A Long Time Coming

Usually my apology for my extremely late updates comes at the beginning, but I thought I'd save it for the end. So, you ready? Here goes,

First Months' Excursions: 

Biking the Muela del Diablo: This is also known as the Devil's Tooth. Yes, I did buy a bike once I got to Bolivia and it's been fun having a hard workout a few days a week attempting to bike to and from school with some pretty steep climbs both ways. So, that being said, I went with Deborah, James, and Andy (new guy also from New Zealand here to help with getting our wi-fi network up and running) to do some extreme biking. I've never done it before. You are supposed to hang your rear end way out past your bike seat, so that you don't go over your handlebars all the time. WELL, either I wasn't leaning back far enough, or I would hesitantly break on the steep parts and send myself flying over the bars into rocks. Needless to say, I was battered and bruised for a week after that trip. Although, I do plan to go again once I get a new tube for my front tire. My bike got rocked almost as much as I did. :)

Tihuanaco: Located just south of Lake Titicaca and only an hour outside La Paz, it is the site of the ancient Tihuanaco civilization that I covered with my students as they learn about early South American civilizations. I wanted to go due to the fact that it's going to be where I take my students for their first field trip at the end of the quarter (October 16th). I went with Alison, her two Samaritan Purse roommates(Brenda, Susan), and another Samaritan purse intern (Sheldon). Not much else to say about Tihuanaco. We stayed for about three-four hours and then returned.

Copacabana: This one was done last weekend with Alison, John, Sheldon, and Brenda. The memorable moment from this one was hiking the entire length of La Isla del Sol (Island of the Sun) and reaching it by nightfall and then having to hike all the way back in the dark. A nice six and a half hour hike at altitude on an empty stomach, but still not nearly as bad as Huyana Potosi (20,000 ft mountain climb last May) or Randy's Bachelor Party Death March. It was still a great trip that I enjoyed thoroughly all in all.

Next Weekend (Co-ed High School hiking trek at Copacabana): This coming weekend is our third three day weekend since school started. (I'm starting to get used to them) Much of the hike will be what I did on La Isla del Sol, so I already know what to expect. It will also be fun trying to make sure there are no make out sessions between the boys and girls. This is the first time we've had a co-ed hike.

School Life: We have four new teachers: Sarah (3rd grade), Heather (middle school bible), Jenny (1st grade), and Lily (pre-school). They are all wonderful additions to our staff. Of the four, I've got to know Sarah the best as our two classes share lunch and recess together. She graduated early from school and only just had her 21st B-day this September. Lily is a Bolivian, and one of my student's mothers, so she's always asking me how he's doing and keeping me on my toes. 

Our staff has broke into five different committees to work on the self study for our school's accreditation visit in April. It's an exciting time in Highlands history, but it entails a lot of work in the meantime. :) I'm also struggling to finish up curriculum guides, so that those are ready as well when the accreditation team arrives.

Tim (high school health and advanced backpacking teacher, also husband of Whitney our fifth grade teacher) and I have partnered together as well as two other teacher pairs to lead three different Life Groups. Tim and I have five guys in our group that we meet together with weekly to talk about that week's high school chapel and also to be real with each other. It has been a great opportunity to work with another age level, but more importantly to pour our lives, experiences, and Christ's love into theirs. 

Due to the political climate, the Fisher family (Anne- my mentor and elementary principal, and Tom-music and ESL teacher) decided to head to the states for a little while. That leaves me in charge of games club and teaching music to my kids, which has been fun.

My kids are great! Some highlights from our year so far: Science: Lard experiment with gloves, a bucket of ice cold water, and of course LARD. Boy did they have fun, not getting the lard off of their hands. :) Predator vs. Prey experiment where they got to see how much of a difference camouflage really makes. Dead fish experiment where we analyzed the different parts, not dissecting, of a fish. The labeled me as a fish murderer. :( Grammar: Doing charades to work on action/doing verbs. Math: Around the World with multiplication facts and learning to skip count to some cheesily effective Bible songs. They love to roll their eyes at me while I play these songs, but it's helping a few of my eleven students that need multiplication help most, so I don't mind at all. Reading: They get to write letters to me each week about what they've been reading either in their groups or during their individual time. Chapel: They all wanted to act for my first chapel on the parable of "The Persistent Widow". Axel got to play me, he loved it! Bible: They are learning many of the names of God. So far this year, we've looked at El Roi (the God who sees), Jehovah-Jireh (God the Provider), etc...  Writing: We have been writing personal narratives and also working on fun little controversial prompts, such as "What is your opinion on uniforms?" Our students will be getting uniforms come second quarter. :) Social Studies: We are just finishing up on the decline of the Inca civilization and how Pizarro was able to defeat the largest empire in South America with only 180 men. Pretty interesting stuff!

My Bolivian Family: This year at the house has been Daniel (now in 1st grade), his mother Dora, her brother Fabrizio, and their father Alberto. Charo is in the states visiting her eldest daughter, as are the newlyweds Dani and Randy, who are also newly pregnant. :) I continue to feel like one of the family and will most likely be spending Christmas with them this year, which, while I will miss spending it with my family for the very first time, I couldn't ask for a better substitute one. 

  Prayer Requests: 

1. For my student Axel Torrico. He has been feeling like the outcast in my group of boys for the past couple of weeks. I had an intervention with them and since then things have been going better, but he still mentions wanting to go to another school from time to time.

2. For my student Sarah Mamani. She is at the school on scholarship, her father is a pastor, and they live outside the city. Their home was attacked by two men last weekend. Her father was shot, and other members of her family beaten. Everyone survived and is in the process of healing physically and emotionally, so please pray for her and her family.

3. For the families, such as the Fishers who are eager to come back to Bolivia now that the political tensions between Bolivia and the U.S. are a little better. Pray that there will be no red tape standing in their way.

4. Pray that as our staff grows, we find ways to stay unified as we serve Christ together.

5. Pray for the country of Bolivia as tensions grow between the different departments here in Bolivia about Evo (president) and his new constitution proposal.

6. Pray that I would be more disciplined and diligent in a variety of things. a.)Rising early to bask in the light of God and His Word, that it may shine out to the kids and others I meet. b.)Working on curriculum guides and accreditation questions. c.) Updating my faithful friends and supporters.

I hate not filling you in on some things that I may have forgot about, because I leave these updates for so long. I will try to do better next time. I humbly ask your forgiveness and thank you for your patience. You are all a wonderful blessing to my life. Thanks for your steadfast prayers and support.

Year in Review

I want to start off with an apology for my lack of communication to you on how things are going at Highlands International School in La Paz, Bolivia. Amazing things have happened this year in the lives of many of the students, their parents, and the staff (me included). I have been negligent in my duty as a sower to report back to you these tidings worthy of joyful thanksgiving, and so I am writing this update to inform you of these tales so that you may rejoice with me in them.

The Students:
- My 3rd/4th grade students improved overall on their math scores this year on the SAT’s, I look forward to the challenge of doing the same to their reading scores next year.
- Students as a whole spent more than 3,000 dollars on Scholastic books this year. An impressive amount to spend on books for the elementary!
- We had five high school students and a couple elementary students accept Jesus Christ as their risen Lord and Savior, and many more students eagerly searching!
- We had six graduating seniors, five of which will be attending universities in the U.S.
- All students are going to have a uniform dress code for next school year, which is going to remind me of teaching in England and going to private school during 7th/8th grade. J
- I love my students! I consider myself so blessed to be teaching 4th grade next year, because I will retain about two thirds of the class. I’m already excited to see them again!

The Parents:
- One of my concerns about teaching was parents and having conferences with them, but parents have now become something for me to look forward to working with more next year. They have been extremely encouraging and a great help to me in my first year of teaching. A few examples: invitations to their children’s b-day parties, chaperones on field trips (the zoo and Valle de la Luna), conferences that have made my eyes tear up from their gratitude, and throwing a big birthday party for me! I am really enjoying the embrace of the familial culture here in Bolivia.

The School and Staff:
- I’m not certain about the prospect of teaching in the U.S. mainly because of the supportive, encouraging, Christian unified staff that I get to work with everyday at a school where the sunrise over the mountains each morning reminds me of what an amazing Creator we have as our God. Some exciting things that have happened to both school and staff this year are as follows:
- Jason (school director) and Sara, James (high school science) and Julie each had their
first baby added to their family at the end of this school year. Margaret Grace to Jason
and Sara, and Maya to James and Julie. I can’t wait to see them begin to grow up this coming school year!
- Whitney (5th grade) was married to Tim (Youth for Christ/substitute science teacher) over Christmas. She had one student who thought she was somebody else because of the name change.
- Everyone except for our first grade teacher, Kristen, will return this upcoming year for their second or third year! It will be a great community to welcome in the new 1st and 3rd grade teachers.
- We finally have an organized library, internet capability, and PE equipment that will be great resources for next school year!
- Our 6th/7th grade teacher, Deborah, has taken us through a biblical integration course during our workshops this year, which has been a great help in all our lesson planning. It was even worth three continuing education credits!
- Tom and Ann Fisher (ESL and worship/elementary principal) have been holding a monthly community group for believers in La Paz, which has been an immense encouragement to everyone’s sense of unity and fellowship in La Paz, which has been coined the “graveyard of missionaries” due to the lack of people who stay to minister.
- The school is expanding and buying more land on the property where we are currently located. I have enclosed a note from our director with more information.

My Homestay Family:
- The Lord has really blessed me with an amazing, Christian family who has made me feel like one of their own. My best example would be their youngest daughter (or one of my big sisters), Dani, who was married this year to Randy, Youth for Christ worker. I wondered where my name was on the list of invites, because all the Highlands teachers were on Randy’s side. They showed me that I was looking in the wrong place and showed me my name underneath family on Dani’s side.
- Fabrizio, my older brother by five years, and I love to talk about all sorts of things, but mainly relationships, since both he and I have had our issues with those this school year. We each comforted each other through our break-ups reminding each other of God’s sovereignty and provision and perfect timing. We are now once again, more or less (mas o menos), content being single. :)
- The family that I get to see every day: Charro, my Bolivian mother, Alberto, my Bolivian father, Dora, my big sister, and Dora’s son, Daniel. These individuals are also very special to me. Through them, not only does my Spanish improve daily, but I’ve grown to see what the extension of the family of God is like on a more intimate level.
- I attend church with my family, a church plant that is partnering with our school in location and in ministry to both parents and students of Highlands. It truly is an amazing community of believers that God has blessed the heck out of me with.
- I also love the country if you couldn’t tell. I have been on plenty of hikes at high altitudes, which include a climb to the summit of Huyana Potosi (19,978 ft) and a trip to Machu Picchu. The rugged beauty of the land is truly breathtaking!

Prayer Requests:
- The political situation in the country of Bolivia is unstable with three of the nine departamentos (provinces) voting and declaring autonomy from the rest of the country. More departamentos will be voting in the upcoming months also. Pray for peace, especially for La Paz.
- Pray for the new teachers Jenny and Sarah as they begin their first year of teaching at an amazing school!
- Pray for the school and its expansion. There are a lot of things as we continue in our process to improve Highlands before we are visited for accreditation this next April.
- Pray for me this summer as I work on curriculum guides so that they’re ready for the start of this next year.
- Pray for me as I decide whether or not to stay for a third year at Highlands.

Final Thoughts:
I want to thank all of you for your prayers. Through your prayers the Lord has been continuously providing all my needs. Pray that I would do a much better job in sharing with you my prayer supporters the astounding things the Lord is doing at Highlands International School. I will also try to do the same on my blog at bjorvia.blogspot. com. Here’s a picture of me with my students at the zoo and a day in the classroom.

Blessings to you all,

Thomas Bjorlie

15 weeks later...

Alright, so I'm terrible at this and you ask a good question Pete. I'm not sure how long I get to keep my blog without blogging, but I don't want to find out. I'm not even sure where to start. I'll be brief about my holiday break first. Time with family and friends was needed and I had a blast, but I was eager to get back to Bolivia and my students by the time break ended.

We have a week left in the quarter and so much has gone on I feel. Ashlyn and I broke up. It always seems like I have a tougher time with break-ups than the other person. But we both knew that it was for the best and now, at the end of the third quarter, things have become much more comfortable and easier as we teach together. I'll try to give some highlights from these past couple months now.

Highlights from School-
*I got another new student, 4th grade, whose name is Isaias. He is from Bolivia and is an amazing student, very eager to learn and please the teacher. :) What teacher doesn't appreciate a student like that? I now have a total of 18 students. 12 third graders, 6 fourth graders.
*We have a student teacher at our school teaching high-school math. It's great to have another young guy in the mix of teachers. His name is Nate and he is engaged. With math teachers being in such high demand, he has already found a job for next school year. Wow! It took me two years and moving to another country to do that!
*We are picking a new mascot for our school, because pumas just doesn't fit, due to the other rival American school being the cougars, which is the exact same animal. Thanks to my class it is now between White Tigers (their choice) and Condors (the one the principal really wants to stick). Well when the vote was between the two, White Tigers win, but we'll have to wait and see if Jason (prinicipal) really accepts the new mascot. Some of the other nominees (Fighting Manatees, Penguins, Bats, Stallions, Dragons, and the Ligers). Which would you have voted for?
*My students just finished their social studies projects which was to create their own business/company, accompanied by a poster advertising their product/service, a story on how it all started, a persuasive paper as to why anyone should buy, and a 10 step flow chart as to how their service is run/or their product is made. What a mean teacher right? To top it all off, yesterday they pitched their products to the fifth graders and were graded by the fifth graders on their presentations. Ah, they had a blast!! :)
*I've taught two chapels in the past two weeks. The first on Josiah, the next on Jeremiah. With Josiah the students performed a skit I had written called "The King Is Right" a spoof on "The Price is Right". We had about six kings come on to get interviewed by a panel audience (the rest of my kids). The first five being ones that did evil in the sight of the Lord and getting booed off, the last one (Josiah), getting cheered off. I talked about the cleansing of the temple, and how our hearts are a sanctuary also that need cleansing of any false idols and disrepair, so that we can be whole-heartedly serving the Lord. Yesterday was also Dr. Seuss day for my kids (I'll tell you why it was so late in a bit), so they introduced Jeremiah with a nice rhyme called "Would You, Could You", all about would you be able to give bad news to someone you loved, when you knew it would happen, and you knew they wouldn't listen. My talk wasn't as prepared as I would have liked, but I stressed how when God calls you, the task ahead will not necessarily be easy or fun, but how important it is to trust Him through each and every moment of it.
*So yeah, I celebrated Dr. Seuss Day two weeks late. There's a reason for it. I wasn't planning on celebrating it period. Kindergarten celbrated it on the day. First, second, and fifth grade celebrated it last week. I didn't think fifth grade was going to. My kids come to me all bummed, "Mr. Bjorlie, how come we aren't celebrating Dr. Seuss Day?" So I ask in return, "You want to?" "YEAH!!" And that's pretty much how it happened. Their activity was to write interview questions for the Grinch as if they were the Whos down in Whoville and then I allowed those comfortable with acting in front of the class a chance to improv as the Grinch. I found out I have much more willing actors/actresses than I thought. We have to continue the activity on Monday, because of it. Speaking of Monday, yes, I'll definitely be wearing me kilt, just not in the authentic fashion. ;)
*Our library is up and running and I was able to find books at each of my reading group's appropiate levels, so that I could do guiding reading with each of them, except the ones pulled out for reading help. My highest group's book is set in Norway, so the kids have enjoyed hearing more about my heritage. :) (Like lefse and Ole & Lena jokes)
*We also had a team day, and the theme was water. The weather was beautiful and the kids and teachers alike loved getting eachother extremely soaked in the huge water fight at the end of the day. You guys really can't do that in the states can you? Keep in mind this occurred the beginning of February. :)
*Our school is trying to decide between expanding the property that we are on or moving to another location nearby in Achucalla. Please be in prayer for this big decision.
*I was also observed while doing my dual grade math lesson. She thought it went very well and my scores came back as "at" or "above standard", which was very encouraging.

Highlights from Home
*My big brother Beto is going through a rough back and forth relationship. We've grown close through talking about truth and following the Lord in the midst of pain and heartache. It's been a time of bonding.
*My youngest oldest sister, Danielle, is getting married to Randy (youth for Christ guy). The bachelor party 3-day hike will be this next weekend. Yep, I know. That's Easter weekend. The wedding will be April 26th, so I'm excited to be in my first Bolivian wedding! Not only that, but my older sister's one.
*Charro is back (stay-home mom) from the states and it's been alot of fun learning more Spanish from her, and her learning English from me. She really treats me as part of the family, which is just one of the many reasons why I've decided to live with them again next school year. She went into the hospital a few weeks ago with a problem with her ankle. I don't know exactly what the problem was, my Spanish isn't great when it comes to medical terms, but she was in quite a bit of pain. She's doing much better now.

Highlights from Outside School
*I've started playing basketball on Tuesday nights. I'm terrible! But I am getting better slowly by slowly. I actually scored three baskets last Tuesday. Get ready Chris, I might be able to give you a bit more of a match when I get back this summer. It's also been getting me in pretty good shape for what I hear is going to be an extremely brutal bachelor party hike. The other reason why I can't wait to go on the hike is because I'll be prepared with good hiking shoes and a good backpacking pack. I'll finally be equipped.
*We had a four day weekend in which I actually got to go to another country, Chile. Arrica, Chile to be exact. Lots of desert, all the way up to the beach! I had a great time running along the beach in the morning and swimming up the waves in the afternoon. This happened a week after the break-up and Ashlyn also was on the trip, so it wasn't easy in that sense, but I still found other ways to enjoy myself. One of them was to get extremely sunburned. I know I'll get skin cancer one day, but the day out in the sun and surf was worth the pain. I compare it to Spring Break of junior year in college. Some of you know what I'm talking about! :)
*I'm becoming more active in our church here in La Paz. Today, (I actually have to get going right now), I am going to be participating in a little drama, I only have to act, not speak. Whew! Although, I have to act to a narraration in another language and yeah, I've gotta make sure I'm listening very well. :)
*The sunday school in the church wants to adopt the Children Desiring God curriculum as well and when they do, hopefully in Spanish, they want me to help with teaching the teachers how to teach the curriculum. I've never had to teach teachers before, should be an experience!
*My Spanish is getting better, but I still have a long ways to go before I'm fluent, but I'm getting better at holding on mini-conversations in topics that i know most the vocabulary for.
*We had a Texas Hold-em poker tournament last Saturday and I came out in the middle of a pack of 8, so I felt alright about my playing.
*I meet with Nate, Tom, and Scott on Saturday mornings for a time of accountability and fellowship which has been good. The only sad thing is that I do the same thing on Friday morning with the same guys minus Tom and adding John, just because of the group dynamics. Both times are good, although I wish we could just have one where we all get together.


Alright, I'm sure I'm missing stuff and if I remember anything I'll try to send it on out, but now I want to hear about you all back home and how things are going. Like, how cold is it there in Minnesota? Just kidding! I want to hear about you, so send me an e-mail if you want or just a quick response via the blog. I wish you all a Happy Saint Patrick's Day, which also means Happy B-day Tara! I love you all! Thanks especially to those of you who stayed on me to get this blog done. That especially belongs to Jason and my mother. Thanks Pete and Chris for the reminders also. I'll be seeing you all in about three months!