Saturday Post -- 24/12/16

(with apologies to Nat King Cole)

White folks roasting 'neath a blazing sun,

Insects nipping at your feet.

Kids rejoicing that the school year is done,

By setting off fireworks in the street.

Craig is prepping music for the band. 

'Manda's shopping in the town.

Sam's saying "bib" as he seeks to expand

His repertoire of English nouns.

We hope his visa's on its way.

We handed in the application on Monday.

Those folks in Bogotá ain't gonna smile

When they see the size of Samuel Archie's file.

And so, we leave it in the Master's hands.

His plan's perfect; we'll pull through.

Till then, hear our wish from this green, pleasant land:

Merry Christmas to you.

Prayer

• This afternoon we have the now-traditional Christmas Eve service at church (it takes place in the afternoon because most families are busy in the evening preparing their midnight Christmas dinner). It's always a great opportunity for evangelism, with many family members of the young participants in attendance. 
• We are due to head to Santa Cruz on Thursday morning. Pray that we will be able to get everything sorted here before we go. As touched on last week, though we don't have an answer to the visa question, we have to pack away the house as if we will indeed be away for six months. We have a few administrative matters to deal with in town, too. 
• Our first Latin Link conference begins on Friday, a five-day affair with our stablemates here in Bolivia. Pray for an encouraging few days.
• Of course, pray for Sam's visa. We essentially need an answer by the 6th of January, which would be a little quicker than it took first time around (though naturally, we hope the weight of evidence we have submitted will make the decision fairly simple). We will hopefully post here on the 7th with any updates.

Praise

• We had a great afternoon on Thursday at the end-of-year lunch for Fundación Totaí. Give thanks for God's goodness to FT and the church this year.
• Give thanks for the many blessings we have known this year: Sam's growth, increased friendships, special times with visiting family and friends. These have all kept us going, and some!

¡Feliz Navidad!

Craig & Amanda