Christmas Update

Dear Friends,

Another eventful year is drawing to a close – there has been lots going on for all of us in different ways, but God has been faithful through it all.

For those who do not yet know (apologies!), I got engaged over the summer to a wonderful man, Andy, who has been an incredible source of love and support over the past year or so. We are now busy planning our wedding, which will take place at the beginning of May next year.

I enjoyed a visit to Peru over the summer for part of my college placement. I stayed with friends from Redcliffe who now work in Lima with a Compassion project and I also helped out with a play project in a nearby shanty area. I also had the privilege of meeting my sponsor child who travelled down from Chimbote, 300 miles north of Lima, with her mother and brother.

;
College life continues to be busy – I will be writing my dissertation after Christmas, which is both exciting and daunting. I then have another module to finish before I finally graduate in June.
1

The girls have been busy this year. Bex has been working on GCSE’s, which she will complete this coming summer. She then will go into the Sixth form this coming September. Abi has settled into year 8 well and continues to enjoy playing her flute. Beth is in her final year of junior school and hopes to join her sisters at their school in September.

Sadly, due to the busyness of life, I haven’t been able to spend as much time as I would have liked on creating more art pieces, but this year has seen an exhibition of my pictures in Bristol, some being transformed into stained glass images for a children’s remand centre in Kent and one image being used on the front of a resources magazine. I feel truly blessed that God is using my work in this way. If you’d like to see more of my pieces please have a look at my website: www.mosaicreations.co.uk

Once again I offer my thanks to those who have supported us in prayer, and other ways, this year.

a
Every blessing to you all – have a wonderful Christmas and a peaceful New Year!

Good grief...

Apologies for the lack of posts - I have no idea why I haven't posted since the middle of October.

Well, term 2 finished last Friday and all my assignments were completed and handed in on time - phew! I'm definitely moving on with the dissertation now - I had a brilliant discussion with one of my tutors last week which has helped a lot. She's pointed me towards some more reading that will help with my write-up so I was in the library on the last day of term picking up the books she recommended!

Illness-wise - we're all recovered from the swine flu. Beth has had a bout of tonsillitis but apart from that we've not had anything else which is a relief.

I'm now busy with getting ready for Christmas - thankfully the girls are still at school until the end of the week so I've got a few days to get organised. We're off to London next Friday to visit my parents - to celebrate my mum's birthday and Christmas all in the same weekend. We'll also be visiting my old church and it will be good to catch up with people I haven't seen for a while.

Well, better get sorted - got to get Beth to school and then I'm off to hit the shops - I'm hoping that the rest of Gloucester isn't organised enough to go shopping bright and early on a Monday morning, even if there are only 11 days to Christmas...

An interesting couple of weeks...

Well, I got a good grade for my presentation which is great! I've completed my first assignment for my soul care module and I'm working on the next one. Dissertation-wise, I've typed up all my responses (Yay!) but now have to analyse the enormous amount of information (Boo!)

This week my community group took responsibility for devotions at college and I was able to use Sign Language to share a song and several people commented afterwards that it had had an impact on them.

Beth and I haven't been feeling too great for a few days and Beth ended up being off school for a few days this week. When I rang in to inform the school I found out that quite a lot of children at the school were also sick. Then I got a couple of phone calls from the local health authority, Beth had a throat swab and now she is a confirmed swine flu case. She has only had it mildly, but we're still suffering with sore throats and while we're still coughing we have to stay away from everybody!!! Visitors be warned!

Life in the fast lane

I can't believe that I'm already into my third week back at college. The past two weeks have been spent getting to know the new students and preparing for my block placement presentation.

I gave this last Thursday and I think it came together really well. I had to talk about both parts of my placement as I felt they both were important. I am waiting to see what grade I get...

I'm now working on my first assignment for the module I'm taking on Soul Care and Companionship. This is due in next week so I've got to get on so that I can complete it in time. This is easier said that done, given that I'm currently looking at secondary schools with Beth, working on my dissertation, beginning to look at where we will live as a family once Andy and I are married and also thinking about our wedding! Oh, and the wonderful complications of 'normal' family life as well...

I'm in the process of collating my first level of research for my dissertation. On a positive note, of the questionnaires I sent out, I've got about 50% response, but the negative is that it's a bit of a laborious process typing them all up! Still, more is good and there are some really interesting replies to my questions.

Almost as many hours on buses...

...in two weeks as it took to get back to Gloucester - 40 hours - though a fair proportion was spent in Atlanta airport (yes - there is a limit to the fun that can be had in a 9 1/2 hour stopover!) and I went and picked up the girls from my parents in London and stopped for lunch - but technically I was still on my way home.

But, I am home - and it is good to be here!

A proposal at arrivals

I arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule AND got my luggage almost straight away. I went out to arrivals where I was met by Andy who PROPOSED!!! And I said YES!!!!!

A lovely lady stopped to congratulate us and look at the ring which he'd given me - so sweet! We shared a coffee before heading off round the M25 to my parents' house to pick up the girls and share our fantastic news!

The last post...from Peru

This is it...in 45 minutes I'm off to the airport for a mammoth trip home. I worked out that it will be about 48 hours before I'm back in Gloucester. I'm really looking forward to a good nights sleep in my own bed!

The last supper

We had a lovely meal in an Italian restaurant not far from Paul and Sarah's apartment. It was good to relax together and then take a gentle walk back to finish getting ready.

The final bus tally stands at....

....no less than 44 hours!!!!!! Which makes a slightly lower average than before, but still 2 and 3/4 hours per day. And that's not including time spent in taxis... maybe I should have had a taxi tally too!

It's my last day!

This morning I was at church for the last time. I think we went on the smallest bus ever - we had to fold ourselves in half to get on and off and where we were sitting at the back my head reached the ceiling!! I helped with Sunday school and then said my goodbyes. I gave them one of my pictures as a thank you. The picture is of me and the pastor, Luis and his wife, Teofila. She gave me a Peruvian nativity scene - almost all houses have one up all year round. It's a really lovely gift as I'd mentioned to Sarah when we were souvenir shopping that I'd love to get one!!

When Paul gets back from youth group we'll be heading out for a meal together and then I'll be getting my things sorted to head off to the airport around 8pm Peru time (that's 2am UK time!) Sarah will be coming with me to see me safely through check-in and then I'll be flying at 00.20 'tomorrow morning' (6.20am UK time)

I have had an amazing time - very challenging, extremely tiring - but absolutely worth every moment! Looking forward to getting back and sharing some of my adventures with you all!!

Last bus to Ventenilla

Today was my last visit to Ventenilla, but this week was a little bit different. On arriving Sarah had to clean up three piles of dog poop which were in the middle of the church floor - not pleasant at all. Then the children had their usual time of play, but as we'd asked the children to play outside while we cleaned up, the older children got so engrossed in their games that they carried on even once the toys were out. This meant that every so often a child careered through the church at break neck speed, climbing over tables, showering everyone with sand and generally making life a little difficult. Once play time was over the children had a drink and then some of the mums arrived for an opportunity to do some art with me. With Sarah's help with translation I spoke for a few moments on the importance of names and how God knows each one of us by name. Then all the mums got an opportunity to paint and decorate their own name. They all loved doing this and were really proud of what they had done by the end of the session.

A long trip back on the bus and then tea and a shower - now all I have to do is finish my packing!

The park in the dark

Tonight we went into town to see the 'Circuito Magico Del Agua' - in Lima's metropolitan park. The park has got a Guiness world record for having the most fountains and from Wednesday through to Sunday these are floodlight at night and there is a fountain show with lights set to music. It was so beautiful!

Two Wong's don't make a wight!

Having visited Wong's this morning with Adriana, on our way out to the park for a special event this evening we popped into another - just to see the pianist!?! ... oh, and marvel at the intricately carved staircase....please bear in mind this is a supermarket!!

A brilliant day!

Meeting Adriana was an amazing experience! I was so pleased to be able to greet her in the traditional way with the Peruvian kiss and hug, which seemed to put her at ease. We swapped gifts - she had made me some beautiful things at her Compassion project and bought me a new hat - a chullo - too! Having also met her mother, Molli and her brother, Alejandro, who is 8 months old and absolutely adorable, we set off for the zoo. None of them had been to a zoo before and Adriana was really looking forward to seeing a giraffe, having only seen them in cartoons before.
We had lunch in KFC - something that Adriana's home town of Chimbote wouldn't have. It was really lovely as the staff at the counter took her name and called her over to pick up the order when it was ready.

After lunch we had a look round a department store - the likes of which Adriana has never seen and then we went to Wong's - a big supermarket that Adriana had heard of and wanted to go and look at. Chimbote only has very small shops so this was a real experience for her.

After a bit of window shopping, we then headed to a small entertainment park and had a ride on the dodgems and a small caterpillar rollercoaster together. We followed this with a churros, a sugary doughnut very popular here, though Adriana doesn't like them much as she finds them too sweet and had popcorn instead.

A taxi ride back to the Compassion office to pick up our gifts and then I went with them back to their hotel and said a very emotional goodbye. It is a real priviledge to be Adriana's madrina and today simply wasn't enough time to spend with her and her delightful family. I have been invited back to visit but they have insisted I come to Chimbote next time!

An absolutely amazing day!

Mi ahijada es hermosa!

No time to paint

It was decided that there wasn't enough time to start the mural on the rocks outside the church - but I have left them with some ideas. I took some pictures on Sunday and annotated them in Paint on my computer so the people who will be painting the mural once I've left can see what I had in mind.

Having compassion is exhausting!

Sarah and I popped to the post office and then to the supermarket (I love seeing how things are done differently) The cakes were just something else - absolutely beautiful and looked absolutely delicious!Then after trying a slice in the coffee shop upstairs (which was very yummy), we went on to the Compassion project. I helped with lunches and then supervised the children drawing pictures for their sponsors. One little lad came in and refused to draw anything despite my encouragement with the best miming I could manage and the next thing I knew he was fast asleep on the table - aww!

I played with the children while their tutor, Diana (pronouced Dee-anna) wrote up the letters to their sponsors. I discovered you can have great fun with a peg and also that starting a game where you bounce a child on your knees is fun for the first few children, but after an hour and a half it's a bit tiring! I was very glad to get back to the apartment for a cup of tea and a sit down.

I spent most of the afternoon with a flower in my hair after this little girl brought it in and gave it to me, but it kept falling out which made the children laugh.

Pat, a friend of Paul and Sarah's who has just come back from a visit to the UK came over for tea and I've now just got my things ready for tomorrow's visit with Adriana!

The aforementioned magnet!

Compassion in action

I had the priviledge of helping out at the Compassion project that operates at the church that Paul and Sarah are a part of. I helped out with serving dinner to the children and played with them afterwards while they waited for their parents. But perhaps the most special thing of all was seeing some of the older children writing letters to their sponsors. I thanked the tutor who was working with them because all the letters have to be written by Friday and there are 25 children in his class alone. Most of the children come up with what they would like to write, but need what they want to say written out for them to copy which is a long process for so many children. One child had written his own letter out and was diligently copying it onto a sheet of Compassion writing paper. He'd just received his first letter from his sponsor in Korea and was really excited to be writing back! The children who were writing letters today thought it was amazing that I was a sponsor and that I would be meeting my sponsor child on Friday. Sarah told me that the children call their sponsors 'Madrina' and 'Padrino' - god mother and god father and that I shouldn't be surprised if Adriana calls me that when I see her. I thought this was a lovely way to refer to sponsors and I'm now really looking forward to meeting my 'ahijada' - god daughter!

A crafty time in Miraflores

Sarah and I headed into town to Miraflores where there is a brilliant craft market. The items on offer were amazing and a real eclectic mix - from bags to bedspeads, original art to cartoon t-shirts. All from the different regions of Peru. I managed to get some absolutely lovely things, but perhaps the best buy of all, that will make me smile every time I see it, is a magnet with a cartoon of a crowded bus on it!!

I could have spent hours (and lots of money) there, but we had to go on to the Compassion project at the church that was starting back today. So, we headed back on a bus to the apartment to drop everything off and then set off for the church.

Watch out - there's snakes about!

Today's craft at Ventenilla was snakes which went down really well. The older ones enjoyed making the concertina snake but I had to do a lot of folding as explaining how to do it in Spanish was a bit beyond me.

We had the normal time of play beforehand and it was great when I'd spelt out my name in blocks to have one little boy find the letters all over again and show me so proudly what he'd done! (I'm using my full first name while I'm over here as it is a more familiar name to the Peruvians, and easier to pronounce!)

Sarah had invited one of her neighbours, Doreece, a Columbian, to come with us and she seemed to have a good time. I also met Daveed, the pastor of the church where the play project takes place.

It was a good day, but after the walk yesterday and all the buses again today, I'm feeling quite tired.

34 hours...

...is the rough tally of the number of hours spent on buses this placement. And in only 11 days which makes it an average of just over 3 hours every day. I've lost count of the number of buses I've been on and the variety - big ones, smaller ones, tiny ones that you have to bend in half to get out of to avoid banging your head (I learnt this very quickly after the first bus I went on!) and nearly all with people packed in like sardines. I've been on buses that race each other - tonight our bus back from Ventenilla zipped in and out of lanes, like there was no tomorrow, in an attempt to overtake the bus in front that was from the same company so that he could be the one to pick up the passengers. When this failed miserably in the awful traffic he went very slowly instead to that more passengers could arrive at the stops ahead. Sarah told me that when a bus goes too slowly the people on board can get a bit fed up and will start banging the walls and shouting 'Advance, tortoise'!!! And I've been on buses that have hardly any suspension and that meant we had more than a bit of a bumpy ride this morning.

All in all I've spent a lot of time on buses...and there are still more bus hours ahead!

Breathtaking Views...

Off for a walk...

...into the foothils of the Andes which involved travelling inland via four buses - setting off at 9am and getting there at 1pm. We travelled on the Pan Americana (a road that links South America with North America and covers nearly 25,000km or 15,500 miles) to Chosica, a pretty town where, according to Sarah, 'the sun always shines.'

From Chosica, the final bus took us upwards into the mountains, past glorious scenery to a place called Matucana. The town is also pretty and has tiny streets barely big enough for the bus to drive down.

We bought some rolls and satsumas for a picnic and began the walk. We stopped for lunch fairly early on to save carrying everything and then climbed up and up and up. The views were absolutely breathtaking, but as we were also at an altitude of 2380m I think some of our breath was stolen by the effort of the climb! We finally arrived at a waterfall where we all paddled for a while, but the water was so cold that if I left my feet in for too long they went purple. Re-booted with cooled off feet we made our way back to Matucuna for a very welcome cake and a drink.

Our journey back was a little quicker as it was downhill, but it still took about three hours to get back to the apartment. But, despite the travelling, I had the most amazing day and I am so glad that I've been able to see a bit more of Peru than just Lima.

More murals...

Opposite the church is a hill that is notorious for drug dealers and drug taking. The church has been asked to improve the area and Tiofila, the pastor's wife, has had the idea that I could paint a mural on the rocks at the bottom of the hill to brighten the place up.

The rocks are about 30m long!!! To give you an idea of scale there are more rocks behind where I'm standing to take the picture and there is a person just in view on the left. It's a bit much for me to manage on my own in a week(!), so I'll be starting the project this coming Wednesday with some of the teenagers and leave them with some ideas to carry on. It's awesome to be asked to do this and Tiofila is really grateful to God for sending them an artist who can help them with this - I'm really excited and already have loads of ideas!!!

Murals

Helped out with Sunday school after putting up the second mural on a door at the back of the worship area (where we did the painting earlier this week) before the service started.

Everyone really liked the murals and all the children were given a sheet of stickers and a pencil for taking part and I was asked to hand these out. The cross mural was then dismantled so each child could take their part home.

Back to Ventenilla

Another 4 or more hours on the bus today which is so very tiring. I had prepared a craft activity for the older group of children, 12-14's this afternoon, working with Paul. I did help with the play time for the younger ones first and then we got on with creating pictures to go along with Paul's talk about Psalm 121.

The pictures all turned out really well and I was so pleased to see each child had stamped their own individuality on their picture by adding different details and using their imagination - one child used the cotton wool provided for clouds to add texture by staining it with the paint provided for the mountains!