Saturday Post -- 07/05/16

Not the best of pictures, this, but you may be able to pick out a certain
striker.

No two weeks are the same in this corner of the world, but the past week has more unusual than most.

For a start, the good people of Trinidad are only just getting over a bracing south wind, which arrived in late April (normally the tail-end of the summer here), and whose effects were being felt well into this week; it was only last night that we ditched our rarely-used winter blanket. No complaints from our end, of course; tea is all the more pleasant when not diluted by one's own sweat.

Stranger still was a rare sighting of Amanda on a sports field, nay, a football pitch! Last weekend we had a one-off seven-a-side tournament for the youth group, and my dear wife (under no shortage of coercion, it must be said) made an appearance. Fleeing from the ball like Donald Trump from a Mexican, she made precisely zero touches, yet was to leave the pitch with the glory of a 100% strike:goal ratio, having done her bit for the team in the ensuing penalty shootout (not that it probably matters, but the goalie was a nine-year-old boy).

A little more frustrating was Sam taking a bad turn a few days later, with a high fever properly flooring him for 24 hours. Since then, he's generally been his usual chirpy self, but he can't quite shake it off. We're reliably informed that a seven-to-ten-day recovery is not unusual at his stage; patience is the order of the day. 

Of course, Sam is nothing but a heavy sleeper, so it's been something of an adjustment for us to be up at all hours ensuring he's getting his dosages and enough fluids. And how has His Lordship seen fit to compensate us for our efforts? Oh, only by inflicting us with the same illness! Mercifully, our recovery time has been a lot shorter.

Somehow, amidst all of this, we've managed to put in a fair shift. I've been teaching my English classes, preparing a pretty heavy sermon (see below) and getting ready for next weekend (see below too!), while Amanda has had her usual diet of administrative duties and meetings, including one with the local government yesterday to look into ways that FT and the municipality can better work together.

As for you, dear reader, you can work better together (always liked that phrase) with us by praying. So, without further ado...

Prayer

• The church is in the middle of a mini-series on the 'I am' sayings in John, and tomorrow morning, for the first time, it's Craig's turn. The passage is John 8:31-58 ('Before Abraham was, I am') and it is nothing if not hyper-evangelistic. Please pray for Craig and for those in attendance who are not yet believers.
• Amanda and her fellow directors at FT continue to work under great financial constraints, and require so much wisdom. We ask that you would pray for them.
• Next weekend is Langham Level 2! We've somehow managed to complete a full year of this preaching course here in Trinidad, and, God-willing, we'll be joined by Eduardo & Edwin for four days of intensive training (in other words if there's a blog post next weekend, it'll be Amanda's). Please pray for an encouraging time together.
• Keep praying for Paul and Aaron from Brass Tacks, who are doing an excellent job with the construction work at FT. They're only here for just over two weeks more and are beginning to feel the pressures of time. Prayer appreciated.
• Pray that we might all make a full recovery sooner rather than later!

Praise

• We were greatly encouraged this week by the arrival of several packages from our dear friends at Shettleston New. Give thanks for their safe arrival (no joke!).
• And speaking of safe arrivals, our old friend and house-sitter Rachel Peebles should be flying back to Scotland right about now following her latest visit to Trinidad. Give thanks for the encouragement of our time with her the last couple of weeks.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda