sunny weather. Well, ok...I know we're from Texas and all, but you know what I mean!! Praise God, we have made some dear friends who are also missionaries struggling with being away from family throughout the holiday season, and we plan to celebrate with a big Thanksgiving feast in true American tradition!

Praises:
**We asked for prayer for one of our empleadas (maids), and she has begun to attend our church regularly now!! She is becoming a dear friend and I pray that our lives will exude the joy and love of Christ to her!
**A good vehicle! Pray we can get our Bolivian drivers licenses soon.
**Persevering and strong kids!

Prayer Requests:
**Continued strength and perseverance through the schoolwork - for all of us!
**For the feelings of homesickness to subside and be overcome with the joy of being here - doing God's will!!
**That the Bolivians we encounter every day would know we are Christians by our love. And that they would DESIRE that love!
**For God's continued restoration for challenging issues in our lives.
**Spiritual growth, deep love, and strength for mine and Lowell's marriage.

Blessings upon each and every one of you!!! We love you!

Shay, for the whole family :o)

August 2011 Update

  Wooh! We're almost through August and haven't written an update yet. Not going to let this month get away from us, though. We have had quite the whirlwind of activity this past month (really, 6 weeks). A lot has happened and a lot is going on! For starters, the boys began school last week at Carachipampa Christian School. That's the biggest change and transition we've had so far since we've been here (Aug. 31 will be 5 months!!). After homeschooling for the past 4 years, this is an entirely new world for them - and us, as parents and teachers as well. Yes, Lowell and I are teaching part time at the school also! Lowell is teaching high school music (7th-12th grades are considered h.s.) on Tues. and Wed., and helping lead the worship for their chapel once a week. I am teaching high school art on Mon. and Tues. mornings only. This is a really neat blessing in disguise, and I believe one way God wants to use us here in Bolivia. First of all, since we are leading the student ministry at our church, it is only natural and fitting that we are now teaching high school students. We have an open opportunity to invite ALL of our students that we teach to our youth group meetings, called "ThE MiX", on Friday nights! Many of them already attend CIC and ThE MiX, so we can encourage them to invite their fellow classmates as well. Another plus is that, while filling needs that the school had for music and art teachers, we in turn will receive a discount on the tuition for the boys. This is indeed a huge blessing!! We do not receive a salary as teachers at the school, the majority of the staff at CCS (excluding a few Bolivian staff members) are full-time, self-supported missionaries, just like us. Many of them are from different parts of the world - South Africa, Canada, Korea, England, and the states. CCS is a beautiful mix of cultures and languages, with one unifying factor - Christ! To learn more about the school and it's history, please visit www.carachipampa.org. 

The boys' on their first day

Lowell's music room

Before the chaos of the new school routine began, we wanted to take a little trip to the jungle. There is a small town, about a 4 hour drive from the city, deep in the Amazon rainforest, called Villa Tunari. We hired a van called a "surubi" to drive us on our little adventure, expecting to enjoy some hot, humid, bug infested jungle weather. Not to mention the large pool and slide at the hotel we had booked. However....much to our dismay, the weather was VERY cold and rainy. We tried hard not to be too disappointed, and still enjoy the simple fact that we were in the Amazon jungle for the first time in our lives!! We were still able to visit two parks while there, one called Parque Jungle (par-kay hoon-glay) which had some really fun ziplines and huge swings that were a blast, and the other called Parque Macchia. Within the boundaries of this park, is a animal refuge called "Inti Wara Yassi" where they rescue and care for endangered or hurt animals. There is long hiking trail up the mountain that we took and all the while, were searching for monkeys to play with and hold. We didn't have much luck until our way down!! They are adorable, constantly digging in people's pockets for treasures! Needless to say, though, we cut the trip short and headed home after only one day.

Finally! A monkey! 

I seriously wanted to take him home!

  Another really amazing opportunity the boys and I had, is getting to go on a one day mission trip (outreach) with our church last Saturday to a very small Quechuan village on the other side of Mt. Tunari. We took a bus and the drive was about 3 1/2 hours, up the mountains, over the mountains, and down the other side of the mountains! There were many times I had to hold my breath and pray that the bus would not go over the side. This was a truly amazing time, talking with, playing with, and reaching out to these people who still live such very simple, yet very hard lives. A dentist was able to give dental care to many of the Quechuan women, we made gospel bead bracelets with them and explained the meaning of the colors (with help of a translator that can speak Spanish, English, and Quechuan!), gave them bibles in their own language, listened and prayed while two men shared a message, and even shared in a traditional meal that they so very graciously cooked for us - many different types of potatoes, llama jerky (yes, I ate a llama...), and lamb meat. Please pray that these villagers will read their bibles and supernaturally understand the passages and ultimately come to know Jesus!

Sweet young Quechuan girl with her gospel bracelet

  Two major milestones we were able to celebrate is Jude's 10th birthday and Olivia's 5th birthday!! For Jude's birthday, we spent a fun day together with friends, going to the slide park (a park with HUGE concrete slides) and eating out, and for Olivia's birthday we had a blast celebrating Strawberry Shortcake style with friends at the house.

Birthday morning pancakes!

The 5 yr. old beauty with her authentic Strawberry Shortcake!

  Major praise!!! We now have a vehicle!! Although it is not officially ours yet, we have been able to drive the car that we waited on for about 2 months to get out of the shop. The owner just recently returned from furlough from the states, so we will be able to "seal the deal" so to speak. This is such a major blessing and we are so unbelievably thankful for such a good car at such a good price with the market being the way it is here in Cochabamba right now. God is good!

Praises:
1)  A vehicle!!
2)  Ministry opportunities falling into place! (student ministry, music ministry, teaching positions)
3)  A good start to a new school year at a new school!
4)  We have our one year visas! However...still no carnets (which is a required i.d. card).

Prayer Requests:
1) That we would obtain our carnets very soon.
2) A good transition into this new world of private christian schooling with many other MK's, native Bolivians, and kids and teachers from all over the world! It is all very overwhelming for them and us and we are dealing with some challenging issues. But I know God is bigger than all of them!!
3) Finalizing the purchase of our vehicle.
4) That the student ministry (ThE MiX) of CIC would continue to grow and that the Lord will lead us as we lead these kids. Pray that leaders will arise and begin to take ownership of the group.
5) The music ministry of CIC. Pray for Lowell as he uses his gifts to lead the congregation in worship and as he works with other full time missionaries planning and organizing the band and vocalists.
6) That the relationships we already have with non-christian or unchurched Bolivians will continue to grow and develop into trust relationships in which we can share the love of Christ with them. Please pray specifically for Irene and Miriam.
7) Continued language learning. We are no longer at the language institute, because of school starting, so pray that we can get plenty of practice with native speakers!


We love all of you tremendously and miss you terribly. We covet your continued prayers and thank each of you who are a part of our financial support team. We could not be doing this without you! There is not a day that I do not thank God for this incredible opportunity he has given us to serve Him here in Bolivia!

Con un abrazo fuerte y un besito -

Shay, for the whole family :o)

July 2011 Update

Getting In A Groove As we are amidst our winter season here in South America and experiencing unusually cool temperatures and a recent big snow on the mountains many of you in the USA are experiencing record HOT temperatures!  We have been enjoing the recent snow on the mountains which came unusually early this winter.  Bolivian school kids are in the middle of their third week of winter break here and the North American Schools are on their summer break since they are on the same schedule as USA schools.  We've decided to put our boys in Carachipampa Christian School here in Cochabamba beginning August 17.  Shay and I are planning on teaching at the school a couple of periods per week on a part time basis.  The school needs music and art teachers and Shay and I are considering teaching a couple of classes each week for grades 7-12. Youth Group Shay and I have accepted the opportunity to be the youth leaders for Youth Group at CIC. For the past two weeks we have been having Friday Night Youth Group meetings at the church from 7 to 9 in a room called The Cueva which is a cool room with 100 yr. old walls.  We play games and have snacks and then have a time of music and worship and then have some teaching time from The Bible.  We have been having about 12 kids the past two meetings and will have many more once school begins in August.  There are a few families moving back from furlough in August and we look forward to connecting with those kids also.  As you can see my boys and I plus Tee Ross who's 17 are able to lead worship for our youth meetings on Fridays.  This is a lot of fun for me as my whole family is able to serve together!      Family Life in Cbba We have moved into another rent house here in Coch and are super blessed with more space and a better location on the west side of town near the suburb of Sacaba.  Another missionary family lived here before us and were the ones who told us about it.  We also adopted their two dogs Maddie & Midnight.  They are both sweet dogs and do a good job at helping us with security with their deterrant barking at late night strangers and passers by.  On the weekends we have a Bolivian college student living with us.  Her name is Kendra.  She is from the city of Santa Cruz and attends bible college at Palabra De Vida (Word of Life) which is located in a town about 1 hour south of the city.  Kendra is one of our youth interns here and helps us with our Friday night youth meetings.  She also helps us practice our Spanish on the weekends and she plays with Olivia a lot too!  We've been waiting for a car to buy a car and found one that some missionaries are selling.  Only problem is that it was wrecked right before we were told about it being for sale and we've been waiting for about 6 weeks for it to be repaired so we can test drive it.  In the meantime we will continue to be patient and use taxis and truffies.  A truffi is a mini van that drives a particular route like a bus.  The 121 trufi taxi comes right down the street in front of our house which is very helpful since we still don't have a car.  There is about 20 or more trufi taxis that all drive the 121 route thru the heart of the city.  We take the 121 three times a week to language school.  We can also take it to go eat at mine and Shay's favorite restraunt.            CIC The church has been going through changes some good some sad.  Former founding and Senior Pastor Graham Porter and his wife Lori left back in June which was very sad for many in the church.  They had been here for 12 years and had a deep impact to so many in the city of Cochabamba (Cbba). With Graham leaving Tony Murrin has stepped up to teach more on Sunday mornings with the help of Assoc. Pastor Edwin Almanza also.  Tony and Joanna Murrin have both been very key leaders at CIC for all 10 years!  Joanna has been a leader with the music ministry and planning music for services and playing piano and singing as well as leading the chior.  They have four kids.  Two sons in college at Lancaster Bible College in Pennsylvania, USA and two daughters here in Cbba.  Tony has an avation ministry called Mission Air Bolivia which supports missionaries in the tribal areas of Bolivia.  He flies regularly to the Chipare Jungle region of Bolivia to bring medical and material aid to indigeneous Bolivians.  In particular Tony has been helping a pastor from the Oromomo region of the Chipare.  Pastor Inocencio and his wife Daria have been leading a group of new christians in their village and they trying to build their first church facility there deep in the jungle. In particular there are some prayer requests below for these particular ministry areas: Pastor Inocencio and his wife Daria need help in maintaining the missionary work in Oromomo. A full time couple is needed who could learn the language and stay with the Yura and Chimane people teaching them Biblical truths, and giving them medical care. Mission Air Bolivia - The aviation training center for Latin Americans in Missions need to consolidate this project soon. They need instructors for training latin Americans aviation mechanics and missionary aviation. Churches from Venezuela and other countries have required pilots and skilled workers to give them support in remote areas. The radio station for the Bolivian Amazon basin that should broadcast BBN programs, as well as other radio programs in five different languages need a full time missionary who could be in charge of running the radio station project. These particular areas are an indirect ministry of what we are here to support through the ministry of Cochabamba Internation Church.  We hope to go and visit these particular ministries in the Chipare in days to come. 4th of July We had fun celebrating the 4th here with a bunch of expats and Bolivians.  Our friends Osvaldo and Alice host an American style 4th of July celebration since she's a native of the USA.  Her parents live here as well.  We met other Bolivians who now live in USA and some are married to gringos.  Close to 100 people gathered in the backyard of the Montaños to have hamburgers and Coca Cola (which is the national refresco/softdrink of Bolivia by the way).  It was a fun time complete with American Cheesecake and fireworks!     Prayer Requests For Ballews -That we continue to learn the language and take language classes that we retain what we're learning and that we get plenty of chances to practice with the locals. -For us to conitnue to deepen the relationships that God has given us with Bolivians.  Young Couples Bible Studies (twice a month) and others within the church. -For the boys as they go back to organized school from being home educated for 4 years.  This will be a big adjustment especially just waking up early every morning. -For us to recieve our Carnets soon.  These are our Bolivian ID cards which will allow us to then get our Bolivian drivers license. -For Shay and I as we teach at CCS that we will know the best things to focus on teaching the students since we will not be using a cirriculum. This is the first time we've taught art and music in a school/classroom setting.  Pray that we will be able to connect with many kids while teaching there and that it will mesh well with our Friday night youth group meetings in getting more kids to attend those meetings. -For Shay and I as we lead the youth meetings every Friday night that we will build strong relationships with the students and that we will have wisdom in leading them the best way possible. -That more Bolivian kids begin attending our youth group meetings.  We have 4 young Bolivian leaders who will work with us in trying to minister to more Bolivian students. -That we receive our car soon and that the mechanic will finish the work WELL. -That we find a empleada to come work for us part-time in the mornings every day as we approach the fall.  We want someone who can help us with our home chores and someone we can build a relationship with and practice Spanish with on a daily basis. We feel so humbled to be able to be living here in Bolivia on foreign soil and we realize we couldn't be here without the financial support of so many back home in the USA who are giving sacrificially to allow us to represent the gospel of Jesus Christ to a beautiful culture of Bolivian people.  We thank all of you so much for your concern and prayers that we feel on a daily basis as we are here living so far away from you. Bless You All with the Love of Christ! The Ballews Lowell, Shay, Aidan, Liam, Jude, & Olivia *To view all of our recent photos you can go to our Facebook pages.  http://www.facebook.com/lowell.ballew http://www.facebook.com/shay.ballew

June 2011 Update

Just wanted to give you guys a 2 month update on us! We are doing pretty good.  Still adjusting here but it's going well.  We’ve made a lot of friends and contacts thru the church and all of them have been extremely helpful to all of us as we’ve been getting settled.  We’ve been in a temporary home for 2 months now and will be moving into another home in a couple of weeks.  I got a motorcycle about 3 weeks ago and it’s been fun and very helpful also since we still don’t have a car.  Getting closer to finding a car but they are all just SO expensive here it’s made it harder than in the states...   Shay, the 3 boys, and I have been going to Spanish classes 3 days a week for about 3 weeks now – we just need more time to actually practice speaking...  We are praying for people we can meet with every week 1 on 1 to just speak Spanish with for an hour or so... Olivia goes to pre-school every day from 8:30 to Noon.  She’s hearing a lot of Spanish there every day.   The school speaks about 60% Spanish and 40% English.  There are about 6 other North American or English MK’s who attend.  She’s made a few friends and had 2 play dates already with an MK girl named Madison who’s family if from Dallas.  The boys are still homeschooling but might start to a school in the fall – we’re still praying about that.  Shay attends a weekly bible study on Tuesdays with other missionary wives and they are doing a Beth Moore study right now on the fruits of the spirit. Shay and I attend an all Spanish young couples bible study every other Monday night and are getting to know those couples better each week.  We attended a one night retreat last month and that was a good time away with all of them.  I’ve been continuing to help with the music ministry every week by either playing guitar/singing or filling in on drums when we are short.  I am slowly learning to better communicate with the band – usually there is a couple of other “gringos” who can translate words and phrases I haven’t learned to say yet. Shay and I have just decided to take on leading the youth ministry at the church.  We are going to work with a few other Bolivian leaders to come up with a plan to relaunch the Friday night youth meetings at the church in 2 weeks.  Last week was our first week to attend the youth meeting to just meet more of the kids.  There are only about 10 to 15 kids coming each week right now and most of them are MK’s (missionary kids).  There were about 4 Bolivian kids but they spoke very good English also.  One of our goals is to get more Bolivian kids to attend and we hope to accomplish this by having more Bolivian leaders which seems to be happening right now.  We want the Friday night meetings to be bilingual as much as possible so the Bolivian kids feel a part! Anyway – I am at home sick today with a mild stomach bug (no throw up thankfully).  This is my first time in 8 weeks to get sick at all and I’m very grateful I’ve made it this far! PRAYER REQUESTS: - For our continued health from stomach bugs.  That we make wise decisions when eating out. - For us to continue build relationships with the young couples. - For us to find a car soon for a good price – or for one to be donated from the States and shipped here.  Looking for something with a 3rd row seating - midsize SUV.  FYI: has to be 2008 or newer to ship here. - For us to make good strides in learning the language better. - As we prepare to move in 2 weeks. - For a spirit of unity in our family. - For peace as we decide if and which school the boys should begin attending. Financial Update: Our regular giving was down this past month by about $600 from the previous month of April.  We are not hurting financially but just want to remind you how much we appreciate your gifts that allow us to minister to folks here.  If you'd like to sign up to give regularly or just want to send in a one time gift you can do so by clicking here - you can follow the directions on the web page. Thanks for reading this LONG update from us.  Please let us know how we can be praying for you as well! Thank you! Lowell Ballew & Family (Shay, Aidan, Liam, Jude, and Olivia) theballews.org Our Bolivian address: Ballew Family Casilla 6505 Cochabamba, Bolivia Care Package List: Starbucks coffee (ground Pikes Place) French vanilla liquid creamers (the little individual ones - you will have to ziploc them in case one or two burst!) Skintimate shave gel (any scent) brown sugar gum and candy (no chocolate) legos for boys (check with us on which ones they already have) bath toys and crayons for Olivia (put in ziplock bag also) leapster games for Olivia (pre-K) yummy smelling lotion and antibacterial hand soap (bath & body works, etc...- we actually found some at a local grocery store that imports many American products, but it was expensive!!!) BOOKS! I know books are heavy, but we were not able to bring any with us because of weight. If you can fit any small paperbacks for the boys (chapter books, books about legos/star wars/skateboarding/music/etc...) and picture books for Olivia that would be awesome!!

1 Month Update!

 
We'll we've made it exactly 1 month and 2 days in Bolivia!  It seems like time has just flown by and I knew it would be this way.  Everything is so new, people, surroundings, sights, sounds, etc..  We have been doing well in our adjustment phase - with the occasional moments of sadness and sorrow.  Kids have been making some friends and getting use to our new life here.  

  Olivia started to pre-school at Rise & Shine and is loving it.  It is a bilingual school.  We did a meet and greet quarterly parent/teacher night last night and her teacher gave her good marks for having only been there 1 week.  We have been praying and feeling more lead to put our boys in a North American private school called Carachipampa Christian School.  The boys have already visited there twice and have several friends who attend there.  It's sort of a drive from where we live but the bus will come right by our house to pick them up!  They won't begin until next August.  

  We have looked into language schools and will probably be deciding next week which one to begin with.  Shay, Lowell and boys will probably all attend some classes through the next 3 months.  

  We have become great friends with a couple of familes.  The Discua Family in particular.  We celebrated with them and one other family (The Ross') last night!  Yesterday the Discuas were granted permanent adoption rights of their 3 yr. old Bolivian daughter Hannah Joy.  Olivia and Hannah are in the same class at pre-school.  They attend our church and have been fellow missionaries here in Cochabamba for 7 years.  Our boys and their boys have had multiple sleep overs at our home and Shay and Krista (the mom/wife) have also hit it off.  And the husband/dad - Gustavo has been extremely helpful to Lowell since we've first arrived.  He's been carting Lowell around all over the city to help him find a motorcycle to buy.  All of this has been great but since the adoption is final in 2 weeks they will be then returning back to Colorado :(  We will miss them greatly and will have to say one of our first goodbyes to someone leaving to return to the states.  Pastor Graham Porter and his wife Lori who've been here for 14 years are leaving very soon as well.  This Sunday will be there last at the church.  This couple has also been extremely helpful to us before and after we've moved here to inform us of many great details about life here in Coch.

  So - that is the update for now and we want all of you to know that we are extremely humbled by your prayers and financial gifts to allow us to live in this beautiful country.  Our goal is to represent Christ and his love for Bolivians and to help the great work of the CIC (Cochabamba International Church).  We are very excited about so many future opportunities that God has in store for us and we look forward to sharing as much with you as possible. 

  A reminder that we use Facebook a lot for photo updates since it is such an easy tool for communication.  If you haven't joined yet we ask that you consider even if just to see our photo updates. How to join: just click here and follow the prompts: http://tinyurl.com/3pk5k6r

Thank you again for your gracious friendship!

The Ballews

(Lowell, Shay, Aidan, Liam, Jude, and Olivia)NEW MAILING ADDRESS IN BOLIVIA:

Ballew FamilyCasilla 6505

Cochabamba, Bolivia S.A.*NOTE* We would love to receive a care package from you (see list below) KEEP WEIGHT BELOW 4lbs - or else we have to pay a LOT of money to get it out of customs.

Starbucks coffee (ground Pikes Place)French Press (all metal/aluminum, glass will break in route) 

French vanilla liquid creamers (the little individual ones - you will have to ziploc them in case one or two bursts!)

Skintimate shave gel (any scent)

microwave popcorn

brown sugar

gum and candy (no chocolate)

legos for boys (Star Wars - check with us on what they already have so we don't get same ones)

bath toys and crayons for Olivia

xbox games (appropriate for boys ages 12 and under please)

leapster games for Olivia (pre-K)

good quality 100% cotton towels (bath, hand, and kitchen)

yummy smelling lotion and antibacterial hand soap (bath & body works, etc...- we actually found some at a local grocery store that imports many American products, but it was expensive!!!)

BOOKS! I know books are heavy, but we were not able to bring any with us because of weight. If you can fit any small paperbacks for the boys (chapter books, books about legos/star wars/skateboarding/music/etc...) and picture books for Olivia that would be awesome!!

Prayer Needs:

- Car: we have been surprised how expensive used cars are here and are praying for donations to help us purchase a car soon.  We need to raise $5000 to help with this.  Just an example - a 10 yr. old Nissan SUV goes for $10-12k.  Cars are a luxury here and people are very resourceful with driving cars for many years.  Parts and labor are very cheap here compared to the states.

- Language learning - as we begin to take classes soon.

- Bible Study - Shay, Lowell and one other American missionary couple just joined an all Spanish / Bolivian small group.  Pray as we learn to communicate more and that we form deep relationships with these 8 Bolivian couples.

- Music Ministry at CIC - pray God would allow me to help in the most effective ways with the whole Sun. morning program.  Pray for my communication with the nationals on the team to get better as I learn more Spanish.

- Kids adjustment - I made it sound in letter above that they are doing great and they are mostly are but pray for those sad days to diminish more and more.  

- Health - Liam and Shay had the stomach bug from the food here - pray for the rest of our protection from sicknesses.  

- Safety - that we will make wise choices since we are foreigners from US and are automatically a target because of our skin color.

- Unity - pray for us as a family that we have unity and peace among one another and that we give grace and patience to one another daily.

- Financial update - God has provided almost all of our monthly support but since we want to purchase a car we still welcome any financial gifts.

whee!

in the gondola - Livi being bossy

Grupo Alpha & Omega playing at CIC 10 yr. Anniversary Service

Our famous summit pic - notice how close Aidan is to being as tall as me...

almost half way down

Looking back at the city from the gondola.

Saying goodbye to Tia Viqui

Shay with her new friend Francis Ross

Livi's first day to Pre-School at Rise and Shine

1 Month Update!

  We'll we've made it exactly 1 month and 2 days in Bolivia!  It seems like time has just flown by and I knew it would be this way.  Everything is so new, people, surroundings, sights, sounds, etc..  We have been doing well in our adjustment phase - with the occasional moments of sadness and sorrow.  Kids have been making some friends and getting use to our new life here.
  Olivia started to pre-school at Rise & Shine and is loving it.  It is a bilingual school.  We did a meet and greet quarterly parent/teacher night last night and her teacher gave her good marks for having only been there 1 week.  We have been praying and feeling more lead to put our boys in a North American private school called Carachipampa Christian School.  The boys have already visited there twice and have several friends who attend there.  It's sort of a drive from where we live but the bus will come right by our house to pick them up!  They won't begin until next August.
  We have looked into language schools and will probably be deciding next week which one to begin with.  Shay, Lowell and boys will probably all attend some classes through the next 3 months.
  We have become great friends with a couple of familes.  The Discua Family in particular.  We celebrated with them and one other family (The Ross') last night!  Yesterday the Discuas were granted permanent adoption rights of their 3 yr. old Bolivian daughter Hannah Joy.  Olivia and Hannah are in the same class at pre-school.  They attend our church and have been fellow missionaries here in Cochabamba for 7 years.  Our boys and their boys have had multiple sleep overs at our home and Shay and Krista (the mom/wife) have also hit it off.  And the husband/dad - Gustavo has been extremely helpful to Lowell since we've first arrived.  He's been carting Lowell around all over the city to help him find a motorcycle to buy.  All of this has been great but since the adoption is final in 2 weeks they will be then returning back to Colorado :(  We will miss them greatly and will have to say one of our first goodbyes to someone leaving to return to the states.  Pastor Graham Porter and his wife Lori who've been here for 14 years are leaving very soon as well.  This Sunday will be there last at the church.  This couple has also been extremely helpful to us before and after we've moved here to inform us of many great details about life here in Coch.
  So - that is the update for now and we want all of you to know that we are extremely humbled by your prayers and financial gifts to allow us to live in this beautiful country.  Our goal is to represent Christ and his love for Bolivians and to help the great work of the CIC (Cochabamba International Church).  We are very excited about so many future opportunities that God has in store for us and we look forward to sharing as much with you as possible.
  A reminder that we use Facebook a lot for photo updates since it is such an easy tool for communication.  If you haven't joined yet we ask that you consider even if just to see our photo updates. How to join: just click here and follow the prompts: http://tinyurl.com/3pk5k6r
Thank you again for your gracious friendship!

The Ballews
(Lowell, Shay, Aidan, Liam, Jude, and Olivia)

Prayer Needs:
- Car: we have been surprised how expensive used cars are here and are praying for donations to help us purchase a car soon.  We need to raise $5000 to help with this.  Just an example - a 10 yr. old Nissan SUV goes for $10-12k.  Cars are a luxury here and people are very resourceful with driving cars for many years.  Parts and labor are very cheap here compared to the states.
- Language learning - as we begin to take classes soon.
- Bible Study - Shay, Lowell and one other American missionary couple just joined an all Spanish / Bolivian small group.  Pray as we learn to communicate more and that we form deep relationships with these 8 Bolivian couples.
- Music Ministry at CIC - pray God would allow me to help in the most effective ways with the whole Sun. morning program.  Pray for my communication with the nationals on the team to get better as I learn more Spanish.
- Kids adjustment - I made it sound in letter above that they are doing great and they are mostly are but pray for those sad days to diminish more and more.
- Health - Liam and Shay had the stomach bug from the food here - pray for the rest of our protection from sicknesses.
- Safety - that we will make wise choices since we are foreigners from US and are automatically a target because of our skin color.
- Unity - pray for us as a family that we have unity and peace among one another and that we give grace and patience to one another daily.
- Financial update - God has provided almost all of our monthly support but since we want to purchase a car we still welcome any financial gifts.