Gods amazing creatures

One of the things I love about the UK is the vast array of fauna and flora. Being where we were we were able to make the most of seeing many of Gods wonderful creatures from the  ponies in the fields next to our garden, some of which Alana had the opportunity to ride, to the cows and sheep a little further afield.

Even Isaiah got to have a little sit on Rene

Another day Alana got to ride Cobweb

At its centre Worcester has a swan sanctuary on the river Severn, so we took a number of opportunities to go and feed them and just watch their elegance even when they are on mass all fighting over the same piece of bread.

For Alana and Isaiah is was exciting just discovering some of Gods smaller creatures in the garden from the ants, to the caterpillars, woodlice, earwigs, frogs, newts and dragon flies.

Meeting the family chickens

Pond dipping in the garden

Some of the inhabitants of the pond which we found

An extra creature we found on a soggy walk through the meadows

Visiting different events around the country we also got to see various birds of prey and flying displays, snakes, lizards, scorpions, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs, dogs of all shapes and sizes and even a few alpacas and llamas.  On a visit to my brother we were also able to meet some baby hedgehogs and hold them, though they were a little prickly!

We took a visit to a Sealife centre, only the touch screens were far more interesting than the actual real fish in the tank next door

We did at least get excited about a real crab we found on the beach

Meeting a rather prickly friend

Family

One of the benefits of being back in the UK for 6 months was having time to be able to reconnect with family members. Over the course of the 6 months we were able to spend some time with all of our immediate family plus some of our wider family thanks to Dad having a big retirement party. 

Cuddles with great Auntie Freda

 Time with the cousins

The obligatory family walk, whatever the weather!

Hitching a ride with uncle Steven

Family Gatherings

Children

During the 6 months in the UK we celebrated all 3 birthdays of our children, that of Isaiah’s 1st, a few days after arriving, Lucas’s actual Birth day in the middle of April and then Alana’s 6th birthday just before leaving.

Being back in the UK provided some great opportunities for Alana and Isaiah in particular to spend time with Grandparents, aunts and uncles and to have fun with their cousins. 

A special trip to the seaside on the train with Nanna and Grampy

 Time with Grampy

Planting seeds with Nanny  

Cuddles with Pop

Forest Holidays with Aunty Beccy and Uncle Tom

Bank holiday with Bethan and Isaac

Home Leave

Our long anticipated and planned 6 months home leave in the UK has rapidly come and gone, and is quickly passing as a distant memory now that we are re settling ourselves in La Paz.

So much happened in those 6 months that its difficult to share it all, so I thought that I would summarize it in pictures through a number of different posts.

Dear Friends,

There have been moments in these last 3 months when we could have let the stresses get too much but as we have taken the time to reflect upon our situation we have come to realise just how many things we have to be so grateful for. We want to share just a few of these as a reminder and encouragement as to the love and greatness of our God.

1. Safe and swift arrival of Lucas Benjamin on Thursday 19th April
2. Provision of everything we have needed, from car seats to baby clothes and toys as well as many extra treats
3. A beautiful house in which to stay surrounded by green fields and woodlands with sheep and ponies as neighbours
4. Transportation big enough to get us and all the various things needed for 3 small children from place to place.
5. Our children to experience the beauty and freedom of the British countryside during spring and summer time discovering so many fun and exciting things, as well as Isaiah being able to build up his confidence in walking on nice soft grass!
6. Times together as a family exploring new places and time together as a couple whilst family look after the children.
7. Opportunities to catch up with extended family members and celebrate Sarah’s dad’s retirement
8. The overwhelming generosity and love of family, friends and even complete strangers.

Over these next three months we hope to be able to see many of you in person as we visit various different churches and share about our life and work in Bolivia.

Sunday 3rd June - St James, Gloucester

Sunday 17th June - St Michaels, Aberystwyth

Sunday 24th June - Ammanford Evangelical Church, Ammanford

Sunday 1st July - Lydney Fellowship, Lydney, Forest of Dean

Sunday 8th July - Abington Avenue URC, Northampton

Sunday 15th July - Berkely Chapel, Berkely, Gloucestershire

 Thank God for:

 With Love

Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah & Lucas

Lucas Benjamin Moulding

After what felt like an eternity we are now a complete family of 5 with the safe arrival of Lucas Benjamin on Thursday 19th of April, weighing 3.94kg (8lb 11oz).  After many false starts and several attempts to get things kick started contractions started in the early hours of Thursday morning, by 7am we were leaving home and heading for the hospital, by 8:40am he was there in our arms. By 2pm we were all back at home with a record turn around of just 6 hours.

We praise God for his perfect timing and provision of everything we needed and for a strong healthy baby boy.

Moulding Chronicle April 2012

 

 Dear friends,

Since we last wrote life has been a bit of a blur with returning to the UK, Ed going away for a 2 week Foundations for Farming (FFF) conference in Zimbabwe and shifting between family members whilst awaiting the arrival of baby no.3, for whom we are still waiting.  

The FFF conference proved to be a very worthwhile investment of both time and energy and has provided Ed with much food for thought as to how what he has learnt can be applied to our situation back in Bolivia. 

We first heard about FFF in 2010.  The more we read the more excited we got as we saw similarities with FH and the potential possibilities. FFF at its basic level is about helping the physically poor manage their land in a God honouring way so that they can produce enough food to feed their families, share with their neighbours and have extra to sell. 

FFF works through teaching four simple management principles which can be applied to any and every area of life, where  everything needs to be done: 1. On time, 2. At Standard, 3. Without Waste and 4. With Joy.  With a specific focus on farming, people are then taught some very basic and simple methods of cultivating land that reflects each of these principles and that produces some amazing results. 

In the first week of the conference Ed and 250 other participants from around the world learnt about the vision of FFF and how God has been working out this vision throughout various countries in Africa and how lives have been transformed as a result. The second week was reduced to 12 people where the focus was upon intense training to learn how to teach others about FFF. 

An interesting aspect of the conference was hearing the testimonies of the white Zimbabweans who had lost their land through land reforms. Through their own individual stories of hardships they each reflected upon how God had used these difficult times to break them down only to then build them up again for greater things to reflect His own glory. 

Another part that stood out was in seeing and hearing about how God truly was using the foolish things (in the eyes of man) to shame the wise.  Through God’s guidance FFF have created a plan that is allowing the poor to make a profit from the land, something which so called experts and governments have said was impossible.

The conference has provided much to think about and will take Ed some time to process it all, but over time we hope to share more through our blog.

Thank God for: 

• Safe travels
• Being able to get registered with the NHS
• Gods provision in every way

Ask God for:

• Encouraging times with family and friends
• A time for rest, relaxation and refocusing
• A good adjustment all round to being a family of 5

Much love

 Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah & Bump

Moulding Chronicles January 2012

Dear Friends,

Before returning to the UK on our Furlough in February we wanted to take this opportunity to write a longer newsletter in order to explain in a bit more depth about the work of FH here in Bolivia and the small part that we play in it.

FH has now been working in Bolivia for over 30 years.  Today it is working in 236 communities in 4 of the 9 departments (similar to states within the US). The focus of FH is upon the most vulnerable people within the most vulnerable communities which ultimately relates to mothers and children. This focus has lead to the creation of a single program that forms the basis of all the work that FH does; Child Focused Community Transformation (CFCT). In a nutshell is it about seeking transformation through changing the way people think and perceive the world around them i.e. their worldview. 

By changing a persons worldview FH is enabling poverty stricken people  from a fatalistic society to seek their own solutions to problems and to  break themselves and their  own communities out of the poverty cycle.   This is done through working with three key groups in any community; the Churches, Leaders and Families. 

In every country where FH is present its outworking of the CFCT looks a little different according to the specific needs of the country.  Within Bolivia the major need is food security. A lack of food security creates a vast range of  problems and so specific projects themselves are varied ranging from direct agricultural interventions such as in the creation of vegetable gardens (see our Blog for examples of such projects with Jose and Don Nacho) to projects involving health, water and sanitation and education.

Chronic malnutrition is one such problem (Approx. 20.8% nationwide) compounded by basic health issues such as Diarrhea which in itself causes a very large number of infant deaths, a problem that in the majority of cases could be avoided by such simple acts such as hand washing. 

Projects incorporating education function on a number of different levels from direct input within schools, after school clubs, youth groups and  family groups teaching biblical principles and values which specifically target some of the more visible problems.  As a result of such teaching there has been a significant increase in the number of children (particularly the girls, who within the culture have less value than boys) involved within the projects of FH who have completed their formal education and who have gone onto university and started their own businesses and who have learnt not only to dream dreams but also how to achieve them.  

Specific teaching to family groups has resulted in families spending time together as well as a renewed respect between family members, adult to child, husband to wife and vice versa, a rare sight in a strong machismo society. 

The other two groups with whom FH works are community leaders and churches.  This again is done through the teaching of biblical principles and values and effective leadership and role within a given community.  For community leaders this has resulted in them taking an active role in leading, planning for the future and guiding their own community, identifying problems as well as the solutions to those problems from internal resources. 

In recent years work with the churches has been limited to one region (El Alto) however after seeing the positive results and changes of the churches becoming actively involved within their communities FH Bolivia is now going to be making its church strengthening project a priority.

Transformation of the mind brought about through the presence of the Holy Spirit (Rom 12:2) is key because we believe that if we can teach people and help them adapt a biblical worldview then they will be able to find freedom and new life.  This is because we believe that being free from poverty is not just about physical issues such as in food and money but also spiritual, emotional and social issues. Ultimately being free from poverty is  about living in healthy relationship with God and his creation (which includes other people).   

This process of transformation needs to be effective not only for those we serve in the communities, but also for our staff and donors, a process we refer to as Mutual Transformation, where all parties involved are transformed in some way or other through the process of both giving and receiving. 

So where and how do we fit into this big picture of transformation? 

On a personal level there is our own process of  transformation as we learn new things, review our own British culture and measure that against a Biblical/God honoring culture.  In the last four years we have had much cause to think about what values and principles we want to live out and promote firstly in our own lives, the lives of our children and then in others. 

On the work level much of what we do is in the background; forming relationships, encouraging others, supporting the Country Director and other staff with translations, organizing, planning, taking on aspects of some of their jobs to enable them to concentrate on more important tasks. We are also here to support and encourage other international staff  with FH helping them to serve and reach the potential that God has put in them. 

So to conclude, we are here working in a supportive capacity in the background to be transformed to be able to complete the plan and purpose God has for us, which involves walking with and serving both national and international staff so that they can walk with and serve the most vulnerable people in Bolivia so that their lives can be transformed and God glorified.

Thank you for being a part of our own personal transformation, we look forward to talking with many of you in person over the course of our 6 months in the UK.

Thank God for: 

• A good relaxing Christmas holiday with family and friends
• Continuing safe development of baby No. 3

Ask God for:

• Stress free preparations for furlough and safe travels with no delays and easy transfers
• Favor within the NHS system upon our return to the UK
• Protection over our home here in Bolivia whilst we are away

Much Love 

Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah & Bump

Unique sounds of a new year in Bolivia

I’ve never really considered before how different a New Year can sound depending on where you are when you celebrate it yet last night as I lay awake listening to the fireworks I realized how different the sounds were compared with New Year celebrations I remember in the UK.

From 11:30 begin a trickle of soft bangs as fireworks begin to be set off across the city, building up to a crescendo like the sound of a constant hailstorm, which isn’t so much caused by the intermittent big booms that cause the whole apartment to shudder, but rather more the sheer quantity of fireworks and fire crackers being set off from what appears to be every other home across the city, including being fired out from apartment windows! Intermittent with these sounds are the dogs barking and the car alarms set off by some of the bigger bangs.

By 12:15 the fireworks fizzle back down to the steady trickle of noise only then to be replaced by music blaring from loud speakers from a house party across from our apartment which continues unceasing until 9am the following morning.  On occasions such as this I glad for New Year only being just once a year!