Daniel and Laura Swanson Serving in Bolivia with NTM Aviation 
First, we want to thank you all for your prayers and faithful support. We know the economy is going through some hard times, so we are even more appreciative of your sacrificial giving. Our transition to life in Bolivia has actually been smoother than we expected. We are feeling more at home here which is a huge praise. The twins have also been pretty healthy which is another huge praise.
Many things have happened since our last newsletter and we just wanted to get you up to speed! We moved into a new home in October. We were having a major problem with scorpions in the condo we were living in and needed to get out of there quick. We found a house only 3 blocks away which made the move very easy! We are really enjoying our new place and the twins love having a little yard to run around in.
We also had the privilege to attend NTM’s Field Conference the beginning of January at a hotel in Santa Cruz. For three days we had meetings (all in Spanish) in the mornings and evenings and had free time in the afternoons for socializing or swimming. It was a good time of getting to know our fellow missionaries who work in Bolivia and hearing about the different tribes that New Tribes is working with.
In February, Bolivia celebrated Carnaval– a holiday that celebrates the goddess of the earth, Pacha Mama. The big thing down here during this time are water balloon fights. People throw water balloons across the street at each other and sometimes even at cars driving by. We decided to have a little water balloon fight in our yard with the twins and another NTMA family, but somehow it turned into a 2 day water balloon “war” with our neighbors!! We went through about 1,000 balloons in those 2 days and had so much fun! Also during this time, our landlord and his family came over to “bless” our house (which is part of celebrating Carnaval too). They put up some decorations outside, threw confetti in our yard, sprinkled rubbing alcohol and beer on our grass, and set off firecrackers. It was a very interesting experience.
