Hi, everyone!

I just wanted to write and let you know that Mom and I made it safely here to Bolivia and have enjoyed our first day here at El Jordán. Thank you to everyone who prayed about airport safety, connections, visas, etc. The trip was about as close to perfect as you can get. All my flights left the gate a few minutes early and arrived early at their destinations. Mom and I found each other
easily at the Miami Airport and were able to spend most of our 3 hour layover together. The long flight down had only occasional and mild turbulence. Mom was able to get her visa with no trouble at the airport in Santa Cruz. All our baggage arrived safely and we walked through customs without even having to open our bags. God is so good!

We are now comfortably settled in a very nice apartment right here at El Jordán. It is Heidi Gladman's apartment, but she will not return from Canada until late next week, so for now we have it all to ourselves. Marco took us shopping for most of the cookie ingredients this morning and we got back in time to rest a bit before lunch. On Friday the girls/ladies who volunteer at El Jordán eat lunch together, so Mom and I had a great time eating and chatting with them. (Corina was there to translate, so that made it easier.)

Mom and I started mixing up cookie dough in the afternoon. We baked Jack Frost cookies, shortbread, peanut butter cookies, and Chocolate Crinkles. (We still have Chocolate Crinkle dough and sugar cookie dough in the fridge to bake tomorrow.)

It has been a good day. I enjoyed seeing many of my friends and meeting some new volunteers. It has been fun to introduce them to Mom and hear her perspective on the new people, sights, sounds, and other things she is experiencing here. The girls (students and volunteers?) made a big sign welcoming me back to El Jordán and hung it in the kitchen with balloons around it. They make me feel right at home even when we still have some trouble communicating because of my limited Spanish. Mom and I are still both tired from our trip, but we have tonight to just relax and maybe go to bed early, so we should feel better tomorrow.

In the morning (Saturday) we are planning to go with several others to the "feria", a big open market with stalls of just about anything you might want which is only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Mom and I need a few more ingredients for the cookies and the others are shopping for toys to put in the gift bags for "Christmas on the Streets", We wouldn't have to go, but I want Mom to be able to experience it. We may bake again in the afternoon, but I really don't know how the day will go. Tomorrow night we are invited over Marilyn Wry's house for supper and games. Corina and Marco will be there, as well as Glenn and Marilou Juett (missionaries who retired here in Bolivia). I'm looking forward to another great day.

Thank you for your prayers.
I'll try to write again soon.
Medin