The end of 2020

 

Christmas here was interesting, weird and hard but with some great fun moments. In Bolivia, Christmas Eve is a bigger deal than Christmas day with the big meal on Christmas Eve (often at midnight). Thankfully here at the children’s home, we ate around 8pm. All of the children were incredibly excited, escalated by a group from a university and a man dressed as Santa bringing gifts. After dinner, there was a lot of fireworks reaching a peak at midnight (I fell asleep for an hour or so as I am now well entrenched in a 10pm-6am, more or less, sleeping routine). It was lovely to be with all children and be part of their joy.

On Christmas Day and Boxing day, I had the opportunity to spend time relaxing and eating with other members of Latin Link. This was really nice especially for a wee bit of the feeling of a british Christmas though swimming outside in the heat on Boxing day was extremely strange. 

It was also important to be able to call my parents, sister and Gran, especially as my Gran was by herself. My sister tested positive for COVID last week (she works in a nursery), resulting in my family being in quarantine over Christmas. It was lovely to speak to them but also reminded me how much I miss them, especially just the normality of passing time with people rather than the strangeness of video calls. 

During the Christmas period, I have been less busy here due to the summer holidays and the different schedule. Therefore I found myself passing more time by myself. In some ways, this has been great and relaxing. I also feel that my relationship with God is improving and my prayer life is more active. I am really enjoying reading ‘How to pray’ by Pete Greig and would recommend it for helping think through how you spend time with God and involve him in your life. 

However, I am looking forward to next week and throwing myself into things here and working more one on one with the young people again. I have also started thinking a little about what I might do next year and the year after and I am finding this exciting but also a little overwhelming. Overall I am enjoying my work here and my relationship with God but unquestionably I am missing talking and being with close friends. 

Cases of Covid are rising again in Bolivia and we are in a second wave, please pray for wisdom for the Government. From what I am seeing many people here seem less fearful than in June and July and it seems unlikely that a full lockdown will be imposed or that it would be obeyed to the same extent. 

I hope every one of you has a year full of God, that you feel his presence in your life and you become more like the person he wants you to be 

Philippians 1:6

‘being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.’

November 2020 - Life in Santa Cruz

I have been living in Santa Cruz and working in the children’s home for over a month now. I am gradually settling into this new way of living and love the work that I am doing. I am also slowly adjusting to the drastic increase in temperature and new levels of sweating!

My main responsibilities continue to be working with the children and helping them with their homework. This has mainly been with their Mathematics and English work but also occasionally with other subjects especially with the younger children (though obviously, this is more of a challenge). I am loving the challenge of explaining things well in Spanish and of having to relearn some concepts of mathematics. This has been especially difficult with some of the older teenagers whose level of mathematics I  have not been using for a long time. Working one on one with the children, and in small groups, has been wonderful in terms of developing relationships and getting to know them. 

It is also good each day to play games and spend time with different children during their breaks from lessons or after school. This has been a real privilege and pleasure. Last week I also led my first devotional in Spanish, and it went better than I expected. Hopefully, I will have more opportunities to do this in the coming weeks.

I am also taking time every day to help look after three horses. This has been a very unexpected undertaking but one I am enjoying. It is another area where I am learning so much. Last week one of the horses was injured, sadly, while jumping a fence so this week I have been spending time helping him recover. Another of the horses still has a lot of training to undergo and at times her behaviour is difficult to manage, last week she injured me with a gate. They are beautiful animals and it was a dream of my childhood to work with horses -  I never expected to have the time or opportunity to fulfil that dream! 

I feel really blessed by God to be here and I am so thankful for all your support and prayers over this year. I am enjoying these new opportunities to grow and learn. Occasionally I am finding it difficult being in a new place with occasional feelings of isolation and loneliness. However, I think as I settle, I will have more opportunities to get to know different people and get involved in a church.

I am also aware that I need to be more disciplined in my personal times with God. This is something I am really going to be working on and reminding myself how important those times were in the life of Jesus. 

I feel that the situation in Bolivia is becoming tenser after some decisions made by the government this week. In response to this, there are new blockades in the streets of Santa Cruz, however when walking around it still feels fairly calm. 

Please pray for:

• Me as I go back to the church in person 
• Developing friendships 
• Building positive relationships with the children here
• The finances of the children’s home 
• Bolivia in general as the new president takes over 

Please get in touch if there is anything you’d like to know or just to make contact. I’d also be delighted to pray for you. 

Love and Blessings,

Andrew 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying."

Moving to Santa Cruz Aug 2020

Things have started to change here in Bolivia, with announcements this week stating that restrictions will be lessened slightly in September. Further, it appears as though the number of cases is decreasing and the number of individuals sick and dying is significantly reduced. However, the decision to change the restrictions are being driven from an economic rather than a health perspective. 

 

It also now feels like everyone in Bolivia has had a personal experience of the virus. I have several friends who have been sick or have family members who are still very vulnerable. Here in Bolivia, there has also been a lot of political tension mainly around the upcoming elections with numerous protests and blockades. 

 

Over the last few months, I have struggled from time to time with all of the changes caused by Covid-19. I have really missed seeing my friends in person and being able to hug them. It has also been hard seeing things in Scotland as more activities of normal life have become possible. In particular, I would really love to be able to go to the beach with a couple of people and swim in the sea. However, throughout this time though I have felt a deepening trust in Jesus and have profound confidence in his presence in my life. 

 

I have also spent a lot more time volunteering with the foodbank over the last couple of weeks. This has been an incredible experience and a real blessing. It has been great being able to serve and use my Spanish practically, as I spoke with stallholders in the markets. I am extremely grateful to my friend who brought me into this wonderful team of volunteers. Yesterday it was really hard to say goodbye as I had been starting to form close friendships and have deep conversations about life and faith. 

I had to say goodbye as I am moving to Santa Cruz on Friday, where I will be starting to work in a children’s home and daycare centre. After spending 10 days with Craig and Amanda Cunningham as a form of quarantine. This is an opportunity that has come about after I decided that there wasn’t enough work for me in Oruro working directly with and alongside Bolivians. I am feeling apprehensive about this move but trusting that God will use me here. 

Here is a link to a video about the children’s home, to give you an idea of the place: https://youtu.be/6lz-u2spgH4

Thank you for supporting me and being interested in what I am doing. Please pray for these things:

 

• Me as I move to Santa Cruz 
• The children’s home and daycare centre where I will be working
• Bolivia in general

• Especially the hospitals as they continue to try to cope 
• For those suffering because of the virus and poverty 
• Also, for the political situation amidst upcoming elections. 
• For the continuing work of the projects in Oruro 

 

Love and blessings,

Andrew 

Bolivia during quarantine

I have been struggling to write this for the last couple of weeks as I feel as if not much has changed since my last prayer letter. However, I am realising it is important to share the reality of how I am feeling and what I am experiencing during this period. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, for your prayers, support and love.

From last Monday Bolivia has moved to a flexible quarantine nationwide where each department can decide if the rules can be lessened in certain areas. Cochabamba, where I am currently living, has decided to extend the strict quarantine until at least the end of May. This decision has been made as there is concern that the hospitals are on the verge of being overwhelmed and the number of cases is still increasing. The amount of testing being undertaken is also very limited and therefore it is very hard to know the true scale of the virus here in Bolivia.

Many Bolivians are struggling with the prolonged, strict quarantine and there have been more cases of people disobeying the rules. In Cochabamba, over the last few days, there has been a blockade of one of the main roads out of the city as people protest the current regulations. Sadly, I have also heard that there have been some displays of anger against health workers in some places as people fear getting infected. Please pray for Bolivia and the Bolivian people as they deal with the virus and also more and more with the more pressing concerns of having enough money and feeding their families.

Personally, I am doing fine, and I am very well but I have definitely had difficult days and found my emotions have been fluctuating much more than I am used to or expected. I have experienced doubts about why I am here and what is God’s purpose for me at this moment. It is especially difficult when I receive emails from the British Embassy, informing about the limited flights out of Bolivia. Nevertheless, I still feel that Bolivia is my home and God is calling me here for a reason. The earliest I might be able to move to Oruro is around the 7^th of June, but this might change again.

I am still taking Spanish classes with the school here in Cochabamba via Skype and I am slowly improving. This week I had the opportunity to help out at the foodbank here in Cochabamba, which a close friend helps run. It was incredible to see how the organisation has expanded to meet the current need in the city. I helped deliver 70 food packages to a school in the community for further distribution to people who really need them. After this, we took individual packages to local families who had asked for help, or the foodbank had been informed were struggling. It was incredible to get out of the house for the first time properly, see the city and interact with people. However, it was sad to see how much people are suffering and how needed the foodbank is right now. I am grateful to my friend for inviting me along and it was a privilege to work alongside them. I am very grateful that God has put the foodbank in place for just such a time as this.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.

Jeremiah 29:4-5

Over the last few days, I have been thinking about the period of exile of the Israelites, how that was a period of waiting and frustration, but God told the people to settle in and that he would keep his promises and be with them. I feel like this time of quarantine could also just be a period of waiting but in fact, God wants me to open my eyes to the opportunities he is giving me and to the things he has for me to learn and grow in right now.

Thank you again, I am praying for you all, thank you to those who have been in touch. There have been definitely been times when I have felt a little isolated and lonely. Hope you have a blessed week.

3 months in Bolivia

I have now been living in Bolivia for three months, incredibly. I am still studying at the language school; over the last two weeks, I have been learning three versions of the past tense. I am slowly but surely improving and love my lessons and teachers. I have also now submitted my application for a two-year residency visa. Thank you for praying for this and for my Spanish, please continue to do so.

It has been a blessing and a joy to spend more time with the Bolivian friends I already had before I came, especially the guys who live here in Cochabamba. I have also loved getting to know some of their friends and learning about the lives of their siblings (who are all incredible) I have also enjoyed getting to know some of the people at church and some other people who are linked to the school.

Over the last few Saturdays, it has been great to go on some hikes, into the mountains around Cochabamba, that have been organised by the school. It has been a lovely opportunity to be part of a community and develop friendships. One example of this is that I was walking with one of my teachers, who has become an awesome and wise friend, and she wasn’t feeling great and ended up being sick. I have realised that these memorable moments though not fun at the time can be some of the most important in developing friendships. While comforting her and sharing some of many similar ill moments we were able to really get to know one another and cement our friendships, which has meant so much to me as I settle in here. It is astonishing how God can use such moments.

These experiences reminded me of an experience at a Scripture Union camp several years ago on Arran where a young person was sick in the middle of the night. As unpleasant and difficult as this was for the young person, it was one of my favourite moments of the camp. As we were able to have great conversations with the young person and fun-filled chats with the other young people in the tent, while I sorted out the vomit, these were a blessing. (Although I did spectacularly fail to efficiently clean the vomit off the grass). Further, I think these experiences were essential in building relationships with these Christ-centred lovely young people, who I have now had the privilege to serve alongside as adults at various Christian events. I am so grateful for the relationships God has put in my life and excited for the ones that are being formed now and will come here and in Oruro.  

I have had moments here where I have missed being in Scotland especially when camps and events I would normally be involved with have been happening back home. But I have been reminded that God has placed me here, I chose to follow this path and know that God has a purpose for me here. I love hearing what is happening in Scotland and praying for you. I am so grateful for your interest, support and prayers for me.

I am so appreciative of the time I’ve had here in Coch to spend with God and listen to what he is saying to me. Over the last month or so I have been strongly challenged on obeying God and trusting in his timing. Please pray for me as I try to take more of the opportunities that God presents to me. Please also pray for me as I move to Oruro in April.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  James 1:2-4 NIV

Thank you again so much for all your love. Please message me, I love keeping in touch.

Also, I have been watching this series about the life of Jesus, which is called The Chosen, which you can download an app to watch. I can’t recommend it highly enough, it is beautiful.