Italy

@ Hospital 'Villa Betania' astonishing ICU 4 babies; one born @24 wks 500 gms !! So moving **********************************************************************
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Italy

On way to Evangelical Hospital 'Villa Betania' in Naples. **********************************************************************
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The last post from Bolivia

A last story from this period of working overseas. A few days ago, when visiting the community of San Julian, two young men, from the community we were visiting asked me for my camera (they are the lads in the fist of these picture). They came back with a gallery of pictures, some of which follow. This was not bad for two people that may have seldom if ever handled a digital camera. They did not break it... it was not "Methodist" property. The MC Bolivia fulfill's God's mission through education, through education, I wonder if these two young people can realise their fullest potential.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Welcome

In Trinidad, Bolivia, they do motocycles big time!... there are thousands of them and whole families can fit unto them. On one of them a joiner was carrying a door - broadside to the wind!. In Trinidad, Bolivia, they do a serious and amazing welcome to visitors from overseas coming to be with them. Whe stepped from the door of the little plane, scenes of "The Beatles" arriving in New York that I saw in the sixties came back to me. Chearing, over excited school girls waving banners and their hands at people they had only heard about. We thought they were waving at someone else until we read the banner "Welcome Mr. Reverend Joaquin Thomas and Edgar Avitia" - It was overwhelming and day continued into night in the same tone. The photo hardly does justice to the comotion as we stepped out of the security area into the main concourse and other passengers were having to negotiate their way past people shaking our hands and embracing us.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Olympic Story

Today we travelled 100 miles to a very small church made of wooden lats in a place called San Julian. When we arrived we held a short service and exchanged greetings, the we toured the site and noticed two things. The church was practically surrounded by a primary and secondary school. Infact the primary school had "invaded" part of the church's grounds where they had made a football field and were practicing pennalties with a "Barca" coloured ball. Just outside the church entrance and beyond a muddy ditch older children were hacking away at the ground it seemed. It looked like they were about to prepare to plant seeds for the next soya crop. Far from it, the young people had turned out to prepare a running track of 100 meters to practice for the 2012 olympics. They have not been selected this time - but why worry - lets get the track ready and believe that we will make it for the next. Well done the young folks of San Julian and the members of the Methodist Church there for their patience and hard work. Pray for them both.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Untitled

Brilliant... after two days of fairly intense work in  a spirit of speaking the truth in love. Humberto Shikiya leads the gathering to defining what has been achieved and what each partner will commit themselves to do. Humberto, leads CREAS, through MCB support this organisation is helping many churches and other bodies in Latin America to become best stewards of the resources that are given to them for mission.

Vital and Necessary

The second day of vital and necesary of meeting in "Round Table" yesterday on listening to what is happeing in Bolivia. Today it is about what is happening in the partners of the Methodist Church Bolivia. So words such as strategic planning, budgets, priorities, reporting, basis for partnership and so on are often heard. It is important to stress that in all of this relationships are being strengthened. When we share that a friend in another part of the world has been gravely injured. When we share about our homes and families, from who we are all separated for a while. When we engage in an endless but fun round of thanksgiving and still not manage quite to repeat ourselves. In all these ways we are strengthening trust, confidence and assurance that we are bound together by a faith heritage. The Methodist Church, Bolivia. is an active church that works in a country where there are many ethnic groups, it has some 12,000 members, 240 churches and 40 presbyters. The impact of this church is on education though. Amongst all the Methodist Churches in the country it has 28,000 students, 12 clinics, and a small hospital. It is a church that is 90% dependent on overseas partners because it works to minister and support the poor. The photo is all of us gathered together outside for a change...

The next stage on The journey Bolivia

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