Our final week in Trinidad continued in much the same vein as its
predecessor, a heady mix of housework, packing up and the unavoidable
farewells.
Last week I’d mentioned that the band were preparing a little
something that very evening. Well, the band, their families and several others
arrived at the house straight after youth group on Saturday night, armed with
home-made pizzas (I’m pleased to confirm that after four years, I’ve finally
come across a decent pizza in Trinidad), guitars and Bibles. And once the food
was out the way, we were serenaded!
Serenading is a common custom here among the believers. It usually
takes place on a birthday or in the event of someone's departure from
town. The songs sung are infused with lyrics rich in blessing. Given that we
will, God-willing, be back here in 2015, we don’t particularly feel worthy of
such a tribute, but I won’t deny we were both very touched. Our friends sang
and shared Scripture with us for some 45 minutes, and we too had opportunities
to share from the word and express our own thankfulness to these people who
have become so dear to us.
As the week progressed, there were a further three get-togethers,
organised by ourselves or others, to say goodbye to people. But we weren’t the
only people leaving town this week. Our volunteer Aline Sacher decided to leave
Trinidad a little earlier than scheduled to return home to Germany, and she and
some female friends, including Amanda, met on Monday evening. And a
particularly fond farewell was granted to Kenny Holt, who arrived on Sunday
morning for a flying visit to pack up the remainder of his family’s belongings
and settle their affairs here in Trinidad. Having left for their own furlough
in July, Kenny & Claudia and their three children have opted to stay in Scotland,
following the Lord's provision to Kenny of a seemingly tailor-made job with
The Vine Trust.
Church, then, on Sunday morning, was a fairly emotional occasion
with all these exits taking place in the coming week. Nonetheless, we were hugely
blessed over the weekend and encouraged by the kind words of so many. We also
had a really special time with the youth group on Saturday evening, with Amanda
in full waterworks mode.
As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we leave the church without a missionary
presence (though Maicol & KC return in March) but we see plenty of evidence that
our brothers and sisters can run with the baton. This week’s women’s meeting
was a great example, the first for some months after some struggles with
attendance and commitment earlier in the year. 16 women from the church turned
up and, most excitingly, eight of these were from the youth group. Potential.
By Thursday afternoon, we were packed and ready to leave that
evening for Santa Cruz, whence I write as we await our flight to Sao Paulo
tomorrow morning. Then it’s on to Heathrow on Monday evening and, provided
British airports can get their act together, we will, God-willing, be in
Glasgow by lunchtime on Tuesday.
As for this here blog, I think it’s fair to say that we will not be
posting with the same frequency over the coming year. We have so many people to
catch up with and, with only nine months or so in Sconnie Botland, I’m keen to
ensure a decent chunk of my Saturdays are spent on top of hills than in front
of computer screens.
However, furlough is as integral a part of missionary existence as
time on the field, and so we will certainly endeavour to reflect the joys and
challenges of re-adjusting to the Global North, now very much as outsiders,
from time to time.
I’ve stated here beforehand that this blog was very much a
last-minute idea back in early 2010, with the goal of providing
up-to-the-minute (or up-to-the-week, at least) prayer information for anyone
who happened to be thinking of us at any particular moment. But 32,000 hits
later, we are well aware that we have built up a loyal following of weekly
readers from a wide range of countries (readers in China, Russia and Romania,
we’d love to hear from you personally!). And we know that the vast majority of
you are fellow believers and read the blog not to be educated for knowledge’s
sake, but so that you can pray better for us. Be assured: we have felt the
impact of those prayers at every juncture over these past four years.
Thank you for your prayerful interest in us, have a
wonderful, Christ-centred Christmas, and we look forward to sharing continued
glimpses into the missionary lifestyle over the coming year.
- For the remaining three legs of our journey home. Pray for safety and no luggage complications!
- For the Lord's work which does not stop at Fundación Totaí and El Jireh church. Please continue to uphold these great ministries in your prayers.
Praise
- For the encouragement of the new women's meeting in the church, particularly the high numbers of youth present. We've been praying that the youth would integrate themselves more fully into other ministries of the church, and this brings us great joy.
- For those special final moments with our Trinidad 'family' during the past week.
- For the Lord's work in us, in spite of us, and through us over the last four years. Soli Deo gloria!
¡Que Dios les bendiga!
Craig & Amanda
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