The Inauguration of our road.

Today we joined our community in celebrating that our street has been finished. The promises of a few more weeks merged into a few more months but we are delighted that it has now been finished and the road is open to all vehicles. We are so pleased to have a break from the noise and the dust and are really excited that the refuse collector can now stop outside our house.

One funny story was that during a public holiday (when the workmen were not working) a man wearing a fluorescent orange jacket knocked on the door offering to pour cement in our sewage system since he claimed to have seen a rat. He was offering to do this if we paid him, well the mere mention of the word rat had Anjanette almost ready to pay him on the spot but when she saw him knocking on all the neighbours' doors with the same story it was she who smelled a rat!

Here are a few photos of the process.

This was how the street looked when we moved into our new house back in May!

Clever way to put up a lamp post using only string and logs!

Using a wheelbarrow as a deck chair when it's time for a siesta.

We were so happy when the day to asphalt the road finally came.

Living in chaos for a few months gave us an appreciation of the many simple things in life that we take for granted.

Puno has been declared a state of emergency .

Please join us in praying for Puno and other  mountain communities close to Cusco which have been badly affected by heavy snow fall. In Puno thousands of people have been affected as their homes, crops and livestock have been devasted by 1m of snow.

We are fine although we have felt very cold in Cusco city and we have seen snow on the hills close to our house which is very unusual.

Puno (the region next to Cusco ) has been declared a state of emergency for 60 days, we pray that the relief operation will be fast and effective . ( photo taken from Midnight Watcher's blogspot)

Visitng team from the UK Week 2

clowning around in the regional hospital 

The team have been painting in Huambutio and also the La Fuente clinic in Cusco

We decorated our building in Huambutio for the community fun day.

Songs and games in Huambutio

The Brits make their international acting debut!

Sharing in church service, cell group,youth meeting, prayer meeting and ladies bible study

If you come on mission with the Williamsons you will have a great time but it may be rather tiring!

Visiting Team from the UK Week 1

We are enjoying hosting a team from New Malden and Godalming Baptist churches for a few weeks.

Fun playing with the preschool  in Huambutio

Teaching the whole of  British History in one class!

Bubbles are always popular!

Hospital visiting

Making bracelets in the hospital

More fun in the pre school

Iglesia El Puente celebrates our Fourth Anniversary

 This weekend we celebrated our 4th church anniversary. We enjoyed a church prayer breakfast and a special service of thanksgiving.

It was  good to stop and reflect and remember our story and God's amazing faithfulness to his people.

 And in true El Puente style  the celebrations continued as we all ate together at the chicken restaurant!

 We look forward to discovering what exciting plans God has for El Puente Iglesia  in the future....

Wedding fever at El Puente

This weekend we celebrated Mariela's wedding. Mariela is a member of El Puente and she married Secmarino the youth pastor of a local evangelical church in Cusco.

On Thurs we had a joint cell group meeting in our home for their joint noche de despedidia  ( farewell to single life) party.

On Fri Scott attended their legal wedding ceremony at the Municipalidad then in the evening we had a long wedding rehearsal at the IEP church where the wedding was to be held.

On Saturday Jess got ready to be a bridesmaid, Scott got ready to preach, Anjanette got ready to play in the El Puente band and poor old Sam got ready to sit through 8 hours of wedding ceremony.

We had a long but very happy day,  folk from El Puente sang, preached, prayed, got the flower girls and bridesmaids ready, one church member was the Master of Ceremonies in the afternoon and at the end of a very long day Pastor Scott was the chauffeur of the newly weds and also all the wedding presents. We all worked hard and enjoyed celebrating with Sec and Mariela, we pray that God will bless them in their new life together.

noche de despedida de solteros in our home

Legal ceremony with the registrar the day before the church wedding

 waiting for the bride to arrive...

Pastor Scott preaching

The food:  ( a bull was donated for the wedding breakfast!)

Bride, groom and the Williamsons all dressed up!

Brightening up the clinic walls

The walls in the Huambutio clinic are very bare and for some time now we have wanted to paint a mural or some bible verses on them. Anjanette's cousins did a great job today painting scripture and pictures on the walls in the waiting room and doctor's consulting room. The clinic now looks much more cheerful and welcoming. The verses they painted  are John 3 v 16  and Matthew 6 v 25-28 .