A Franciscan Benediction
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships, So that you may live deep within your heart
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression and exploitation of people, So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war, So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness To believe that you can make a difference in the world, So that you can do what others claim cannot be done, To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen.

Many lives were touched and the visit to our dear friends at the leper community was for me the highlight of the whole mission journey. These special friends send their greetings to you and grateful thanks for your loving kindness towards them. Many others send their love and abundant blessings to their friends in England.
I know that Jane was very touched. She was also a great help and blessing on this journey. Much prayer was offered also cy the Romanian people about our plight in England. Through much prayer here, on our return, God gave us faith, strength and guidance to return to Romania before Christmas.
Suddenly prayer was truly answered when a team from 21 Wales - “Support for Romania”- led by Alan Penrose, kindly volunteered drivers to transport supplies on our own vehicle alongside their own convoy just two weeks before Christmas. We experienced lots of surprises and had a very rewarding mission on this journey too. Praise the Lord! “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” Proverbs 3 : 5 - 6

Because of your love and encouragement God’s people in Romania were blessed with two thousand, seven hundred and four “gifts of love” children’s gift boxes - delivered to seven different regions. Forty nine “gifts of love” parcels plus five large boxes of crepe bandages - inco pads - walking aids were delivered and gratefully received by our friends at the leper community and residential home for the elderly at Tichilesti.
One hundred and forty “gifts of hope” parcels were prepared and personally distributed at a special Christmas presentation service at Porta Alba prison. Financial gifts were also used to purchase ninety six Bibles and New Testaments to support prison ministry and Christian outreach.
Forty five boxes of dried food and cooking oil plus new or nearly new clothes - shoes - educational supplies - baby supplies - towels - warm blankets and bedding - household supplies were distributed to poor families and support groups.
Financial gifts were a great blessing. They were used to purchase a large consignment of food to prepare sixty four food parcels plus support, for our friends at the gypsy community at Inca, Western Oradea.

One day I noticed a car on a drive that had not been there before. It was there every day and, as I passed one afternoon, another car drew up and three people got out. We all said hello, continued on our ways and went indoors. Opening my own front door, I could have kicked myself. It had been the perfect opportunity to introduce myself and add a name to a gap in my road plan, but I had not been brave enough.
Summoning all my courage, I went back and rang the door bell. I met a frightened mum-to-be, at home for bed rest because of the danger of a miscarriage, and her parents. We arranged that I’d go for a coffee the following week.
Throughout the pregnancy I was able to pray for the unborn baby, who finally arrived safe and sound five months later.

Feeling encouraged, I began asking God for a way to meet other “gaps” on the road plan. The idea came out of the blue : I was just flicking through the free magazine at the supermarket checkout when a feature caught my eye. It was a menu for a New Year’s Eve dinner party complete with recipes. There were instructions for the host to share out the courses between the guests, who were to prepare the dishes in advance and bring them along on the night. It instantly appealed to me because it had all the fun of entertaining without all the work! It was exactly what I was looking for. Tentatively, I posted a note through the neighbours’ doors. Unexpectedly the response was positive.

When the evening came it was obvious that people didn’t know each other much beyond a polite “good morning - nice weather”, and the conversation was a bit stilted. However, champagne eased the nerves a bit and all went well. Actually, the food was excellent! Then the unexpected happened. Just as dessert was being served there was a long ring on the doorbell and in burst Paul and Eleanor : “You’ll never guess what! We’ve got engaged!” Amidst all the congratulations (and introductions) the final shreds of awkwardness completely evaporated. Suddenly everyone had a story to tell of how they had met and fallen in love. And then it wasn’t just me who had opened the door. Now my neighbours were leaning dangerously out of their open windows and calling a warm welcome to others to “come inside”.

I have just come home from spending five months at The Leprosy Mission’s Anandaban hospital in Nepal.. There I was able to assist locally trained physiotherapists with the rehabilitation of patients affected by leprosy. Most of the patients had been given surgical procedures which transferred tendons in their hands or feet, transforming their appearance and increasing functionality.
When I arrived I felt very much the new girl. I had not seen a person affected by leprosy before. The physiotherapists are such experts in their field and quickly taught me how to work with patients having tendon transfers. In return I was able to help them with assessing and treating lower back pain and neck stiffness that in the West is so common.
I was constantly impressed with the resourcefulness and ingenuity of the staff. All splinting and plastering was done in the physiotherapy department and I soon learnt that nothing is thrown away. You never know when it might come in handy. I must admit I would not have thought that I could splint a finger with an odd piece of wood but when needs must, you do.

It was distressing to see young people whose hands or feet have been severely weakened by nerve damage from leprosy, when I knew that with early treatment this could be avoided. The stigma that is so prevalent in Nepal means that many do not present themselves for treatment while they can hide their symptoms. Often this leaves them with irreversible muscle damage.
At Anandaban I also found it very strengthening to meet together with fellow Christians each morning for a quiet time of Bible reading and prayer before we started work. These meetings helped me to appreciate that God’s love and care continues to be abundant to us all wherever we are.
Maya came to Anandaban because she had a foot ulcer and needed to be hospitalised for rest. She is twenty-three years old and lives at her family home in the central hill district of Ramechap. Her local community will have nothing to do with her because of the leprosy, even though she has had multidrug therapy and has been free from of the actual disease for a long time. All the small muscles of her hands are paralysed and her fingers clawed.

In my inexperience I could not imagine that the tightened soft tissue of her palms could ever be flexible enough to make surgery a possibility. I had underestimated the patience and expertise of my colleagues.
Day by day and week by week they stretched, plastered and extended Maya’s fingers. Gradually over three months, they were able to increase movement in her joints until she could straighten her fingers completely. The first operation Maya had was to her thumb to allow her to bring it across her palm to form a grip. Her next operation will be to give her movement in her fingers, enabling her to grasp with her whole hand.
To see the difference , not only in Maya’s fingers but also in her face, was a privilege I will always cherish. She is just one of many who desperately need help from hospitals, like Anandaban, where skilled professionals are working in the most basic conditions to bring new hope to young and old alike. From the Leprosy Mission Newsletter

“The bright, ordained ministers are either working in other fields or go abroad”, says John - especially to America, where many have put down roots after gaining further qualifications. The Gambia itself has retained few young men and women in full-time ordained ministry.
Autonomy has undoubtedly offered Gambian Methodists a real sense of pride, but its internal structures are closely modelled on the British “mother” Church of the early 1950s, and its financial independence is problematic.
“Growing up” will take time. Nevertheless, new urban areas in this relatively small African nation are already being served by new Methodist ministries and John believes that the influence of younger men and women will slowly develop a distinctively African identity for World Methodism’s youngest Church.

When asked about suspicions that other faiths have about Christian evengelization, Cardinal Gracias said. “Misunderstanding comes when others treat it as a threat”. he added, “We have also a duty to be sensitive to other faiths while preaching the good news”. The Cardinal said that the mission congress had addressed the concerns of other faiths about Christian evangelization and that the final message stated the Catholic Church, “ will proclaim Jesus in a manner respectful of the beliefs and religious practices of others”.

Inter-religious dialogue is also seen as part of the evangelization process. “ Living in a pluralistic world, the Church seeks to appreciate the religious richness of the others because she ‘rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions’”, the statement asserted. “Works of mercy and compassion” as well as “developmental work” are also forms of evangelization. In India, the Catholic Church is one of the most visible Christian institutions with its many centres for education, healthcare and social services.