We have received so much here in our short time.  Each day has started with prayers at 7.45.am in the church, mainly with the Ethiopians but others join too.  On Fridays has been the main act of worship for English speaking people from all nationalities: sometimes the Koreans singing for us, or a Pakistani couple leading us in singing the scripture we have read using their own mother tongue of Urdu; or a German or Australian family helping with the music and singing, or an Egyptian leading in prayer in his own language. Its been quite a challenge to coordinate the worship for such a diverse group who are also from many different church backgrounds. Even in a small group for a Quiet Day prior to Holy Week we had 7 nationalities present! we were able to reflect together on aspects of desert life, what are the desert storms we meet, what are the spiritual resources we have, and the meaning of the words:`Father, into your hands I commit my spirit` .

Let Diana share with you two little cameos:

`Yemen is home to thousands of Somali refugees(I hadn`t realised Somalia was so near).They all come illegally by boat. There
is a camp of 20,000 of them in Aden , and a bigger camp in the desert.  They are looked after by the United Nations High Commission and other organisations that settle people and provide the basics, including education. However there is next to no work for them to do. I practise English with the Somalis in the refugee camp, and talked with one man whose story is typical. He described how everyday life was almost impossible in Somalia: for example if you want to buy food, it can be taken from you at gunpoint. For him there was no schooling. One night gunmen came and beat him demanding gold and money. He lived in fear day and night. He paid a lot for a boat passage to smuggle him to Yemen. At night he and many others had to swim to a small boat, but many who had paid drowned as they couldn`t swim. The trip took three days and two nights without food or water. Many died in the boat. Now he is trying to learn English in the refugee camp. 

`Medicine sans Frontiers` helps many refugees who arrive. Many, however, choose to walk through Yemen to Saudi Arabia where there is no work. This is a three week walk, and when travelling we passed groups of refugees carrying nothing except a small bottle of water. The villagers fill these and often feed them but won`t let them settle. The groups walking include women and children. They have to cross the desert of the Empty Quarter.  People smugglers often help them for more money but may leave them in the desert or say the lorry has broken down, pretend to go for help and when they return in three days then there aren`t any passengers.  We have heard horrific stories.  However many do make it to Saudi, but if they are caught there they are deported back to Somalia. Some make the journey several times.....this for them is the only way to find work and perhaps a future and a hope.
 

We went to a big city called Ta`iz(rhymes with `nice`). There in a village in the mountains (about 9000 feet high) we walked with the village women to their water cistern.  This was a large walled enclosure with a flight of some steep stone steps leading down to some rather green looking water. On each step were women queuing to fill their 15 litre plastic containers. Unlike most women who wear a black burka with only their eyes showing, they wore bright head scarves, different coloured tops and another coloured long skirt. We had a friend with us who spoke Arabic and the women were most friendly and wanted us to come to their houses. They filled the containers which they carried back on their heads, something they do two or three times a day. The water is for washing and for the goats to drink. . Drinking water has to be bought from a lorry- but they don`t drink much (it now seems odd that I do my washing and clean the floor with drinking water!)`.

Back to Aden and our daily life.

Each day we join the staff of the clinics and maintenance teams for mid morning coffee/tea-a wonderful mix of people and of work. All the staff with families joined together a few weeks ago for a day of fun and relaxation at Elephants Bay, not too far away, which helped everyone to get to know each other in a different setting - very good for staff morale.  We have sat in the medical and eye clinics and seen something of the healing hand of God (over 20,000 a year pass through the medical clinic and each week in the eye clinic there are 20 operations, as well as much care for people`s eyes). There was a visit two weeks ago by a plastic surgeon who completed 20 major operations in a week and 6 minor ones (see the two photos) - so much hope given to people who felt hopeless.
 

At present there is a training course for the 26 employees led by a team called `Creative People`s Solutions`with  6 training sessions spread over several months and which could help to create more effective leadership and teamwork.

Please remember all this in your prayer.  Remember too in prayer the weekly Management Team meeting, bringing together leaders of the clinics, the church and the maintenance work - this is so important for the daily working together and for communication.  At the end of our time here we joined a group of German, Dutch, British, Canadian, Australian, and Egyptians (all from the church), for two seminars on `Conflict and Confrontation resolution`, looking at the Scriptural principles and learning more how to move forward in resolving conflicts. It was led by an American couple who have worked in the Middle East for 9 years.

Finally, as we write this in Holy Week, here is a meditation from one of those who attended the Quiet Day last week here at
Christchurch, Aden.

`To the Cross I Cling`

To the Cross I cling
Fist clenched, white and bare
Face half hidden, yet in the light
The shame has been taken
The pain has been borne
To the Cross I come
With all my woes and shame
To know that His love can bear it all
To know He`s all I have
To know that His love endures
In His light I come
That He might give me peace and rest
Love eternal
Life assurance
His peace is mine
To the Cross I cling`.


Do pray for the Revd. Nigel Dawkins as he comes as permanent chaplain in the middle of next month, and give thanks to God for all that is happening in His Kingdom in this land.

Paul and Diana Hunt
(temporary chaplains: February
27th-April 7th 2009)