Terry, Simone and Sarah

Drugs and guns captuered when the Police in Rio moved into one of the slum

2011-11-14T19:14:00.000-02:00

Around Curitiba Brazil

2011-10-12T20:13:00.000-03:00

Just a few pics of some of the nicer bits round the parks etc where we live

Like Father Like Son

2011-06-20T21:44:00.000-03:00

Travel

2011-06-20T21:36:00.000-03:00

If you are going to travel you have to be relaxed about possible delays ...

The Flat

2011-05-12T11:15:00.000-03:00

Well it looks like we should have the keys to our new flat on Saturday. Now it's just a case of painting the whole place and we can move in. Yipeeee (on the moving in not the painting)

Good to be back

2011-05-08T18:33:00.000-03:00

Well it's good to back
but at the same time it's strange. You kind of get used to the view etc. when you are here but it always seems odd when you first get back.

Sarah by contrast is completly fine about it all and it seems like she was never away.

One thing that is obvious though is that the bugs are a little bigger here. Kind of anoying when you find them in the shower

Way to long

2011-04-24T23:20:00.000-03:00

It’s been way too long since we posted. Life is like that hey. But anyway we are now back in Brazil again and trying to settle into life here. Living between to countries (even when you only visit one of them very occasionally if difficult. Still that’s the way life is and we have no complaints – we are very lucky people.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks we will have our own flat and be unpacking our stuff. We should also then get a decent internet connection and hopefully be able to get on line easier. In the mean time thanks to all of you who make it possible for us to be here.

Terry

We Have it ALL!!!!!!

2010-06-23T11:38:00.000-03:00

Hi Everyone - thanks so much for all the stuff you have offered to lend us or give us. Believe it or not I think we now have everything.

Thanks again

The list is getting shorter!!

2010-06-07T20:53:00.002-03:00

Thanks so much to all those who have offered to lend us stuff whilst we are in the UK. All we think we are if anyone can help) are …

A double Mattress
Toys to suit a four year old girl. (Some have been offered)
DVD's to suit 4 year old (some have been offered)
Booster seat so Sarah can eat at the table
(And possible a cooker and washing machine but someone has said they might be able to provide these)

Do you have any of the following to give away or lend???

2010-05-16T21:05:00.002-03:00

Well we are nearly at that time again. That time being the time when we come to the UK for our home leave. We are going to be there for a whole 6 months and thus need to setup home for a while. As such, we were wondering if anyone has some stuff that they could lend (or give us) from mid August this year until to mid Feb next year. We are currently working on a list of what that 'some stuff' is have put the list as a link on the right hand side of this page. As we think of stuff we will add it and if someone offers we will take it off if you see what I mean. Anyway, if you can help with any of the items please let us know. The only thing is that at present we don't have anywhere to store stuff until August!

The address of the list is you want to store it is http://thingsweneedtoborrow.blogspot.com
Thanks
Terry, Simone and Sarah

Life is Good!!!

2010-05-03T22:51:00.000-03:00

Work has gone mad, the exchange rate has gone down the plughole so that everything is rediculasly expensive but life is good today.

The doctor phoned us at home tonight to say that the results of the biopsy of everything that was removed from Simone had finally arrived and were good. Ie. They believe that all traces of the cancer have been removed and that there is no need for any further surgery or treatment at this time (or in the hopefully in the future!1). For this we are truly thankful to God. Obviously Simone is still recovering from the op and will have to have follow-up check-up from the next five year or so, the first in 3 months time just before we travel to the uk, but God willing these will just be routine.

In all things we are truly thankful to God for His grace in allowing the early 'accidental' discovery of cancer which would have been much worse in a few years when Simone would have become aware of it under 'normal' circumstances.

Thanks so much for your thought, support and prayers

Sleeping a lot better tonight,
Terry, Simone and Sarah

I think we are in Heaven

2010-05-02T22:42:00.000-03:00

I think we are in heaven - our little girl has decided she likes washing up - what joy. I hop it lasts!

Sarah was not so well - but thankfully is now getting better

2010-05-02T22:11:00.002-03:00

So Simone's recovering from her surgery and guess what, Sarah gets ill. Isn't life like that sometimes! Somehow though when it's your little one it seems 100 times worse, waiting to be seen by a doctor and unable to help them to feel better. Well praise the Lord it was not the pneumonia they thought it was but instead just bronchitis so Sarah is now the proud owner of a little machine to help her breath.

Funny really she was all excited about it for the 1st couple of days .... Still at least she is well on the mend now. As is Simone (we think!!). Hopefully we should get the results of her biopsy tomorrow - strange waiting for news isn't it ..

Sarah's growing Up

2010-04-23T20:09:00.000-03:00

Sarah's growing Up - there are days when your children just want to grow up and try something new. Sarah had one of those days this week. Usually she is apprehensive about trying new things but after thinking about it for a few minutes she just wanted to have a go. So she did. Sarah can now proudly claim that at the ripe old age of 4 she has now ridden her first ever mechanical Rodeo bull. I just wish I had a camera with me.

A little update on Simone

2010-04-23T18:51:00.001-03:00

Praise God the surgery went ahead as planned and they only removed what they though they needed to remove from Simone. Or put another way they did not see any other signs of cancer anywhere else. We will know from sure on the 30th hopefully when we get the results of the biopsy that will be done on the bit removed.

Now Simone is home and recovering well - we were so thankful that it was all done throught key hole surgery with video's etc. Incredible Simone is already home and up and about. Even more incredible she is not in any pain and often need to remind herself that she has just had surgery - God is so good hey.

20th April - 3pm Brazilian Time

2010-04-13T14:36:00.002-03:00

SO we have a new date for Simone op - 20th April at 3pb local time. Would vlaue your prayers that this time it will go ahead!

The Non OP

2010-04-12T11:02:00.001-03:00

We got up at 5am this morning and arrived at the hospital at 6am. Whilst we were parking the car we got a call on our mobile to say that the surgeon was sick and thus Simone surgery can't go ahead today so we should go home again. Bit of an emotional roller-coaster to say the least. We are now waiting for the hospital to ring so that the op can be rescheduled.

We would really value your prayer that the surgery will be rearranged quickly and especially for Simone as she waits for this to happen.

God bless
Terry

7am Tomorow

2010-04-11T23:07:00.002-03:00

Just a quick not to say Simone is having her op at 7am tomorow. It all seems a bit sureeal really. Lifes strange sometimes.

Rio

2010-04-08T14:24:00.001-03:00

Whilst obviously we are delighted that both the Olimpics and World Cup are coiming to Brazil one can't help wondering if the money that will be invested in these event might not be better spent in resolving the plight of Rio's poor.With litterally millions living in slums on the hillsides of Rio and the death toll estimated at probably 350 people (over 150 confirmed) due to the recents landslides Rio and the people who live there really need our prayers. Prayers that not only will the current emergency be dealt with but also that future one for the millions living in the hillside slums will be avoided.

Operation On Monday

2010-04-07T10:17:00.002-03:00

Thanks you all so much for your prayers. We visited the oncologist today and received the good news that there are no obvious sign of Simone Cancer having spread to anywhere else. As such, the plan is for Simone to have an operation to remove her uterus plus a couple of other sample bits at 6am Monday morning next week (For this to happen we still need our Brazilian healthcare plan need to release the paperwork - which should happen in the next 48hrs. This shouldn't be a problem but we would value your prayers anyway!). Obviously they will need to examine everything they remove to confirm that the cancer has not spread.

Simone

2010-03-29T11:12:00.001-03:00

Just to let you all know that we have now finished getting all the tests done that Simone needed and are now waiting for the results.

Simone

2010-03-29T11:11:00.001-03:00

Dear All - we would really value your prayers.

As you probably know Simone had two operations recently. One to remove her tonsils, the other was to overcome (which we didn't give any details about at the time) a minor bleeding problem which really was nothing serious at all. Simone is recovering well from both operation but unfortunately still can't eat.However ....

Whilst the surgeon was resolving the bleeding issue she obviously had a good look around discovered that unfortunately Simone also had what looked like a small cancerous growth in her womb. This has now been confirmed. Obviously this was a bit of a shock to us to say the least and since then we have been in a whirlwind of visits to doctors, specialist surgeons and test in order to determine the best course of treatment etc.

Praise the Lord the cancer was discovered by accident (read God Grace) at what appears to be an early stage and as such it looks like the prognoses at this stage is good. If the tests come back as the doctor expects them to then Simone will have to have to have her womb removed and that will be that (apart from six monthly check ups etc). However, until we get all the test results back, the surgery has been done and everything examined afterwards we won't know for sure.

Obviously, we would really value your prayers that the doctors initial evaluation is correct, that the cancer has not spread and that it can be removed with just one operation.

Much love
Terry

Simone's Opperation

2010-03-19T22:34:00.000-03:00

Just top say a big thanks to all of you who have been praying for Simone. She really does seem to be doing well, though still unable to eat anything solid. Would continue to value your prayers that she will soon 100% back to normal.

Simone operation

2010-03-19T12:55:00.000-03:00

Well like any normal bloke I took all the normal precautions but things just don’t always go to plan. The night before Simone was due to go into hospital I filled the car up and went to the local pizza place. Ordered the largest pizza on the menu (half bolognaise and half sun dried tomatoes with some sort of green leafy stuff – I figured this way I would be getting a balanced diet) and brought it home. My idea was that this would do for the 3 days Simone was off her feet, with a little help from my friend the microwave. Not been feeling well and have a very bad cold so decided best not to attempt cooking.
7am - day of the op got out of bed, fell over bed, think I now have a fractured little toe (no joke)– very painful. 7.15am tried to wake Sarah. 7.30am tried to wake Sarah – she woke, I dressed her. 7.45am found Sarah in bed asleep fully dressed. 8am praise the Lord the car started. I switched back to running on sugar cane alcohol yesterday as it’s now much cheaper than petrol again. Great when the car is running but can be a real pain to start with cold engine at times.
10mins drive dropped Sarah off at friends. No traffic as everyone going the other way. 10min drive back took 30 mins as now I am also going the other way. Simone and I arrived at the hospital 15mins late. No problem there then as 15mins is still considered on time in Brazil. Simone went for her op and returned 1.30 hours later. Seemed ok. Actually she looked very much like she normally looks in the morning – asleep.
Left the hospital (figured that Simone was not going to be talkative as she was a) asleep and b) had just had her tonsil out. Had an eye appointment as I have been having headaches (actually real pain in my eyes). Seems I’m getting old and need glasses to read. Optician filled my eyes with anesthetic to do some test– interesting experience as it makes you cry. All finished so waked back to the car. Looking in rear view mirror I discovered that the anesthetic also makes your tears and all around your eyes bright orange as well. And when you sneeze this is also bright orange. Better still if it stains your skin so you spend the rest of the day with orange eyes.
Returned to the hospital – Simone is ok – it now 4pm and still haven’t eaten. I now discover the hospital has no café and there is not one near. Still the doc should release Simone at 4.30. 5.30pm still no doctor. Apparently he will not be here until 6.30pm. Sarah comes out of school at 6.pm. Ruch to the other side of town – 15 mins (no traffic as everyone is going the other way). Get Sarah, 40 mins to drive back as I am now going the other way. Pick up Simone + prescriptions and start looking for a chemist. 3 don’t have the medicine for pain or the anti bionics. Crazily all on one prescription so have to get them all from same place. Drop Simone at home with instructions for ‘Sarah to look after mummy’ Continue hunting chemist. Finally, get home at 8.30pm having eaten nothing all day – you have no idea how good yesterdays microwave pizza looked.
This morning the world seems a better place, Simone is much better, toe still hurts but is bearable and the pizza still task ok (ish)

Kids Games

2010-03-16T21:26:00.000-03:00

Now here is a funny thing. Someone bought Sarah a virtual pet. You have to look after it on the internet, feed it, play with it, biuld a room for it, etc, etc.

Now the thing is this all cost 'money'(credits) which you earn by playing games. Unfortuantley Sarah is struggling with the games as they are a little beyound her still so I have been having to play a few. And guess what ... I am actually really enjoying some of the games that were actually meant for 5 to 8 year olds.

Tickets Home

2010-03-08T11:48:00.001-03:00

Yeeeeee - we have bought our tickets to the UK. We fly out of Brazil on the 17th August and arive in the UK on the 18th. Can't wait ... counting the days away.

If we can sleep at night whilst poverty exists we need to question who we are

2010-02-27T13:34:00.008-03:00

It’s amazing how quickly we become so accustomed to our surrounding that we no longer see them. I just returned from Peru where once again I came face to face with poverty. It’s here in Brazil as well on a massive scale. The trouble is you get so used to seeing it on the way to the airport, for example, that you just don’t see it anymore. Anyway, here’s a few photos and thoughts ...

The road along the top of the slum

Looking down on some of the better housing

Then you get poorer

And then you get to the families that live at the top who live in little wooden boxes. The poor of the poor (well not quite there are of course also those who don't even have this and live on the streets).

And I guess you have to ask what does God think about all this. There are real people not statistics, not photos, not images but real people.

And somehow if we can sleep at night whilst billions of people continue to live, and die, like this .. we need to question who we are.

Fish

2010-02-14T23:42:00.000-02:00

If you scroll down you will find some fish. They belong to Sarah but you can feed them if you wish by clicking with your mouse

Language

2010-02-12T10:12:00.003-02:00

Last night I went out for a meal with a load of folk from the language school which I have been going to try to improve my written Portuguese. Amazing, more than 20 nationalities all trying to improve their Portuguese. As the whole school went out there were basically people who virtually couldn’t speak a word in Portuguese to those who were completely fluent and just wanted to brush up a few bits and pieces.

What really struck me though was not this. It was the fact that virtually everyone there spoke enough English to communicate in English. It’s funny how one language can become sort of universal.

I wonder it we could get 'Birmingham English' to become the international standard if we tried?

How we change

2010-02-06T10:58:00.001-02:00

It’s funny just how you get used to things.
On Thursdays we had a staff meeting and as the meeting was in the morning Sarah came with us – her school is in the afternoon. Whilst I was waiting for the meeting to start I notices a ‘Arranha Marrom’ (Brown Spider) walking down the curtain. Picking up two Bible I promptly squashed it on the curtain whilst continuing to talk to a college. (You need two books as the spider is too big to squash against the curtain). Basically you put one book either side and … you get the idea. Bibles seems to be appropriate as they have hard covers and were on hand. Actually it is amazing what impact the Word of God can have on a spider.

You see (before you feel sorry for the spider) I felt I needed to do something reasonable quickly as Sarah was in the room and this particular spider is venomous. You don’t usually know you have been bitten by it for about 8 hours when it all starts to swell up. Then it’s off to hospital as the bit causes a type of gangrene that spreads.

Sitting down I suddenly realize how much I have changed since I moved to Brazil. Years earlier I had been in Africa (Kenya to be exact) and had not wanted to sit at a table about a meter from a hedge as it had a large spider sitting in a web in it. This week without thinking about it or even really playing attention I just killed another one venomous one without even thinking about it. How things have changed!

Lifts

2010-01-13T12:04:00.001-02:00

Simone has always told me that she is claustrophobic and would never like to be stuck in a lift. I personally don’t have this problem and have, in the past, been stuck in a lift. My memories of it are that it is generally hot, stuffy and takes a while for someone to get you out.

Last Thursdays Simone and I got stuck in the lift of the apartments were we live here in Brazil when there was a power cut. The experience proved several things. It is still hot and stuffy and good lift maintenance obviously is not high on the list here in our block of flats. The emergency light did come on, which was nice, but then the battery failed after about 10 seconds leaving us in the hot stuffy dark. Thankfully after a few minutes the power came back on and the lift sprung back into life and light.

The whole experience however did teach me one thing. I do have a phobia too. Being stuck in a hot, stuffy lift in the dark with a claustrophobic. The repeated banging on the door, shouting and noise they make even when you are trying to calm them down really does get to you after a couple of minutes!

Ballet and Baked Beans

2009-12-04T16:45:00.007-02:00

Last week I got really excited as I found a tin of baked been in the local supermarket. 'American Ranch beans. Excitedly I opened them only to discover they tasted horrible! DO bake beans normally taste like this - I remember them better!

On the bright side though Sarah did her first ever ballet performance last night at the grand old age of 3 years and 364 day old. We had worried that she might go shy - we worried for nothing she loved it. She even got so excited that she forgot to go off stage at one point. Finding herself at the front on the wrong side rather that get embarrassed she just did a little improvised solo to the other and then hopped off stage. Anyway, like all doting parents we thought we should put a few pics on the blog.

Sarah playing with her dress

Sarah is the one who looks like she has her hands in her pockets.

Talking to her friend during the performance

3rd from Right

In Action

What a cute looking kid!!

It the first kids production I have ever enjoyed!

Ear Operation

2009-11-12T11:56:00.003-02:00

HI All
A quick update – had my op yesterday and am now at home looking like an idiot with a bandage round my head – which I can’t wait to take off!!

The Surgery went ok but I won’t know how successful it has been for a month or two. The good news was that they managed to repair the damaged bones in my ear and reposition them without needing to add a piece of titanium at this stage.

Unfortunately the eardrum was worse than expected so they had to make a new one out of something they took from somewhere else. Hence the bleeding from round my ear on the photo.

Prayers still very much appreciated that the op has been a success as I don’t want to have to do it again!

OP next Wednesday

2009-11-06T21:17:00.001-02:00

Well at last the little bit of titanium has been released by customs here in Brazil and I can have my operation to try and restore my hearing. Strangely I am quite calm about the whole thing at the moment. It all happens at 10am next Wednesday morning (12am UK time)

Once they have done the operation to try and replace the tiny little bone that is damaged inside my ear it will be a month before they take out the dressings they put in during the operation and I can find out if I can hear again.

Would value your prayers that it is a success!

Just thinking

2009-10-21T22:46:00.003-02:00

Have just read the times - 23 million Africans on the point of starvation - what is this world comming to? Whilst half the world die of starvation the other half die of over eating. Ok slight exageration but there is something fundementally wrong with the world isn't there.

Olympics, Violence and Poverty

2009-10-18T12:11:00.003-02:00

It a great honor for any country to get the Olympic Games. But is Rio really the right place? I mean it a great city, the people are great and the views are stunning but the city has massive problems. Violene and shooting are common.

This week Rio made the headiness again as drug dealer shot down a police helicopter. The official line is that the govenment is pouring loads of money into Rio to try to resolve the problems, and we really hope they succeed, but one can’t help wondering … why not use this money (plus the millions it will cost to host the games!) to try and do more to help the seven million Brazilians that live in slums in Rio get out of poverty instead. Perhaps then some of the violence, which generally happens in and around the slums, might be reduced. (I've put the aticle from the times below).

Drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter during a gunbattle between rival gangs on Saturday, killing two police officers as the Brazilian city was engulfed in a renewed burst of violence just two weeks after winning its bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games.
As the helicopter hovered over a shootout between police and drug traffickers in the Morro dos Macacos ("Monkey Hill; in Portuguese) slum in northern Rio de Janeiro, bullets ripped into it, hitting the pilot in the leg and causing him to lose control and crash.

Two officers died, while the pilot and three other policemen escaped after the craft hit the ground on a football field and burst into flames.

The pilot and a second officer suffered burns and bullet wounds while the other two officers also were burned, one seriously, said Mario Sergio Duarte, head of Rio state's military police.
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Officials did not know whether the gangs targeted the helicopter or whether it was hit by stray bullets, but the event underscored security concerns that have dogged Brazil's second-largest city for decades.

Despite the mayhem, officials defended Rio's ability to control violence ahead of the Olympics as well as before 2014, when Brazil will host the World Cup soccer tournament with key games in Rio.

"In choosing the city, they already knew about the work that's being carried out and will continue in the area of (crime) prevention," Justice Minister Tarso Genro told the state-run Agencia Brasil news agency.

Rio state Governo Sergio Cabral told reporters that Rio's security challenges can't be cured "by magic in the short term," but he said money is being poured into programs to reduce crime and authorities are prepared to mount an overwhelming security presence at the sporting events to ensure safety.

"We told the International Olympic Committee that this won't be an easy thing, and they know that," Mr Cabral said. "We can put 40,000 people on the streets — federal, state and municipal police — and pull off the event."

Mr Duarte said it was unlikely that traffickers fired an anti-aircraft missile at the helicopter, although such weapons have been found in the hideouts of Rio's drug traffickers along with other heavy, military-grade arms such as grenade launchers and .50-calibre machine guns.

Police said 10 presumed traffickers were killed during the fighting in the slum, including three suspects found dead inside a vehicle. Officials gave no details on how the other seven died.

They said at least eight buses were set on fire in nearby slums as the shootouts raged. Television images showed motorists fleeing for cover as automatic-weapons fire crackled in broad daylight amid the worst violence the city has seen in months.

Images broadcast by Globo TV showed flames shooting from the helicopter wreckage, with little more than charred pieces and an intact tail remaining after the fire was doused.

Rio police frequently use helicopters to take on gangs that dominate drug trafficking in the city's more than 1,000 slums, but were unable to say whether this was the first time one of their helicopters had been shot down by gang members.

The crash happened about five miles (eight kms) southwest of one of the zones where Rio's 2016 Olympics will be located. The city was picked over Chicago, Madrid and Tokyo on October 2 to host the games. Rio alone among the bid cities was highlighted for security concerns ahead of the International Olympic Committee vote.

The downing of the helicopter happened amid intense firefights involving rival gangs in the slum as one tried to seize a rival's territory, authorities said.

Police moved into the area before dawn, though gunfire continued throughout the day, keeping terrorised residents inside their homes as bullets slammed into apartment buildings. Duarte said late in the day that the areas were under control, and television images showed people walking in the streets at dusk in the affected areas.

Despite increased policing efforts, Rio remains one of the world's most dangerous cities. The violence generally is contained within slum areas, though it sometimes spills into posh beach neighborhoods and periodically shuts down the highway that links the international airport to tourist destinations.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other officials have played down the threat of violence for the Olympics, saying Rio has repeatedly demonstrated it can pull off big events without risk to players and spectators.

Rio held the Pan-American Games in 2007 without major incidents, deploying more than 15,000 specially trained officers to keep the peace.

Sarah Pics

2009-10-14T18:41:00.003-03:00

Just a few pics of my little girl

.. at a park down the road from where we live

... dancing at a friends wedding

... just being Sarah

2009-10-12T22:01:00.000-03:00

It funny the things that cause you stress. Our current one is the exchange rate. Everything has got about 20% more expensive in just the last 3 months and it looks like things are going to get worse. Funny really isn’t it. We get stressed about these things when ultimately it all in God’s hands and He is certainly not moved by world economics … even if shaving foam has hit £6.50 a tin!

Bits

2009-10-11T22:33:00.001-03:00

Well still no news on the op - wonder how long it will take to get the parts!

Brazilian Customs

2009-09-13T21:20:00.000-03:00

Well the good news is that the waiting list to have the operation to try and restore my hearing is very short, just a week or two at the most. The bad news is that the operation cannot take place until the artificial titanium bones they are hoping to use to replace my damaged ones are released from Brazilian customs. Would value your prayers that this might be sooner rather than latter (The have been promising to release them ‘this week’ for the last few months).

OP

2009-09-08T12:43:00.002-03:00

Well .. thanks to a very very kind gift I going to hopefully have the surgery. Tomorow morning I'm going to go and try and sort out the paperword to do it. The next hurdle is that the titanium bits are stuck in customs at the moment.

2009-09-03T22:00:00.004-03:00

It’s amazing what they can doo these days. These images are of the bones inside my ear. They were formed by taking loads of computerized images and then creating a model from them. The first one is of the right side which is fine.

This second one is from the right side. The missing bone (which has left me deaf on this side) was destroyed by an infection. Bit frustrating as I don’t hear that well on the other side either.

Aparently, you can replace the missing bone with this little titanium implant for the mere sum of 2500 pounds!

Hearing (or not as the case is)

2009-08-30T10:59:00.001-03:00

Our bit of news (apart from that which we sent out in our recent news letter). I saw a surgeon early last week and he thinks he can probably sort out my hearing on my right hand side, Basically I am totally deaf on this side. Seems that he needs some 3D images before he can make a final decision as he need to see what (if anything) is left of the three little bones inside the ear. Apparently they can now replace these bones (the smallest in the body) with titanium if necessary and put in a new ear drom for good measure! So anyway I phoned the place that does these images late on Friday afternoon and managed to find a free slot at short notice to get the exam done. 10pm Saturday night to be exact - I guess the NHS would not do it at this time!

Interesting experience, Strap you head in a bracket, then rap the rest of you in two lead blankets which held in place with huge pieces of Velcro (at which point you discover your really need to scratch you nose and can't as you now can't physically move you arms) and then stuff you head in a spinning digital ex ray (sort of tube thingy) machine whilst being moved around on a electric bed on a track to get you in the right place. Sounds scarey, well actually it's quite relaxing in a funny sort of way! Will get the results Tuesday night hopefully

Not really sure what to think. Having been totally deaf on that side for the last 25year it's all a bit strange - no sure whether to dream about the possibilities or not. Still hopefully by the end of next week I should have a clear idea of what is /is not possible. Hey, might discover what stereo sound like and be able to tell which direction sounds actually come from!

Piggy Flu

2009-07-27T22:43:00.001-03:00

Sarah went back to school today after the holidays and was delighted that a new girl has joined her class. She was so happy to be back that we felt really guilty as tomorrow we have to travel to our annual conference of the mission we work for. But hey, she wanted to go to school and we thought why not let her enjoy the first day back with her friends.

On getting home though we discovered a note in her school book saying that her school would like all parent to keep their children at home this week to reduce the risk of the children catching the piggy flu (I can’t remember the proper name). What surprised me was that the note went on to say that they had decided to take this action as they felt there was an increased risk this week of the flu spreading as the weather forecast for the next seven days predicts that it will be cold and wet. I guess that there must be some logic to this but I’m not sure what it is. Unless it means that all the windows will be shut so the kids might be more likely to infect each other. Still better to take precautions!!!

As for our college well, we are staying open but have been instructed to teach with all the windows open to increase the airflow and reduce the risk of the students infecting each other. This means a chilly, damp 10C class room which is horrible. The benefit is though that it is far too cold for any of the students to sleep!!!

Strange way of starting your service

2009-07-26T20:57:00.000-03:00

There is never enough time to write posts, is there?
We have just got back from a conference in São Paulo (well Simone went to the conference – I looked after Sarah) and on Tuesday we are travelling to our annual mission conference. Suddenly I have a huge respect for the last team leader here in Brazil. In past years I have just turned up and enjoyed it whilst he worked behind the scenes. This year I am up to my ears in paper as I try to get all the stuff ready!
Anyway, the reason for blogging. Just could not resist quoting what I heard in a local church recently. Pastor from the pulpit at the beginning of the service, “Ok who has a Bible with them tonight”, a good number of the congregation hold up a Bible, “that’s great” says the pastor. The pastor then continues, “Now is anyone armed”, no one raises their hand. “That also good” – the service continues as if nothing has happened!

At last a new post!

2009-07-15T19:46:00.005-03:00

Has it really been so long since I blogged? It’s been a very stressful time to say the least. Still can’t go into details on a public blog and after a week’s holiday in Simone’s home town we are both feeling much better. For a whole week I didn’t look at emails or write any emails. How great it felt. The first day I felt guilty but after that I really enjoyed being free from the electronic world. Never again will I take a laptop on holiday to do work or emails or anything!
This morning was great too. We were greeted with a piece of paper under the door of our flat saying that the man at the gate had a parcel fro Simone. As we don’t get much real post I rushed down to discover that the parcel was for S. Lockyer but that it was intended for Sarah and not for Simone. You should have seen Sarah’s face when she got it. Actually you can I have put it below….

As you can see Sarah really was delighted and with a little help from dad soon had the packet open.

The Package turned out to be a fairy dress which the best family every in the Uk (and we really mean that - but won’t put their names here so as not to embarrass them!) had sent to Sarah. Amazingly it is exactly what Sarah had been asking for. We had told her she could have one next time someone came from the Uk to Brazil. Little did we know someone had sent one from the UK to her.
Sarah been wearing the dress and loving it. She has also been asking if another package will be arriving tomorrow.

Ants

2009-05-24T13:34:00.001-03:00

Living in Brazil ants are a constant problem as despite the nice weather outside they like to live inside! When we lived in central Brazil we discovered we had a choice. Either we poisoned the big ants and then got infested with little ants or we put up with the big ants and they got rid of the problem of the little ants for us (which incidentally are immune to anything but the big ants). We opted for the big ants as they only come out at night and disappear it you put the light on.
Since moving south the big ants don’t seem to exist so we had little ants again. What joy. Without the help of the big ants the only option is to track down the nest of the little ants and try and destroy it. We tried this and failed miserably despite trying to follow them home. That was until Simone answered the cordless phone in the kitchen that we don’t normally use and discovered, whilst she was talking on it, that her hand (and presumable hair) were covered in ants. Seems they like the warm battery charging circuit. Seems they don’t like someone opening up the phone and spaying them with something nasty!! Lockyers 1 Ants 0

Argentina

2009-05-08T21:12:00.005-03:00

Well I thought that I should put a couple of photos of Argentina on the blog - so here they are.

This first one is Evitas tomb - I couldn't believe how many people still put flowers on it. She died in the 1950's

Ok Slightly less morbid. This is down by the port - seem that colour is very important down here!

This one made me smile - local gift shop with Evita, Maradona and some other guy I just can't remember above the door.

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FOund loads of bears too - seems they have been traveling the globe for an age and I only got to hear about them on their very last day.

Sorry - couldn't resist putting one of Sarah in too!

Life

2009-05-08T21:02:00.000-03:00

Well this has been one of those strange weeks. Either Simone or I have been preparing lessons and then teaching until 10.45pm every night. To say it has been mentally exhausting is an understatement. On top of this there have been hassles of leadership, countless emails to read and write (how did we ever manage before computers), stuff from the meeting I went to in Buenos Aires that I haven’t even started and the fact that I promised to do some work for a project which acts as a home for single mothers and their children right over the other side of town. Funny really, I got up this morning around 7am and really did not feel like going and doing some practical stuff. Ironically, having repaired two stair gates, a children’s play ground, a washing machine and a unit for drying clothes I now feel much better – amazing how a change of activity can do you good!
Anyway, now it is the weekend and tomorrow is car maintenance day (yuck) – somehow we have got to get rid of some of the rattles from our car. I also need to try and track down some new shock absorbers – Brazilian roads has killed our old one. I suppose once I’ve done this I will be fed up with practical stuff and want to teaching or something. Funny people aren’t we!

Not Today Thankyou

2009-04-27T08:20:00.001-03:00

So I could not sort my problem before going to the airport and arrived expecting to be fined. I decided that honesty was the best policy and simply explained the situation rather than trying to just walk through and guess what ….. the nice lady at the Federal Police desk informed me that she had decided not to bother dealing with these forms today and I could go through without paying anything – now who says prayer doesn’t work!

How much is a little piece of paper worth?

2009-04-18T22:11:00.000-03:00

Well tomorrow at 11am I should be flying to a meeting in Buenos Aries. Unfortunately, I might have a little piece of paper missing. It basically a slip of paper which they (Brazilian Immigration) should give you when you enter Brazil and you return when you leave. If you don’t have it and you do need it then the fine is 268 pound!
So why don’t I have it .. Well I’m not really sure. It seems that for residents there may be another system. Whereby you get the paper when you leave Brazil and return it when you arrive back again. O course it is exactly the same piece of paper to make life simple. If this happened last time then it explains why I don’t have the paper now.
Anyway, concerned about the size of the possible fine I have been to the federal police who were very polite and helpful except that they don’t know whether I should have the paper or not. Their advice was turn up at the airport early and see what the federal police say, and make sure you have the money if they decide to fine you if you should have had the paper.

What joy – I now need to a) pray they don’t fine me and then b) pray that I don’t lose the odd 268 pound I will be walking round Argentina with in my pocket.

Sad World Hey

2009-04-07T14:42:00.001-03:00

Well it struck me today what a sad world we live in. For year some 3 billion people have been living in poverty, 1 billion in abject poverty, and we never really seem to have enough money or will to do anything to eradicate it. Poverty I mean. Then along comes an economic crises which is hitting us all (or at least might affect us all) in the 1st World and guess what. World leaders meet, promises are made and billions of dollar are suddenly found to stop our world collapsing.

2009-04-06T09:22:00.003-03:00

Well I woke up this morning to find Sarah asleep on the settee again. I’m not really sure what time Sarah go up but this is the second time we found her sleeping there in the morning! I think that she is more of an Appleby than a Lockyer! (don't worry if you don't understand the last bit). She is growing up so fast!!

On Saturday we went to visit a great project on the other side of Curitiba. The project is, which is attached to a church, is a home for single mothers. Some of them are underage and most come from problem backgrounds. It’s the only project in our city where the mothers can stay with their children. We are hoping to place a couple of students in the project and also to do a little bit of practical work for them.

Someone asked so here is a photo of the college where we are working

Train Tracks

2009-03-23T09:43:00.009-03:00

Well for those of you who are interested this is where we live. Our flat is on 4th floor of the 2nd white block on the right.

Unfortunately the train line runs next to our flat. The trains carry cement from the cement factories. This isn't a problem. The problem is that the tracks cross eight roads near our flat and every time the train comes it sounds the loudest fog horn you can imagine. The trains run 24hrs a day at hourly intervals!

This is the train track - it looks so innocent and unused - it not. Yes that is one bus in the background!

This is one of the shorter buses with just two sections. The big ones have two bendy sections in the middle. It's best not to be in your car on the inside of them when they take a corner.

View down one of the main road in town

Where the rich live.

Poorer homes by the sides of the tracks.

You can just about spot the hole in the wall at the bottom. This is where some of the real poor are living. To think I'm hankering afte a motobike when some people have to live like this. Sorry God!

Things I miss

2009-03-16T22:54:00.003-03:00

People often ask what we miss from the Uk. The obvious answer is always friends. The next question is usually 'yes but apart from friend what else do you miss' - Well for me there are two things. The first is chips from an English chip shop - they just are not the same anywhere else in the world. The second is owning a motor bike.

This is my current dream

New Prayer Card

2009-03-16T22:42:00.002-03:00

I'm not sure if anyone actually reads this blog. But if you do and you would like our new prayer card drop us an email or leave a comment on the blog and we will send you one.

School bags.

2009-03-16T22:29:00.005-03:00

At Brazilian schools you have to pay a fee twice a year which covers the cost of materials, books, pens, papers etc. In the case of Sarah's school this meant that the school also provided a school bag (which we had paid for in the fee). Well it seems that they have a one size fits all policy! Needless to say we have bought Sarah another one which is a bit smaller.

A long overdue update

2009-02-20T20:48:00.004-03:00

Well we moved in, unpacked, sent some of the stuff that the removals company had broken back with them to be repaired, and are now waiting for it to be returned.

Frustrating, but then again when you are trying to fit the contents of a house into a flat it almost a help not to have all your stuff. Anyway, we are now 90% sorted (I don't know if it will ever get any better than this!)

Work wise things are a bit crazy as we prepare to teach a new subject in a weeks time that neither of us knew anything about.

As for Sarah, well she has stated school. We went to the parents meeting the day before she started and we given far too much information for anyone to remember. We were also told that most children cry on their first day and that if this happens we should just leave her at the school crying and if it was toooo bad they would phone us.

So we took Sarah for her first day and as predicted by the head there were lots of kids crying. Sarah by contrast informed us that "school was for little people" and that we "should leave". Thus far Sarah has loved it.

Personally I am also impressed with a few things about Brazilian schools which are different to English schools. Number one is the uniform - no silly shirts and ties here. In Brazil it's tracksuits and tee shirts - with the school name on of course!

Of course like all schools there are also the extra bits which go with the school uniform such as the ballet outfit. Sarah loves ballet and goes dressed for it on Mondays

Moving at Last

2009-02-02T13:05:00.002-02:00

Well after two months of living with just the contents of a couple of suitcases we are finally going to move into or new flat tomorow. Praise the Lord! As such we might be out of contact as we will not have proper access to the email for a couple of days.

Sarah is going to be so surprised as all her Christmas presents should also turn up tomorow as they are also in the van (we stupidly thought that they would turn up before Christmas as the removal company promised to send them early). Such is life!!

The Boiler

2009-01-26T12:06:00.003-02:00

Well the new flat is great - but I'm not sure about the boiler - not surprisingly we have asked to have it serviced.

Still in our Shoe box

2009-01-26T10:29:00.002-02:00

Well sorry we haven't blogged much for a while but life has been a little stressful to say the least as we are still living in our shoe box (temporary accommodation. Yes we are still waiting for all our stuff to arrive. Needless to say we are all a bit fed up of getting under each others feet. Still hopefully this week or early next week it will all be over and we will be in our new flat.

In the mean time when we can't face the same four walls we are checking out some of the free things in the city where we are now living. On Saturday we went to the zoo. Can you believe it, a zoo that is free to visit - we must remember to vote for the same people who run the city now when the elections come up. As you can imagine Sarah loved it. We have put a picture of her below at the zoo - somehow she seems to be wearing a lot of pink, we really must play more attention when we dress her!

So we are in the process of moving

2009-01-01T10:15:00.002-02:00

We are really sorry that we have not written on our blog for a while but despite leaving our old home on the 10th of December we have not yet moved into our new home. So, as you might have guessed we have no phone, Internet, settee, etc. etc. It all on a lorry or in storage somewhere. In fact we get the feeling that if we tell Sarah that on more or her toys "is on the lorry and will arrive when we get a new place" I think she will hit us. Still hopefully by the 10th of January 2009 we should have the key to the new flat we are going to rent.

As for us we are in high spirits as we think about the possibilities and of our future in Curitiba in the South of Brazil. We are also enjoying some cloudy rainy days, after six years in the sun it's a real relief!

When we get our own Internet connection we will put some photos of where we are living etc. Until then have a great start to the new year and God bless

Terry, Simone and Sarah

So our car number plate ends with a 2

2008-11-30T21:05:00.002-02:00

So here's the plans for our move and the one little hitch!

Everything is being packed on the 3rd / 4th of December.
All our belonging will be collected on the 5th. Simone has to speak in a church on the 7th and then we plan to drive the fist leg to the south of Sao Paulo on the 8th. So what's the hitch. Well our car number plate end in a 2 so we can't drive across or round Sao Paulo as cars with plate number ending in 1 or 2 are banned from driving for six hours of the day on Mondays 7am till 10am and 5pm until 8pm. What joy!

Unfortunately we can't leave early enough to get their before 5pm as its a 14hr drive (and driving at 3am in the morning on the isolated roads where we live just isn't safe). SO I guess we will trying to arrive in Sao Paulo at 8pm and then cross the city of 20 million at night.

Life's ups and downs

2008-11-23T20:39:00.007-02:00

Well I guess all jobs have their ups and downs. What with preparing to move in a few days, having just one week to the end of the academic year at the college where we teach and one other major hassle that we won't go into here this week has been a touch one. Such is life!

On the up side though both of us are now really looking forward to arriving at the new college where we will be teaching. What's more, believe it or not, Terry also got to fly a little four seater plane for an hour this week. So it's not all bad news. Missionary life does have it plus points and has taken us to places we never thought we would go! Red Square in Moscow, Bolivia and the Czech Republic to name but a few - God is so good!

Terry Flying - Somehow is just seems more scary when the plane is small and you actually have the controls in your hands.

The college where we currently work from the air

Water falls 70km from where we live.

15 Days and counting down

2008-11-19T10:26:00.003-02:00

Apologies for not having put many posts recently. Life has been a bit hectic as we start to get ready to move. Believe it or not we only have 15 days left in our current house. Then 4 days with friends here in Anapolis, then two days drive to where we will be living and then all the joys of trying to find a new place to live.

We will try and keep you all up to date with where we are and what we are doing and would really value your prayers.
Terry, Simone and Sarah

Packing up

2008-10-28T10:59:00.002-02:00

Well we have finally started to try and sort out our stuff ready to move. It is amazing, even when you think that you don't own much, just how much stuff you can collect in 6 years of living in a place. At this point I find myself saying "praise the Lord we don't have a loft" The funny thing is, all this stuff seemed important when we first got it!

News

2008-10-23T10:08:00.002-02:00

Well the week is getting better. Terry finally got treatment for two of his stones (which are now hopefully broken up). The machine that the hospital used was just about as old as you can imagine and made so much noise that everyone in the room had to wear industrial ear protection but at least it over.

So now we are counting the days away until we move. At the same time we are trying to get rid of all our rubish and anything else we don't use / need. This task is relatively easy when you live in the third world as there is sadly always someone poor enough to want what you no longer need.

Update on Terry

2008-10-16T20:51:00.002-03:00

Well Terry ate and drank nothing for a whole day, (which was not much fun in 35C) and we drove the 50 miles to the hospital. Then Terry lay n a bed for 1/2 an hour and guess what they could not find the stones to zap them. Such is life

That was 2 days ago. Since then gallons more water have been drunk and new tests done and guess what, 2 of the stones have made their own way out without any pain. So 2 down 3 to go. Terry is now hoping to have two more broken up at 10.30 on Monday when we return to the hospital to try the treatment again.

A little Update

2008-10-10T22:52:00.006-03:00

Apologies for not having updated our blog for some time. First we were away, then Terry has been very unwell with more kidney problems and then a fair chunk of the roof came off the house. In between this we have been visiting doctors, killing tarantulas and scorpions that wanted to live with us in our house and trying to get on with our normal work.

Terry Health
Having had more problems Terry went for more tests to try and see where the kidney stone he had inside him had decided to move to. On arrival for the tests Terry was delighted to discover that the machine they used to produce the 98 cross sectional x-rays at the place he went to was much more modern (and quicker) that the place he went last time - it also turned out to be much better at seeing the cause of his persistent pain. The five stones that they have now identified in his kidneys. As such Terry is now off for more treatment to try and break up the worst of them next Tuesday (14th Oct). The idea is to sedate Terry and then use 6000 shock waves (not sound waves!) to break up the worst of the stones. Obviously we would value your prayers about this.
A few photos to keep you going!

The roof after the worst tropical storm we have seen in the years we have lived here.

Before and after photos of one of our new housemates - sorry animal lovers! The Scorpion wasn't looking quite so angry until Simone poked it with a flip-flop.

We are traveling

2008-09-11T21:49:00.002-03:00

Me, Mummy and Daddy are all off to our annual mission conference tomorrow. It is fourteen hours drive from our house and mummy and daddy are hoping that I sleep all the way. Daddy has meeting on Saturday and Sunday as he part of the leadership and then all our missionary colleges will be meeting with us from Monday until Friday. Then we are going to travel to where we are going to live next year so that we can look for somewhere to live. We will be away for two weeks so sorry if we don't put any posts on for a while.

Fire

2008-09-11T21:40:00.003-03:00

So the basic rule of living in a part of the world where there is no rain for six months is don't light anything in the dry season as you might just burn a little more that you expected - shame the college gardener didn't follow the rule!

Doctors advice

2008-09-03T23:42:00.000-03:00

My doctor suggested that I should take regular painkillers (two different types) to control the pain until he gets back from his trip to São Paulo. This I have been doing and they virtually get rid of the pain. It's a shame that I only found out after doing so, whilst trying to give two lessons on the Old Testament to 25 students, that taking them that they make you sleep on your feet, slows your brain down and make speaking a second language an impossibility.

2008-09-02T19:38:00.002-03:00

Well today has not been the best of days. Lots of pain, lots of feeling sick, lots of not being very happy. Funny though sometimes other peoples problems puts your own in prospective. Suzana (one of our students) was supposed to be having a kidney transplant this month. Unfortunatly the hospital authorized to do them in the our state has now fallen out with the government over payment and thus there are no transplants being done at present. This means that Suzana will just have to wait until the politicians resolve the problem.

2008-09-01T20:41:00.002-03:00

So things have got a lot more painful for Terry and he is now living with the side effects of taking copious quantities of painkiller (which also seem to make him sleep all the time). Thus, not surprisingly we phoned the doctor. He told us to do exactly what we are doing and keep drinking lot. Better still he also informed us that he and virtually every other urologists in the city were off to a conference in São Paulo for the rest of the week. Needless to say nothing will get done until at least next week. Bit worrying as Terry we need to be able to drive 14hrs south in a fortnight, then a week later another 6 hours south to Curitiba to talk further with the college we are going to work for ... and then drive all the way back. Needless to say we would value your prayers!

2008-08-25T09:35:00.004-03:00

For the last couple of months we have been putting off writing in the hope that when we did we would be able to tell you what the future holds for us. At long last we now know, so that’s what we will start with.

Moving South

We have been living in Anápolis for six years and are very thankful to God for the time we had here, for the work we were able to do and for the friends we’ve made. But, after six years we feel it’s time to move on. Last week we had a confirmation that we have been accepted as teachers in a Seminary in the South of Brazil, in a town called Curitiba (around 18 hours drive south of Anápolis). The Seminary is called Faculdade de Teologia Evangélica em Curitiba (FATEV for short). Obviously we will see out the current academic year at our present Seminary, and then in December we will be moving south. One of the main reasons that we feel the move is right for us is that FATEV’s main focus is on training people to work in urban situations. In Brazil this generally means working with the poor, which is where our heart is. We are also excited at the prospect of moving back to a big city again, especially as Curitiba is portrayed as one of Brazil’s most beautiful cities. This said however, Curitiba is far from perfect and whilst the centre is modern by Brazilian standards, an estimated 500,000 of its inhabitants live in poverty. Alongside this there are the usual problems of street children, prostitution and violence that go hand in hand with 3^rd World Poverty. Please pray that God would open the doors to allow us to make a real difference there.

Clearly like all moves there are both, advantages and disadvantages. On the positive side our move will reduce the drive to Simone’s home town by 18 hours, health services should be better, Terry and Sarah will be able to walk down the street without looking quite so foreign, the weather should be a lot cooler and the city has lots of parks which we hope Sarah will enjoy without the need for vast quantities of suntan cream. On the negative side, neither of us is looking forward to having to start again in terms of finding a new church, making friends, etc. There is also a significant financial question as our move will mean that our cost of living will rise as we will no longer live in subsidized college housing as we currently do. Also prices in Brazil just keep rising and on top of this the exchange rate just seems to keep dropping. It has fallen a staggering 25% in the last year alone. Ultimately, if humanly speaking the positives outweighs the negatives in the short term we don’t really know. However, in the long term and from a spiritual perspective we feel that the move is right for us and what God is calling us to.

Sarah

Sarah continues to grow (not surprisingly) and has now reached the age where she is really starting to form friendship with some of the other children who live around us and in Church. Needless to say we are a little concerned about the effect that our move might have on her. We are not really sure what Sarah thinks about it, as moving house is a concept she doesn’t understand. We did try to explain to her that we were moving house but she seemed to think that we will literally be moving our house somewhere else! We are also pleased that Sarah seems to be growing in the knowledge of God in her own little way. Unfortunately these also includes the assumption that daddy should shut his eyes when praying (even if driving the car) and that the people in her picture Bible are having a bar-be-que. We really must sit down and discuss this one with her before she looks more closely and sees that the usual hamburgers have been replaced with Abraham’s son Isaac.

College Life

This term in our current college we return to the challenge of teaching Christian Ethics in a country riddled with poverty, corruption and ‘grey areas’, many of which sadly often influence and affect the way churches are run and their members live. Alongside this we are also teaching, for the first time, the whole of the Old Testament to the first year students. It’s fair to say that both of these subjects are stretching us at present. At some point we will also need to tell the students that we are leaving which we are not looking forward to.

Leading the Brazil Team

As you probably know Terry is in the process of taking over responsibility for the Latin Link Brazil Team as the new Field Leader. For the last six months he has been working closely with the outgoing team leader until the official handover in September. With significant changes in the mission structure and ongoing economic problems for missionaries working in Brazil, at present it has not been an easy task and has taken up a considerable amount of his time. He would value your prayers as he tries to discern, and do, God’s will in this new role. On the upside, his new role does mean that he will get to go to a meeting in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in April next year and Peru in 2010, both of which he is looking forward to, so don’t give him too much sympathy!

Terry Health

2008-08-25T09:33:00.000-03:00

Terry’s Health

As many of you will know Terry had some problems with kidney stones over the last year which finally ended up with him having two operations a couple of months ago here in Brazil. Our hope and prayer at the time was that this would be the end of his problem. Unfortunately, it wasn’t. Over the last few weeks we have discovered that Terry now has a similar problem with the other kidney. We would value your prayers about this. This said we are also thankful to God that thus far Terry has not been in much pain and there is a reasonable chance that the problem can be sorted without Terry needing further surgery.

We are also thankful to God that due to a quirk in Brazilian law our current health care policy legally has to cover us to have treatment anywhere in Brazil. If this had not been the case when we move to Curitiba Terry would have been left without health insurance for any problems relating to his kidneys for 2 years.

2008-08-07T22:18:00.002-03:00

On discovering that daddy might have another stone in his tummy Sarah, bless her, came over gave em a kiss and said "there, there, that's better now daddy'

So it's off to the doctor then!

2008-08-07T22:06:00.002-03:00

Well I got the exam results from a urine test and 60 computerized x-rays which were taken whilst I passed through a strange tube (always a bit worrying when the operator tells you it safe and the immediately hides behind a lead screen whilst you wait to face the machine wearing just your underwear) . The letter that came back with the x-rays stated that I now have a stone in the other kidney and the results from the other test that whilst the normal level of what I think is blood in your in your urine should be 8,000 per ml mine is actually 360,000 per ml. What does this mean? Well I'm not quite sure so I will be taking the results to a doctor tomorrow in the hope that he can make tell me what to do next!

Ouch!

2008-08-03T21:45:00.001-03:00

Just when you think it is all over .... I all starts again. It seems that Terry is having some more problems with one of his kidneys. If you have a moment he would value your prayer.

Today I got my first bike

2008-07-21T21:51:00.002-03:00

Today I got my first bike - as you can see I am very pleased about it!

2008-06-22T22:30:00.005-03:00

Well it is just one week until the end of term and we can’t wait for the break. Not that it will be much of a break as we need to write 36 one and a half hour lessons on the Old Testament. Still at least it will be a change from attending students and giving lectures!

We still don’t know if we are going to move or not but hopefully we should get an answer in the next few weeks (we would really value your prayers about this!)

As for Sarah, well she is doing fine and really enjoyed a trip to a park in the city down the road from us. Lots of the kids from the orphanage also came which was great. Everyone got the same tee-shirt to wear which seems slightly strange to an Englishman but they seemed to like it.

The last week seems to have been one of those where things keep breaking. It started with the college water pump packing up. It is conveniently situated 67m under the ground in the well and left most of the college with no water for two days. Thankfully we managed not to run out by economizing to the maximum. The week then continued with the settee finally giving up and needing some major repairs which took most of Saturday – what joy. Still at least we can sit on it again now!

May News

2008-04-25T15:23:00.006-03:00

News From Terry & Simone

So what’s New?

Well, to a large extent we feel a bit like life has been put on hold at present. Firstly, due to Terry being unwell (see below) and secondly as we wait to find out about our possible move further south in Brazil. Needless to say the waiting has been somewhat frustrating, even if not unforeseen, as we knew from our first contact with the seminary that it would take several months for them to come back with an answer. This is because various committees need to meet and make a decision and everyone wanted time to pray through the possibility. We have wondered if we should also consider or seek some other possibility. However, as we have continued to feel that we should wait on God to hear about this one possibility we have resisted the temptation and if nothing else we are learning patience. We have also reassured ourselves that it is worth the wait, for if God was to open the door for us we would be much closer to Simone’s family, further away from the heat and the sun, in a larger city and most importantly of all working for a college whose main focus is in training people to work with the poor (which is where our hearts are). So we wait on and in the mean time we continue with our usual ministries in the college in Anápolis.

There are however, two new areas of ministry that have appeared on the horizon to stop us from getting bored. A month or so ago Terry was elected the new Team Leader for Latin Link in Brazil. Though this might say more about the faith of Latin Link missionaries in Brazil than it does about Terry’s abilities, he is nervously excited about the possibility and hopes that he can do at least as good a job as his predecessor. The official hand over takes place later in the year but he is already trying to get to grips with things. Along side this both of us have started to regularly teach a group of around twenty people in our church in what is called the adult Sunday school. At present we are going through all the basics of our faith. We are both really enjoying this new challenge and so far it seems that they are as well! Obviously we would value your prayers for both of these new activities.

Sarah

Not surprisingly Sarah continues to grow and bring us much joy. I am not sure which parent she gets it from but she has turned into a real bi-lingual chatterbox and has now developed the ability to switch from one language to the other when she needs to. Somehow it is very frustrating for us, having struggled to learn a second language, to see just how easily she manages with both. Obviously we are delighted about this and praise God for it. Sarah is currently into Lego, dancing and sticking her finger up her nose. The first two of which we are trying to encourage and the latter of which we are not.

Health and Wealth

It is fair to say that both of these have taken something of a battering since we returned to Brazil last July. On the financial side, for reasons of world economics that we don’t understand, the exchange rate has continued to drop. The end result of this being that when coupled with Brazilian inflation things have become much more expensive for us by at least 30%. Obviously we would value your prayers about this. However, we would also ask that you give thanks to God with us for His continued provision.

More seriously, at least in the short term, Terry has been suffering from repeated problems with kidney stones since he returned to Brazil. This has meant numerous emergency trips to hospital, visits to doctors and finally surgery, at just 24hrs notice, on the 1^st April (no joke!). Praise God everything seems to have gone well and with luck Terry should be fully recovered in time for a second minor operation which he also needs to have done around the 15^th of April. God willing after this he should be back to normal which will be a huge relief after months of being repeatedly ill.

The experience of having an operation where we live in Brazil was so different to the UK that we thought that it might be worth a few words here. So what are the differences? Well, firstly where we live they don’t sedate you before you go down to the operating theatre. So having taken off your clothes and put on one of those silly gowns you walk yourself into the waiting and recovery room in the operating area. Once there you sit on your bed and then have one nurse bringing another nurse along to have a look at the colour of your eyes. Yes, they really are blue, and yes both nurses left when they discovered that the patient speaks Portuguese. Next, there is the forty-five minute wait whilst they find a vacant theatre table. The best way to describe this process is like being in McDonald’s on a Saturday lunch time. There are numerous doctors all of whom want to operate on their patients so that they can go home. This is the joy of private health service where you are not paid by the hour but by the patient. The next result being that it is a noisy place with lots of people battering for the right to use the next available table. Still there was no need to worry about all this noise as entertainment was laid on whilst you wait. The operating theatre doors are left open which meant you can watch someone else having an operation just 14 feet away. I watched the end of a knee operation and the start of another which I was unable to identify. Thankfully, this sort of thing does not bother me! Finally, it was my turn but unfortunately, despite the doctor’s promise, they could not record the operation for me as the instructions for the new equipment they were going to use for the operation were all in English and they couldn’t understand it. I can hardly wait for the next minor Op!

To end on a positive note, even in the mists of Brazilian health care we have seen God’s provision. The doctor who performed Terry’s operation was a Christian. Furthermore, in Brazil you have to find someone to stay with you and look after you whilst you are in hospital. Despite the fact that this was more awkward for us as the operation was in a different city, God not only provided a Christian friend willing to do this but he was also a qualified doctor!