Somehow our last week of Step is over already!! The time has flown by, and the experience has been so fundamental in shaping us and strengthening our faiths before we head back to university and our normal UK lives.

We started the week with some emotional goodbyes to our friends in Trinidad. As we boarded our plane and spotted everyone waving to us from the airport, we felt so grateful to God for each of them. They loved and cared for us so well, which taught us so much.

The first stop on our holiday week was Coroico, a beautiful town in the mountains outside of La Paz. From here we enjoyed adventures such as zip-wiring over the jungle covered mountains, and celebrating Tim’s birthday by canyoning and white water rafting in the valley. We spent those two days in awe of our creator God, and loved spending time together in his creation.

After a long trip on some sketchy mountain roads, we arrived at Copacabana – the next stop on our Bolivia adventure. It was much higher here, so we felt the cold, especially after two months in boiling Trinidad!

This is also where the sickness began, picking off members of the team one by one…But despite it all, we had a lovely few days in Copacabana! We took it a bit slower than our usual crazy holiday schedules, which left lots of precious time to hand out and laugh together. A highlight was a boat trip across Lake Titicaca to a beautiful island where the community is really self sufficient – growing all their own food and making their own clothes. It was really cool to see their way of life, as it was do different to anything we’d seen before.

On Tuesday morning we left early for La Paz, where we spent our last full day together exploring the city and its funky rock formations! We had a “last supper” on the rooftop bar of the hotel, overlooking the crazy city of La Paz.

Then suddenly it was Wednesday, and time to say goodbye!! After a morning together shopping and exploring the city, we had lunch and prayed together for one last time. With some of us holding back tears better than others, we said our goodbyes at the bus station and James, Jakob, Izzy and Catherine set off for their travels in Peru. The next day, the others flew home to England.

And then Step was over!! We are so grateful to have had this incredible opportunity, and we’ve grown so much during our time in South America. We’re sad to be leaving, but also really excited to bring all the things we’ve learned back home and continue our adventure of following Jesus in England.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and support over the last four months – we are so grateful! Praise God for His kindness and faithfulness over the last four months, and please pray for Rosie, Nat and Tim as they readjust to home life. Please also pray for safety and fun for James, Jakob, Izzy and Catherine as they travel in Peru. Lastly, pray for our faith – that it would be strengthened by everything we’ve seen on Step, and continue to grow as we go back home.

Thank you so much!

Izzy, Catherine, James, Jakob, Tim, Nat, and Rosie.

To read the previous Step report, click here.