Good News!
(original story here....)
18th February 2007
“When the Lord brought
back the captives to Zion, we were like
men who dreamed.
Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues –
with songs of joy.
Then it was said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things
for us and we are filled with joy.’”
| These words came to
mind as we met for the last time for morning prayers with the
African seafarers a few days ago. Only two days earlier the local
head of the Maritime Affairs Authority had summonsed Peter and the
four captains to say that negotiations with the company’s manager
had failed completely and that their only recourse was to go to
court. It was a dismal but sadly predictable outcome. As they drove
back to the church, Jimoh, one of the captains said, quiet but
confidently, ‘Our faith is in Almighty God.’ Less than two hours later, word came that the .company’s manager was going to pay the crews’ wages, return their passports and send them home. Rumour has it that the Foreign Minister of Yemen intervened personally on behalf of the fishermen. Their plight certainly had very generous and largely extremely sympathetic coverage in all the main Yemeni newspapers, while Al Jazeera, the Arabic satellite channel, ran a special feature on the seafarers between a report on life in Baghdad and an update on struggles to form a new Palestinian parliament. Morning prayers, referred to earlier, got quite out of hand – understandably. How could it have been otherwise?! “… our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” Friday morning at 6.30 there was a phone call from Lagos airport. It was Jimoh telling us that they had all arrived safely and were on their way HOME! It was exactly two months since they had arrived exhausted and distraught at Christ Church. Those months were remarkable – and wonderful, in ways too many to recount just now. The crews actually received only half of what they were due and their excess baggage still lies in a corner of the church while we search for a competitive carrier. But they are home and we are glad. Thank you so much for your faithful prayers and continual support. ‘To God be the glory, great things He has done’. With much love Peter and Nancy and all the staff and congregation at Christ Church |