Devotion

As I slowly learn to navigate through the culture and the city, I can rejoice over small victories: single-handedly buying food at the market, vastly improving my Wally Ball skills (that's the popular sport here), getting a taxi, or baking brownies in my temperature-challenged oven.

. . . but then, I did tell the man on the phone last night that he didn't speak Spanish, instead of telling him that I don't speak Spanish. Oops!

Besides spending lots of my time at school each day, I have had opportunities to experience and explore Cochabamba. August 14 - 17, Cochabamba celebrated Urkupenia, a festival on behalf of the Virgin Mary.
During these few days, thousands of people walk to the shrine of Mary. They parade and dance and eat and buy miniature homes and cars, or money or diplomas to offer to Mary in hopes of being blessed in that way.
Watching the parades and dances and seeing the extravagant costumes was a highlight for me so far, but in the midst of the celebrations I saw the church where Jesus is still laying in a tomb, and lines of people waiting to touch a doll, and many more paying money to take a "blessed" rock home with them.

As I sat at the little shrine on the hill where Mary supposedly appeared, I was overcome with a sadness for so many who are trying and trying to get on God's "good side".

Myself, and the people I was with, spent some time praying for those who are consumed by the outward marks of devotion and miss out on the reality of our God, whose mercies are new every morning, and who made the way for us to freely enter his presence.

As you think of Bolivia, pray for a greater spiritual hunger to know the God of freedom and grace.

THANK YOU to so many for your emails and prayers. I am praying for you, please let me know how specifically.

Blessings and Grace, Kelly















In this church, there is a figure of Jesus laying in this glass coffin.














These people paid to be blessed by the priest.