Thursday, November 30, 2006

Bolivia

Well first off let me just say thank you to all of you who have been praying for our time here in Bolivia. WE appreciate your prayers so much. Well things have been going so well here. We arrived in La Paz two weeks ago and did some ministry there. We did a lot of concerts in churches and I enjoyed them so much. We then left for Oruro, a city smaller than La Paz but it is such a wonderful city. I personally loved our time there. We did a lot of outdoor concerts, which I have come to really enjoy. But we also did a concert in an old theatre which was used for church services. I think so far it is one of my favorite concerts. The people were so responsive to the message. After the concert I couldn´t stop smiling, I just had so much fun and I think the rest of the team did too. We stayed in Oruro for a bit and then traveled to Llallagua. It is a very small mining town. We did three concerts there. All of them were outside and two of them were in the main square. The concerts went great... people would just gather around and listen as we played for almost two hours. It was very cold both nights we played there, but the people stayed and listened. Afterwards I got the chance to talk with several young girls. A lot of them were from broken families and some had no family. I tried to encourage them as best as I could with the Spanish that I knew. I just pray that God continues to work in their lives. Yesterday morning we left LLallagua and traveled 8 hours in a bus to arrive here in Cochabamba. IT is much bigger here and very touristy. Today we actually have a day off to rest. Tomorrow we have 4 concerts and I am very excited.

Well other than that my Spanish is very much improving. I was definatley not fluent when I arrived here but I knew a bit. But now I understand mostly what people say and I am able to get around quite well. I love the language and the people here. Bolivia has a unique beauty that is hard to explain in words. It is simple and just so beautiful in its own way. I am falling more and more in love with the people here and I just pray that God continues to work here. Again thank you all for you prayers it means so much :)Well everyone stay well... I can´t wait to share more stories with you all when we get back to the states. Que Dios te Bendiga!! (may God bless you)

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Checking in...

Hello to all!

Just wanted to write a quick note to let you all know that things are going well here in Bolivia. We have had a busy week. We left the capital city, La Paz, on Friday and headed to Oruro. We spent the weekend there and were very busy. We played in plazas, marketplaces, and churches. On Monday we headed up to one of the main mining towns in Bolivia. We will be leaving here on Wednesday for Cochabamba to spend over a week there doing a lot of concerts.

Expect much more detailed updates on the ministry we have been doing here once we return. Please continue to pray for us as we have a lot of work left to do here!

God Bless,
Paul

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Hola from Bolivia

Hola Everyone!!

I just wanted to write a quick note about how things are going down here.

We arrived on Friday and the YFC staff took us to our amazing apartment and then gave us the rest of the day off to rest and adjust to the altitude. Saturday we played two concerts at churches and Sunday we played in a community center. On Monday we played at one of the busiest plazas in La Paz. It was great!

I don´t have time to write a lot, but I just wanted to let everyone know that things are going well. We don´t have a lot of internet access so don´t worry if you don´t hear from us too much. The YFC is taking great care of us.

Please pray for our continued adjustment to the altitude!

God Bless,
Paul

Friday, November 17, 2006

Safe arrival

I just received an e-mail from Paul. The team arrived safely very early this morning and is resting up after about 24 hours of travel. Since La Paz (the capitol city of Bolivia) sits at about 12,000 feet in elevation, the team needs to rest well to overcome the altitude sickness that will add to the travel fatigue.

They'll start into a busy outreach schedule tomorrow (average of 1-3 concerts a day according to an e-mail from Willie.)

Check here for updates either from the team, or from us here at the office (it is likely that they will periodically be able to update, but probably not as often as in the states as they will be travelling to more remote parts of the country.)

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

The time has arrived...

The bags are packed (mostly), the equipment is ready to go and we will soon be departing for the Minneapolis/St. Paul airport. It seems hard to believe that we are done with fall tour, and now we are already starting our international tour. Thanks so much to all of those people who made our fall tour great!

Please pray for us as we start our month of ministry in Bolivia. We are excited and anxious and ready to get started with what the Lord has for us there. Please pray specifically for safety as we travel, friendly airport officials, and strength for the journey ahead. Please also pray that we would truly understand what it means to take on the nature of a servant.

God Bless.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

One week and counting...

Hello all!

We leave for Bolivia in a week...how crazy is that?! Things out on the road are going swimmingly, we are in Waterloo, Indiana. We just played a chapel service this morning at Huntington University, and played at New Hope Christian Center last night.

We can't believe that our fall tour is nearly over! On Sunday night we will be returning to Willmar for a whirlwind week of preparations to go to Bolivia.

Please pray for us as we prepare our Spanish repetoire, and try to figure out how to pack our equipment for the flights!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Fall Tour

Well I seriously cannot believe we are nearing the end of our Fall Tour. It has gone by so quickly and yet it has felt like forever (weird how that works). We just got back today from a week in Canada. It was amazing. I personally had such a great time there. Big shoutouts to Michelle, Jimmy, Eliot, Cindy, and Gable. It was so awesome hanging out with more CTI people. Our team has had some great times with ERS games, "24" nights, 5 Pin Bowling, and Lazer Tag. It was so much fun. But I also personally felt like our ministry was so effective there. I guess I just felt like we were really usable there. I was also very humbled in Canada. I rememeber this one host home that was just amazing. They were so giving to Ruth and I and to our ministry. They just gave and gave of themselves so that we would be comfortable. They also did so much for their church. They seriously taught me so much. I feel as I look back on the last 7 weeks that I've grown and learned so much. I hope that people can see even a small difference in me because I can feel a huge difference in just the way I look at an event we are playing at or at opportunities around me. What we learned in training about how we are missionaries first and musicians second really rings so true to me now. I really didn't think too much about it in training and now I realize how much that mentality needs to be my outlook on this ministry. It isn't always easy to do but it is something that I have really asked God to help me with. I seriously have loved everyday of this tour. I mean there have been difficult days and tiring days but at the end of a day I just get so happy knowing that I get to do this for a year. :)

I am so excited as I think about Bolivia. We have been learning our Spanish music and I love it so much. I can't wait to get involved with the people there. :)

So thanks to all who have been praying for us, we greatly appreciate it.

God Bless!!!

Team 14:22 hope you guys are doing awesome... miss you all!!

Monday, November 06, 2006

Canada...eh?

G'day y'all! Well here we are nearing the end of our time in Canada. This week has gone by so fast - it's hard to believe that we'll be going back to the US tomorrow! We've had a wonderful time here. A huge shoutout goes to Jimmy who has looked after us tremendously and has been a huge fan at each concert! It's also been great to meet Cindy, Michelle, and Elliot who are also past CTIers. We've all been so blessed by you guys! Thanks so much!

I have to admit that I've felt more at home in Canada...I mean, they use the metric system like us Aussies do! So for once when they say it's 3 degrees I know exactly what they mean! It's been a great experience as I've never been to Canada before...it was the first time for all of us actually except for Luke and Nathan. Last Sunday Jimmy took us all to see the Niagra Falls which were absolutely beautiful. I've never seen anything like it! God's creation is so amazing.

We've had concerts most days and they have been a blast. The audiences have been awesome and we've seen God move in people's lives which has been a huge blessing and encouragement for us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we have only one more week of this tour and then will be leaving for Bolivia. Bless you guys! Oh, and a big hi to 14:22 as well! Can't wait to see you next week!!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Timmy's, milk in a bag, and other things...

Hello all. I am sitting in the library of Redeemer University in Ancaster, Ontario (This school is where Michelle Kikkert, who was on my team to Singapore this past summer, is studying). We played a concert here last night. A big shout-out to Michelle and everyone else that came. Thanks for everything.

Another HUGE shout-out goes to our amazing host the last few days Mr. Jimmy Rintjema (FT 05-06). There are no words to describe how much he has blessed us the last few days. Whether it be sushi, Niagara Falls, or Tim Horton's there are few other words to describe Jimmy other than "baller" (If you don't know what that means just ask a full-time some time. Don't worry though, it's a good thing).

We're off to Belleville today, but know that we are having a great time here in Canada!

God Bless.