The Olive Branch-St.Helena's, Larnaca

It's 6.15 am and Brigid Bourne is waiting to hear from the Civil Defence in Cyprus. They will tell her how many Lebanese/Canadian evacuees are being processed through the Port in Larnaca and will then be transported to the Kiteon Stadium. It could be 500, 800 or even 1,000 people. David Hamblin is the organiser of the volunteers from St. Helena's, along with his wife Cathy and, once he has heard from Brigid with the latest news, he will start telephoning the volunteers with the information and will organise their shift, and so the day starts. The other English speaking churches in Larnaca are also helping and each church has been allocated an evacuee centre - ours is the Kiteon Stadium.

As a volunteer we all wear a name badge and this tells people that we are Larnaca Christian Volunteers. Our job is simply to be there. To smile, talk to people and at times cry with them and to give a crumb of comfort. Sometimes we arm ourselves with coloured pencils and paper and encourage the children to draw pictures. It passes the time for them and sometimes they return their pictures to us and we have started a display of them at St. Helena's.

We hear many sad stories. The 14 year old Muslim girl who was alone on her way back to Saudi Arabia. She had been sent to the Lebanon to visit her grandmother for the summer. She had witnessed her grandmother being killed in an air strike, and was in quite a state. All the volunteer could do was to take her in her arms and comfort her, dry her tears and help to provide her with practical things she needed for a shower. Simple things but the most important thing was that she conveyed her love to this child.

It has its lighter side too, when we were asked by one evacuee if we could provide a pregnancy kit as she thought she was pregnant. A very prominent, single gentleman from the church was asked to do this errand, and I don't need to tell you that his leg was pulled all week! We are all still guessing what the outcome was!

The Civil Defence people in Larnaca have been wonderful. They have provided camp beds for everyone and they also bring food in, plus water, coffee and tea for the evacuees. Cyprus is only a small country and yet they have pulled all the stops out to help these people. The evacuees are very anxious and desperate to get on their plane back to Canada and we are constantly being asked when they will fly out. Of course, we have no idea, but we reassure them that it will be soon and that the Embassy people will arrive and they will be dealt with quickly and efficiently. Letters are coming in from people who are safely back in their homes. They rite to say how much they have appreciated all our efforts and care. We feel privileged to have been there for them, if only in a very small way.

We, at St. Helena's, have only recently completed the Listening Skills Course - we have been able to put all that we have learnt into practice. May we always remember the Prayer - "that seeing need, Lord, may we never pass by on the other side".

Liz Taylor