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Answers to your prayers for the Old Testament workshop out in Pomabamba.
We found Pomabamba to be a quaint old town full of very friendly people. Quechua is definitely their language.
Travel:
All the equipment made it safely. The trips were adventures: roads closed, a flat tire, tying on a radiator with scraps of rubber, a sheered off bolt that held the wheel onto the bus, the bus nearly tipping over when off in a ditch, and lots of switchbacks. See them on the right? 
Accomodations:
A bit of a surprise here. The “hotel” was more like an abandoned municipal project outside of town. Definitely some stories to tell. The very nice surprise is that we were next door to thermal baths. I was concerned about the prospect of cooking over a fire. But, since the building had nothing: no plates, pots, utensils, ...I was “saved.” A neighbor fed us breakfast on her porch. For lunch & supper, we hiked a steep 20 minutes up to town. Good food, but tummy problems included at no charge!
Volunteers & Work:
No pastors joined us during the workshop. We did, however have a warm reception teaching in every church in town and even in some nearby towns. A committee of three volunteers gave good input over several chapters of Genesis. 
Ernie & Sarah:
A year ago this past fall Ernie introduced us to Sarah Anne Garman over Skype. Sarah hails from Cincinnati. The “silver lining” of blessing in Mark’s broken elbow last May was that we got to meet Sarah in June after she graduated from the University of Hawaii and came home to Ohio. Their wedding is planned as a small family affair January 3rd, with Mark conducting the ceremony. Then, Ernie & Sarah will go back to Hawaii where Ernie has one more semester to go.
It's Been 8 Years...
It has been eight years since we’ve had our four children in one place. We’ve seen each of them during those eight years, but we never managed to get all of us together. Hurray for a wedding! I’m SO, SO thankful for this opportunity to all be together again. I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it.
Mark & I will be in the States for two weeks. We’ll all be at Andy & Rachel’s house (our oldest son) outside of Charleston, SC for Christmas. Then, we’ll be in Pigeon Forge, TN for the wedding.
We won’t be sending out another Beans’talk this month. So, may you all have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season.
Patti
