Month: November 2014

Living in Cochabamba has been fun. We get to go to classes a couple of days a week. There are always people to chat to – improving our Spanish all the time. Every Tuesday we have a social event.- making tacos, toasting marshmallows, pizza or something. It has been nice getting to know people from different cultures. 

The youth group at AFC have been busy fundraising for us by doing a sponsored hike through Ashridge. They raised a tremendous £500 which is amazing. One of the projects we want to help is the children’s centre – Centro de Apoyo y Amistad with resources that the children cannot afford. So we went to the cancha (a massive labyrinth of street markets) with the centre leaders, Joanna and her mum and bought school supplies for six months with £300. Paper, glue, tape, pencils, paint, colours, card – a whole wheelbarrow full of goodies which is exactly what the centre needs. 

The centre have six classes with over twenty children in each. The children go to the centre to do their homework every day with love and support from the teachers. They also have a healthy snack provided – a sandwich or fruit with yogurt. The sad thing is that many come to school hungry or without being looked after at home.

We have also been visiting different orphanages. On Sunday there was a special lunch at our church to raise funds for a mission trip in December that we hope to go on. We helped look after a group of seven orphans who were visiting with their “Tia’s”. Dean helped to feed ‘J’ who has been blind from birth whilst Ruth cuddled baby ‘B’. These are amazing children who survive against all the odds as they wait to be adopted by Bolivian families. A very humbling experience.

The Drama workshops are continuing to go well and we now have a very strong group who will be performing street drama this Sunday evening with the whole church backing them up.

The Visa situation is still ongoing, as we have had to send our marriage certificates back to England to be legalised. As soon as they arrive back we need to visit La Paz for an official stamp before we return to immigration here in Cochabamba. Such a long process which is really trying our patience!

Please keep sending your support (especially this Christmas). All funds will be put to good use and placed in the hands of leaders that we know and trust.

With love from Dean & Ruth.

Fundraising account
Mr D Such
Barclays
Sort code 20 39 07
Account no. 50163678

In the past two weeks we have continued with our Spanish lessons at Connexiones entre Mundos every morning. A whole new experience of homework and classes, timetables and “the subjunctive”.  We are like Hermione and Ron! Ruth getting her homework in on time and Dean a week behind…

We’ve been working with Belen Church and have a taught four drama workshops. We were invited to go out with them to do  drama in the main plaza. It was a great experience and we were glad to help. I do not know how many times we have performed the Heart sketch, but it always amazes us how much people enjoy seeing us make ourselves look silly and when Dean produces the new Heart the look of surprise always makes me smile.

We also went along to a local teacher training institute to teach them drama skills and how they can be applied to a classroom situation. Ruth was able to share a little about her teaching experience with the students.

Through Connexiones entre Mundos we have been invited to work alongside various projects in Cochabamba. Every Saturday afternoon a group go to the Main Plaza and set up a tent. They bring warm water and baby baths, shampoo, clean clothes, towels etc and they offer to wash the babies who live with their parents on the streets. The ladies come from the local area. We helped wash the babies- some as small as 3 months, others about 3 years old. It was so lovely.  The water turned black every time….

 

 

Last Sunday Dean was invited to preach at a Brazilian church for 250 students. he spoke about Love. We used a translator (neither of us speak a word of Portugese). They enjoyed the drama we presented and he has been asked to speak again in November.

 

As part of language school we have a number of weekly social events. We had a taco evening to raise money for a lady who had just had triplets. Her husband has abandoned her and she is struggling to work and earn money to buy powdered milk.

 

 

 

We also went to a fancy dress dessert party. We made Welsh cakes (an improvised version) and went as the Queen and Prince William. We have also walked up to the statue of the Cristo on the hill. It nearly gave us a heart attack climbing 1200 steps at altitude…  It is a whole 10 cm taller than the one in Rio…

We went to visit an orphanage on Friday that we have had links with for a number of years. It was great to spend time with the children, playing games and just hanging out.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for your continued support. We know parcels are en route..thank you. Please leave a message for us. X