As you can see the dogs are growing!

One of my favourite pieces of scripture, Romans 8 v28, (We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose) has sustained us well in the last three months. As the weather has changed from hot to very hot and the change has been accompanied by frequent power cuts some days have sometimes been more difficult than others. As with life anywhere there has been a mixture of good and bad, sad and happy, frustration and fulfilment and the knowledge that God is working in all things is a great comfort.

One disappointment was to hear from Dr.Vikram Khosla that the package we were able to offer him for his services here was not enough and so we are still trying to find an Ophthalmologist willing to join our team. I feel sure that anyone sharing our experience of watching patients,old and young, leave here being able to see would be reward beyond any payment. Wolfgang Gindorfer and Martina Freiberg from Christophel Blinden Mission spent four hard-working but valuable days with us whilst we worked out a five year partnership plan for the Eye Clinic. It was good to have Bishop Clive with us again after that visit and he was able to see the progress on the building.

We thought that we had a lead on a nurse for the Family Clinic but unfortunately she was taken ill in Cairo and has had to return to Australia. Prayers are needed for her and for someone to fill that position. 

The task of ambulance driver seems to have come my way a number of times recently as we have had to rush patients from the clinic to hospital. The first was a pregnant woman who had dehydrated; the second was a member of our staff, a gate guard, who collapsed with what turned out to be a massive brain haemorrhage. Yahia is out of hospital now but has lost the use of his right hand side and his power of speech. The third was a lady who collapsed at her place of work nearby; colleagues brought her to us but sadly by the time we got her to hospital she died, she was only in her forties!

Another untimely death was that of a yachtsman, Eric Dobson, who joined us for worship occasionally. Eric was an Englishman on his way to Mombasa to deliver a yacht. The yacht broke down off these shores and so he was held up here to organise the onward journey. He decided to abandon the trip by sea and have the yacht transported by container. He was supervising the loading of the yacht into the container when he collapsed and died. We were able to commend his soul into the care and presence of Our Lord when his body was placed into a coffin at the mortuary for transportation to the UK and I was able to speak with Eric’s parents in Scotland that day and try to give them some comfort.

We still have another yacht’s crew with us; an American woman and a French Canadian man who arrived here four months ago and are stranded whilst they await delivery of a new engine before they can continue their journey to India. Amelia is a nurse and has helped us out a little in the clinic and Gilles is an electronics whiz-kid and has fixed a few things for us. 

Our Indian seafarer friends are still here but hopefully coming closer to a resolution of their case with a second court hearing recently. We can, however, rejoice that the Nigerian fishermen have been paid and repatriated but we really do miss them at worship, their going has reduced our numbers by around twenty people! 

A new British Consul General was appointed to Sana’a in May and she paid a visit to Aden to meet with what few Brits there are here. She gave a dinner party for us then came to look around Christ Church and the Clinics the following day and we took a boat trip around the harbour with her. Her name is Jacqueline Lawson-Smith and she is a very bright and pleasant person to have around and complements our Ambassador, Frances Guy, very well.

The new Consul General with Robert Lacey and Irene

On the first of June the  statue of Queen Victoria, which had resided in the garden of the British Consulate at Khormaksar for the past few years, was re-instated to its original
 

Gail, our English teacher, is now fully engaged in tutoring lots of students and it is good to have these youngsters around the Centre once again.

 The staff flats have now all been completely redecorated and the Eye Clinic extension is coming along well and will hopefully be finished on time. Having two accommodation units as part of the extension will enable us to give up the lease on the flats in Ma’alla and save money that can be better spent on drugs for the Clinic. 

Time passes swiftly and in a few weeks we will be taking our annual leave in the UK and this will bring our first year here to an end. The ministry in Aden has been a complete change from our former ministry at the Hospice in Margate but the feelings of loss and the many changes we experienced there was good preparation for the separation from family and the many comings and goings among those around us here. In such a situation as this, the team takes on an even greater significance and importance and every member of our present team, all twenty-four of us, thank you for your prayers and support and send you our love.

With every blessing,

Yours in Christ,

Colin and Irene