Greetings from sunny Copacabana! In our last message cringe: more than 5 months ago -- we noted we would be closing our restaurant, Pan America, at the end of March. That happened and we enjoyed a blissful few weeks of much-needed rest. Then we embarked on a new (ad)venture, Pan America s Picnic Basket. The concept is similar to the restaurant we re still selling our very popular, made-from-scratch pizzas, baked goods, sandwiches, real coffee (which is hard to find in Bolivia), cappuccinos and espressos. But we shortened our hours and aim to sell everything for takeaway because the new location is quite small and our only water supply is what we can catch at home and carry a half mile uphill every morning. Alas, most customers seem to prefer to crowd in, eat, and talk with us in the shop, despite the absence of tables.
We opened the new shop July 7. Other than a slow first week, business has been so good it s almost more than we can handle! We knew our new location would be far better than the sit-down restaurant merely a block away in the shadow of the basilica. Findi ng the new site was part of our
Finding the new site was part of our adventure. In April, we targeted a different space, a very small storefront facing Plaza Sucre, where buses arrive from and depart to La Paz and Puno, Peru. Commercial space is quite limited, so we tried to convince ourselves we were lucky to find anything, especially in an area that s constantly flooded with tourists. There were also roof leaks in that first site. Water ran through the walls and pooled on the floor, but there was no sink, no water pipes, no useable water. The restaurant owner next door wasn t too happy to learn that, like him, we d also be selling pizza. He cut the power line to our space. We slowly burned through two months waiting for the landlord and two dreadfully lethargic workers to grapple with all the structural problems. The delays meant we couldn t invest in re-wiring, putting in plumbing, replacing windows, opening up a wall, painting, and décor. But that was actually a blessing, because with no income from the restaurant, we were running out of money. It was a pretty bleak and stressful time for us. But we were both silently deluding ourselves and choking down bricks of stress. The tourist buses constantly stir up dust and belch blue-black exhaust that would have rolled right through our front door. Copa s entire commercial district dumps its garbage less than 50 feet away, which means dog packs roam there and fight. Just uphill is a laundry service that constantly pumps gray water into the street, so, in addition to dust, we d have also had a perpetual problem with mud. When bands and parties converge on the plaza, the street becomes a public baño. Furthermore, that area is dense-packed with restaurants that hire gypsy travelers to hawk for potential customers; the mood is fiercely and frostily competitive.
But we keep relearning: things turn out as they re meant to. The night before we were going to finalize a rental contract for that space, a local friend quietly alerted us that a storefront next to his and facing the town s main plaza, Plaza 2 de febrero, would soon be available. He told us the landlady is a friend of his and would be in town in two days. We met her, saw the new place, and immediately sprang for it. The new location is bigger, less expensive, in good condition, and in a much nicer and cleaner area, that s also less than a 1-minute walk to the central market and closer to our home. Plus, with the plaza right across the street, we and our customers can see trees, shrubs and flowers, all quite rare in Copa. Also, we ve been friends with all the shopkeepers on the block for years, so we and they are all enjoying a mutual sense of safety and camaraderie. A month after opening day we still marvel aloud at our incredible good fortune in not locking ourselves into the first place we found, and in finding our current site. Hand of God cradling us? We think so! Maybe it helps that a big clover patch in our garden consistently produces several four-leaf clovers every week, and occasionally five- and six-leafers! Thank you Pacha Mama (Mother Earth) too!
Update on Mission Projects In April mission funds and a lot of local volunteer muscle power put a roof on the Manco Kapac church, which was started before we arrived here; the church was open and exposed for more than six years. Church members, the Copacabana District and Bishop Mamani are very happy that the building is now protected. A joyous inauguration was held May 14. The mission also helped cover travel expenses for about 50 local youth and young adults to attend an annual Methodist Youth Conference in Cochabamba. Mission funds helped sponsor a Methodist women s district conference, and a district-wide leadership training program. We spent 2,900 Bs. (a little over $400) to buy pews for Nueva Esperanza church, which was built with mission funds in 2014 and 2015. We also paid about $500 to buy 1,000 square meters of land for a new church in Siripaca. The national church is expected to reimburse this money; we just wanted to lock in the deal while it was available.
We gave 500 Bs. (about $75) to help support our zona s soccer team. We also made two huge pizzas for a team of graduate student archeologists from Michigan and about 15 local folks who are excavating an ancient, pre-incan site directly behind our house. They ve uncovered ancient stone walls, water troughs, steps, cooking areas, pottery, and even some copper jewelry. It s fascinating to watch their progress and discoveries. As you know from previous newsletters, community participation is both mandatory and important it earns us respect and trust in the community, which make mission projects go more smoothly and pleasurably for us and local folks. Since April we ve dutifully attended four terribly tedious zona meetings, two parades, a visit from Vice-President Avaroa for the inauguration of Copacabana s new cooking-gas system and thoroughly enjoyed helping out on two community work days.
We truly are thankful every day for the life we have here. We love our busy work days as much as an occasional day off. We thank you for your continued support, prayers, good wishes, and email and Facebook messages. They keep us fueled and connected. Much Love and Gratitude, Deb and Jeff