Saturday Post -- 26/05/2012

Firstly, this is Amanda writing the blog this week. The point was reached where Craig could no longer handle the absolute disaster that is the inside of our car, so bright and early this morning he was off to get it detailed. Therefore, I am at home with some peace and quiet to share with you my perspective of events over the last three or four weeks... and in all seriousness, it is something that I have been wanting to do for a while. 

Continuing on with what Craig mentioned about my impromptu trip to Santa Cruz last week, I would like to let you all know I am perfectly fine. The week before I was still in a lot of pain, not from the surgery, but from the treatment I am on, but my trip to the doctor last weekend was very beneficial. He made what adjustments he could to alleviate any discomfort, but also assured himself that everything seemed perfectly normal and that some women just find this process more uncomfortable than others. I know I am being vague about treatment, etc. without ever having defined what treatment or process this is, and while I am completely open to sharing with pretty much anyone who wants to know, some people might find this information a bit of an over-share and maybe even a little gross. However, if you would like more information about the specifics for prayer or interest's sake please e-mail or Facebook me and I would be happy to inform you with more details. But the end of it all is that I feel so much better. Although at the time I wasn't convinced the adjustments had done anything, I truly feel better and am glad I went and had everything checked over. He wants to see me again for another check-up in 2-3 weeks' time. 

I also feel better mentally as well... I think in the midst of the surgery and decisions we were moving and living on adrenaline. Everything happened so fast, with our initial appointment with the doctor on Thursday and my surgery on Saturday and loads of tests, poking and prodding in between. We were very much at peace about consulting the doctor and were already aware of the potential for investigative surgery before we went, so we were very comfortable with the pace with which everything moved. Having never had surgery before, in the moment I was also determined to view it as an adventure... I was not concerned with the surgery itself, but I have to admit that I was a bit worried about general anaesthesia. I could not wrap my head around one minute being awake and another minute waking up having missed the whole thing. Now looking back on that part of the procedure, I still think, "Whoa... weird..." One minute the doctor was asking how I was feeling and the next I was in recovery desperately needing to pee. I was so proud that, even half-conscious, I was able to remember to speak in Spanish, though it was basic Spanish because, "I need to pee" is not all that difficult to say... over and over and over again. However, the word "catheter" was one I didn't know... so I just decided to say it over and over again in English probably really confusing the nursing staff. 

Even after the surgery, for the remainder of our time in Santa Cruz, despite the pain and bed-rest, I continued to feel like Craig and I were on an adventure and kind of felt like I was being spoilt because everything was being done for me. I do admit to cheating a bit in the recovery process... surgery was the Saturday and Monday night we went to the movies... it had to be done. I was walking really slowly, so we left early enough to make up for my hunched over, elderly lady-like gait and went to see The Avengers on the big screen... something we can't do in Trinidad. And while I was a bit uncomfortable near the end of the film, it was worth it. I remember sitting down and thinking about what movie seats used to be like and was so grateful that they had advanced to be so comfortable over the years... they are way more comfortable than airplane seats. 

However, we returned to Trinidad on the Wednesday morning and I tried to keep busy to not think about the implications of the whole previous week... laundry, sweeping out the house, etc. I even went to work the next day, where I learnt I was not actually supposed to be doing those things and I should be actually lying down...and about halfway through the morning I agreed with them. I was wiped out. And the constant activity since returning had made things a lot more painful than they probably needed to be. So Thursday afternoon I stayed in bed, with instructions to not do anything even in the house. And while Bones season 4 kept me busy for that weekend, I couldn't really not think about everything that had happened.

I can't have kids naturally... people talk about so many things, but infertility is not one of them. No one tells their daughters that one day they may or may not grow up to be mothers, because they may or may not be able to have children. And while all women who start to try to have a baby acknowledge that "infertility" is out there, no one really thinks that it's going to be their problem... or least I didn't. I was born one month and two days before my parents' first anniversary, so obviously my parents didn't have problems; why would I? I struggled, and still do a little, with feeling a bit like a failure as a woman -- isn't our basic biological purpose to reproduce? -- and I struggled with sadness because I really want a child... but God has taught me a lot over the last couple of weeks and I have felt really helped and encouraged.

Firstly, I changed my perspective from blaming God to accepting that my body is the way it is because there is sin in the world. Like any other disease, my body is less than perfect from original sin and I know that there a lot more people out there struggling with illnesses a lot graver than mine. Actually, when the doctor came into the room looking really stressed and concerned I was worried he found something a lot more serious and when I specifically asked about tumours he said, "Oh no... we didn't find anything you're going to die from." And I remember my relief was so palpable... and I remember thinking that anything else he was going to say would be OK. So really, physically, I am OK... and praise God for that. And God is still good even though my body doesn't work 100% like it should, even though there are people we love who have diseases like cancer, and even though there is war and starvation in our world. God is good. 

Secondly, I started reading Radical by David Platt... and I am really enjoying it so far. One of the many things he touches on is that our salvation and faith is not and cannot be centred around ourselves. If someone asks what is the centre of Christianity, he says, and I agree with him, that many people would respond with "That God loved me and sent his Son to save me from my sins". But he goes on to explain how this definition leaves the focus of Christianity on us... it becomes all me, me, me, me... he suggests that the definition should be something more along the lines of "God loved me and sent His Son to save me from my sins to glorify His name." He cites many examples throughout scripture which all essentially boil down to the fact that God works and acts in and through us to glorify Himself in this world... therefore, my purpose is to glorify God. I can still be a functioning, productive woman of Christ whether or not I can have children, because my main purpose is to give glory to God. Even more than that, God can use this situation and my less than perfect body for His glory... and even more than that, I want Him to. 

Ephesians 3:20 is a special verse for me and I have been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of weeks... if my desire is that God uses me for His glory, and He can do abundantly more than I can ask or imagine... then I should expect Him to do just that with this situation in a way that is bigger than I can even comprehend. I have to expect Him to work in this situation without trying to guess how... I can't assume that it means He will give us children, but I can expect Him to be glorified and that has given me a  lot of comfort this past couple of weeks. 

OK, this is long... and I am not now going to go into detail about our week. I will say we worked... I did work a full week this week... Audiology in the morning and more flexible work in the afternoons, including house visits. I was invited to a charity event for the rich and famous women of Trinidad where I met loads of new women... and won a photoshoot with a professional photographer in the raffle. Craig's English class had their exam for their second unit... and he's been busy this week with land stuff... we'll call it stuff, because I don't know what it really is called. He spoke at church last Sunday and will be speaking at youth group tonight. Next week, we'll give a more detailed look at what our week was like. I just wanted to share some thoughts instead this week. 

Prayer

• Craig as he speaks at youth group tonight about God's strength in our weaknesses. We're also finishing the unit on service in the "Purpose Driven Life", so pray that the young people have been impacted with the whole concept of service.
• The continual, unseasonal rain which is making life inconvenient for us and much more so for people with less secure housing.

Praise

• A continued sense of peace for us both as God reveals His plans for us in terms of having a family, and that this experience has only made our marriage stronger.
• Making new contacts and building on previous relationships at the charity event this past Thursday night.
• A wonderful house visit with great questions and conversation with my friend Mary, who some of you might remember as a contact through the English classes. 

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 19/05/12

I woke up this morning (cue harmonica!) to that strangest of sensations in our marriage: an empty bed. Fear not, readers, I'm not in trouble, it's just that Amanda has had to make a speedy (and hopefully brief) return to Santa Cruz today, and we are spending a rare day apart. She was promised pain in the weeks following her surgery, however, she called the clinic yesterday to give them the current lie of the land, and it was suggested she see the doctor as soon as she could. It's in situations like these that our distance from a major city is keenly felt. We're really hoping they will have sympathy for our geographical restrictions, address whatever issues have arisen today, and allow Amanda to get on the bus tonight and get home again. 

Amanda has more-or-less stuck to her bed-rest regime, though on Monday, she was summoned to 'action' by a director with a deadline -- that would be me. Strathaven Evangelical Church -- where I grew up and where my parents are still based -- are hosting a fundraising lunch in the coming weeks for FT's Education ministry and they asked us if we would mind making a short video for them. So, having spent some time prepping a shooting script, we set out on Monday afternoon, taking advantage of our day off to film ourselves talking to a camera and, much more interestingly, one of our Education staff at work in the classroom. 

That was the easy part. Editing took a couple of long evening sessions (quicker than I'd anticipated) and then came the moment upon which we had suspected the whole project would stand or fall: uploading it to the internet. You may be aware that net speeds here are not exactly Senna-like, and so we prepared ourselves for long, tortuous hours of trying, trying and trying again -- not helped by the network's propensity to shut itself down every so often.

Anyway, after two whole nights (no kidding!) of uploading, we got there in the end, and hopefully when the congregation at SEC have to endure our Cinemascope mugs (speak for yourself, Craig), they'll at least appreciate the effort that went in.

Despite heavy downpours all week (rain in Bolivia, like snow in the UK, has a tendency to shut everything down) it's been a productive week, with some really enjoyable teaching sessions. In the English class, Tuesday's lesson on 'Comparisons' generated a good few laughs at my expense, much to the delight of the students, with whom we've developed a tremendous working relationship this year, a real bunch of hard workers. And this week's R.E. classes touched on John 3 and 4, in which Jesus meets Nicodemus (a 'good man') and the Samarian (a 'bad woman'); the pupils took on board well the key lesson from both examples: we all need a Saviour.

News is positive, too, on the land front. After weeks of paper-chasing, we are now in the final stages of registering the land as our property, with our architect now submitting his own plans to the authorities. The way things are going, we could be looking at finally breaking ground on the house within a month. Add to the mix our continued family-planning deliberations, and 2012 is looking like a pivotal year for us.

Prayer

• For Amanda in Santa Cruz, that she would be given quick, but sensible, answers to her problems, and that she would return home soon in one piece.
• For Craig as he preaches on Psalm 3 tomorrow morning.

Praise

• For our video negotiating the choppy waters of the Bolivian internet and making it to the relevant parties in the UK.
• For a positive week in the classroom, and in our land registry.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 12/05/12

We're back home in Trinidad now, delaying our return till Wednesday, under doctor's orders.

Amanda is recovering well from her surgery. She was discharged, as expected, on Sunday lunchtime and has spent most of her time since then resting (with the exception of a brief shift on Thursday morning in audiology -- not a great idea!).

On Tuesday, we had our post-surgery sit-down with the doctor and it all boils down to one crucial fact: we can't get pregnant by traditional means. This leaves us with a decision to make as to whether we pursue non-traditional methods of conception, and based on the diagnosis, the doctor believes this is a decision we need to make sooner rather than later.

Tuesday could have been a day of real emotional devastation for us. But we faced the appointment with calmness, considered its implications in a composed manner, and went to bed that night with an overwhelming sense of peace, that God is in control and that he has a great plan for our life as a couple and as a family. I share this not to draw attention to our emotional fortitude (would that we had it!), but rather to the very real impact of your prayers for us over the past week as friends and family. We felt truly 'uplifted' throughout and it is our own prayer that God will draw near to you all in a similar vein in whatever trials you currently face.

Since coming back, my stints behind the desk have been as few as they have been brief, with a lot of bureaucracy still to sift through for our land purchase. Thankfully, things are just about there now and we met our architect yesterday, who is raring to go on the house. 

You may remember my band-mate and work colleague Wilson Menacho, with whom I have been meeting once a week for the past couple of months to pray together. Wilson, who is not much younger than me, is the father of two young children, and someone who has increasingly grown in confidence over the past few months, not least due to his capable chairing of the musical slots at church. Unlike a lot of guys in this culture, he takes his faith seriously and reads his Bible with reflection, evidenced by the devotional times he has chaired with us as his fellow band-mates.

A few weeks ago, as youth leaders, we were drawing up the teaching schedule for the following two months, and it became clear to us that this would be a great opportunity to invite Wilson to contribute and encourage him in his growth. So, tonight, Wilson will be speaking on the theme of 'The Nature of a Servant' from The Purpose Driven Life. Please pray for Wilson tonight. We could do with more guys like him in the church, and we hope this will be an important step for him along his spiritual path.

Prayer

• For continued post-surgery recovery for Amanda, and energy for myself, as I temporarily see to the multitude of tasks she so ably tends to in the house!
• For wisdom and guidance as we work through the post-surgery implications.
• For Wilson (see above).

Praise

• For the overwhelming sense of peace we are experiencing in the face of these difficult circumstances. 
• For continued progress in our housing project.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 05/05/12

Writing from Santa Cruz this morning, where we travelled to on Wednesday evening to attend to 'a couple of important matters', as I put it in last week's post. At the same time, we were keen to keep those motives to ourselves. However, there comes a point when it's useful to give prayer partners a better idea as to what to pray for, and this morning, that time has most certainly come.

For the first couple of years of marriage, we didn't much give having a family a thought. Perhaps it was something to do with our urban locale, or our friendship groups at that time. However, almost as soon as we arrived in Bolivia back in early 2010, that desire to have children increased significantly (maybe it's something in the water!). 

However, in the last two years or so, we have learned that we are one of those couples for whom having children is not all that straightforward. And yes, while two years is a relative drop in the ocean for certain couples, we have been curious as to why it hasn't happened at this relatively fertile stage of our lives.

An exacerbating emotional factor is added to the mix in Bolivia. Back in the UK, we have contemporaries who have had children for a few years now, but that is in a culture where people increasingly wait well into their 30s to conceive, and we know that there would be zero peer-pressure from our friends. But here in Bolivia, having children at times feels like the national pastime. Indeed, one of the sadder aspects of our ministry is that, when we hear the word 'pregnant', it more often than not carries with it negative connotations of promising young lives going to waste. People here, in the church as much as anywhere else, simply cannot conceive of an inability to conceive, and barely a month goes by without someone asking us, with nothing but good intentions, "Why aren't you pregnant yet?"

We don't need the interrogations -- it's a question we've been asking ourselves for a long time. So in March, on our way to Costa Rica, we decided to do something about it, visiting a urologist we know in Santa Cruz, who went over the diagnostic treatment which could be carried out. In the end, we opted for a fertility clinic which we learned about largely through word-of-mouth. Amanda booked an appointment for Thursday morning, and that's why we're here.

But while I write to you from our guesthouse, Amanda has just woken up at the clinic, where she is awaiting exploratory, diagnostic surgery at 11.45am (4.45pm UK time, 11.45am in Toronto). It turned out that she has some complicating factors and what the doctor wishes to do is address those and, while he's at it, see if there are any more. I could go into a lot more detail (you should have seen Amanda's email to our parents!) but I reckon that's enough for you to be praying with. Like any surgery, complications could arise, but we're confident this will be a relatively straightforward procedure.

I will leave it at that for now as I have a clinic-bound bus to catch. We really appreciate your prayers at this time and thank you all so much for your interest in us.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!


Craig & Amanda


Update: While I was travelling over to the clinic, Amanda texted me to tell me she'd been moved up the queue, so she's in surgery right now (9am in Bolivia) meaning you can pray right away!

Saturday Post -- 28/04/12

On Sunday night I arrived back at our flat from a friends house to find a scene of wanton disarray. Tissues littered here and there. Puddles on the floor. A wife in some distress. Yes, Amanda's chick-flick night was a roaring success!

Actually, it doubled as a baby shower for one of the participants of Amanda's young women's Bible study group, who is due next month. There were, in all, ten of them in attendance, including a special guest appearance -- all the way from Scotland! -- by Rachel Peebles, who has been paying Trinidad a visit over the last couple of weeks. Rachel worked with FT and El Jireh for many years before heading home in December 2010; on Tuesday evening we had the chance to spend some personal time with her and enjoyed the chance to catch up on her news.

It's been a busy old week. On Sunday morning I preached on John 21 and used the passage as a platform for the church to think about missions. I tried to challenge the pre-conceived notions in this part of the world that missionaries are white people who come to Bolivia, rather than Bolivians impacting their nation and the world for Christ. I shared with them some of our experiences in Costa Rica, where we learned about, and witnessed, a vibrant missionary community among the natives. Some 20 years ago, there were virtually no missionaries leaving Costa Rica. Today, they are all over the world and in some parts, being a Latin American is actually advantageous for them. You won't find many white missionaries, for example, in the Middle East, where the caucasian appearance translates as 'American'. Latin Americans, however, don't have such an obstacle to overcome. With this information in mind, I challenged the church to believe that our own congregation had an important role to play in world missions. 

On Tuesday morning, our first working day of the new week, Amanda held her first morning prayer meeting at the Foundation. As the week progressed, we were encouraged to see some other workers, and not just missionaries, turning up to pray for the Foundation, and particularly the board, who meet at that time every day. 

The R.E. classes in local schools were somewhat disrupted by education strikes this week. But it was business as usual for my English classes, which are run from FT headquarters. On Thursday, at the 'Biblical Application' lesson, the focus was the Bible itself, its basic structure, its teachings, and its significance for Christians. Having recently been donated a large supply of Bibles by an anonymous Canadian donor, we asked if there was anyone who didn't have a Bible and who would like to read it. Four people responded positively and took a brand new Bible home with them!

We have mentioned over the last few weeks our continued developments and setbacks re. land and we asked you to pray for this last week. We don't wish to go into too much detail, however, let's just say that things didn't work out quite as planned this week (they rarely do in Bolivia) but they may actually have taken a significant turn for the better. 

Your continued prayers would be appreciated for that and for this Wednesday night, when we will be travelling to Santa Cruz. We have a couple of important matters to attend to there which we couldn't really put off any longer. We would appreciate your prayers for safety on the road and for progress on these matters in Santa Cruz, which we would prefer to keep private right now. It may be the case that we have to stay there over the weekend, but we will aim to post next Saturday regardless.

Prayer

• For the message Craig preached on Sunday, that the call to take the good news to the nations would take hold in lowly Trinidad.
• For the English students who took Bibles home, that they would read it and seek to understand its message.
• For our land situation and for our travels to Santa Cruz, that we would be able to accomplish what we have to do there.

Praise

• For the chance to, quite literally, share the Word with the English students.
• For the staff involvement in Amanda's morning prayer meetings.
• For Amanda's burgeoning ministry among the young women of the church.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 21/04/2012

Hello again... it's Amanda!!!! Craig has quite the busy weekend in front of him, so I have offered to write the blog this week. This probably means fewer clever references, less humour, and a lot more "..." everywhere. I generally tend to type as I would speak or think... and there are very rarely full stops in my mind... just one long rambling idea, that's connected to another long rambling idea. I actually had a friend once tell me that I had to start using paragraphs in my e-mails because she couldn't follow my train of thought. If there are not a lot of "..." in this post, it means Craig has edited them out.

Moving on to a new paragraph then... I have had lots of comments about our new baby girl Pinky this week. Firstly, I would have chosen to spell it "Pinkie" because I like the "ie" better than the "y", but as Craig and I hadn't discussed this and he went and posted it last week with a "y", there is nothing I can do about it. It is true for my own name as well... if I ever allowed anyone to call me Mandie... I would want it with an "ie", not a "y". But no one is allowed to call me Mandie. Anyways, Pinky has had a rough week... poor girl has been sick. She apparently got bitten by something... possibly a snake or poisonous bug and has been running a fever all week and broke out in a red rash for three days. She's seen the vet three times and has to go back today for a checkup. She is still not eating well... and I am essentially sticking the food in her mouth, though we think she's more active this morning... she still has a fever though. The vet said it's because the venom is still in her system. But on the other hand... the two of us (me and Pinky), walked all the way from the vet's to the bank (7-8 blocks) and she was amazing. I have never had a dog walk next to me, well, ever... keeping up with me, never pulling the lead, perfectly content just to walk with me. She was awesome!!! She loves trips in the car and playing with the other dogs... she's so cute. 

Well, I shall now move on as some people might not think this information is important. I would like all of you to know that we have still managed to keep working effectively in ministry despite the appearance of our new baby girl Pinky... so don't get worried. I do sometimes have to take my work outside and look up frequently wondering, "Has she peed yet?". I know Craig has taught all his English and Religious Studies classes this week... and the classes at the local school have been extended another 20 minutes. Apparently all the classes got let out 45 minutes early this Friday for the funeral of the mother of one of the teachers... all the classes except Craig's, who wouldn't tolerate such laziness. I bet they don't like him too much... hehehe. In the Biblical Application section of the English classes we looked at the Trinity this week... and I learnt a new English work "triune". Okay, I've probably heard it before... but it is definitely not a popular English word. I learnt the Spanish equivalent too... "trino". Probably not going to use that any time soon either... 

Paragraph 4... I know what I did this week a whole lot better though, so let's focus on that, shall we... firstly, the Women's Group met again on Tuesday night and that was really encouraging. We were talking about the goals that the Bible gives to us as Christians... and we were talking about how we are called to not be ashamed of the gospel. One woman, who is a new Christian, talked about how its hard for her to share her new faith with her Catholic family because they harass her constantly and she doesn't have all the answers to give back to them. They were making her feel bad for eating red meat over Easter and she was trying to explain the difference between traditions for tradition's sake and how what God really want for us is to live without sinning, and she used the example of not fighting amongst themselves. The reply she got from her sister was essentially that she has no idea where she gets these ideas from because the Bible clearly says not to eat red meat and doesn't say anything about not fighting with each other! So we as a group had the chance to encourage her in her attempts to witness to her family. We emphasised the importance of reading our Bibles so that we know what it says... and we also emphasised that she's not the only one to have experienced that. We have all let opportunities to share our faith pass us by, or not had an answer to someone's criticism. 

It actually made me think about how much easier to is for me as a "missionary" here... I have this label that I can't get rid of or ignore. I am quite blatantly a Christian, openly stating that my goal here is to share the gospel with whomever I can. But the truth is, when I didn't have this label "missionary" hanging over me, I wasn't nearly so open about my faith. My faith was real and important, but I can't even remember all the times I let opportunities slide by me in the two years I worked at the doctor's office in Scotland... and it had me wondering what I would be like if I went back to that situation now without my missionary label to break the ice for me. Do I really feel more passionate about the gospel now or is it just because it is easier here? I would like to think I have changed... but I want to remember this thought as a challenge to myself when we do go home.

Moving on... I was able to have a really great chat with one of the nurses this week. I learnt a lot more about her and shared my vision for the future ministry here as well. She is not a believer, but she sees the difference in the Foundation as a Christian organisation versus the state run hospitals here and that means a lot to her. Working in Audiology gives me a good metaphor to share with people the importance of the gospel... I sometimes say something along the lines of, "What's the point of giving someone a hearing aid and helping them hear, if we're not then telling them something of value to listen to?" In reality, their hearing aid is not going to much good to them after death. At times, I feel this particular nurse is someone who agrees with you verbally in a conversation without actually stopping and thinking if they really agree with you, however, I was encouraged to have had this conversation.

And on Friday afternoon I made a home visit to a woman whom we've written about before named Mary... she accepted Christ a while ago, but is having a hard time getting to church regularly because her husband is back in town and is concerned she's become a fanatic. I am going to pick her up tomorrow morning with her children as he's just really been denying her money to get to church on a taxi, but please pray that he doesn't put any more barriers in front of her attendance. She wants to go to continue to learn and grow in her faith and is finding life at home right now really stifling. We were going through her answers in the first Emmaus book and while there are some things she accepts so readily on faith, she struggles with the concept of Jesus being the only way to salvation because there are so many other religious faiths out there and how can they all be wrong. We went to John 14:6 and talked about that... and I used the example that if I say and really believe that the yellow flower is red, that doesn't change the fact that the yellow flower is yellow. Please pray for her in her faith right now.

And one more thing... I am starting a morning prayer meeting at the Foundation. I felt that the workers in the Foundation could do a lot more to support the board of directors in a practical way -- and what could be more practical and powerful than prayer. So every morning from 8:15-8:30 we're going to have drop-in prayer meeting. Probably some mornings it'll just be me (I would like to think Craig will come), but I would like to encourage others to understand and tap into the power of prayer. 

So... 

Prayer

• Mary as she works through her faith and as she chooses to be a witness to her husband.
• The new morning prayer meeting at the Foundation.
• Craig as he preaches tomorrow on John 21:1-14.
• Keep praying for our land dealings. This week we are due to both complete the purchase of the plot we agreed to buy last week, and get our refund for the two plots we 'bought' last year. Please pray that everything goes to plan.

Praise

• The chance to speak with América (the nurse) about my faith a bit more this week.
• Pinky's apparent recovery (although, this could still be a prayer item as well).

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 14/04/12

Say hello to my little friend!

Meet the latest addition to the family. Her name's Pinky and she's...well, we don't really know what she is. She first showed up around our neighbourhood a couple of months ago and a weird pink growth in her eye earned her her monicker. But she's a puppy so, by definition, Amanda took to her.

We came back from Costa Rica to some sad, if not entirely surprising, news: that Gemma, the old rottweiller we'd inherited from Diego & Jo back in December, had passed away. She died at peace and full of years. However, with one less mutt to look after, Amanda was keen to recruit a replacement.

For some time now, we've actually been keen on the idea of a house dog. However, good house dogs here cost a small fortune -- there's no way we could justify shelling out hundreds of dollars on a Yorkie (mmmm, Yorkies!). So, in a rare moment of inspiration, I suggested taking the Pinkster off the street, getting her properly bathed and vaccinated, and giving her a new home. 

Well, one week later, the rest is now history -- just like the mosquito netting on our porch windows, an old ring binder and a sock. Inevitable chewing bad-habits aside, however, she's been largely well-behaved and has carried out her business in appropriate workspaces.

We have a more important development (sorry, Amanda!) to relay to regular readers this week. Two years ago we agreed to buy two plots of land where we intended to build our home. Upon completion of payment, last October, we began what should have been a relatively short process of finalising the paperwork which said it now belongs to us. Alas, due to a smorgasbord of errors on the part of the vendor, combined with a complete unwillingness to do anything about it, we were still waiting, six months on. 

On Monday we decided enough was enough and called the vendor in Santa Cruz to request our money back. Her reaction, alas, was one of relief rather than remorse (most painful of all in this whole process has been the fact that she calls herself a Christian). However, the bottom line is that she was happy to refund us.

We then did what we really should have done a long time ago, and got in touch with our ever-dependable architect, to ask him if he might know of any other land for sale in our part of town. Well, within a day, Edwin turned up, told us to get in the car and follow him. We needn't have driven. The plot was a solid 3-wood from our balcony on a street which, while still largely uninhabited, is fully connected in terms of electricity and water.

So we have made a verbal agreement to buy the plot and the landowner is coming down next week from nearby Santa Ana to process the paperwork with us. And Edwin is going back to the drawing-board to make the requisite tweaks to the plans (for example, our house will have to be rotated 90º due to the street layout, meaning the location of the large porch windows will also have to be adjusted to take advantage of the prevailing north-west wind. You get all that?).

We are, then, grateful that this solution has presented itself so quickly, while trying not to get too excited. We have certainly been burnt in this process by depending on promises which didn't reach their fulfilment. However, we are encouraged that Edwin, who hasn't yet put a foot wrong, can vouch for the landowner. Please keep praying for the housing situation, then, and for the following.

Prayer

• For Craig's schools work. This has been one of those typically Bolivian much-interrupted weeks, with only one of the three classes having a lesson. However, once we get going, we'll be knee-deep in the Gospel of John, so please pray for understanding of the key themes for the students.
• For Amanda and her fellow 'Bible Explorers' (formerly Sunday School) colleagues as they organise a special 'Day of the Child' event at the church this afternoon.

Praise

• For a terrific Easter service at the church last week. The youth group took charge of most of the programme and did a great job. There were a few visitors too, so please pray for the impact of the message on them.
• For a relatively straightforward first week back behind our respective desks.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 07/04/12

Pura vida! So goes the customary greeting/farewell in Costa Rica, where we spent a quite marvellous week or so, living it up on the beach and, of course, attending LAM Canada's 50th anniversary conference.

We had a full two weeks off work and so, with our outward flights not due to depart till the early hours of the Tuesday morning, we opted to take the sleep-depriving overnight bus to Santa Cruz, arriving on the Saturday morning. While there, we touched base with Enoel and Lisa Suárez. Not sure if Enoel's had a mention here before, but he is the key figure in organising the missionary boat river trips in the Beni region, one of which Amanda took part in last June. And Enoel took advantage of our visit to begin the arm-twisting for this year in earnest. Watch this space.

We, on the other hand, took advantage of Santa Cruz, a thoroughly unremarkable city, in our usual manner: making the most of those amenities which Trinidad has none of. We visited one of our favourite restaurants in Bolivia, where 'salad' is not a swearword. We took in a film at the multiplex ('Safe House', Denzel Washington action-thriller-by-numbers, and a grave threat to my ability to hear). And we spent a day hanging out at one of my favourite places in Bolivia, Café 24, just off the main plaza, where we enjoyed high-speed internet, good food and a United victory on the telly, in an establishment with a very European feel to it.

Like Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, we flew through the night to Costa Rica, arriving at 9am in the capital, San José. However, our exhaustion was quickly forgotten as we got to know our chauffeurs, Ken & Sue Vissers, who are currently serving in Honduras but who had a camp ministry in Costa Rica. Think Abernethy Trust in the UK or Pioneer Camp in Canada and you have an idea as to the nature of their ministry. Anyway, the Visserses (?) were keen to touch base there again, so we were whisked in their mini-van to a height of 8,500 feet to La Cumbre (The Summit). In a glorious valley high in the mountains,  we saw what happens when you dream big, pray, and train up local leaders to run with a ministry themselves. It was pretty inspiring. We were also met there by Allan & Rhoda Holt, who lead short-term teams to Latin America and who, like ourselves, had arrived a few days ahead of the conference.

Ken Vissers, back where it all began

A river running through the campsite

Much though we enjoyed the quasi-Scottish hillside setting, there was only one place we wished to visit: a beach, any beach. When you live in a land-locked country for two years, you'll understand why. So we were directed by Ken & Sue to the resort of Manuel Antonio. We travelled there on Wednesday, arriving with in sufficient time ahead of sunset to take advantage of the surf that very day. The town itself was a wee bit on the touristy side for my liking (the sort of place where everyone's initial greeting is in English), but the payoff was vistas like these.

It wasn't all sand, sea and surf. We visited Manuel Antonio
National Park, which housed rare Squirrel Monkeys, such
as this chap.

With all conference participants due on the Friday evening, we boarded the bus to San José that morning and arrived at around 7pm at, in the most literal sense, base camp. Like La Cumbre, our conference centre was a Christian campsite in the hills above San José, and by virtue of not being flat, dusty and hot, made for a perfect getaway from Trinidad. Opportunities to explore the surrounding areas were somewhat limited due to the conference's packed schedule, but we took advantage of what little time was available in the early mornings.

Camp Roblealto, our conference site, situated next to Roblealto children's
home, LAM Canada's first ministry.

So busy was the programme that I would be here till Tuesday were I to write about it in any detail. Suffice it to say that a few key goals were achieved. Firstly, we got to meet our fellow missionaries and establish friendships among them. Most of LAM Canada's missionaries work in Central America and several live not too far from one another. We are, then, relatively isolated, so simply being able to put faces to names was important to us. Secondly, we left the conference with a much greater awareness of what God is doing in Latin America. All participants were given a slot to talk about their ministries, which range from church-planting in a remote mountainous region of Guatemala, to Christian schools in Honduras, to missionary support work. Furthermore, we were given the chance to visit certain key ministries in Costa Rica, including a men's prison ministry (where the raw humanity of the singing sent a chill down our spines) and the Rahab Foundation, where women go to flee the grip of prostitution (for those who have the book, the foundation was mentioned in a testimony in Philip Yancey's 'Prayer').

A conference session. Executive Director Carluci dos Santos is on the right,
 in front of the screen.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, us missionaries left with a greater sense of ownership of LAM Canada's work. This was LAM Canada's first ever such conference in its 51 years of existence. For many of us, the practical reality is that LAM Canada has simply existed as a fund-allocating mechanism for our ministries. Two extremely capable full-time workers based in Ontario keep the administrative side running, but beyond that, their time is limited. Therefore, at one of the last sessions of the conference, we sat down in working groups and set out concrete goals for taking the ministry forward as missionaries in the coming months. And the success of the conference was demonstrated by the fact that everyone was very much in favour of establishing such get-togethers at regular intervals over the coming years.

Having saved a bit of spare change, we splashed out and took the plane back to Trinidad on Thursday evening (though not before the customary visit to another of Santa Cruz's much-vaunted amenities: a supermarket!). So if it's possible to feel tired and refreshed at the same time, that pretty much sums up our current state. We return to the day-to-day grind this week and you'll hear all that's fit to print next week.

A very happy Easter to you all.

Prayer

• For implementation of the shared goals proposed at the conference. We all know how easy it is to let these things slip once we get back into day-to-day life. Pray against that.
• For a smooth re-adjustment back into our ministries this week.

Praise

• For a break which was both relaxing and productive.
• For safe travels to and from Costa Rica.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 17/03/12

Rebecca Chee: teaching some of Trinidad's educational
workers a few lessons

This will be the last post for a while as we have something of a break coming up. On Friday evening, all being well, we will take the overnight bus to Santa Cruz. We’ll be spending a few days there touching base with one or two friends and then, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, we board our flight to Costa Rica, where we are due to attend LAM Canada’s 50^th anniversary conference, which all LAM Canada’s missionaries are expected. We’re excited about what will be our first opportunity to spend time with our fellow workers from the LAM family. The conference takes place from the 31^st till the 4^th, so our early arrival in Costa Rica will allow us to get in a few days of relaxation. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the Andy Roxburgh statue in the main plaza.

We fly back on the 4^th but with two weeks’ leave from ministry, we’ll not be rushing back to Trinidad by any means. Anyway, I will hopefully be able to share plenty of stories and pictures when I next post, probably on Easter weekend. In the meantime, I’ll aim to keep the Facebook page updated.

It’ll be our first time away from Trinidad for nearly six months and we’re really feeling the need of a break. We’re pretty exhausted right now as we prepare for another Saturday afternoon and evening dedicated to church work.

So as we crawl towards the finish line, it’s been terrific to have some energy about the place in the shape of Amanda’s cousin Rebecca, who you’ll remember was due to land in Trinidad last Saturday. Rebecca is expected to report back to her university in early April with 90 hours of educational work under her belt, and she’s so far acquitted herself with aplomb. In the mornings, she’s mostly prepared lessons while accompanying me to my R.E. classes. But the afternoons are where she’s really proving her mettle.

Through one of the FT workers, who teaches afternoon school (schools have two separate sessions here for two different groups of students), we had arranged for Rebecca to teach a 6^th grade class. I accompanied Rebecca on Tuesday, her first day, where, lo and behold, the class teacher, unbeknownst to us, had disappeared to attend a training session. Rebecca was very much in at the end marked ‘deep’. I daren’t even think of how I would cope in such a farcical situation. Alarmed but unfazed, Rebecca simply reached for the chalk and started teaching a maths lesson. Immediately, her positive attitude shone through and the kids, though largely clueless as to what she was teaching them (a reflection on the poor standards of maths teaching here) were very quickly eating out of her hand. With my own classes to teach back at the Foundation, I left Rebecca to it, but she stopped by in the evening to tell us all about her day, which later included taking an impromptu basketball lesson when the P.E. teacher didn’t show up.

She got through the week in much the same vein and today she’ll be taking her educational skills to church, where she’s helping out with a Sunday School class, and leading one of the segments at the youth group tonight (where Amanda is chairing and I’m doing the teaching). Due to our upcoming excursion, we won’t be here to see Rebecca finish her three-week stint, but I have no doubt she’ll do herself proud. We’ve really enjoyed having her around this week in the evenings, Amanda particularly relishing in the chance to catch up on the family gossip. All is well. 

Prayer

•  For safety, rest and encouragement on our upcoming travels.
• For Rebecca’s final two weeks here.

 Praise

• For the positive attitude which Rebecca has demonstrated since arriving.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 10/03/12

Rebecca flies to Trinidad in one of these bad boys. Aerocon's order of
Airbus A380s is evidently taking its time to arrive.

Will be keeping things fairly short and sweet today as we're getting ready for the arrival, at lunchtime, of Amanda's cousin, Rebecca. Rebecca is coming to Trinidad on a placement from her university with a remit of working with children at risk. Sad to say, there is certainly no shortage of such children who are involved in several of the ministries of FT and the church, and so that, combined with the opportunity to visit family, made Trinidad a logical choice for Rebecca. I'm particularly looking forward to having another educational worker around for a while and gaining some key First World insights on FT's education programme. We'll post as to Rebecca's progress in the next couple of weeks.

Since I last wrote, Amanda had her first Esther study with young women from church. Here she is now with a few words on what went down...

OK, so my first Esther study went really well. You know when you put a lot of work into something and then when you have to actually show it to people, you get really nervous because you're scared of how other people will react? Ya, that's how I kind of felt. I have led Bible Studies before, I have prepped study material before, and I am a lot more comfortable with my Spanish now than before, but somehow this was different. I have put so much work into preparing this study, and I think more than that, I have enjoyed it so much. I was scared that other people wouldn't. But, after all that, apparently they did. 


I am using Beth Moore's study on Esther. I only have one copy of one of the workbooks that a friend gave me and it is obviously in English, so I do quite a lot of tweaking culturally and linguistically. We are meeting every other Sunday and we're aiming to cover one chapter every meeting. We almost finished chapter 1 this past Sunday. I had loads of notes and was wondering how I was going to get through it all, but I discovered that I could read and discuss them faster than it took me to write them. I have made it very discussion-based which is quite tricky here because participation can sometimes be like pulling teeth, but the study is with the older girls in the church, 18-23 years old, and these girls are a bit more accustomed to having to think for themselves. There were five of us in total, with two girls not being able to attend last Sunday, and they all really did participate and I think they all left having learnt or thought about something new. I think when you work with young people or new Christians all the time, you forget how deep a study can be because you have to give those people what they can handle. This study has allowed me, and the other young ladies, to really go deep, to read it really slowly and and really think about it. And it has been refreshing.


Let me just briefly mention a little about the very first women's meeting at the church, which took place on Tuesday evening. Claudia Holt has felt led to start and lead this ministry for women above 23 years old (I was the youngest person in attendance... before they announced the age limit, I was worried if I would make the cut. There are not so many people my age here). There were 10 of us in total, from missionaries, to church members, even to the mother of one of the youth group participants, which was really encouraging to see. We're going to be looking at a book called "How to Be a Woman of Excellence" by Cynthia Heard. But we also have the goals of supporting the church as a body of women in practical ways, and getting to know each other and, in the process, become a united group of women. It was really exciting and very encouraging. I have to remember to do my homework over the next week!

Prayer

• For Rebecca's safe arrival here in Trinidad. As I type, she's on the last leg of her international flight from Miami, having just left La Paz for Santa Cruz, from where she'll switch airports and catch a flight to Trinidad (the journey is almost as exhausting as writing about it).
• For a productive time for Rebecca professionally, relationally and spiritually. 

Praise

• For a great first session of Amanda's study in Esther and a great start to the church's women's group.
• For the new English and R.E. classes, where we're already sensing a deepening of relationships. Having the English class twice a week is already making a big difference in that sense, while in the R.E. classes this week, I was able to clearly communicate the essence of the gospel message and its implications in the day-to-day lives of the students.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda