So the weekend!!!! Well Friday was my (Asher's) day at home to clean the apartment and do all our laundry. It was actually very nice to have some quiet time in A/C. Friday night we had a well deserved relaxed evening, spent some time chatting to our new Spanish friends in very broken Spanish/English!!

Saturday we went out on the ministry, we have just about mastered a very very simple presentation to leave the memorial invitation. It's really funny when you give your presentation they just give a big smile and say thank you. I think they are quite impressed that we are trying with our very bad Spanish!! We had a great time, nobody declined the invitation and a few said they would come.  Our meeting is on Saturday at 4pm so we spent a few hours at home before the meeting. Ferg helped Erik (who we live with) build a flat pack wardrobe, oh what fun!!

Our congregation is hilarious. Full of characters that just make you giggle. One sister greets you with a handshake full of sweets, I'm not complaining!! We did our very first Watchtower comments in Spanish. Mine caused a little confusion as the brother thought my hand was a sister in front of me so when he heard my very bad Spanish he just stared at me!!! Oh dear!! Ferg said he would rather give a Public Talk at the convention than give a 30 second comment at the meeting in Spanish!!! Think he's being a little dramatic but it was very daunting!!!

After coming home from the meeting Erik and Karen asked if we would like to go to Santa Marta. "NOW" was my excited response to which they nodded. Yipppeeeee some that are as crazy and spontaneous as me!!! Karen's parents have a little holiday home there where we could stay the night. We quickly packed a bag and headed out the door. Unfortunately when we arrived at the bus terminal  the next bus was in 2 hours at 11.30pm!!! At least we were allowed to use the VIP lounge, well a tiny room with an A/C. After 1 and half hours bus ride we arrived in Santa Marta. We were all up bright and early for the beach! After a little bus ride we arrived at a beautiful little beach. Now this is more like it! We spent most of the day relaxing and swimming in the Caribbean ocean!!! I think we may be  going there again, was a perfect place to relax for a day. We headed back and returned to Barranquilla in time for an early night.

So now it's Monday back to work, Ferg sporting a very red and blotchy stomach and that's with factor 50 sun cream!!

Hope you are all well. X

Finally in Colombia!!!

Sooooo sorry we havnt wrote for ages!!!!

So we flew out to Colombia on the 1st March after spending a few nights with the Parkers in London!!! We were greeted after a 13 hour journey by 2 brothers from bethel. They had great big smiles on thier faces, we knew we would be well looked after! Had fun with our 10 bags, getting them from the airport to the car, the poor brother lost control with the trolley at one point, all the 5 bags falling off!!! Poor guy, poor Caffitiare that got smashed!!!

After about an hours journey we arrived at the branch!!! Wow!!! Absolutely huge and beautiful!!! It houses 300 bethelities and also backs a program called Global Health, this is where brothers and sisters in special service can go to Columbia for health care, operations etc. the branch ferries them to appointments etc and cares for them whilst they recover! What a loving organisation we are part of? During our 2 week stay we met many in the program from Panama and a few places from the states!

Whilst at bethel for 2 weeks we sorted tools etc to take from the city to Barranquilla, we even got to go into the city shopping (for tools) Ferg was in Paradise, I would of much rathered jewellery shopping! We also worked for a few days with the maintenance department, oh what fun, they didn't speak English and we didn't speak Spanish!!! Lots of acting and a dictionary were the life savers!! We made some great new friends!!

Goody basket waiting in our room!

On the 14th March we flew to Barranquilla, it's about an hours flight. This is where we will be working on the Assembly Hall Project. We were collected by a local brother who took us 40 minutes down the road to Galapa where the site is. Wow was our first impression, it's huge. There is already a per existing Assembly Hall and the plan is to make a new one parallel so they can run both at the same time. The old hall is being used as a kitchen/dining room, tool kribs and offices. There are around 40 working on the construction team (8 internationals and the rest Colombians) also another 50 volunteering from the local congregations. The atmosphere feels just like a quick build, all the willing brothers and sisters and you can see how happy they are to be volunteering their time for Jehovah! 

We are living in an apartment in Barranquilla. We are sharing it with an Australian couple and a Colombian couple. It's a nice apartment and is very secure which is good. We have a little room and our own bathroom, we all share the kitchen. It's 40 minutes away from site so we usually leave the apartment at 6am and usually arrive home around 6pm, Mondays it's around 8pm after the watchtower. It would be nice to live a bit nearer but at least this way no over time working for Ferg, we leave at 5 on the dot.

That's all I can think of for the minute but I promise I will post regularly from now on!