Saturday Post -- 08/10/11

Well, here we are again, back in Bolivia, and a warm welcome back to our blog readers. I must apologise for falling short of our promise to post sporadically during our time away, however, hopefully our recent newsletter gives a decent overview of our time in North America.

Last Friday we touched down in Santa Cruz following our overnight flight from Miami. You can probably imagine our feelings upon returning to Bolivia. Joyfully skipping through the arrivals area. Heading straight to a restaurant for some much-missed Bolivian cuisine. Rejoicing in a dose of overpowering heat after a few weeks of the Canadian autumn.

All of the above are things which certainly did not take place last weekend. Much as I'd love to tell you we came back here with a spring in our step, it was in fact one of the most difficult few days we've had to endure here. In our taxi from the airport, as we whittled past one scene of chaos after another, I silently, and repeatedly, posed a fundamental question to the Lord: what on earth are we doing here?

The following day we awaited our departing bus for Trinidad, leaving that evening -- again, an overnight trip. The reality that we would at least soon be 'home' certainly gave us cheer. And yet, if anything, coming back to Trinidad -- a strange place even by Bolivian standards -- was even more of an emotional juggernaut. Within hours, we were catching up on the local news, with much to be encouraged by, but also a fair few stories of fellow believers in the church who simply weren't getting their act together spiritually. The questions that surfaced in Santa Cruz only intensified as I had what can only be described as a 'Jonah moment': What was the point in leaving behind our comfortable, Western lifestyles just to come back here and put in all the effort of ministering to people who routinely ignore what the Bible has to say to them anyway?

Neither of us could take much more and, following a couple of Skype calls to the parents we'd so recently bid farewell, we both broke down.

Well, it's amazing what a combination of a good night's sleep and the word of God can do. As I came to the next morning, I reached for my Bible. My daily readings follow Robert Murray M'Cheyne's calendar, allowing me to read, in an annual cycle, the Old Testament once and the New Testament and Psalms twice. My Psalm for that morning, as it happened, was Psalm 23, a lyric well known to believers and non-believers alike. This Psalm, which begins 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want' speaks plainly of the Lord's protection of, and provision for, those who trust in him. It is a Psalm which is read and sung at many occasions of importance for Christians as a reminder of the Lord's faithfulness. It is an overwhelmingly positive Psalm, and is often sung or read with appropriate joy.

Yet as I considered the Psalm again that morning for the umpteenth time in my life, one phrase, from the third verse, wedged itself into my consciousness: 'He guides me in paths of righteousness For His name's sake'. It is possible to read this verse, as I have done many times in the past, and amidst the Psalm's generally upbeat tone, ignore the gravity of what is said here. The Lord does not promise to lead his faithful servants down paths of prosperity, nor paths of popularity, nor paths of peace. Rather he will lead us down paths of righteousness. And, all clichés aside, we know how difficult it can be to do the right thing. Slowly but surely, a blessed reassurance came over me that, though our path had taken us out of a 'civilised' context and into the utter confusion of Bolivia, we could at the very least be sure that, by leaving those comforts behind, we had followed what is perhaps the Lord's 'path of righteousness' for our lives right now.

Not that we are so naive as to believe that we've left a 'better' existence behind. We'd danced the culture-shift tango enough times in the past to consider ourselves well prepared for what would await us in Canada. Nevertheless, we frequently found ourselves caught out over those two months, particularly when it came to discerning the difference between necessities and luxuries, something we suspect is a growing problem for those in developed societies. There are few clothes shops of any real quality here (those that are charge eye-watering prices) and so there was a practical need, on our part, to stock up. But we soon found ourselves browsing other 'essentials'. Early on in the trip, we noticed the rubber skins which people had attached to their laptops, in order to give them an extra layer of protection. We quickly resolved that we, too, needed these accessories, at a price tag of around $60 each. It was only when we had a sit-down in the shopping mall and reflected that we had not at any point in our time in Bolivia thought to ourselves 'What my computer really could so with is a new skin!' that we realised our misguidedness.

It's the oldest trick in the advertising book: to convince someone they have a need of something. But the convenience culture appears to be taking ever-deeper roots and we had to be careful not to fall victim to it. I sometimes wonder if people look at Amanda and I and think to themselves 'boy, they must be great people to be able to live and work in such a poor place as Bolivia'. If anything, I wonder at times if God put us here precisely to save us from ourselves!

I have rambled long enough. Back at the ranch, we're now settled and have been working a few days. Amanda has pretty much gone straight back into her old healthcare tasks, while I decided to start my teaching duties next week in order to give myself a week to get my educational materials and lesson plans in order. More on our work next week.

For now, our main item of prayer that we would wish to share with you is for a nurse at the foundation called Asalia, with whom Amanda is particularly close. A couple of weeks ago, with just weeks remaining in her first pregnancy, she went to hospital with high blood pressure. One thing led to another and, in the end, she tragically lost her baby, a girl. Unfortunately, while Asalia and her husband were in the hospital, someone stole their motorcycle, their only means of transport.

Amanda has been meeting with Asalia over the past week to provide comfort and a listening ear, and will continue to do so. Please pray especially for Asalia and her husband, who are not believers, as they come to terms with their loss, and for Amanda, that she'll be given the right words when the time is right to speak, and self-discipline when it isn't.

Prayer
• For our friend and colleague, Asalia, and for her family.
• For patience and grace as we settle back into a very different culture.

Praise
• For a restful couple of months in North America, and particularly the chance to be reunited with loved ones again.
• For safe travels back to Bolivia.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 30/07/11

This week's post comes to you from Santa Cruz, where we managed to arrive in one piece on Wednesday. We got a flight booked for Wednesday lunchtime, well ahead of the trial (on the Thursday) and a major protest march (on the Wednesday afternoon). But as it turns out, the trial itself didn't even end up taking place, with the Beni governor managing to force a postponement. All said and done, it gave us a full week here in the big smoke before our flight to Canada this coming Wednesday, the 3rd of July.

And we're making the most of it. As mentioned last week, we managed to get accommodation with the family of a missionary nurse (not doctor, as I mistakenly said last week) who Amanda had met on the boat trip. Their names are Bill and Bev Smith and they have three children: Nicholas, Jessica and Benjamin. Bev works in a missionary clinic here in Santa Cruz while Bill is a teacher at a school here for the children of missionaries. They themselves are on the point of heading to the US for a furlough year, but before that they're squeezing in another field trip, meaning that, since Friday morning, we've had the house to ourselves. We've already spent many a happy hour reading in their garden (the grass really is greener -- or, more to the point, existent -- in Santa Cruz) and Amanda's enjoyed the company of the dogs, though I'm in the bad books (doghouse?) as I won't let them lie on our bed.

Santa Cruz itself is a pretty good holding-cell for our transition to Western ways. While marked by the typical sprawl and chaos of a third world city, it's got a sizeable upper class and, in certain districts, provides the services they demand. Last night, for example, we went to see a film at a multiplex cinema, surrounded by designer clothes shops and a food court. We're just back in from having a snack at a coffee house in the main plaza that would not be out of place on Byres Road. The internet speeds are way faster than anything we've come across in Bolivia.

In so many ways, it's a cut above Trinidad, and yet, our heart is very much in our home city. Tears weren't quite shed, but as we said our farewells to friends over the last few days there, we realised just how blessed we have been, and in some respects came to see that many considered us greater friends to them than we had even realised. Ministries are important, but at the end of the day, it's the people that matter, and God has put so many of real value in our lives.

It's fair to say that, from January onwards, we've been more-or-less counting down the months, weeks, then days till Wednesday, but much as we enjoy living in Trinidad, we hadn't expected to be so sad. Yet more affirmation, I suppose, from the Lord of our ministry and our place in that particular corner of the globe right now.

We've taken the decision not to commit ourselves to weekly updates while in Canada -- our main news items could involve such hijinks as, say, finding a tiara that's shiny enough for Jessica's wedding. However, I get bored easily and could do with the company, so look out for sporadic updates over the next couple of months. And, of course, there's plenty you can be praying for, so see below for relevant points.

Finally, if you're in Canada, remember that we'll be visiting various churches, so have a look at the list below if you're interested in coming to hear us give a report. And if you can't make it to any of those, or if you just fancy a general natter, drop us a line and we'll look into touching base.

Wednesday, 10th of August
West Fifth Bible Chapel, Hamilton, 7pm

Wednesday, 14th of September
Markham Bible Chapel, 7.30pm

Thursday, 15th of September
Mount Albert Bible Fellowship, 8pm

Sunday, 25th of September
Rosslyn Ridge Bible Chapel, Ajax, 6pm

Prayer
• For Amanda as she oversees various aspects of the preparation for Jessica’s wedding on the 27th of August.
• For our church meetings, that we’d give a faithful and clear account of the Lord’s work in Trinidad.
• For our time with our respective families.
• For safety on the road and in the air.
• For time and space to reflect critically upon our first 18 months and plan for the future.
• For a good rest!

Praise
• For the Lord’s faithfulness to us since January 2010 (and, let’s be honest, way before then too).
• For getting out of Trinidad safely.
• For the opportunity to re-charge the batteries a little here in Santa Cruz.
• For the many friends out there, like yourself, who take time out to read our blog and pray for our ministry – your support is so crucial to what we do out here. Thank you once again.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 23/07/11

Well, something of a spanner has been hurled into the works of our departure plans, though having lived here for 18 months now, we really should have known better than to have made plans.

This coming Thursday, the governor of the Beni region is to stand trial, accused of bribery. So far, so Bolivia. Except that yesterday, we were informed that the last time a regional governor stood trial (in Pando, which neighbours Beni to the south), civil unrest gripped Trinidad and all major roads were blocked. Now our plan had been to leave here by overnight bus for Santa Cruz (where we will, Lord-willing, board our flight to Canada on the 3rd of August) next Sunday evening (the 31st). However, an indefinite blockade has already been announced from Thursday, the 28th. So we have opted, instead, to eliminate any risk, and aim to book a flight for Wednesday, the day before the trial. From what we know, airport workers can go on strike, but when this happens the airports tend to be militarised and flights go ahead.

This means that we'll be in Santa Cruz a full week before our flight to Toronto. However, we've managed to source accommodation with one of the missionary doctors Amanda worked with on the boat. We called her yesterday and she has very kindly agreed to put us up for the week. She and her husband are very busy with more trips, but they're happy to have us stay. So there's a big answer to prayer.

Anyway, Amanda is about to go into town as I type so please pray that she'd be able to secure us a couple of seats on a plane and that we'd be able to get to Santa Cruz safely and in plenty of time for our international flight.

All of this has, additionally, put the squeeze on our work schedule for this week. Leaving a few days earlier means, for example, that the church worship band will only get one more Sunday playing together under my leadership before they're on their own. There will be a dinner this coming Friday for all the 5-Day Club leaders -- obviously, I won't be attending that any more. I am on morning meditations this week, but, if we leave on schedule, the spot will have to be filled on Thursday and Friday. Amanda has had to bring forward an evening with some of her Sunday School girls. But this is obviously God's plan and we just continue to leave it with him and trust in his timing.

We both have a lot to do over the next few days to get everything ready for departure, so I'm going to leave it there for now this week, but thank you again for your interest and prayers and, God-willing, the next post will be from Santa Cruz itself.

Prayer
• For patience and productivity as we wade through a mammoth to-do list before leaving Trinidad
• For securing a means of travel to Santa Cruz, in good time to make our international flight.

Praise
• For the Lord’s gracious provision of accommodation for us in Santa Cruz.
• For finally obtaining our carnets (Bolivian I.D. cards) last week. Meant to mention this in the last post, but it slipped my mind. Anyway, having these makes life for foreigners here a lot easier, so definitely worth shouting about.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Sunday Post -- 17/07/11

Posting a little later than usual this week due to a packed Saturday, crowned by an early morning fishing trip. Having spent the week getting up at the crack of dawn to set off for the 5-Day Club in San Pedro (more on which later) the thought of another early start at the weekend did not exactly set the pulse racing. Furthermore, though enjoyable enough activities in themselves, I have tended to have as much success at these things as Rupert Murdoch has in crisis management. We've been fishing a couple of times since we arrived in Bolivia. The first time, the fish appeared to have taken a holiday, and the second time, well...this happened.

Nonetheless, the size of the catch was not of paramount importance as this was the first 'men-only' outing in the history of El Jireh church and, along with ten guys from the youth group, there were five old(er) codgers, yours truly included. In other words, an exciting opportunity to forge closer ties.

And even more excitingly for me, my early rise was thoroughly vindicated, as not only did I manage to bag myself the first fish (a piranha) of the day -- and, therefore, of my lifetime -- but I ended up catching 40% of the entire haul. Impressive, eh? Until you clock that the entire haul between 15 of us was a mere ten fish. Anyway, if you don't believe me, the photographic evidence, thanks to that man Kenny Holt, is on Facebook.

A couple of the younger guys on the trip had also been on the leadership team over the course of the 5-Day Clubs, and this last week saw the second, and final, club take place in San Pedro, an altogether different context than Trinidad. In terms of accessibility, it's a good hour's drive out of town, half of which covers a dirt road. Indeed, so keen was I on Monday to cut the journey time, that the left-hand shock on the car buckled under the pressure. FT kindly provided me with a hire car for the remainder of the week.

Though we've been there a number of times now (including a week last year) this week we learned a little more about just how closed the village is, in terms of gospel ministry. After the Trinidad club, we had been used to a steady rise in the attendance as the week progressed. In San Pedro, the numbers plummeted dramatically on the Tuesday. On Friday, we met the pastor of the sole non-Catholic church in town (average Sunday turn-out: 4 teenagers) who told us that, from experience, he would not be surprised at all if many of the kids who turned up on Monday were beaten by their parents for doing so.

Education is a further obstacle. Naturally, teachers are reluctant to settle out in the middle of nowhere, so the government sends newly-qualified teachers to such locales for the first two years after their training. Their relative inexperience, and the shockingly low quality of their training, make for very poorly educated children.

In spite of all these factors, and in spite of the increasing lethargy of the leadership team as a whole, the Lord worked and we reckon that about five children made a commitment, and that in the face of probable opposition at home. And, among the rest of the 40 or so children who came every day, an important seed was planted which we'll seek to nurture in coming months.

Before I sign off, readers in the vicinity of Markham might be interested to know that we confirmed a date to give a report at Markham Bible Chapel (Amanda's old church in Canada) on Wednesday the 14th of September at 7.30pm. That's in addition to the dates we already have confirmed, which were referred to in the last quarterly newsletter.

Prayer
• For the seeds sown among the children of San Pedro.
• For Craig as he preaches, in a few hours’ time, on John 6 (‘the bread of life’).

Praise
• For safety on the road this week.
• For the strengthened ties in the church between the grown-ups and the teenagers over the last fortnight, due to the 5-Day Clubs.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 09/07/11

First up, we hope everyone was finally able to get the newsletter this week. Apologies for the repeated attempts and inbox clutter -- hopefully, third time was a charm.

If you've had the chance to look at it yet, you'll have read, and seen, plenty related to Amanda's trip, which she has been hesitant to call 'fun', but it was certainly an eye-opener for her in terms of the potential of medical ministry.

Anyway, by Saturday evening, when she finally arrived, I was probably only in more need of a razor (her first words: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?!) and, pleasingly, while she found the trip beneficial, she confessed that a week was a bit of a stretch for her too. Perhaps if there's another trip I'll have the chance to tag along and join the ministry team. At least then she can keep me on beard-watch.

There was an extra special reason to look forward to our reunion in the shape of our anniversary on Thursday, which certainly had something of a developing-world-missionary spin to it. We wrapped up English class at 6pm, had a quick change and then drove across town to leave our laundry with a family we support. Off to the restaurant, where we enjoyed a great feed; a quick stop at our favourite ice cream shop (one of the few that use bottled water to make it); and back at the church by 8.30pm to drive home the kids whom we usually transport at the end of the Bible Study. If not quite a relaxing evening, we certainly did our bit for Bolivia's fuel industry.

The first week of the half-year school holidays is now at an end and, with it, the first week of the 5-Day Clubs. This week's club, which is a joint effort between FT and our church, El Jireh, took place at a school up the road from FT headquarters, and well over 100 kids came every day to sing, play games and hear the gospel explained clearly. It was a thrilling week on a couple of levels.


That's me leading the singing with some youth volunteers chipping in with the actions

First of all, the 5-Day Clubs in the past had generally been organised and run by a handful of willing adult missionaries and FT workers. But over the last year, regular visitors to the blog will probably have picked up on the real need for the discipleship in the community, particularly for the younger people. So the decision was taken three months ago to have a weekly training session for a group of 10 teenage believers, in order to leave far more responsibility in their hands, helping us older fuddy-duddies, but more importantly, training them up so that some day they'll be able to take charge of the club and other such ministries. It was terrific to witness at first-hand the growth of these teenagers as the week went on. People in this culture at all levels, sadly, simply flee from responsibility, making for a steep learning curve for the young people. Western expectations such as the importance of punctuality, for example, simply aren't a consideration for Benians. But after a shaky first day, they responded so well and we were greatly encouraged.


The facilities we had access to were packed out every day

And secondly, many of us had the privilege of praying with children as they accepted Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Right from the get-go, the prevailing mantra within the leadership team was that this week was completely God's work in which we had the privilege of serving, and we were greatly humbled to see him at work in spite of our weaknesses.

The whole thing, largely, went very smoothly, and the coming week offers an opportunity for lessons to be applied as we move on to the village of San Pedro, where the format of the club will remain the same, if not the demographics. A good education is hard enough to come by in cities like Trinidad -- in the country, forget it. So we'll be tweaking the teaching materials to suit. And as for punctuality, well, leaving Trinidad at 7.30am every morning will prove the defining test for any teenager!

Prayer
• For the coming week in San Pedro – particularly that we’d be guarded against complacency.
• For the children who accepted Christ as their saviour this week, particularly that they would be quick to tell others of their decision, that they would receive the support of their families and that we’d be able to maintain a contact with them.

Praise
• For the Lord’s work at this week’s 5-Day Club.
• For rest for Amanda this week following her river adventures.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 02/07/11

Well, that wasn't too bad, now, was it? Received word late last night that Amanda and the remainder of the boat team are due in to town this afternoon, one day earlier than billed, and my seven days of solitude are set to come to an end.

As expected, the week took care of itself with plenty of activity. I spent large chunks of the last few days preparing for my talk at this evening's youth group meeting and for the 5-day clubs (which start on Monday) as well as the usual lesson planning etc. More time was also available in the evenings to pursue pastimes. I caught up on reading, I continued with my rigorous piano practice regime, and I somehow managed to find a way to play N64 classic Zelda: Ocarina of Time on our Mac, a game that is just as rewarding (and time-consuming) now as it was when I was 16, acne-ridden and in study denial.

Oh, and I grew a big beard! Amanda hates 'em, so it'll be gone before sunset, but I felt I owed it to myself to take advantage of this week of solitude to see how I'm progressing in the man-stakes. Truth is, it's beyond shaggy now and the itch-factor has only increased over time, rendering sleep next to impossible. But I have achieved my goal, I now know the hitherto unknown, and perhaps one day, as I lie on my deathbed, I will be able to cast a dewy eye back, safe in the knowledge that after a week without a razor, I look a right numpty.


This is me pre-bedtime last night. A mere six hours' sleep ensued.

I bet I'm not the only person at this point thinking that I could really do with having Amanda back.

Meanwhile, Bolivia is still reeling from the shock of flirting with victory over Argentina in the Copa América's curtain-raiser, in what would have been a second consecutive win over its not-so-beloved, yet infinitely superior, neighbour down south. Messi, Tevez and co. had no answer for a delicious back-heeler that was guided into the net by one of the Argentinians. See video below. It was equalised on 77 minutes by Sergio Agüero. A much better start for the national team than anyone had expected. Anyway, I used the excuse of the game to catch up with a couple of guys from the youth group, one of whom, Alan, is leaving home this weekend to study in Cochabamba. He's a good friend of mine and I actually taught him when I was first in Trinidad back in 2000/2001. He's definitely a bit of a home-boy, but he's very able and could do with spreading his wings and seeing a world outside of Trinidad. Please pray for him as he settles there.



Prayer
• For safe travels for Amanda as she makes her way back to Trinidad today.
• For the fortnight of 5-day clubs, which begins this Monday. The first week is in Trinidad, the second week in the remote village of San Pedro. I’ll be in charge of music and will lead a small group. Obviously, it’s a very evangelism-focused programme, so would really appreciate all your prayers.

Praise
• For the Lord’s guidance as I preached last Sunday.
• For the Lord’s help to the boat team this week. There will be a lot more on that in our next newsletter, which is due out this week.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 25/06/11

That's me just back from town, having dropped Amanda off for her trip. If you've read last week's post and are currently double-taking, you read that correctly. The date for the boat trip had been pushed back from the Wednesday till the Saturday some time ago but nobody had gotten in touch with FT to notify us of the switch. It took some Bernstein & Woodward-like digging to get to the bottom of it all and and confirm the switch. Welcome to Bolivia! Anyway, the end date of the trip hasn't changed, meaning she'll only be away for a week now, thus our mutual suffering is somewhat eased.

That said, I have a packed week ahead: preaching tomorrow on the latter verses of John 5; preaching again next Saturday at the youth group; and a busy week at FT, including preparation for the 5-day clubs, which start a week on Monday. She'll be back in no time. And by then, there'll just be a month or so left for us here before our trip to Canada. Where's 2011 going?

As mentioned in the last post, this week was littered with holidays, making for a very stop-start rhythm. We didn't find out about the re-scheduled departure date till Monday, for example. Nonetheless, we had a very relaxed couple of days to ourselves and much reading was caught up on.

Right, apologies for the brevity, but I have a sermon to finish and a band practice to attend, so I'll leave it there for now.

Prayer
• For Amanda, on her journey there today and for the remainder of her trip on the boat.
• For discipline and openness to the Spirit as I prepare preaching material.

Praise
• For a refreshing break this week on our days off.
• For the Lord’s continued growth of our ministry as we reach the halfway stage in 2011.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 18/06/11

Here are some pictures from Día de la Santísima Trinidad, the big annual parade which was held yesterday. A few of these are of students from the school where I teach English on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It was a pleasure to go along and encourage them. More of these on my Facebook page.









Yesterday, everyone in town had tolerancia, i.e., permission to leave work from 10am in order to attend the festivities. Holidays tend to come in all at once here and this week is no exception. Yesterday's festivities kick off a weekend of celebrations, so Monday is a local holiday, nicknamed Día de la Recuperacíon (no Spanish degree required to work that one out). Day off #1. The following day, Tuesday, is not only the winter/summer solstice, depending on where you live, but also Aymara new year (the Aymara being an indigenous race here). Day off #2. And Thursday is the Catholic holiday of Corpus Christi, so, inevitably, that's a holiday too. Day off #3. Must say, accommodating everyone else's belief systems does at times have its upsides.

Adding to the weirdness of the approaching week will be the absence of Amanda from Wednesday morning onwards. Indeed, she won't be back round these here parts for 10 days or so. This week, along with three health colleagues from FT, she'll be joining a team of Canadians and Bolivians on a boat. I've asked her for specifics and, well, she's none the wiser! I've been reliably informed that she'll fly some kind of small plane to the place where the boat will leave and that the boat will go up a river. And that's really all she can tell me right now. I tell you, it's like being married to a CIA operative. Hopefully by next week I'll have more useful information. Anyway, while voyaging on the good ship something-or-other, she'll be putting her audiology skills to good use among the villagers that live in these extremely isolated communities.

I would cook for myself -- I do a mean line in eggs and bacon -- but thankfully our neighbours Kenny & Claudia have stepped in and will be keeping a seat spare at the lunch table. So I'll be nourished, but it'll be a tough old 10 days or so, easily the longest period we'll have spent apart in our marriage, so please pray for us.

On Tuesday past, we both got to go on a trip of a far smaller -- though no less meaningful -- scale, back to San Pedro, where, in our latest afternoon visit in advance of July's 5-day club, we were accompanied by a full team of health workers, including Amanda, who provided a series of check-ups on people in the community. It was the final visit before the club itself and another enthusiastic bunch of kids turned up, a little smaller this time, though the presence of the health team probably contributed to that -- both because of kids attending the check-ups, and the primal fear which exists in such remote communities, and this is no joke, of doctors coming and sticking needles in you. Anyway, the gospel was clearly shared once again and good foundations have been laid for July.

Prayer
• For Amanda as she sets off on her river trip on Wednesday, that she and the rest of the team would be a blessing to all they encounter and that they would be protected in all they do.
• For us as a couple as we spend an extended period apart.

Praise
• For the Lord’s guidance (and personal application) for Craig as he led this weeks meditations in Galatians 6:6-10, on ‘sowing and reaping’.
• For another beneficial visit to San Pedro on Tuesday and the groundwork laid for the 5-day club.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 11/06/11

Yippee -- a symmetrical date!

Will have to be briefer than usual this morning as we have a car mechanic friend coming round shortly to deal with a few issues Pedro has been having recently. However, it's been a good week all round. On Sunday morning the worship band did its first family service at the church. The important thing, as I stressed to the guys over and over again, was gaining the experience. Mistakes would occur; the test was how each musician reacted. And, I have to say, they came through with flying colours. In many ways I was too caught up in the technicalities to gain a balanced perspective on the situation, but many people have commented on the visible lift it was to people to have a group of their own leading them in worship.

Of course, the longer-term issue is our two-month break in August and September, and the work towards that starts this morning, when we'll start practising a batch of relatively simple songs that they can use while we're away.

Hours later, the excitement over the band had died down somewhat, as Amanda picked up a virus and spent Monday in a poor state. However, she was brilliantly attended to by her fellow health workers and by Monday evening the change was visible, such that she felt able to return to work the next day.

Work this week has been dominated by the monthly meetings of the various areas of FT and some important decisions have been made as part of that -- we praise the Lord for his guidance. At Wednesday's Health meeting, it was confirmed that Amanda would be heading off on an Amazon boat trip with three other health workers and a team of Bolivians and Canadians from the 22nd of June till the 2nd of July. More on that next week!

Please accept my apologies once again for a relatively short update, but we hope that, above all, there's enough here to keep you informed in your prayers. For which, many, many thanks.

Prayer
• For the second pre-visit to San Pedro, which takes place this Tuesday, ahead of July’s 5-Day Club there.
• For Amanda as she makes preparations for her impending boat trip.

Praise
• For the Lord’s guidance in our various meetings at work this week.
• For a tremendous first Sunday morning service with the worship group.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 04/06/11

Monday sees the anniversary of the Normandy landings, but for myself and a few young guys in the church, who have been busily rehearsing for the past couple of months, D-Day falls tomorrow as we finally debut what, we hope, will be a staple of the church for some years to come: a worship band. No longer will a lone white missionary with a guitar take sole charge of the church music. Don't get me wrong: as any worship leader will tell you, mine is a privileged task. But one day, we're going to have to leave this place, and it's great to be able to lay a foundation for the future of the church here in Trinidad. Please pray for these young men as they take on these responsibilities, and particularly that they will be suitably equipped to lead the church music in my two-month absence later this year.

One of the guitarists in the band is not only a church regular but also part of the administrative personnel at Fundación Totaí. His name is Wilson and he's a Bolivian male, alright. He laughs like a hyena. Friendly insults positively cascade from him. His favourite form of greeting is a well-aimed punch to the arm. As you can imagine, the banter quotient is high and I've certainly found him entertaining to be around at work.

Yesterday was his birthday and the staff were all invited round for an impromptu bash at his home in the early evening. Much to my surprise, before tucking into the food (a typically Bolivian evening spread of empanadas -- fried pastries which contain meat, chicken or cheese -- and coffee), Wilson, in front of his friends and family, asked me if I'd say grace for the food. It was a moment that really gave me pause. Not because it may have drawn attention to any supposed worthiness on my part to fulfil such an act (I have none) but because I realised that, underneath the several layers of blokiness, Wilson clearly saw me as a positive influence in his Christian walk. And yet, how much deeper our relationship could be if I'd taken the time to engage him in the things that matter now and again.

So I'm resolved this morning to make a greater effort with folk like Wilson -- people who come from difficult, secular backgrounds and who therefore need the few Christian influences in their life to be a friend to them and at the same time, keep the friendship 'stayed upon Jehovah'.

The surgical campaign which ended last Tuesday had yielded something of a mini-break in the afternoons, as the Community classes can't take place during surgery due to the effect of the noise levels on the operating theatres immediately below. This week we were back to the full schedule, with still more new faces turning up in the afternoons. In the last couple of weeks, some children have started coming from the men's prison again, the first time we've had kids from there for a good year or so. While we regret that they have to stay there with their families, we rejoice that they're able to get away for a couple of hours in the week to a safe and positive environment.

Finally, they say that sunrise and sunset are 'the golden hours' for photographers. On Tuesday, I woke up to complete darkness at 5am, in order to drive health volunteer and bird enthusiast Sean into the local countryside. I arrived back at work at 8.30am, simultaneously humming "How Great Thou Art" and wondering why on earth I don't put myself through such blissful sleep-denial more often. Selected highlights on the post below.

Prayer
• For the newly-formed worship band, as we humbly lead the church in the music tomorrow.
• For Amanda’s time with the young women on the youth leadership team this afternoon. It’s the first time she’s done something like this with them. She’s hoping simply to encourage them and pray with them, and to maintain this as a regular activity.
• For energy levels, as we keep ourselves busy in various activities at the church and at FT.

Praise
• For the way God is highlighting to us opportunities we never knew existed in our workplace for evangelism and discipleship, such as Wilson this week and the aforementioned Liria.
• For the exciting opportunity to reach more kids from the men’s prison at the Community classes.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda