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.

Tuesday, 26 June 2012

New students at college - with new files!
We're very busy at the Bible College with the new course that started last week. We have 19 clergy here for a 6 week intensive course to learn English and to prepare them to join the 3 year Diploma course later this year. It's a real challenge: only a couple of them had any English at all when they coame,a nd its difficult to teach theology in such circumstances. They have a busy timetable. David - who's here short term from New Zealand teaches English grammar and structure, Alastair teaches conversation, and I teach all sorts of things- bible study, worship, theological reflection etc. It's all going very well and between their very limited English and our pretty dreadful Swahili we have a lot of laughs together, and manage some quite gutsy worship and prayer.
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