The Hughes Get Bolivian Residency... FINALLY!

I know it’s been awhile since our friends and family have heard from us --- SORRY ABOUT THAT! The last 6 weeks have been a bit hectic with us trying to get residency. I don’t know if you remember,..... but one week after we arrived in Bolivia (last October), all of the laws changed for allowing people to apply for residency. The result? What usually would have been a 30-day process has taken us almost 5 months.  But as of last week we finally got our one-year residency and can legally stay in Bolivia now until March 2016 -- YEAH!

We're just trying to take one day at at time -- letting Jehovah's will guide us -- and enjoying the time we've been given to experience Bolivia. There’s been a lot of activity going on here, and the ministry is keeping everyone busy. Little by little we’re getting situated, and everyone has Bible Studies (except me). I’m still trying but it’s harder because of the language barrier. It’s easy for me to get good return visits, but then to actually study the Bible has been more of a challenge. I enjoyed reading the article this week in our Ministry School about the couple that went to serve in Taiwan. I read that whole article right before coming to Bolivia, and read it again this week.  It reminded me of other challenges people go through in trying to learn a new langugage and to be patient with yourself and just do what you can -- and how even just giving out a tract helps.

The preaching here is really wonderful in that it’s very easy to talk to people.  A typical field service morning is we walk for 15 to 20 minutes to meet with the group, then walk for 2 or 3 hours (sometimes up and down steep hills). I usually average 6-8 good return visits.  While you do find some people that don’t listen or don't want the literature -- it’s rare for that to happen. Below are some pictures of our territory in Tarija!

The ministry here is really nice but also very physical. There are pros and cons to that. It defintely helps you get in shape and stay active, but at the same time there isn't alot of room for having a nice and relaxing service day. You know that no matter how you're feeling, to go out in the ministry is going to require a certain amount of physical exertion. It can be really hot some days, and the sun is pretty intense (you have to use an umbrella to protect you). So, there are days when I wake up and have to mentally push myself to go out, knowing it's going to be physically draining.

The congregation has made us feel very welcome, and while we only have two Elders for 110 publishers (one of them is single and cute ladies -- OK, I'LL STOP!), and I know they're stretched really thin, they've gone out of their way to take an interest in us and to let us know they're glad we came. The weather is nice here, but our winter begins in May and we have been told it can get pretty cold.  But to Bolivians once the temperature gets below 75 degrees they think it’s freezing.  It’s so funny to see them when it gets chilly -- you would think it was 20 degrees outside. I guess it’s all what you’re used to. You defintely have the feeling you've stepped back in time here. Bolivia has an Old World feel to it, with alot of customs and traditions and a rich culture that is very charming.

Here is another video of some Bolivian traditional folk dancing...

There’s been a lot happening here (like everywhere in Jehovah’s organization).  In Bolivia there’s been a big focus on getting the kingdom halls set-up with Internet. The Bolivian Bethel is very modern with the latest in technical equipment, including huge flat screens for the Convention.  But, a lot of the congregations in Bolivia still didn’t have internet.  But that is quickly changing and it’s really exciting to see Jehovah’s focus on helping the friends here take advantage of the new tools on JW.org. Internet here can be expensive, and so there are still alot of brothers and sisters that aren't able to access JW.org as much as they would like to. With more and more congregations now adding high-speed internet, the friends are now able to access and download alot more spiritual tools. It’s really cool!

As part of this change the Bolivia Bethel Branch had a special Zone Meeting in February.  It was really nice for us because we had to miss the special meeting in the US.  All of the congregations were invited to attend via broadcast, and was what really special is that two of the talks were given in English by a member of the Bethel Branch in Korea, and a member of the Governing Body (Goeffrey Jackson – he’s my favorite). The talks were given in English but then translated into Spanish. We also had our Circuit Assembly in February (this is our second one in Bolivia). Even though I still don’t understand most of what’s going on, it was really encouraging to go and visit with the brothers and sisters. It’s also a time to see and visit with a lot of the Need Greaters here. There are actually quite a lot of Need Greaters that have come to Tarija, but you don’t see them very much because everyone is in different areas (some as far as 3 hours away), but at the Circuit Assembly we all get to visit and make new friends.

Another highlight was that Connor came to visit us.  After a lot of prayer and consideration of us, he’s decided to move to Tarija.  The truth is we miss him. I feel sad that he has to leave Tiupani, but our life has been so crazy the last 2 years and now that we’ve all managed to somehow make it to Bolivia, we want to be together as a family.  Having Connor around makes us feel more like the old Hughes Family – AND IT’S NICE! There is a need (especially for brothers) all over Bolivia, and just 30 minutes from us is a group in the town of San Lorenzo. Right now there is a young couple serving there from Manchester, England and Connor has gotten to know them.  They have invited him to come and serve there. So, Connor arrives in Tarija on April 20^th. And while I know he’ll miss Tipuani, the guys still haven’t been able to find a clean place to rent, and every other day Connor is having to get critters out of the Kingdom Hall – like this bat!

So, while it’s a pretty jungle!

IT’S STILL A JUNGLE OUT THERE!

It was nice because while Connor was here, we also had some friends visit from Rurrenbaque (the Rain Forest).  Two of the sisters in this picture visited Tarija, along with a sister from Spain. They also came to our Circuit Assembly and so we got to visit with them and go out to dinner. Casia (the sister on the far left) is from Denmark and she came with the sister on the very right (Brigette). 

More news….. My parents arrive on April 25^th (unexpected surprise), and are planning on staying with me for about 3 months.  Our plan is to come back to Indy for a visit around mid-July (with my parents), and then if Jehovah wills it, head back to Bolivia the end of September. My parents use to be really adventuresome in their day (I guess that’s where I get it), but at 73 years old a lot of change can be hard. But, I think they’ll like it here and a lot of the English-speakers are excited they’re coming and want to meet them. The Bolivian family downstairs has even planned a "Welcome to Bolivia Party," for them. They're going to have everyone dress up in traditional Bolivian costumes and do alot of folk dancing. It will be a nice introduction to Bolivia.

I don't know if you remember, but when we first arrived last October we ran into a brother that used to go to our old congregation in Indianapolis (Jacob).  It was a really unexpected surprise.  He was only in Bolivia for a few weeks but we ran into him at the English convention in Cochabamba.  He was then able to arrange his chedule to spend some time with Connor. They got to go on a famous bike trail in the Andes mountains. It always amazes me that while Jehovah's organization is world-wide, you run into friends very unexpectedly that you didn't expect to see. 

Well, that's all the news -- not too much has been going on. We leave for Tipuani on March 28th for the Memorial.  The Kingdom Hall there needs some repairs and the friends need help inviting people to the Memorial.  They have a very huge territory and only 14 publishers. So, the girls and I along with a friend are going to go and help out the group there. We'll be in Tipuani for a week. It's funny because the girls got a call yesterday asking if they could be attendants and pass the emblems at the Memorial in Tipuani -- GUYS, THEY REALLY DO NEED BROTHERS HERE! So, I'll make sure to take lots of pictures and include our experience in the next blog. 

Well, it's time to wrap things up......and I thought I would end this blog with a special highlight from a recent meeting. One of the new features I've really enjoyed in the Ministry School is how two brothers now give certain talks on the school.  This week we had our talk given by two young brothers in our congregation. The brother on the left is Jordi and I can't rember the name of the other little guy on the right. Jordi is one of our Regular Pioneers whose parents moved here from Spain a few years ago. and he's one of the sweetest young brothers I've ever met. Our very first meeting Jordi made a point of coming up to us, giving us a big smile, shaking our hand, and welcoming us to the congregation.  Jordi is about 15 and I thought it was so sweet how he did this part with this little guy.

OK, it's almost th end. I thought you would enjoy some fun Hughes moments....... The family downstairs had these really cute kittens, and for a few crazy days we honestly thought about taking two of them. Then sanity returned, and we realized it wasn't very practical. But, some friends of ours from England did take one of the kittens and named him Alfred -- how very, very British. 

I hope all of our friends and family are doing well, we miss all of you and don't foregt about us. See you in July!

Love Tracy