The Farmer Who Sowed Sorrow...

There was a man - probably a farmer - who decided one day to prune his coconut tree. He took out his very sharp sabre and began to cut the leaves of his tree. He wasn't an evil man and indeed, he had no intentions of causing great sorrow and heartache to an un-named Scottish missionary. But then he made a mistake. Misjudging his aim in a moment of folly - hey, maybe the sun was in his eyes? - he took a swipe at his branch but instead cut a wire that was hanging close by. He thought nothing of it.

But my friends ... that wire was an important wire. It was the wire that connected this poor missionary to the rest of the world. It was the wire that brought me my beloved broadband and my life outside Sefton Village. To this farmer, it was only a wire, but to me it was a lifeline! And that was 13 days ago! The phone company said that my line was a 'very very long line' and that they would have to order new wire from Manila. So here I am, phone-less, wire-less and internet-less. Woe is me! He He.

But, then I had an idea. I have a new mobile phone on my contract and it is a beauty! A Nokia N95. Amazing. When I loaded the software there was an icon that said 'use my phone as a modem'. Mmm ... can this wee phone really link me to the world again? It did! It is not so fast as broadband, and it is more expensive, but it works! And the very fact you are reading this proves it.

These last two weeks have been very busy but so amazing. We had a team from Cornerstone here for a week and we had an excellent week. On the day they dropped them off we picked up the Scottish Team from Manila and they are here now. they are doing great and we are enjoying their company. So much to share - the funny, the challenging, the good, the bad, the ugly ... but I will wait and see if we can get our broadband back in the next day or two!

If you ever come to Santiago and you see a farmer-looking guy who has an embarrassed look on his face ... he's the one!

Blog soon .... promise!

p.s. - thanks to all who have written in our guestbook. If you have not ... please please do. We would love to know who you are and where you come from!