Church of Scotland, Geneva

Transcription

1 Church of Scotland, Geneva Newsletter: Autumn 2013 A Warm Welcome to Will Stalder All of the tradi onal churches in Europe are facing a crisis in a rac ng people willing to train and serve as clergy, and our own denomina on is no excep on. The figures which have been produced contras ng the number of those approaching re rement with those currently in training make for some drama c diagrams, as well as some deep concerns. The reasons for full me ministry being so una rac ve to younger people have been analyzed from many perspec ves and offer some interes ng insights, but the core fact is that churches like ours cannot con nue in the way we have always known unless something changes drama cally and quickly. Given that there is no sign of that happening at the moment, we are confronted with many ques ons about how we ought to func on as faith communi es in a rapidly changing world. For now though, the shortage of new ministers makes it all the more special for us that the Church of Scotland has entrusted us with the responsibility of helping to form one of their new ministers. Will Stalder has completed his studies in Scotland, as well as most of his proba onary period, and joins us in Geneva for the final three months of his prepara on for full me ministry. It is an important me for him and his wife (Courtney) as they consider their immediate future, but also an important me for us as a congrega on. I hope that Will s presence might prompt us all to consider more fully what is our purpose and our mission in a society which is very different from even 25 years ago when I was in his posi on. So I look forward to the coming months when we may all be asked ques ons which we might not thought about for a while; ques ons about our faith and our calling and our vision for the church. Certainly I ll be encouraging Will to prompt us and prod us a li le. Let s also remember to pray for them as they seek God s calling for their future. Dear Church of Scotland, Geneva, Best wishes, Ian Manson I would like to start by saying, Thank you very much for making Courtney and me, and our wee boy Auggie (William), feel so welcome! I realize ( realise for our Bri sh friends!) that we ve only been here are few short days, but we are quickly se ling in and have enjoyed mee ng many of you. We re already on a first-name basis with the local boulangerie. For many of you, however, Courtney and I are probably s ll an enigma. Who are these Americans?! How did they get through customs?! And are there actually (Con nued on page 11) Minister: Revd. Ian Manson 20 Ancienne Route 1218 Grand Saconnex Tel/Fax: Church Office: 6 ch. Taverney Tel: cofsg@pingnet.ch geneva.com Church Bank Account: UBS 279-C Events 15 September: Waldensian Church concert for AOAC Tuesday, 24 September: Congregational Committee meeting Saturday, 28 September: Annual Church Fair Thursday, 3 October: AOAC AGM Sunday, 6 October: Bake Sale Thursday, 10 October to Sunday, 13 October: Presbytery of Europe meeting

2 Page 2 Church of Scotland, Geneva May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! Psalm 72:6 But as for me, I will look to the Lord and confident in Him I will keep watch; I will wait with hope and expectancy for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me. Micah 7:7 Give, and it shall be given to you. For whatever measure you deal out to others, it will be dealt to you in return Church Life Women's group We will start off our season on Monday 16 September with tea and a short AGM at Chris ne Bunn's home at If you would like to have a walk around the adjacent Botanic Gardens beforehand please meet at the garden s main entrance at All women are very welcome to come along for the walk or the tea or both. We look forward to seeing you and discussing our programme for the season. Contact Chris ne Bunn for further details on Women's Bible Study Women's Bible study will resume its weekly studies on Tuesday 17 September at 9.30 at Chris ne Bunn's home. All women are welcome to join this friendly group. For further details contact Alice Tulloch on alicetulloch@voila.fr The Choir Our choir will restart ac vi es on Wednesday, 11 September. We always welcome new voices, in all parts, but we are currently par cularly looking for addi onal sopranos and altos. We have fun on Wednesday nights under Lucie Goater s inspired direc on, preparing good music for the Sunday services. If you are interested, please contact Lucie on luciegoodman@yahoo.co.uk, speak to Lucie (or any choir member) a er Sunday service, or simply drop in at the Auditoire any Wednesday from 20:00. Swimming lessons Lidian Shark would like to propose swimming lessons for members of our congrega- on. Proceeds will go to Church funds. Lidian is willing to offer lessons in Varembé pool or at a pool near your home. Saturdays, Sundays, or evenings could be possible mes. If you are interested, please contact Lidian at dsharksharks@gmail.com; Flowers Flowers bring life and colour to the church. They are living evidence of the beau ful works of the Great Creator and they teach lessons of peace, contentment and humility to us all The flower rota is standing beneath the no ce board in the Salle and as you will see there are lots of spaces to be filled. I do hope you will add your name to the list and will let me know when you wish to donate some flowers on a par cular Sunday. If you need any help in arranging them please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you, Sunday School Janet Askew Tel: or janetaskewge@bluewin.ch Our Sunday School year will start again on 8 September. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again and, no doubt, mee ng some new families. We ll be carrying on with our Godly Play curriculum, and exploring a few new ideas to keep things fresh and wonder ful. A date for

3 Church of Scotland, Geneva Page 3 your diaries: we ll be holding a bake sale on Sunday 6 October, to help raise funds for the Lalgadh leprosy hospital in Nepal. We would very much welcome one or two new people (men or women!) to join our Sunday School team. It s a real joy to accompany the children (4 to 11 years old) as they learn of God s Kingdom and His love for them. If anyone is interested in helping out, even on an occasional basis, please contact Freda (Freda.craeye@neuf.fr) or see any of the team upstairs. greatly appreciated the opportunity of speaking to our visitors from different places. Please help as you are able to make this visit a welcoming and posi ve experience for our visitors. Thanks to those who have already offered accommoda on for visitors but there are s ll plenty of ways in which you can get involved and have a chance to meet our visitors: Help serve coffee, tea and snacks in the Salle in shi s throughout the day of Friday 11 and Saturday 12 October. I praise you that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works Psalm 139: 14 Congregational Committee Tuesday 24 September 2013; hours in the Salle. Please note the change of date which was previously 10 September. Help serve an evening meal on Friday 11 October. Come along to the dinner to be held in the Ecumenical Centre at for on Saturday 12 October (cost, including aperi f and drinks will be less than 50 CHF). O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my The mee ng is open to all church members who are warmly encouraged to par cipate. Bring along some savoury or sweet finger food for a lunch a er church on Sunday 13 October to which all a ending worship are invited. thoughts from far away. Psalm 139: 1-2 Presbytery of Europe Please contact Mary Couper, Alice Tulloch or Roberta Manson if you can help. From Thursday 10 October un l Sunday 13 October our church will be hos ng the twice yearly mee ng of the Presbytery of Europe, the regional governing body of our congrega on. Ministers and elders will come from each of the congrega ons, which extend from Amsterdam to Malta, from Budapest to Lisbon, not to men on our congrega ons in Bermuda and Sri Lanka. We expect about 70 people will a end including spouses of presbyters as well as visitors from the central church in Scotland. On previous occasions many in our congrega on have A small group of ladies took part in a walk/lunch in the Terre Sainte area and raised 310 CHF for the church being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it un l the day of Jesus Christ; Phillipians 1:6

4 Page 4 Church of Scotland, Geneva May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! Psalm 72:6 have entertainment be happy and make others happy too you are successful --Shashank Raghav But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the li er of my head. Psalm 3:3 Annual Church Fair 28 September 2013 Hello, and welcome to September, which heralds this years Church Fair; much sooner than has been in the past but hopefully just as exci ng and successful. The change of month from our usual November Fairs of the past has set several challenges for us this year especially in rela on to the Stalls on offer. In addi on we have several of our regular par cipants and stall holders unable to par- cipate this year, so I am sending out a plea for YOU to consider taking part and helping out at this, the main fundraiser for the Church. Every year we have a wonderful day, both through a sense of camaraderie through our efforts to raise money for the Church, but also through the enjoyment it brings. Please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the people men oned below who have already offered their me and efforts to the Fair if you can help in any way. This year s Church Fair will be held in the familiar surroundings of the Salle Communale in Grand Saconnex, from 9.30am until 16:00, followed by the Ceilidh from 19:00 until 22:00. With the earlier date for the Fair this year it has presented a challenge in rela on to a change of some of the usual stalls eg. Christmas Stall and Fes ve Wreaths, however many stall offerings from last year will be making a welcome return, as well as something different. So what can you do? Well, some of the Congrega on have of course already volunteered to undertake cri cal jobs for the Fair but if you haven t done so already, please do think about ge ng in touch with Lesley Reddy to offer your services. Any skills for any amount of me will be much appreciated. If you can make things to sell (whether items or edibles, so much the be er), organize things on the day, run a stall, help run a crèche or anything else, the Fair needs you. Advertising and Publicity: David Manson and Ewart MacKenzie have taken charge of the publicity for the Fair this year, and are endeavouring to spread the word using all electronic, paper, radio and poster op ons to inform as many people as possible. There are hard copy posters, electronic posters and business cards being distributed. If you can use these in any way at all, please don t hesitate to get the Fair no ced wherever you work and socialize, on no ceboards, in cars, on intranets and websites, by , by word of mouth and whatever else works. There s no such thing as too much publicity and every member of the Congrega on can help to be part of this to ensure that we have a big success put in place by all of us. Please consider if you can help with any or all of the following ways of telling people about it: Put up posters or flyers at work, in public places (check if allowed), at children's schools and anywhere else you can think of Hand out flyers and cards to your friends and ask them to spread the word too Send s to friends with details of the Church Fair (reference h p:// for details of the fair) Copy the details of the fair from the Church website and post them on the intranet at work if you have access to one If you use Facebook or Twi er, please reference the Church Fair there for all your contacts to see Put a poster or flyer in the window of your car where people can see it Posters, flyers and cards will be available in the Church at each Service star ng from 8 September. If you need more posters, you can also download and print them from the Church website at these pages: English: h p:// saf_poster_2013.pdf

5 Church of Scotland, Geneva Page 5 French: h p:// saf_poster_2013_fr Please contact Ewart for details. Ewart MacKenzie mackenzieje@hotmail.com Ceilidh: A wonderful evening of Sco sh dancing, the Ceilidh is being organised this year by Natalie and Richard Harbinson nwilson@gmail.com For the evening to go smoothly, we would be grateful of volunteers to assist during the evening, and just as importantly, at the end of the night to clear and dy the Salle. The ckets (25 CHF per adult) are on sale at the Fair and on entry to the ceilidh. The following is some brief informa on about the stalls that are going to be present at the Fair: Book Stall: Always a great favourite and needing dona ons of in good condi on books as well as offers of help, not only on the day of the Fair but before and a er to assist in the transporta on of books from the Church Salle to the Fair. Brochures, annuals and magazines do not sell, so we would kindly ask you not to donate any. Please contact Paraic Reamonn on paraic.reamonn@gmail.com for dona ons or offers of assistance. Hampers: A new stall where hampers of all sizes and themes will be available (animal, food, souvenirs, toiletries etc) by Eleanor Stri ma er and Chris ne Donaldson. If you have any items that you can donate to be included in a hamper, please contact Eleanor on jurgstri ma er@yahoo.co.uk or Chris ne on chris ne@donaldson.ch Toy Stall: A golden opportunity for you to donate clean toys in good condi on for sale at the Fair. These toys can be donated to the Sunday School a er Sunday Service, on the evening of the Fair, or indeed on the day of the Fair. Please contact the Sunday School Team via Freda Craeye on freda.craeye@neuf.fr Children s Corner: Kathryn Moreno akmoreno@neuf.fr from the Creche will be arranging free games and entertainment within a room in the Salle for the children whilst parents have me to browse, help, and spend! Ac vi es for the children are being discussed mean me, so if you have any sugges ons in what the children would enjoy par cipa ng in please contact Kathryn. She will also be looking for helpers throughout the day, so if you can spare some me during your visit to the Fair, please let Kathryn know. Interesting Objects: If you have any unused or unwanted gi s, this stall provides the perfect opportunity to find an owner for them. Please, only objects in good condi on and no electrical equipment. If ba eries are required, please provide them with your dona on so buyers have proof that an object is in working order. Please bring dona ons to the Salle on Friday evening before the Fair or to church the week before. Please contact Rosaleen Walker on or rmwalker@bluewin.ch Bottle Stall: Everyone s a winner at the bo le stall being organised by Sherree Atkinson. Dona ons of all types of unopened bo les would be gratefully received, either at Church prior to the Fair, the Friday evening prior or on the day. The unopened bo les can contain anything alcoholic, non -alcoholic, bubble bath, shampoo etc. Contact Sherree on satkinson@iom.int Drinks Stall: It is hoped that this stall will again be par cipa ng in the Fair, as a place to buy so drinks and beers for taking away. If you are able to provide any drinks for this stall (e.g. Iron Bru, Robinson s dilu ng juice, Bri sh beer), or help out on the day, please contact Lesley Reddy on lesley.reddy@yahoo.co.uk Pantry: A wonderful selec on of jams and chutneys will be available for sale with your help! Please contact Lyndsey on lyndseyb.hamilton@talk21.com with offers of help and dona ons. The Tree soaking in the word of God deepens the depth and breadth of hidden roots, in macy with the spirit of God grows the height and length of sun-hungry limbs, being filled and overflowing with the love of God makes the whole tree burst and blossom with life, delight yourself in these and he will honour you with masterful pruning for seasons of outrageous frui ulness by Michael Sawh

6 Page 6 Church of Scotland, Geneva Your eyes beheld my unformed substance. In your book were wri en all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed. (Psalm 139: 16) The only me my prayers are never answered is on the golf course. Billy Graham Cake Stall: A very popular and busy stall, being organized by Terry Angleys. Terry would appreciate dona ons and assistance on the day. If you are able to provide cakes and bakes, please bring them along either the evening before or on the day. angleystak@wanadoo.fr Christmas Cakes: There will be Christmas cakes on display in various sizes for you to order in advance of Christmas. Scottish Stall: Would you like to take on the running of this stall? It s an annual favourite at the Fair which generates a generous amount towards the Church funds. The previous organisers of the stall are moving away but have stock that they are more than delighted to pass onto the new stall organisers. Please contact Lesley Reddy lesley.reddy@yahoo.co.uk. Treasure Hunt: Karen Walker is unable to be at the Fair but is happy to hand over all the items that she uses to organise the Treasure Hunt and pass it onto someone to run on the day. A successful and challenging fun addi on to the Fair, with prizes for adults and children. If you would like to help Karen please contact her for details. Also, if you have any item that you think would make a suitable prize, please contact Karen on karenalisonwalker@gmail.com In addi on to the above stalls, there will also be a selec on of refreshments throughout the day, including; Lunch: Peter and Alice Tulloch are this year s organisers of the lunches. They would be grateful of offers of help to prepare, serve and clean up during the lunch period. Please contact either Peter or Alice on alicetulloch@voila.fr Tea and Coffee: Organised by Wilbert and Judith Broeksmit fambropea@bluewin.ch. Dona ons of cakes and biscuits to serve with the teas and coffee s would be warmly received. African Food: A wonderful array of foods to wake up your tastebuds! Organiser to be confirmed Bacon Rolls: Popular with visitors and stallholders alike, and being organised by Jason Leger. Leger_74@hotmail.com Smoked Salmon and Champagne: Organised by Jeff Donkin. jeffdonkin@orange.fr Irish Coffee: Organised by Hazel and Arthur Griffith griffith@bluewin.ch If you would like to par cipate in any form, either by dona ng goods or me, please do not hesitate to contact either one of the Stall Organisers, or Lesley. With the efforts of many we can look forward to another successful Fair, so don t be shy, volunteer yourself, spread the word, and help the Church in hos ng another day to remember. Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to faul inding. Corrie Ten Boom

7 Church of Scotland, Geneva Page 7 Emilie Colliar Those of you who a ended the Three Genera- ons of Auditoire Women concert on 5 May in the Auditoire, will know that the concert was the last public performance of my ABRSM Diploma in Music Performance exam pieces before the exam itself. I m very happy to let you all know that I obtained an excellent mark in the exam and am now en tled to put dipabrsm a er my name! I also received an academic award and full music scholarship to do pre-professional studies in violin at Wells Cathedral School in Somerset, one of five specialist music schools in the UK. I will be studying violin, viola and piano as well as all my academic subjects. I leave in September but I will be home every 6 weeks and should be in church during the holidays. If you are in London on Sunday 7 December do come and see me play with the Na onal Children s Orchestra of Great Britain in the Royal Fes val Hall. I will also be playing with my school s virtuosi orchestra in July 2014 when we tour Germany, Lichtenstein and Switzerland we may even come to the Auditoire! Iain Clarkson Emilie Colliar dipabrsm A funeral service for Iain Clarkson, who died recently, was conducted by Rev Pariac Reamonn in Geneva on 19 August. We extend our sympathies to his sister Norma and family in Scotland. Trevor Perry died on August 14th only two months a er his wife, Pam. Trevor knew he was terminally ill but despite his state of health, decided to make the trip to Switzerland just a month a er Pam's death. He a ended worship in the Auditoire on Sunday 18 July where some of you were able to talk with him and realised the supreme effort it had taken him to make this trip. In reply to the condolence le er sent from our congrega on Trevor said of the support he received from his new church, the Methodist Church in Shaldon, Devon "They are very good and caring - just like the Scots Kirk in Geneva". Trevor served as an elder in our church for many years; he always had the interests of the church at heart and we are grateful to him for the years of service he gave. His prac cal woodworking skills were o en put to good use for the church in making or repairing items and many children in the congrega on (and elsewhere) benefited from the toys he made. Pam and Trevor were both at the heart of our community throughout their me in Geneva and we remember them both with fondness and thank God for their lives. To their children, grandchildren and family we extend our sympathies on their double loss. Alice Tulloch God is Always There We o en feel as though God is far away And we o en feel that He Is distant when we pray So o en we feel lonely, Not knowing where to turn Just a touch from God above, Our longing spirit yearns So many mes in our lives, God seems slow to act We cry out in despera- on, But it's faith we o en lack For God is not being slow In coming to our aid He comes through in His me, We just need to learn to wait The Lord is never distant, He is there by our side And con nues to walk with us Through the storms in our lives He always hears our hearts cry And answers all our prayers, He won't leave us all alone, For God is always there. M.S.Lowndes

8 Page 8 Church of Scotland, Geneva Warmest greetings and much love you all... our dear Church of Scotland family in Geneva, and also the many of the church family scattered further abroad... like Ken Bailey in Australia, and Carol Bowie in Paisley, or Leslie & Gertrud up the lake above Montreux... or Terry & Pierre wherever you are... Here at Lalgadh Leprosy Hospital in southeastern Nepal, down near the border with India, we are managing to survive (well...just... sorta hanging in there) the heat and the monsoon... it's still very very hot and sticky. Come to think of it's been extremely hot since April, and then when the monsoon arrived in late June it brought the added thrill of stickiness too. Flooding a bit further east, but the river next to Lalgadh is behaving for the moment. For some strange reason that escapes my wee brain, the hot season is also the busy busy season. At the moment we are seeing outpatients every day and our inpatient wards are all full. Hot, sticky crowds of sick folks with easily frayed tempers. The numbers of patients - both leprosy-affected and many other sick, marginalised, disabled and needy - are increasing year by year. Not just from Nepal but from over the border in India. Still lots of leprosy around in the community, as well as many other diseases of poverty. Over the past 12 months we saw 1,200 new leprosy patients. 6,500 new and old leprosyaffected patients, and 56,000 outpatients of all sorts. We manage all this with just 3 doctors (not counting me) and 9 nurses and a few paramedics (health workers). Thanks to you - our wonderful church family - your funds are supporting a doctor and nurse here this year. Don't know how we'd possibly manage without you help. And leprosy is still spreading in the community all along this south eastern Nepal and northern India border area... we can tell that by the number of leprosy affected children that come to the hospital... children as young as 6 or 7. Two of our small inpatient children want to tell you their stories and say a big "Thankyou" to you all... so I'll stop here and Gudiya and Priyanka can take over... Gudiya Kumari Paswan - Age 7 years Hello everyone... (high husky squeaky voice)... I'm Gudiya, and I'm 7, and I'm very little, and awfully shy. My home is in Bihar India. I can't remember the name of my little village - it's very small. But I remember my Mummy brought me here, and firstly we walked, and then came by train for 2 hours to Jaynagar, then on to Janakpur just across the border of Nepal. The train was fun... it took 2 hours. And then we came by bus for 4 hours to reach Lalgadh Hospital. I have an older brother and a younger sister... and a little goat at home. My Daddy does daily labour work on farms or carries bricks. Mummy looks after us at home. Us kids all go to school... I'm in Class 2 and I love school. No-one else in my family has funny patches on their skin like mine, but my Aunty who lives in Nepal knows people in her village that have skin patches just like mine, and one man comes to Lalgadh Hospital to get treated. My Aunty told my Mummy she should really bring me here. When I first started to get these patches on my face,... that was about 7 months ago... my Mummy took me to the nearby Government hospital. They gave me several injections, which hurt, but my skin patches just got worse. So then my Aunty talked with my Mummy and told her to bring me to Lalgadh Hospital. So Mummy brought me here on 10th April. When the doctor saw me, he said I needed to stay in hospital. I cried quite a lot at first. I've never stayed in a hospital before, and my Mummy had to leave me here all by myself although I'm so small. She had to go back to our village to care for my Dad and my brother and sister and our goat. So I'm trying to be brave... A lovely lady doctor - Dr Yamuna - came to see me with a Sister-Anita. She was very kind and gentle. She looked carefully at all my patches... I have them now on my face, and arms, and legs, and even some on my back (which I won't show you). She says I have leprosy, but they can cure it if I take my tablets everyday for a year. She said I also have an awful Type 1 Leprosy- Reaction - that's what makes my skin patches so red and big. She said we need to get that well-controlled before I can go home.

9 Page 9 Church of Scotland, Geneva After a few days I got over my shyness, because I found several good friends here - especially Ruby and Sabita - and we do everything together. We eat huge amounts of rice and dhal and vegetables and roti (that's our bread), and we even have meat on Wednesday every week... we never do that at home! We play games together in the mornings and evening, and go to school in the ward each afternoon, and I'm learning to read and write. And we do colouring and drawing. The nurses gave me my first ever set of colour pencils too... I keep them so carefully in my treasure-tin and I can't wait to show my Mummy when I go home. And sometimes we all sit together and giggle and roll up bandages to help the nurses. Me and Sabita are terrific "rollers"... but Ruby can't so it very well because she has one hand in a bandage and sling. So she uses one hand and her leg. So it's near the end of August now, and I think I can go home in just a few weeks. Some of my patches have almost gone, and the others - especially on my face - are fading and less red and angry-looking. I'll really miss my best friends here - Sabita and Ruby - that's us in the picture below... and I'm the littlest one. I think my Aunty will come to take me home soon. My Mummy and Daddy are waiting for me to get better and come home, and I can't wait to see my brother and sister...and my little goat Thanks for listening to my little story... and for helping look after me. Bye for now. Love from Gudiya Priyanka Kumari - aged 15 Hello dear friends, I'm Priyanka, and I'm 15, and my friends all call me Priya. Although we are so far away... I feel amazed that you might have a little spot in your heart for me. This is the first letter I've ever written to anyone. My home is in Ramban village, in Sarlahi District of Nepal. It's a very small village, and I live there with my Mum and Dad and my two younger sisters... and our buffalo. My older brother works in a shop in the far eastern end of Nepal so I don't see him very much now. He had leprosy and has curled-over fingers on one hand. There's soooo much I'd like to tell you about, but I can't read or write because I've never been to school. Actually I went to school once several years ago for one month. But the teacher beat me and I cried, and I never went back. My next sister goes to school and is in class 3, but my other sister, like me, doesn't go to school either. One year ago I started to get a large pale patch on the front of my left leg. It was numb in the middle. Weird! And after that I got prickling and pins-&-needles in the souls of my feet. And then I couldn't feel anything on the soles of my feet. It was even weirder. My Dad brought me to Lalgadh Hospital... everybody says it's famous for treating skin-things properly. That was 10 months ago. The doctor found I had leprosy... and he said it was one of the more serious forms of leprosy. I went to the hospital laboratory, and they made a tiny snick in both my earlobes, and made a microscope slide with the bit of fluid from the snicks. But I must say I still can't guess what my earlobes have to do with the numbness in my feet. Anyhow, they looked at it under a microscope while we waited...and then came and said "yes, it's leprosy"... they could actually see the leprosy bacteria. So I started my medicine straight away... three tablets. I have to take my tablets every day for a year to get cured. I've taken them for 10 months now, and the big pale patch on my leg has gone. But my feet are still numb... can't feel a thing underneath! Then 2 months ago, I started getting a funny-looking pattern... like crocodile skin...on my legs. And when I looked at the soles of

10 Page 10 Church of Scotland, Geneva May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! Psalm 72:6 Can I see another's woe, And not be in sorrow too? Can I see another's grief, And not seek for kind relief? William Blake For I will restore health to you, and I will heal your wounds, says the Lord, because they have called you an outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no one seeks a er and for whom no one cares! Jeremiah 30:17 Nitu, me and Hina - looking seriously beautiful... and resisting all Dr Graeme's antics to make us smile my feet, I saw I had two big ulcers - one on my right heel and the other on my left forefoot. Didn't bother me much because I couldn't feel a thing. But my Dad brought me to Lalgadh Hospital because he was worried about me. It was a long hot trip by bus. We started on Sunday and didn't arrive till Monday afternoon. The doctor saw my feet and said I really needed to stay in hospital. He said my foot ulcers were pretty bad... and they smelled something awful... and there were actually maggots in the ulcer on my right heel. He also said the funny "crocodile-skin" pattern on my legs comes from both leprosy and malnutrition... and it's true I'm pretty thin. They dug, probed, chopped, chizzled, scraped, flushed, cleaned and treated my ulcers carefully, in the septic surgery room, and then nicely bandaged both my feet. And I'm taking antibiotics everyday. But now I'm having such a good time! Every afternoon I go to school lessons in the ward, and I'm learning to read and write. And I have so many other friends here, and we have great fun together, playing jokes, giggling and playing "Gotti" with little stones. The boys here aren't clever enough to lay Gotti. But when the doctor wants to take our photos, we stop giggling and just sit and look beautiful. The food is terrific here too... we get lots of rice and dhal and vegetables and pickles and roti... and we even get meat once a week...either chicken or goat...every Wednesdays. At home we only eat meat on special occasions, so I'm putting on some weight and looking much healthier than when I arrived. I miss my home and village, my family and the buffalo, but I need to stay here at Lalgadh Hospital for a few weeks until my ulcers have healed properly. I'll try to tell you about my progress in a few weeks... I'm hoping that by then I'll be able to write a little myself... though my very first letter will be to surprise my Mum and Dad. That's my little story up to now... so I'll say a huge thank-you for your thoughts, and prayers, and for supporting the doctor and nurse here who are making me better... and most of all for listening and for reading my first ever letter. Bye for now. Love from Priyanka. Some of the other children here would also love to say thankyou and tell you their story... but perhaps that's for the next newsletter. Meantime Meena and I, and all the Lalgadh Hospital Team here send you our deepest appreciation for you partnership in this great mission work - your love, your compassion for these needy folks, your prayers, your support and your continuing encouragement. Much love from us all. God bless.

11 Church of Scotland, Geneva Page 11 (Con nued from page 1) Americans training for ministry with the Church of Scotland?! Yikes and now they ve come to Geneva!? This must be the sign of the end- mes! I hope in the next few pages (well, paragraphs you ll be pleased) to tell you a wee bit of our story. I hope that it may be an encouragement to you even as we journey into the unknown together and begin a flurry of ac vi es this autumn. I won t start from the very beginning although it s a very good place to start (any Sound of Music fans out there?). I will start from our crossing of the Atlan c in I had just finished seminary at Gordon- Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachuse s and was praying about where I should go once I had completed my studies. I was interested in missions and possibly going to the Middle East. I had been on trips to Israel, Pales ne, and Jordan, but God had something else in mind. A family that I had met whilst in Israel moved to Scotland and asked if I would come and do youth work at their Church in Glasgow. I said, No! It was a voluntary posi- on, and I didn t fancy working for free. But, I went, and in May 2004 I started working at Netherlee Parish Church. I was accepted as a Candidate for Ministry with the Church of Scotland two years later and then moved up to Aberdeen for further studies, and have been there since. Courtney and I actually met in Glasgow in Courtney was doing an exchange and was studying at the University of Aberdeen. She knew of the family with which I was staying and came for a visit. And who would meet her at the door but the strapping young fellow who is wri ng this ar cle! Well, I didn t quite sweep her off her feet that first night, but we were both impressed. Two years later we started da ng, and in May 2008, we got married in California. We moved back to Aberdeen, and I started my PhD and con nued training for ministry with the COS. Having just finished twelve months at Dyce Parish Church, we are now here in Geneva to complete the final three months of my proba onary period with the COS. There s not a placement that goes by where we are not asked (And I m sure you ve been asked similar ques ons while living here in Geneva), How long are you going to stay in Scotland (or insert loca on of your choice? When are you going back to the USA? Don t you miss family and friends? The answer is, We don t know. We don t know. And Yes! But there is a scripture passage that has been an encouragement to us me and me again, it says, For here we do not have an enduring city, but we are looking for the city that is to come (Hebrews 13:14, NIV). We don t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future! There are many uncertain es ahead, but let us hold onto this promise even as we seek to follow Christ and do the things he will have us to do. There is a heavenly city to which we should aspire, and our God, who is faithful, will walk with us and empower us even as we seek to leave certain things and follow him for his namesake. Church of Scotland, Geneva, thank you for welcoming us into your church family. We look forward to journeying with you over the next few months. And as we do, may we find that we are being held and strengthened in our faith, together, all along the way. Will Stalder We are delighted that the Italian Waldensian congrega on is hos ng a concert of voice and organ by Marzia Baldassari (Soprano) and Jolando Scarpa (Organ) in the Auditoire on Sunday 15 September at 16:45, with music by Hasler, Caprioli, Schütz, and Bach among others. Please support this concert with your presence and dona ons. The Chris an life is not a constant high. I have my moments of deep discouragement. I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes, and say, 'O God, forgive me,' or 'Help me.' Billy Graham Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribula on, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

12 Brigadoons: Be y Morris elizabeth.morris@bluewin.ch Bible Reader Coordinator: Nicola Hollyman nicolahollyman@hotmail.com Caring for One Another: Jim Sharp jimsharp@bluewin.ch Choir Director: Lucie Goodman luciegoodman@yahoo.co.uk Church Fair: Lesley Reddy lesley.reddy@yahoo.co.uk Church Flowers: Janet Askew janetaskew@greenmail.ch Congrega onal Commi ee: Nan Braunschweiger gen.cong.sec@gmail.com Crèche: Kathryn Moreno akmoreno@neuf.fr Cursillo: Eleanor Stri ma er jurgstri ma er@yahoo.co.uk Diary Coordinator: Michelle Buckingham mbuckingham@bluewin.ch Fic on Bookstall: Mary Couper coupermar@gmail.com Free Will Offering: Jurg Stri ma er jurgstri ma er@yahoo.co.uk Ekwendeni, Malawi Some significant changes are taking place among our mission partners in Ekwendeni: Resource Centre Supervisor, Stalin Mughandira, has moved on to a new job in another area. Stalin has done a fantas c job building up the work among the youth in Ekwendeni and we certainly wish him well in his new role. While we are very sad to see him go we are also delighted to see him moving on personally and are confident that his skills and enthusiasm will be well used wherever he goes. For totally different reasons, Assistant Supervisor, Mrs Nkandwe has also moved on due to her husband finding a new job in the capital city Lilongwe. Primary Care Supervisor, Esther Lupafya, has made temporary appointments to keep the work going, and we look forward to following how things develop. Contact List Fabric Sub-commi ee: Douglas Murray-Jones dmurrayjones@aol.com Mission Projects: Eric Gerelle erg@ibex.ch Newsle er: Suzanne Murray-Jones Murrayjo@unhcr.org Session Clerk: Alice Tulloch alicetulloch@voila.fr Sunday Coffee Rota: Terry Angleys angleystak@wanadoo.fr Sunday School: Freda Craeye freda.craeye@neuf.fr Treasurer: Han Broere Broere@cern.ch Ushers: Arthur Griffith griffith@bluewin.ch Woman s Group: Chris ne Bunn bunnc@bluewin.ch Website: Eric Gerelle erg@ibex.ch Youth Group: Lidian Shark dsharksharks@gmail.com AOAC 3 October 2013, 20:00, Church Salle. The provisional agenda is: Approval of minutes of AGM of 25 September Annual Report Accounts and Balance Sheet as of Auditor s Report 4. Approval of 2012 Annual Report, 2012 Accounts, and Balance Sheet as of Budget 2013, ac vi es planned for , and current situa on 6. Any other business Come to discuss ac vi es being planned to celebrate the installa on and inaugura on of the new organ throughout We hope you will join us for some refreshments as well! Rebecca D. MacDonald, Secretary Associa on for the New Organ of the Auditoire de Calvin an old pond; a frog jumps in-- the sound of water --Matsuo Basho the first cold shower; even the monkey seems to want a li le coat of straw --Matsuo Basho early fall morning -- only footprints on the beach --Edward Weiss dove in a garden enclosed lives in lord's temple virgin mary --Anon