Home2 - Following the Master Carpenter & The Crib Project

While we are getting settled back into the swing of life down here, we are also in the midst of big changes and adjustments in regards to the woodshop. Abby continues to grow and change so fast. And we just celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary.

Following the Master Carpenter

In July, Javier and Juan Pablo returned to work and the shop was in full swing again for a few weeks. At the start of August, we were shocked by Javier’s resignation (that came with no explanation). At that same time, we realized the two largest machines were in desperate need of maintenance and repairs. We contacted a recommended mechanic, but he couldn’t start the work until the first of September. Needless to say we were very discouraged by all this.

Fortunately God had it worked out for the best. Nate was free from the shop to do the landscaping at the new WorldVenture Bolivia office. This was a great blessing for our team here and especially for our team leader. We were also able to spend time with a short-term team that came from Oregon as they worked on painting in the new office. This team graciously brought down some new tools for the shop, which Nate has been learning to use and getting ready for when the shop is back in business.

In addition to giving Nate some time for other projects, the issues at the shop have given us a chance to start afresh with some new employees. We are able to take our time and find just the right person for our shop mentor and supervisor. Currently, we are considering a man named Alejandro, who is doing a lot of the remodeling work at the WorldVenture office. He comes with some great references and he is interested in working with his hands and sharing the gospel all at once!

This break has also provided some time for funds to build up just a bit in the Following the Master Carpenter account. We are still far short of our goal of $3000/month. Please pray with us that these funds would be provided or God would show us where to cut back or innovate to make the funds we have work.

Please also pray for our patience as we wait for all the machinery to be fixed properly so that Nate can get back to making furniture!

The Toddler

Cindy’s mom told us that when an infant begins crawling she is considered a toddler. Abby has gone one step further and is now WALKING! She spent two weeks standing with her right foot planted and “walking” with only her left foot in a circle (like a basketball pivot!). A little over a week ago (at 9.5 months), she overcame her fear of moving that right foot and took off. We don’t know how many steps she can take at a time, because she just walks and walks. She even tries to run, but her stiff little legs aren’t ready for that yet!

She is also budding her top 2 teeth, which is making our sweet girl pretty fussy.

Lastly, Abby’s skin continues to be an annoyance. The spots from the neck down seem to be under control for the moment, but her face is still dry and rough. We continue to bathe her with a mild cleanser and apply a couple different moisturizers and creams every night. She is still the cutest baby we know and we are grateful her skin does not look as itchy or painful as before.

Other News

Our marriage certificate arrived from the U.S. with all the necessary stamps, but had to be sent to LaPaz to get ANOTHER stamp! We were finally able to submit our 1-year visa application on September 3rd. We will not have the actual visa for several weeks, but at least we will not be charged any more daily fines.

We have found a Bolivian church that we enjoy. The worship team does a very good job and there is a projector with the words in Spanish so we can sing along. The men who preach speak so that Cindy can understand, and when she is able she translates for Nate. We also know several families who attend there.

We have lost another camera. Somewhere between the woodshop and the house it wandered off. Nate has now been charged with going to the market to get a new one!

The new WorldVenture office is almost ready for us to move into! Thanks to the hard work of our teammates and the short-term team, things are really starting to come together. Nate and I are excited to finally get our furniture out of storage and into use at the office. (Our current house is furnished with someone else’s stuff, so we are loaning our things to the office.)

On September 7th, we celebrated 8 years of marriage. It seems like yesterday we were anticipating our wedding day! My how times flies. . .

Love,
Nate, Cindy & Abby

WorldVenture

Now that we have been officially endorsed by WorldVenture, we need to transfer our monthly givers over to WorldVenture and also build up funds for some new one-time expenses (like application costs, training expenses, flights to and from Bolivia, etc). We are asking all of our monthly and regular supporters to begin sending their support to our WorldVenture account (#808). There are a couple ways to begin doing this:

You can go to www.WorldVenture.com. To make a commitment click on DONOR RESOURCES on the left hand side and then click "Make A Commitment". Scroll down to our name in the Missionaries directory, enter the monetary amount, and click on ADD. Then scroll down and follow the prompts. Once you have filled out the information, you will receive paperwork in the mail to either sign up for Automatic Funds Transfer or to send in with your first check. You can also give online via Credit Card by going to “Donate” under DONOR RESOURCES, but please be aware that all credit card transaction fees will be subtracted from the amount that we receive.

Or. . . We will be mailing out commitment cards and return envelopes to our monthly supporters next week, which you can fill out and mail in to WorldVenture. If you are not a monthly supporter but would like to receive giving information let us know.

If you have any questions or problems with this process just give us a call (623-979-6154 Nate’s parents’ house) or send us an email (nate_cindy1@juno.com).
Love,
Nate, Cindy & Abby