November and the first half of December was a time of finishing out the semester, and starting to really prepare for "Kid Kreiss" come January. It was a time of exhaustion, per usual for teachers, but also for celebrations. In it all we lean on God's strength and feel His love abound around us. In the last month and a half we have celebrated 3 different baby showers, enjoyed our yearly community festival, moved apartments, won basketball championships, and closed out the first semester of school. "Kid Kreiss" is healthy, as is Audrey, and we praise God for what feels like a pretty smooth pregnancy (if there ever is such a thing).
Days before Christmas, and unable to fly home to the U.S., we prepare our new apartment and try to anticipate the new season that is rapidly approaching. We wish we could be back, celebrating with family and friends, but we have felt very loved and supported by the community here which has made this season a little easier. One major way we have felt God's love and support is through the love of other people and the Highlands community. Having a baby is a challenging thing. Having a baby in a foreign country is even more challenging. However, having a baby in a foreign country is a lot easier when you are surrounded by a loving community that throws 3 separate baby showers and constantly reiterates their support and excitement for you during this challenging time.
On three separate occasions we have been blessed by others and gifted many of the things that will be needed come January. Three separate parties were thrown respectively by the female staff at Highlands, the 10th grade class and parents, and a joint shower thrown by a collection of 9th, 11th, and 12th grade parents. God has truly been good to us and showered us with his love through the community here.
Another blessing has been the opportunity to move apartments. As of today we celebrate three weeks in our new apartment that is literally two doors down from our closest Bolivian friends, Dani and Sarita. The apartment is more modern, in a quieter neighborhood, and has given us a lot more peace as we enter into this new season of expanding our family.
While this season of life has brought a lot of blessings our way, I think what we celebrate the most is the opportunities we have had to pour into relationships here and serve the community as they also serve us. So much of the ministry here is relational, and God has opened up a lot of doors to build relationships and pour into the community that He has surrounded us with. We try and recognize the open doors and avenues that God provides, and in each circumstance do our best to love others just as He has loved us. Our annual community festival is a good opportunity to do just that. It gives us an opportunity to hang out together, enjoy delicious food, play volleyball against the parents, and challenge students to bull riding competitions.
As we have written in previous updates, Mark has had a lot of opportunities to cultivate relationships and mentor some of his students through the basketball team. We proudly report that they won the championship and are the plural-national champions of La Paz (Division II). It is a huge achievement considering the basketball program is not even a year old yet, and the school has never competed in this tournament.
Mark is very thankful that God has provided chances for, and works through, things like sports and coaching. While the games themselves can be a great teaching tool, it is all the in-between times that show themselves to be fruitful and where God can work through the conversations and reflective times. Mark has really developed some good relationships with some of the guys, and has done a lot with them outside of the basketball season as well. Please pray for continued opportunities for him as he seeks to pour into them and disciple them.
It's a cool thing thinking about the birth of Jesus as we ourselves prepare for the birth of our own child in January. As we head into the Christmas season we are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to be here in Bolivia and serve a God who sent his son to come and serve as a saving grace for us. It is good to know we can celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ no matter where we are. Merry Christmas and God Bless.
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