Something to think about…

I’m trying to read some of the ‘theological classics’ at the moment. And to be honest it’s hard going. Really, Really hard going. True, modern Christian paperbacks are light weight, and often inconsequential, but you can read them whilst the TV is on, and put them down to feed the baby, then pick them up again, and not have to start the whole chapter again so that you can follow the train of thought.

Anyway, it’s John Zizioulas at the moment, and I unearthed this gem:

 

God is love… God “subsists” as Trinity, that is, as person, and not as substance. Love is not an emanation or ‘property’ of the substance of God… but is constitutive of His substance.

‘Being as Communion’ – John Zizioulas (St Vladimirs Press 2002) pg 46

Think about it.

 

How bad can things get?

The UK is suffering massive floods, Blair has gone, and now Scary, Ginger, Posh, Sporty and Baby are going to inflict themselves on the world again.

Saving Fr Bossi

It is now just over 2 weeks since a Catholic missionary priest was kidnapped in Mindanao in the Southern Philippines. Reports are sketchy as to what happened, but it seems that as he was riding his motorbike after celebrating Mass in a village in Zamboanga at least 5 armed men forced him from the road and into a van. He has not been heard of since, although there have been reports in the press of him being sighted walking in the mountains in the company of armed men.

Fr Bossi went missing in an area under the control of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. This is a Muslim separatist movement which has been engaged in on/ off armed conflict with the government. In 2003 a cease fire was agreed, and for the most part has held in place, though there are suspicions that a renegade MILF group are behind the kidnap of Fr Bossi. It is estimated that there are still about 4,000 MILF soldiers in the Philippines, and one of the ironies of Fr Bossi’s kidnap is that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the soldiers of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front – erstwhile enemies – have been searching together for traces of Fr Bossi’s kidnappers

The Manila Times reports that difficulties have arisen in the search:

Late last week the operation ran into a major problem. Following the expiration of its mandate, the government and MILF’s Ad hoc Joint Action Group has been deactivated. That means the liaison between the government and the former secessionist group has been effectively cut. Unless it is restored soon, the possibility of government and MILF forces who are engaged in the search firing at each other by mistake is very real.

Where Fr Bossi is now, no-one seems to know. There are rumours of behind the scenes talks but it is uncertain if these are taking place. One possibility is that Fr Bossi was kidnapped by another Islamic group – possibly the Al Qaeda linked Abu Sayyff, another is that he was held up by one of the independent ‘kidnap for ransom’ gangs that operate in the Philippines.

Whatever the case, Fr Bossi was well known by Christians and Muslims a like as a ‘gentle giant’ who worked on behalf of the poor of both communities, and it is heartening that community leaders on both sides of the religious / political divide have requested and prayed for his safe treatment and release.

Further update on dad

Thanks again to everyone who has prayed for us.

It has now been just over a week since dad’s operation. It was touch and go for a while, and though things are now going well, he is still having to be monitored very closely. He has regained full mobility, and is undergoing several different types of tests. A concern at the moment is his speech. Some days he’s fine, others; especially when he is tired, his speech becomes slowed and slurred, which he finds very frustrating (if you knew him, you’d understand). However, the general trend at the moment seems to be one of steady improvement, and we are praying that this will continue.

New shoes!

School starts this week. And for the poorest families that means expense they simply cannot afford. A new term means they must pay not only school fees but also, uniforms, notebooks, text books, satchels, pencils and of course, new school shoes. In Kalubian we were aware that several families were going into debt trying to buy the provisions their children needed. And so we came up with a modest sponsorship scheme. For 20 children we would buy the provisions needed for school if the parents would meet the costs of the school fees. This would mean the families would not be faced with the choice of going into debt or not sending their children to school.

It was a great success. For just £50 (GBP) we were able to kit out 20 children for school. They were delighted, never have I seen such excitement over a new pair of shoes. As a thankyou the children and parents arranged a surprise performance for me before our Sunday communion service. I was treated to a dance and a poem, and of course the new shoes, were proudly on display.

My father in Intensive care

As we were literally about to leave the house for our Sunday fathers day service we had a call from my sister to say that my dad was in hospital having emergency brain surgery.

What happened was that he went in to hospital for a routine operation on his hand. Whilst being prepped he felt ill and complained of a migraine. The doctors were concerned and arranged for him to have a CT scan. This revealed a large hemorrhage and he was rushed for emergency surgery. During the surgery they found a blood clot which they removed.

Dad’s now in a high dependency unit. He has regained consciousness, but is obviously still very ill. Doctors are monitoring him very carefully, and as he gets stronger will start tests to discover what (if any) are the ramifications of the hemorrhage.

Please do pray for him (he’s called Geoff), my sister, Helen his partner, and us.

Latest News (mid June)

A short recap just to bring you upto speed.

We have been in the new home for just over a week now. The move went really well, our movers came on time were very proffesional, and did an all round good job. The downside has been with some of the utilities. We lost our DSL/Broadband along the way, and so have been without email and internet access. Hence, why it has been so quiet. But the new house is great. A bit smaller than our previous one but with a much, much, bigger shadier garden which the kids love. We have lost our Cable TV link too, and so are now without TV. At first it was terrible, but we’ve adjusted and are now seriously thinking about not getting reconnected (don’t even know if that is possible, and neither so it seenms to SKYCABLE).

We have now had 2 services in our chapel here. People are really positive, at last it feels like a ‘real church’, which matters a lot to Filipino’s. We’re now getting ourselves organised and starting to plan some activities together.

The Move – update

Just to say that the move went really well. We all love the new home. The children have much more space to play in as we have a large garden (chickens also very happy), and they now have toys in their rooms. The new house feels much more ‘homely’ than the last one. However, life doesn’t always run smoothly. Thanks to the Filipino equivalent of BT we are now without our Broadband service, can’t send or receive emails, and have lost our Cable TV. Who knows when normal life will be restored. On the plus side, we’re not watching any telly and I’ve been freed from the internet. Our telephone is working though.

Robbery in Cebu

 A fellow mission partner with another organisation here in Cebu emailed me with this news today:

My husband was held up at gunpoint and robbed last Thursday. It was a very traumatic experience all round. Stolen was his cell phone, watch, money and key cards. He is now suffering from some post traumatic stress. Can you please pray for healing and peace for him and our family, also that the thieves be caught by police and justice prevail. This incident may also be a timely reminder about security for missionaries. While most of the locals are very friendly, crime is still a problem in the Philippines.

I’d echo the comment about friendly locals. Filipino’s are unfailingly polite, and very welcoming of ‘foreigners’; however, Cebu is also a large city and also has the attendent problems that come from that. Another friend had their keys, passports, luggage and money stolen last week. Do pray for us.

A picture is worth more than any words

I regularly visit a very poor community where we have a small church plant, just a dozen or so members. We have a weekly Bible study, and Sunday service, and we also help out practically. We’ve arranged a monthly medical clinic, we cook a meal for the kids every two weeks. We’ve set up a clothing exchange. However, one of the most significant ministries to my mind is taking photos of the children for their parents. It started quite by accident. I took my camera one week, took some photo’s, and the next week gave them out at the Sunday service. The effect was electric, a crowd gathered as they were passed from hand to hand. Everyone commenting on how magnificent the children looked. And then it dawned. The people in this village don’t have any photographs of their children. Life is hard, money is scarce even for the essentials – food and clothes, so no-one has a camera. And as a result, no-one has any pictures of their children. As a father of 3 with DVD’s crammed packed with all manner of shots of my kids, that seems almost monstrous, and yet it’s just they way things are. There is one exception though. Death. When a child dies, friends and relatives may (may) collect a donation, and pay someone who does have a camera to come and take the deceased’s picture. And that is how they are remembered, forever. In my little corner of the Philippines, I’m starting a quiet revolution, each week I take a few pictures, each week I hand a few out to parents. No charge no fuss, it costs me nothing except a few sheets of photo paper.

And each week I remind people, their children are a gift from God; made in his image; an image they can have a copy of, for free.