Dec 25

We have just finished our week with our Circuit Overseer and his wife - they are really nice and welcoming!  We have been out in the ministry every day and all the groups have been well supported. 

Went out again today - it is very low key - the christmas holidays over here - it is not the commercial fuss like at home where everyone is rushing around to buy things.  At least here, although they may or may not know that it is not the date of christ's birth or a biblical celebration, some of the people are thinking about spiritual things (everybody loves Jesus here though), whereas in the western world it is more about presents and holidays.  Though the celebrations are similar here in that some people may get carried away with drinking too much and being silly etc which we saw alot of today.  A few photo's from today:

In every street, there are many small 'tiendas' (shops) that are like Dairy's - they are very handy when you are hot and need a cold drink!  You can get a 190 ml glass bottle of Coke for $1 B which is about 17 cents NZ.  They don't have diet coke or Coke zero!  They are 'retornables' which means you return the bottle - so they open it and you drink it there - which is why it is so cheap.

We also stop and get these little bags of juice - they are refreshing!  When we first got here - we weren't really buying them because of all the hands that may have been handling them!  You bite the corner off (and spit it on the ground like everyone else, na - well sometimes!)  We just wipe the corner on our tops or use our hand sanitizer - hori!

 

Actually it looks like we drink alot of sugary drinks but we drink WAY more water here.  We have a water man that comes to deliver big filtered water bottles for our dispenser.  Usually he comes when we call but hasn't been over the last few days - probably cos he has to carry them up to the fourth floor!

Milk only comes in bags too.  The price of items from the dairy's here are pretty much the same as if you bought the items from the supermarket and sometimes they are cheaper!  The opposite to home, where things at the dairy always cost more.

 The Ugliest bus we have been on yet!

These two were so cute!  They let me take their photo - they were really nice.

People on the bus

Lot's of drunk people today!!  We saw a drunk old man fall off the back of a ute this morning - he fell on his head and shoulder and could've got run over.  Just as well the car behind stopped and carried him off the road - there wasn't any blood but was a bad fall.

 Back out witnessing in one of the Barrios

These are taxi trufi's.  They go in a set circuit like a bus and are cheaper than regular taxis.  They will keep picking up people until there is absolutely no room left.  A car like this will squeeze 3 in the front and 3 or 4 in the back - homemade seats where there were none, like in the middle in the front.  No such thing as a WOF or registration here  - alot of the taxi's here have no panels on the doors and look like they are going to fall apart!  One we went in - the speedometer didn't work and alot of the taxis have no seatbelts in the back, yet we stiil get in.

This one will squeeze three in the front, and six (or more) in the back.

It has been quite hot lately - I'm sure it was 35 degrees yesterday!  And it is going to get hotter.  It rains often in the afternoons/evenings.  At least when it rains you know it is going to be alot cooler - the weather is always either very hot or lot's of rain and mud but cooler - nothing really in between.

A few in the congregation have planned an outing out in the country tomorrow for the congregation as it is a public holiday also - we are going out somewhere to a river and will all bring food for a picnic.  What time?  7:30am!! We are meeting that early as a brother has arranged a bus to take us all - should be fun if it's not raining :)