TRAINING CHAPLAINS IN ALPHA; VISITS TO FAMILY AND FRIENDS (4 TO 17 JULY 2005)

• We celebrated Independence Day outside the USA again - our third successive one since we became US citizens!
• A couple of days later, we visited a recently widowed friend in south west England. Her husband, a retired UK two-star General and also a good friend, was killed in a road traffic accident in late April whilst on a military mission trip to Romania. He had been invited to speak about Christian ethics in the armed forces to a large group of Romanian Land Forces officer cadets and officers. Three Romanians, including a two-star (the Commandant of their Land Forces Academy), a Major and the car driver were also killed. We pray our visit was of some blessing to her, especially as we went on a day when many others also came throughout the day. It would be more helpful if visitors were able to spread themselves out through the week, but, sadly, it is not always possible for them to arrange this.
• Just two days later, on 7 July, the day of the London bombs, Meryl and I were at an Alpha for Forces Conference at Amport House with a strong Alpha for Forces team, carrying out a 2 day training for about 24 British military Chaplains, lay leaders and military para-church workers. Although Meryl and I left early, Sandy Millar, Nicky Gumbel’s senior pastor, was due to speak that evening on ‘How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit’. We are not sure if he managed to travel the 90 miles or so from London in time, given that almost all traffic in London came to a standstill today. Nicky is the pioneer of the Alpha course. Amport House is the British Armed Forces Chaplaincy Training Center – a beautiful, peaceful, large, old country home at the small village of Amport which is full of wonderful thatched cottages deep in the south west countryside of rural England near the small city of Andover – a typical English setting which we Americans drool over!
• We heard about the bombs at the start of one of our talks that morning and immediately prayed for the folk in London who had been affected by it in any way. One or two who were due at Amport could not make it either through travel ensuing difficulties or recall to military units, and two left the training immediately to return to their units.
• To each of us the ultimate solution is in Christ alone, but we were encouraged by very clear and unequivocal statements today from both the Mayor of London and the Prime Minister. We detect that in the midst of grief there is a definite ‘Dunkirk’ spirit already evident – this will not deter or terrorize us – a determination to prove that the terrorists have forfeited their aim and aspirations before they began. And that everyone will be alert and vigilant but not alarmed. Normal life will continue. Now there is shock that these people seem to have been born and raised in England – they are English! Many people in all communities and from all different cultural and religious backgrounds are offended by this. It’s just ‘not English’ to be a terrorist or to be a (different form of) suicide bomber! Everyone recognizes this is probably not the last time such an event will occur but there is a strong determination to root is out of society and not let it happen again. Of course, for those of us in the Know, so to speak, cultural and political change will only occur through people’s hearts being changed, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
• The British (and, dare I say it, the American) spirit has been particularly exemplified since the bombs by the wonderfully efficient, calm, smooth and well coordinated response from all the ‘blue light’ (emergency) services in London, including the hospitals, their doctors and nurses. There has been a tremendous and spontaneous outpouring of respect and gratefulness towards them for the calm manner in which they dealt with a chaotic and horrific situation. One surgeon said that in a space of three hours that day, he acquired 6 years worth of casualty and emergency experience in terms of the range and extent of the injuries he dealt with. Certainly several of us at the Amport conference, including ourselves, were very aware that we had traveled some of the same route where the bombs went off, as we traveled to and from the previous week’s very intensive and thoroughly worthwhile Alpha International Week. A BBC commentator said that he felt the recovery of the London Stock Market on 7 July, commensurate with a typical trading day after its initial steep drop, was mainly due to the calmness and example with which the emergency services went about their very tough job. Of course, their counterparts in New York City and our brave and resourceful military coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan know all about that! Thank God for such professionalism and spirit!
• Meryl and I left Amport after the conference and drove to Minehead to spend time with Meryl’s mother, Beryl. We focused exclusively for about 10 days on her and Meryl’s family, including visiting Beryl’s younger sister, Audrey, and 90 years old brother, Norman, (who, himself, was admitted to hospital recently with what looks to be a mini-stroke) and going to Meryl’s cousin’s 80th birthday/40th wedding anniversary party last Sunday (Eric and June’s party was a beautiful day ‘in the English countryside’ weekend and included a very happy lunch and tea party).
• After leaving Beryl safely back at Minehead, we visited a couple we have only seen once in the last 15 years, and whose daughter is one of my God-daughters. It was good to see these old Army chums and to here their latest news, including about their church and prospective new son-in-law. Since we last saw them, David has written five or six books on different aspects of military history and his reputation as an author is growing.
• Having driven almost 1,000 miles in 10 days in England we flew to Amsterdam on Fri 15 Jul to visit our eldest son, Charles for 10 days. Whilst there we hope to visit Jannecke Mollema (Al, her husband, is in Darfur as a member of the Dutch contingent to the UN Observer Force there, three months through a 6 month tour of active duty) and Annelies Poldervaart, Jaap’s widow. All are strong and vibrant Christians who are having challenging times at the moment. Many of you prayed for Jaap during his final year in God’s Kingdom on earth in 2004.
• Then it is back to England to attend the 300th anniversary lunch for my Regiment in the British Army on 29th July. It will be the first Regimental function we have attended for many years, so we are looking forward to seeing a lot of old friends from Army days. The main host at the lunch will be our Colonel-in-Chief, Prince Andrew. Please pray we will be better light and salt for Christ than we were when I was on active duty, when our example was not always as authentic as it might have been. This event will be especially poignant as three soldiers, including a platoon commander, from the Regiment were killed in Iraq over this last weekend. Several others were wounded, thankfully, none critically. Having experienced similar losses during Northern Ireland operational tours, we readily understand this situation.
• Finally, and just firmed up just a week ago after over 2 months of planning and discussion, I, Noel, will make a mission trip to the Bulgarian military from 1 to 12 August. I am not totally sure what will happen but my aim is to consult with MCF and Alpha Bulgaria leaders and others about the Alpha course (which is translated into Bulgarian) as well as discuss Biblical approaches to resolving conflict and reconciliation.
• We fly back to Washington Dulles on 17 August and home the next day, after spending a night with friends. We planned to get back just prior to taking part in an evangelistic outreach to the US military community living in the Norfolk, VA area on 20 August, but we heard a few days ago that this has been postponed until April 2006 as the planning committee could not book the best place for it. We have been part of that prayer and planning team preparing this in partnership with Military Ministry, OCF and other military para-church ministries and local churches and one or two chapels. As you can see, the work of Alpha for the Military in the USA continues uninterrupted by email and phone from Europe whilst we are here. Praise God for the ability and capability to telecommute!