It was a little strange for us as the pool is surrounded on three sides by tables with people eating their lunch at them. Not as strange for us as for the diners right enough, Chuck quite clearly heard someone say that after looking at us they decided they didn’t need that diet after all. We also heard “Cancel that order for the fish” shortly followed by “Cancel that order full stop!” I can’t think why. I am afraid I have to confess we were laughing almost non-stop but the laughing policeman was nowhere to be seen. The locals thought we were crazy as it was only 32 degrees at that time and they all had the jumpers on!
At one point we decided to have a go at a highland jig and we distinctly heard someone shout from the block of flats over the road that look onto the pool, “Mama, come and look at the synchronised Scotsmen!”
We attended the local church here this morning where we had delivered some nice chairs earlier in the week. They were so comfortable we nearly fell asleep during Stevie’s sermon (no change there I hear you say!) but we managed to stay awake. Gordon shared his testimony too. It’s a very different thing to speak in a country where next to no-one speaks your language and you have to stop every sentence for the translator, but there is something in this form of delivery that makes you listen more carefully. You also have more time to assimilate what’s being said as it’s being said that helps it to go into your head.
We had visited here last year and, for me, one big encouragement was that those people we had prayed for at that time had seen answered prayer. One lady was a teacher in a mainly Muslim school and she had been given the worst class to teach. She had asked us to pray that God would help her keep order in the class and that she would be able to reach these kids. She reported that they were won round and that at the end of the year they asked if she would be their teacher again this year! God answers prayer!
As I mentioned we were going to be marched off to do some shopping. This is not an experience I would wish on any of you, not because I am a man and you ladies will think I am being chauvinist here, but the way it happens is usually this: We have a short time to shop in between other tasks. We don’t know what we want to buy before we have had a look at the shops because we don’t know what’s there yet. L_ takes us to the shopping area and says “Whaddya want?” If we don’t know, she tells us what we want “If you’re buying for ladies here’s a handbag stall you have 5 minutes. If you’re buying for men they sell belts and penknives. You done yet?”
I went through this process the other day and so decided I wanted time off, Chuck & Bobby said their wives didn’t need anything, or at least weren’t getting anything after the ingratitude last year when they went out of their way to buy them a dust pan each AND gave them the soap and shampoo from the hotel! Mark said he wasn’t buying anything for his family so we went swimming. Although, Mark then got scared that his new mama would see his tattoos and give him a hard time, so he went off to play pool with that pretty girl I mentioned few days ago. We have corrupted him so much that he has defected to a life of debauchery. Sorry Andrew & Lois, I blame his new mama! She has renamed him after herself and he is now David Dimitrov and he must introduce himself to people as such or she sulks.
After swimming we drove to the town we stayed in last year to the Romany camp or ‘Mahala’. The children there were very happy to see us and we ‘did church’ for them in the open air under a tree for shade. It was very moving to see them all again.
I discovered today that when we arrived at the school to erect the playground on day one, the children that saw us arrive wanted to know where we had come from. They quietly asked P_ where we were from and when she said Scotland they seemed relieved as they had thought we had come from outer space! Looking at some of the team I can see why!
It was my turn for a bump on the head today (Stevie was having a day off). I was being a bit lazy and tried to open the curtains from my bed. The whole curtain pool came off its moorings and fell on my head. It was metal and had a lovely ring to it, or that may just have been my ears! Ouch!
Tomorrow we have one last push to deliver the final remaining items a and then it's pool for all of us! Expect red lobster faces upon our return for tomorrow we barbecue ourselves in the sun!
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