Just a quickie!

Hi guys!
Just to let you know, Anna, Annie, James and I (Jonathan) got home safe and well yesterday, despite all the odds!
Prayer points:
- Thanks that we managed to get home fine, despite one of our flights being delayed by an hour and a half!
- That Jon, Claire and Aaron would have safe and enjoyable travels over the next few weeks, and get home safely.

Team holiday funsies!

Hi guys!
So, we´re on our holiday now, and I´m at an internet cafe in Rurrenabaque, so I thought I´d give you a little bit of an update as to what we´ve been up to in the last week!
Firstly, all of us are safe, there were no mishaps in La Paz (praise God!) and we got our flight to Rurre. We´ve just got back from the first of our two tours, in the pampas, and we´ve all had a great time! I think I can safely say we´ve all tried something new, from feeding monkeys to fishing for piranhas to eating termites. Tomorrow we head off on our second tour, to the jungle, which will be more tiring, but equally fun.
Prayer points:
- Thanking God for the awesome, mishap-free time so far, and praise for His wonderful creation we´ve been able to see
- For Pete and Linda back in Apolo, that they would be able to continue equally well with an increased workload.
- For our next weeks, that we would continue to have a safe and enjoyable time
- For the four of us (me, James, Annie and Anna) heading back to England in just over a week - that our flights would go well and that we would be safe
- For the others continuing on after we leave - that they would have great, safe fun in Brazil

See you in England!
Jonathan

Eighth big post!

The last day is now here - we leave Apolo this afternoon, heading to La Paz, then Rurrenabaque for our team holiday.

Our last week has been really great - the concrete pillars are now done, and the second layer of supports are just about ready to be poured. Unfortunately, we did not get onto bricklaying, but the amount we have done in five weeks is phenomenal!
We have also continued with most of the youth groups, one of which now has a possible leader for when we leave, so thanks for your prayers for that. Also this week, we led most of the services at the Lutheran church in the morning, and at the Baptist church in the evening. This included lots of songs, worship dance, a drama, testimonies, a presentation of photos of our work here, and the sermons (done by Aaron and Jon respectively).
Last night, we also held a buffet, with fairly-close-to-English food, for all the people we have got to know in Apolo. It was really well attended and a really fun evening.

So, we now have our team holiday, where we are heading into the rainforest to Rurrenabaque. We then have a few days in La Paz before Jonathan, James, Anna and Annie head home. Claire, Aaron and Jon are then going to Brazil for a few weeks.

Prayer points:-
- For our travelling - that we would be safe, and have an enjoyable and relaxing time before heading home
- For Pete and Linda - that they would be able to find people to take over the youth groups, and continue the good work they are doing here
- For the people here - that our presence will have benefited them, and that they would be keen to help finish the work we have started, especially finishing the Sunday school.

Thanks for all your support, and see you soon!

Seventh big post!

So, it´s been a funny old week, with illness, campo trips, more leavers (though not actually team members) and many other things.

Building work has continued to progress amazingly. There is now very little dirt left to clear, the foundation holes are nearly finished, and some of the concrete pillars are now well above head height! Unfortunately, Pete and Linda do not think we will get onto bricklaying before we leave next week, but we can always prove them wrong!

Youth groups are also still going well. The young children have been learning about Jonah, the older children´sclub went equally well and the older teens learnt about trust. Sunday school was also a success, with the children thinking about what gifts they have. Also on Sunday, the team participated in the evening service at the Baptist church, leading some songs, a worship dance, a drama, Jon´s testimony, and with Annie preaching on spiritual gifts. Teaching English and Music is also continuing to be a success, with less dictionary usage needed every time!

Unfortunately, yesterday lunchtime we realised that some of our stuff had been stolen from our back garden overnight. Fortunately, however, it was not hugely important or valuable stuff, mostly some clothes and a few pairs of boots.

Prayer points:
- That we would be able to sort stuff out from the ´robbery´ asap, and thanks that it was so minor!
- Illness - all of us have been ill to a certain extent over the last week, so thanks that we have mostly recovered, and prayers that we would continue to recover well would be much appreciated!
- That our last week would be productive and enjoyable, and that we would really touch people´s lives in the last week
- For Kate and Philip, who have now returned to America
- That leaders would be able to be found for the youth groups and Sunday schools we have been leading

Thanks again for your support!

Sixth big post!

The team has shrunk! Rob, Alison and Simon left Apolo yesterday, so the house now seems very empty without them.

Fortunately, the good weather has continued for us, meaning building work has been able to continue at full throttle. In addition to this, yesterday afternoon we returned from a short swimming trip to find a digger at work in the building site, which did about 5 days´ work in half a day. This means we now only have two holes left to dig, which can hopefully be done within a few days. More concrete pillars have also been added, and hopefully more will be added today, along with some of the horizontal concrete supports.

In other news, we have had more successful youth groups, with the Noah´s Ark puppets being a hit with younger children, and the old favourite of the ´toilet roll mummies´ proving popular with older children. Music and English classes have also continued to flourish, with young people from Apolo showing a lot of progress.

At church on Sunday, Rob was preaching, and was also asked to bless the church, on behalf of the three leavers, which was a bit of a shock for him. He managed to cope, however, and the service was enjoyed by all those there. Sunday school also went well, and Claire and Annie did a worship dance, with a workshop in the afternoon during the Sunday sports.

Also this week, there have been two campo trips - Anna had an evening in Munaypata, and Jonathan spent the weekend in Huaratumo. In Munaypata, Linda was leading a session on family planning, for a community where most families have at least 8 or 9 children. In Huaratumo, Pete and Philip were preaching, and on Sunday afternoon, Jonathan, Kate and Philip worked with the children, with colouring and endless games of ´pato, pato, ganzo´ (duck, duck, goose), followed by a short trip into some farming areas to see some of the different crops.

Prayer points:-
- For the journey back for Rob, Alison, Simon ad Linda´s parents - that they would be safe and not get delayed
- For Jon and Jonathan recovering from the latest bout of illness - that they would continue to recover quickly
- For Kate and Philip as they prepare to leave on Thursday
- For the remaining team members as we take on an increased workload

Bye!

Fifth big post!

So, the rain has stopped, and it´s now back to the glorious sunshine we had when we arrived in Apolo. This has made work on the building site much easier, and we have cleared a huge amount of earth since Sunday. We have also had Kate´s husband Philip helping, along with lots more local people, meaning work goes much quicker. There are now three concrete pillars part-made, and seven out of eight holes are well under way.
Away from the building site, it has also been a great few days. On Sunday evening, we had a ´special´ group devotional time, where we waited on the Holy Spirit to move among us. It was an amazing evening, and Anna´s shoulder was almost completely healed in that short time!
On Monday we were teaching again, and we had lots of pupils for both English and Music. We also had electricity, making the keyboard lesson much better than previously! Last night was one of our many youth groups, and the kids had great fun learning about the Holy Spirit. As I type, the younger children are learning about Noah´s Ark, and Anna´s and Alison´s preparations this morning made it look like the kids would have lots of fun activities to do!
Prayer points:-
- That the good weather would continue
- Another opportunity for a tractor has come up, which would speed work up considerably.
- For those leaving in the next week or so (Rob, Alison, Simon, Kate and Philip, and Linda´s parents) - that they would have a great last few days and a good journey back, and that those of us remaining would be able to take on an increased workload
- For the team members heading out into the campo later this week, and at the weekend

Thank you again for your prayers and support!

Fourth big post!

Has it really been two weeks since we arrived?! It feels like much less, but we have done so much.

The work on the building site has continued to progress, despite heavy rain. The first of the concrete pillars has now been started, and the other holes are continuing to deepen. Often this involves pailing out a load of water before digging can begin, and even then, the bottom of the hole is still soaked! We were looking at photos of the building site yesterday, and the change that has happened is almost unbelievable!

All the other activities have also been continuing. On Wednesday, the older youth group met, and some of us went to the Lutheran church in the evening, where Linda was teaching. She translated for us as well, meaning the three of us could contribute in the discussion of why the church has a problem of few youth. Also on Wednesday and Thursday were the kids clubs, where the children learnt about Daniel and the lions den, and great fun was had by all. On Thursday, some of us also had our first English and Music classes, which went very well, especially considering the electricity was out, so we had no keyboard (admittedly only a problem for Jonathan)! Friday was La Paz day, a regional holiday, so we had our day off and most of the team finally went to the waterfall, despite the pouring rain. The rest went to the Lugtigheids, and did some baking, then played with their four young children. Saturday was another rainy day, and there was a valiant half-day of work from those without too many aches and pains. Everyone was dragged out onto the building site, though, when a truckload of 1400 bricks arrived, which needed unloading. Thankfully this was during a break in the rain. We also had a talk from Linda about Bolivia in general. This morning was the church service, as usual, and Alison was preaching, with Jonathan, James and Aaron leading Sunday school. This all went to plan, and was well received.

Prayer requests:-
- Thanks that everyone has recovered from illness.
- Prayer for injuries, notably Rob´s wrist and Anna´s shoulder.
- Thanks that Philip (Kate´s husband) arrived safely this morning.
- For those leaving in just over a week, that their last week would be as productive as the previous two.
- That the rain would clear up quickly, so we can work better on the building site.

Thanks!