Pirate Ships, Dance Parties and Indiana Jones

Awesome picture Ivelisse took.

Alright, here's a light-hearted blog post for you. I'm sitting here on a normal Monday afternoon, after a long morning in the daycare, with a heart full of gratitude and a head full of lice medicine and, as a result, slightly resembling a japanese samurai. Jordyn and I had an awesome time discovering cute little bug after cute little bug on our scalps this afternoon, with the help of Ashley, who was probably inwardly imagining what her own Bolivian fate might be.

That's right, Ashley Perry's new in town, and she's here to stay! She arrived here at some ungodly hour Sunday morning before church--see what I did there?--and her feet have hit the lovely Paceña ground running, despite how little Spanish she knows at the moment. Ashley is a sister from the singles ministry in Atlanta, an awesome accountant, and an even better "Barnabas" for the HOPE team here. Despite her inevitable exhaustion due to all the long flights and the weeks of preparation to move, Ashley gave her heart in the Spanish-speaking church service, in her first weekly family meeting on Sunday night, and even today at the Betaña nursery with me. It was fun to have her with me, and she made it clear that, in spite of language barriers, love and smiles are truly universal. (Especially when it comes to kids!)

Not only are we excited about Ashley's recent arrival, but we're also thrilled that John and Migdalia Basilio have graced Bolivia with their presence, as well! The Basilios are visiting for the week; they're checking out prospective apartment homes nearby, touring bilingual schools, taking the chance to preach (John) and sing (Migdalia) on Sunday, and making us all smile by simply being here! Both John and Migdalia are originally from the Dominican Republic (therefore fluent in Spanish, ¡SÍ!), both have worked in the ministry, and the entire family is incredibly dear to the Broyles' hearts. And knowing that they will read this, I'd like to send ALL MY LOVE to my three favorite snuggle buddies in the world: Gabriela, Ariana, and the love of my life, "Papito"/Alexander.

(L to R) John, Gabriela, Alexander, Migdalia, Ariana

Whew! That being said, I'll explain a little about the Basilio family moving to Bolivia. They are planning on arriving in La Paz in January, and hoping to stay for about two years. John will be able to help in Hospital Arco Iris, and Migdalia, besides being supermom to her three kids (8, 6, and 4 years old), will just be awesome Migdalia and therefore change lives in La Paz.

Well, there are tons of awesome stories I could share, but nobody wants to read a novella-blog-post. So, here's a list, in no particular order or relation to each other, of interesting things happening in my personal life in La Paz:

- There's no other way to say it, the government here es un poquito loco! Some very tragic things have happened recently; I won't say anything too specific here (since I'm sure Evo Morales follows my blog...). You can go google what's going on in Bolivia and read about it yourself. However, a description for the multiple strikes occurring in the city is called for: once or twice a week, the people of La Paz protest the unjust actions of the government by refusing to run transportation services. Since about half the vehicles on the streets are either taxis or minibuses, everyone either walks on these days or just doesn't go to work. According to some rumors, if you drive even your own car near the center of the city during a strike day, it would be stoned or torched. Needless to say, we tend to stay around the house during protests.

- For me, this past week would earn a 100% on a fun scale... I don't know if that made sense, but the point is, I had a fun week. Matt and I have been trading movies from our meager but precious little collections every time he comes over (which is often), and I've been having a blast watching some of my favorite American movies. I'd have to say the best movie day was Saturday, when Matt and I watched Indiana Jones and Sleepless in Seattle, with peanut butter chocolate-chip muffins handy for devouring, and the occasional background noise of Jordyn screaming at her Yankees game. The atmosphere was so much like that of just another lazy Saturday in the States (however rare they were at the Broyles' household) that it was both painful and gratifying; I'd never once change my mind about living here in Bolivia, but it's always awesome to feel a piece of home in America.

- Today was my favorite day ever as a volunteer. I was at the daycare in Gran Betaña, and I focused my time on the older group of kids (ages 4 and 5), encouraging them in their homework, awing them with my breathtaking play-dough bowls, and playing pirates-and-sharks with them on wooden chairs. This is a group of eight kids, each with a dynamic and delightful personality. I won't explain the whole day, but I will be real in this fact: my heart felt like it was divided into eight parts today, one for each muchacho. I'm enamored.

- On Friday night, Jordyn and I came back from an FAI Latino dance party/hilarious cross-dressing competition exhausted yet determined. We came home and hosted another little dance party in the apartment's storage room, just the two of us, and danced "the night" away to Wolfmother and Yellowcard and Lady Gaga and the like (...even though none of those are anything alike, but whatever). It was fun and tiring and crazy and our legs are now screaming complaints at us for our impulsive teenage decision. Sin embargo, valió la pena.

- Spiritually, the HOPEww team is fired up but always appreciating prayers. We often feel like David going up against Goliath, each one of us facing our own "giants" every day. My dad has so much on his plate it's unbelievable, but him being the enthusiastic man of God he is, he's whole-heartedly striving to lead the team in righteousness despite his own Goliaths. My mom is... well, if you know Noelle Broyles, you can be sure she's going full force in every area of her life. That woman oozes passion out of her pores. Gwen is fighting in prayer and action for the under-trained nurses at HAI, while Lin is doing the same for about everything that breathes on the planet, as usual. Ivelisse is melting hearts with her amazing Bible studies, all the while her heart being melted as she works with some of the poorest families in La Paz. Ashley is adjusting to her new life in La Paz and waiting for God to make it clear where He needs her to focus regarding FAI and the church. Jordyn is still studying her guts out, has finally caught up in three-fourths of her classes (due to starting school a month later than all her classmates), and still managing to have the time of her life. As for me, I'm learning loads, laughing a ton, lavishing in the fellowship and loving every second of every day under the Bolivian sun (which I got too much of yesterday; I'm sure you wanted to know).

So it seems this did turn out to be a novella... In conclusion, as usual, please keep us, the church, and the children of La Paz in your precious prayers! We love you--I love you--and thanks for reading.