During Karen and Thomas’ reception, we gathered together for a Bolivian reunion snapshot. It was great to see so many dear friends from our time living in Bolivia in 1986 - 2000. After the wedding, the Bolivian gang gathered together at Red, Hot and Blue - those pictures in my next blog.



John and Kathy Gunther, drove over from Tyler. The Gunthers were like “grandparents” to our girls in Bolivia. Cathy would have Ellen and Karen over to hang out, stay up baking cookies, take them to the plaza and treat them to salchipapas at their favorite Bolivian restaurant, Dumbos.



The Gunthers had a Spanish deaf church where Karen got involved in 9th and 10th grade. This was the beginning of Karen's love of working and ministering with deaf people.



Alicia (Wilson) Abts was Karen’s teacher at SCCLC, she has since gotten married, has a child and is heading to Africa for missionary work. Chris Hilgeman currently lives in Dallas and is a school teacher. He was Karen’s Bible teacher at SCCLC in 1998-2000. Virginia Swartzendruber has been a long time family friend from Bolivia days. The girls affectionately call her “Aunt Virginia”. Virginia is on home assignment this year, and was able to drive down to Texas from Kansas with her sister, Evie. Virginia has spent several Christmas' with us, weekends in Peter’s cabin in Samaipata and late evenings of playing Bolivian Train and Chicken foot dominos. Millie and Laverne, retired SCCLC school teachers, drove over from the mid cities. Millie was the girls HS English teachers. Laverne was Gary’s 3rd grade teacher.



Laurie (Blue) Kauer was also an art teacher at SCCLC. She and her husband, John, are now heading to Salt Lake City to minister there. Molly (Hoezle) Goodson was an elementary school teacher in Santa Cruz and is now a Pastor’s wife near Waco. Janet Lozuck came to the wedding too. Mary Jo Handley has been Karen’s friend since kindergarten. We have a picture of the two girls at Karen’s 3rd Birthday party in the Santa Cruz plaza with their tricycles. Although the Handleys left Bolivia before we did in 2000, the girls have remained in close contact. I remember hearing giggles from Karen’s bedroom as they stayed up late at night playing games.


Neva Handley, Mary Jo’s mom, drove over from Winston-Salem, NC with her son, Andrew. Neva played the piano in Karen’s wedding. The story doesn’t stop there. Karen took piano lessons from Neva back in the 90’s and remembers skipping through the “swamp” from SCCLC to the WGM mission compound. Linda Self flew over from Birmingham, Alabama. The Selfs served with SAM in Bolivia with us, however, they’re now serving with CAM in the Hispanic community there. Linda and I would “stamp” together.

Judy