Arrived safe and well in Bolivia

Hello lovely people.

We arrived safe and well in Bolivia on Thursday. I spent a few hours with family before I left, which was great, although not long enough. The plane journey was amazingly non eventful, I wasn´t sick! Quite a miracle. When we were at heathrow there were a number of other medics there going of on their electives! It is odd to think that many of my friends are all over the world.

This keyboard is really difficult to get used to, so please excuse odd spelling. It was funny travelling through Brazil and hearing Portuguese being spoken again. It brought back many fond memories, including drinking an amazing drink called Guarana. As we took of from Sao Paulo seeing the slums reminded me alot about my Gap Year. I can´t believe that was almost five years ago and yet it shaped me in such a big way. I was so young, well I suppose I still am!!

It was fantastic to be met by old friends at the airport. So many of my friends would have been met by people they didn´t know. To see familiar faces is amazing, it almost feels like I never left. I seem to have slot right back into place. Other friends I have been reaquainted with is the sun, although winter has officially started, and my personal favourite the mosquito. The mosquito has currently made me look like a teenager with bad acne - but I am hoping its love for my juicy skin will fade away.

I can´t believe how the girls remembered us so well. Almost immediately they started singing the Hokey Cokey and wanting to play clapping games with us. (Bex and Claire they are sending you lots of love. Linda says the fab two doesn´t have the same ring as the fab four!) It is great to see how the girls have changed. Last time two of the girls that were so quiet and timid last night suddenly showed who they were! It was fantastic to see. We were dancing around the house with broomsticks as air guitars singing to Delirious in Spanish! Well maybe I should correct myself there, they were singing and I was mumbling and then singing the words I did know very loudly.

Seeing how well the girls remembered us, challenged me of the difference you can make in a few weeks. I have recently been chatting with Jess, a great friend of mine, about whether Short Term mission trips make any difference to the people you go to see. It seems like they can, which gives me lots to think about on a developmental front.

Monday work starts. We touched base with the hospital yesterday. It seems like our supervisor doesn´t speak any English, so it could be fun. Have been hearing all sorts of stories about how if someone develops an open fracture (When the wound breaks the skin), Bolivians pack it with cow dung! So much for trying to stop infection. Monday could be very interesting especially as doctors think they are God.

Lastly, my phone seems to be working alright. I´ve been receiving texts. Jamie if you are reading this well done for getting to the top of the mountain, I wonder which one of us is at higher altittude. To the two fantastic people who just got engaged! Many congratulations. It is fantastic to share such great news across the globe.

God Stuff:
It is great to have had alot of time in this last week or so to spend time with God. I am really enjoying reading my Bible, I´m reading Acts and am trying to read it through the eyes of the disciples. I´m also reading a Mark Driscoll book and it is giving me food for thought. Those of you that know me well, will know just how much I dislike thinking! :-D. A quote I am pondering on:

´¨God´s mission is not to creat a team of moral and decent people but rather ro create a monemeny of holy loving missionaries who are comfortable and truthful around everyone and who, in this way, look more like Jesus that most pastors do.´´

Please praise God for our safe arrival and health and that we didn´t loose our bags. Praise God for the work he has done in the girls and the work he has done in me this last year. Coming back here makes it easier for me to see how I have changed.

Please pray for Monday, I am so excited about it. I love the fact it is unknown but my Spanish is going to be very important. Some of you know how difficult I find it to learn things and how frustrating I find it. It is a bit like my Achillies heel. Please pray that Spanish speaking will come more naturally to me. On the otherhand it is great to see how much more I have learnt since last year and how communicating with the girls is much easier.

Have a great rest of Easter holidays and I´ll be in touch soon. Please let me know what is going on with you. I promise you it doesn´t seem boring.