JULY/ AUGUST 2010 UPDATE
Well, there is always a first time for everything….. and for us, it was the first time we were held up at a road block. We were on our way from Cochabamba to Santa Cruz and before leaving, we had called 3 different places to check to see if there were any road blocks. That is just something you should do before traveling anywhere in Bolivia. The places we called, said that the road was open and operating normally. We were making good time, but then coming through one of the “trancas” where you pay road tax, the man informed us that there was a road block up ahead and we should make sure to have extra water on hand to drink. So we stopped as soon as we could and bought a 2 liter bottle of water, and began to pray that God would lift the road block so we could get through because you never know if violence will break out while you are waiting.
About an hour later, we came to the small town where they were blocking the highway the highway. After waiting for about an hour, the line started to slowly move….yeah! they were opening up the blockade! As we slowly progressed, I prayed that they wouldn’t close it again before we got through because we had heard that they were opening it every 2 or 3 hours but then closing it again. Praise the Lord we were able to get through without a problem.
By that time it was getting dark, and Dwight had to deal with all the crazy driving of all the trucks and vehicles trying to get out of there and on their way to their destinations. Sometimes there were a half a dozen cars on the left side of the road all passing someone! It was crazy! But we made it to the Santa Cruz guesthouse early evening after a couple of “close calls” but thankful to the Lord that we had made it safe and sound! Our 8 hour trip ended up being about 10 hours….not so bad actually!
To make a long story short, before we left to the US, Dwight got his Paraguay trip in. He was able to renew his pilot’s license once again, so his Bolivian license would continue to be valid. Then on July 16th Dwight and I boarded our flight to Miami. The week long Peacemaker’s seminar was excellent! We were able to get in a quick visit with my sister in Tampa, and then flew up to Wichita to be with our daughter. We had meetings in three churches, a support group, and visited as many precious friends and supporters that we could squeeze into our limited time. Dwight Samuel came down to Wichita after he finished his classes. He is now an official graphics designer! We spent a week all together, before heading back to Bolivia (with Dwight S. who came along to see where we live).
Prayer & Praise:
-Dwight got his Paraguayan paperwork all renewed within two days.
-Dwight S. finished his last semester of college!
-the seminar in Sanford was a huge blessing to us (pray that we will put the things we learned into practice)
-we ended up on the road more than we had planned, but God gave us safety and a good time with friends!
We thank each one of you…those who put us up and those who put up with us! We are so privileged to have you as our co-workers in this huge job.
Till next time!
Dwight and Diana Brown