Each time I update our blog I promise myself I will not let it be so long before updating it next time. Unfortunately I contstantly keep falling into the trap of being distracted by other things, getting on with our routine and trying to keep the wheels in motion.
July has been an eventful and very interesting month. At the start of the month we said goodbye to Alicia's mum who had been visiting us for just over three weeks. Her presence here was not just appreciated for her company but it also proved to be a vital help as we came to terms with having a new baby on the scene. Alicia's mum was brilliant at helping out around the house, helping to cook and generally spoiling and looking after all of us.
Throughout most of the month of June and right through July we had been anticipating the paperwork on our car being completed so that we would be mobile. Each week we seemed to be saying that it would be "this week." Due to an administrative error by the company that sold the vehicle getting license plates and all the other paper work proved to be a much longer process than it should have. Eventually at the end of July we got the necessary papers to enable us to drive the car. We are certainly delighted to have a vehicle that allows us to get to and from Ite and the other areas where we are involved in the work but it also enables us to get away from time to time as well when we have some time off. Thank you to so many of you who prayed for this and to those of you who gave so generously to enable this purchase to be made.
In the middle of July I made the trip to Lima in order to pick up a minibus for the ministry of the Camp and Conference Centre. The bus will be used to transport campers to and from the beach during camps as well as in numerous other ways. The trip included an 18 hour bus journey to Lima and a 24 hour journey (including stops) in the minibus back. While in Lima I was able to visit the British Embassy and Consulate in order to get the necessary British version of Joel's birth certificate. Although according to the documentation I read the procedure seemed fairly straight forward it all turned out to be far from it. Fortunately I was able to represent Joel in Lima as it is the only place in Peru where I could get this done and am thankful that I did not have to run around from pillar to post with Alicia and the kids trying to get this done.
The unfortunate side of the trip was that I was not able to apply for Joel's passport without having him present, however I knew I could do this at the Honory Consulate in Arequipa - a four hour journey away. So after a week getting back into the swing of things here in Ilo/Ite the four of us headed off to Arequipa in order to make Joel's passport application. At the time of writing the application has been made but we have yet to receive any form of response whether it has been approved or declined. Hopefully later in the week we should receive confirmation.
Aside from all the formalities of registering Joel and adjusting to having him around (by the way he is a delight to have and has a real wee chuckle!) we have been continuing with our work in Ite. In some ways things have been a little quieter recently due to it being the winter in Peru but that has freed us up to get our paperwork in order and has also given us a chance to think about the work a little bit more. In a few weeks time we will receive a visit from Gordon Darragh the Mission Director and the new Gap Year team will commence, we are also waiting to hear news about a site that we enquired about to build the new church in Ite (last year the building was burnt to the ground and the plan is to build again on a new site.)
Sarah is very excited this week because after two weeks off for mid winter break she started back at school. Over the next couple of weeks there will be numerous special activities to mark the sixth anniversary of the school. Tomorrow she has yet another birthday party. After each party she goes to she is always keen to know when hers will be. We dread telling her that hers was not that long ago and it will be a long time before her next one. She is certainly much more keen for celebration and festivities than either her mother or father!
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