Creation

Our first attempt of Lapbooking

Our planned study of creation was originally going to be done in one week, just like the original!!  However, once we started it I very quickly realised that it was going to take much longer, 12 weeks in fact, and why not. It meant that we were able to take our time and get the most out of it enjoying it along the way. Together we read about what God did on each day then gradually put together our own model of creation.  I think that Alana was a little over confident when she said that our creation was going to be much better than Gods, however she did do a pretty good job of putting it together.

Creating the sea

Making the dry land

Adding a few plants and trees

Making the fish of the sea

and the animals

Creation finished, complete with sun moon and stars, now time for a rest :o)

Our lapbook on the inside

Moulding Chronicles March 2013

Dear Friends,

In our last newsletter we informed you of our decision to extend our contract until 2017. This month we would like to share with you in a little more detail about the work we are involved with.   

For Sarah her role is now a stay at home mum with the additional responsibility of homeschooling Alana. We know what a privilege it is for Sarah not to have to work and to be able to be home for our children in these early years as we know of many friends and family both in the UK and here in Bolivia who do not have this opportunity. 

Both Sarah and Alana are enjoying homeschooling and some of the freedom it offers to follow areas of interest.  It is great to come home and hear from them both about what they have learned that day. To help Alana continue to develop her Spanish and have interaction with other children she is going to Kumon (a language and math’s institute) two mornings a week, as well as taking swimming lessons. Since moving house she also now has more opportunities to play with other children who live near us who are of a similar age.

Within FH Ed now has 3 main responsibilities, as well as continuing to support Oscar (the Country Director) as his assistant. 

FH wants to see communities transformed by biblical truths that enable them to break out of poverty, but for this transformation to happen our staff must also be in this process of transformation as they are walking with others. As a result of this Ed has been working together with a Bolivian colleague in developing a discipleship system for all the staff that seeks to turn the theory into practice. In February they started discipleship groups which will meet twice a month to study the values of FH and to think about the practicality of these values and consider how these should influence all they do.

The second responsibility is to look to implement Foundations for Farming in Bolivia. This is a step of faith as he is not sure at present how to get it off the ground or what will come as a result of it, however we are learning through it to trust in God and follow his lead and his timing. Having seen God’s transforming power at work in Zimbabwe we believe that there is much potential for using the principles and methods here in Bolivia.

The third responsibility involves working with FH at a global level as part of a team working on revamping the International Staff program. Ed’s specific roles in this team include creating international and national staff cross-cultural training, training for new international staff over the first two years of culture and language adjustment, preparing expats for effective service as well as being able to grow and disciple national staff in that time, and working on the exiting processes for staff leaving the field to help them finish well, prepare for returning to their home culture and learn from their experiences with FH.

Outside of FH our involvement with the families group (mentioned in our November Chronicles) at church has grown so much that we are now looking at how we can split the group (into 3 or 4) so that more families can be part of a group. In this we are working with two other families from the group to create a discussion guide for the parenting book we are discussing to enable people to get more out of it with the hope of making the meetings more interactive.

For us building relationships with people has always been a central part of our ministry and we praise God for the many relationships he has built here, especially that a number of them are now mutual two-way relationships.

At the start of 2013 we looked forward with excitement at the plans God had laid ahead of us. They are big plans and in many things Ed is not sure how he will be able to fulfill them, both in terms of what he feels his abilities are, fear and worry of what God may be asking him to do and what cost that will have on our family. But at the same time we know that God is a BIG God and recently Ed has been challenged/amazed about the promises that God has written in the bible. Not only are they as true now as they were when they were written but even more amazing is to think how many people through all those years have believed in those promises and not been disappointed. That’s a lot of people.

  

So please pray with us as we move forward committed to serve the Lord in Bolivia until 2017 that we would give our all, trusting in God who keeps His promises, knowing that if we choose to step out and trust Him when we get to 2017 we will look back and not be disappointed at taking the risk we took in believing in Him and His promises.

Thank God for: 

• Neighborhood children to play with
• A clearer direction within work
• The many positive relationships we have

Ask God for:

• A good balance and prioritization within work
• Sensitivity to the Bolivian culture when putting projects together
• Continuing provision of financial support

Blessings

Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah & Lucas

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Malachi 3:10

St Davids Day

Despite being many miles away it was good at the beginning of March to remind ourselves about the beautiful country of Wales and for Alana to learn a little about the country in which her Mummy and Daddy met and were married. As well as being a good excuse for making some scrummy welsh cakes.

Our week of school was spent learning about where Wales is, a little about it's patron Saint David, national dress and a few other activities.  We even attempted learning a little welsh, though I'm sure my old welsh house mates would be appalled at my attempt of pronunciation (Think I am better off sticking to Spanish!).

Daffodils appear to be one of the few flowers we cannot find around here so we had to settle for making our own, of which Alana did a great job.  The advantage of these is that they last a lot longer than the real thing, or at least as long as a little brother doesn't get a hold of them.  Next week we look forward to some St Patricks day fun, though I'm not sure I can validate taking Alana down to the Irish pub for a Guinness.

Penguin crazy

This last week we went a little penguin crazy in our homeschool.  One of the aspects I am enjoying is the flexibility to do what suits and what catches ones interest. After 7 weeks of ‘school’ I thought it would be good to ask Alana about what she was enjoying and what she wasn’t enjoying and then if there was anything in particular that she would like to spend a little more time looking at and learning about.  We were just coming to the end of reading the book “Mr Poppers penguins’ so I guess that is where her inspiration came from to learn more about these funny creatures.

And so on Monday we began looking at all 17 types of penguins and where they lived and a little about each one.  We had fun putting together a chart with all of their sizes and were amazed to find that Alana was just about the height of the emperor penguin - I never knew they were so big!.  Isaiah came out just below a King penguin and Lucas at the Royal penguin.

We looked at what penguins did and tried to jump as high as a rockhopper penguin, but failed miserably at the attempt as some how they are able to jump almost my own height. We painted our faces and tried to carry an egg on our feet and made some yummy treats to continue the theme, as well as a whole lot of other activities.  I was quite amazed as to how much we had learnt by the end of the week and the fun we had in doing it.  We look forward now to sitting down and watching Mr Poppers penguins on DVD to close the week.

Carnival

When someone mentions the word carnival, I wonder what comes to mind, may be its the long procession of floats toed behind tractors or lorries, decorated in some theme or other, with spectators throwing money into the floats that is then to be designated to some charity or other (of course these days things are a little different and not quite so much fun with health and safety!). Or maybe its the spectacular costumes and displays and processions like that of Rio!  

Here in Bolivia it has somewhat mixed images. On the positive side for us its a 4 day holiday and has been a good opportunity for getting a few more jobs done around the house as well as having time to connect and spend time with friends.

One of the traditions here are the water fights that break out across the country which in recent years has developed further into ‘foam’ fights. As you walk the street you can see children (big and small) armed with water pistols, spray foam cans and water bombs. On Saturday Ed took Alana up to the Prado with a family from church to have some fun in a mega foam / water fight, they seemed to both enjoy it (though not sure who enjoyed it the most!).  Monday we spent time with two other families and enjoyed the fun of water and foam fights - though Isaiah was not too sure of it all and kept his distance. 

For the local people however carnival also holds another significance as the time of year to offer sacrifices to Pacha Mama in the hope of receiving good luck for the year to come.  This normally means decorating their homes, cars and businesses with streamers and balloons, setting off fire crackers at whatever hour and then throwing a mixture of flower petals, gold and silver painted beans over said thing and finishing off by pouring alcohol onto the said thing and ground.  ‘Challa’ as they call it, is big business with stalls popping up at every busy street corner selling the appropriate wares. Along with this ritual comes much drinking of alcohol and drunkenness. During carnival it is said that a person needs to get as drunk as possible so that the evil spirits can leave the persons body, any sense of coherence then the bad spirits remain!  So it perhaps is not surprising to hear of so many tragedies during this time of year with so many people drunk.  Whilst we are able to enjoy the fun and friendships it is a sad reminder of how trapped the people of this country are in traditions and ways that keep them in a place of poverty and far from the freedom found in knowing and following God.

Moulding Chronicle January 2013

Dear Friends,

It was encouraging to look back over 2012 and remember all the special blessings of that year with the safe arrival of Lucas, a great time back in the UK with family and friends etc, and returning to the warmth of friendships back here in Bolivia.  As we begin 2013 we look forward with great anticipation as to what lies ahead.

The year starts with many new beginnings and challenges, a new home (again!), a new work focus for Ed (again!), a new balance of home life and a new experience of homeschooling Alana.   

At the end of last year we took time to pray and talk with our Country Director with regards to our future here in Bolivia, the result of which was the decision to extend our contract until 2017. This has a cost both in terms of the sacrifice for family as we will be unable to return to the UK over the course of the next 4 years, as well as a financial cost. 

Over these last 5 years we have seen time and again Gods provision for all of our needs and beyond and so we have no doubt that He will continue to do so and so we want to ask you to be praying with us for Him to do just that as well as for continuing wisdom as to how we can be wise stewards of what He does give us.

During our recent visit to the UK we used up the last of our FH financial reserves. This combined with some of our regular financial supporters stopping their support leaves us in a position of needing to increase our regular monthly financial income by £400/mth so that we can cover our annual insurance, education and medical costs and begin to build up our reserves again so that come 2017 we have money set aside to be able to buy our return tickets.   

When we originally put the new budget together we did it in two parts, one with all the costs and the second with what we could just about scrape by with. Shortly afterwards we felt challenged by God 'do we have enough faith for £400 extra?' The reduced figure was one that seemed possible to us, not allowing for much faith in what God can do, the £400 didn’t seem achievable in human terms yet it is putting us in a position to once again completely rely on God to provide for what we need.

Thank God for:

• Our new home that suits our needs
• A positive and encouraging start to homeschooling
• 3 amazing children

Ask God For:

• Wisdom, and patience with all the ‘new’ things
• Continuing provision of financial support
• Continuing growth in relationships

Blessings

Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah and Lucas

Tooth Fairy Treasure Trail

A long time ago we decided that we wouldn’t follow along with the normal conventions of Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy with our children, however we still wanted to mark such occasions as special in some way, (as losing your first tooth is really quite a big deal when you are 6 years old).  So we came up with the idea of a a tooth-fairy treasure trail where by the tooth-fairy’s fairy friends help to guide the way to the treasure.

For Alana’s first tooth we weren’t quite ready, moving house got in the way of that one, but for tooth number two we were ready and waiting, and we waited and we waited.  That second tooth had been well wobbly for that last two weeks, but Alana was refusing to wobble it out.  Today after a visit to the dentist it had just the right bit of persuasion to leave and so we were able to put our first tooth fairy treasure trail to the test.

I think she enjoyed it :o) 

Moulding Chronicles November 2012

Dear Friends,

In October we celebrated 5 years of being in Bolivia.  As we looked back over that time we could see the ways in which God has used us.  There have been many ups and downs during those 5 years and yet so much to be thankful for.  As we look forward we are excited to see the possibilities of how God may use us in the future both within FH and outside of it.

Due to the nature of the culture here in Bolivia where immediate family ties are very strong, many people find themselves without any friends and are consequently very lonely.  People don’t tend to have friends of a similar age with whom they can share experiences or troubles. Even within church it is difficult to form relationships as people arrive late to the service then make a quick exit as soon as it is over.

Just over a year ago we formed  a  ‘families group’ at our church, drawing together just a few select families from the congregation who had children of a similar age. The purpose of the group was to provide an opportunity for people to get to know one another and in time to form a network of support and encouragement.

Upon our return from the UK we were thrilled to see that this group of families was not only thriving but growing and developing with more families wanting to get involved. This has now put us in the position of looking at the ways in which the group can divide and grow.  We recently met with two of the families who have leadership potential and were encouraged to hear their ideas as to how we can move forward and draw in more families and single parents.

From the onset we have only wanted to be facilitators of the idea so that the Bolivian families can take it and run with it, which they have been doing with much enthusiasm.     As the groups grow and expand our hope is to oversee the groups and meet with the leaders on a regular basis in order to be a support and encouragement to them.

We feel that we are in a very privileged position where by we are here in Bolivia serving as a whole family unit, each of us has our own part to play to be used by God in some way or another. How exciting is that!

Thank God for: 

• Provision of another new home
• Deeper relationships

Ask God for:

• An increase in our monthly income, as our costs are increasing and we shall be losing some regular supporters in the new year
• Planning and preparation for homeschooling Alana from January
• Wisdom for Ed as he moves forward with two major projects

With Love

Ed, Sarah, Alana, Isaiah & Lucas