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.

Friday, 13 July 2012

Katavi Game Park

8 hour drive on dirt roads to the park
Elephants blocking our road


Vast numbers of hippos

We watched a family of 4 lions after a kill

To see these pictures better click on them to enlarge them.
We have had a wonderfully successful family trip to Katavi Game Park - huge distances on terrible dirt roads, and the car suffered somewhat (as did we!) - but worth it all. The park is big, yet very remote with few visitors. We stayed in basic huts and cooked vegetable stews for ourselves on an old gas cooker. The days were spent driving or walking in the park, and we soon learnt where to see the best game. There were lots of elephants and huge numbers of hippos and crocodiles in the pools and rivers. A highlight on our last day was to see a lioness and two cubs by the river. We followed them (in the car!) as they went back to where the male was sitting under a tree. Together they devoured their recent kill. They were still eating when we came back an hour later!
So - who's coming to visit first?!
My thoughts and prayers today are with the church community at St Baranabas, when Janet Faull is being licensed as the new vicar.
Posted by on

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)