The capital city of Bolivia, La Paz, seems to fall off the edge of the Altiplano (high plains) into a ragged gorge. Houses cascade down too-steep cliffs and streets ascend and descend at crazy angles. And here I am. 
It’s been three days since I said goodbye to Cochabamba and its beautiful weather, delicious food, and incredible friends.
Meanwhile I have had some adventures here in LaPaz:
Eating – I know I shouldn’t count the chicks before they hatch, but with less than 24 hours left in Bolivia I hope I can say that I haven’t been sick at all this year! I did eat at the most unsafe place I have yet…and then yesterday, to cut the onions, the boys sharpened our knife on a shovel laying in the yard. But… what can I say?
Shoeshining – My main purpose for visiting LaPaz was to visit a ministry to shoeshiners. The city of 
LaPaz has over a thousand young shoeshiners working on the streets for about 15 cents a shine. So I dressed up as a shoeshiner, had a lesson, and went out on the streets to try my skills and take a peek into the lives of shoeshiners in LaPaz. It was an incredible experience, and I came away with a respect and gratitude for those working among these boys to bring hope and true life into their midst. Check out this site: www.kayuparu.org
Working – I had a tour of LaPaz from the back of a cargo truck full of cement blocks that we took up to repair the wall of a young man’s house. This young man, a former shoeshiner, had been beaten by a gang and left partly paralyzed. 
Without their older brother’s work and leadership, his younger brothers began to fall into drinking and bad behavior. Several members of the church have generously loaned time, money, and materials to help this young man and his brothers. 
This picture is me giving my testimony to the guys
Thinking – Having some down time in LaPaz has given me time to think about this past year, and all that it has held. Uppermost in my mind has been the relationships formed between myself and my students, missionaries, co-workers, neighbors, and church-members.
I read this recently: “Even [our] most original thoughts or imaginative creations are indelibly shaped by a lifetime of encounters with artists, theologians, family, and community. We do not interpret the world alone nor do we live without influencing one another profoundly.”
How true. And again, how thankful I am for the people that God placed in my life this year to encourage, challenge, and teach me about Himself or myself or the world around me. From my 7-year-old students who taught me compassion and patience and to love more deeply; to Bolivian young people committed to reach their world for Christ; to deep friendships that caused me to laugh and pray and think, and challenged me to serve and not to be so stubborn J, and gave encouragement and insight and perseverance.
What a privilege and what a duty we have as people in relationship.
14 June – Flight 922 from LaPaz, Bolivia (depart 6:30am) to Charlotte, NC (via Miami, arrive 9:20pm)
Debrief – I spend two nights in Charlotte, NC at the SIM offices for debrief and a short reunion with two friends from Bolivia; and then…
16 June – Flight 3730 from Charlotte, NC (depart 12:55pm) to Milwaukee, WI (arrive 1:57pm)
Home.
And yet not completely. Part of my heart will always be with the friends and country of Bolivia.
