Visitors...

One of the fun things about having stateside visitors is getting the chance to see Cochabamba as if for the first time again :) This past weekend we were blessed to have Derek, Ben and Julie from our supporting congregation of Westside Church of Christ (in Round Rock, TX) come and visit. The trip was fast and furious, but we're so thankful they made the sacrifice to come and see us and the work that we do here. They were great travelers who were up for anything and really interested in doing as much as possible during their time here. They got some great pictures that I thought I'd share with you so that you can catch their glimpse of Cochabamba, and see all you'd get to be a part of if you make the journey to Bolivia to see the Bull family :)

Downtown Cochabamba right across the street from the church office.

Anybody need a shoe shine? :)

I know they came all the way down here just to ride on the famous Bolivian "micros"... needless to say that's not one of the adventures we decided to have :)
I forget sometimes how beautiful the flowers are here in the middle of the city... just wait until we hit spring and summer, man I can't wait!

What... a parade downtown for no reason at all? No, surely not! (insert serious sarcasm :)
Good 'ol Ben... always up for humoring our Nathan and having a great time doing it (at least we hope he had a great time... we know Nathan did!)

When they went by the office to visit and meet our secretary Gabriela... they had the wonderful opportunity to meet her handy assistant :) we're just waiting for him to be put on the payroll... a mom can dream right? :)

We made sure to take them by our favorite ice cream shop... hey, a pregnant woman's gotta use every excuse she can for a good dip of ice cream right?
They were great troopers at the Saturday market, enjoying seeing new fruits and vegetables and watching the entire process of buying what we need for the week ahead.

A type of Bolivian potato that I've never seen in the states... I really gotta give it a try sometime... they say they're really good baked with a roast in the oven... maybe next week :)
And no, I did not make them try what you see above... which yes, is cow tongue and other various parts that we'll leave to the imagination.

They did a great job at church on Sunday despite the language barrier. Even Julie got in on the potluck action by serving in the kitchen... now that's my kind of visitors!

Ben and Julie with Bruno at church on Sunday. Julie on KP duty :)

On Monday before their flight out, they were invited to attend a traditional birthday lunch for Johnny, one of the members from church. They got to try new foods, hear a mariachi band play for the birthday "boy", and watch the tradition of shoving his face into the birthday cake after blowing out the candles... they also managed to take some great pictures of Nathan and all the fun he had at the party too :)

The band.

Johnny, one of our brothers in Christ who recently placed membership with his wife Ligia, and their three children Rosa, Ricky, and Mateo (Nathan's new best friend).Nathan loving his time outside to play!

Nathan and Mateo... truly two peas in a pod!

To Derek, Ben, and Julie, thank you so much for coming to see us, hauling down goodies from our families and friends, having the desire to see what our work here is all about, loving on your Bolivian brothers and sisters, and encouraging us beyond what you will ever know! We loved having you in our home and look forward to the next time we meet again! God bless!