News from the Hughes

Message from Tracy….

First off...I hope all of our dear friends and family are doing well…. We've heard there have been some really bad storms going on in parts of the US including Indy.  I hope everyone is OK! 

As most of you already know, I just got a new smart phone and finally have Whats App.  So, I’ve been having all sorts of fun sending messages to friends back home – some of you have been getting more messages than you wanted, and you know how I can go on and on and on.  But, it’s been great to hear everyone’s voices again.   I’m really excited because some of you are making plans to either move here or visit us in Bolivia next year – YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE???? 

You know our motto – everyone is welcome….

Lately, I’ve been thinking alot about our friends back home. Part of it is that we've had some family events that in the past would have been shared with you (Pris' Graduation, Connor's Going Away Party, Him Getting Married, etc.).  It’s made me really miss my friends back in the U.S..  I miss the friends at Glendale… the friends at Grandview… the friends at Geist.  Not to mention all the other friends we have that don’t live in Indianapolis – the Powers Family in FL, the Coopers in CO, the Crowders in OH, Jamie in GA – just to name a few!  I would have been living in Bolivia for 2 years this October, and I think it’s time for a visit….  Having said that, I’m really hoping to visit mid-January for a few weeks. I hate Indy winters but it works out really good for my Bolivian residency to come then.  

SO, HERE’S WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TOO THE LAST 2 MONTHS…..

Priscilla Graduates from High School…

One of the highlights for us the last few weeks was Priscilla’s graduation from high school.  Pris graduated a year early at age 17, and it was nice because her school in Indianapolis let her stay in their program, so she was able to get a High School diploma from her school.  The last 3 years for Pris have been packed full of change and challenges (YOU KNOW WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT)  and yet she somehow managed to rise above it all, and graduate with straight A’s and High Honors. 

Back home, we would have celebrated with all of you, but we weren’t home – WE WERE IN BOLIVIA!  So, what to do?  Well, knowing that we were so far away from our friends and family, the brothers and sisters here went out of their way to be there for us in making Pris’ accomplishment special.

Thanks everyone for all your video messages for Pris!  They were wonderful and she definitely felt the love.

While we did have a Graduation Party for Pris, that didn’t happen until a few weeks after she graduated.  So, closer to her graduation a small group of our friends took her out for dinner at a nice restaurant in Tarija. For some reason we were given the Royal Treatment – even put in our own private Ballroom for dinner.

THEN, A FEW WEEKS LATER IT WAS PARTY TIME….

I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit worried trying to do something like this here in Bolivia – having a party for 100 people is no joke, especially here!  There are no Costco’s, Targets, or Wal-marts where you can buy large amounts of food and party decorations.  Plus, I don’t know nothing about stringing up lights in trees.  The last time I had to do something like this, I had a partner in crime to help.  But now here I was, a single mom, embarking on this massive party in another country. I was feeling a bit stressed – but I didn’t need to worry...

The friends here jumped in to help.  Friends took me around to buy food in their car, then we had lots of help decorating and setting-up. I even had a lot of help with the food. The highlight was when my friend Karen made this really cool Wookie cake.   It all turned out pretty nice if I do say so…. 

Just click here to watch a video of her party on Youtube…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMnXfUAXrag&feature=youtu.be

In true Priscilla fashion it was a hodge-podge of stuff including a Wookie cake from Star Wars, a bon Fire to keep everyone warm (it is our winter here right now), hot soups, a candy display, and lots and lots of dancing. Friends came from all over Tarija, representing Bolivia, New Zealand, Australia, England, and Italy. Aubri & Connor put together this really cool Bolivian dance for her.  Unfortunately, none of the videos we took came out.  Overall, it was a wonderful time and memory~

Connor Left for Spain…

Again, thanks everyone of all the cool photos and signs for Connor & Carla.  So, the last few weeks have been full of highs and lows.  Just 2 weeks after Pris’ party, Connor left for Spain.  It’s bitter-sweet because he’s going to start this wonderful new chapter of his life, and yet we knew we would miss him.  But, we also knew we would be seeing him in just a few short months for the wedding.

YEP, HE’S BACK IN BARCELONA WITH HIS SWEETIE & OCTOBER 8^TH IS THE BIG DAY!!! 

So, we had a 2-week break in-between Pris Graduation thing and Connor’s Going Away Party!  Again, the friends here went out of their way to make it really special for him. 

We even had a few friends fly to Tarija from La Paz for the festivities! And the brothers in our congregation organized a Bachelor Party-Type thing where they went in the mountains for a cook-out and hike.

Then, the following weekend the congregation had a Going Away party. 

There were fun games……

Dancing…

And one game where we blindfolded people and made them think they had to walk over bottles but there really weren’t any.

Then, more dancing….

He was given a book at the party of helpful but funny advice for both him and Carla including favorite recipes and photos of friends.  But, he wasn’t allowed to open it until they were back together at the airport.  Speaking of that…..  

So, the day finally came for us to take him to the airport.  I was feeling all kind of emotion that morning, and as we arrived, a bunch of our friends surprised us by meeting us at the airport to see him off.  It took what was a sad moment but with good friends by our side, it put a nice spin on things.

The next days was really sweet….  We were sent this recording from our Single Pioneer sisters letting us know they were feeling our pain over Connor leaving.

Anyway, I put together a little movie of Connor’s party – hope you enjoy!  Check out the video on Youtube here..... You may have to copy and paste the link below into your browser...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdSK1sc88GA&feature=youtu.be

 Arts & Crafts for the Guys

There is this really cool sister here from Arizona that is always having people over, helping with the many, many parties we seem to have, and she’s just always doing little special things for our congregation.  One week she made little skirts for all the girls, or she’ll make really cool activity books for the kids using stuff from JW.org.  Anyway, she recently had this lunch for the single brothers, and I thought it was cool that she made them all do arts & crafts.  HOW COULD THEY SAY NO TO THAT FACE?

Memories in Preaching….

So, our territory is definitely beautiful and rugged.  We’re coming out of our dry season = 6 months of no rain and so everything is pretty much brown right now.  But, any day now it will start to rain = 6 months of rainy seaons and the mountains will get really pretty.  Sooooo, this is a pretty normal day for us in the territory…..

Check out this video on Youtube (yep, I also learned how to upload videos for our friends using Youtube...... Again, you may have copy and paste this link....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGJdsUQuCoU&feature=youtu.be

Our preaching has been a bit exciting these last couple of weeks.  One of the legal things the Bolivian people can do is protest by blocking traffic.  Where we live in Tarija, there aren’t a lot of Blockades but they do happen from time to time.  One day my dad and I went into town and when we came home, they had blocked the road to my house.  IT HAPPENS!  So, recently the people in the country held a series of blockades to protest unfair treatment.  They’re typically peaceful -- but ain’t nobody got time for that!

It's August – our Regular Pioneers have to hit it hard to make their time for the year – not to mention those of us Auxilliary Pioneering.  But, what to do when the roads to the territory are all blocked.  Jehovah’s people are nothing if not resilent.  You drive along the riverbed….  It only takes a sturdy SUV and alot of initiative on the part of Fritz & Kathy (our driver and co-pilot)!

In Tarija we get some exotic birds but not very many -- then tend to live in the more tropical parts o Bolivia.  But on this particular day.....  As we're trudging along the river to reach the territory.....  WHAT DO WE SEE?  A flock of parrots heading back to the Beni.  There were probably 40 of them in a tree and it was a pretty cool sight....

Here are some photos of our preaching the last few weeks on Youtube.  Hope you enjoy...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4AoGpjUWUc&feature=youtu.be

So, that everything for now. I sort of rushed this Blog so I'm thinkin there are probably some typos and other grammar issues.  I just wanted to get this posted for everyone.  Miss you and that'

News from the Hughes

I just realized that the last time I updated the Blog was April 2nd (almost 3 months ago).  Alot has been happening the last 3 months, as you'll soon see! In fact so much has happened that I'm going too divide up everything between this Blog and the next update (don't scoff, I'll try and do an update before September)!

Ok, here we go......

You’re Never Too Old to Experience Something New….

One of the highlights the last few weeks was the visit of my parents to Bolivia. At 75 years old (I mean 75 years young) they embarked on a new adventure and came to see us for a 3-month visit.  I was so proud of them! 

It was a wonderful visit, and they headed back to Indy on May 27th.  Life in Bolivia isn’t always convenient – no Super Targets or Wal Marts – you visit your bakery lady, then your butcher, next it’s off to buy veggies and fruit, and let’s not forget the all essentials of toilet paper, shampoo/conditioner – which is yet another stall by another lady.  My dad liked going into Tarija with us for shopping.  He even found his own little bakery lady, and with the little Spanish he learned since coming he was constantly starting up conversations with Bolivians.  The local people liked how this elderly man from the U.S. wanted to talk to them and get to know them.  The altitude was a bit hard on mom, but she did good!

One of the highlights of their visit was that we all got to attend the Memorial together.  Not only was it the first Memorial for our congregation, but for the first time in many years I got to share this with all three of my children and my parents.  That was pretty wonderful!

We did have one little hiccup.....  2 weeks before my parents were leaving for home, and while we were at our meeting, my dad fell and hit his head really bad.  The neighbors across the street saw him fall, got him to a clinic next to my house, the clinic then called an ambulance to take him to the hospital in Tarija -- ALL WHILE WE WERE AT MEETING.  By the time we knew dad had been hurt, he was already on his way home from the hospital complete with stitches.  



He was really impressed how kind and helpful the Bolivian people were -- even though he couldn't speak any Spanish.  I was just relieved he wasn't hurt more seriously.  Still, we had to do our part to care for his ouchie!

HE'S GOING TO BE SO IRRITATED AT ME FOR PUTTING THIS PICTURE IN THE BLOG.  I gotta say this for my dad, he's one tough old guy!

Our Second Memorial in Bolivia….

It’s hard to believe that the girls and I have been in Bolivia for 1 ½ years (2 ½ years for Connor).  The girls and I just applied and got our 2-year residency, so the plan for now is that we’re going to stay here for at least 2 more years.  As part of that plan we got to attend our second Memorial in Bolivia (the first Memorial for the San Lorenzo congregation).  

So, while the brothers had their many meetings to make plans and get things ready (who would do what), it was up to the sisters to have our own meetings to plan the decorating of the space for the Memorial including who would make this year’s unleavened bread – stuff like that! That’s one of the cool things about being here – it’s all hands on deck when it comes to everyone being involved. 

BUT JUST LOOK AT THE RESULT……

Saying Good-bye to A lot of Dear Friends…..

While the last few weeks were nice, we also found ourselves having to say good-bye to a lot of friends that had been visiting for 3 months.  It included us having to say bye to Haley, Stephanie, and Chantal from the United States……

 

And also having to say bye to Mikail and Andrea from Sweden. Bolivia just ain’t been the same since they all left!

Spoiler Alert – we’re hoping to see Mikail and Andrea at Connor’s wedding in October!  

Stephanie and Haley even got to visit Trinidad, Bolivia (the tropics) for a few weeks to help with the preaching there.  Later, we all enjoyed meeting and spending time with both their mom’s who came to visit the girls for 2 weeks.  It was nice meeting and making new friends!

We also had to say good-bye to the Borg family (also from Sweden).  The Borgs were Missionaries in Bolivia but after the little surprise of their son (Carl Amillo), they moved back to Sweden.  But they visit Bolivia every year for a few months to help and to give their son the experience of serving in another country.

Of course we couldn’t pass up this opportunity to have a Going Away Party for all our dear friends that were leaving. Once nice thing about being in a small congregation is that you can invite everyone to every party.  

So, we had a nice Going Away Party complete with some good food, and of course TRADITIONAL DANCING…….  Can you find Aubri and Priscilla in this video?

Everyone got into the spirit of things and the Borg Family with Mikail & Andrea also put on a little show for us…… A Bit of traditional Bolivian dancing with some Swing Dancing Thrown in for good measure.

Even my mom had to get up for a dance…..

YEP, WE PRETTY MUCH DANCED LOTS!

A Visit to Lake Titicaca….

One thing we had to do in May was to visit the city of La Paz so that Pris could take some AP exams for High School.  Pris graduated from High School on June 4th - HOORAY!

  We all wanted to go but the altitude is really high and I was worried about my parent’s health.  So, while Connor stayed in Tarija with my parents -- myself, Pris, and Aubri had to head to La Paz. Pris had been stressing about her exams and they took 9 hours.  So to celebrate we decided to take a little side trip to visit Lake Titica (about 5 hours from La Paz by bus).  Aubri had been once before but me and Pris had never seen it. The truth is that while I’ve visited a lot of cities in Bolivia, I haven’t done much Adventuresome trips.  After visiting Connor last year in Tipuani I felt like I had enough adventure to last me a lifetime.  BUT THAT WAS A YEAR AGO….

So, one year later I felt like I was ready to do something adventure-some again. I had heard a lot about Lake Titicaca -- I knew it was the highest lake in the world at 12,420 feet above sea level, I knew it was cold, and that it was pretty.

But..... I had no idea just how massive it was.  It took us 5 hours to reach the lake and 2 of those hours was spent driving along the lake itself (which to me is more the size of a sea).  I could almost picture myself living here except for the fact that it’s sooooo stinkin’ cold and I can’t seem to catch my breath.

Still, we reach the lake and the next day head off for an all day tour of boating and hiking. If the last 7 months of preaching in the mountains of San Lorenzo has prepared me for anything – it’s hiking up the mountains in Lake Titicaca. OH WAIT, I WAS WRONG!  There’s a huge difference between walking at 6000 feet above sea level and 12,420 feet above sea level.

We arrived in Lake Titicaca and stayed in a cool little bungalow-type thing.  The place even had a couple of alpacas running around the grounds – SO BOLIVIAN!  Of course Pris (always the animal lover) couldn’t wait to try and be friends – The alpacas didn't really like that idea!

The next day we head out for a fun day of boating and hiking on the Lake.  I had gotten us a guide (just in case I slip and fall off the cliff).  He was Aymara (the native people on the lake), and was sooooo patient, going at a pace I could handle, all while telling us many interesting stories regarding his people and their history. 

I was impressed by the sheer beauty of it all, and found myself wanting to exclaim many oohs and aahs, but drat – my need to beathe and take in oxygen at 12,000 feet always seems to win out.  JUST BREATH TRACY, JUST BREATH! 

I can’t explain how or why but everywhere we go, Pris seems to find animals and bond with them.

I really did enjoy the day despite getting a bit of altitude sickness and losing a really nice jacket I had bought in Spain – DON’T ASK, IT WAS TOTALLY MY FAULT -- THEN AGAIN I BLAME THE LACK OF OXYGEN!

Update on Connor’s Wedding….

So, plans are moving along for Connor’s wedding in October. Brides Maids and Groomsmen have been picked, dresses chosen, and we even had some friends bring us the fabric for Aubri and Pris’ Bridesmaid dresses.  Mama (that’s me) still aint’ sure what she’s gonna be wearing.  Anyway……  We realized something a few weeks ago – the time in Spain is actually 6 hours ahead of the U.S. and Bolivia.  And so with the wedding being around 1:00 in the afternoon, people aren’t really going to be able to attend while it’s happening. Instead, we’re going to video the wedding and then send all our friends a link to watch it on YouTube at a more convenient time.

I had also sent out a mass e-mail to everyone asking if you could take a  photo of your family holding a sign for Connor and Carla?  Her family is going to put together a slide show of photos received from friends and family. It can be a simple sign that says, “Congratulations Connor & Carla….. or We Wish You the Best…..  or something more creative than what I can come up with.”  We were hoping to get everyone’s photos by JULY 3RD -- if you can help a gal out.  Just e-mail your picture to me at tracyhughes49@gmail.com.  Thanks Everyone!

And thanks to all our dear friends that have already sent us pictures!

Fun, Fun, Fun in the Ministry…..

Here are a few fun photos of us in the preaching work – San Lorenzo style….

.

Update on the Puppies…..

YEAH, ENOUGH SAID ON THAT!  UNTIL NEXT TIME. 

We've had quite alot of excitement going on with Pris' graduation party, which I'll tell you about next time.

LUV THE HUGHES

News from the Hughes

Back in Bolivia…..

So, after a wonderful trip to Spain, I finally made it back to Bolivia (SAFE & SOUND), and I gotta admit I was a bit proud of myself.  It’s the first time in 27 years that I’ve travelled anywhere alone (Connor stayed in Spain).  And mind you, this was no small trip – 30 hours of travel time total!  BUT, I DID IT! And every time I felt like I didn’t know where to go or what to do, I just smiled and said those three magical words, “Habla Espanol Poquito (I speak Spanish a little),” smile again, and people would take pity on me and give me a helping hand.  All in all, it was a long but pretty smooth trip home.

H*O*M*E – Who would have thought that I would come to view Bolivia as my home?  But, I really missed this place! Spain was exciting, fun, and very comfortable (definitely an easier life), but waking up that first morning in Bolivia -- to the sound of tropical birds chirping -- the sun shining -- and that tranquil pace of life… Getting back into the preaching…..

Seeing old friends again…. I didn’t realize how much I missed it!

ONE WEEK LATER... …..So, my first few days back were focused on getting back into my routine… you know how it goes here…. Losing power 3 times in 3 days, getting bit by some caterpillar with thorns, having 10 mosquito bites – HONEY, I’M HOME! 

So much happened in the one month I was gone.  We got several new families in our group – 1 family from Sweden that use to serve as Missionaries in Bolivia, and now visit a few months ever year – a family from Italy with a 15-year old daughter (her and Pris have become good friends), and a 13 year old son.  

What’s really cool is John Carlos makes all these yummy Italian cheeses like Ricotta, Mozarella, Marzipone and even bacon.  So, our Italian cooking in Bolivia just got a whole lot better.  WE’RE NOW A CONGREGATION AND WE’RE SO INTERNATIONAL!  That was pretty cool!  I wasn’t in Bolivia for the change but as soon as I got back I was excited to be a part of the San Lorenzo Congregation.

Here’s our congregation at our first Ministry School using the new workbook.

So Many New Visitors….

Since coming back we’ve also had 2 families visit us from Sweden.  The first was a family of four with two little girls.  They stayed one month.  Their mom is from Peru and their dad is from Sweden. We enjoyed having them here so much.

The family had two adorable little girls… It’s not Dawn’s fault she’s in all these pictures.  When she wasn’t looking I took them off her phone and e-mailed them to myself.

Bolivia just seems to bring out the crazy in everyone!

Then, the following month we had a Pioneer couple from Sweden who were also really nice….  This is Andrea and Mikal from Sweden and they are really sweet.  We’re seriously trying to brain-wash them into coming here.

And also the visit of 4 Gals from Virgina….  When we first came to San Lorenzo our family and Ben & Dawn were the only Gringos in the group and now we’ve getting so many visitors – it’s really cool!

Lots of Annual Things Going On...

~The First Annual Pioneer Meeting…. One of the first things are new Elder Body of two got started working on was having our very first Pioneer meeting.  Connor was in Spain and didn’t get to go and me and the girls aren’t Regular Pioneering right now.  But, we got to be a part by helping to make gift bags for the group.  We had two Regular Auxilliary Pioneers (Aubri is one and Franklin is the other) and they made sure to give gifts to them also.  Regular Pioneering in Bolivia can be a bit challenging between the intense sun, rugged terrain – it’s a very physically demanding ministry. But, these guys do it!  All in All in was a nice day of encouragement for the Regular Pioneers in our congregation.

~The Annual Zone Meeting…. This month we also had another zone meeting organized by the Bolivian Bethel Branch.  Last year they had arranged for part of the talks to be given in English with a Spanish translator and this year’s meeting didn’t disappoint.  The guest speaker was a brother from the English Branch and his talk was in English – again translated into Spanish!  It’s just a shot of encouragement in English that just seems to perk everyone up.

Girl’s Night….. Connor ended up having to stay another month in Spain to start working on his documents that will be needed for residency and so me and the girls took advantage of his absence to have some sisters over.  We ate pasta, played games, danced, and just had a fun time together.  









But everybody wanted a pair of glow-in-the-dark glasses.

Wedding Update

So, it’s official, Connor is engaged to be married to Carla Conca Rodríguez on Saturday, October 8, 2016.  Their relationship has had to be a bit untraditional in that he lives in South America and she lives in Spain.  So, his 3-month visit to Spain was focused a lot on getting the necessary documents he’ll need to get residency in Barcelona and other really important details.  But, it was important to Connor that he surprise Carla with at least one tradition…..

Her family helped him plan this surprise party for Carla and even though we couldn’t be there, her family made sure we were included via Skype. Carla has also asked Aubri and Priscilla to be Brides Maids.  So, we’re all pretty excited and happy for him.

The biggest challenge for our family and friends is that the wedding is going to be in Spain and while we want to invite everyone, her family has limited space for guests (Carla has a really large family too).  So, we’re going to try and set-up something whereby some of our friends can view the wedding on-line (as it’s happening) and then others can physically come.  So, most of our friends will probably be getting an e-vite to attend Connor’s wedding via on-line.

New Addition to the Hughes Family…There are honestly no words to justify us getting yet another Bolivian puppy except…. SHE’S SO STINKIN’ CUTE.  But seriously, three is going to be our limit.

I’m a little ballerina….  We just couldn’t help ourselves and YES, she’s wearing a little Tutu dress….

Just to wrap up things….

Pris came across a monkey in the ministry and now wants one.....

Tracy got to play with a baby cow while in the ministry.... But she doesn't want one!




Until Next Time.......