BOARD OF MISSION OVERSEAS (BMO)

SPAIN  Derek and Jane French will be planning another mini-camp for the area, in April or May.  This is an important opportunity for intensive teaching and an opportunity to enhance the fellowship amongst the students.

KENYA  Last week’s monthly Bible teaching time in Tuum was followed by outreach in Wuaso Rongai.  Many people in this village are still living far up in the mountain following a cattle raid several months ago.  The team spent much of their time on the mountain preaching, as that is where most of the people live and spend the night.  Many people were reached with the gospel.

The church in Tuum last Sunday had an increased attendance as a number of new first year students had arrived in Tuum to attend the girls secondary school.  More village people were also in attendance, but there were still very few men there.  During the service, there was a very powerful move of God, as some people who had been involved in inappropriate behaviour during the holiday period came forward to publicly repent and seek forgiveness from Jesus and the church.  

Rev Sam Mawhinney, minister of Fermoy and Cahir Presbyterian Churches and his wife and children are due to leave Tuum this week, to begin their journey home.  The Mawhinney family has been visiting the Cowan family in Tuum for the past couple of weeks. 

MALAWI  Maurice and Helen Kennedy, Volunteers in Mission, arrived home Friday 22nd following a seven-week visit to Blantyre.  Maurice and Helen are involved in setting-up and co-ordinating a programme of renovation and refurbishment of some of the neediest schools in the Blantyre Synod of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP).

PAKISTAN  Ron and Hilary McCartney have had a good beginning to their teaching, which started last week. 

An American couple who have been working at Forman Christian College (FCC) for three years are coming to the end of their service, and replacements may be difficult to find.  They currently hold key positions in the College; Marianne Vermeer is Finance Director with a wide management role, and her husband, Robert Johnson, is one of the two chaplains.  Robert’s work is inspirational to students, staff and to his fellow-chaplain, Babar.  There are now over six hundred Christian students in the College, most of whom use the chaplaincy.  In addition, Robert has done almost all the teaching in Christian Studies.  Hilary is taking on some of Christian Studies teaching, but a new member of staff will be needed to continue and develop much of the work that Robert has begun.

THAILAND  Nigel Eves, BMO’s Asia Secretary and Mission Education Officer, and Rev Peter Lyle, Convenor of the BMO’s Mission Involvement Committee, have completed their visit to Thailand, Nigel arrived home Wednesday and Peter has travelled on to Hong Kong on a private visit.  The conference they attended was very beneficial and they also had good meetings with Church of Christ in Thailand (CCT) and the Lamp of Thailand (LOT), an organisation which provides Christian Literature for church leaders, adults and children in Thailand. 

INDONESIA  Barry and Elyse McCroskery continue their work in Timor in Indonesia.  Barry continues his role in the mission and ecumenical partnerships commission in GMIT and Elyse has recently been appointed Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Theology at Universitas Kristen Arta Wacana (UKAW) where she lectures in New Testament Studies.