| "It is for freedom that Chist has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" Galations 5 : 1 |
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| Prayer Update - April 2006 “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16 |
| Hi everyone. Firstly I want to wish you all a very happy Easter at this special time of the year when we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection save us and to bring us hope. The last time I wrote it was just before Christmas and we were preparing to have a big Christmas party with the kids and then come back to Scotland. The day before we left we had dinner for over 170 people and had a wonderful time sharing in the joy of Christmas with so many children and their families, eating a meal with them and giving out their Christmas presents – Chicho was a big hit as Santa when it came to present time! Thank you to everyone who contributed to making it an amazing day for everyone that attended |
| The Christmas Party 2005 |
We left Bolivia at the very end of December to come home to get married and we’ve been in Scotland for the past 3 months. We were married at Cartsbridge Evangelical Church on Saturday 21st January, and although it was very cold, it was a lovely sunny day and we all enjoyed the wedding ceremony and the reception. We said our vows in both English and Spanish, Chicho’s parents read Spanish bible verses (we’d recorded a video of them in Bolivia) and my parents read the same verses in English and Esther, my sister, sang a Spanish blessing taken from Numbers ? We had over 20 people that had previously visited Bolivia and Chicho’s three best men and one of my bridesmaids were volunteers whom we had met in Bolivia so it was great to have some people there that Chicho knew too, since his family was so far away. We’re now looking forward to wedding number two in Bolivia when we get back!! It’s not everyone that gets to have two weddings, so we’re excited to be able to share our second big day with family, friends, church members and of course, all our kids out there in Trinidad. The kids were all really disappointed that we were getting married here so we promised them they’d all be invited when we get married again there! If you’d like to see more wedding photos, I have a website with a presentation of photos, and also some photos of us with the children from the prison and the children’s home. Click here to visit the site. I now have the most unfortunate name of Tube!! It’s fine when I tell people my name and say it in the proper Spanish way, but once people see it written down, I get a hard time for being a tube!! |
| The Happy Couple! |
We’ve really enjoyed our time here in Scotland. Chicho’s English has improved greatly and he’s really enjoyed spending time with my family and folk at church and meeting so many of you that he’s heard so much about, but never had a faces to put to names. If you ask him what his favourite thing about Scotland is, he’ll say “the weather”!! And he’s not joking!! It’s a very strange answer for all us Scots who don’t think much of the weather, but to a Bolivian who lives with 35 degree heat all the time, he seems to think it’s quite nice! He’s also seen the sea and snow for the first time and had a great time making a snowman and sledging. We’ve been visiting family and friends all over Scotland and have been doing various reports and updates about the work we’re involved in, at different churches and ladies groups (well just me for the ladies groups!) and we were involved in a bible exhibition called “The Easter Experience” at Cartsbridge, to which 600 children attended over a 2 week period. It was a great privilege to be involved in that, and we really enjoyed working as part of a team, as the children learned about the crucifixion and resurrection as they participated in various activities such as games, puzzles, computer quizzes, videos etc…. it’s given me lots of ideas to use with the children back to Bolivia – maybe they’ll be an “Easter Experience 2 – Bolivian style!” next year!! |
| Chicho's first snowman! |
We now just have a few weeks to go here in Scotland and we would ask for your prayers as we prepare to return to continue in the work that God has placed on our hearts – to work in the prison with the children and their families, in the children’s home and also with the young people in our local church. We are hoping to start building our house and a centre for the children once we get back, and would hope to be settled in there by the end of the year and that the children would have a special place that is theirs where they can just enjoy being children, play, enjoy being in a safe, loving environment, but most importantly, that it would be a place that they would come to know the Lord. I’ll send another email before we leave with more information on exact dates for arriving back in Bolivia, our future plans and specific prayer points. It’s hard to leave and say goodbye, but we know God has a plan for us and is right beside us every step of the way and that he’ll help us through the difficult times and show us His way. Click here to find out more information on how to become a child prayer partner. We’re so grateful for all your prayers for us and also for the children and the work and have seen God working and answering these prayers. We know how important prayer is and would love to get people involved in prayer for a specific child and their needs. Just think what could happen if each of these little ones had someone regularly praying for them and their families – I know that lives would be changed and that God would work in amazing way! Please keep praying for us. Lots of love, Rachel and Chicho xx |
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