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
Dean and Ruth's Diary 