January's newsletter finally put on the blog in March, better late than never!

Moulding Chronicle – January 08, letter no. 3

 

Dear Friends,

We hope that you had an enjoyable Christmas and that the start to 2008 has been a good one.  As some of you will be aware Christmas 2007 wasn't so enjoyable for us.  It was hard to stay awake to celebrate 'Bolivian style', Christmas day we didn't feel so great from having eaten so late, then to top it off Alana came down with a really bad case of diarrhoea Christmas day eve, which resulted in her becoming very dehydrated. 

 

However, God remained faithful and we were put in contact with a good paediatrician, who it turned out had worked for FH in the past.  She spoke very little English, but eventually we were able to work out what medicine we needed and how to administer it.  By the end of that day Alana was a bit better and within a couple more days she was back to her normal chirpy self.

 

New year was a much happier (and earlier) affair as we celebrated together with people at our church and prayed in the New Year. After New Year we enjoyed a well earned rest at a hotel just outside of Sucre.  We were able to play in the river and visit some waterfalls, just what we needed.

 

Sunday 6th Jan we moved into our own home, affectionately called 'Stonewall Cottage'.  Its on the ground floor and has 3 bedrooms, lounge/dining room, kitchen, bathroom and a small yard.  Buying household things here isn't quite as simple as in the UK, but we have had some help from a good friend who knows how to get things at a  good price.  We haven't finished yet, but it does now at least begin to feel more like home.   

 

It has been a good experience to live with a Bolivian family and a aid in our language learning.  However, it is nice now to have  our own space, Alana is certainly enjoying the freedom to roam and explore.

 

Re-starting language school was a struggle but we have slowly readjusted to the delights of language study once again and are now in our final 2 weeks. Ed hopes to start his work with FH just after the carnival season at the beginning of February.

 

Another turbulent chapter to add to Bolivia's history

After an interesting start to our time in Bolivia in being evacuated within our first month, life has since been peaceful with Dec 14th passing by with few problems.  However, the new constitution has yet to be accepted, therefore the future for Bolivia still remains uncertain, so please keep praying.

 

Christmas Traditions in Bolivia

Bolivians like to celebrate Christmas the moment it arrives, which normally involves going to mass  and staying up till midnight to wish everybody a happy Christmas.  Then there is the exchange of gifts followed by a large meal and eventually bed by 3am if you are lucky. The traditional meal is 'Picana', involving beef, chicken, a few vegetables and 'chocklo' (corn on the cob, only bigger) all served in a spicy soup. 

 

There are also special sweet breads which are made and then served for breakfast for several days after Christmas.

 

Praise God For:

·         Time spent with our Bolivian host family

·         Stonewall cottage

·         Our church and the new friendships forming

·         A good Paediatrician and Alana being better

 

Please pray for:

·         Our final 3 weeks of language study

·         Friends for Alana to play with

·         Opportunities for us to make friends

Ed as he starts work beginning of February

 

Ed, Sarah & Alana

---

Sent from Yahoo! Mail.
More Ways to Keep in Touch.