Tarija

I didn’t have time to find the internet in Tarija. So here is the recap from the five days that I just spent in my second favorite city in Bolivia. Seriously. I loved this city. I really have a deeper understanding now that God must really need me in La Paz because I think if I had visited Tarija this past summer I would live there right now. I feel that strong of a connection to the city. I love the pastor and his family. They are great. I love the city. It is green, beautiful and very laid back. I love the ministry opportunities. Maybe I am just enjoying taking a little break from the hustle and bustle of La Paz. Maybe I need that fast-paced environment after all. Not exactly sure. Whatever it is, I know that there is more of Tarija in my future.

Below is the recap. And I apologize for the length of this post. I added some photos to make it easier on the eyes. Take your time. It was an action-packed five days. And be on the look out for some videos on Curt TV soon.

Wednesday (Day One):

I made it to Tarija late Wednesday night. Finally.

It was crazy. I flew to Cochabamba and the flight was then going to head to Tarija but there was a problem with the plane so we had to exit the plane and wait six hours to take off again. The airline that I flew is the only domestic airline in Bolivia right now so they have no competition and can pretty much do whatever they want. It was actually about five hours that we were delayed but we waited the last hour because, get this, the pilot was not there to fly the plane. Crazy.

The people on the plane were so anxious to leave…they were clapping and yelling that they wanted to go. I had never seen anything like it. The flight attendants were trying to keep them calm but they keep yelling. Yelling things like…“We already know the safety instructions…let’s just go!” or my personal favorite…“Your outfits are cute but your service is awful.” Yikes.

I stayed in a room in a house next to the church. A very nice lady lives there and took great care of me.

Thursday (Day Two):

This was a holiday all across Bolivia so the city was pretty much a ghost town. And the city is not that big anyway so it was really quiet. I spent most of the day driving around with the pastor and his family getting to know the city. They are looking for land to purchase so that they can build a good church building so we checked out some of those spots as well. They only have space for fifty people where they are right now and they are really growing and, unfortunately, they are having to turn people away. Their five year old daughter Mariangie took a liking to me and here are a few of my favorite photos from our drive:



Yes...they are still making statues these days...




My new friend Mariangie...she is the pastor's daughter...


My new favorite photo right now...me getting my neck tickled...


We had a great lunch and then went back to the house. I took a great one hour nap and then I hit the streets to visit some of the cool plazas. Here are a few more photos for you:





I stopped to have a coffee and sample a glass of wine in one of the restaurants in a plaza nearby. Most of the wine from Bolivia is produced around Tarija.

Thursday night we went to a coliseum here for a worship concert/competition. A lot of the worship teams from churches in town participated. It was kinda like a Latin “Church” American Idol. It was ok. The lighting was bad and they had major sound problems and had to stop several times but hey.

We capped the night off with some dinner and then headed home.

Friday (Day Three):

I went with the pastor and his wife to visit a school nearby, the school where their kids attend. We had a meeting with the director because the church is interested in partnering with the school to construct an area above the school that the church can use and an area that they can use to house kids with family problems (abandoned, orphaned, etc…) and allow them to attend the school as well. But the school needs to finish some construction first and it became pretty clear that the director was looking for the church to help them find some funds to complete the construction on the school first. Not so fast Mrs. Director Lady.
I recommended to the pastor that they should focus all of their attention right now on raising funds for their own land/church building and he agreed with that. Land is really cheap here and they have found a great location here to build the church. To buy the land and build everything will only cost about $100,000. So I told them to focus on that and I am going to help him write some emails to the US and England asking people for support. Since they do not have any empty seats right now in their current location I am going to steal the Buckhead Church “Empty Seat” fundraising idea to help them pitch the project.

It has become very clear during this trip that I need to prayerfully ask God which needs here in Bolivia right now He needs me to promote. With fundraising you can’t be hitting people up for cash for special projects all the time. You need time between your asks. I have so many things that I could ask people to support right now that I really need to ask Him which projects He wants me to promote. From a fundraising perspective I need to take all of the options I have and prayerfully narrow them down.

I had lunch with a family from the church and then in the afternoon the pastor and I visited a church that they have planted in one of the poorest areas of all Bolivia. It is a series of neighborhoods where people live in tents/tarps. I had never seen anything like it. The Anglican church has planted a church in this area outside of town and on Sunday afternoons right now they have about 30 adults and 110 kids. Most of the kids were covered in dirt and most of them were coughing and had runny noses. It was a little tough to see. But it made me wish that I lived here so that I could minister to them on a regular basis.







You haven't lived until you've enjoyed coffee and a snack with a dirt floor in the background...


On Friday night I went with the pastor and his wife to a local peña. A peña is where you go to a local restaurant to enjoy food and enjoy traditional Bolivian music.



Saturday (Day Four):

I had time to rest on Saturday morning and then I met another family from the church for lunch. We drove just outside of town to this very cool hotel/restaurant. It had some great views of the countryside and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable lunch.



On Saturday afternoon there is a English class that the pastor of the church is giving for adults. I went to be the resident native English speaker so that I could help them practice some pronunciation and give some insight and help.

Saturday night I spent some time playing cards and ping pong with some of the youth from the church and then after that I went to dinner a few people in one of the main plazas here. I met up with a girl that I met on the plane ride down to Tarija and a few of her friends.

Sunday (Day Five):

I went to the church service in the morning and in the afternoon I went with a few people from the church to another service at the church that I visited on Friday. It was crazy. I had a blast and it was really tough to leave. Later in the evening the pastor drove me to the airport and I headed back home.

Pastor Walter sharing with the kids...


Me giving some juice to the kids...






Some kids praying to receive Christ...


The kids waiting to receive their milk...




The kids giving me a goodbye hug...I want to go back...


I really enjoyed my time in Tarija. I am not fibbing when I tell you that it was hard to leave. I feel a strong connection to the city and I am excited about visiting again in the future.

Check out all my photos from Tarija.