17th December 2007
Just thought you all would like to know that we had a meeting this morning with the BMS Director of Missions and he has given us a green light for the opportunity in Peru. So, barring any problems with visas, we should be heading there in early February!!

That's all our news for now, but we hope you all have wonderful Christmases.

Better go now as today was our final day of term and we've got to go and say goodbye to some of the people we've been training with and are heading off to other parts of the world after the festive season.

love,

Paul and Rachel -x-x-x-

22nd November 2007
Well, what a week we've had! It all started on Monday (as most weeks do!) when we were asked to go and see the director of the college we're training at. He gave us some news: that we were no longer going to Nepal.

While Rachel had been half-expecting this (and was somewhat relieved that it happened), it was a shock and a disappointment to me, because I'd be getting more and more excited about the role that I had been asked to do out there.

During this meeting a possibility of working in North East Brazil with some other BMS workers was put to us. The other couple have been working for about 20 years in a particularly poor area of the country where a despised people group live. During this time, they've been involved in starting and running a church and have also worked with the local people to try and improve their circumstances. Drought often mean crops fail and they've been trying to make agricultural changes to help harvests as well as setting us schemes such as beekeeping to supplement incomes. We've asked for more information about what we'd be doing if we went out to join them, but we also said that, since we were back at square one, we'd appreciate it if BMS investigate opportunities in Spanish speaking areas of South America (given our, and mainly Rachel's, language skills). While nothing was said at the time, the possibility of finding development work outside of Brazil was considered remote.

The next day we heard that this work in Brazil was much more of a certainty, if we should chose to go with it, but there was another option. That day (God's timing?!), the Peruvian Baptists had contacted BMS to ask if they could find a couple who could co-ordinate reconstruction work in Chincha, a city devastated in the large earthquake that hit that region in August. BMS have now approached us to see if we'd be interested! Again, we are now trying to find out more information about the role, but seeing as BMS do not have staff on the ground (there is one lady who sometimes visits from the capital) we don't expect to be able to get too much information. Even if we do get some questions answered, we anticipate that accepting it will be something of a plunge into the unknown, but the role has the potential to be very rewarding and has the advantage of being in a Spanish speaking area of the world.

For those who do, please pray that we would receive clear guidance as to which way to turn and have the faith to step out into what God is calling us to do. Please let us know if God speaks to you about our deliberation.

Thanks so much for your ongoing support and prayers,

Paul and Rachel -x-x-x-

PS// to be reminded of the impact of the quake, see this website for news footage from the time.