Merry Christmas from La Paz, Bolivia - South America

Hello All!  I cannot believe that it has been a month since I last posted!  Well, then again, if I stop and consider everything that has gone on maybe I can!  We have had a wonderful start here in La Paz and especially at Highlands International School.  We have found the school environment to be loving, flexible, Christ-centered and the teaching is excellent.  The staff is welcoming and wonderful to work with. We have attended two different churches since we arrived; the first was a Spanish speaking church only and that proved to be to great a challenge for me as I could not understand enough to stay engaged, even though I have a Spanish and English Bible.  For the last 3 weeks we have attended the only English-speaking church in the La Paz area.  Quite a number of the H.I.S. staff attends there, also, so it has been nice to worship with them, also.  The La Paz Community Church is without a pastor at the  present time, but by the time we return from the Christmas break, the pastor and his family should have arrived.

 

Vaughn stays very busy with teaching four High School Bible classes every day, along with being the School Chaplain, which includes responsibilities for the High School and Middle School chapel every week, organizing the two mission trips for the year and coordinating the annual Spiritual Emphasis week.  He has had many opportunities to speak openly and honestly with a number of students who claim to not have a relationship with Christ and why.  Our school here (in  contrast  to the one in Africa at which we taught) is made up of 70% Bolivians with at least half  of them claiming to be non-believers.  What an opportunity we have right there at the school each and every day!

I have been busy with working one-on-one, two-on-one and four-on-one with ESL and Special Ed. students.  I have substituted for 3rd grade and a number of times for Middle School (6th - 8th).  When I am not otherwise engaged during the school day, I have library duty.  My favorite time-slot has got to be when the Pre-K students come in.  They first pick out their books and then I get to read a story to them (that their teacher has given me to previously).  They are the only class that calls me Miss Kathy and whenever I see them (which is a lot because their class and the playground is right next to the library) they get all excited and run up to me yelling, "Miss Kathy!  Miss Kathy!"  Boy, does that make my day!

I have mentioned to some of you about my exciting news; I have been accepted into Covington Theological Seminary and Bible College.  They have transferred enough of my other college and university credits that I am a senior!  I only have 8 more (4-hour) classes to finish before I will earn my B.R.E. Bachelors of Religious Education degree.  I am going to start my classes during our Christmas break in the states.  The classes are correspondence classes and I can work at my own pace.  I would REALLY like to be done with all of the classes before the 2012-13 school year begins because I have been given the opportunity to teach 4th grade next year!  However, if my intentions are a bit overzealous, I have plenty of time to finish all of the classes; it will just be more difficult teaching full-time at the same time as going to college. I am very excited about given a class to teach.    So, please pray for Vaughn for the next months as I will be pretty involved in my studies and he may be doing a lot of his own cooking!  I will have to take 5 more classes once I receive my B.R.E. due to A.C.S.I. standards (Association of Christian Schools International) regarding the school's accreditation status, but they can be spread out over the next couple of years.

We have had some inquiries about our support.  We are still at 38% of the monthly budget that we set up with the help of our mission representative.  Thankfully, we were able to move into this apartment while the missionaries who live here are in the states, and their rent is extremely reasonable.  We will be moving again June 1st (before our summer break).  Since our monthly budget has not yet been met, we have had to use all of the money donated towards setting up our home just to meet our current expenses.  God has been faithful, as always, and we have had everything that we have needed so far.  We are short $690 a month right now.  If 69 families/individuals started giving $10 a month, the deficit would be taken care of or if 28 gave $25 a month, the same would be true.  We are praying for those who pledged to support us to be blessed financially so that they are able to follow-through with their intentions.

We hope to see many of you while we are in the states during June and July as we intend to visit as many of our supporters as possible and are even now trying to tentatively schedule dates to present the ministry in which we are involved in here to prospective partners (Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona, and California so far) in informal home settings or Sunday school classes, etc.  PLEASE give prayerful consideration to hosting one of these meetings.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support - we could not do what we have been able to do were it not for your partnership and participation.

Blessings during this Christmas season from our house to yours!

"For God SO loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
John 3:16

And Jesus came and spoke to them (His Disciples) saying, "All authority  has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:18-20

Vaughn & Kathy Van Liew                              Our Mission Agency:      (N.I.C.S.)
c/o Highlands International School                  Network of International Christian Schools
PO Box 3-12468                                              3790 Goodman Rd., E.
La Paz, Bolivia                                                 Southaven, MS  38672
South America                                                 Website:   nics.org