16 February 2001 - The "Build the Wall" Party supported by friends of
Christ Church in Bahrain, last night raised BD.430.800

January 2001

(14 Jan) Further to the details below,  examination of the damage shows that repair costs 
will now be upwards of US$35,000 plus or minus.  Contact Roger for further details

On the 1st January 2001 a bomb exploded at Christ Church just outside the perimeter wall about 10 feet from the kitchen area.  Much of the wall was blown down, the kitchen door blown in, cabinets dislodged, most of the glass on that side of the building destroyed, as was that of nearby shops and houses in the general area.  Thankfully no one was injured and only two people were on site at the time but there has been a great deal of damage.   We ask for your continued prayers for the safety of all those who work so hard to bring much needed free medical aid the people who come to the Clinic.


Latest News received from Rev'd Roger Bruggink 
today Tuesday, 9th January 2001
Some pictures showing the damage are included but may be
a little slow to load.

I try to sumarize the general circumstances and hopefully it will be useful from your perspective.

We've since had a power outage and now back on - 1630 local time. Meanwhile, we continue to 'dig out', and we are gaining on it.

There are no 'really new' developments; perhaps of much interest now will be whether this is linked to other episodes. Whether this will come out in a trial remains to be seen.

Overall, the event has generated overwhelming sympathy on the part of the local populace; a bizarre way to gain 'acceptance' but nevertheless it has caught people's attention, and they are kind in their declaration of 'haram!'

Just to sum up some of the basics: the bomb was placed just outside the perimeter wall in the kitchen area of the accommodation block. There was a truck parked about 6 feet from the wall and it was placed between the truck and the wall with the truck suffering damage as well. There is about 8-10 feet of space between the perimeter wall and the wall of the house. When it went off it blew in the kitchen door which ended up in bits and pieces coming to rest mostly on top of the cooking range which was glass topped and suffered nary a scratch!!


This shows the blown out windows


The most scary part was the shards of glass which lodged everywhere, some with great force imbedded in wooden cabinets. This is the miracle as had anyone been in its path, severe lacerations would have resulted. Peter and Sheryl Tolley, the only residents in the building at the time, were on the second floor and to the rear of the house which is what spared them any physical harm. They, and we all, are still dealing a bit with the shock of it all, but after a two day 'lay-off' from clinic work, we are now back on 'normal' schedule. The staff has been magnificent helping in real and practical ways.


We are also overwhelmed with expressions of kindness, compassion, concern, prayers and offers for monetary help with restoration. We are thankful for this, but would much rather have been directing these resources elsewhere in the context of our overall ministry. We estimate, on the basis of some quotes already in hand, that it will take $12- $15,000.00 USD (after a detailed examination of the building this has risen to US$35,000) for restoration, providing we don't uncover any 'hidden' damage of a structural nature. General appearance is that it did not damage the superstructure except for one window base which was directly in the path of the explosion; this is severely cracked and we will have to dig a bit deeper for this one. Maybe it's more like a 'root canal' rather than a simple filling! The microwave had a side panel dislodged, but it is now back in place and seems to work fine!


Of a more puzzling nature is the one broken window in the church, well away from the blast and path. Some 'gumarias' (colored glass windown tops) were also dislodged in the church, but none were broken. 

One of our autos was parked in the yard to the side of the house and it has one broken window and a rear door 'sprung' out so that it doesn't close properly. Also, there were gas bottles (3 or 4) just outside of the kitchen and none of them was exploded nor did we have a fire. We're very thankful for this. 

 Thanks, as always, to everyone for your keen interest and support of CC/RMC!


In this picture you are looking through the hole knocked in the wall at the kitchen and adjacent area of the house; epi-centre of the blast


Adilee remains in the US while I hope to re-enter the living quarters in a day or two. We are uncertain just now when Lee will return to Aden.

Sincerely, Roger (and Adilee) Bruggink for all of us at CC/RMC

Christ Church/RMC - Email: chrchu@y.net.ye
Tel/Fax: 967 2 201 204

As Roger advised on the 14th Jan. it is going to cost US$35,000 plus or minus, 
 to make good the damage caused.

I came across the following a few days after it happened!

     Don't Quit 

 When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
 When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
 When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
 and you want to smile, but you have to sigh.
 When care is pressing you down a bit,
 Rest if you must, but don't you quit. 

 Life is queer with its twist and turns
 As every one of us sometimes learns,
 And many a failure turns about,
 When he might have won had he stuck it out;
 Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
 You may succeed with another blow. 

 Success is failure turned inside out,
 the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
 and you never can tell how close you are,
 It may be near when it seems so far;
 So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
 It's when things seem worst,
 that you must not quit.
(from Chicken Soup for the Soul)