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In June, with help from a mission team from Onalaska, WI, and my son Sam, we’ll be building a new adobe greenhouse near Santa Ana, Bolivia. In the photos at right and below, left, note that the lake (12,500 feet elevation), is quite a bit lower than the site. Cerro (peak) Wara Wara, right next to the site, is 4492 meters – about 14,950 feet. Click on the photos to enlarge them and see more in our photo albums.

The new greenhouse will overlook an old stone road that’s still well trafficked by shepherds driving llamas, alpaca, and sheep. The road, made in pre-Columbian days, winds its way from one side of the Copacabana Peninsula to the other, linking Copa to Sampaya, where small boats depart every morning for Isla de la Luna, Island of the Moon.

The 2012 General Conference was held in Tampa, FL from April 24-May 4. This is a meeting held every four years and is the only body that speaks for the 13 million member denomination. Four lay delegates and four clergy delegates represented the Northern Illinois Conference, of which our church is a part. In total, 988 United Methodist delegates from five continents (40% from Africa) attended the event.

General Conference is a time of worship, music, fellowship and decision-making.

This Sunday will be rich with celebrations! At the 9:30 worship hour, we will welcome new members into our congregation, and at the 11:00 service, we will share in the Confirmation of 31 young people into the Christian faith.

One of the elements in the Confirmation service is the "laying on of hands" for each confirmand, while a prayer for God's continued shaping of their lives is spoken. Laying on of hands occurs in the Bible, and is a symbol of blessing; of accepting to God's call upon the person's life; and of the giving of the Holy Spirit.

Exactly a year ago we each dragged two thoughtfully packed bags into O'Hare, waved misty-eyed goodbyes to Jeff's parents, and climbed onto a Lima-bound flight.

It's hard to believe a year has zipped by!

Our first few weeks were given to mapping out general plans for our work in Peru and Bolivia. It was late April when we finally returned to Copacabana to hunt for an apartment or house to rent. We were lucky to find a very comfortable, sunny house with three small garden areas. Local folks always ask what we pay for rent, and are horrified to hear $143 per month (last year -- this year it's $150!). Then again, when they visit they're incredulous to learn there are not whole families living in each of our three bedrooms. Most apartment buildings here have several rooms about 10 x 12 feet. A whole family sleeps in each of these rooms, and everyone shares a small courtyard adjoined by a single toilet, maybe a small shower stall, and an outdoor sink for washing cloths and preparing food. Usually there's a room designated for cooking, which is done over a one- or two-burner stove, also shared by all the families.

Dear Friends and Family,

Easter Greetings from Copacabana! We hope this time of resurrection and renewal fills and refreshes your hearts. It's a season of new beginnings.

A year ago we arrived in Copacabana on the Wednesday before Easter with some clothes, cookware and a few books packed into four bags. We were lucky to have made hostel reservations in advance because thousands of people travel to Copa for the last days of Holy Week. It seems even more crowded this year.

It has been fun, this past week, to receive brief text messages and photos from Jim of the high school Chapel Choir trip to New York. From the first day's surprising glimpse of two of our students joyfully hoisted in the air at a recreation area; to a glimpse of that same evening, of the choir preparing for their first concert; to a glimpse of them gathering on Wednesday to sing at the United Nations - these momentary glimpses helped me to understand the fun - and the significance - of what they were experiencing.