Circular Motions

New blog-post, same old excuses. In the busyness of this initial spell here in Santa Cruz, we aren't quite managing to reach that one-post-a-week target. More broken promises. We really should go into politics.

Be assured it's not the worst busyness. If we don't have as much time for writing, we're at least lining our stomachs, as the oh-so-generous hospitality afforded us by church members and others here shows no sign of abating. We really could not have felt more welcomed. Just wait till they find out what we're really like!

But we wouldn't want you to go thinking that we're too good for you, our old friends. And so, without any further ado, here is the first of what we hope will be a fairly frequent series of blog posts about adjusting to Santa Cruz life, with some prayer points to close. We will begin in an area where the differences between the two cities could not be starker: driving.

Driving was just no fun in Trinidad. The roads were abysmal, so every journey took our poor car one step closer to the next inconvenient visit to our mechanic - at least once every couple of months. Both access to easy credit and the city's population had grown so quickly in the last decade or so, but the infrastructure had not come close to catching up. So the town's already narrow and liberally-potholed arteries were becoming increasingly clogged up with motocicletas. 

All of which meant we rather looked forward to our occasional journeys both to and in Santa Cruz over the years. For a decent part of the road between the two cities, you could really gie it laldy (Scots, verb: give a hunner percent effort), not passing another vehicle for miles. You could finally enjoy music on the road the way its makers intended (the epic Hamilton became something of a favourite). And when you got to Santa Cruz itself, you could drive on relatively developed road networks, several lanes wide in places. The longer cross-town journeys were fun because they were so novel.

Well, I (Craig) can report that the day-to-day reality is a little more gruelling! In Trinidad, we lived on the outskirts of the city, and yet it never took us much more than 15 minutes to get anywhere else in the city. Here, true to our personalities, we also live on the edge, on the southwest of the city, where both Sam's school and my workplace are located, and these alone from our house are a 15-minute journey. Getting into the centre, meanwhile - or, say, the north or east of the city - will take at least 30 minutes. 

Being a more urban environment, things are of course more spread out in their own districts. But even, say, our 'local' supermarket is still a 20-minute drive. The reality of this hit home in our first week or two, when we had impromptu visitors from the church for lunch, and I decided to pop out and get a tub of ice-cream, a ten-to-fifteen-minute inconvenience in Trinidad. It took the best part of an hour to pick up that single solitary tub. Not worth it!

The 'bicycle wheel' from above. We live to the south-west of the city.

Now, Santa Cruz is a city of around 2 million people; quite a step up from Trinidad's 130,000. And the size of the city obviously reflects this. Yet, it's surprisingly straightforward to make your way around…quite literally, in fact! Because the city is built around a ring system, with up to eight ring-roads depending on where you are. If you think of a bicycle wheel, the main thoroughfares are like spokes. I like that, if you are in the centre, you can get to the 'spoke' you want quickly and make your way out from there easily, if not always speedily.

Long-time readers may remember that Amanda spent an extended period here in Santa Cruz in 2012 when we had infertility treatment. During that time I remained in Trinidad for work purposes, but came through to the city at various points to visit. Amanda was on strict bed-rest, of course, but I needed my exercise. So I spent many hours simply walking. And that helped me get to grips with the city's layout, which has been most helpful as we have settled in.

So while navigation here is something of an art, with a little bit of practice it can be learned fairly quickly. Driving norms also require a little getting used to. The junctions for the spokes and thoroughfares mostly take the form of roundabouts. So far, so British. However, there the similarities end - and not just because they drive on the wrong side of the road. Insofar as the rules are observed, it is those in the roundabout who are expected to give way to those approaching it. But as you probably had already worked out, this being Bolivia, the application is somewhat elastic, and essentially the same 'road safety' rule applies here as anywhere else: drive to the same maniacal extent as everyone else, and you'll probably be OK.

We recently enjoyed an overnight stay at the spectacular Refugio Los Volcanes, 
just 90 minutes' drive from our home.

Prayer Points

• Amanda and I are both still having some niggling health issues, particularly of the gastric variety! Probably a byproduct of moving to another city, but a real pain (quite literally) nonetheless when they arise. We are hoping to see a doctor soon. Pray for some answers.
• Continue to pray for the sale of our house in Trinidad. We are thankful that with the help of the tenant, we have been able to address some of the security issues there (see our last prayer points).
• In addition to my pastoral work, I am hoping to do a little work with Langham Preaching again here in Santa Cruz, which remains a real untapped market for what has been a very successful ministry in most of Bolivia. There will be an information meeting this morning to gauge interest, chaired by Langham staff from Cochabamba. Please pray for this.
• Amanda has been keeping busy with her new short-term coordinator role with the Latin Link Bolivia team. We had a new volunteer -- Regina, from Germany -- at the house to stay with us in the last week as Amanda oversaw here orientation. Give thanks for the opportunity for Amanda to serve again, and pray for wisdom.
• Sam continues to excel at school, but we are in the process of applying for a place for him at an English-language Christian school with which our church has an affiliation. He will likely be called for an aural exam at some point next month. Pray that God would be in this. 

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig, Amanda & Sam

Saturday Post -- 26/05/2012

Firstly, this is Amanda writing the blog this week. The point was reached where Craig could no longer handle the absolute disaster that is the inside of our car, so bright and early this morning he was off to get it detailed. Therefore, I am at home with some peace and quiet to share with you my perspective of events over the last three or four weeks... and in all seriousness, it is something that I have been wanting to do for a while. 

Continuing on with what Craig mentioned about my impromptu trip to Santa Cruz last week, I would like to let you all know I am perfectly fine. The week before I was still in a lot of pain, not from the surgery, but from the treatment I am on, but my trip to the doctor last weekend was very beneficial. He made what adjustments he could to alleviate any discomfort, but also assured himself that everything seemed perfectly normal and that some women just find this process more uncomfortable than others. I know I am being vague about treatment, etc. without ever having defined what treatment or process this is, and while I am completely open to sharing with pretty much anyone who wants to know, some people might find this information a bit of an over-share and maybe even a little gross. However, if you would like more information about the specifics for prayer or interest's sake please e-mail or Facebook me and I would be happy to inform you with more details. But the end of it all is that I feel so much better. Although at the time I wasn't convinced the adjustments had done anything, I truly feel better and am glad I went and had everything checked over. He wants to see me again for another check-up in 2-3 weeks' time. 

I also feel better mentally as well... I think in the midst of the surgery and decisions we were moving and living on adrenaline. Everything happened so fast, with our initial appointment with the doctor on Thursday and my surgery on Saturday and loads of tests, poking and prodding in between. We were very much at peace about consulting the doctor and were already aware of the potential for investigative surgery before we went, so we were very comfortable with the pace with which everything moved. Having never had surgery before, in the moment I was also determined to view it as an adventure... I was not concerned with the surgery itself, but I have to admit that I was a bit worried about general anaesthesia. I could not wrap my head around one minute being awake and another minute waking up having missed the whole thing. Now looking back on that part of the procedure, I still think, "Whoa... weird..." One minute the doctor was asking how I was feeling and the next I was in recovery desperately needing to pee. I was so proud that, even half-conscious, I was able to remember to speak in Spanish, though it was basic Spanish because, "I need to pee" is not all that difficult to say... over and over and over again. However, the word "catheter" was one I didn't know... so I just decided to say it over and over again in English probably really confusing the nursing staff. 

Even after the surgery, for the remainder of our time in Santa Cruz, despite the pain and bed-rest, I continued to feel like Craig and I were on an adventure and kind of felt like I was being spoilt because everything was being done for me. I do admit to cheating a bit in the recovery process... surgery was the Saturday and Monday night we went to the movies... it had to be done. I was walking really slowly, so we left early enough to make up for my hunched over, elderly lady-like gait and went to see The Avengers on the big screen... something we can't do in Trinidad. And while I was a bit uncomfortable near the end of the film, it was worth it. I remember sitting down and thinking about what movie seats used to be like and was so grateful that they had advanced to be so comfortable over the years... they are way more comfortable than airplane seats. 

However, we returned to Trinidad on the Wednesday morning and I tried to keep busy to not think about the implications of the whole previous week... laundry, sweeping out the house, etc. I even went to work the next day, where I learnt I was not actually supposed to be doing those things and I should be actually lying down...and about halfway through the morning I agreed with them. I was wiped out. And the constant activity since returning had made things a lot more painful than they probably needed to be. So Thursday afternoon I stayed in bed, with instructions to not do anything even in the house. And while Bones season 4 kept me busy for that weekend, I couldn't really not think about everything that had happened.

I can't have kids naturally... people talk about so many things, but infertility is not one of them. No one tells their daughters that one day they may or may not grow up to be mothers, because they may or may not be able to have children. And while all women who start to try to have a baby acknowledge that "infertility" is out there, no one really thinks that it's going to be their problem... or least I didn't. I was born one month and two days before my parents' first anniversary, so obviously my parents didn't have problems; why would I? I struggled, and still do a little, with feeling a bit like a failure as a woman -- isn't our basic biological purpose to reproduce? -- and I struggled with sadness because I really want a child... but God has taught me a lot over the last couple of weeks and I have felt really helped and encouraged.

Firstly, I changed my perspective from blaming God to accepting that my body is the way it is because there is sin in the world. Like any other disease, my body is less than perfect from original sin and I know that there a lot more people out there struggling with illnesses a lot graver than mine. Actually, when the doctor came into the room looking really stressed and concerned I was worried he found something a lot more serious and when I specifically asked about tumours he said, "Oh no... we didn't find anything you're going to die from." And I remember my relief was so palpable... and I remember thinking that anything else he was going to say would be OK. So really, physically, I am OK... and praise God for that. And God is still good even though my body doesn't work 100% like it should, even though there are people we love who have diseases like cancer, and even though there is war and starvation in our world. God is good. 

Secondly, I started reading Radical by David Platt... and I am really enjoying it so far. One of the many things he touches on is that our salvation and faith is not and cannot be centred around ourselves. If someone asks what is the centre of Christianity, he says, and I agree with him, that many people would respond with "That God loved me and sent his Son to save me from my sins". But he goes on to explain how this definition leaves the focus of Christianity on us... it becomes all me, me, me, me... he suggests that the definition should be something more along the lines of "God loved me and sent His Son to save me from my sins to glorify His name." He cites many examples throughout scripture which all essentially boil down to the fact that God works and acts in and through us to glorify Himself in this world... therefore, my purpose is to glorify God. I can still be a functioning, productive woman of Christ whether or not I can have children, because my main purpose is to give glory to God. Even more than that, God can use this situation and my less than perfect body for His glory... and even more than that, I want Him to. 

Ephesians 3:20 is a special verse for me and I have been thinking about it a lot over the last couple of weeks... if my desire is that God uses me for His glory, and He can do abundantly more than I can ask or imagine... then I should expect Him to do just that with this situation in a way that is bigger than I can even comprehend. I have to expect Him to work in this situation without trying to guess how... I can't assume that it means He will give us children, but I can expect Him to be glorified and that has given me a  lot of comfort this past couple of weeks. 

OK, this is long... and I am not now going to go into detail about our week. I will say we worked... I did work a full week this week... Audiology in the morning and more flexible work in the afternoons, including house visits. I was invited to a charity event for the rich and famous women of Trinidad where I met loads of new women... and won a photoshoot with a professional photographer in the raffle. Craig's English class had their exam for their second unit... and he's been busy this week with land stuff... we'll call it stuff, because I don't know what it really is called. He spoke at church last Sunday and will be speaking at youth group tonight. Next week, we'll give a more detailed look at what our week was like. I just wanted to share some thoughts instead this week. 

Prayer

• Craig as he speaks at youth group tonight about God's strength in our weaknesses. We're also finishing the unit on service in the "Purpose Driven Life", so pray that the young people have been impacted with the whole concept of service.
• The continual, unseasonal rain which is making life inconvenient for us and much more so for people with less secure housing.

Praise

• A continued sense of peace for us both as God reveals His plans for us in terms of having a family, and that this experience has only made our marriage stronger.
• Making new contacts and building on previous relationships at the charity event this past Thursday night.
• A wonderful house visit with great questions and conversation with my friend Mary, who some of you might remember as a contact through the English classes. 

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 26/02/11

Increasingly appreciating the opportunity the blog presents us to stop and take stock every Saturday. The weekdays here are hectic. But, more than anything, this being Trinidad, they are entirely unpredictable.

Take yesterday morning, for instance. Rainy season has naturally caused a build-up of excessive mud in grassy areas, making it pretty precarious at times for driving. A few of us guys were attending to official business when we got a call from one of the nurses, who couldn't get the ambulance (a 4x4, no less) out of one of these ditches. 6 chaps, 2 spades and 90 minutes later, we eventually rescued the trapped vehicle from this particular slough of despond. Job done. Morning gone.

Flexibility is key here. Expect the unexpected. Anticipate disaster. A hard lesson for one so set in their ways as myself -- my diary, unfortunately, can, at times, become my gospel, making Trinidad a most unlikely venue for my missionary skills. The Lord sure ain't finished with me.

Indeed, the week was constantly moved and shifted by the unpredictable. Yet amongst this, we made progress on a few things. Amanda has been hard at work in Audiology testing some new equipment which they have there and her meticulous approach to her work is being very much appreciated by both patients and staff. The English classes continued this week with a few new faces and enthusiasm undimmed, even when faced with the challenge of the first verb.

I've also been afforded the opportunity by the board to look at my weekly schedule and consider what changes could be made to give me more educational opportunities. When we got here over a year ago, we were advised to take things slowly for the first few months and we largely observed this, while picking up small, generic tasks in the meantime. For myself, however, since I took on the role of Director of Education, these activities have not always been conducive to making progress on educational tasks. In many ways, they have kept me humble -- abandoning my office to drive the ambulance a couple of times a week to pick up physio patients, for example, has taught me a lot about what it means to serve -- but the time has come to start prioritising.

To this end, I'll be using my gifts in teaching a little more. From this week, I'll be running a drop-in guitar workshop for an hour on Thursday afternoons. And I'm hoping to meet the head-teacher of the local high school on Monday to offer support in English teaching. The standards of teaching and discipline at state-run schools here are pretty abysmal, so a challenge certainly awaits, but it will be a good reminder of how life is for the majority of children here, how blessed I've been to have had the education I had, and another little awareness-raiser of FT in the community.

Amidst the busyness of the week, we got a little complacent with the visa application, giving it no attention whatsoever, and we now have just four working days next week to get it together before the deadline. Technically, we have just about everything we were asked for ready to submit, however, I refer you to the first three paragraphs; it would not surprise us in the slightest if the government had completely changed the rules within the last month. God-willing, by this time next week our applications will be winging their way to La Paz -- passports included. Yikes!

Prayer
• For our visa applications, that we would achieve what we need to this week and that the Immigration office would look kindly upon them.
• For Craig as he takes on the new educational tasks in the coming weeks.

Praise
• For the positive impact Amanda is making in Audiology.
• For the Lord’s help in preparing meditations this week (on Galatians and The Jerusalem Council).

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda