We're back!

Thank you to so many who were praying as we said our goodbyes and travelled back to Mexico. Once again we felt sustained by your prayers. The goodbyes were difficult of course. I think they get more difficult. It is not just hard to say goodbye but it is ten times harder to take our kids away from their grandparents. They have played such a vital role in their lives over the past few months and we know the love between them is mutual. Blissfully unaware of what was going on Tabitha remained chirpy throughout.

The first flight was tough. I wasn't feeling well so after the first couple of hours Andrew had both kids to look after. Both were quite unsettled but thankfully I was feeling much better about an hour before we landed and was able to help for the rest of the journey. The connection went smoothly and the kids slept for most of the second flight. Both slept quite well the first night as well. Margaret, who has always been so wonderfully helpful and picked us up from the airport, stayed overnight.

We've been settling in, unpacking and some of our friends have come to visit. This week we look forward to catching up with people and finding out what has been going on in our absence. On Wednesday the 3 days of meetings with all the churches and representatives begin. Andrew will attend. Please pray for unity and vision as decisions are made for the future.

A work team from the US arrives on Saturday to help with the construction at the Drop-In Centre. The work has not proceeded as fast as we had hoped for and so the opening will be delayed for a few weeks. The team's visit coincides with the Holiday Bible Club (VBS) at our church in La Loma so we really are diving into the thick of it!

We appreciate your prayers as we settle back into our routine here and make decisions about what we can and cannot take on. Our time at home was indescribably refreshing and wonderful. We're ready to get going and we're excited to see how God will bring glory to His name as you pray with us...

Long Journey

Sorry for the lack of frequency in reports here. Things have been hectic as we get ready for going back to Mexico. We leave tomorrow (Friday) at 8am our time and should hopefully arrive almost 24 hours later. I should imagine a bed to lie out on will be very welcome!

If you remember us at any point throughout the day we would appreciate a little prayer! Pray for the kids in particular that they would be able to sleep, that the layover and connection in Newark would go smoothly and that Tabitha will not be sick!

We appreciate prayer too for our families as we say goodbye. We have been totally spoiled by friends and family. Our time at home has been such a blessing. It will be hard to say goodbye. We will write more very soon about what lies ahead in the next few weeks and what has been happening while we have been away from Mexico.

Final Stage

We are now back in N. Ireland again. Our time in Scotland was a total whirlwind but absolutely fantastic. It was so refreshing to meet up with good friends. The final week was particularly busy. We travelled home on the ferry yesterday and after Tabitha's nap she had a fever and was really clingy. We had visitors who prayed with her and with paracetamol her temperature came down. Thankfully it stayed down and with a good nights sleep she seems to be fine. It was probably just an over-tired little girl. She absolutely loved playing with so many kids. It always amused me to tell her the names of the new people she was going to meet each day to which her response was always, "That be nice!"

Oscar was back at the medical centre for routine injections today. His weight continues to improve and he is now close to the 25th centile. He is incredibly smiley. In particular he will always smile for his big sister who has been taking more notice of him lately. Tabitha is desperate to drag Oscar out of his chair so they can bounce on the bed together. Hopefully it's a sign of the good friends they will become.

We are beginning to pack now and think of what we need to take and what we can leave behind. This is the month of family reunions with siblings coming in from Canada and England. We would appreciate your prayers that we would return to Mexico well rested and excited about the work ahead. Please pray too for Tabitha's transition back to life in Mexico. Her personality seems to have changed since she has been at home. She is much more settled and placid. It is obvious that she was under considerable stress in Mexico. Pray for us as we consider how to help her in and through the cultural adjustment.