Highlander Highlights
February 18, 2006
Greetings once again from Cochabamba, Bolivia. We, the Forbess family, are now in our seventh week in Bolivia. Soon we will lose count of how many weeks we have been here and will begin marking our time here in months and then years! We continue in the process of beginning our life here in this new land. There are many wonderful things about being here and sometimes there are challenges, but we keep Philippians 4:13 in mind always.
Katie and I have two more weeks until the end of our Spanish review course at the Maryknoll school. We have had such wonderful teachers, although we have not been able to do our homework very consistently so I don’t know what our teachers think of us. We will probably end up staying at Maryknoll for our Quechua classes as we have been impressed with the quality of instruction and also with the staff’s genuine interest in accommodating the needs of a family with a little one at home. Josh Marcum who is also a part of our team, will be studying Quechua at Maryknoll as his Spanish review ends in two weeks as well.
Our most valuable learning at least for Katie and I, has probably not been the language learning, although that has been very helpful. What has been the most beneficial for us is learning about Bolivia. Katie and I have an uncanny knack for getting our teachers off the subject of grammar, (yuck!), and getting them to talk about Bolivia, (which of course they love!). We have been able to hear from at least eight different individuals who each have a unique perspective of their homeland. These conversations that Katie and I have had have really been invaluable to us as we strive to get a glimpse of the collective Bolivian heart and soul.
One our teachers “Fritzy” has been walking Katie through home decorating magazines to teach us all the necessary vocabulary as we begin the process of wheeling and dealing at furniture stores and with the merchants at La Cancha. We will be moving into our apartment on the 4th and 5th of March. Our apartment will have four bedrooms and a very nice living, dining, and kitchen area. There will be plenty of room for any visitors that come our way. Fritzy has also been helping us with the decorations because we want to our home to be very Bolivian from the moment you hit the door. We are going to use tocuyo and aguayo which are both Bolivian fabrics for our sofas, pillows and curtains. We have already ordered a bed, living room set, and dining set. We will be working on the appliances this week and later on we will probably find the remaining necessary furniture at a used furniture store near the language school. Although it will take a lot of effort, it will be fun to arrange our home and we think the end result will be very nice.
Three of the other families on the team have also found places to live. The Sandovals will be two floors directly above our apartment. In fact they have already been in their place for a few weeks. The prospect of free childcare so close by was too good to pass up! The Sandoval’s have some neighbors who are from Korea. They attended Maryknoll last year. Kim and Choi have asked if I would be interested in teaching English to their three children. I have agreed to a trial period of one month to see if our schedules will permit it. They seem like a very nice family and Kim was surprised, but very happy when I told her of Katie’s love of Kim Chee (pickled cabbage). Of course they also liked Jubilee’s middle name which just happens to be Song, the last name of our good family friend Hyesung.
Gary and Laura Bull also have chosen an apartment in a great location that is also within walking distance of ours and the Sandoval’s apartment. Josh and Julie Marcum have been blessed to find a lovely house that is probably ten to fifteen minutes away from the rest of us by taxi or trufi (trufis are taxis that run on fixed routes and are cheaper than regular taxis). Drew and Jamie will continue to stay with their Bolivian family until late in the spring.
In other news, the father of our Bolivian family, Fayez, is doing much better. At last posting he was not feeling very well at all. Since that time he has been receiving dialysis and it seems to be helping. There are also many family members who have come to visit with him and encourage him. Thank you all so much for your prayers on his behalf. This time we ask you for prayers for our health. Katie, Jubilee and I have all had viruses, allergies, and colds. Jubilee also appears to be cutting teeth. We have also found out that Katie has an serious infection. She is receiving very good medical care, but it is of course a stressful situation for Katie especially. Thankfully our Bolivian family has many members who are doctors and they steered us towards one of their most trusted family physicians. We ask that you pray for her healing.
Another big news item is Carnaval. The largest celebration is in the city of Oruro, but here in Cochabamba it is also a big deal. The most common way to tell that it is Carnaval time is by observing the throngs of youth who delight in throwing water balloons at each other, young pretty ladies, gringos, and pretty much anyone else. We have quickly learned their hangouts and try to avoid them. Most water balloon launchers are very courteous as they usually avoid senior citizens, babies, and people who are disabled. This means we try to spot those people and walk behind them! Once the official celebration begins there will be a lot of dancing in the streets. Some people save their money all year long so they can buy elaborate costumes and participate in the display. One of the most famous dances is the “Diablada” which is originally a dance from the city of Oruro. Most of the dances are symbolic histories of the mistreatment of the indigenous people during the time of colonization. Other dances are dances of gratitude for a good harvest for example. As we learn more in depth about the traditions and celebrations of the Bolivians we are faced with the challenge of recognizing the richness of the Bolivian heritage while also maintaining the integrity of Biblical teachings. It will indeed be a challenge!
To conclude, we are doing well and we feel so fortunate to have so many people praying for us. Thank you to you all. We are all part of this great effort to preach the good news of Jesus Christ in Cochabamba and beyond.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Update Jan. 29 2006
Highlander Highlights
Saludos (greetings) from Cochabamba, City of Eternal Spring. La Familia Forbess is doing wonderful. We are blessed and we thank God for all of you who continually lift us up in prayer. Please continue to do so, God is hearing your petitions and answering!
Today is Sunday and we are having a relaxing day before our worship time at 5:30 this afternoon. Most of our time the past two weeks has been spent with our host families and at the language school. Our host family consists of Elba and Faiz Mustafa, their daughter Noor and her baby Omar Paulo. There are also many others who live close including grandaughter and playmate of Jubilee, who is young Salma. We ask your prayers for Faiz who is the patriarch of the family and is sick in the hospital with kidney problems. We visited him on Friday but were told not to come back without Jubilee :), he is a big fan of hers.
Our language school is going well. We all have four periods a day. Katie and I go during alternating shifts so that Jubilee may stay home most of the day. I go to class from 8:00 to about 11:30 and Katie goes from 11:40 to about 3:30. I have to get up a little earlier but the benefit of my shift is that I get to eat delicious lunches which is the main meal here and Katie must make due with sack lunches. Katie and I are both learning a lot, but for some reason my teachers delight in giving me an excess of homework while they go a little easier on Katie. One of my teachers is Ana Maria and during her class we are doing personal Bible studies and the day after she gives me suggestions and corrections. On the third day I do a sermon about the same topic of our Bible study. Ana Maria also teaches Katie for one period and Drew and Julie during another. Ana Maria is learning a lot about us and more importantly about the Bible. Please pray that God uses all of us to communicate to her about the saving power of Jesus!
Many of the students are also intrigued and asking many questions about what we believe. The majority of students are priests, nuns, and lay missioners of the Catholic church and the opportunity for them to learn about about the church of Christ in a non-confrotational environment is powerful. One of the people I have enjoyed speaking with most is Dario who aspires to be a priest. Dario is one of two men from Slovakia who work with the Divine Word branch of the Catholic Church. (I am still learning about the different parts and orders that are in the Catholic Church.) Another interesting student is a young lady named Maria. She has come to Cochabamba on her own on the recommendation of her grandparents who trained as a priest and a nun at Maryknoll before they married of course. She wants to learn more Spanish and work on her craft of writing while she is here. Maria and Jubilee get along greatly. Another student that loves Jubilee is a nun from Korea, her Spanish name is Rosa and she loves the fact that Jubilee's middle name, Song, is in honor of our good family friend Hyesung Song who is of Korean descent. Rosa knows little Spanish and is trying very hard to learn and I think Jubilee's smile brightens her day a lot.
In other news, Katie and I have found an apartment that we think is going to work out for us. It is spacious and affordable. All fixtures are brand new, in fact the apartment has never been lived in. It is on Avenida Ayucucho which is a main thouroughfare right in the central part of the city. Of course the selling points for Katie were the large inviting bath tubs and the biggie, the fact that the Sandoval's are going to be just two stories above us in the exact same building. We pray that everything will work out for us to live in this apartment. It also has four bedrooms, so there is plenty of room for any one who just happens to be passing through Cochabamba.
The rest of our team mates are also doing well. Nathan and Michaela who are the other babies are transitioning very well. All three babies are people magnets and what parent wouldn't swell upon hearing people exclaim out loud, "que linda wawa, felicidades", (what a beautiful baby, congratulations). Usually in Spanish baby is bebe, but here in Cochabamba people prefer to use the Quechua word which is wawa. The adults are also doing very well. Drew has made a good friend with the son of his host family, Marco. Marco has invited us all to play futbolito with him and his buddies on Thursday nights. I am still trying to run a bit on my own before I attempt it. Butch, Gary and Drew have already played though and enjoyed it thourougly. Jamie also enjoys Marco and his family and especiall practicing her Spanish with Lorena who is about our same age. We are blessed to have Gary, Laura and Nathan at a homestay within 5 minutes of ours. Their family runs a mom and pop neighborhood store which is very convienent for diapers and Coca Cola light which are both staples for the Forbesses. Josh, Julie and Michaela are a little further from us and we haven't been to the house they are staying at but we do get to see them frequently at school and when we come together for worship and Bible study.
I could keep writing, but if you have actually read this far you need a break. Rest your eyes by closing them and saying a little prayer for us. We love you all and keep you close to our hearts and in our prayers as well.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
Saludos (greetings) from Cochabamba, City of Eternal Spring. La Familia Forbess is doing wonderful. We are blessed and we thank God for all of you who continually lift us up in prayer. Please continue to do so, God is hearing your petitions and answering!
Today is Sunday and we are having a relaxing day before our worship time at 5:30 this afternoon. Most of our time the past two weeks has been spent with our host families and at the language school. Our host family consists of Elba and Faiz Mustafa, their daughter Noor and her baby Omar Paulo. There are also many others who live close including grandaughter and playmate of Jubilee, who is young Salma. We ask your prayers for Faiz who is the patriarch of the family and is sick in the hospital with kidney problems. We visited him on Friday but were told not to come back without Jubilee :), he is a big fan of hers.
Our language school is going well. We all have four periods a day. Katie and I go during alternating shifts so that Jubilee may stay home most of the day. I go to class from 8:00 to about 11:30 and Katie goes from 11:40 to about 3:30. I have to get up a little earlier but the benefit of my shift is that I get to eat delicious lunches which is the main meal here and Katie must make due with sack lunches. Katie and I are both learning a lot, but for some reason my teachers delight in giving me an excess of homework while they go a little easier on Katie. One of my teachers is Ana Maria and during her class we are doing personal Bible studies and the day after she gives me suggestions and corrections. On the third day I do a sermon about the same topic of our Bible study. Ana Maria also teaches Katie for one period and Drew and Julie during another. Ana Maria is learning a lot about us and more importantly about the Bible. Please pray that God uses all of us to communicate to her about the saving power of Jesus!
Many of the students are also intrigued and asking many questions about what we believe. The majority of students are priests, nuns, and lay missioners of the Catholic church and the opportunity for them to learn about about the church of Christ in a non-confrotational environment is powerful. One of the people I have enjoyed speaking with most is Dario who aspires to be a priest. Dario is one of two men from Slovakia who work with the Divine Word branch of the Catholic Church. (I am still learning about the different parts and orders that are in the Catholic Church.) Another interesting student is a young lady named Maria. She has come to Cochabamba on her own on the recommendation of her grandparents who trained as a priest and a nun at Maryknoll before they married of course. She wants to learn more Spanish and work on her craft of writing while she is here. Maria and Jubilee get along greatly. Another student that loves Jubilee is a nun from Korea, her Spanish name is Rosa and she loves the fact that Jubilee's middle name, Song, is in honor of our good family friend Hyesung Song who is of Korean descent. Rosa knows little Spanish and is trying very hard to learn and I think Jubilee's smile brightens her day a lot.
In other news, Katie and I have found an apartment that we think is going to work out for us. It is spacious and affordable. All fixtures are brand new, in fact the apartment has never been lived in. It is on Avenida Ayucucho which is a main thouroughfare right in the central part of the city. Of course the selling points for Katie were the large inviting bath tubs and the biggie, the fact that the Sandoval's are going to be just two stories above us in the exact same building. We pray that everything will work out for us to live in this apartment. It also has four bedrooms, so there is plenty of room for any one who just happens to be passing through Cochabamba.
The rest of our team mates are also doing well. Nathan and Michaela who are the other babies are transitioning very well. All three babies are people magnets and what parent wouldn't swell upon hearing people exclaim out loud, "que linda wawa, felicidades", (what a beautiful baby, congratulations). Usually in Spanish baby is bebe, but here in Cochabamba people prefer to use the Quechua word which is wawa. The adults are also doing very well. Drew has made a good friend with the son of his host family, Marco. Marco has invited us all to play futbolito with him and his buddies on Thursday nights. I am still trying to run a bit on my own before I attempt it. Butch, Gary and Drew have already played though and enjoyed it thourougly. Jamie also enjoys Marco and his family and especiall practicing her Spanish with Lorena who is about our same age. We are blessed to have Gary, Laura and Nathan at a homestay within 5 minutes of ours. Their family runs a mom and pop neighborhood store which is very convienent for diapers and Coca Cola light which are both staples for the Forbesses. Josh, Julie and Michaela are a little further from us and we haven't been to the house they are staying at but we do get to see them frequently at school and when we come together for worship and Bible study.
I could keep writing, but if you have actually read this far you need a break. Rest your eyes by closing them and saying a little prayer for us. We love you all and keep you close to our hearts and in our prayers as well.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Forbess Family Updates
Greetings to all from the lovely city of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Katie, Jubilee and I are doing wonderful, praise the Lord! We have had a blessed holiday season as we travel around a 6 state area visiting family, friends, and supporters. Currently we are in Hot Springs Village with Katie's parents. We will have been here for almost two weeks to celebrate the Christmas holiday with Katie's parents (aka Papa and Mimi). Frank and Linda wanted to be Grandpa and Grandmom but Jubilee and her cousin Sofia somehow changed it up. During our time in the Village we also got spend quality time with Katie's sister Lora and her husband Brent.
During the first two weeks of December we stayed with our good friends Lora Beth and Javier Escalante of Aurora, CO. They graciously opened their home to us to serve as a base for visiting our church family of the Highlands Ranch, Evergreen and University congregations. We also spent time visiting with our church family of the Iglesia de Cristo now a part of the Northwest Church of Christ in Westminster, CO. Beside for two days of frigidly cold weather, the days were sunny and moderate. We were encouraged by each group of brothers and sisters whom we visited with in Colorado.
Before visiting Colorado we divided our time between Chillicothe, MO and Rogers, AR. My parents are in Chillicothe and my sisters and grandmother live in Rogers. We also worshiped one Sunday with the church in Hamilton, MO and were uplifted by the bretheren there. Jubilee loved spending time with her Grammi and Pops, her Auntie Darla, Auntie Mandi, Auntie Melissa, Uncle David. Of course Jubilee probably most enjoyed being doted on by her 6 older cousins Sage, Cedar, Ashton, Lily, Ezra and Ellie. Jubilee herself got to ooh and ah over the newest and cutest addition to our clan, little baby Elijah brother to Ezra and Ellie. As you can imagine Thanksgiving was an exciting time with 8 little ones about from ages 2 months to 12 years old.
Before Thanksgiving early in November. Katie, Jubilee, and I visited a very special place for me. We spent time in Dora, NM where I graduated from high school. We stayed with a very special couple, Mickey and Alicia Burkett and were able to worship with the congregation in Dora on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. They generously gave me ample time on Sunday morning to share with them the training that the team was involved in during the past months in Brownwood as well as the team's plans for when we arrive in Cochabamba.
The next stop for the Forbess family is Dallas. We will spend the weekend there to celebrate the New Year's with more of Katie's side of the family with whom we haven't visited yet. Then on Sunday evening we will head back to Brownwood for final preparations. Katie's parents, Frank and Linda, will accompany us back to Brownwood and spend an evening with us there.
Last but not least, please remember that our Set Apart Sunday happens on Sunday, January 8. This is a very special time that the Austin Avenue congregation has put a great deal of thought and planning into. If you are going to be anywhere near Brownwood on the 8th please come to Austin Avenue for Sunday morning worship and be a part of this time of prayer and dedication. Our departure is the following Monday, January 9. We will arrive in Cochabamba on the 10th early in the morning. Please continue to lift our family up in prayer as well as the Custers, Marcums, Bulls and Sandovals.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
During the first two weeks of December we stayed with our good friends Lora Beth and Javier Escalante of Aurora, CO. They graciously opened their home to us to serve as a base for visiting our church family of the Highlands Ranch, Evergreen and University congregations. We also spent time visiting with our church family of the Iglesia de Cristo now a part of the Northwest Church of Christ in Westminster, CO. Beside for two days of frigidly cold weather, the days were sunny and moderate. We were encouraged by each group of brothers and sisters whom we visited with in Colorado.
Before visiting Colorado we divided our time between Chillicothe, MO and Rogers, AR. My parents are in Chillicothe and my sisters and grandmother live in Rogers. We also worshiped one Sunday with the church in Hamilton, MO and were uplifted by the bretheren there. Jubilee loved spending time with her Grammi and Pops, her Auntie Darla, Auntie Mandi, Auntie Melissa, Uncle David. Of course Jubilee probably most enjoyed being doted on by her 6 older cousins Sage, Cedar, Ashton, Lily, Ezra and Ellie. Jubilee herself got to ooh and ah over the newest and cutest addition to our clan, little baby Elijah brother to Ezra and Ellie. As you can imagine Thanksgiving was an exciting time with 8 little ones about from ages 2 months to 12 years old.
Before Thanksgiving early in November. Katie, Jubilee, and I visited a very special place for me. We spent time in Dora, NM where I graduated from high school. We stayed with a very special couple, Mickey and Alicia Burkett and were able to worship with the congregation in Dora on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. They generously gave me ample time on Sunday morning to share with them the training that the team was involved in during the past months in Brownwood as well as the team's plans for when we arrive in Cochabamba.
The next stop for the Forbess family is Dallas. We will spend the weekend there to celebrate the New Year's with more of Katie's side of the family with whom we haven't visited yet. Then on Sunday evening we will head back to Brownwood for final preparations. Katie's parents, Frank and Linda, will accompany us back to Brownwood and spend an evening with us there.
Last but not least, please remember that our Set Apart Sunday happens on Sunday, January 8. This is a very special time that the Austin Avenue congregation has put a great deal of thought and planning into. If you are going to be anywhere near Brownwood on the 8th please come to Austin Avenue for Sunday morning worship and be a part of this time of prayer and dedication. Our departure is the following Monday, January 9. We will arrive in Cochabamba on the 10th early in the morning. Please continue to lift our family up in prayer as well as the Custers, Marcums, Bulls and Sandovals.
Love,
La Familia Forbess
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