Saturday Post -- 07/05/11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 30/04/11

After such excitement yesterday, there's an understandable clamour out there for shots of the undisputed wedding of the century. We're only too happy to oblige...

The royal family


That much-anticipated first kiss!


An insider's glimpse of those reception hijinks


The first picture taken on our honeymoon (as we waited for our flight to Italy, though we did end up walking yesterday's parade route -- how prophetic is that!)

Back to the present day and I should start with last weekend's Easter service, for which we had requested much prayer. It all went off without a hitch, the Sunday School and youth group performed their sections with real finesse (not least the choir!) and, most importantly, the church was packed out, with a few new faces in the congregation who, perhaps for the first time, heard the gospel message explained simply and clearly by the church pastor, Elías. Here's a picture of the choir in full-flow, though it's been grabbed from Facebook so, to paraphrase the great Dr. Emmett Brown, please excuse the crudity of this image.



No bank holiday here, so it was back behind our desks on Monday and largely business as usual. I've found myself at times this week having to deal with mounting frustration over the education system here. You'll be aware that I began teaching English to two classes in a local school a couple of months ago. Well, the school has asked me to assess the class on their progress so that we can grade each pupil. And quite right too.

Except that I've been trying for the best part of a month to finally get this initial exam done and dusted. The month of April has not been one to savour in this regard. A couple of weeks ago we referred to the blockades and strikes that had brought everything to a halt, including education. There went two weeks of classes. Then last week I turn up on the Thursday and half of the class are on the football pitch, having opted to make an early exit before the Good Friday holiday. Not an eyelid batted among the staff.

But this week was a corker. Bolivia, for some reason, has a national obsession with what could politely be described in the developed world as Hallmark Holidays. You know, Day of the Nurse, Day of Friendship, Day of the Child...deary-me, there's doubtless a Day of the Day out there somewhere! Here's an illustration: about a month ago, it was Day of the Health Worker. It turned out to be the quietest day at FT in months, because the public all expected we'd all have the day off!

In a way, I can understand it. Folk round here don't have too much to look forward to, so might as well make the most of these little havens of celebration. Yet I hadn't realised till now that the authorities, too, are totally up for these things too.

So, for example, Day of the Child took place a couple of weeks ago when the strikes were taking place. The school had been due to have a celebration for this particular day, which was understandably cancelled. But we can't let an event of such significance pass us by, so the school's event was re-scheduled for Friday past. This meant that I spent our final revision lesson on Thursday trying to keep a track of the swathes of pupils who had just upped and left to practice a dance they were due to perform the next day. Furthermore, this being the May Day weekend, this coming Tuesday will involve a Day of the Worker celebration (though, I have to say, among the teachers, I haven't met too many of them at this particular school), so, despite the head-teacher's assurances, I'm already anticipating the Tuesday class's exam being half-empty.

It's hard to begrudge the locals the opportunity to celebrate. But what really gets me is the blind subservience to these events at the executive level. Nary a week goes by without some such event severely disrupting classroom education. Now don't get me wrong: I'm not saying by any means that the classroom should be the sole base of learning. But in constantly granting such disruptive importance to these events, I believe the school system here is: a) creating yet another generation of Day-slaves; b) deliberately avoiding hard work; and c) denying children a basic education. And when I see some of the work of my 8th-grade class on Tuesdays, I find the last point hard to deny.

Rant over. But I really wanted to get that off my chest and give readers an insight into the struggles that face anyone who aims to do a good job within the educational system here. We'll leave you with our prayer points for the week.

Prayer
• Keep praying for Amanda's visa (we went yesterday afternoon to check on it but Immigration was closed).
• For patience and grace for Craig as he gets to grips with the school system.

Praise
• For a fantastic Easter Sunday service last weekend, particularly for the visitors who came.
• For the chance to watch the Royal Wedding yesterday -- might seem a strange one, but it was really refreshing for us to get an extended glimpse of home (I can say that for both of us as Amanda's a subject too).

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 23/04/11

This is Paul & Helen Burns, with whom we spent some time on Tuesday evening. Paul, from Stockton-on-Tees, has been to Trinidad for two spells over the years as a volunteer and they took advantage of the English school holidays by coming out to visit the work and catch up with old friends. We hadn't met Helen before and we very much enjoyed making her acquaintance.

Trinidad, too, is currently in holiday mode, with everyone enjoying a long Easter weekend. We took advantage of it yesterday for heading out to the lake, the first time we've actually left the Trinidad city limits in a couple of months. Saturdays and Sundays usually entail some kind of church involvement, so we thoroughly enjoyed a day devoid of demands.

But throughout Holy Week we've had plenty of opportunities to reflect on those seismic days. In morning meditations this week we read Luke's account of the Easter story. In the Community classes, we used a Palm Sunday lesson to highlight Jesus' rejection. Last night the church screened 'Jesus' at its monthly Noche del Cine. And, of course, on Sunday morning we're having a special, evangelistically-focused service, to mark the resurrection (the final choir practice is tonight).

For me, however, the highlight of this Easter week has come from a more unlikely source: Trinidad's men's penitentiary. As part of the website development I'm involved in, I've been trying to add to the image portfolio we have available. We didn't really have anything to show for the prison ministry side of FT's work, so I took a trip out there on Tuesday afternoon. In reality, FT's involvement is chiefly supportive. The ministry has been led by a believer called Wilson Soleto for many years, but Sammy, who is my co-worker in the Community classes, accompanies Wilson on Tuesdays and Thursdays to lead the singing.


Wilson (left) and Sammy (centre) at work

To be honest, I'd been planning on turning up, taking a few shots and then heading back to the office. But I was about to see something special. As Wilson did his usual pre-meeting walkabout in the prison, he introduced me to two men who in the past few days had put their trust in the Lord. Shortly afterwards, as the meeting began, another inmate shared that he, too, had in the past few days come to a saving faith. We sang hymns together in the small, but packed, meeting area. Wilson proceeded to teach the men about Palm Sunday, skilfully relating those events in the context of Easter week.

The three of us were about to take our leave of them when we were interrupted by a voice in the opposite corner. Tears streaming down his face, another inmate declared publicly that he wished to put his trust in Jesus. What a humbling experience, and what a wonderful insight into the work that God is doing in this city. And yet, as I looked around at these men, very much at the margins of society (which is some going in a place like Trinidad), I was reminded that, around 2,000 years ago, Jesus made himself lower even than these in order to save us all from sin's chains.

The Lord bless you all this Easter weekend.

Prayer
• For the Easter service tomorrow at the church, that we'd see some new faces and that the gospel would be preached faithfully.
• Continue to pray for Amanda's visa, which we are hoping will be ready soon.

Praise
• For the work at the men's penitentiary.
• For the opportunity to share the Good News with so many this week.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 16/04/11

And a happy Palm Sunday to all our readers. This is a Totaí tree just beside our house. Not quite a palm tree but a decent substitute.

It's not generating anywhere near the international news coverage of last year's proposed fuel hike but the country is very much in the grip of civil unrest once again. Worldwide food prices are rocketing, due in part to the instability in the Middle East and its impact on oil prices. Bolivia has not been immune to this. We've seen our own grocery bills rise considerably over the past few months. Indeed, we reckon we're forking out roughly what we did for our weekly shop back in the UK. But while it means cutting back on other expenses, we at least have the means to cope. For public sector workers who earn around £1.70 per hour, many with several children to attend to, the squeeze is keenly felt.

And it's those workers who have taken to the streets this week in protest over what they consider a derisory wage increase of 10% from the government given the 20% rise in food costs. Their initial demand was 30%, then 20% and it seems they've settled on 15% for now. But after a week in which schools have been closed and the country's main roads have been blocked, the powers that be haven't budged.

So the country has more or less ground to a halt. But we're still standing and the Bible's take on international politics is always a source of reassurance: Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7)

Please keep praying for next weekend's Easter Sunday celebration at the church, to which we're inviting many from our community and family/friends of regular church attenders. I followed somewhat amblingly in my father's footsteps a week ago, leading my first choir practice with the youth group. Amanda certainly spotted a few glaring similarities in our conducting styles. Anyway, most importantly, the young people certainly enjoyed the song (a Spanish version of "Worthy is the Lamb") and we'll continue to iron out the creases later today.

According to our hosts, Blogger, this is our 100th post. I think back ten years ago when I first came to Trinidad. This was back in the days when we were all still working out what to do with this new internet thing -- Napster, for example, was still very much alive and well. I considered it an achievement back then to get a monthly email off to a list of friends and family. So I reckon we've done alright to get at least one post a week done and dusted. Most importantly, it seems lots of people out there are reading and finding out what they can be praying for. And that, as the Hokey-Cokey would tell you, is what it's all about.

Prayer
• For continued preparation for the Easter service.
• For the tense situation in the country.

Praise
• For the Lord's constancy in the midst of uncertain times.
• For the ability to stay so well connected with friends and family in this way -- the internet does have its up-sides.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 09/04/11

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 02/04/11

Here are a few happy customers from this week's English classes, where, as well as enjoying cheese empanadas and Coke, we awarded the certificates for the first module of classes, which ended the previous week with a short exam. The majority of students scored a solid pass, but we stressed to those who hadn't that their recent progress in a new language was the most important thing to take away from the experience and their mature attitude and determination to keep going was a real encouragement to us.

In the first picture, with the students from the Elementary class, is Ruth Young (2nd from left), from Scotland, who is here as part of a new gap-year programme called 'First Serve' co-run by UK missionary organisations GLO, Echoes of Service and Interlink. During her time here, she has mainly concentrated on administrative tasks, but she has been a great help, too, in the English classes, particularly during conversational tasks. She's leaving after three months here next Sunday, and her input in the class will be much missed.

In the third picture, with me, are three of the students from the Basic class (the whole class is featured in the middle picture). They are, from left to right, Kevin and his cousins Daniel and Diego. Diego is the keyboard player in the new church band which had its first rehearsal on Monday, with my friend from work Wilson on the guitar. We managed to practise two pretty rudimentary songs which we sing fairly regularly in church, though it will be some time before we can play as a unit on a Sunday. The goal is to have a group of around 20 songs that we can play fairly capably together and which I can leave my band-mates with when I'm not around (such as later this year when we'll be in Canada for a couple of months).

Aside from that, it's been a busy week, with all hands to the laptop most evenings as a result. The end of the month brings its usual slew of reports and I've been preparing a sermon for Sunday, the second in a new series on the gospel of John in the church, on the topic of John the Baptist. As I've studied this week, I've found the passage a little dry on personal application, but big on the gospel, and it will probably be the first overtly evangelistic message I've preached for some time. Anyway, I have to get motoring on that just now, so I shall leave you with our prayer and praise points for now.


Prayer
• For a successful end to the first modules (of four for the year) of English classes.
• For more invaluable training for Amanda this week, with another visit from former FT audiologist Maricarmen Fernández.

Praise
• For Craig's sermon, tomorrow, and his preparation.
• For our visa application. We were advised to make contact within a month of submission to check if anything else is required of us, or if there have been any other hitches. So we need to start chasing that up this week. As ever, patience is the key.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 26/03/11

Much like Dick van Dyke in Mary Poppins (though without the dodgy cockney accent), regular readers will know that I've been our church's one-man-band for most of the time we've been here. Unlike old Dick, I keep it simple with just a guitar, which I endeavour to strum in as rhythmic a fashion as possible, so as to create some semblance of percussiveness. It's not great for the strings, but there you go. Anyway, a couple of months ago, one of my friends and co-workers from FT, Wilson, started learning the guitar pretty seriously and approached me about playing along with me on Sundays. A few weeks later, a new family arrived at the church, whose eldest son, Diego, is a keen keyboard player and is interested to learn more worship songs. So I asked him if he'd be interested in joining a worship band while he was at it. He said yes and so Wilson, Diego and I are having our first church band practice this Monday at 5pm. I'm not expecting instant results by any means, but the prospect of a little responsibility being lifted from my shoulders on a Sunday is an exciting one -- and after all, mission work is all about training the natives and, in the process, 'working yourself out of a job'. We'll be away for two months later this year, so I would at least like to have a small bank of songs that the guys can draw from whenever I'm out of Trinidad.

On the subject of travels, with the drier winter months approaching, thoughts are turning to work-based excursions at Fundación Totaí. A team of ear & hearing workers from FT are hoping to travel to the remote village of Santa Ana in May or June and Amanda may get the chance to be part of that, on what would be her first such excursion. Beans on toast for me that week then!

Meanwhile, back in Trinidad, we've been overseeing the exams this week for the first module of classes. Most students turned up for it (a far from insignificant occurrence here in Bolivia) and most got themselves a pass. There were a few who didn't quite manage and we'd appreciate your prayers for them, that they would continue to come to the class so that we can keep up the contact with them. We want students to appreciate the value of learning new skills above the value of an exam pass. This coming week we're having snacks and the presentation of certificates to all students, with those who didn't pass receiving a certificate of attendance. And the following week, we'll begin the second of the year's four modules.

I also feel I'm settling in well to the classroom English I'm teaching at the school up the road from FT. I'm gradually getting used to the sloth-like pace; of the hour or so available, I'm finding that I need the first 30 minutes just to remind students of what we've learned so far. But I'm developing a good rapport with the students and I feel that's starting to pay dividends when it comes to motivation and behaviour. Probably the most important lesson I learned while teaching in the UK was that you can vanquish a whole range of potential behaviour issues in one fell swoop by simply developing a positive relationship with students.

We've just sent out our latest three-monthly newsletter. If you haven't been sent a copy, be sure to let us know and we'll add you to our mailing list.

Prayer
• For our English students, that all would be encouraged by their progress in the first module and that we would be able to maintain a contact with them all.
• For the new worship band, that we would be able to play in church some time within the next few months and that we would grow together as brothers in Christ in the process.

Praise
• For new opportunities opening up for Amanda outside Trinidad.
• For Craig's progress in his English classes in the local school.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 19/03/11

Last week, not long after I polished off the weekly entry, a bunch of us headed for the stadium to see the latest Mamoré game (as appalling as a 2-0 win is likely to get), including our friend, Farid, and Steve Connor of Sports Outreach, who has been with us over the last ten days to disciple the Sports team at FT. An ex-NFL player, Steve is not one to shirk a challenge, and so, right away, he invited Farid to come and hear him speak the next day at church.

So on Sunday, Farid turned up at the service for the first time since we met him and was challenged by what Steve had to say about having our priorities in the right place. Steve spoke to him at the end of the service and gave him some books to take away, including a New Testament with various sporting vignettes thrown in here and there. He came to lunch with ourselves and the other missionaries at Kenny's house and, when he finally left at 4 o'clock or so, he thanked us for our input in his life, knowing full well the importance of these matters. He's not quite there yet, but he took a couple of important steps at the weekend (such as discovering that Christians aren't nut-jobs) and we're greatly encouraged. Thank you for your prayers.

For me, the weekend feels like yesterday as it's just been one of those pretty intense five days of work since then. In fact, so tired was I when I got home last night that I opted not even to play my beloved fronton this morning. As missionaries, we expect to have to give much of ourselves and not receive anything in return, especially in developing contexts, where natives do not hesitate to ask for assistance. We feel privileged to serve in such a way, indeed we believe that we are all called to such a mindset, but now and again, you just need a good break. So pray that the old batteries will get the re-charge they pretty desperately need this weekend.

Here's Amanda to tell you about an exciting first week of the Sunday School...

Well, Sunday School started last week... myself and a 19-year-old Bolivian girl, Elizabeth, are leading the teenage girls' class and Miguel Angel, one of the church elders, has the teenage boys' class. Last week we decided to put the two classes together for the opening session for the year and we took the opportunity to let the kids get to know us better by sharing our testimonies with them. I spent most of the week before trying to encourage Elizabeth, who was really nervous, and really didn't think about my own nerves or such. I was trying to explain to Elizabeth during the week that God can use the re-telling of all parts of our lives for his glory and through the leading of the Holy Spirit we will be lead to share certain aspects depending on who is there to hear it. For my part, I felt that encouraging the teenagers with the thought that God has a huge, special plan for everyone would be appropriate. Miguel Angel went first, then Elizabeth, and then I finished. I didn't have anything written out, which was probably a mistake, but I didn't want to be reading off of anything... The thing I realised as soon as I started was that one's testimony is generally in the past tense... which in Spanish is complicated because there are two past tenses. So, on my feet I was trying to conjugate verbs in the appropriate past tense and keep my testimony somewhat coherent. It was challenging... and then near the end I wanted to say things like "I would have...", "It would be..." and, while if I thought about it long enough, I could do it... on the spot, I started to break into a cold sweat. But I finished, and although it will not win any awards for eloquence, I asked at the end whether people understood me... and they answered in the affirmative. Miguel Angel was so good as to tie everything together... and that was such an encouragement. At least he understood what I was trying to say...

Today, as well, is Father's Day in Bolivia... so I organised a card-making night for the girl's Sunday School class... nine girls came last night... and while they turned our dining room into a war zone of paper cuttings and my dining room table was lost in the chaos of it all, I think they had a good time. It was nice to organise something for them on my own and allow them to get to know me more, establishing comfort in visiting us in our home, just chatting with them a bit... they all quite fancied Steve Connor's son... but I told them it was just because he was something new to them... it's a good thing that he leaves today, because I couldn't promise his safety tonight at youth group if he was to attend.

This week in Sunday School we're looking at points from the life of Abigail...please pray for the ability to communicate and that the girls would engage as well with the lesson.

Prayer
• For Craig as he prepares and delivers next week's morning meditations on Galatians.
• For a reinvigorating weekend for both of us.

Praise
• For everything that happened with Farid last weekend -- keep praying for him, mind.
• For much encouragement for Amanda in the Sunday School ministry.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 12/03/11

This time last week I had to make like a tree and leave, with the Carnaval event for the young people at the church about to start. I'm pleased to report the day was a great success, enjoyed as much by leaders as the younger participants.

The day started with a bumper-sized worship time, which I really enjoyed leading and planning and the young people really responded to it. Kenny then gave a talk on Hebrews 12:1-2, on running the race and throwing off everything that hinders. An important message last weekend -- most young people would return to households where Carnaval chaos and its associated temptations would be in full swing until Tuesday.

We then had lunch, followed by a huge game in which the teenagers had to complete 64 mini-challenges in their teams. But what they were really waiting for were the traditional Carnaval water-balloons and water-fights which they heartily indulged in at the end of the day. Kids like nothing better during this time of year than hurling water balloons at unsuspecting strangers in the street -- white people are a favourite target. But, in a way, by providing our own, clean water, we were still providing them with an important service; many 'water' bombs in town contain either the assailant's urine, or the contents of the nearest cuneta (open sewer). Isn't Carnaval wonderful?!

It does have its benefits for non-participants, however, namely that we get the Monday and Tuesday off work. We would usually take advantage of such a break to get out of town for a bit, but this time we were quite content to bum around the house.

On Sunday afternoon, we touched base with Farid for lunch. You may remember he was our language teacher last year and someone with whom we have maintained a close contact. When Jessica came, she brought with her a Spanish-English Bible which we had bought for him as a thank-you gift for his work with us and it seems he is already reading it with interest. Encouragingly, without prompting, he told us he was really interested in reading John's gospel, which, unbeknownst to him, we are about to begin a series on in the church in a couple of weeks' time. He seems excited about learning more and we're praying that this might be a way to further minister to him and encourage him to make a decision for Christ.

That said, he's facing certain discouragements at home. Being the eldest brother in a home where the father left long ago, he is very much the man of the house and feeling the burden that comes with that in regard to his younger brothers, who are having, let's say, responsibility issues. Please pray for Farid.

We're also excited to have a couple more visitors here this week. Greg Jaffe, a medical student from the US, arrived on Monday for around six weeks. Besides his medical interests, he's a guitarist, photographer and has brought with him an external hard-drive laden with great music. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Additionally, here for a shorter time is Steve Connor of Sports Outreach, with his son Harrison. Steve, also American, is director of Sports Outreach International. He's now based out of the US but British readers might remember him from his time in Scotland a few years ago when, as well as his Sports Outreach role, he served as chaplain to the now-defunct Scottish Claymores. He's certainly hard to forget: a giant of a man who also had a brief NFL career with the Chicago Bears and the L.A. (now St. Louis) Rams. Naturally, his primary goal in his ten days here is to encourage the team responsible for the Sports ministry at FT, but we're certainly looking forward to his input at church over the coming week. He speaks not a word of Spanish, meaning we get the added bonus of a sermon in English (translated, of course).

Prayer
• For our friend Farid, as he explores God's Word and deals with domestic issues (he's going to a Mamoré game with, among others, Steve Connor and me this afternoon so pray for our witness there).
• For the development of the FT website, which has been largely on hold for the past few months, but which Craig is keen to get up-and-running again.
• For Amanda's mum, who is currently serving with a missions team in Uruguay.

Praise
• For the short break we enjoyed at the start of this week.
• For a great time with the young folk last weekend.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda

Saturday Post -- 05/03/11

Last week, loyal readers were left on something of a cliffhanger as I alluded to my forthcoming meeting with the local school head-teacher, with a view to providing English classes there. Well, we met and I was thrown straight into things, given 8th-grade and 7th-grade classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, respectively, and starting the next day.

As I walked into the classroom, I realised that, while I had been participating in various educational ventures over the past year as part of my work here, it had been some 14 months since I had stood in front of a group consisting solely of pre-teens/teens. I acknowledge that the thought of working with teenagers will cause most people to reach for the anti-shuddering pills. Yet as I delivered the lesson, entirely free of nerves, communicating with clarity to the students, I felt such a powerful sense of re-affirmation that the Lord has graciously gifted me in this field. It was a real encouragement.

And now that my working week is far more centred around education, I do feel a greater sense of purpose to what I've been placed here in Trinidad to do. It's not that all the little, non-educational jobs I was doing before were not important; they're just better suited to those whose talents lie in those areas.

Amanda, too, is experiencing similar feelings. The directors here saw our first year as being very much a trial period -- not for us personally, so much as our 'getting to grips' with the language and various aspects of the work. Now those 12 months are complete, we've been encouraged to hone our focus. In Amanda's case, this has been in Audiology. The other day we were talking together about how much more busy we have been since we got back from Santa Cruz, yet how much more fulfilled we feel in our work and in our personal lives. We still miss home very much but feel more convinced than at any point in the past that this is where we are meant to be.

An extra-curricular avenue opened up this week as Amanda and I realised another life-long ambition: we were invited on to the board of a football club, I as vice-president and Amanda as a sitting member. Our friend Maicol's team, Libertad, are getting ready for the domestic league season which kicks off at the end of March. This being Bolivia, part of that preparation involves mounds of paperwork and part of that paperwork is the formation of a board. Now, at the very thought of my new role, I had been planning on dropping in on training sessions in my club helicopter from time to time and reading the riot act to disenchanted players after a poor performance at the weekend (those who have seen me play will no doubt be contacting Chambers to assist them in changing their definition of 'naked hypocrisy'), however, it appears that the role simply entails signing a few forms from time to time. The chopper, too, will have to wait, but there are other perks: Amanda and I both get a free pass to all league games, saving us a tidy 30 Bolivianos per match in the process.

All that talk of paperwork reminded me that I almost forgot to mention our visa application, which was finally 'completed' this week. We can't be 100% sure as the people in La Paz may well get in touch within the next couple of months to request more items from us. However, it's on its way now and we just have to pray those passports will be well looked-after.

Lent starts on Wednesday, meaning this is Carnaval weekend. Given that Lent is a period of abstinence and reflection, the preceding three or four days must automatically be a period of debauchery and recklessness. Right? Sadly, that's very much the prevailing mentality down here and we can only pray that the people will at least be safe. For many of the younger people who come to church, such festivities aren't much fun; one girl we know was dumped with her baby sister at Christmas while her parents and other family members partied for some 36 hours, leaving no food in the house.

So, to keep their focus on what matters (and to keep many from going crazy) the youth group are staging a day of games, worship and teaching here at the church. In fact, we're expected there any time now, so that'll be it for now. Thanks for your continued interest.

Prayer
• For safe travels for our passports and visa application.
• For the event at the church today and, indeed, all the Carnaval festivities, which continue until Tuesday. Pray that, in the quiet moments of reflexion, more and more people would appreciate the meaninglessness of such events and their need of a saviour.

Praise
• For an encouraging season of re-affirmation and purpose in our work here.
• For the opportunity we have to work with, and minister to, so many young people, in the church and FT.

¡Que Dios les bendiga!

Craig & Amanda