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January 31, 2005
Farewell to the Fulani
I have now arrived back in the UK, grateful for the visit to Benin, and missing Africa again already.
On my last day, I went down again to visit the Fulani down on the ward. The film "Jesus" had prompted some questions, and so the Fulani men and I perched ourselves on stools between the beds and, using a picture book, I went again throught the story of Jesus. The room went quiet, and along the ward women struggled to sit up in their beds and strained to see and hear - even those who didn't understand Fulfulde.
We spoke of Christ's death to save us, and of his call to follow. They were all attentive - they have been touched by the love and care of the crew on the Anastasis and wanted to know what it was that motivated them. One of the men in particular seemed to really grasp the good news, and to be struggling about what his response would be. Please pray for these men and women, that God will not only continue to heal their bodies, but also lead them to the freedom and life there is in Christ. Thank you.
January 27, 2005
Fulani Fulani Fulani
Just a couple of days left here in Benin, and the time has gone by way too quickly. These last few days have been very special for the amount of contact I have had with the Fulani:
Down on the ward, the Fulani ladies have had their operations. Those who have just come back from the operating theatre are understandably somewhat overwhelmed by what they have just gone through, and the various tubes attached to them. But by the next day they seem to have recovered their poise, and treat it all as perfectly normal. One of the ladies was obviously in some discomfort, but when asked, gave the standard Fulani response that there was no pain. It took a little light-hearted badgering to get the truth from her, in order to be able to make her a bit more comfortable.
A beautiful little Fulani girl of 10 was brought back to the ship today by her mother to have her stitches removed. 4 years ago she fell out of a tree, and damaged her jaw. For 4 years she has been unable to open her mouth. The girl's father abandoned the family, and the mother was left to cope. The usual story followed - they looked into having an operation but were unable to afford it. Today, the girl can open her mouth - and is cheeky with it! Her mother invited me to come and visit the whole family. Unfortunately, I don't know if I will have time now...
Through email, I have been able, via Steve in Burkina, I have been able to contact the family of the young man from near Djibo I met that I mentioned in this post. Apparently, they have not seen him for several years, and his father even went to Ghana to look for him. I have the interesting task of informing him that in his absence, his family have married him to his cousin! They send the message that, if he doesn't return soon, he will also be divorced!
January 26, 2005
In memory of Cavilla
Yesterday a small team of us went to one of Benin's famous stilt villages. But, fascinating as the village is, this was no tourist excursion. Sonja, one of the nurses from the Anastasis was going back to visit a family she has known for several years, a family with whom she has shared both extremes of joy and sorrow.
While visiting the village back in December 2000, Sonja met Cavilla, a little girl with an orange-sized tumour growing from her eye. After chemotherapy and surgery, Cavilla recovered rapidly, and seemed to be improving well. But, in April 2001, her condition suddenly deteriorated, and Cavilla died.
Sonja has kept in touch with the family across the years, and the Mercy Ships team have been invited back to the village to share the good news of Christ, and show the "Jesus" film. There is now a small church meeting under a tree there, and the team have also been able to help with installing wells, and doing health teaching.
It was about an hour and a half drive from the ship. As we bumped down the dusty red road at the end of the journey towards the village, the greenery of the thick swathes of grass, backdropped by palm and banana trees, contrasted startlingly to the dryness of the Burkina sahel.
As we arrived, hoards of schoolchildren swarmed around us, and a few excited women, recognising Sonja, started calling her name, and led us to Cavilla's family. We sat in the shade of a large nime tree, the crowd gradually grew quiet, watching as Cavilla's family gathered. The women happily hugged Sonja, as Cavilla's father looking on, serene and self-controlled, but clearly touched by the visit of this added member of his extended family.
Once the usual formalities were over, conversation and laughter were the order of the day. Cavilla's brothers and sisters were introduced to us all. Bottles of coke appeared as if by magic. There was catching up on the latest news from the village: the family were well, the pump was still working. Cavilla's mother gave us a summary of what the teaching had been about in the last two church meetings. The villagers have started planting maize in anticipation of the "small rains" soon to start.
The village is built by the river, and is flooded during the "big" rainy season of September. Hence the stilts - the houses are built above ground on wooden poles to stay above water during the flooding. With the river lapping the shore just a few feet away, local fishermen and tradesmen paddled their canoes past the stilted houses, going about their everyday business. In the quiet and beauty, and cheerful chatter, I could have stayed there all night. But all too soon it was time to head back to the ship. Reluctantly, Cavilla's family let Sonja go...
January 25, 2005
Shame to dancing
Some of the most moving stories on the Anastasis are those of women who have had surgery for VVF.
Vesico-vaginal fistula is a condition, usually as a result of child-birth difficulties, that leaves the woman's bladder constantly leaking urine. Because of the condition, such women are often abandoned by their husbands, and live apart from everyone, feeling shame and hopelessness.
The Anastasis provides free operations for as many as they can receive, and the lives of women such as Aminata are transformed:
"After her operation, she sat in the hospital ward, dry for the first time in seven years. Aminata said her life had already changed. “At first,” she said, “I didn’t see myself as a human being since people didn’t want to be around me. Now, I see healing and it’s like life has returned again.”
When the women leave the ship, they are given new outfits to replace their old soiled clothes, and there is often a little celebration, with music and dancing. What a great picture of the gospel - how we are saved from shame and rejection to healing and acceptance!
I heard there were some Fulani women on the ward yesterday, waiting for their VVF surgery, so went down to say hi, and was pleased to find that some of them had even been brought by their husbands or other male relatives. It must have been a huge shock for these young ladies, from remote Fulani villages, to come onto the "white man's ship" down in the big city. But they were all happy to be there, and told me of how well they had been welcomed and looked after. I am going back daily to chat with them all. The "Jesus" film has been shown on the ward in Fulfulde, and the Fulani have been asking for me to go back and talk with them about it. Please pray.
Habits of highly successful people
I had an email from Steve today, with a bit of news from my friends in Gorom-Gorom. Hamadou had been to visit him. He has two young sons at school, aged about 9 and 7, of whom he says:
"Amadou and Iisaa are both doing very well indeed at school. (Amadou was first in his class this year and was reprimanded by the teacher only for telling the other pupils that if they too wanted to be first they should pray in the name of Jesus!)"
January 23, 2005
Fulani Friends
Taking a small gift of tea, sugar, and peanuts, we went back yesterday to see our new Fulani friends from the abbatoir. We met Sido, and he took us to the house he shares with a handful of other Fulani young men from different parts of West Africa. The atmosphere, so typical for a young men's house in a West African capital, was a different world from Fulani life in Gorom-Gorom.
The tv was on, with energetically choreographed music videos from the Ivory Coast. Young women were shaking various parts of their anatomy enthusiastically and provocatively in time to the beat, and the sound kept creeping up a notch or two. I suspected the gospel might have a problem competing for my friends' attention, so I went with the flow.
Across the distraction of the wiggling ladies, we discussed the recent "tabaski" festival (they had celebrated by killing a goat, and distributing some of the meat to poor neighbours), the African youth football championship (Benin's chances are not good to win), local dress fashion (Fulani in Cotonou don't wear turbans, which are seen as typical of those from Mali and Burkina), local islamic religious leaders (considered less knowledgeable than those further north), and other everyday topics.
Shortly before we left, I asked them to turn the tv off for a while, and the room went mercifully quiet. I thanked them for making me so welcome, and told them how glad I was that I had met Fulani here in Cotonou. Then I asked if I could tell them some good news from God, and they leant forward intently. The message of Christ is good news for all people. The story of the prodigal son reveals a God who welcomes back we who have wandered away from him and made a mess of things. He is the Father who, when we "come to our senses" and head home, runs out and throws his arms around us.
The tv forgotten, their attention was fixed on the story of Jesus. Muslims know and honour Jesus, and they know that all of us are in need of God's grace. That is part of our common ground. But God's promise of forgiveness and new life in Christ is still largely unknown to them after 2000 years. It is kept from them more by our own apathy and distortion of "Christianity" than by their own lack of interest.
I don't know how much Sido and friends truly grasped in the short time we had together, but please pray that light may shine in their hearts to give them a glimpse of God's desire to bless them through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Out and about in Cotonou
I had a bit of a walk round town yesterday with a friend from the ship. It was great just to wander through the vegetable market, followed by the cheerful and hopeful shouts of women vendors offering a tempting array of fresh fruit and veg. The pineapples, bananas, and mangos here make those in Britain seem almost tasteless by comparison. I also came across another Fulani from Burkina, as well as a couple of Djerma guys from Niger, and a Tuareg from Mali, so there was a fair bit of Sahelian greeting during our short walk.
I have been doing a bit of translation of documents and letters into French for the outreach department. Living off the ship now, I get to the port every day on the back of a "zemidjan." These are motor-scooters that function as cheap public transport. Easily identifiable by the drivers' yellow jackets, they chug-chug their way through the local traffic to deliver their passengers across town for 20p. It looks dangerous, but actually, I have seen far fewer accidents than on an average week in Ouagadougou. It probably helps that trucks are only allowed in town between certain hours, avoiding the busiest times. Ken Livingstone, take note...
On my way back to bed last night, my zemidjan driver was waxing lyrical over Benin's latest success in the African Youth Championship. Having managed a 3-3 draw with Mali yesterday, they are through to the semi-finals - and this after the murder of their goalkeeper in an attack recently.
January 19, 2005
Emerging church in multicultural society 2
What do we do about Ibrahim?
Ibrahim is a Fulani interested in the gospel. He lives in Gorom-Gorom in the north of Burkina. There are no other Fulani Christians around, and no Fulani church to bring him to. There is a Mossi church, but the Mossi and Fulani are culturally very different, don't speak each other's language, and have a history of mutual distrust. Ibrahim recognises the integrity of the Mossi Christians he knows, but his experience of the Mossi church has been rather confusing so far. Other Fulani too are hearing about Christ, and interested in following his way.
How do we do church in a way that is relevant to the cultural identities of all the different groups in our society? How can we be church in a way that will be outreach-orientated, permitting people to meet God within their own cultural context? These are questions that are as relevant in post-modern UK and US, as in pre-modern Burkina Faso.
In response to the traditional "one size fits all" approach to church, some "church growth" and "emerging church" thinkers have proposed the doing church separately for each cultural sub-group in a society. In Gorom-Gorom, this would mean a church for the Mossi, and a separate church for the Fulani. In post-modern western cities, it may mean a church for youth, a church for post-moderns, a church for Asian immigrants etc.
I've always felt a a tension with this idea. On the one hand I believe the incarnation shows us that God wants to meet us where we are in our humanity. While in some ways the church is clearly to be counter-cultural, there is also a divine approval of the relationship of church and culture. The church should still be incarnating Jesus into every society - that people may meet God and worship him in a way that is accessible to their own cultural identity. The Fulani should not have to become Mossi to be able to meet God.
On the other hand I believe in the unity of the church, and think that having separate churches for each group undermines this unity and risks perpetuating the divisions and distrust that are supposed to be destroyed in Christ. If we all divide up into comfortable monocultural groups, it raises questions about the nature of the resulting expression of church:
• In this multiplicity of church expressions, where is the visible unity and mutual love and concern of slave and free, Jew and Greek, Fulani and Mossi, post-modern geek and hymn-sandwich grandmother that demonstrates the kingdom of God?
• Who will look after the old, frail, needy, and culturally awkward? Where will their place be?
• How will we be able to benefit from those who are different to us? My friend Richard's young son, Joshua came home one day after church, and was talking about a conversation he had had with Gladys, who is 100. Where else in society outside of family do children and the old get the opportunity to benefit from each other, if not in the church? Where else in society do we get the opportunity to benefit from those who are different from ourselves? In what way are we one body, with many interdependant parts?
Jesus welcomed all to himself. His gatherings were a mix of all segments of society. Because that is the nature of the kingdom of God. And the church therefore is only truly the church when it expresses this wonderful mix.
As my good friend Richard Sudworth observes, as he labours to do church in multi-cultural Birmingham:
"My take on the nature of church, which includes, in part, a sense of how we view our "good news", is that it encompasses the young, the old, the rich, the poor, the white, the black etc. There must, then, be some striving towards connectedness that pushes us to learn from each other and to enjoy the riches of diversity within the church....Or is everyone out there assuming that the future of church is fragmentation down to multiple little moncultural units...that cease to be church?"
How do we work out this tension in relation to the need for us to be culturally sensitive so that people can meet God within their own diverse cultural contexts? There must also be ways for the whole church to interact - where grandmothers talk with chidren, where geeks eat with the homeless, where Asians hug the Welsh, where the strong help the weak, where the Mossi and the Fulani demonstrate the power of the gospel by celebrating Christ together.
So what do we do with Ibrahim and his friends? Do I aim to start a separate Fulani church? Or do I try and get him into the Mossi church?
I will write more about some of the ways forward I have been exploring in the Fulani ministry in Gorom-Gorom in Burkina Faso, as I struggled with these questions. But, whether you are writing from post-modern UK or US, pre-modern Africa or Asia, or elsewhere, I'd like to hear any comments.
Part three is here
Tags: burkina faso africa emerging church burkina church fulani mission church and culture
January 18, 2005
Living letters
After an hour of dodging the crowd of cars and motorcycles on the main road out of Cotonou, we finally turned off the tarmac road onto the dusty dirt road heading towards the village. 20 bouncy minutes later we pulled up at a village school, closed due to the teachers' strike for better pay. But among the mango trees, from a small structure of corrugated iron sheets over a simple wooden frame, came the tapping sounds of a stick on board followed by the murmur of responsive voices.
A dozen or so men and women, gathered in small groups around school desks, were watching Olivier as he pointed with his stick to the combinations of letters they had been learning, and they read them out:
Tap: "at!"
Tap: "it!"
Tap: "an!"
Tap: "in!"
Tap-tap "atin!".
One of the older women giggled as she recognised the word she had just read: "Tree!"
The class is in the Fon language. Each week the teacher writes "nukplonkplon enegoo" ("Class four") at the top of the blackboard, and some of the class recognise even the longer word already, and point it out and read it when they see it.
While the school teachers are on strike asking - reasonably enough perhaps - for more pay, Olivier and Theodore from the local church and trained by Mercy Ships, are offering their service as volunteers. The students are supposed to contribute, but few manage to come up with the 5p/week required.
The class splits into groups and they help each other out: young women laughing, with babies on their backs; older women, frowning with concentration at the unfamiliar symbols; and the young men, more at ease, and eager to show their knowledge by helping those who are struggling.
Literacy in Benin is about 41%. The inability to read or write is linked to poverty and disempowerment. When asked about their reasons for wanting to learn to read and write, responses from the class vary: to be able to help their children with their schooling; to get knowledge; to avoid ridicule; to find a job...
But most often people just say they want to be able to read the Bible - and above all to read it in their own language.
January 17, 2005
Cows, Prophets, and Story-telling
We arrived this morning at Cotonou's main abbatoir, where Jacob's friends are working. Immediately several Fulani men surrounded us in anticipation that we were there to buy a bull for the forthcoming "tabaski" festival.
The initial surprise at the white man dressed in Fulani robes and turban soon gave way to amused banter in Fulfulde, as they realised I spoke their language. A crowd gathered, some peppering me with questions about where I came from, while others were eager to show me their animals, in the hope of an early sale. Each time I spoke to answer a question, admire a bull, or compare the animals with my own cattle back in Burkina Faso, the babble would quieten for a few moments, and then start again with renewed vigour.
After looking at the cattle for a while, we were invited by Jacob's friend Sido to come aside and sit and drink tea and chat for a while. A smart Land Cruiser pulled up, and some of the men dashed off to try their luck with the new arrivals, while a handful of others came and crouched in the dust to chat, still with one eye on the haggling going on across the road.
Conversation soon turned to the forthcoming "tabaski" festival, that honours Abraham, one of Islam's greatest prophets. Tabaski remembers Abraham offering up his son to God in sacrifice, and God's provision of a ram in his place. It is one of many places where Christianity and Islam find common ground. Although there are differences in the details of the Biblical and Quranic versions, the basic story is the same. Many of the men were hazy on the origin of the festival, so I told them the story, drawing out how it reveals God's initiative in saving humanity through a sacrifice that he himself provides. The story of course illustrates our own need of salvation, which God has provided in the sacrifice of Christ.
The conversation continued animatedly for a while as we talked about the frustration of religious practise that couldn't free us from sin. But I soon realised that this was not the best place to talk, as the men would soon be distracted by their need to get back to work. So they invited me to come back another day, when they have more time to sit and talk.
Before heading home, we went to visit a nearby Fulani family, where we were welcomed with milk fresh from the cow. One of the young men there was from near Djibo in Burkina Faso. He had come to Benin two years ago to look for work, and had heard nothing of his family since. Nor had he found work. He was glad to hear the little news of Djibo I was able to give him.
The other man there was called Nuuhu (Noah), and this led to more story-telling, this time about God's grace and salvation revealed to the prophet Nuuhu. Before heading home, I prayed for God's blessing on the family, and everyone offered a hearty "Amen" at the end.
It has been such a joy to be back among the Fulani, sharing the good news of Jesus again, and a relief to find I haven't forgotten all my fulfulde. Please remember to pray for the Fulani, that God would open their hearts to the story of his love and salvation for them in Jesus Christ. And please pray that God helps me as I share this good news with them in the coming days. Thank you.
January 16, 2005
Travelling Friends
On my way to Ouidah today, I met my first Fulani since I have been in Benin.
He was from Niger and was herding some cows at the side of the road. I spotted him from half a mile away - the typical Fulani slender figure with his stick over his shoulders, surrounded by cows. So we pulled over and I hopped out to have a chat. He was obviously surprised and delighted to have a "tuubaaku" (white man) stop to greet and talk to him in his own language. We asked after each other's families as if we were old friends, and then chatted a bit about cows and how the rainy season had been, and where all the Fulani are in the area. After a while, we blessed each other with the peace of God, and moved on.
It was great to meet "my people" again, and made me feel more at home here. Tomorrow morning, a Beninois friend is taking me to meet some of his Fulani friends in Cotonou. I am looking forward to this, and will wear my robe and turban, which I put in my rucksack for just such an occasion. I'll tell you all about it...
January 11, 2005
Changing Lives
Yesterday I made my first visit to the surgery ward of the Anastasis.
The first thing I noticed was the atmosphere of hope and care. At one end of the ward were those waiting for their turn for surgery - mostly for the removal of facial tumours. Understandably nervous, they were nevertheless happy to see Peggy, the American grandmother I was accompanying, as she chatted, hugged, and prayed with them.
At the other end was a small group of patients from Togo, who had had operations when the ship was last there, and were now back for follow-up. They were singing songs of praise and reading a Bible study, and were obviously happy with their new appearances. One had recently given his life to Christ.
The story of Max is typical. Two large tumours not only disfigured his face, but also caused the loss of his job and his family. He couldn't afford the £40 necessary for an operation locally, but when he heard about the free operations provided by the Anastasis, he made his way to the ship. The operations were successful.
Max before and after.
Now reunited with his wife and children, Max is keen to find new employment. He truly feels he is starting a new life:
"God is marvelous, wonderful!” he exclaimed. “He has heard my prayers and He has done this!”
Famine Relief in Burkina Faso
Following his visit to the World Food Programme in Ouagadougou, Steve has just written to say that the grain distribution will be going ahead at the end of this month. The food aid, in response to the disaster caused by the locust invasion which destroyed this year's harvest in the north of Burkina will be distributed through school canteens.
January 09, 2005
Arrival in Benin - initial impressions
It was about 10.30 at night when we touched down on Friday night, and the pilot informed us that the outside temperature was 26C (79F). It is the cold season, and the harmattan has just started - a dry, dusty wind that blows across the region, filling the air with dust for several weeks.
It's good to be back in West Africa. There are many similarities to Burkina, but obvious differences too - especially the presence of the ocean and the influence of the port. It is a strange experience, living on the ship, and going out into Benin - like two different worlds. I will be based on the ship Anastasis for five days, before moving off into a nearby guest house.
Yesterday, I followed the outreach team to Hevie to observe an adult literacy class they are doing through teachers they have trained from local churches. As we headed out of the city onto the familiar dusty roads, it seemed to me the land is much more productive here than in Burkina. But in the area we travelled, I saw little evidence of the ever-present Fulani cattle herders found in Burkina. The literacy class, in the local language of Fon, was just re-starting after the Christmas break, and the few women there were mainly reviewing what they had learned from the previous weeks. At the end of the class, the local pastor was invited to share with the class for 15 minutes, giving a short interactive talk on how God has made us in his own image.
Monday is national Voodoo Day. Benin is the birthplace of Voodoo, and people will come from all over the world to the nearby village of Ouidah to seek blessing. Voodoo is a Fon word, and an estimated 70% of Fon are involved in voodoo, an animistic religion. Voodoo is actually very different from the Hollywood image we have, as this article shows, but the message of Christ is still good news, and many are increasingly finding freedom from the spirit world through new life in Christ. Please pray that God continues to draw people to himself and to his love and blessing in Jesus Christ.
January 06, 2005
New Years Revolutions
The tsunami disaster has provoked a huge and generous response in the first days of the year. With the turning of the year also comes the opportunity for us to make a better world. In particular, for those of us in the UK, 2005 is a unique opportunity to change the face of extreme world poverty that claims 30,000 lives every day.
We know that a Christian response to suffering must be prayer, compassion, generosity, and action. There are other ongoing crises, especially in Africa, which have disappeared from our screens and maybe faded from our memories – such as those of the Sudan, Congo, and the harvest loss of the sahel.
The BBC questions whether aid for the tsunami disaster will divert much-needed funds from Africa, noting that “Africa is the only continent to have grown poorer in the past 25 years. It is the continent with the largest number of people living on less than a dollar a day - 49% of the total population. One African in three is undernourished.”
We could not have prevented the tsunami, but there are things we can do to prevent disaster elsewhere. And giving money is not the only Christian response…
2005 is a unique opportunity for the British Government, with the help of the British public, to transform the world for good. These opportunities include
· The UK hosting the G8 meeting in Gleneagles
· UK presidency of the EU
· The UK leading an International Commission for Africa
· The 20th anniversary of Live Aid
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has repeatedly said he wants Africa to be a priority during Britain's presidency of the G8 this year. Both he and George Bush have made it clear that now is the time for action for Africa.
Many Christian organisations in the UK have joined the campaign to Make Poverty History. This is an attempt to see Britain use its influence for good during this year, by changing the rules that perpetuate needless poverty and suffering. The three main targets of the campaign are trade reform , increased aid, and debt relief.
I will be posting regularly on these subjects throughout this year. In the meantime, please visit the website of Make Poverty History and sign up to join the campaign. For one year, let us make a concerted effort to change the world for good.
January 03, 2005
I am going to Africa
On Friday I escape the cold of Britain to head off to Africa for three weeks in Benin. I will be visiting friends working on the ship “Anastasis” of Mercy Ships Ministries, which is docked in Cotonou. I will be helping out in whatever ways I can, and hope to write regular posts here, including photos.
Mercy Ships is a great ministry, expressing the heart of Christ for the poor and needy. The Anastasis is a hospital ship, performing operations free of charge to remove tumours and cataracts, repair cleft lips and palates, and correct orthopaedic and women’s reproductive health problems. These are operations that are normally unavailable or unaffordable for people, and can be literally life-changing.
However, you will be pleased to know I won’t be performing any operations while on board! Alongside these operations, mobile teams are active – in liaison with government programmes – in local communities for health education, vaccination, and community development. I expect to do some translation work, join a team working in nearby villages on an adult literacy training project, and do some personal outreach and ward visiting. Benin is a French-speaking country, and there are also Fulani there, so I don’t anticipate too much trouble finding people to talk to.
As well as my own postings here, you can go to the Mercy Ships website to read the latest ship reports from the Anastasis.
It will be great to get back to Africa, even for such a short time. I have never actually been to Benin before, so it should be interesting. Benin is on the West African coast next to Nigeria, and shares a border with Burkina. There is freedom of religion. It is the home of voodoo, and Islam is weaker there than in Burkina. Christianity is mostly Roman Catholic, with about 1.2% of the population being evangelical.
January 02, 2005
Responding to suffering
The tsunami disaster should raise painful heart-searching questions for those of us who are seeking to follow God about why such things happen. Our attempts at explanations so often seem trite and unsatisfying. Worst of all are the blame-giving exercises that see suffering as God's anger against the victims' sin. Several times (eg Jn 9:1-4, Lk 13:1-4) Jesus warns against the arrogance of such immobilising bad theology. Instead he turns our attention to our own need to do something.
As chief rabbi Jonathon Sacks said in an article in the Times this week:
"The religious question is, therefore, not: “Why did this happen?” But “What then shall we do?”...The only adequate religious response is to say: “God, I do not know why this terrifying disaster has happened, but I do know what You want of us: to help the afflicted, comfort the bereaved, send healing to the injured, and aid those who have lost their livelihoods and homes.”
I know many of us are praying, and have already given. If you haven't yet done so, please do what you can. From the UK, you can make contributions at the Disaster Emergency Committee website or by phoning 0870 6060900
