Saturday Post -- 08/07/17

I have a little time to share a quick update; we are busy, but we know people are always keen to get our news, and that will especially be the case this weekend for those from a certain corner of the west of Scotland.

The team from Strathaven Evangelical Church have been here now for a week, and their contribution has been immensely positive. After the usual long journey here, they arrived last Saturday morning, used the weekend to re-charge the batteries, and from Monday onwards got stuck right in.

(Special mention to team members Sarah and, er, ‘Mum’, who, under no obligation whatsoever, came along with us to a wedding on Saturday evening. It began around 10pm, and we didn’t leave till 1am. Bear in mind that British Summer Time is five hours ahead and you can perhaps grasp the scale of that achievement!)

Sunday was a real bonus, in that our church friends had organised two separate events outside of the regular morning service. Kenny & Claudia Holt (back from the old country for a two-week visit) hosted a barbecue at lunchtime, while another couple put on a baby shower in the afternoon, with the invitations extended to that most un-baby shower of species: men. There were ample opportunities, then, for the team to meet – or, in Mum’s case, catch up with – many of our friends and fellow workers here, and it was obviously a great little introduction to the culture here.

Bunch of drama queens (and kings).

The first couple of weeks of July are the mid-year school holidays here, and the team’s main remit this first week has been to participate in the five-day club, organised annually by FT’s sports area. The five-day club meets in a local school, and is a combination of games, praise times, evangelistic Bible lessons and group work. Every day this week, the team performed a five-minute sketch (mimed, of course!) to illustrate the main point of the day’s lesson. The team have come up with these themselves, and they have been really powerful enactments of the gospel message, yet simple enough for young children to grasp.

As is usually the case at these clubs, the group times have included the completion of a worksheet. But this time, the team members also prepared five craft activities, meaning the children could go home every day with a tangible reminder of the day’s theme.

The headline reads: 'Holidays are more fun with Fundación
Totaí'. The caption reads, 'Guitarist Craig Cunningham
demonstrated why so many have dubbed him this
century's Jimmy Page' (that's a fib).

Their contribution, in short, was immense, and was even recognised in the local press! A father of some children in attendance happened to be a scribbler with the Trinidad daily newspaper, and spent some time talking to some of the Bolivian team members on Thursday. Yesterday, just before we left, he turned up with a copy of yesterday’s edition, with a page dedicated to the five-day club and a particular emphasis on the Scottish angle.

The five-day clubs have taken place in the mornings, and the team have used the rest of the days here to read the Bible together, prepare for the next day’s activities, or just hang out with the locals (Mum, it emerges, plays basketball). They will be teaching the main lesson at the church’s children’s ministry this afternoon, and next week will see them branch out into other areas of Foundation and church’s ministry.

We are passionate about welcoming volunteers here, though it can be a lot of work. It is particularly encouraging, then, when a group arrives with their sleeves already rolled up, and a willingness to serve wherever needed. It has been a pleasure to serve with them this week, and our prayer is that the impact of their time here would be felt for many years both here in Bolivia and, we pray, back in sunny Strathaven.

Sam warms up for next week (!) as he explores the surroundings at the
five-day club with friend, Kenny.

Prayer

• As ever, Sam has coped admirably with the unique demands of this week, but has come down with a fever in the last day or two. Pray for a swift recovery.
• Pray for the children in attendance at the five-day club, that the gospel message they heard this week would be received with gladness.
• Pray for the team in their second (and final) week here.

Praise

• Yesterday, incredibly, was our tenth anniversary! God has been faithful.
• And when our twentieth rolls around, God-willing, Mauro and Mily, a young couple from our church, will be celebrating the same milestone. Theirs was the aforementioned wedding last Saturday evening, at which Craig officiated. Very few people actually get married in this culture, so give thanks for the powerful witness of this to their friends and family, and the great encouragement we feel as a church.
• We have also been really blessed by our time with various ex-missionary friends who have been in town for that self-same wedding. Our old friends Maicol & KC, with their son Caleb, are staying with us until mid-August.
• Give thanks for the team, their impact, and their own spiritual growth this week.

The day ends over Laguna Suárez, Tuesday.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 21/07/12

Back in December of last year, as our co-workers Diego & Jo Santana were preparing to leave Trinidad, we were asked by Jo if we would be happy to look after their young, not-quite-100%-German Shepherd. With Amanda in the equation, ‘no’ simply wasn’t an option, and so look after her we did (Poppy that is, not Amanda).

Not long after this, our own dog, Arturo – who, after one scrap too many has to be attached to a dog cable – wore down that very cable to the point that it was simply useless. Thus, he joined Poppy round the back of the house we stay in in a large, enclosed area just for the dogs.

Our priority was simply keeping Arturo in a safe place where he couldn’t rub yet another person up the wrong way. Nevertheless, nature took its course and sure enough, as the early morning light of Thursday rose on Trinidad, the first of five new lives emerged from their mother’s womb. It was the start of a truly epic ‘labour day’ with the final pup arriving at some time between 7pm and 9pm (can’t say exactly when as I was at the Bible study, good missionary that I am).

Here are a couple of pictures. More can be found at my Facebook page.

The first picture of Poppy and 'No.1'

Camera loves you, baby

 All five are doing remarkably well and furiously feeding. Best of all is the change in Poppy herself, a lovely dog, but rather too excitable and jumpy at times, and at times a little bit too trusting with strangers. It was strangely moving to watch this canine version of a little girl take so easily to motherhood, feeding them, cleaning them, simply refusing to let any of them out of her sight. The only times she moved all day were when we had to change the ‘nest’ and, intriguingly, when one of her old canine pals squeezed through the gate to see what was going on. Let’s just say that he didn’t stay for very long. There go the trust issues.

The second week of the school holidays has been somewhat quieter, with no 5-Day Club to attend to. However, this being the ‘summer’, we’ve had a few visitors in the last week, and I’ve enjoyed sharing various aspects of the work with them. Mark Morris, mentioned last week, has not let his injury get in the way of re-acquainting himself with FT’s work, and he was in attendance at my English class on Tuesday (indeed, many of the participants were upset to find themselves stuck just with boring old me again on Thursday – that said, they couldn’t make out a word of our English when we conversed). Mark also came along to band practice and, this coming weekend being his last, he’s decided to cap it off by taking lead vocals at the youth group. He’s a braver man than I am.

Last week also saw the visit to Trinidad of a health volunteer we missed by just a few months when we first arrived here, Mark Connor. Mark’s younger brother, Paul, a student at Georgetown University has just come to the end of a semester in Buenos Aires and the two of them did some travelling, with a return visit to Trinidad pencilled in for a couple of days. They’re Californian and, well, let’s just say, you can take the boy out of California etc. etc. Paul, with longish hair and a backward-turned baseball cap had a look that screamed “Bill & Ted”. Mark, with volume turned down to 10, was the wiser, restraining influence. Nevertheless, it was as great a pleasure for us to get to know them as it was for our fellow missionaries to re-acquaint themselves – mind you, for a couple of West Coast Americans, boy, they weren’t half ginger!

One final item of big news is that the building work on the house is now well and truly underway and I’m hoping to document proceedings photographically as the weeks and months go by. At the back there, you can see the temporary housing which has been built for a builder to stay in and essentially make sure nothing is stolen during the night.

Prayer

• For the education workers as the school year resumes this week and we get back into Trinidad’s classrooms.
• For the remainder of Mark’s trip here (he leaves on Thursday, returning to East Kilbride via Canada, where he will be performing best man duties at the wedding of David McColl, another ex-volunteer).

 Praise

• For the blessing of visitors in the past week.
• For visible signs of progress on our house – we’ve waited some time for those. 

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 14/07/12

When I think of summers in Canada (yes, this is Amanda typing) I think of summer camp. I think of two to three weeks at overnight Bible camp in July going straight into day camps at our church in August. I remember being a camper for years and then as I got older receiving more and more responsibility and becoming a counsellor. I love camp. I always thought it was weird how much I loved  camp, considering I was quite an insecure person and meeting new people all the time was difficult and nerve-wracking. But somehow, every summer, I made new friends and loved summer camp. I was never a big fan of the sports time and I hated the all-camp game of capture the flag. I used to loiter behind some building pretending to be guarding it. It got worse when I was a counsellor and had to actually make an effort to do something during the game. I used to secretly hope some kid would receive a minor injury and I would have to sit out with them. Never really happened though. But, despite this, I loved camp. 

My first experience with camp in Bolivia was quite a wake-up call, mainly because it was in Spanish and I had only been here five months. It was awkward to not be so involved and just watch from the sidelines and I clearly remember being challenged to teach one of the verses and the kids looking a bit confused due to my rough Spanish. That was in 2010. I have not participated in a day camp since then due to my work in health until this past week and you'll be glad to hear that my experience was completely different. If anything, my enjoyment of it and involvement in it reminded me a lot more of years at camp in Canada. 

So, this past week was the 5-Day Club that the Sports department at the Foundation runs during the 2-week winter school break. Various other members of staff were asked to be support staff and lead small groups, including Craig and I. However, the 5-Day Club sadly became the 4-Day Club when a civil protest was announced for Tuesday the 10th and no-one was allowed to work that day. Every day of the week we looked at a Bible story that taught us how we can react to Jesus -- we can celebrate, love, follow, believe and talk about Jesus. There were also accompanying memory verses and crafts as well as sports and games. One of the crafts which I thought was great was a card with John 3:16 written inside. The theme for the day was following Jesus and they heard the story of the last supper and betrayal of Jesus. The kids were challenged to take these cards that they'd made and show them to as many people as possible. Every person who read the verse in the card was to put their signature on the card and the next day they were to show their small group leader how many people they had shared the verse with. The kids got right into it and we hope that some of the families from which these kids come got the chance to hear a bit about what their children were learning at the 5-Day Club. 

Craig led the music every day and developed an alter ego named Choco Loco (Crazy White Guy), a rock star who talked in such a gruff voice I was worried he might be a chain-smoker. But the younger kids especially loved it and shouted "Choco Loco" all over the place. He also supported the games session for the younger kids and led the small group for the boys of 12 years and older. I, along with Elizabeth, led the small group for the girls of 12 years and older and was really encouraged with such a large group. By the end of the week there were at least 4 girls who came regularly who previously did not have any contact with our church and we're praying that they decide to come out to the girls' Bible study and youth group. I also helped support the older kids' games time... I realised how much more I enjoyed games time when I could lead and support and no one was forcing me to play. 

I also really enjoyed the fellowship among all the leaders. It felt good to be surrounded by a group of people who love God and are devoted to sharing Jesus and His sacrifice to others. As you'll know from previous blogs, working in health at the Foundation does not necessarily mean working with other Christians and I found it so refreshing to work closely alongside believers with a united goal. We're praying as leaders that these kids (there were 82 on the last day), choose to come to the Saturday Bible Club and church as well. We pray that we will continue to develop friendships with them and get a chance to see where a lot of them are in their personal walk with God. 

From helping at the Club, I have realised the importance of long-term involvement with people here. If a child were to attend a day camp in Canada coming from a non-Christian family there is a good chance that this child will not know who Jesus is or the major events of his life, death and resurrection. They will probably not have read the Bible and will not understand the concept of salvation. However, working in a Catholic culture is a very different thing. I would say that the majority of the kids know who Jesus is, recognise him as the Son of God, recognise the Bible as the Word of God and know that Jesus died and rose again. Sounds great, but the majority of these kids will have been taught salvation by works over and over and over again, and in 5 (really 4) days you cannot sort through who knows and believes what, and undo the teaching of salvation by works. 

In my small group I asked the girls to put up their hands if they attended a church; all of them did. About half of them attend the church that we attend and work in, and so I asked the other girls where they attend and the answer was the Catholic church down the road. These girls knew all the answers to the questions from the Bible stories that they heard, they probably didn't learn anything overtly new during the 5 Day Club and they probably think that we're on the same page as us leaders. In 4 days, with little one-on-one contact I had little opportunity to learn if we are actually on the same page. I would love to think that we are, but experience would teach me that we're probably not... that salvation by faith, not by works and works as an evidence of one's faith are probably still an obstacle in their minds, and that they think they are saved through their first communion and infant baptism. All I can do is pray that they are interested enough to keep coming out, so I get the chance to know them better and talk about these things with them. 

Prayer

• For the 100 or so children who came at least once during the week and who heard the Good News at the 5-Day Club.
• For Craig as he preaches on Psalm 32 tomorrow at church.

Praise

• For the opportunity to reach so many children in the last week.
• For  the safe arrival of Mark Morris, whom west-of-Scotlanders may know as the assistant pastor at Calderwood Baptist Church in East Kilbride. Mark, who was here as a volunteer way back in 2004-5, arrived here on Monday for a three-week stay, only to break his toe on the football pitch on the same day! He is recovering well but obviously can't get around much, so pray that he will nonetheless feel the benefit of the trip -- at the very least, he's been a great encouragement.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 07/07/12

A missionary get-together with Malcolm & Liz McGregor

Five rapid-fire years ago today, Amanda and I invited a group of family and friends to Markham Bible Chapel to sit quietly and listen to us say "I do". Quite where those years have gone is beyond me, but I do know that I, for one, have been richly blessed to have been a part of this partnership. Amanda has patiently put up with my many weaknesses, encouraged me when I've doubted myself and taught me a lot about sacrifice. I am a very lucky man.

So excited were we to mark our anniversary, however, that we took a long-weekend trip to Santa Cruz a whole week early! Well, not quite. Our hand was forced by another factor, namely the visit of old family friends Malcolm & Liz McGregor to the city last weekend. Malcolm is International Director of SIM (Serving in Mission), a vast, international Christian missions organisation. However, the McGregors served at the missions coalface for many years before stepping into the boardroom and it was a pleasure to tap into their wealth of experience over dinner on Sunday evening. Many years ago, at a critical juncture in their ministry, Malcolm benefitted immensely from meeting regularly to pray with, and receive spiritual counsel from, my Grandpa Murdoch back in Milngavie. This time a Murdoch offspring and his wife were on the receiving end of the McGregors' own wisdom -- I'm sure Grandpa Murdoch would have been delighted.

Our base for the weekend was Hotel Buganvillas, where we had previously holidayed back in January 2011 with Amanda's sister Jessica. Unashamedly swanky, the hotel offers Fundación Totaí workers a corporate rate, so we always get a great deal. Though it was only our second visit, our routine there is now well established. I'll get up for a jog around 7am (an hour beyond which I'm usually physically incapable of sleeping these days), grab a quick shower, and then, at around 9am, it's downstairs to The Breakfast Buffet. For a Scot on holiday, 'tis very heaven: a cornucopia of just about every kind of breakfast dish under the sun (black pudding aside) and multiple visits are permitted, nay, encouraged. So not only do you get a top breakfast, you can eat enough to do you for the day, thus rendering lunchtime expenditure unnecessary. Told you it was a Scotsman's holiday paradise. 

With Wimbledon on this time (oh, and isn't it just this year!) we would retire to our room and enjoyed a spot of televised tennis while in recovery mode. Around noon, we'd head for the health spa or the pool, with somewhat chillier winter weather requiring a hearty swim just to stay warm in the water. Much reading is caught up on in between and, around 4pm, we're working out what film we want to see at the multiplex that evening.

We were able to attend to a couple of more pressing matters, however. We had an appointment at the clinic on Friday morning, where Amanda had a check-up -- all is well. And on Friday evening, we were able to track down Emilixy and her two younger sisters, Tirza and Wendoly, who are now living with their relatives. For those who've been praying for these children, you'll be pleased to know that they're settled in homes (they're spread across two of them which are in the same neighbourhood) with responsible aunts and uncles -- in fact, probably a lot more responsible than their currently incarcerated parents -- and they're settled in good schools. To give them a bit of a break, we took Tirza and Wendoly out for burgers and a flick (Brave) at the multiplex, the undoubted highlight being 6-year-old Wendoly's panic, followed by intense joy, as she boarded, and rode on, her first escalator. 

We arrived back in Trinidad on Wednesday morning and were straight back to work, with the usual bout of classes to teach and Education administration for me, and Amanda facing a busy time of it in Audiology, while also finding time to prepare for Sunday's young women's Bible study and make a home visit. With the mid-year school holidays beginning on Monday, attention is now turning to next week's 5-Day Club, organised by the Sports workers and based at the local school in the mornings. 

Last night we had the pleasure of a meal with Rogers & Donna Churipuy and their two children, who are in Trinidad for a couple of weeks visiting Rogers' family. Rogers and Donna met here many years ago when Donna, a Canadian, worked in Trinidad as a volunteer nurse, though our paths had never previously crossed. Last summer, while we were in Canada, they got in touch with us asking if we'd like to get together -- it turned out they were dedicated blog followers, coming across our website during Rogers' frequent googling for all things Trinidad. A year on, it was a pleasure to catch up with them.

Before signing off, while we've been away our final 'permission to build' paperwork has been advancing and should be in our hands by Monday, meaning that we are, finally, free to begin work on the house. Our architect popped by yesterday for a chat and he and his workers are happy to get started as early as this coming week. All going to plan, we should be in our very own home come Christmas. Pool and breakfast buffet optional.

Prayer

• For the 5-Day Club this week. Amanda and I will both be leading small-groups, while I have responsibility for music, as usual. Pray that God prepares the hearts of those children who are coming to receive the Good News.
• For the English classes as we begin the final module with the Intermediate class next week. Pray particularly for the impact of the Thursday class, where we have a simple Bible study.

Praise

• For a very relaxing -- and somewhat productive -- few days in Santa Cruz.
• For the insights gained from our evening with the McGregors.
• For our housing project now being at a state of near-readiness.

¡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 -- 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 -- 21/05/11

Though the school holidays are still a couple of months away, thoughts are steadily turning to July’s Five-Day Holiday Bible Clubs, which, as they did last year, will take place at FT’s headquarters the first week and in the remote village of San Pedro in the second week.

Excitingly, the make-up of the team looks set to have a radical overhaul, with a group of ten young people in the church having been approached to play a part in the running of the clubs, with a particular focus on working with small groups.

Though the Five-Day club in San Pedro took place nearly a year ago, FT has sought to maintain the contact, with three afternoon visits taking place towards the end of last year (though remote and accessible only by dirt road, the village is nonetheless just an hour’s drive from Trinidad). And earlier this week, we made the first of two afternoon visits, the next being in June, ahead of the club in July. Now I personally am relatively uninvolved, the bulk of the planning and preparation being carried out by FT Sports staff. Nonetheless, they’re always in need of someone to play the guitar, and that someone is usually me. However, I also chipped in in various other ways, such as leading a small group – a real eye-opener, I must say, both in terms of Biblical knowledge and literacy levels. Anyway, here are some pictures.


The team, which included four of the ten youth volunteers (the other six are coming next month)


Sing-song time


This is my impromptu small group (the standing kids are the high-schoolers who came to investigate what was going on during their break)

Back in Trinidad, the annual complex ear microsurgery campaign is in full swing, having started on Thursday and finishing this Tuesday. However, this time round, Amanda isn’t at the coal-face, instead covering rudimentary nursing tasks while the other nurses are in theatre, though she’s had a couple of Audiology patients to attend to at the same time. Needless to say, she’s spinning the plates with characteristic. We also got some news on the river trip which Amanda will be embarking on with three other FT health staff and a team from Canada. She’ll now be going on a later trip, from the 22nd of June until the 3rd of July. Though a little later, it still leaves us with plenty of time afterwards to get ready for our trip to Canada the following month. And most importantly, she’ll be back just in time for our anniversary – yes, I may be a bloke but I am fully aware of their existence, thankyouverymuch.

As you’ll be aware, a couple of months ago some younger guys in the church and I began a weekly practice with a view to forming a worship band. Well, at our practice on Monday, in order to prevent lethargy from setting in, we opted to go for broke and set a date for our first Sunday morning service. Sunday 5th of June, then, is the day, and at long last it appears the church congregation will finally be free of boring old me.

Prayer
• For Amanda as she juggles nursing and Audiology work during the surgical campaign.
• For the worship band as we seek to have everything in place for our debut Sunday.

Praise
• For safety and encouragement during Tuesday’s visit to San Pedro.
• For an enjoyable afternoon with Elizabeth (Amanda’s young Sunday School assistant) and her siblings on Sunday.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 02/10/10

"Administration. Administration. Administration." With apologies to Tony Blair, that has been the theme of the working week. In October of each year, the initial budgets for the forthcoming calendar year are prepared, so I've spent a good chunk of the week trying to plan for the Education division of FT next year. While hours spent in front of Microsoft Excel ain't exactly my cup of tea, it's provided a good opportunity to think about what direction the Lord is leading us in as a division. Excel is par for the course for Amanda, of course, and she's been supporting the nursing staff with that side of things this week.

Still, it's not all been spreadsheets. On Tuesday, a group of FT workers, including myself, headed back to San Pedro, where July's five-day club had been held, to spend another afternoon with the local children. We had no idea what to expect (despite our advanced warnings they had no idea we were coming) and we were met by only a handful at first, but as the afternoon wore on, a steady trickle of local kids got wind of the activity and, in the end, some 60 young people turned up -- as many as, if not more than, the group that came regularly in July. I led some singing, the Sports division led some games and Kenny gave 'em the gospel!

It was no easy afternoon, mind you, given the weather of the past week or so. Unfortunately, the smoke has reared its ugly head yet again and Trinidad remains smothered in the stuff. This, added to some unseasonably warm weather (spring only began about 10 days ago) combined to send temperatures into the high-30s for a good week or so. At times it was just about unbearable, creating that vicious cycle whereby the heat drains any energy you have, yet the nights are so stuffy that sleep is a major challenge. However, we have to remind ourselves that we, at least, have the benefit of fans in our home, something which most families around here simply cannot afford.

And speaking of family, I had the chance to speak to mine yesterday, 'face-to-face', via Skype. Hardly newsworthy in the developed world, but a recent hike in internet speeds has made a big difference of late and it was a thrill to be able to add vision to the sound. So, if there are any Skype users out there who fancy a chin-wag some time, our screenname is slybacon75. Look forward to it!

A fair few prayer points this week...

Prayer
• For lunchtime on Sunday afternoon, when we’re inviting over Samy & Nayara Gutierrez and their family, old friends of ours and recently-born again Christians.
• For Paris, not the city (though I’m not stopping you) but a physio at FT (pictured, top) with whom Craig has been sharing his faith recently.
• For Craig and his fairly hefty teaching load – preaching on Sunday and leading the morning meditations this week.
• For the morning meditations, not just this week but all weeks. A good number of FT workers aren’t believers and this is, for most, the only regular Christian input they receive. Pray that they would come to understand the reason for our work here and come to know Jesus as their personal saviour.
• For both of us as we trawl through the end-of-year administration.

Praise
• For the recent opening with Paris (see above).
• For a south wind which has decreased temperatures significantly from the furnace-like heights of earlier in the week.
• For being able to chat with the family this week.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 28/08/10

Something pretty amazing happened this morning. I was sitting in the car in the queue for the petrol pump, minding my own business, when some chancer on a motocicleta thundered in from nowhere and parked himself right in front of me in the queue. And here’s the thing: instead of ignoring this abuse of systematic restraint, the pump attendant proceeded to waggle her finger at him like a mother to a naughty child and, at which he slowly put-putted away, head down, lesson learned.

Please excuse my seemingly disproportionate levels of excitement, but round here, people don’t so much queue as elbow their way to the front, like John Prescott at a buffet. It can be thoroughly demoralising, not least because in most establishments, such loutishness is happily patronised by staff. So, when something like what occurred this morning takes place, it restores your faith in humanity a bit.

Anyway, as you can doubtless deduce from my ability to drive, I’m now leagues removed from my bed-ridden state of last week’s post, indeed, by Sunday, it was already a dim and distant memory. And I’m thankful it took place last weekend, because this weekend we’ve taken Friday and Monday off to give ourselves a short break. Indeed, after seven months of working straight, holidays are all of a sudden the new black as we’re hoping to fly to La Paz in a couple of weeks for a complete change of scene (and altitude).

And ‘hoping’ is the best way of putting it right now, because you may have read in the news that huge swathes of Bolivia are under a big black cloud right now. Winter being the dry season, this is the time of year when landowners traditionally take advantage of the arid conditions to burn down trees in order to clear space – smoke has filled the air for about two months here now. Except, in some parts of the country, the fires have been left unchecked and some 5 million acres have been wiped out. The consequences are several: the air quality is plummeting, 35 homes have been destroyed and, now that we have our very own version of the Icelandic volcano cloud, many airports (including Trinidad’s) cannot guarantee flight departures.

The government is in an awkward position, claiming it can’t afford to put the fires out from the air but so far failing to convince any regional neighbours to come and lend a hand. Of course, the US are just a phone call away, but the bridges were burnt there some time ago...

Essentially, then, we would ask that our blog followers become a little band of Elijahs and pray for rain to fall on this parched land, for the good of the people of Bolivia and, if possible, to allow us to get away for a while. We live next to FT and Trinidad is pretty isolated so in order to get a proper break from our work, travel is a must.

This week we were up to our usual tricks and I was charged with leading the meditations, taken from 2 Corinthians 5:6-15 in which Paul defends himself from accusations of selfish motives in the church on the basis that the love of Christ controls him, effectively rendering selfishness an impossibility. Would that I could say the same! A great challenge to us all and the chair in particular.

Prayer
• For rain (see above).
• For next Tuesday, when we’ll be heading back with a team to the remote town of San Pedro, to build on the work accomplished there during July’s 5-day clubs.

Praise
• For the refreshment of our mini-break – already feeling it by Friday lunchtime.
• For the never-ceasing vitality and relevance of the Word of God – something we often take for granted, yet so true this week.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 17/07/10

It’s always nice to get away now and again and this week we certainly managed to do that, as we took the five-day club on the road. Every morning, a team of about 25 volunteers set off from FT at around 8.15am and headed 60km north to the remote village of San Pedro, originally a Jesuit mission station founded in 1697. We had a great time and we thought we’d share some of our pictures with you.



This is the tollbooth which sits just outside Trinidad on the road north. About half of the journey to San Pedro was on roads such as this, and the latter half on dirt roads – hence the brown with a hint of burgundy look to my car. Having only picked it up a couple of weeks ago, it certainly earned its stripes this week – a baptism of dust, if you will!


And this was the scene which met us in San Pedro. This photo is taken in the main ‘plaza’ (essentially a field with some pigs and chickens running around), with the church, as usual in Latin America, taking pride of place. Our excitement was dampened a little upon discovering that this church is, in fact, a reconstruction of the church the Jesuits built, going up a mere five years ago. Nevertheless, a great example of the Jesuit architectural style. Churches like these can be seen all around the Beni region.


A health team from FT, which included Amanda, went on ahead of the main five-day club team every morning, to carry out routine examinations on the locals. Over the five days some 170 patients were assessed. The club took place in a school building, enabling the medical staff to make use of the classrooms.


After an opening game with the children, we would sing songs together, with me on the guitar. The songs, which are generally old staples in Trinidad, were largely unknown to those in San Pedro – a great opportunity, then, to share, and an important reminder of how blessed we are here in Trinidad with such resources.


Then, it was the turn of one of the other leaders to share a Bible story – again, most of the children would be hearing these for the first time this week. San, one of the workers in FT’s sports ministry, is telling the story of the prodigal son in this photo. Over the week, around 50 children came to the club at various points.


One of the children enjoying a good run-around during the games time.


The team this week included a number of short-term volunteers. A group from Carrubbers Christian Centre in Edinburgh have been here for a fortnight and their veritable myriad of talents – including health – were put to great use. Pictured with Amanda is Esther Wilson, a medical student at Dundee whose home is Peebles. She’s here for the whole month of July and celebrated her 22nd birthday with us last Sunday (graciously sharing the spotlight with a certain sporting occasion).

All in all, we felt really blessed to be part of such an opportunity. With so little previous exposure to the gospel in the village, our approach had to be a lot simpler than last week in Trinidad, but we hope that, at the very least, the ground is being prepared.

So, with such a busy week behind us (with our usual work continuing apace in the afternoons) we’ll be glad of the rest this weekend – though not before a visit to a local car wash!

PS -- The year's biggest sur to date has hit Trinidad this week and temperatures have fallen to a calamitous 11C. Given the usual climate, it might as well be -11C. I'm wearing the five layers to prove it.

Prayer
• For the people of San Pedro, that they would consider the things they have seen and heard this week.
• For Fundación Totaí, that we can find ways to build on the witness of this week in the future.

Praise
• For a great opportunity to share the good news with a hitherto unexposed audience.
• For safety on the roads to and from San Pedro.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda