Sunday marked two months...

I wish you could have been there. I know you may not have understood the Spanish being spoken, that you would not have known everyone by name, and that you may have been overwhelmed... but what I am sure of is that you still would have understood. You would have understood that a body of believers are still grieving, mourning, supporting each other, praying, crying, and yet rejoicing in the triumphs we have experienced... yet all of it TOGETHER. It was amazing to be there and watch our Bolivian brothers and sisters express the emotions they still have, hold each other, lay hands on each other, pray over each other and sing words of encouragement to each other (even if that meant singing into a cell phone held up in the middle of service to those who could not be with us physically that morning). It was almost more than I could bear emotionally at times to watch parents and teens circle around each other and hold each other as they prayed for their group, their families, their recoveries and their faith...

It touched my heart and soul to watch Leticia present a Bible to a mother from the pueblo Poho and her son who were there at the scene of the accident, carrying our kids up to the road to reach medical help and recovering the personal items that were thrown from the bus during the accident. What you must know is that when there is a bus accident of any magnitude, it is usually very rare for people to come and help in this way... to put their own lives' in danger... to be a peace and a calm amongst such chaos... and to recover personal items that are usually just counted as lost or stolen... well, let's just say it was miraculous to say the least. To watch parents meet this precious woman and her son, hug face to face, greet each other with a kiss (and tear marked cheeks) and thank her for caring for their children in a time when they could not... let's just say I'm crying all over again just reliving it with you now...

It brought such tremendous joy to my heart to meet Kevin for the first time and to have him back amongst us, wheelchair and all :) Kevin is the cousin of two of our youth who had begun to attend just recently this summer with his mom and little sister. He's been homebound and in a wheelchair since the accident and has been unable to attend services... but was there with this precious smile on his face and a spirit of gratitude to be with his friends and family again.

The struggle that the parents continue to deal with who lost daughters in the wreck weighs so heavy on my heart. So to capture this moment of Wendy (far left - mother of Ariana) and Jorge and Sandra (parents of Diana) being prayed over during worship on Sunday is one that I will treasure for years to come. The strength that they have shown has been amazing amidst this time of heart break. As a mother now I can only begin to imagine what they suffer on a daily basis and continue to pray that God will give them the strength, comfort, and guidance that they need to hold to Him and be the parents that their surviving children need.

Yet, in the middle of heartache and struggle, our seats were full... chairs were being brought out through service until the end and we were blessed to have the assurance that God is with us through this all... that He has never left us, will never leave us, and will continue to bless HIS work here in Cochabamba no matter what Satan tries to throw our way!

In a world that is so strongly Catholic and places such strong emphasis on the masses that take place following a death, it was an honor to be able to give a Christian alternative for the families of our youth group... a place where they could come together on the date that marked two months from the accident and pray, worship and continue to remember the God that we serve even amidst the trials of this world. Please continue to pray for our church body, those who continue to recover physically from the accident, and for the families of Ariana, Diana, and Belen as they continue to grieve the loss of their precious girls'.