April/May 2012

  The month of April and May (so far) have found us very, very busy! We are winding down the school year, which ends June 6 with a closing program and graduation. We are all ready for the break, of course! Every April, Carachi has its annual "Field Days" and it was a total blast to get to participate this year. The entire school is divided up into 3 teams - Red, Yellow, and Green (the colors of the Bolivian flag) - and for the remainder of the time that you are at the school, you are a part of that team. Each student is required to compete in several events and points are earned for each place they finish in. Our boys loved the entire experience and proved themselves to be excellent athletes and fierce competitors! Many ribbons, medals, and trophies were won, and Jude broke a school record in the running long jump for his age category!  The best history making news of all - RED team won after 16 long years!!! What's the big deal, you ask? WE are on the red team! This proud Mama can't help but believe that her boys had something to do with it. It was a very emotional time for those students who have been on the red team their entire school career at Carachi and never experienced the blessed taste of Victory!!

The purple ribbon is for his record break! He also won 2nd overall in his age group - his best buddy beat him for 1st by ONE point!!

Aidan proved himself to be a great sprinter and long jumper (long legs DO come in handy!)

 

Awards ceremony - Liam tied for 3rd place overall in his age group

  Bolivia celebrates its Labor Day in May so we had a couple of days off of school, which made for a 4 day weekend. We took the opportunity to go on an adventurous road trip with some great friends - The Discua Family - to the Salar de Uyuni. This is an area of Bolivia in the altiplano (the high plains) region, in the department of Potosi. The salar is the largest salt flats in the world and we feel so blessed to have gotten to see this amazing, awe-inspiring creation of God. We took some incredible photos - if you are interested in viewing all of them, you can click on one of the following links to see my albums.http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3971296160758.176722.1231111516&type=3&l=86e18bc0d9
OR here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3980272185153.176857.1231111516&type=3&l=75a47d7006
OR HERE!!:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4013673300160.177388.1231111516&type=3&l=f35357ffa7

  It was a blast to have this one last Hoo-Rah with our friends before they returned to the States to do ministry in California. They served here in Bolivia for 8 years but felt the Lord's call to return stateside. We will miss them tremendously. Ask any missionary and they will tell you that one of the hardest things about being one is having to say "goodbye" so often to dear friends and family.

The Discua and Ballew boys = TROUBLE

Lowell giving me a smooch on the head

I've got Liam on the tip of my foot!

  Since the last update, Aidan has celebrated his 14th bday - as you can see, he is about to surpass Lowell in height. Every birthday, I find it harder and harder to believe that my babies are becoming young men!
  After much prayer and thought, and listening to our kids voices (I mean, listening to their hearts, with our hearts), Lowell and I decided to give them the choice of how they are educated next year. If you've kept up with our ministry updates, then you know what an extreme challenge it's been for our boys (and our whole family) to transition from a homeschooling family into private christian MK schooling. And that was only one of the many transitions we had to deal with. So...after TELLING the kids what they were going to do for the past 3 years or so, we felt convicted to allow them to choose their own path for education for the next school year. At this point, Aidan, Liam, and Olivia have chosen homeschool, but Jude chose to return to Carchipampa. We are hoping and praying that this will open up more opportunities for us to serve in ministry areas as a family and get out and about in the city and country more. Pray for us as we prepare ourselves for this journey again!!

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) Unfortunately, Lowell was the victim of pickpocketing the other day. This is common here, and you always have to be on your guard - especially when going to certain parts of town. His entire wallet was stolen out of his front pocket. All important i.d. cards, driver's licenses, credit cards, insurance cards....everything was in there. No cash was taken. The day before this happened, his debit card was "eaten" by an ATM. Mine was eaten also about a month ago. The urgency of this? Our debit cards are what we live on here! It is almost strictly a cash society so we depend on getting cash to pay for everything with our cards. We cannot use our debit cards here to pay for things because our bank is still in the U.S. We can use our credit cards for certain things - the large grocery stores or nice restaurants - but of course we try not to use them except for emergencies. Thankfully, my new ATM card will be here on Tuesday, delivered by a good friend of ours who is a missionary here, but is from Texas and was there for two weeks sorting out visa issues.

2) Speaking of visa issues! Our 1 year visa has expired and we have applied for our 2 year (which is the next step in the visa process). So, we are without our passports while they process our request in immigration. Please pray it would be quick and that we would have our passports back asap with the visa! It's slightly nerve-wracking being without our passports and a current, valid visa. Along with an expired visa, we now have an expired driver's license and expired carnet (a Bolivian i.d.). (and yes....all of this was in Lowell's wallet that was stolen). We do have a "voucher" to show in case the need arises that we have paid for our 2 yr. visa and that it is in process.

3) Pray that we would be prepared to do homeschooling again - in every way. Academically, emotionally, spiritually.

4) Please continue to pray for the youth group that we lead at church. Pray for growth - both in numbers and spiritually. We feel like we haven't been able to put as much time and energy into this ministry with the pressures of school, so we look forward to the break so we can devote more time to it. We had a large group of Bolivian students come for the first time this past week and we were so very pleased! Pray that at least some of them will begin attending weekly and that the "regulars" would make them feel welcome and at home.

We love and miss you all! Blessings!!

Shay, Lowell, Aidan, Liam, Jude, and Olivia

ONE YEAR UPDATE!!

  "What?! Seriously?! You've got to be kidding me. One year? You guys have been here a year already?!!" Yeppers. This was the response recently from a friend we met just a couple of weeks after arriving last April.  He just couldn't believe it! And honestly, it is so hard for us to believe as well. I have to say that for me (Shay), this has been the fastest year of my life! No lie.  We plan to celebrate in style with the fam and honor our kids for being true champions. We plan to praise the Lord greatly for His constant love, provision, and blessings. We plan to look back and see how the Lord has worked in our lives and changed us. We plan to record all of the wonderful things He has done!! Initially, our plan was to take this first year to adapt to the culture, learn the language, build relationships, and really seek out exactly what the Lord wanted us to do with our time here. So far, I believe we have accomplished those goals (with God's help and guidance, of course). No, we do not speak Spanish fluently like natives...yet. Yes, there are many, many things about this culture that bug us and frustrate the heck out of us and that we will never agree with or understand. But, we have adapted and learned to be flexible and learned to deal with whatever comes our way - even at a moment's notice. Hopefully, when we do, we are doing so lovingly and graciously and through our actions and words, are sharing the love of Christ. We are abundantly blessed with friends here and continue to build relationships with folks at church and school and out and about in the city. We feel led, at this point, to continue helping lead the music and worship ministry and youth ministry at CIC and to finish out the school year at CCS, teaching art, music, leading chapel worship time and coaching basketball. We will serve and help in any other capacity the Lord leads us to throughout our next year in Bolivia. I (Shay) still desire to volunteer at one of the local orphanages that a friend of ours runs, but the way just has not been made yet. Our desire, as a family, is also to participate in more ministry outreaches, within the city and in the outlying jungle or mountain areas of Bolivia. We can't wait to see what our 2nd year in Bolivia brings!!!! Here are some photos to enjoy......

Olivia with our pet bunny, Peter

And...Olivia with Maddie, our now inside doggie. Yes, sometimes she loves the pets a little too much!

One of the best views of Mt. Tunari we've had from our 3rd story window this year!

And...one of the many amazing sunsets we are blessed to enjoy almost every evening out our dining room window. God is such an incredible artist.

Lowell leading worship at Cochabamba International Church

Aidan playing drums for the main service at CIC

A typical Sunday morning worship service at CIC - a beautiful mixture of nationalities and languages, all worshiping together!

This is how we roll in Coch

Shay's art room at Carachipampa Christian School

Liam lovin' on a sweet orphan at Casa de Amor (house of love)

Who looks most scary? Jude, Shay, or the totem pole dude?!

Please pray for this beautiful city!

We just can't find a way to express our deep thanks and gratitude to all of you that have supported us in this journey! We know that it would not be possible for us to be here without your love, support, and prayers. Please continue to let us know how we can pray for you - we love to lift our supporters up in prayer and know what is going on in your lives back home. And we humbly ask that you continue to pray for us and send us an encouraging note via email or facebook every once in awhile. You have no idea how it strengthens us to know family and friends back home are thinking of us and praying for us. A HUGE special thank you goes out to those of you who have taken the time (and spent the $) to send us care packages. They are exactly that! CARE...in a box (or envelope)!! It makes us feel so loved, cared for, and not forgotten!

Woot Woot!! Here's to our first successful year in Bolivia!! YAY GOD!!

Un fuerte abrazo y un beso para todos (a big hug and kiss to everyone!! yes....we greet almost everyone with a kiss on the cheek here, just like the Bible says!) -

Shay, for all

10 Month Update

  Today (Jan.31) marked our 10 month anniversary of being in Bolivia. One year ago we moved out of our home in League City to stay in a temporary duplex until our date of departure. It is truly hard to imagine that our 1 year anniversary of being here is just around the corner. Time flies when you're having fun, right? Or at least when life is crazy and you've turned your world upside down and started over from scratch in a foreign land and just tried to live moment by moment to survive and thrive. Whooh. Here we are...beginning a new year in our new country and wondering what on earth God has in store for this family of ours here in this place. Why are we here again?! Oh, yes! We did this crazy, insane thing because God told us to! No matter what, we said. No matter how hard. No matter how rough and tough and ugly it gets. And it has - gotten that way, I mean. At times. Otherwise, on the other side of the pesito ( that would be a little tiny coin...) there have been wonderful, beautiful, fun, productive, positive times. Moments when we feel all cheery and good and that things are just "right", you know? I won't lie, this life we have chosen isn't easy, and it's not all rosy and grand. However, we have to know that God is good. God is great! He called us here and He has a purpose for us. He is not going to leave us or forsake us. He is with us. He will lead us and guide us into His perfect plan and will for us. As we lean into starting a new year here in Bolivia, I have asked the Lord, "What do you want with us this year? What shall we do? What things, Lord, can we accomplish for you?" We want to make this time worth it. Worth all of the sadness and heartache and missing home and missing friends and doing without. Worth all of the leaving behind we did.
 I (Shay) feel strongly that the Lord wants me (personally) to build more meaningful relationships with Bolivians and strengthen my Spanish speaking ability. The two really go hand in hand. I have a deep desire to focus on discipleship, specifically with students, considering that is the group of folks here that the Lord has clearly led us to minister to. He just continues to give Lowell and I both opportunities to serve these amazing kids here who need to know Jesus and grow in their faith. We are prayerfully considering ways to develop a leadership team within our youth group at the church. This kind of thing really excites me and pumps me up! I love seeing young people step up and be bold in their faith and become leaders for their generation. Please pray along with us that the Lord would lead us and guide us as we begin this new endeavor. Another incredible opportunity that the Lord has given Lowell is to be the Assistant Coach for Carachipampa's basketball team (www.carachipampa.org)! For those of you who know Lowell well, you know that basketball was a huge part of his life as a young student. He was a very talented and skilled player and now he has the chance to pour into these young men in yet another area - teaching them and encouraging them on the basketball court! Our oldest son, Aidan, has decided to join the team, making him the only 7-9th grader out there amongst a team of 10-12th graders! At CCS, high school is 7-12th grades and since the school is so small anyone has a chance to be a part of the team. We are so proud of Aidan, that he didn't shy away from joining, just because the rest of the team was older. Incredibly, he is now just as tall as many of the Senior players.
  We enjoyed a wonderful three week break for the Christmas holiday and we were incredibly blessed to spend the majority of that time with Lowell's parents! It was truly amazing to welcome visitors here, when we still feel like visitors ourselves! I cried tears of joy seeing them step off the plane and walk through the gate to us. It was overall an enjoyable time, besides Lowell's Mother being very ill for a week and having to be admitted to the hospital. Lowell's Dad purely enjoyed every second of his time here in Bolivia, reminiscing of his peace corps days and visiting old friends, speaking to the locals of "the good 'ole days" of Cochabamba in the 60's. Christmas was different, but very, very blessed. The kids discovered that Santa really does make stops in Bolivia. For a few days after Christmas, we were able to travel to Santa Cruz, Bolivia by bus (quite the experience) and enjoy some fun family time at a waterpark called Aqualand and a beautiful butterfly and bird sanctuary called Biocentro Guembe. The climate in SC is very similar to Houston - hot and humid!
  The second semester of school is in full swing and our grueling schedule continues. Olivia has gone back to her school, Rise and Shine, although the Bolivian school year does not officially start until next week (Feb. 6). She will officially be a Kindergartener!! She enjoys her playdates with her friends and will be taking swim lessons with them starting next week as well! Jude is a star student and we are so proud of how well he has done this year in this new environment. Liam and Aidan are still working hard and persevering through the changes as well. The struggles they have faced in the past 10 months have made them stronger and pretty darn tough, I think! They continue to make new friends and use their gift of music to help lead worship for youth group and chapel at school. Liam is excited to celebrate his 12th birthday next week with some of his friends from church and school with paintball and a sleepover. Speaking of birthdays....it's hard for me to believe, but this Monday, the 6th, is my 40th. The "big one". Mid life, right? Ha! I sure hope not. Lord willing, anyway! Looking forward to celebrating in Bolivia!

PRAISE AND THANKS:
1) Continued relationship building with our empleada, Miriam. She has lots of good questions related to God and is definitely seeking truth! She is attending church regularly.
2) A memorable visit with Lowell's parents
3) Growth within the youth group! We are averaging 40 students and more Bolivians are coming! Pray that the MK's will reach out to them and make them feel welcome and comfortable.

PRAYER REQUESTS:
1) That our Spanish speaking ability would reach a new level.
2) That we will be more intentional about building relationships with Bolivians.
3) That God would lead Lowell and I as we develop the student leadership team.
4) Continued transition and adaptation - it's an ongoing process and symptoms of culture stress and missing home and friends rise frequently. There are still tears and sadness and emotional breakdowns at times.
5) That all kids would do well in school and that they would actually come to really like it and look forward to it! Pray for good, significant friends for all of them.

God's goodness and blessings upon you ALL!!!

Shay, for all of us

Us with Lowell's parents visiting the Simon I. Patino Palace Museum 

Being crazy on Christmas Eve in the pj's my Mom sent

Olivia, la Mariposa muy linda, at the Biocentro Guembe in Santa Cruz

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