Our current intern in Ixiamas, Bolivia, is 2008 Practicum graduate Becky Forrest. During Practicum, Becky shared her experience on our blog. Now that she is in an intern in Bolivia, she will post updates as our interns in 2008 did. Becky served on short-term mission trips in 2007 and 2008 in Ixiamas.

I survived the month without Rachel, and my Spanish has improved a great deal. My sentences may not have the correct tense of the verb, but I can usually say what I need to say. Everyone here has learned some English, so they help me by using some of the words they have learned. I just pray I don’t forget all I have learned during my two months at home. I would hate to start over again.

 

The buttermilk biscuits were such a hit that we are teaching the cook and girls how to make them. They have been placed on the menu for breakfast once a week. After all, SIFAT’s campus is in Alabama, so we can make the Internado “southern”. Earlier in the year, we had a brick oven built for baking bread. It has finally been cured. This past Friday, the kids were out of school, so with their help, we cooked bread in it for the first time.They made cinnamon rolls, the regular round bread that is normally sold here and empanadas (sort of a cheese turnover). The smell was wonderful, and I slipped off with a hot cinnamon roll for Rachel and me to sample. They were to be saved for Sunday’s breakfast.

There was no school the week of Sept. 7 – 12 because of teachers meetings, so all of the kids went home except Nancy and Julio. They usually stay here during short breaks from school because their dad works and lives at a saw mill. At the end of the week, I decided we needed an outing, and I needed a conversation in English. We went to visit the Mennonite family we buy cheese, etc from. I had been there once with the group at the end of the rainy season, and so I knew the way. Ha! (We had to walk part of the way on that trip because the road was so muddy.) We loaded up in truck, Marcial (dorm dad), Mercedes (the cook), her children (Juan, 10, and Belen, 3) along with Julio and Nancy.  We get almost there when we come to a small river, so we decided to leave the truck there and walk the rest of the way. I convinced Julio and Nancy (they had been there two other times) that we crossed the river there instead of going up the road to the left. Why would they listen to me, a really dumb American? We walked for close to 30 min. when we all decided we were not the going correct way. So after the 30 min walk back to the truck, we drove up the road to the left (the way Julio suggested) and right up to the gate of their yard. I don’t think they will ever follow me again. But we had fun even if we did hike in 90 degree weather. Most of it was in the shade. We all had a big laugh over it.

September 14^th was student’s day, so in honor of it we let each of the kids invite someone from school here for a celebration. We had devotions, played games and had snacks. It was a great hit and made us think if we should do it more often as a way of reaching out to the children in town.

The English classes are growing and doing great. All my students are making great progress. The classes also help me increase my vocabulary because as I teach them, I learn the words in Spanish. A couple of the students are not church goers, so I am praying for God to use this as a way to open up his word to them.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we are looking for a new dorm mom and someone to help next year with the animals and farming here on the campus.

Much love to all back home,

Hermana Rebecca