We had the privilege of welcoming a team from our sister church in Lom, Bulgaria, for a week. We have been partnered with this congregation for seven years, and have had teams go to Lom from Bristo every year. The pastor and his wife, Stoicho and Yura, visited with two deacons from the church, Rosa and Goritsa. They visited around some of our Cell Groups and met people at our International Club, as well as preaching and sharing at our Sunday services. We hope to have a team go to Lom again in the early part of 2010. Thursday 21 May 2009
Bristo Magazine May / June 2009
We had the privilege of welcoming a team from our sister church in Lom, Bulgaria, for a week. We have been partnered with this congregation for seven years, and have had teams go to Lom from Bristo every year. The pastor and his wife, Stoicho and Yura, visited with two deacons from the church, Rosa and Goritsa. They visited around some of our Cell Groups and met people at our International Club, as well as preaching and sharing at our Sunday services. We hope to have a team go to Lom again in the early part of 2010. From the editor
Keeping pace. As some of you probably know I have always been a fast walker. When I was younger my parents and I would go on walks together. Especially as they grew older, Dad and especially Mum found it hard to keep up. So, even though we may have started out walking together side by side, I would end up many yards in front of Dad and Mum would be many yards behind him. What started out as a family walk together would end up as individuals walking alone most of the time, though every so often we would stop and let the others catch up.
This illustrates how our walk with God, our journey with Him, should not be. We cannot be relational if we are always journeying at different speeds because we end up either falling behind or running on too far ahead. Paul wrote, “let us keep in step with the Spirit”. So we mustn’t go on ahead of Him, nor fall behind. Let us keep pace to have a better, more relational journey.
This illustrates how our walk with God, our journey with Him, should not be. We cannot be relational if we are always journeying at different speeds because we end up either falling behind or running on too far ahead. Paul wrote, “let us keep in step with the Spirit”. So we mustn’t go on ahead of Him, nor fall behind. Let us keep pace to have a better, more relational journey.
Robert Mill
From the pastor
Dear Friends,
let us keep in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5.25)
Isn’t it ironic that, despite all the technological advances, life gets busier and busier? We fill the time we save on some activities by adding extra ones to our schedules. And get more stressed in the process! There’s lessons to learn from this. For one thing, we live in an ‘information overload’ society: we can see that most people don’t want information constantly pushed at them. They have too much. But quality relationships are less, and people are more isolated and lonely than ever.
What are the implications of this for us as Christians, both in our own lives and as church together? Well, we all need to recognise that sharing the Gospel these days is not so much about sharing information as it is about sharing ourselves. Relationships matter. This is true for us in being church together as well as in relationships with family, colleagues, neighbours and friends. We need to find time for people. And then we’ll find that people will begin to have time for Jesus.
But because of the pressures of competing interests and demands, we also need to plan the use of our time and energy. To do this, we should try and develop a sense of perspective of what it is that really matters for us, and also what we should persevere with. In an ‘instant’ society, it’s too easy to give up when we don’t get quick results. And that doesn’t fit with Christian living that prioritises relationships. Relational building takes a lot of time and energy; but when that leads to positive change in the lives of others, then it is worth it. So prioritising and persevering are really important.
As we come into summer, take time to reappraise what you’re about. Look at relationships. Get into step with Jesus. And find time for developing friendships, old and new.
In His love,
Jim
Treasurer's Report
Nothing ever seems to run completely smoothly. Last year’s accounts are still a work in progress, though I now finally have access to all the bank statements I need to confirm all our income and expenditure for last year, both to meet requirements of exactly what to include in the accounts, and to meet the requirements of our accounts inspector. I’ve also managed to file all the Tax returns to HMRC for last year, so this is a big weight off my shoulders.
The diaconate has discussed a preliminary budget, and that needs to be refined into a proper proposal to be presented to the church AGM. The main difference between this year’s and last year’s budget is that we’re not proposing to have to spend nearly £20,000 on building repairs and maintenance. We’ll have to spend a bit more on some bills (in particular gas bills are expected to rise again!), but if we manage to keep our weekly offerings on the same level as last year (nearly £1400 per week including special offerings) this should allow us to start to replace some of our reserves that we’ve eaten into over the last three years through doing essential building maintenance. Once we get back into the black then we can start to consider how best to invest in the kind of work we wish to support as a church, rather than spending on things we have to do just to keep going.
In a couple of months in my magazine article I’ll present the budget and give an indication of how well we’re progressing this year.
As many of you will realise I’m standing for re-election as a Deacon this year, and I’m looking forward, if re-elected, to continuing in service as Deacon and Treasurer. The learning curve for being treasurer has been steep ... and continues, particularly because regulations change all the time ... but I think, at last I’m getting close to understanding the role, and how I need to record things to make the reporting easier.
Paul Watson
The diaconate has discussed a preliminary budget, and that needs to be refined into a proper proposal to be presented to the church AGM. The main difference between this year’s and last year’s budget is that we’re not proposing to have to spend nearly £20,000 on building repairs and maintenance. We’ll have to spend a bit more on some bills (in particular gas bills are expected to rise again!), but if we manage to keep our weekly offerings on the same level as last year (nearly £1400 per week including special offerings) this should allow us to start to replace some of our reserves that we’ve eaten into over the last three years through doing essential building maintenance. Once we get back into the black then we can start to consider how best to invest in the kind of work we wish to support as a church, rather than spending on things we have to do just to keep going.
In a couple of months in my magazine article I’ll present the budget and give an indication of how well we’re progressing this year.
As many of you will realise I’m standing for re-election as a Deacon this year, and I’m looking forward, if re-elected, to continuing in service as Deacon and Treasurer. The learning curve for being treasurer has been steep ... and continues, particularly because regulations change all the time ... but I think, at last I’m getting close to understanding the role, and how I need to record things to make the reporting easier.
Paul Watson
Births - congratulations!
Ryan and Natalia Gladwin on the birth of their son Lucas on Monday 23rd March 2009 - a baby sister for Eva.
Jim & Linda Allison’s daughter Laura and her husband John-Paul on the birth of their daughter Rachael (pictured) on 18 April, a second grandchild for Jim and Linda.
Also belated congratulations to Sharon Tate on the birth of her daughter Zara in February, second grandchild for Jess.
Jim & Linda Allison’s daughter Laura and her husband John-Paul on the birth of their daughter Rachael (pictured) on 18 April, a second grandchild for Jim and Linda.
Also belated congratulations to Sharon Tate on the birth of her daughter Zara in February, second grandchild for Jess.
Sheila Knight
Sheila Knight passed away on Palm Sunday, 5th April 2009 after a prolonged period of illness. Sheila and her husband Alan used to be active members of Bristo and although latterly they have been members of Granton Baptist Sheila nevertheless enjoyed coming to our evening services, albeit with great difficulty towards the end. Sheila was Bristo’s Sunday School Superintendent for some years. She is survived by her husband Alan, her two daughters Susan and Sally and their families. We extend our sympathy to all of them.
News from Baptist Union & Evangelical Alliance
The Evangelical Alliance has appointed a new General Director, Steve Clifford, who took up his post in April. He is a gifted leader and visionary with a passion for mission through the local church. He has also served the Alliance as a Council and Board member for a few years so is well known in the organisation. You can read an interview with Steve in the March/April issue of Idea available by the notice board.
Rev Bill Slack, General Director of the Baptist Union of Scotland, has accepted a unanimous call to the pastorate of the Culduthel Church in Inverness and will take up that appointment at the end of June. Bill has led the Union for fourteen years during a period of considerable change and has also represented Scottish Baptists in the European Baptist Federation and Baptist World Alliance. Our prayers and good wishes go with Bill and his wife, Vivienne, as they begin this new ministry.
This year’s Baptist Union Assembly will take place from Thursday 29 October to Saturday 31 October in Queen’s Park Baptist Church Glasgow. The theme is Punching Holes in the Darkness. Among the speakers is Rev Dr David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance. Further information is available from the website www.baptistassemblyinscotland.org
Christine Lumsden
Rev Bill Slack, General Director of the Baptist Union of Scotland, has accepted a unanimous call to the pastorate of the Culduthel Church in Inverness and will take up that appointment at the end of June. Bill has led the Union for fourteen years during a period of considerable change and has also represented Scottish Baptists in the European Baptist Federation and Baptist World Alliance. Our prayers and good wishes go with Bill and his wife, Vivienne, as they begin this new ministry.
This year’s Baptist Union Assembly will take place from Thursday 29 October to Saturday 31 October in Queen’s Park Baptist Church Glasgow. The theme is Punching Holes in the Darkness. Among the speakers is Rev Dr David Coffey, president of the Baptist World Alliance. Further information is available from the website www.baptistassemblyinscotland.org
Christine Lumsden
Book Review
Giving Hope and a Future: Bethany Christian Trust The first 25 years by Anne E Berry (Christian Focus 2009)
It hardly seems possible to those of us who remember its beginnings that ‘Bethany’ is 25 years old. To mark this significant anniversary Anne Berry, wife of the Trust’s founder, Rev Alan Berry, has recorded its history. As one might expect, the book is written from an insider’s point of view. We learn of the personal struggles in the early days as Alan faced up to God’s call for him to concentrate full-time on work among the homeless, which hitherto he had combined with his pastorate in South Leith. A knock on the door or a telephone call from someone seeking his help to find accommodation sparked the whole process which is now a complex enterprise. From the immediate area of the church Bethany has extended beyond the city boundary to the Lothians and Fife.
The story is told on the basis of Bethany’s ‘Seven Levels of Care’ from street work, specialist ministries, training for employment and education. Failures as well as successes are recorded, sorrows as well as joys. Throughout, however, we are aware of the work of the Holy Spirit as lives are changed. It is also a story of complete trust in the Lord who provides for their needs to an unimaginable degree. This is an inspiration and a challenge to us. As Anne writes in her introduction to the book:
God has done some wonderful things. But principally this is the story of what can happen when an extraordinary God shares an idea with ordinary people who decide to act upon it. In a different context therefore IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU. (p. 10)
Copies are available from Bethany’s new offices at 65 Bonnington Road Leith.
Christine Lumsden
It hardly seems possible to those of us who remember its beginnings that ‘Bethany’ is 25 years old. To mark this significant anniversary Anne Berry, wife of the Trust’s founder, Rev Alan Berry, has recorded its history. As one might expect, the book is written from an insider’s point of view. We learn of the personal struggles in the early days as Alan faced up to God’s call for him to concentrate full-time on work among the homeless, which hitherto he had combined with his pastorate in South Leith. A knock on the door or a telephone call from someone seeking his help to find accommodation sparked the whole process which is now a complex enterprise. From the immediate area of the church Bethany has extended beyond the city boundary to the Lothians and Fife.
The story is told on the basis of Bethany’s ‘Seven Levels of Care’ from street work, specialist ministries, training for employment and education. Failures as well as successes are recorded, sorrows as well as joys. Throughout, however, we are aware of the work of the Holy Spirit as lives are changed. It is also a story of complete trust in the Lord who provides for their needs to an unimaginable degree. This is an inspiration and a challenge to us. As Anne writes in her introduction to the book:
God has done some wonderful things. But principally this is the story of what can happen when an extraordinary God shares an idea with ordinary people who decide to act upon it. In a different context therefore IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU. (p. 10)
Copies are available from Bethany’s new offices at 65 Bonnington Road Leith.
Christine Lumsden
Reflections on a journey
God sees each of us as precious and unique individuals, so no one journey will be exactly the same as another. As I look back on thirty years as a committed believer, I can now see more clearly the subtle ways in which the Lord has touched my life and led me closer and closer to the ultimate perfection we are promised. I hasten to add that I cannot recognise in me much of this perfection at present, but we have to stand on God’s promises for everything that we hope for, and trust that it is happening and will happen.
When I was a new Christian I was completely blown over by the change it made in my life. So many things that had just been words and ideas suddenly became real. The world was in heightened colour and I had for the first time a real purpose in my life. For quite a long period I lived for signs, wonders, divine encounters, miracles. When I look back now or read old diaries I wonder how much of it all was imagination.
I was fortunate to be living in the Middle East at the time, a society where belief in God is normal and dreams and visions relatively commonplace. There was very little to do outside of work – with limited access to films and books or any of the often pointless activities which fill our time nowadays. My main social life was with other evangelical Christians and my local friends, also mainly Christians. Actually, I was afraid to move too far from Christians, as I knew myself to be a person who naturally flits from one thing to another. (I still do as far as worldly interests are concerned). As I had dropped most other things I had begun, I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to keep this new way of life up.
I think that what kept me going for the first ten years was my almost addictive enthusiasm for the Bible. I now believe strongly that to follow Jesus one must know something of the mind of God. King Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1 :7). One so often finds oneself in situations where there may not be a specific Bible passage to lead one in the right path, and in this case spiritual discernment is necessary. The Lord gave me the time at a crucial stage in my Christian path to prayerfully study the Scripture on a daily basis without the pressure of time that we all feel now. I put the emphasis on “prayerfully”, as we are dealing with a holy God who must be approached with reverence. God also sent me many people, some of whom I have almost forgotten, to keep me on the right path and strengthen my weak faith. I particularly thank Him for the Indians, Ethiopians and, yes, Americans, in an expatriate environment where the British Christians were few and far between. For example, an Armenian Christian said to me once, “Have you heard about being crucified with Christ?” I said that I had, but didn’t really understand it, so she gave me a photocopy from a book by Watchman Nee, who was an inspiration for me for many years afterwards. (It is still a difficult concept, I feel).
However, now I look back over the years I see that at that early stage I was, in the words of our pastor Jim, a bit of a Christian consumer. One could see it as a way of filling my time in an exciting and social way. I did my best to help people and do “good works”, but Jesus was more God than Man to me, and I cannot remember the churches I attended stressing anything other than getting people converted by convincing them to “commit their lives to Jesus”. I started to rethink this long before coming to Bristo, as my reading of the Bible suggested to me that there was something wrong in the teaching we were receiving. As a rather intellectual person, one of the things that God showed me over this time was that the Holy Spirit can lead any of us to the truth through the Word. Natural intellect is not the point here – rather it is the childlike approach and the worshipful openness of the seeker.
Only since retiring have I really understood that God wants to mould us into people who model the life of Jesus, so that we express the Father’s character and purpose. As the prophet Micah said, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6: 8). I probably missed this earlier because it was always my inclination in my old worldly life to fight for justice and help the poor, but in a political and abstract rather than “hands-on” way. As I get older, however, and have access to fewer people, I struggle with this, especially when our pastor keeps telling us that being a Christian is all about relationships. Relationships are very hard to establish in our post-modern post-Christian society, especially for a natural loner like myself who spent much of my life abroad.
I must admit that the early excitement and freshness has never really. returned, but I am much more rooted now in my faith and certain of the presence of God in my life. I believe that at all stages the Lord meets us where we are, and provides all we need according to the level of our vulnerability. When I was a young Christian he shook me up considerably because my defences needed to be broken down. He gave me many gifts such as answers to prayer, divine appointments and amazing Christians at every early step. He allowed me a long breathing space before seriously testing me. Now, after many subsequent twists and turns, I know that all I have is the Lord, and without him I would be utterly lost. I have a feeling in my bones, as it were, that he is there. I know that he is constantly with me and that if this were not so, there would be no purpose in life for me.
I believe strongly that there can be no happiness for a follower of Jesus – we only have to look around us to see the present condition of a world that God created and at its creation proclaimed to be good. We would be completely hard-hearted if we blocked out the decay and suffering around us. There are very few references to happiness in the Bible (but cf. Ecclesiastes 2: 26), and no one has a right to it. However, “joy in the Lord” should be always with us, and I think I can say that from the day I first encountered Jesus I have experienced a deep contentment that I could never have received otherwise, and certainly did not receive from anything available in the world.
Gill Schärer
When I was a new Christian I was completely blown over by the change it made in my life. So many things that had just been words and ideas suddenly became real. The world was in heightened colour and I had for the first time a real purpose in my life. For quite a long period I lived for signs, wonders, divine encounters, miracles. When I look back now or read old diaries I wonder how much of it all was imagination.
I was fortunate to be living in the Middle East at the time, a society where belief in God is normal and dreams and visions relatively commonplace. There was very little to do outside of work – with limited access to films and books or any of the often pointless activities which fill our time nowadays. My main social life was with other evangelical Christians and my local friends, also mainly Christians. Actually, I was afraid to move too far from Christians, as I knew myself to be a person who naturally flits from one thing to another. (I still do as far as worldly interests are concerned). As I had dropped most other things I had begun, I wasn’t sure how long I would be able to keep this new way of life up.
I think that what kept me going for the first ten years was my almost addictive enthusiasm for the Bible. I now believe strongly that to follow Jesus one must know something of the mind of God. King Solomon wrote, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1 :7). One so often finds oneself in situations where there may not be a specific Bible passage to lead one in the right path, and in this case spiritual discernment is necessary. The Lord gave me the time at a crucial stage in my Christian path to prayerfully study the Scripture on a daily basis without the pressure of time that we all feel now. I put the emphasis on “prayerfully”, as we are dealing with a holy God who must be approached with reverence. God also sent me many people, some of whom I have almost forgotten, to keep me on the right path and strengthen my weak faith. I particularly thank Him for the Indians, Ethiopians and, yes, Americans, in an expatriate environment where the British Christians were few and far between. For example, an Armenian Christian said to me once, “Have you heard about being crucified with Christ?” I said that I had, but didn’t really understand it, so she gave me a photocopy from a book by Watchman Nee, who was an inspiration for me for many years afterwards. (It is still a difficult concept, I feel).
However, now I look back over the years I see that at that early stage I was, in the words of our pastor Jim, a bit of a Christian consumer. One could see it as a way of filling my time in an exciting and social way. I did my best to help people and do “good works”, but Jesus was more God than Man to me, and I cannot remember the churches I attended stressing anything other than getting people converted by convincing them to “commit their lives to Jesus”. I started to rethink this long before coming to Bristo, as my reading of the Bible suggested to me that there was something wrong in the teaching we were receiving. As a rather intellectual person, one of the things that God showed me over this time was that the Holy Spirit can lead any of us to the truth through the Word. Natural intellect is not the point here – rather it is the childlike approach and the worshipful openness of the seeker.
Only since retiring have I really understood that God wants to mould us into people who model the life of Jesus, so that we express the Father’s character and purpose. As the prophet Micah said, “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6: 8). I probably missed this earlier because it was always my inclination in my old worldly life to fight for justice and help the poor, but in a political and abstract rather than “hands-on” way. As I get older, however, and have access to fewer people, I struggle with this, especially when our pastor keeps telling us that being a Christian is all about relationships. Relationships are very hard to establish in our post-modern post-Christian society, especially for a natural loner like myself who spent much of my life abroad.
I must admit that the early excitement and freshness has never really. returned, but I am much more rooted now in my faith and certain of the presence of God in my life. I believe that at all stages the Lord meets us where we are, and provides all we need according to the level of our vulnerability. When I was a young Christian he shook me up considerably because my defences needed to be broken down. He gave me many gifts such as answers to prayer, divine appointments and amazing Christians at every early step. He allowed me a long breathing space before seriously testing me. Now, after many subsequent twists and turns, I know that all I have is the Lord, and without him I would be utterly lost. I have a feeling in my bones, as it were, that he is there. I know that he is constantly with me and that if this were not so, there would be no purpose in life for me.
I believe strongly that there can be no happiness for a follower of Jesus – we only have to look around us to see the present condition of a world that God created and at its creation proclaimed to be good. We would be completely hard-hearted if we blocked out the decay and suffering around us. There are very few references to happiness in the Bible (but cf. Ecclesiastes 2: 26), and no one has a right to it. However, “joy in the Lord” should be always with us, and I think I can say that from the day I first encountered Jesus I have experienced a deep contentment that I could never have received otherwise, and certainly did not receive from anything available in the world.
Gill Schärer
News from Joshus & Doreen
Good day! It has been a while so I thought it good to send you a quick update about Doreen and I, because now that graduation is coming up, we are looking to get involved with churches in the western US. But as of right now we do not have any certain plans because Doreen has some classes to finish that get over at the end of July, so we will be at Joplin a little longer. We are expecting our first child into our family this Nov-Dec. We are very excited about that and about discovering future plans. We miss you a lot, and often catch ourselves reminiscing about the time we spent with the church family there. It was such a great year to grow and learn, and we are so thankful to have been there.
We love you guys,
Joshua Williamson
We love you guys,
Joshua Williamson
More News from Africa Mercy
Here are Pamela Graham’s latest emails from the Mercy Ship Africa Mercy in Benin. She received a needle stick injury on 2nd April; her two emails about that, dated 2 and 27 April, follow her more general one below.
18 April
Things are going fine here, after the initial shock to the system of this alien environment I have settled in. General routine begins with breakfast at 6.30, devotions at 7.30 and work at 8. Normal working day seems to be from 8 till when you get finished, and on call around twice a week. The weather is still very hot and sunny with a few days of rain but the rainy season is due to start any time now and so our days of the sun are now numbered.
I’ve made my way round most of the theatres now, which includes eyes, general, VVF, max facs and ortho. Ortho is interesting here, many bowed legs and club feet. So easy to fix, well, it looks so easy, we’ve been putting in 8 plates onto the lateral (outside) side of the femoral condyles which stop growth on that side, this lets the bone grow on the medial (inside) side. Over a period of a year the leg will straighten out. It already looks great by the time they leave theatre. Lots of club feet too, and it seems like a simple enough operation, I’m not saying I could do it, but the outcome is amazing for what happens under the knife and the children wake up with a completely new life ahead. The surgeons seems to enjoy teaching, you just don’t get the chance to write everything down, it is so evident though that surgery is only a part of the massive need here.
There are set meal times on board so if you miss it ... you’ve had it. It also means that if you choose to lie on Saturday and Sunday morning you don’t get anything to eat until your evening meal and for me this is too long! You can buy snacks from the ship’s shop which is not open at the weekend so you have to be prepared if you know there is a chance you might sleep in, you have to get food to keep you going. The only problem is the supplies in the shop are all American, namely biscuits and the rubbish stuff they call candy and I’m trying to stay away from it. Biscuits and a jumbo pack of M & M’s chocolate for breakfast ... eh thanks but I’ll pass. One problem I am encountering, the peanut butter here is good and I’m eating too much and becoming ‘cuddly’ as one of the anaesthetists like to call it, in other words, fat! Resistance is futile, please pray.
We had to abandon a VVF repair a few weeks ago which was the first time I have been in an op where we have decided to do that. The tear in the bladder wall was too high to repair and we stood for hours before it was decided nothing more could be done. We are hoping to refer the lady to another surgeon who can repair the fistula abdominally which will depend on when they happen to come along. I was quite upset by that, just to think that this lady would wake up to be told that it didn’t work. She probably had to move heaven and earth to get to the ship in the first place and probably as her last chance of hope. This is definitely the area where I feel most for the patients, this condition has been such an eye opener and there are so many factors that would have to change to make these stillborn babies live, and for the mothers to deliver safely but ultimately what would save this disaster is a simple Caesarean section.
The doctor who has been serving here on the ship for VVF has worked in Ethiopia for years dealing with the dilemma there. One of the major problems there is that the terrain is so treacherous with valleys and steep hills, that it makes it almost impossible for a woman to get herself to the hospital, and most of the time they are solely responsible for getting themselves there as the husbands don’t really see it as their job, or particularly care. We were seeing to a woman who had suffered with leaking urine for five years and she was the same age as me. When the doctor
investigated he found a stone sitting in her birth canal. I may have told this story before but it has been one of the biggest things so far. If you don’t like medical stories don’t read the next sentence. When we took out the stone it was in fact the baby’s skull which had been there from five years ago. The lady in question did eventually have a Caesarean section but because it was still born they took the baby out of the womb in parts and left the head in there. Quite disturbing.
I live in a very varied and cultured environment but with only two Northern Irish folk we are thin on the ground. There are over 40 nationalities serving on board I’m told. The predominant nationality is definitely American. The next most predominant would be Dutch. I have spoken with people from Ireland, UK, Norway, Sweden (whom I really like), Holland, Germany, Austria, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada and America to name a few. There are also African people serving on board from Togo, Nigeria and Ghana and lots of other places.
There is quite a varied schedule with things happening most evenings. Aerobics on a Monday night, in house teaching on Wednesday and option for bible study on Daniel in the evenings; Thursday night is the main community meeting with ice cream served after while Friday and Saturday nights are usually chill out nights with whatever going on. You can go out to eat at the restaurants in the area. I have been to a few and have been impressed, except for the bicycle chicken which I have been served on a few occasions, which had less meat on it than a budgie’s leg.
Starbucks is usually open most evenings although I have decided not to partake in Starbucks or to over-indulge in the goodies. I need a reminder of where I am and when you have all these indulgences around you just become de-sensitised to your surroundings. I don’t feel good when some of the day volunteers (people from Benin who come in to help on ship, translating) walk around and see all the ‘stuff’ we have here when they have to go back to their homes in the city which are predominantly shacks. There is something wrong with that in my head and although its not a big sacrifice it is a reminder of the purpose and point of why I am here.
It is difficult to get your head around the fact I am still living in my western culture on this ship and yet outside on the dock is poverty like I have never seen it. I went to a stilt village the first week I was here and was shocked by what I saw, it’s hard to describe, these children have a fascination with pens, all they wanted were pens or chewing gum and I didn’t have either. These shacks for houses hovered on stilts in water. The water was about 3 feet deep but they went everywhere in the village in canoes, like a Venice except it wasn’t like Venice at all! I’m sure the water was typhoid rich and I really didn’t fancy falling out of the boat. There was nothing there but shacks on stilts in the middle of nowhere, secluded from civilisation.
Had to move the ship at the weekend to refuel. We successfully took on 700 tonnes of oil and moved back to our original dock space this morning. As I didn’t get to sail with the ship this has been my first experience and it was great. All very formal and structured. The gangway was lifted last and we knew we were on our way shortly after that. The tug boat came and pulled us out from both sides and guided us out of the tight space and soon we were sailing to the other side of the dock. The tug then literally nose pushes the ship into the side. Very interesting and we tie up.
Been having a few good days of riddle telling which started in theatre with Dr Parker, we told riddles for a few hours which has now spread to midship and I’m still hearing them. Gets the mind working and sometimes there is only so much you can do on a ship!
2 April
So despite praying against needle stick injuries, you have guessed it. I got one today and didn’t think anything of it as it didn’t pierce my glove. but, have found out some horrible news about the patient that I cannot bring myself to say it but I will let you come up with the answer. I have had blood taken and have started anti-retroviral drugs but I’m really scared and all I want to do is come home.
I will see the doc in the morning and he can tell me the outcome. People tell me the rate of getting it is slim but they also said the chance of any of these children having it was slim and one of them does and look what happened.
27 April
I want to thank you for praying for me as I think it has been the only thing that has kept me calm through this situation.
Most recent news is that I will go for another blood test either this week or in two weeks’ time. They are questioning if it should be 4 or 6 weeks after the event. It’s to give more of an idea of what is going on in my blood, although I won’t be able to tell much until at least three months. If anything was going to be there it should show by three months. So, hopefully I will get this three month blood test a few days before I come home, around the 25th June. I’m hoping they will do it for me here and not send me home to get it which would be a nightmare trying to explain it at the Health Centre, especially the one I am registered with, who don’t do communication that well.
I had a bad day on Friday and have decided I cannot scrub anymore, it’s not worth the fear. I am circulating in the OR and even that can bring anxiety on. I was thinking about trying to find something else to do for the next two months, some admin things, however there doesn’t seem to be a space for that just now and we are so short of OR nurses that it would seem wrong to escape the responsibility.
There has been another nurse who has got one also. She is 72 years old, long since retired and devastated also. The medication is tough on her also but she is still on it, whereas I came off my mine. Needle- sticks have never happened on the ship before apparently, but since arriving in Benin there have 18 incidents and we have only been here for 9 weeks. It’s scary. Benin is very dark, it’s the home of voodoo. People practise Christianity and voodoo very interchangeably.
Wanted to keep you posted and if you could remember me in the next while.
Thank you sincerely everyone
Pamela Graham
18 April
Things are going fine here, after the initial shock to the system of this alien environment I have settled in. General routine begins with breakfast at 6.30, devotions at 7.30 and work at 8. Normal working day seems to be from 8 till when you get finished, and on call around twice a week. The weather is still very hot and sunny with a few days of rain but the rainy season is due to start any time now and so our days of the sun are now numbered.
I’ve made my way round most of the theatres now, which includes eyes, general, VVF, max facs and ortho. Ortho is interesting here, many bowed legs and club feet. So easy to fix, well, it looks so easy, we’ve been putting in 8 plates onto the lateral (outside) side of the femoral condyles which stop growth on that side, this lets the bone grow on the medial (inside) side. Over a period of a year the leg will straighten out. It already looks great by the time they leave theatre. Lots of club feet too, and it seems like a simple enough operation, I’m not saying I could do it, but the outcome is amazing for what happens under the knife and the children wake up with a completely new life ahead. The surgeons seems to enjoy teaching, you just don’t get the chance to write everything down, it is so evident though that surgery is only a part of the massive need here.
There are set meal times on board so if you miss it ... you’ve had it. It also means that if you choose to lie on Saturday and Sunday morning you don’t get anything to eat until your evening meal and for me this is too long! You can buy snacks from the ship’s shop which is not open at the weekend so you have to be prepared if you know there is a chance you might sleep in, you have to get food to keep you going. The only problem is the supplies in the shop are all American, namely biscuits and the rubbish stuff they call candy and I’m trying to stay away from it. Biscuits and a jumbo pack of M & M’s chocolate for breakfast ... eh thanks but I’ll pass. One problem I am encountering, the peanut butter here is good and I’m eating too much and becoming ‘cuddly’ as one of the anaesthetists like to call it, in other words, fat! Resistance is futile, please pray.
We had to abandon a VVF repair a few weeks ago which was the first time I have been in an op where we have decided to do that. The tear in the bladder wall was too high to repair and we stood for hours before it was decided nothing more could be done. We are hoping to refer the lady to another surgeon who can repair the fistula abdominally which will depend on when they happen to come along. I was quite upset by that, just to think that this lady would wake up to be told that it didn’t work. She probably had to move heaven and earth to get to the ship in the first place and probably as her last chance of hope. This is definitely the area where I feel most for the patients, this condition has been such an eye opener and there are so many factors that would have to change to make these stillborn babies live, and for the mothers to deliver safely but ultimately what would save this disaster is a simple Caesarean section.
The doctor who has been serving here on the ship for VVF has worked in Ethiopia for years dealing with the dilemma there. One of the major problems there is that the terrain is so treacherous with valleys and steep hills, that it makes it almost impossible for a woman to get herself to the hospital, and most of the time they are solely responsible for getting themselves there as the husbands don’t really see it as their job, or particularly care. We were seeing to a woman who had suffered with leaking urine for five years and she was the same age as me. When the doctor
investigated he found a stone sitting in her birth canal. I may have told this story before but it has been one of the biggest things so far. If you don’t like medical stories don’t read the next sentence. When we took out the stone it was in fact the baby’s skull which had been there from five years ago. The lady in question did eventually have a Caesarean section but because it was still born they took the baby out of the womb in parts and left the head in there. Quite disturbing.
I live in a very varied and cultured environment but with only two Northern Irish folk we are thin on the ground. There are over 40 nationalities serving on board I’m told. The predominant nationality is definitely American. The next most predominant would be Dutch. I have spoken with people from Ireland, UK, Norway, Sweden (whom I really like), Holland, Germany, Austria, Russia, Poland, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Canada and America to name a few. There are also African people serving on board from Togo, Nigeria and Ghana and lots of other places.
There is quite a varied schedule with things happening most evenings. Aerobics on a Monday night, in house teaching on Wednesday and option for bible study on Daniel in the evenings; Thursday night is the main community meeting with ice cream served after while Friday and Saturday nights are usually chill out nights with whatever going on. You can go out to eat at the restaurants in the area. I have been to a few and have been impressed, except for the bicycle chicken which I have been served on a few occasions, which had less meat on it than a budgie’s leg.
Starbucks is usually open most evenings although I have decided not to partake in Starbucks or to over-indulge in the goodies. I need a reminder of where I am and when you have all these indulgences around you just become de-sensitised to your surroundings. I don’t feel good when some of the day volunteers (people from Benin who come in to help on ship, translating) walk around and see all the ‘stuff’ we have here when they have to go back to their homes in the city which are predominantly shacks. There is something wrong with that in my head and although its not a big sacrifice it is a reminder of the purpose and point of why I am here.
It is difficult to get your head around the fact I am still living in my western culture on this ship and yet outside on the dock is poverty like I have never seen it. I went to a stilt village the first week I was here and was shocked by what I saw, it’s hard to describe, these children have a fascination with pens, all they wanted were pens or chewing gum and I didn’t have either. These shacks for houses hovered on stilts in water. The water was about 3 feet deep but they went everywhere in the village in canoes, like a Venice except it wasn’t like Venice at all! I’m sure the water was typhoid rich and I really didn’t fancy falling out of the boat. There was nothing there but shacks on stilts in the middle of nowhere, secluded from civilisation.
Had to move the ship at the weekend to refuel. We successfully took on 700 tonnes of oil and moved back to our original dock space this morning. As I didn’t get to sail with the ship this has been my first experience and it was great. All very formal and structured. The gangway was lifted last and we knew we were on our way shortly after that. The tug boat came and pulled us out from both sides and guided us out of the tight space and soon we were sailing to the other side of the dock. The tug then literally nose pushes the ship into the side. Very interesting and we tie up.
Been having a few good days of riddle telling which started in theatre with Dr Parker, we told riddles for a few hours which has now spread to midship and I’m still hearing them. Gets the mind working and sometimes there is only so much you can do on a ship!
2 April
So despite praying against needle stick injuries, you have guessed it. I got one today and didn’t think anything of it as it didn’t pierce my glove. but, have found out some horrible news about the patient that I cannot bring myself to say it but I will let you come up with the answer. I have had blood taken and have started anti-retroviral drugs but I’m really scared and all I want to do is come home.
I will see the doc in the morning and he can tell me the outcome. People tell me the rate of getting it is slim but they also said the chance of any of these children having it was slim and one of them does and look what happened.
27 April
I want to thank you for praying for me as I think it has been the only thing that has kept me calm through this situation.
Most recent news is that I will go for another blood test either this week or in two weeks’ time. They are questioning if it should be 4 or 6 weeks after the event. It’s to give more of an idea of what is going on in my blood, although I won’t be able to tell much until at least three months. If anything was going to be there it should show by three months. So, hopefully I will get this three month blood test a few days before I come home, around the 25th June. I’m hoping they will do it for me here and not send me home to get it which would be a nightmare trying to explain it at the Health Centre, especially the one I am registered with, who don’t do communication that well.
I had a bad day on Friday and have decided I cannot scrub anymore, it’s not worth the fear. I am circulating in the OR and even that can bring anxiety on. I was thinking about trying to find something else to do for the next two months, some admin things, however there doesn’t seem to be a space for that just now and we are so short of OR nurses that it would seem wrong to escape the responsibility.
There has been another nurse who has got one also. She is 72 years old, long since retired and devastated also. The medication is tough on her also but she is still on it, whereas I came off my mine. Needle- sticks have never happened on the ship before apparently, but since arriving in Benin there have 18 incidents and we have only been here for 9 weeks. It’s scary. Benin is very dark, it’s the home of voodoo. People practise Christianity and voodoo very interchangeably.
Wanted to keep you posted and if you could remember me in the next while.
Thank you sincerely everyone
Pamela Graham
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