Helen and Alastair - some background

Helen and Alastair - some background : We have always hoped to return to Africa once more before we're too old (perhaps we already are!). Alastair first went to Africa in 1974 as a junior doctor, working for the Church of Scotland in a small hospital in Transkei, South Africa. I met Alastair there in 1982, were married in 1984 and continued in Transkei until 1988. From there we went to Kenya, as employees of the Church of Scotland, where Alastair ran Chogoria Hospital. We left in 1995, with Alec, Peter and Becky to establish the children's schooling and our work in Britain. Here Alastair found himself as consultant in Breast cancer surgery, and Helen initially trained and worked as a GP before "evolving" to full time ordained ministry. Alec is now married to Ruth, and they have baby Zach; Pete is in his final year of medicine in Edinburgh, and Becky half way through nurse training in Oxford.

The Diocese of Western Tanganyika is a partner of Gloucester diocese. The plan is for Helen to join the teaching staff of the Bible College, teaching those preparing for ministry. Alastair will teach English to the students at the college, as well as doing some surgery at the church-run hospitals, and helping with project management in the Diocese.
We will keep you updated on our plans over the next few months and will greatly value your prayer support. Our current prayer requests - and thanks to God of course - will be posted on the side bar.

Thursday, 9 February 2012

Our car leaves

Big day on Monday when the car left to be shipped to Dar es Salam. This is a second hand Terrano which we have bought specially. The roads are bad especially in the wet season - and apart from a landrover this is the only vehicle that is suitable. We filled the boot with 2nd hand theolgocial books (carefully selected to be useful in the African context) - and included all my vicar-y books. We hope they arrive - security is awful but we assume that dusty theological texts won't be too tempting!
No final news on work permits or our house - but we're committed to going anyway!
Parish work doesn't seem to be slowing down yet, and may be it won't, so it feels like a fairly busy next 6 weeks.

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