Church Picnic

One of the things we have discovered during our time here in Bolivia is the difficulty in getting to know people in church. This is due to the current church culture which means that people arrive to the service anything up to an hour and a half after it has started (or later) and leave as soon as its finished, providing very little opportunity to even get to know a persons name.

One of the things we appreciated when we first arrived at the church was the beginning of a parenting group which meant we were able to begin to put some names to faces. From this group we enjoyed a couple of saturday socail events at a local park.

Since then the parenting group has finished, however, last month it was decided to reinstate the picnic at the park, only this time it was opened up to the wider congregtion. After a number of weeks of non-stop rain I think everyone was a little apprehansive as to how it would all pass off, however, God was very good and graced us with the one and only warm sunny day in weeks.

The sunshine encouraged a number of the congregation to venture out and join us. It was a great day that provided many opportunities for getting to know a cross section of people who we always see but never have opportunity to talk to. Everybody even joined in the games that had been organised and it wasn't long before everybody was laughing and having fun.

We now look forward to the next one, to build upon those relationships already begun. Some faces whom finally after two years we can now put a name and happy memories of a shared experience.

Moulding Chronicles March 2011

Dear Friends,

We praise God for the safe arrival of Isaiah John on Sunday 27th February at 21:25, weighing 7lb 5oz. All went smoothly and rather quickly with a swift labour of just 1hr and 25 mins. In less than 24 hours from when contractions began he had arrived and we were all settled back at home. Since then we have been adjusting to life as a family of 4 and the obvious demands of a little one. We now have the fun part of getting all of the appropriate paper work sorted.

Other good news is that our landlady finally signed our contract extension so we now have until June in order to find somewhere else to live and move.

Our financial situation has also improved since the last time of writing with an increase in support and a decrease in our expenditure, however we still have a small shortfall so if you feel God guiding you to be a part of our financial team then do let us know

Having taken time off over the birth of our son, Ed has since launched back into the swing of things with renewed vigor and enthusiasm for organizing the Latin American regional conference to be held in May in Cochabamba, as well as with Sarah becoming more involved with the development of member care at a global level.

For Sarah, roles have changed once again as she takes the time enjoying caring for another baby. With all the changes her desire is to seek God as to how and in what way she becomes involved with FH in the future, as well as outside of FH.

Whilst we have been celebrating our new arrival we have been mindful of thousands of La Paz residents who are currently homeless due to major landslides that occurred last month destroying a number of whole communities. FH is currently meeting with the local government and other organizations to see how best to help in the long term needs. Please pray for wisdom in the decisions that need to be made.

Thank God for:

A fast and safe arrival of Isaiah John
An extension on our house contract
The help we have received in starting to get the appropriate paper work sorted out

Ask God for:

A good adjustment to being a family of 4
Provision of somewhere else to live come June
Clear direction of roles in this new season of life

Much Love

Ed, Sarah, Alana & Isaiah

Sleeping babes

Just too much excitement this week...

Isaiah John Moulding

Just a week ago today we became a family of 4 as Isaiah John Moulding entered our world and was born. It has been a long wait and a journey that has tested our faith and trust at many stages along the way. Today we can stand in testimony of Gods goodness and faithfulness to us as we hold in our arms our little miracle Isaiah.

In the end I think he was as eager to enter our world as we were to finally see him and hold him in our arms. Mild contractions began last Sunday morning and steadily continued throughout the afternoon occurring every 10 minutes. We decided to send Alana off to a friends house for the night just in case things should progress further and were very glad that we did so, as at 8pm Sarah's waters decided to explode which were then followed by contractions that were really strong. At this point we called family back home, then our Dr who arranged to meet us at the clinic, which thankfully was literally just around the corner from where we live.

Upon arrival we had just a short wait whilst they took our details and got a room sorted, by the time we were installed our Dr arrived and was very suprised to discover Sarah was already well on the way (which by now was about 8.45pm) it seemed like just minutes after that that she was already feeling the need to push (about 9pm). Upon further examination everything went crazy as they realized that Isaiah was indeed on the way and crowning, so then between contractions Sarah was rushed into the delivery room as orders were shouted out left right and centre to get the right people and things in place. With just 4 pushes and a flurry of activity he was there with us born at 9.25pm.

After that then things moved at a somewhat calmer pace as Sarah was taken back to her room and as we awaited the arrival of our son, who was later brought in by a nurse so bundled up you could only just see his face. After a brief visit from our Dr and the pediatrician checking that all was well, we were left in peace for the night, most of which was spent just gazing at the amazing little miracle in the cot beside us.

By 10.15am the following morning we were back home and began settling into our new life as a family of 4.

Baby Shower

Having heard much about baby showers, it was great to have friends organise one especially for us. Ed collaborated in some of the organising, but it it was arranged as a total surprise for Sarah which was lovely. We arrived at our friends house to be greeted by balloons and an array of tiny blue packages and bundles. Being in Bolivia we were of course the first to arrive as opposed to the last, but it was nice to be able to greet everybody as they arrived and provided Sarah with her exercise for the evening of needing to get up and greet every new person that arrived.

As each person arrived they were each given a balloon, which contained a tiny figure of a baby which they then had to tie about their waist for the evening. We then played a number of different games which were good fun and a good laugh. The prizes were even little chocolate babies, which somehow seemed very wrong to eat, but the chocolate was particularly nice!

It was such a blessing to us to receive such love and care from our Bolivian friends, who see and accept us as very much a part of their own lives. Thank you one and all.

Alasitas - The festival of abundance

One day towards the end of January lots of new stalls suddenly appeared throughout the city each selling an array of goods, from houses to cars, to passports, money and food, all in miniature sizes. The idea being that people by the miniature versions of what they hope to be blessed with through out the up and coming year.

The origin of these celebrations dates back to the time of the Incas and was originally celebrated in September, just prior to harvest time and was a celebration of the abundance of the fields. Following their conquest of the nation the Spanish for some reason decided to change the date to January. As a response to this the indigenous people then decided to turn the celebration into a mockery of its former significance, and introduced the tradition as it is recognized today with Ekeko - the little God of abundance who is covered with all the miniature versions of all the things desired by the person who owns the statue.

On this day, Alana’s kinder made the most of the availability of the miniature goods and the children spent the morning practicing their skills in buying and selling with the miniature money and each was sent home with a selection of goodies. Alana was very excited with her ‘purchases’.

Moulding Chronicles January 2011

Dear Friends,

A very happy new year one and all. We hope that you were all able to enjoy the festive season and celebrate Gods gift to us in himself.

We have had a very enjoyable break from the normal routine with many moments of laughter with friends. It has been a good opportunity to look back over the year and see the lessons learnt and challenges overcome and to plan and look forward at the new year to come.

At the onset of this new year we face our first challenge in securing housing as our housing contract comes up for renewal, just about the time when our baby is due. We have a colleague who will be negotiating for us as we cannot afford an increase in rent this year. We are at peace about moving if we need too, but would very much appreciate your prayers that we would find suitable cheaper accommodation very quickly if that needs to be the case.

Our second challenge of the year is to increase our level of financial support. During our first 3 years of service we have been very blessed to have had sufficient, which is not something we take for granted. and are very grateful to each of you who have contributed to make that so. However, for this coming 3 year term we find ourselves with a considerable regular monthly shortfall of about 25%.

With this change of circumstances in mind we have been reviewing our calling here in Bolivia and feel that for now at least it is right for us to continue, a decision that has been confirmed to us from many different avenues. Therefore we are trusting God to continue to meet our needs as well as doing our part in reducing expenditure where possible.

If you feel that God is asking you to join us in this journey then please do either get in touch with us or direct with FHUK, for more information as to how you can do that.

Along with the challenges we also have many things to be looking forward to and excited about in this new year. The biggest excitement of course being the arrival of our new family member, which could happen any time onwards from the end of February.

Some of the other things we are looking forward to this year include a Latin America regional conference in April, family visits in July, and a further developing of our role as International staff coordinators as well as the things that God is going to show and teach us through this year. It is exciting times and we thank you for walking this journey together with us.

Thank God For:

• A good relaxing Christmas
• Good friends
• A positive outlook for this year and excitement as we look forward to what God wants to teach us

Ask God for:

• A stress free resolution to our housing situation
• Clear direction for our work within FH this year
• A healthy end of pregnancy and birth of our new family member

Much love

Ed, Sarah & Alana

Christmas celebrations

In the 8 Christmases we have celebrated together since being married no two have been quite the same, with great variations in both location and the people with whom we have celebrated. In the early years growing up I remember Christmas being a really magical time with the mountain of gifts that would mysteriously appear under the tree on Christmas morning and the letters I would receive from father Christmas in response to letters I would have written and sent to him. After these magical moments disappeared once I discovered the truth, Christmases became somewhat empty and even at times a great disappointment.

Once we got married we were both quite excited about forming our own Christmas traditions so that it would become a special celebration once again with the right focus and Christ at the centre. However, it didn't all happen and fall into place as quickly as I had imagined it would. Every year since our marriage we have been battling over the same questions, so what is Christmas really all about? What makes Christmas, Christmas? How can we escape the entrapment of commercialism? How can we make it be a special time of celebration for our own family? How can we bring Christ back at the centre of it all?

There are many aspects about Christmas time that we really love, the carols, the candle lit carol services, time seeing friends and family, sharing of gifts and good food. Being here in Bolivia has caused us to evaluate many of these things as many of the evangelical churches and Christians here have rather extreme views as to Christmas celebrations and all the trimmings to the extent that it is not celebrated at all, with not even a mention made as to the birth of our saviour.

It has been good for us to have been able to take a step back from all the usual buzz, to be challenged about what aspects are important to us and why. This year I found that I wasn’t full of all the questions, and yet it was the best Christmas we have celebrated in a long time, being stress free and full of good gifts that God has given to us.

We took great pleasure in the months leading up to Christmas baking and cooking particular Christmas delights, and putting together gifts for friends. As a family we had fun collecting together small pine cones which we then painted and covered with glitter to decorate a tree. We made each other Christmas gifts and shared great delight in opening each others creations on Christmas day. As we put together our little nativity scene we read through the story of Christ's coming to earth as a baby.

Christmas eve we celebrated Bolivian style with a meal of Picana (spicy stew) together with good friends and enjoyed much fun and laughter. At the end of the meal we also each got to share about the things we had been thankful to God for during this last year, of which there was indeed much to give thanks about.

Christmas morning we took our time enjoying watching each other open presents, talking with family, then enjoyed lunch with other friends and a time of relaxing. It was nice to reach the end of the day feeling relaxed and happy and without an overfull bloated tummy from having eaten too much.

There are still a few things we would like to do a little different next Christmas, however, it was good day of celebration which we both felt drew us closer to some of the true sentiments of what Christmas is really all about.

End of School year

Here in Bolivia the academic year follows that of the calendar year, so mid december saw the close of Alana’s second year of studying at Acuarela. In order to celebrate the close of the year and the festive season the children had all been busy creating lots of christmassy things and practicing hard for the end of year performance.

In the last week of term we were invited to go and see all of the children's work before coming home with arms loaded full of creations and all of the work completed through the year.

Along with all of the creativity, the children had been learning new songs and a traditional Bolivian dance. On the sunday after the close of term, we made our way to one of the local theatres to watch Alana perform along with her classmates. We were very proud of all that she had achieved and accomplished during the course of the year.

OMO

Having now lived in Bolivia for over 3 years we have come to expect the happenings of random events, some which turn out to be very positive and others not so. Last Sunday turned out to be one of the more positive random happenings.

The other week Alana can home from kinder very excited with an invitation to ‘Al Reino de OMO’ (The kingdom of OMO), OMO being none other than a brand of washing powder! As what we can only assume to be a promotional exercise, this company had put together a medieval castle in one of the parks and were inviting children to come along with their parents to take part in a variety of different activities.

Somewhat sceptically we thought we would take a picnic and go and see what was going on. We were pleasantly surprised to see what appeared to be more of a play-scheme holiday club session than a promotional exercise.

Upon entering the castle we were ushered to the first tent where the children were able to paint and stick glitter onto crowns.

From there they moved across to the second tent where the boys could paint swords and the girls make necklaces. Alana wasn’t all that enamored with her necklace and would much rather have had a sword I think.

From there, they undertook the battle to save the princess from the dragon and had to clamber over and under different obstacles and throw balls to try and hit the dragon. There was even some degree of health and safety involved which surprised us as each child taking part had to put on a cycle helmet and elbow pads.

After they had completed that exercise they took their place on the throne of OMO and became either king or queen of the kingdom with a photo taken to prove it.

At various points throughout the day they also provided other entertainment, during the time we were there it was a magician who was making live doves and rabbits appear and disappear. It was quite amusing to see that many of the children were more excited about seeing a live animal than they were about the trick that had made it appear.

All in all it was a very enjoyable morning, despite being cut a little short by a heavy hail and rain storm, Being the british people we are we still enjoyed our picnic in the rain, huddled together under a brolly.