A fresh expression in Copacabana

During the nine years Sally and I were in Tallahassee, we got to know Katie Yaun, a young adult who attended the church we were privileged to serve, Saint Paul’s.  Katie was a dynamic young woman who approached us about making a difference with her life. “What about mission service?” she asked us. Sally talked to her about options in the Presbyterian Church and I lifted up options with the United Methodists. She ended up serving as a United Methodist Volunteer in Mission in the lakeside town of Copacabana, Bolivia alongside mission volunteers, Jeff Wasilevich and Debbie Rissing. Jeff, Deb and our friend, Katie developed projects that embodied the love of Christ with schools, associations, neighbors.  When Abby and I were planning our trip and Abby said she wanted to see the Lake, I called Katie for some suggestions and we planned the trip to Copacabana.

We got to meet Jeff and Deb who now have a shop on the main square in town.  We got to see the way they created community and belonging with Aymaran Native Americans, Bolivians and Expats.  With tender love and care for those around them, they bear witness to the redeeming love of Christ. This “fresh expression,” as Florida now calls these “meeting people where they are” ministries, is a powerful example of making God’s love tangible to people who may not darken the door of a church.

Border Wars

This is a more in depth look into the changes in visa requirements so if you are just coming for the pictures and updates, you may want to skip the intrigue that led to my investigation provoked by what happened to us at the border. When coming from Peru to Bolivia, we crossed the border […]
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A trek through Incan history

We awoke early this morning to get in line for the buses to the entrance of Machu Picchu, an unfinished Incan royal estate built high atop an Andean peak.  On this July day, thousands of people had made their way to Aguas Calientes, a staging area for pilgrims headed to the ruins.  Many awoke, as […]
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Arriving in Cusco

We had a leisurely morning in the heart of Miraflores before catching a ride to the airport for our flight to Cusco.  We settled in to the Airbnb and our host Eva oriented us to the city.  The elevation is quite high, 11,000 feet, and so she prepared us the local natural remedy, Mate de […]
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Off to Peru

When I was the Area Secretary for the Southern Cone, the Andes and Cuba for Global Ministries, I visited Peru several times but it was during a time when travel outside Lima was riskier for North Americans, so I pretty much spent time in the capital when I was there. So Abby and I are […]
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Hijacking elections by dubious means

A Florida mud salamander from outside Tallahassee For the last couple of years, I have used this blog to play around with random onscreen references to places I have lived, Tallahassee and Union Theological Seminary in New York City. I did it just for fun and as a way to have a resource when I […]
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