January: Busy Starts & Patient Hearts

It's hard to live like Mary, patiently waiting at the feet of Jesus, when your life feels more like Martha. (Luke 10:38-42) January has been a busy month as Audrey adjusts back into Bolivian life and Mark has added an extra class. Despite the busyness, it has been a great month because we have been reunited once again.

Audrey's surgery in the US was successful, and instead of waiting for January to role around, Mark was blessed with a chance to fly back for Christmas break so that we could be together. We got to share some good quality family time in North Myrtle Beach with Audrey's family before Mark had to head back to La Paz. Eventually Audrey returned to La Paz in mid-late January.

Since returning Audrey has been offered the guidance counselor position at Highlands as soon as she finishes her degree. The semester before her graduation they want her to step into a semester of part time guidance counselor where she would "learn the ropes" in order to transition smoothly into her first year. All this to say, we have accepted the position and feel very blessed that this opportunity has arisen. It shows that the school has a lot of confidence in Audrey by them reserving this position for her, and it show's God's big picture plan in that He has always had a place for her here as she now has a job she has always wanted to do (no offense to any librarians reading this...). We eagerly await the fall of 2024 when Audrey will start with that.

As second semester has started, so has the busyness. Mark has stepped up to fill a void in the middle school and has taken on the 8th grade US history class. So far it is going well, he thinks it's because they are still scared of him, but either way it is another opportunity with students. Please pray for his time management and efforts to build relationships with these new students. Audrey continues as librarian and will also be transitioning back to the head of member care leadership next year. This semester will be full of inconsistencies and random events as there always seems to be some event going on and preventing us from accomplishing a normal week of school. However, we know that God works through some of these irregular moments. One fun thing that has kept us busy is the return of "Bolivia Day" which will happen on April 29th and involves a big community celebration where each class learns and performs a traditional Bolivian dance.

We as teachers are also participating, and so every Tuesday and Thursday morning we have dance practice before school starts (More about that in April!) One of the more recent fun events has been gifting our top positive reward high school student with a chance to give our art teacher a hair cut. This was a highlight of our first chapel back. One thing we are trying to build at Highlands is a culture of encouragement, character, and integrity. This student won the most "positive merits" from first semester, and I think she thoroughly enjoyed cashing in on her reward. Overall the relationships with the students remain steady, and it is always fun for Mark to have the seniors in their final semester of high school, a very reflective time. Please continue to pray for these opportunities as they are often great chances to be real and honest with the students.

Mark and the Bible teacher have also joined a soccer team that plays every weekend with some of our Bolivian friends. It's been another thing to busy the schedule, but a great thing to participate in. Pictured is a former student, Francisco that Mark used to teach. There are a lot of guys that are new to Mark as well, and maybe this could be some further ministry opportunity.

All of this has made us feel a little bit like Martha and less like Mary, but we are mindful of this, and are trying to stay intentional about laying everything at the feet of Jesus. We are extremely thankful for God's provision with Audrey's future job at Highlands, and we know that Mark taking on an extra class is really just taking on more ministry opportunities with the students. It's so encouraging to know that no matter what the circumstances are, we have a God who loves us, cares for us, and has a plan for us. We are so thankful He works through broken and busy people like ourselves. We remain patient and dedicated here, and we are excited for what the Lord has in store as we commit to building His kingdom here in La Paz.