Loving Santa Cruz

I’m in love with Santa Cruz!! For a long time I have been hearing about the church plant here and wanting to come and visit. Finally I have the opportunity. All week, everyone I have talked to has warned me about the terrible heat and humidity in Santa Cruz. It sounded a lot like south Florida though, so I wasn’t too worried. We arrived to find Cristobal waiting with Pastor David and Pastor Edson! Hermana Lita was already at the church cooking us a wonderful dinner :) After dinner we sat around talking for a while and I successfully translated Pastor David’s entire testimony for the team. Wow. That was all God, because I’m simply not that good still! They let us sleep in a little on Thursday, but after an amazing Hermana Lita breakfast, we got to work. The boys were sent outside to mix cement and pass it bucket by bucket up to them men laying bricks on the perimeter wall. The girls were set to the task of scrubbing the walls of the sanctuary so that it was ready for paint.

Thank God for clouds and a light rain that kept the temperature very bearable. After supper we took a bus into the city center and explored a park with an incredible dancing fountain. Back at the church the team played games and I sat with Pastor Edson, Cristobal, and a couple of people from the team. You can’t get those guys to be serious! It was a great conversation though, and the first time that I have really been able to hang out with Edson as he started pastoring this church at the same time I started leading teams. Quality guy. Friday morning we hit the yard full force and pulled up every green thing we could find. We found giant snails and lots of other unusual creatures while we were at it that created a little screaming and dancing show for the guys that were still working on the wall, but free entertainment is free, right?

The girls in front of the monster pile of weeds we cleared.

It left quite the slim trail in his arm hair :)

We cleaned up and rested in the afternoon and headed to the airport after an early dinner. I really enjoyed the church there and was just as sad to leave Santa Cruz as I had been to leave Cochabamba. How is it, that when you think your heart is completely filled with one place, that you can still find a second place that captures your heart equally? I’m left trying to plot ways to get back to Santa Cruz without giving up any of my Cochabamba time :)

View from the front door of the church in Santa Cruz. Crazy!