Vol. 1

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=17.5% BGCOLOR="#003333" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="267a2a22dduajq.png"> <bR> <div> <B><IMG SRC="047842b0.png" border=0 width="132" height="43" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 1</div> <div> May - Dec, 2000</div> <div> <A HREF="1st_quarter_2001.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol. 2"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 2</U></A></div> <div> 1st Quarter 2001</div> <div> <A HREF="2nd_quarter_2001.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol. 3"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 3</U></A></div> <div> 2nd Quarter 2001</div> <div> <A HREF="3rd_quarter_2001.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol. 4"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 4</U></A></div> <div> 3rd Quarter 2001</div> <div> <A HREF="4th_quarter_2001.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol. 5"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 5</U></A></div> <div> 4th Quarter 2001</div> <div> <A HREF="1st_quarter_2002.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol. 6"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 6</U></A></div> <div> 1st Quarter 2002</div> <div> <A HREF="2nd_quarter_2002.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol 7"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol 7</U></A></div> <div> 2nd Quarter 2002</div> <div> <A HREF="3rd_quarter_2002.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol. 8"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 8</U></A></div> <div> 3rd Quarter 2002</div> <div> <A HREF="4th_quarter_2002.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol. 9"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol. 9</U></A></div> <div> 4th Quarter 2002</div> <div> <A HREF="1st_quarter_2003.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol.10"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol.10</U></A></div> <div> 1st Quarter 2003</div> <div> <A HREF="2nd_quarter_2003.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol.11"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol.11</U></A></div> <div> 2nd Quarter 2003</div> <div> <A HREF="3rd_quarter_2003.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vol.12"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.png" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Vol.12</U></A></div> <div> 3rd Quarter 2003</div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#FFFBF0" TEXT="#080000"> <div>     |   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="home"><U>home</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="newsletter."><U>newsletter.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id97.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="photos"><U>photos</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id19.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="updates / prayers."><U>updates / prayers.</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id21.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="contact us. "><U>contact us. </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lost in the Andes"><U>Lost in the Andes</U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="15c02110.jpg" border=0 width="770" height="17" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="25508540.png" border=0 width="264" height="84" ALT="Micrografx Windows Draw 6.0 Drawing" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>  <A NAME="__may___august__september___octnov__"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>~<A HREF="#may__00_1" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U> May</U></A> ~ <A HREF="#aug00" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>August</U></A>~ <A HREF="#september__00" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>September</U></A> ~ <A HREF="#octobernovember__00" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>Oct/Nov</U></A> ~ <A HREF="#december__00" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>December</U></A> ~</div> <div>  <A NAME="may__00_1"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="25" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="626" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#555555" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1708 WIDTH="574"><div> May 2000</div> <bR> <bR> <div> We hope this letter finds you well and enjoying this beautiful time of the year.   Springtime brings freshness with it that no other season brings.  After a cold winter here in northern Illinois, we are loving this warmer weather and the green trees, plants, and flowers showing their faces everywhere.</div> <bR> <div> We have had an eventful last month and a half.  Since our last letter to you, we have covered many miles, met many new people, and seen family and a few dear friends.  On March 27th we set off to our month of training with Food for the Hungry (FHI) in Prescott, Arizona at the beautiful setting of Camp Pinerock. What a wonderful month of learning, growing, being challenged, and spending time with each other and 20 other people who are heading off to other countries soon with FHI.  The first two weeks of our training focused on cultural differences and the difficult reality of functioning in another cultural.  One chart gave point values for all the changes we would be going through (change of home, job, language…etc.) and we were relieved to recognize that we were one point away from a potential nervous breakdown.  After realizing that we had many things to prepare for we studied FHI's approach to community development. It was all great food for thought and we were given many resources to help prepare.</div> <bR> <div> <B>BREAKTHROUGH</B></div> <div> A huge breakthrough came within the first 24 hours of being at the training; we were given the name and location of the community that will be our home for the next few years.  The community is named Sorojchi, which means altitude sickness in Spanish!  The community is made up of Quechua Indians, who are direct descendants of the powerful Incan Indians who once ruled a majority of South America.  The Quechua language has stayed with the Indians through the many generations and changes, which means that we will need to function not only in Spanish but also Quechua!  In terms of religion of the Quechua, they are considered animistic, believing in spirits and gods which must continually be appeased through odd sacrifices and rituals.  They are plagued with many superstitions and lies that have kept them from developing economically, physically, mentally and spiritually.  Sorojchi is a small community nearly 2 hours south of Sucre which is the home of the country's judicial branch of government.   Pete will be working initially with the agriculture, water and sanitation and the infrastructure (building roads, irrigation canals...etc) programs. Lori will be seeking out relationships with the women and children in the community, and we will both be coming alongside the church (if present) in reaching out to their community.</div> <bR> <div> <B>EASTER</B></div> <div> After our training in Arizona we flew home on April 20 and left early the next morning to drive out to Boston, Massachusetts to spend Easter with Pete's family.  Since his two brothers live in Boston we all decided to congregate there to celebrate the Lord's resurrection together.  What a blessing it was to be together.  We were also able to see some of you, and we are so thankful for those times we were able to spend with you.  We were wishing we had just a little more time to see some more of you who are out on the East Coast.  You all live in a beautiful part of the country.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Financial update</div> <div> Thanks to all of your prayers and donations, our support has been raised to meet both our outbound and monthly expenses.  Praise God!  God has assembled a mighty team who stands behind us and with us to send us to Bolivia.  We feel so extremely blessed to know all of you.</div> <bR> <div> We are aware that some of you were planning to give financially and with this news feel like you missed the <I>fast</I> boat to Bolivia.  There are two choices for those would still like to give:  (1) Additional funds over our budget will be carried in our account and we will designate how those funds are to be used to aid specific FHI programs.  (2) During our training in Arizona we met other families who are currently struggling to raise the support needed to respond to their call to serve the poor.  If you have the desire or conviction to support the ministry of FHI through such families, please help to send them. </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Sydney family going to Laos,  <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Bernhard Modern Roman" ><U>roger_sydney@yahoo.com</U></FONT></div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Parker family going to Bolivia, <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Bernhard Modern Roman" ><U>cgparker@gaverinc.com</U></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Now what?</div> <div> Some of you may be asking, "now what?"  It's true we have 4 months until our scheduled country departure in September and we were expecting to be involved with support raising during this time; however, thanks to you all we can sit back in our hammock and sip lemonade all summer.</div> <bR> <div> Actually, we are pretty excited to take this time to prepare by focusing on language learning, Bolivian culture and raising the awareness of our community and church of the poor.  Pete will continue working at ENSR doing environmental consulting 3 days a week and he will use the other days to become more involved in Sycamore and Dekalb helping to meet the needs of the poor. Lori will continue substitute teaching until the end of the school year and also join Pete in doing ministry in the community.  Our summer will also be filled with activities with the senior high youth group at the Evangelical Free Church that we have been volunteering with since January.  </div> <bR> <div> Thanks again for your friendship and support.  We would love to hear from you and if you are ever in Sycamore, IL come and see us.  Our door is always open.</div> <bR> <div> In Him,</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#__may___august__september___octnov__" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>TOP</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="aug00"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="25" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="626" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1262 WIDTH="574"><div> Hello friends and family!!  We hope that you are enjoying your summer.  Our summer is flying by and our departure date for Bolivia is approaching quickly.   We wanted to send you one last letter from Sycamore, IL before we head down to South America.</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> TRIPS</div> <div> The last two months have been full for us and it seems like we have hardly been home here in Sycamore.  Pete spent 3 weeks in  Effingham, IL with work, and then another week long trip to Holland, Michigan.  While Pete was down in Effingham, Lori enjoyed a trip with her mom, Pete's mom, and sister Jamie.  What a great opportunity for us all to be together.   We both enjoyed our last trip down to Indiana to hang out with Pete's extended family at a rockin family reunion.  The week after that we travelled down to Texas to be with Lori's family and enjoyed some great times with all of them.  The day we left Texas, we did a quick run through San Antonio and Pete finally got to see the Alamo and experience the River walk.  Soon after that trip we were off with the senior high youth group from the E-free Church here in Sycamore to a week long youth conference at Purdue University in Indiana.  We heard some great speakers that week who challenged all of us to live radical lives for Jesus.  It was exactly what we needed to hear as we continue to prepare for our time in Bolivia.  Even in the midst of our busy summer, God refreshed our souls and gave us good perspectives as we thought about what our purpose is here on earth. </div> <div> Our departure date is officially August 24th so we are now trying to get everything done that needs to get done before we leave.  We also have one last trip with Dottie (Lori's grandma) out west on the Snake River.  We are so thankful for these trips that we have been able to go on to see family and friends.  The reality of leaving is sinking in and saying goodbye to people is becoming harder.  We know that God has called us to this work and we look forward to it with anticipation and hope for His plan for us.  At the same time it is hard to leave those we love. We continue to thank the Lord for all of you and the support and encouragement we continue to receive from you all.  You are a blessing. </div> <bR> <div> YOKEFELLOWS</div> <div> We would like to tell you about two couples who have helped us during our preparation here in the states, and who will also be available to help you if you have any questions about us or your support.  Kyle and Barb White, and Doug and Kathy Stice are our yokefellows (or sometimes referred to as team captains).  Back in February these two couples agreed to come alongside us as we started to raise support and send out newsletters.  As we prepare to leave, their jobs as yokefellows will take on more responsibility as they will be our contacts as far as getting our newsletter out and keeping us posted on our support.  If you have any questions about us, or your support you will be able to contact them.  We praise God for the Whites and Stices' willingness to help us in this way.  </div> <bR> <div> PLEASE PRAY</div> <div>  During these last few weeks here we would appreciate your prayers.  We still have some details to take care of including buying our tickets and deciding what to take with us and what to leave behind.  We also need prayer as far as the language.  We have not been as diligent as we should have been the last couple of months in our language training.  Quechua is still a foreign language to us and we will need God's help to learn the language in order to communicate with the people.  These weeks are also some of the most emotionally draining times as we have to say goodbye to our family and friends.  We would love your prayers as we all go through this time of separation.</div> <bR> <div> BOLIVIA OR BUST</div> <div> You will definitely be hearing from us soon after we arrive in Bolivia.  Thank you again for your incredible support.  You are part of this work that God is doing in Bolivia and we are excited to see what God has for us all.  </div> <bR> <div> In Him,</div> <bR> <div> Pete and Lori Newell </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#__may___august__september___octnov__" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>TOP</U></A></div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="september__00"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="25" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="626" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1961 WIDTH="574"><div> <B>BEGINNINGS</B></div> <div> It was three weeks ago now that we boarded the plane from the United States to come down to Bolivia.  It's hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly.  We began our journey in La Paz where we spent a week getting accustomed to the altitude (13,000ft.), meeting people in FHI's central office, and receiving an orientation from Dirk and Jennifer Gieser, the Hunger Corps Coordinators.  After our week in La Paz we flew south to Sucre (a 45-minute airplane ride, compared to a 15-hour bus ride over rugged terrain and no paved highways).  We spent five days in Sucre before our first trip out to Sorocoto, the community that will be our future home.  Sucre is the nearest city from Sorocoto, three hours away, and it will be our home away from home once we move out to the country.   During those five days in Sucre, we moved into our two-room home that is part of the house where three other Hunger Corps women live when they are in the city.  We also met people in the regional FHI office, got to know the city a little, signed up for Spanish classes, and prepared ourselves for our first visit out to the campo (country).    </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>FIRST VISIT</B></div> <div> The day arrived when we traveled out to Sorocoto to experience life in the campo for the first time.  We were excited to see what the campo looked like since we had seen a video of the area many times and pictures of where we would live.   We piled into the four-wheel drive vehicle with luggage, supplies, and nine other people.  It was a beautiful drive through the mountains and down into the valleys where the poor, Quechua Indian communities are found.   We finally arrived in Sorocoto at 7:00 in the evening and the community was dark since there is no electricity.  We stayed with Victor Hugo in his room at the school that the government built.  Victor works for FHI in the agricultural department and has recently begun to focus on Sorocoto and other neighboring communities to help them with their crops and introduce greenhouses.  He was a blessing from God as he helped us to enter into the community.  The next couple of days were spent visiting and meeting people in Sorocoto and explaining that we would soon be their neighbors and a part of the community.  Plans were being solidified for us to build an adobe brick house with the people's help on land that had donated to FHI.  We also learned our first Quechuan phrases with the help of a man named Alejandro who gave us an hour-long lesson in Quechua.  We were afraid he was going to try to teach the whole language that evening.  The school is next door to the land where our house will be.  We met with the director of the school and his wife and they have asked us to teach a religion class at the school.  Another exciting part of the community is the Christians who are there and want to grow.  They want to know more about God and they want us to teach them.  The pastor, Simon, showed us the church building that they are slowing putting together.    He called it "a house to worship the Lord."   We are excited to be a part of the believers out there and to come alongside them to tell more people about the hope found in Jesus Christ.  We also walked for a few hours to see the irrigation canal that is being built alongside a road that FHI blasted out of a mountain. Many exciting things are happening in the campo as far as agriculture, the introduction of greenhouses, land terracing, water systems and the use of latrines and showers.  We look forward to being a part of the development in these areas as well as the church.  Our last day in Sorocoto was spent in bed.  We were both hit by stomach problems and could hardly walk around for very long.  Our view of the campo quickly changed as we lay in bed waiting for our ride back to the city. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>THE COST</B></div> <div> The three-hour ride back to the city was not as beautiful and exciting as the trip into the campo.  We tried our hardest to sit still and keep our stomachs in tact as we bumped along the rocky road that switched back and forth through the mountains.  We finally made it back to the city and to our two-room place.  That is when the doubt and questions began to flood into our minds.  "What are we doing here?"  "Why have we committed three years to live out in that dirt pit?"  All we could think about was our desire to leave and go home.  Our stomachs were worsening and we began to make frequent trips to the bathroom.  Our excitement that was building as we were in the campo had vanished after we got sick.  Our memories of the campo involved dirt homes, dirty people, disgusting corn drink, dead animals hanging on the wall, and potatoes frying in three cups of grease.  We were feeling miserable and this is when we had a choice.  We could either stay in our misery and think of all that we were missing from home especially our family, friends, and the comforts of the U.S., or we could look to our Lord for answers.  Thankfully we chose the latter.  Pete went to the Word and studied again about the poor, Christ's compassion for them and our call to help them.      Lori went to the Lord, crying out for His guidance, peace, and His love, especially love for the people in Sorocoto.  She also read through Matthew 10 where Jesus sends out the twelve disciples to preach to the lost.  It is in this chapter that Jesus explains the cost of following Him.  He made it clear that the road would not be an easy one.  "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved (vs.22), and "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it (vs.37-39)".  These were hard words, but they hit home.  What did it mean for me to follow Jesus?  What did it mean to me when I committed my life to Him?  What did it mean for me to lose my life?  Was it only when times were easy? And did He promise a life of comfort?  I asked myself if I was ready to sacrifice everything to follow Jesus.  I realized that through my own strength I could not do it, but through Christ I could.  I began to learn more about the cost of discipleship.  It means leaving all else behind, denying oneself and one's wants and desires, and solely focusing on Christ.  For us, it means living in Sorocoto for the next three years without comforts that we are use to, among the dirt and bad smells.  It means loving the people as Christ loves them, and seeing them as precious children for whom He died.  It means being thousands of miles away from dearly loved family and friends.  It means getting sick from the food or water and laying in bed for a few days at a time. </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>THE CHALLENGE</B></div> <div> We are now feeling better after we took some antibiotics and our attitudes are also better about the campo.  The challenge now is to continue to keep our focus on Jesus and His call on our lives.  Daily we need to deny ourselves and follow Him.  He loves us so much and tells us to not be afraid (Matthew 10:30-31).  We know hard days are ahead, but we are encouraged by the promises that Christ gives us, the hope that is before us, and the joy of following our Savior.  This challenge is for all of us who have committed to follow after Jesus.      </div> <bR> <div> Ready for the challenge,</div> <bR> <div> Pete and Lori Newell</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#__may___august__september___octnov__" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>TOP</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="octobernovember__00"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="25" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="607" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1989 WIDTH="555"><bR> <div>  <A NAME="incarnate_in_the_andes"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A>Incarnate in the Andes</div> <div> No. 3 Oct/Nov 2000</div> <bR> <bR> <div> "I quit wearing socks.  Which makes my feet a little grubbier, but tougher, and keeps my nice white socks- white.  And maybe after three years of wearing my tevas, I'll have animal feet like the Quechuan Indians here." ( Pete)</div> <bR> <div> <B>project incarnation.  </B>Since the day we first visited Sorocoto, we have been reflecting on our job description as Incarnational Development Workers and asking ourselves "how do we become incarnational here?"  Before coming we even joked of ourselves circling the village on our motorcycle shouting "look, we are just like you!".  Maybe a place to start is to define incarnational. "Incarnation" is from the Latin, meaning "becoming flesh," that is, "becoming human." In our case it means becoming like those we are working with , the Quechuan Indians.  No, we will not become Quechuan Indians in appearance, although Pete's feet may get a little thicker, but we can begin to relate to them by living where they do and experiencing their lives.</div> <bR> <div> How do two well-fed, well-educated, English-speaking, partly Spanish-speaking gringos from the USA live in a way that relates to the poor, non-educated, small world, hard-working, poorly fed, Quechuan-speaking Indian farmers here in Sorocoto?  How much of our technological, enterprising, democratic, Wal-Mart shopping culture do we set aside in order to open our eyes and mind to the cultural rhythms that have been cycling since the Incas dominated this country in the 15th century?  For instance, do we live in a mud hut with a thatch roof without any windows, or live on a diet solely of potatoes and corn?  Do we take part in the frequent festivals and get drunk with the rest of the people; does Lori grow her hair out and braid it like the rest of the women; or does Pete start chewing coca like the rest of men?  Can we even live comfortably? </div> <bR> <div> <B>cosmic incarnation</B>.  We know the obvious answers to some of these questions but other questions plagued us for weeks and we began to think of the historic cosmic incarnation; the big one that puts all of our sacrifices to shame.   </div> <bR> <div> <I>Jesus "who, being in the very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness."</I> (Phil. 2: 6-7) </div> <bR> <div> Jesus did not bring any comforts with Him and did not try to live comfortably here.  His birth was in a barn, He grew up in the lower class, in a no-name town, was homeless, and lived as they did 2,000 years ago.  It's hard enough living without America's conveniences today, which I don't believe compare to the conveniences of heaven.  The step that Jesus took from heaven to earth has been described as something similar as picturing yourself in the garden and finding a slimy grub and desiring to become a grub and live among them in the dirt.  Not only did Christ take a giant leap from Heaven to the grub pile, He also took on the nature of a servant.  The King and Creator of the Universe became a man and served mankind!  That is the example we have been given to follow in our work and our lives.  What a challenge! </div> <bR> <div> "Jesus did not come as a conquering problem solving Christ".  The reason for his incarnation "was to invite people to redirect their lives and provide the means to do so."   What we can take from Christ's example and apply to our situation is the same.  We are not coming to solve their poverty problems but more importantly to bring them a hope for their lives and their eternal destination.   Our desire in our work in Sorocoto is to be with the people, be in community with them, be ministers of reconciliation and show them a new way to live.  One that has regard for orderliness, cleanliness, better hygiene, better health, innovation, creativity, hope for the future, a love for family, and a love for God.   </div> <bR> <div> <B>lighter stuff.</B>  We decided to build a home.  We came out to the community on October 6th and left one month later (hence the two month newsletter).  During this time we hand dug (of course) the footers, and then used sand and rock from the nearby river to pour cement foundation on which we built adobe walls.  The community helped out by providing helpers daily or so and the natural materials (sand, rock, mud, and adobe).   We have an agreement with the community to hand the home back after our three year term for them to use as an office, or meeting space, or hostel.  In a matter of weeks we had the walls up, ready to put on the roof.  However, we needed to go back to Sucre before they got the roof on.  So, we are hoping that they follow through without us to get the roof on before the rains begin this month.  We hired a local mason from the community to supervise and coordinate the work.  Its been a great project for us to get to know our neighbors and other community members that have come by to help and vice versa.  Next month we will finish out the inside of the house, put in windows and doors and maybe a solar panel or two.  Meanwhile we have been using a room in the public school to stay in while the house is being built.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Thank you</B> for your prayers and in this month of Thanksgiving we thank God for you and the following:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">This month has been great for building relationships as well as a home.  We have gotten to know a few families and have been invited to their homes to visit.  Everyone is extremely hospitable, always offering out of their poverty, fresh bread, hot meals or gifts of potatoes.  Anytime we stop by a home to say hello, we are escorted to a padded seat and offered a bowl full of food.   </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Our health has been better or maybe we are learning better how to deal with it, but the sicknesses have not got us down as much as we described last month.  We are seeing it as part of the process of settling in.  </div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">We were blessed with a vehicle that will serve to transport us in and out of the campo with all of our supplies.  We have been looking for over a month for a vehicle in our price range that could handle the demands of the mountainous dirt roads between Sucre and Sorocoto.   And on Nov. 9 we purchased a 1978 Toyota Landcruiser!</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">After a month in the campo it was quite a treat to have a limited stay in Sucre where we experienced hot water showers, flush toilets, restaurant food, washing machines, dairy foods and fresh meat!  </div> <bR> <div> If you have any questions about our work or the jumbled thoughts above or have some encouragement for us, write us at <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0000FF" FACE="Bernhard Modern Roman" ><U>pnewell@fhi.net</U></FONT>. With Christ as our goal and the Kingdom of God as our prize,</div> <bR> <div> Till next month</div> <div> Peter and Lori Newell</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#__may___august__september___octnov__" TITLE="Vol. 1"><U>TOP</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  <A NAME="december__00"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="25" CELLPADDING="0" CELLSPACING="0" WIDTH="609" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1325 WIDTH="557"><div> Christmas in the Andes</div> <div> No.<B>4</B> December 2000</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Hard Lives</B></I></div> <div> We have been learning more about the hard lives that the people live here in Sorocoto.  As we continue to build relationships with the people we are hearing more of their stories, especially their hardships.  A common theme in all of their lives is suffering.  A woman yesterday who has become a favorite of mine broke down in front of me as she told me of her husband always coming home drunk, sometimes hitting her, and also how she has had 10 children, but five have died.  Four have died from sickness and one boy died when this woman was hit by another woman and fell down with her little boy on her back.  The boy  died during the night.  My heart broke for this dear, sweet woman and I wondered if almost every woman's life here was similar to hers.  It is very common for the men to get drunk on the local corn beer (called chicha) and the women are left to care for the children, and tend the land and herd the animals.  There is no medical help here so if there are any complications at birth or if there are sicknesses, death is common.  The best and only thing that we can do right now for these people is pray hard for them.  We believe that the God of the Universe can transform this community.  When people come to know Jesus and His love, He will help them to love and serve each other and a change will take place.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>New Beginnings</B></I></div> <div> An exciting thing has happened this past week for the group of Christians here in Sorocoto.  They have started meeting in their new church building.  The room that we were meeting in was tiny and dark with one gas lamp barely keeping people awake.  This past Sunday we met in the new adobe brick room which is much bigger, with wooden benches, and two lights: the gas lamp and a small overhead light bulb run by a battery in the window.  Unfortunately, the benches didn't make it through the night without breaking.  What a blessing it is for the believers to have a house to worship God in!</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>The Rains</B></I></div> <div> The rainy season has started here in Sorocoto and it is turning this brown, barren, dirt pit into a beautiful, green, lush land.  We have been pleasantly surprised by the transformation that has taken place in a matter of three weeks due to hard work by the campesinos planting their fields and the grace of God bringing the rain.  Thankfully, we were able to get our roof up on our house before the rains came and we are hoping to move in on Christmas day.  Our new motto is, "It's not in our hands."</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Thoughts on Christmas</B></I></div> <div> Speaking of Christmas, we have recently been thinking a lot about Christmas and what it will be like for us this year.  Our desire in celebrating Christmas is to totally focus on Jesus since that is what Christmas is all about.  This year's Christmas will be like no other Christmas we've ever had.  Not only will it just be the two of us away from our families, but we will also be out here in the boonies of the Altiplano in Bolivia surrounded by dirt poor Quechuan Indians who don't even celebrate Christmas.  It's bringing us back to the basics.  There are no parties, no cookie exchanges, no Christmas lights or music coming from speakers down town, no Christmas trees, no malls to go shopping, and no crowds at Wal-Mart and Target.  Nope- just us, the few Christmas decorations that our parents sent us, a couple of friends, our Bibles, our new guitar, and hopefully a yummy pecan or pumpkin pie.  This morning I read through the first Christmas in the gospels.  My desire is to have the same attitude and atmosphere as the people had when Jesus was first born.  I encourage you to look at Zechariah's song in Luke 1:67-75, and then the shepherd's reaction in Luke 2:8-20, and then the magi's response to Jesus in Mt. 2:10-11.  There is nothing but praise and worship coming from these people.  That's what we want our Christmas in Sorocoto to look like.  With God's help we can keep our focus on Him.</div> <bR> <bR> <div> Once again, we thank you for your prayers and we pray that you all have a blessed Christmas!</div> <bR> <div> Focusing on our Savior,</div> <div> <I>Pete and Lori</I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> 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