Dear friends and family,
By the time many of you read this, we will (Lord willing) be in Bolivia, getting ready for language school. Although we had an ambitious timeline, our generous and caring supporters helped us reach our goal on time. With approval from the home office we have completed our final details. Our tickets are purchased and the date is set. Our plans are to fly out of Indianapolis on the 2nd of January and arrive in El Alto on the 3rd to catch up with staff we met on our first trip to Bolivia, as well as to meet the new staff who have been hired on. Language school begins on January 11th, so we will take a bus ride down to Cochabamba to meet up with our host family. From there we will begin our five-month intensive language learning.
This wonderful holiday season has left us grieving what we are leaving behind. We know the richness we have here with family and friends. However, in some senses, we feel free to leave because we are so loved and supported. Our families are making the sacrifices to release us with love, rather than bitterness and envy. They could choose this path, but they have instead sent us with love. I must confess that Thanksgiving was a difficult time for me this year (as I’m sure Christmas will be too). I was so aware of all that we are choosing to leave behind and so fearful of the unknown ahead. Not only the unknown, but I am well aware of the stresses, language struggles, country and culture shock that we will be facing. The knowns are scary, too. So I pleaded with the Lord to release me of that fear. I had close friends and family pray with me because I wanted to feel a sense of the peace that comes from knowing that God’s in control and His will is best. And praise God, He granted me that peace! I am still aware of the loss we are experiencing and of all the trials that stand before us, but I can rest in God’s peace, knowing that He is in control and I wouldn’t want it any other way!
Please pray:
*For the recently re-elected President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, that he would “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).
*For patience and diligence in our study of Spanish.
*For protection over our marriage through this time of transition and stress.
*That we would be a blessing to (and be blessed by) our language school host family in Cochabamba.
God’s peace be with you,
– Becky (and Adam) Thada