Welcome!

Dear Family and Friends,

Here is my blog as promised. I am excited to share in this journey with you...four full days have passed since I´ve been in La Paz, Bolivia and there have been many moments I´ve seen things I´ve wanted to show you and heard things I wanted you to hear and thought things I wish I could ponder and discuss with you. This blog is a small attempt to begin to share these things with you...

I´ve named this blog ¨La Paz is Now¨ to guide my posture towards these next five weeks. I want to steer away from thinking about this as an overseas experience--it´s real life, happening now, and I want to be fully present to live it. A dear friend shared recently the desire to live her life with her ¨suitcase unpacked¨, living each day with full intent, not letting the other ¨permanent¨fixtures of her life (which are never even guaranteed to be permanent) to keep her from involving herself with new things that come her way. I´ve felt at times bombarded with so many new things I feel tempted to think upon things that are more familiar...the smell of home, friends´ faces, having a predictable schedule, etc. Of course this is a natural reaction to being in a completely new environment, but I know it´s not OK when I start to check out of my present situation. I´m not just here as a volunteer, but as another human being who normally walks this earth a few thousand miles away from La Paz.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you. Many posts and pictures to come. Email me when you want to share the things happening in your life. I´d love to hear (even the small things)!

I realize again how blessed I am to know you all.

In His grace,
Patty