Monday, September 26, 2005

GODSTRONG!

We are all well. Have been very busy since arrival. moved into flat 2 days ago, and things starting to reach normality (kind of!). Alistair has been a total star, and everyone loves him. He has been so good natured through all the changes, which is a real answer to prayer. He said "chapati" the other day! He was dancing during the worship at church on Sunday, and was really very cute.

Jo had a very short-lived tummy upset, but is well. I think that she feels very happy here now that she has a home, and our flat is really quite comfortable, although a lot smaller than we were used to in Glasgow. There is another flat here which is empty most of the time, and can be used for guests. It would be very comfortable for 4. Jo was a little worried that she would be isolated once I start work full-time, and we thought there may not be mums + toddlers etc., and it may be hard for her to make friends. However there are quite a few nurseries around, including one called "Kangaroo Kids" which a girl from Church works at. We will have a look around for a suitable place, and hopefully Alistair will make some friends, and so will Jo! This was a real answer to prayer.

I will be working with the junior Doctors in the hospital, and helping with their training. Their skills are very basic. When I arrived here, I was also very excited about being able to show God's love to people suffering from AIDS. Stephen Alfred spoke to Andy, (who runs the project) this week, and he is very open to my involvement, which to me confirms God's plans for me in this area. I will also go and visit some tribal villages in Dolkan, and probably go there about once a month. (75km away).

We have had some really encouraging answers to prayer. I went to collect some boxes from customs that we had shipped to India. Usually many bribes are paid, but I said that my religion meant that I wanted to do things right. One official helped me through the whole process free, and the customs officers waived most of my duty, as I was coming to do voluntary work. One man saw my "GODSTRONG" wristband (visit http://www.godstrong.org/), and told me that my God was very strong as everything had gone so well for me. I left there very tired by all the beurocracy, but also with my heart singing.

The second answer to prayer was that I lost my keys, and went out with a small umbrella and torch at 10.30 at night, and found them!!

Dr. Steven Alfred used these 2 things in his sermon on Sunday, as they were so noteworthy!!