Saturday Post -- 3/3/18

Church planning. Calm yourselves.

"It's getting tickly now – squeaky-bum time, I call it."

Wise words, indeed, from the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson, on the occasion of the closing weeks of the 2003 Premier League title race. And it's fair to say that, with all that's going on just now -- or, indeed, not going on, as the case may be -- the bums are a-squeaking.

We knew after our last experience that the visa wait would not be without its complications, though we are a little surprised not to have heard anything by this point. We are due to leave Sao Paulo for Scotland on the 20th of March -- and Trinidad a good few days before that -- so an answer of some kind this week would be most welcome.

However, things are a little stickier -- or squeakier -- this time, owing to other "events, dear boy". For our (Craig & Amanda's) government-issued ID cards are due to expire just before we're hoping to leave the country. These are required to perform most transactions here. Now our paperwork has all been submitted, though there have been some major delays due to IT problems in the relevant offices in La Paz and Trinidad. Now, if we had to travel before they were issued, it would simply be a case of a friend picking them up and somehow getting them to Scotland from Bolivia over the coming months, so we could have them when we return later in the year. No big deal then. Except that tied to our ID cards' expiry dates are our driving licence expiry dates. And our driving licences are a separate submission which can only be accepted once our ID cards are issued (and may itself take any number of weeks to process). So we can get the car to Santa Cruz, where we are hoping to leave it with a friend while we're in the UK, but there is no guarantee that we'll have even submitted the driving licence paperwork before we leave Bolivia, meaning we'd not be able to drive a car for a good few weeks upon our return!

It's all very complicated, isn't it. If you don't need a lie-down after reading all that, simply pray for "all that paperwork stuff" -- the Holy Spirit will doubtless fill in the blanks (Romans 8:26).

Amidst all the bureaucratic busyness, there's a lot to be excited about. 

Firstly, my Excuse Of The Week for last Saturday's non-post was a long-awaited church planning day, the first time we had embarked upon such a venture. It's par for the course for many churches at the beginning of the year, and we had been talking about it for a while. However, the need became more urgent when it became apparent that Amanda and I would be gone a good few months, leaving Miguel Ángel as the sole elder. 

So a couple of months ago, Miguel Ángel and I took the decision to appoint a group of capable young guys to come alongside us and, while not take on the role of elder as yet, at least provide a team that can give support to Miguel Ángel, whose plate is already very full in his role as a father and as president of the foundation. And we thought that we may as well dust down the planning day idea as a way of marking the occasion.

Trinidad is not the biggest of cities, and it can be difficult to be truly free of distractions within its boundaries. So we opted to head for the lake which, though just three miles outside of town, feels like another world. A friend of ours graciously offered us some space on the grounds of his hotel and we simply sat at a big table in a quieter spot, spending the day prayerfully mapping out the coming months. We were able to thrash out a new mission and vision statement (something we hadn't revised for six years as a church) and put together a strategic plan with three main targets: firstly, getting the message of the new mission and vision into the lifeblood of the everyday life of the church; secondly, giving clearer definition to the roles of people in various positions of responsibility; and thirdly, establishing better contacts with the families of the many under-18s in attendance every week (most of whose parents are not yet believers). 

Of course, I say 'we', but we all agree that it's pretty crucial for me not to get involved in the next few months. It's not great for the church to have someone helping to pull the strings from so far away, especially when there are other capable people here. And, more importantly, it's not helpful for us as a family at a time when we need the time and space to rest and re-assess things.

The other exciting development is that, at a time when understanding friends have been hard to come by, one of Amanda's very best friends, Jessica Morris, is due here on Thursday morning, for a week's stay (the idea is to drive her back to Santa Cruz the following week, before we fly out ourselves; but 'one day at a time' and all that). Visits are always good and friends are always doubly welcome. It's just a shame so many of them end up leaving these tropical climes with squeaky bums.

Prayer

• For "all that paperwork stuff" (see above).
• For a sense of peace as we prepare to leave while not being 100% sure when that will be.
• For the new leadership team at the church.
• For safe travels for -- and good times with -- Jessica.

Praise

• For God's guiding hand on a great day last Saturday.

¡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

Saturday Post -- 07/05/11

Here are some pictures of Amanda doing what she does best in Audiology. In the first, she's checking the patient's timpanic membrane. In the second, she's carrying out an audiometry test using FT's specialised audiometer (the patient sits in a sound-proof booth).

Amanda was the recipient of good news about her visa, which regular visitors will have been praying for. Her re-submission proved to be successful and she is therefore free to stay in the country, along with myself, until March 2013 (when we will have to apply for the biggie, the permanent residency visa). Like me, she now has to deal with obtaining her identity card, another long process and with the chance that it won't arrive from La Paz before we leave for Canada in early August.

However, something else arrived from La Paz this week which was another source of great encouragement: a set of musical equipment for the church. My Grandpa Murdoch, among many, many other passions, loved people, loved music and, more than anything, loved the Lord. His death in January 2009, albeit 'full of years' at 91, left quite a hole in our family. So when we received word a few months ago that we had received a share in his inheritance, our thoughts instantly turned to how we could use it to build up the church. And what better way to honour the memory of a man who, when he came to visit the family, would quickly dispense with the niceties and plonk himself down at Dad's piano for half-an-hour, thumping out one gospel standard after another, than by encouraging the music ministry.

As you know, I've formed a small band in recent months and, although we haven't yet played on a Sunday, we're edging ever-closer to that possibility. The time is ripe to energise these guys. So our dear friend and brother Pastor Juan Antonio Maldonado (from our namesake church in La Paz) sourced a keyboard, a stand and a new amplifier, into which I can also plug my bass when we bring that down from Canada, God-willing, in September.

The keyboard also renders me excuseless when it comes to practising for Jessica's wedding. Mercifully for all concerned, I haven't been asked to take care of the service, however, Jessica and Dan would like me to tinkle the ivories for an hour or so at the reception. Having not even been within yards of a piano/keyboard for nearly three years, methinks it's time to get a move on.

Prayer
• For Amanda's identity card application, which we hope to deal with next week.
• For our friend and former Spanish teacher Farid, who has been coming along to church the last couple of Sundays, where we are teaching from The Gospel of John and, therefore, explicitly evangelistic messages abound.

Praise
• For the arrival of the year's first sur (south wind) this week. A dramatic drop in temperature and completely welcome in this climate.
• For the key arrivals from La Paz this week of the equipment and, most of all, Amanda's visa.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 09/04/11

Important developments on the visa front this week, though like a big tin of Christmas Celebrations, it’s decidedly mixed. The Galaxy Truffle is that my two-year extension came through, meaning I have permission to stay here till March 2013 and, best of all, I have my passport back in one piece. Meanwhile, Amanda’s news is the Topic lounging desolately at the bottom of the tin around Valentine’s Day. Her visa application was returned to Trinidad due to a perceived inconsistency in her application. Her Bolivian I.D. card states that she’s an administrator, whereas her work letter states that she’s a nurse (in reality, of course, she’s both). So we were initially pretty frustrated, but we are told that we should know within the next couple of weeks whether the re-submitted work letter and judicial statement have done the trick.

But I couldn’t put my feet up quite yet. Upon successfully receiving my new visa, I had 25 days to apply for my new I.D. card, or I would be charged a fine, which would increase on a daily basis. Two of the certificates which were required for this were the same for which we had to provide stacks of paperwork from all sorts of different people and organisations in our visa application. Happily, the chap who produced these for us told me the information he had on file would suffice, and so I was able to submit my I.D. card application at the expense of just a couple of work mornings (a new personal best there). However, I’ve been advised to wait 3-4 months for the plastic itself! Of course, a decade ago, it was produced there and then for you with the help of some cardboard, a passport photo and a laminator. Only in Bolivia could the so-called digital age complicate things even further.

The English classes have brought further encouragement this week, with around half-a-dozen new students turning up for the second modules, which began this week. And crucially, in contrast to last year, we haven’t lost many students. Last week we had been a little concerned that those who didn’t pass the exam would call it a day, but the majority of those have returned and are keen to keep going.

Another key ministry for us as a couple is the young people’s group in the church on Saturday evenings. And this weekend we start a short series focusing on Easter. Last year, if we’re honest, Easter was a little underwhelming. It was simply another regular Sunday service, and it seems it has been this way for several years now. The church are keen to change this and use the Easter service as an evangelistic event. And to encourage families and friends to come along, the young people will be preparing a couple of items. One is a drama set to music told from the perspective of one of the soldiers guarding the tomb. The other is a simple choral performance of the contemporary favourite ‘Worthy is the Lamb’ (Thank you for the Cross) in Spanish. Now the locals here love their music but, truth be told, they’re not too gifted vocally. So I’ve manfully volunteered to take charge of the operation, though we’ll keep ourselves limited to the melody. It’s a great song, however, and I pray that the youth would feel blessed by the opportunity to perform it.

More importantly, we pray that the significance of Easter would become clear to them. And, to that end, we’re focusing on three important aspects of Easter over the next three Saturdays. I’m kicking things off by looking at Jesus’ trial and its importance, e.g., the difference for our lives between Jesus being innocent and guilty. Please pray especially for these next three Saturdays. Rare is the Saturday evening that a new face wanders in (this being Bolivia, usually halfway through the evening!) and we know there are several in the group who have not yet accepted Christ as their saviour. Furthermore, many of the young people who are Christians would struggle to explain what being a Christian means and why, for example, Christ had to die – for most of them, their experience of the Christian faith is strongly tied to their experience of having grown up in the church. Pray that, by thinking about these things for themselves (something which is not encouraged in the educational system here), these young people would develop a firmer faith foundation.

Prayer
• For the Easter series with the young people.
• For Amanda’s re-submitted visa application.

Praise
• For new faces – and new opportunities – at the English classes.
• For the granting of Craig’s two-year extension.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 19/06/10

This week, as mentioned in the last entry, I’ve once again had the privilege of leading the morning meditations. And I do mean privilege. There’s nothing like delving deep into the Word of God and discovering new, exciting truths. Intensive Bible study’s a bit like exercise. At times, we’re a little lazy and can’t be bothered making the effort. But when you take the decision to just get on with it, you find yourself wondering why you don’t do this more often!

This week’s passage was 2 Corinthians 1:8-14, allowing me to cover a range of topics. One of them was how we can glorify God in our workplace, something Amanda and I have been thinking a lot about recently. Thinking about Paul’s tribulations in Asia allowed us to explore the theme of suffering and I found this really useful, though, for the locals, suffering doesn’t appear to be the big hurdle that it is for so many back home. In the West, we’re keen to highlight issues such as Third World poverty in the discussion, but, having worked with individuals who face this every day – Christian and otherwise – getting angry at God for their lot never really appears to be top of their list of priorities. Perhaps our uncharacteristic identification with the poor man is a convenient ruse to avoid the real issue (and if you’re not quite sure what that is, I suggest you read Luke chapter 13 and verses one to six).

No word as yet on our carnets, so we’d appreciate your continued prayers on that front. Monday sees the latest national holiday (this time for the winter solstice – I’m not holding my breath for Glastonbury highlights), which tends to rub salt into the wind a little. Bank holidays, to my mind, just aren’t the same without a set of wheels. Nonetheless, we have a car and we will have an unexpected lie-in, and for both we are truly thankful.

And we also give thanks today for the safe arrival of our fellow workers here, Kenny & Claudia Holt, who, along with their children, Emma, Sarah and Joshua, finally made it to Trinidad on Thursday evening after ten days attending to various matters in Santa Cruz. Since last December, the Holts had been in Scotland on furlough. Kenny and Claudia had just got married when I initially came to Trinidad in 2000 and their friendship and wisdom – along with the rambling dissections of Rangers first-XI – have proved invaluable over the years. So we’re delighted to be working alongside them again.

In the next 24 hours, some more familiar faces will be arriving, in the shape of Dr. Alasdair Fyfe, Alastair Fergusson and his son, Dr. Stuart Fergusson (quite frankly, I can’t believe I’m adding the title ‘Dr’ to the name of an old mucker I used to play Scalextric with – talk about feeling old). The Fergussons are old family friends of ours and Alasdair Fyfe is a man whose presence one can never help but feel blessed by, perpetually brimming with wisdom, interest and encouragement. The Alasd/tairs (delete as appropriate) are here in their capacity as elders from Cartsbridge, the sending church of Rachel Peebles, who works in FT’s community ministry, though Alastair Fergusson also sits on the Foundation Totai UK board. Anyway, we will endeavour to link up with them in the next few days, particularly as they come laden with trinkets from afar – or ‘Priority Case #1’ as we labelled it. Just hoping the Dairy Milk bars can take the heat!

Prayer
• For our carnets. Nuff said.
• For witnessing opportunities with our non-Christian workmates.

Praise
• For the Lord’s guiding hand for Craig during this week’s Meditations.
• For Kenny & Claudia’s safe arrival.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 12/05/10

Months of eager anticipation. Tactics being finalised. The excitement building as the big moment finally arrives.

Yes, you guessed it – I finally moved into my new office this week. Up until now, I’d mostly been working from home, a minute’s stroll from the FT headquarters. Hardly inconvenient, though not quite at the heart of the action. This week, however, we took delivery of a new set of bookshelves for the library (which is based in the Education office), which enabled me to clear up the legions of books spread across the floor and create working space. And, crucially, it provides a permanent living space for all the Emmaus Bible course materials (for which Education is responsible), which had taken up temporary residence in Kenny’s study – and with Kenny returning next week, ten suitcases in hand, the last thing he needs is a study littered with dusty books.

When Maicol & KC return to the States for a break in the next couple of weeks, KC will be passing control of the Emmaus materials to me. With well over 200 books distributed and corrected in the past three months – not to mention the verbal feedback required for each corrected book – the administrative burden is significant, though one which we’re obviously delighted to take on. With the English classes having started and the website update taking up my mornings currently, I’m certainly not looking for work, that’s for sure.

Elsewhere, FT has teamed up with one of the biggest schools in town in an extension of its School Health Programme and Amanda was part of the initial group of nurses who visited on Wednesday. She will continue to visit weekly, along with the visits she and another nurse carry out every Thursday morning to the local maternity hospital. She’s really enjoying getting out into the community and helping FT establish a greater presence among the town’s residents – and, thus, have more opportunities to share the good news.

Finally, we’ve included some pictures of the wallchart. Here is the finished article, all set for the big one. And in spite of Bolivian TV politics, so are we. One of the public channels (‘cooncil telly’ if you’re Glaswegian) bought up the rights to the entire tournament from FIFA. Except, it turns out that they went and sold all but the opener, the semis and the final to a cable company. The cable company duly promised to share the spoils among the wider population – and proceeded to keep the whole package to themselves. ‘Fair play’ indeed. The President likes his football almost as much as looking like the saviour of the people, so perhaps he can step in at the last minute. Whatever happens, I somehow can’t foresee a repeat of that hot, adolescent summer of France ’98, when Kenny Fisher and I set out with the goal of video-taping every minute of every game. If memory serves me correctly, I don’t think we even made it through the first weekend.

Prayer
• Carnets. We’re still waiting and the immigration people are still giving us the ‘mañana, mañana’ treatment. Pray for patience, yet movement at the same time. A national ID card is a must in many important areas here.
• For Craig as he takes next week’s morning meditations.

Praise
• For Amanda’s growing opportunities to work in the wider community.
• For workspace for Craig within the FT building.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 05/06/10

Recently, Amanda and I had the privilege of sitting down and enjoying the recent comedy ‘Zombieland’, which, as the title cryptically alludes, depicts a nation (namely, the USA) in which a dwindling human population battles to survive in the face of a sustained zombie threat. The film’s main protagonist, a twentysomething whose name escapes me, devises a list of rules for survival in the midst of such chaos. And the most important rule in Zombieland is: enjoy the little things.

Wise words in any context, though particularly apt in Trinidad, which at times resembles Zombieland, albeit without the zombies. The motorists are maniacal. Broadband is a waist size, not an internet speed. The week’s groceries aren’t so much whatever you fancy, as whatever the shops are stocking.

Thus, enjoying the little things is very much the order of the day round these parts. And nothing brings out the simple pleasures in life like a World Cup. No downloading of Lionel Messi clips on to your iPhone (youWhat?) down here. Oh no. Rather, I’m about 200 stickers away from completing the official 2010 Panini album. If this all sounds somewhat juvenile, then you should at least know that the majority of the town’s male population are at it as well. It wusnae me thit startit it, sur. If anyone out there has any spare Dutch squad members, feel free to pass them on.

On the same note, like good missionaries should, Amanda and I are in the process of turning a problem into an opportunity. Quite frankly, the availability of high-quality, durable World Cup wallcharts down here has been most concerning. And as I’m sure you are all no doubt aware, a World Cup without a wallchart is like Christmas without the Great Escape repeats. It’s just not on. So, we’ve opted to take matters into our own hands, with the aid of cardboard, glue and Microsoft Excel (though mind Bill Gates doesn’t find out I’m using Microsoft Excel for personal enjoyment – don’t want to validate my warranty or anything). Come next Friday, we’ll be all set. Brazil to win. You heard it here first.

The business of the week (what business there was – two local holidays in five days) has been dominated, for us, by my English classes, in which Amanda has kindly volunteered her services too. Over the two classes on Wednesday and Friday, 30 students turned up, and we're expecting numbers to increase as word spreads. We’ve been given access to the building’s main auditorium, which allows us loads of room and means I can have a whiteboard and projector screen on the go at the same time, allowing for increased flexibility. This week’s classes have simply been a chance to register the participants and assess, through simple conversation, the English levels of each student. Next Wednesday, we’ll kick off the main beginners curriculum which I’ve spent the preceding months drawing up.

That aside, Amanda has been kept busy this week completing monthly reports for the health ministry and my sermon on Sunday seemed to be well received. Next week, the main issue is likely to be our carnets which, incredibly, we are still waiting on, but have been promised of their readiness within the next seven days. With our carnets, we should be able to obtain our driving licences within days, meaning we can some day soon, at last, take full possession of our RAV4. That’s the theory, at least – something tells me I might be scribbling the name of a certain canary-coloured footballing outfit into the wallchart’s ‘winner’ box before that happens.

Prayer
• For patience as we await our carnets and the increased freedoms in mobility they should result in.
• For the Lord's continued guidance in everything we do.

Praise
• For the chance to re-charge our batteries with the holidays over the last couple of weeks.
• For a great start to the English classes.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 13/03/10

These days, energy saving's all the rage, with people increasingly looking for ways to cut their costs and do their bit for the environment. In Trinidad, it's a local hobby, though, like many things here, the people don't have much say in the matter.

Some years ago the head honchos in the local energy company decided they weren't being paid enough and proceeded to swindle the users of millions of dollars. Most of the offenders are now behind bars but the money was never fully recovered. So the energy company came up with a convenient method to recoup their finances: power cuts. Barely a week goes by without at least one four-hour power cut here in Trinidad. Indeed, it's to such an extent now that the weekly newspapers will notify citizens of upcoming cuts! The pattern is depressingly familiar here in Bolivia; corporate criminals gorging themselves at the country's top tables, but when the party's over, the average joes are left to pick up the bill.

I'm posting from an internet café in the centre of town as we have just been hit with our third power cut of the week (though conveniently I'll be able to finally catch the goals from Wednesday night)! The reasoning behind this recent spate is simple: it's absolutely roasting! During periods of extreme heat, people increasingly resort to their ceiling fans and air conditioning outlets, which devour more electricity than the Texan criminal justice system. Thus, vast fortunes are saved. And this has been a particularly hot week, with temperatures reaching the high-30s.

Mercifully, the skies had clouded over on Sunday afternoon, when I attended the football match with Farid, otherwise I'd have emerged looking like a lorne sausage. The match itself was a typically early-season affair, neither team looking particularly sharp but unfortunately the visitors were the least worst of the two, cruising to victory despite being a man down in the final 30 minutes. Still, it was good to be on the terraces once again, I had a good conversation with Farid (pictured), and there were a few surprises in store (see earlier post).


While Mamoré look to be regressing, Amanda's Spanish only gets better by the day. This week's milestones included helping to take a Sunday school class last weekend and sharing a request at Thursday's prayer meeting. (the request was for the mission evening that the young people back at our church in Glasgow, Shettleston New, are having this Sunday evening. They emailed some questions and we replied with answers and photos -- hope it goes well, guys!) Re. the English language, I have now come to the end of my online TEFL course and will look to use the next few weeks to plan classes. I won't be doing any teaching until at least May, as FT have dedicated the first three months of our time here to getting our Spanish sorted.

Finally, we took receipt of our newly-stamped passports this week. Hurrah! We can now stay in the country until the 3rd of March 2011, although we will of course be looking to extend our stay by then with a two-year visa. But we're not out of the bureacratic woods quite yet. This week we'll begin the process of applying for our carnets (identity cards). Despite the extreme temperatures, I'm considering investing in a pair of gloves. For the paper cuts.

Prayer
• Productivity/focus for Craig as he begins preparing materials.
• The carnet application.

Praise
• Friendships that continue to develop, both in and outside the Foundation.
• Amanda’s Spanish.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda