Greetings from the Partingtons in Bolivia!

Our hope was that by now we’d have made it back to the UK and would have the chance to catch-up with as many of you as possible face-to-face. Unfortunately Miah’s adoption process is ongoing and so a trip home is off the agenda. Well, most of us won’t make it home… Daniel is going to be visiting his grandparent in Greece, with a few days in the UK at the end of the trip. This will be his first time travelling alone and a great preparation for him ahead of completing his schooling a year from now and all that lies beyond that.

Whilst being here for the whole of the long break feels a bit daunting, especially with lots of friends travelling and cold weather approaching, we’re all looking forward to taking some vacation and to getting a much-need rest.

We’re planning to take road trip around Bolivia as a family, visiting for the first time as a whole family places like the Salar de Uyuni and La Paz, and will also take time off closer to home when Andy’s parents visit at the end of the month.

Miah’s surgery to untether her spinal cord took place as planned in March. It was a success and she recovered incredibly quickly! The whole process went really well and we pray that she now doesn’t experience any negative effects in relation to mobility or continence as a result of her Spina Bifida – or need a similar surgery again in the future.

Despite being born at 30-weeks she is bang on the 50th percentile and, whilst a running a little late, is close to walking. She continues to bring great joy to us all, and friends/family around us. The key thing now is to see her adoption process completed! There is no ‘issue’, just a slow moving bureaucracy, but we’d appreciate your prayers for a rapid resolution.

JJ is the probably only one who is disappointed that school has finished! He loved 3^rd grade and says he wishes he could stay in that class forever! He loves playing football – during break, football club, and any other chance he gets – and anything else active and creative.

Phoebe has been making good progress academically and has also cracked riding a bike, horse-riding and playing the recorder! She was sad to say goodbye to Mrs Peterson who has been giving her extra help at school (and played a key role in enabling her to make progress at school this year). Phoebe has also being coming home at lunchtime a couple of days a week to be home-schooled by Mickey.

Jemimah’s highlight of the last semester was playing the Duchess in Alice in Wonderland! She’s a natural and really enjoyed the whole experience. Right now she’s a bit sad that a lot of her friends are traveling over the holiday but trying to make the most of it by thinking about various projects she can do during the coming weeks.

Daniel continues to play drums in church and school bands and to play basketball and volleyball. He’s but his big focus this year has been completing APs (A-level standard courses, some taken at school, some online out of the school hours). He’s worked really hard is well on the way to have what he needs to be eligible to apply to UK universities. He wrapped the year with a special award from the school’s accrediting body in the US for academics, fine arts and sports.

Behind the progress that each of the kids is making is Mickey who continues to dedicate herself to providing them with the love, security and support they need to thrive in the context of the challenges and opportunities which are part and parcel of growing-up as third-culture kids.

In addition to Novō responsibilities Andy continues to the serve on the Board of the international Christian school the kids attend. He’s also been playing a more active role in the Novō Adventures than expected. Back in March Warren broke his back in a jump from a waterfall and, whilst he’s recovering well, it’s obviously a slow process. In that context, Andy has planned and led two big motorcycle tours for Novō Adventures. Whilst exhausting for both of us (M at home and A on the road) both tours have been a real success and a particular joy for Andy was having Jaime (Novō graduate who works for Novō Adventures) as part of the support team for the last trip.

As a couple it’s fair to say we’re pretty exhausted. It’s been a demanding year for a range of reasons – some good and necessary and the result of what God is doing, some which have felt like they’re part of the Enemy’s efforts to undermine and damage. Nevertheless, in and through those challenges there has been growth and God’s goodness and faithfulness have been evident. We’d appreciate your prayers for the coming months that we would experience God’s peace, provision, and rest. We’d love to go into the new academic year refreshed and full of joy and faith!

Two final things.

Firstly, Andy has started a blog with the goal of equipping, encouraging and stimulating the thinking of both those who work are engaged in the addiction/recovery field, as well as a wider audience with an interest in faith, addiction, recovery, growth/change, etc… You can find it here: www.andypartington.blog. If you like what you find, do sign-up to follow it and consider sharing it with others who might find it valuable. Each post will go out in English and Spanish.

Secondly, for the latest Novō news click here https://mailchi.mp/e9a51c70cc39/t1uzgru55w-3361337 – and sign-up for those updates directly, if haven’t already done so!

To close, we want to say a big thank to you for standing with us as a family! We are so blessed by the friendship, prayers and practical support which enables us to serve here in Bolivia with Novō.

With much love,

Andy, Mickey, Daniel, Jemimah, Phoebe, JJ and Miah

xxxxxxx

We serve in Bolivia as self-supported missionaries and so do not receive a salary from Novō. If you would like to support us financially, whether with a one-off or a regular monthly gift, you can do so tax-effectively.

In the UK our support is administered by Stewardship and you can give either online at www.give.net/20171708 or using this form: Stewardship Donor Form

In Canada you can support us via the EFCCM, designating donations to account #2-3231. You can do this online at EFCCM Donate! or by sending a cheque to: EFCCM, Box 850, Langley Stn, LCD 1, Langley, BC, V3A -8S6.