Episode 17: About Time

Happy new year! After a fairly restful start to 2021 for us, and a wee bit later than planned, here is our first podcast episode of the year. We're embarking on a short series exploring the differences between 'hot climate' and 'cold climate' cultures. These are pretty fascinating, and even after 11 years in a 'hot' context, we're still learning so much. 

Thank you for all your show feedback! In response to this, we are trying to keep the episodes a little bit leaner and meaner; this one clocks in at a relatively nippy 21 minutes. 

As usual, to accompany the episode, here are a few recent photos, and some prayer requests (below).

We got away for a few days between Christmas and new year. 
Sam and Amanda contemplated life over a bag of goldfish 
crackers in this stunning fern forest. As one does.

Samaipata -- geddit!

It's been exciting to relaunch the men's Bible study over the last 
month. We are studying J.I. Packer's 'Knowing God' together.

Hora de selfie.

Prayer Points

• Give thanks for a period of rest over Christmas and new year.
• Pray for Sam as he embarks on a new term of virtual schooling.
• Pray for wisdom for Amanda in her work with short-term volunteers, particularly those who are 'on the move' at this time.
• Pray for Craig as he teaches the Biblical Contextualization course next week.
• Pray for some solid fellowship and spiritual growth at the Latin Link retreat next week.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Episode 8: Mistaken Identities

Christmas 2020. The long-established morning fry-up.

The turkey. It was gobbled.

Trimmings!

Friends!

Overhead-mirror-selfie.

The party's over, kiddo.

Prayer Points

• Give thanks for a really enjoyable first Christmas in Santa Cruz.
• Give thanks for the chance to spend more time together as a family in recent weeks.
• Pray for Amanda's work with the new short-term volunteers who have arrived this week with our mission.
• Pray for a time of real refreshment in Colombia, both at the LAM Canada conference in Armenia, and then our vacation in Santa Marta.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig, Amanda & Sam

Saturday Post -- 02/01/16

Shhh... I (Amanda) have until Sam wakes up from his morning nap to write this. If this post ends up finishing mid-sentence, well... them's the breaks, as they say. 

Two weeks ago Craig wrote a lovely, very well thought out entry about our journey through the adoption process until this point. I really hope you enjoyed it and maybe got to see a little bit of what God has been doing in our lives to bring us and Sam to this point. It is weird to think of what we were doing in the months since he was born before we knew about him; that we were off somewhere doing something and he was waiting for us to come and get him. 'Waiting' has been the word of the year in my opinion. God has taught me a lot about waiting and I'm not entirely sure He won't have to teach me again at some point. It is a very difficult lesson to learn. However, although the waiting for Sam to arrive was very hard, we can definitely see how God's timing was perfect. In Bolivia, December and January are much slower times and we have been graciously given the chance to adjust with Sam without having to worry too much about responsibilities in work and in the church. 

But it has definitely been an adjustment. Our lives changed from one day to the next without too much preparation. We knew that things would change, but there was no way to really know how they would change. And the change was quite a shock to my system. Poor Sam arrived from the orphanage quite sick and we were dumped into the deep end with loads of medical visits and medication schedules. We weren't able to learn what was normal for him until things settled down, so for the first three to four days we were flailing a bit. I personally found that very stressful... "Is he eating enough?", "Is he sleeping too much?", "Is he too lethargic?" and "Is he dehydrated?" were questions that wouldn't stop buzzing around my head and Sam got way more sleep those first three to four days than I did. The doctor kind of scared me at the first appointment when she pointed out that if he didn't rehydrate quite substantially he would have to get admitted to the hospital. I was determined that was not going to happen... I strongly, strongly, strongly dislike that place (we're trying not to use the word hate around the wee one... God 'hates' sin, we 'dislike' cauliflower, well Craig does; there is a difference in the strength of those words). However, thankfully once his health settled down, my anxiety settled down and we're all three sleeping fine these days. 

That being said, I am always on the lookout for things that are wrong. I am constantly analysing poo consistency and counting the number of wet diapers. I watch for milestones like a hawk. Can he pass things from one hand to another? Are those multiple syllables strung together? Babycentre.co.uk has become the go-to page on my phone (Thanks Louise Trelogan for telling me all about it!), and we are largely trying to get him as fat as possible. Sam is of average height for his age bracket, but he was 1.2 kilos underweight for his height and age. So, we're trying to pile on the calories (in a healthy and controlled way, of course), and it looks like we're succeeding because every time someone else holds him they say how heavy he's gotten. Yay! As my sister said, "Mothers' paranoia has been saving children's lives since the beginning of time," so it's all good. 

But we're just generally enjoying our time with him. He is a delightful baby who loves to smile and laugh. He's generally not fussy, though we had a rough time of it yesterday with tiredness from our trip to Santa Cruz and his first tooth coming in. And he sleeps!!!! I think God knew what type of baby I needed to be able to survive. Craig's also becomes this doting Dad... and it's adorable to watch. He goes out to buy baby formula yesterday and comes back with an authentic Winnie the Pooh cuddly toy for Sam. He looks at me and says, "I'm sorry... I just had to buy it." Fine, okay... who can be mad about that? It was so sweet... but I get to be the bad guy who says "No cuddly toys in the bed!" The doctor said no... I'm just doing what the doctor said. 

So next week we are going back to work. We had talked about looking for someone to help a couple of mornings of the week to give us a chance to do our jobs as well. I was comfortable with this before he arrived, but now I just look at his cute face and I think, "How am I going to pass him to someone else? He's too cute." So, we're going to try to see how we got on by passing him off between us... I was working part time at the Foundation anyways. I will stay part time, but instead of all mornings, I'll work half mornings and half afternoons. Craig will work a lot more from the house with his sermon preparation and we'll organise discipleship around his nap times, or involve him if appropriate. Weekends will be different as it depends on our specific responsibilities that particular weekend, but we'll work to support and help each other to be able to get work done too. We'll let you know if our current plan is working or if it is a total fail. 

Thanks for your understanding about taking the week off last weekend. We decided as we couldn't travel through to La Paz for Christmas like we had intended, we would go to Santa Cruz between Christmas and New Year to buy supplies. And there was Star Wars!!!! I don't think I can recall a time in my life when I've gone to the cinema by myself. This time I was all about going to the cinema by myself... I even got a bit dressed up, ordered myself popcorn; it was great. And I loved the film... I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It was just so Star Wars. The night before I went Craig and I were discussing who would go first. Craig said, "I guess the code means I need to offer to let you go first." I thought, "What code? Mark Kermode's cinema code of conduct? That's not in there... oh, he means the gentleman's code." I then thought, "Well, the polite thing would be to say something along the lines of, 'It's okay... you can go first.'" What I really said was, "Sure, I'll go first!" I don't think Craig was expecting that. The look on his face was slightly baffled. And I was only too happy to go first. Poor Craig had to wait a whole 24 hours more to see the film. Ha! Sadly, the time in Santa Cruz had a low moment when my wallet got lifted from my purse at the big market. I was holding Sam, had his diaper bag on one shoulder and my handbag on the other and I didn't feel a thing when it got lifted. Craig asked for some money to buy something a little later on, and that was the first time I noticed it was missing. This means that I get to spend Monday trying to get my ID card and driver's license replaced... yay! 

Thank you for the personal messages we've received from people recently. We have been very encouraged by all your kind notes and feel very lifted up in prayer by everyone. We wish a very Happy New Year to you all and pray that 2016 is full of God's blessing. 

Prayer

• For adjusting to our new schedule with Sam once we go back to work.
• For our appointment with our lawyer on Tuesday as we investigate the next stage in the adoption process.
• For replacing all my cards from my wallet this week. 

Praise

• For how well Sam has settled into life with us.
• For the recovery in his health and for his weight gain.
• For a good time as a family in Santa Cruz.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 19/01/13

Amanda (left) conducts the children's choir at the Christmas service, a long
time ago in a holiday far, far away.

Feliz año nuevo! Like January football fixtures, the NHL season, and Prime Ministerial keynote addresses on Europe, our return from a self-imposed sojourn into the blogging wilderness is a little delayed but hopefully worth the long, dark hours of three consecutive weekends without our company, which no doubt all of our readers to a man have endured over the last month.

So, what's been happening since we last posted? Too much to detail here (indeed, our web-hosts may not permit us the space) but I'll have a stab at an extended highlights reel.

In the style of an end-of-season cliffhanger, we left you all in a state of unbridled suspense as our last post detailed the forthcoming church Christmas service. Well, you'll be pleased to know that it was a great success, with a whole host of family and friends of the participants turning up to enjoy it. More details are in our latest newsletter, sent out yesterday (send us an email at cramandaham@gmail.com if you'd like a copy).

As usual, Christmas Day itself was a pretty relaxed affair with our missionary friends, tempered by the fact that we had to go back to work the next day. But by then our thoughts were already turning  what was effectively our Christmas present to each other, the upcoming week's break in Santa Cruz, which straddled the end of last year and the beginning of this.

Those who have visited Santa Cruz will know that it's one of the more aesthetically-challenged places in the world, definitely the Glasgow to La Paz's Edinburgh. Indeed, 'sprawl' is a more appropriate monicker than 'city'. Nevertheless, it has, for us, become something of a haven over the last few years as Hollywood blockbusters are caught up on, clothes stocked up on, and good food feasted on; and all in a context of something which comes at a premium in little Trinidad: urbanonymity.

That said, we stepped out of our Santa Cruz comfort zone this time and made contact with acquaintances from our last visit. In August, when Joanne was visiting, we were browsing in a tourist shop in the city. I was doubtless staring at my hundred-and-first set of llama coasters when I heard a familiar brogue. I approached the gentleman and asked where he came from. Sure enough, I'd met my first Ayrshireman in Bolivia. We proceeded to enjoy some hot beverages with Steve Paterson and his wife, Dilys (from Durham), with the invitation extended to get in touch any time we were in town.

Well, we did just that on our second day in the city, partaking of a curry in what an Indian restaurant we would never have found ourselves (Steve has been posted by a British company to Santa Cruz and he and his wife have had plenty of time to sniff out the better eateries). We were then invited to join them, along with some friends of theirs, for a late-night dinner and drinks at their home the following day: December 31st. Technically, Steve and I were the only Scots there, but it was easily the closest that Bolivian Año Nuevo has come to Hogmanay in our time here.

In the two weeks since our return we've been reacquainting ourselves with that strange period of limbo we call January. Here in Bolivia, with the schools still off, and with most people having half an eye on February's upcoming Carnaval festivities, this is a strangely muted time of year. It does, however, provide important opportunities if you know where to find them.

For example, we were not long back when I received a call from one of my English students alerting me to a national convention for English teachers, taking place this year in Trinidad. So on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of last week (hence the lack of the promised blog-post) I attended said convention. The seminars on English teaching were generally pretty basic -- nothing there that will cause me to make sweeping changes to the courses I teach here -- but I did pick up on a few things which will hopefully complement my teaching, not least on the technological side. Among other things, I learnt to design my own class webpage, where I have now posted all of my Powerpoint lessons, hopefully saving precious classroom time which is otherwise devoted to putting files on the flash-drives of the previous week's absentees. In the spirit of 1980s Glasgow Evening Times television commercials, my response to such requests shall henceforth be: 'Get your own!'

More than anything, January is the month to take advantage of the spare time and get ready for the coming year. For example, I've spent much of the past week making purchases for educational needs this year. A similar approach applies to church, where things are quieter in the absence of youth ministry over the school holidays. The members of the youth fellowship leadership, including Amanda and me, have been meeting on Saturday afternoons to draw up a proper, all-singing, all-dancing, year-plan for 2013, including social events, trips and fundraising events (for the end-of-year camp, when our youth always need a little assistance in covering the cost). With a couple more such sessions remaining, including this afternoon, we're excited about how things are already coming together.

Finally, the January weirdness continues this weekend, with a key gubernatorial election in the Beni region tomorrow, meaning all public meetings are cancelled, meaning no church. Politically, that's a fascinating situation, which I was planning to go into here, but I reckon that's quite enough for one day. We do, of course, have all year to talk about it.

Prayer

• For the Lord's continued guidance in our planning for the year both in the Foundation (Craig planning for Education year; Amanda working with her fellow board members) and in the church.
• For our visa situation. It feels like only yesterday that I was last writing about it, but our two-year visas expire in March. This means that we now qualify, at last, for the permanent residency visa (which allows, among other things, for extended periods of travel outside of the country). We have started to get the necessary documentation in order for this year's application. Mercifully, the process seems to have simplified greatly since 2011, but prayers are appreciated nonetheless.

Praise

• For the many new faces present at the church during Christmas.
• For a restful week away from Trinidad for us as a couple.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda