In August's Village News I wrote about spending last winter in Afghanistan and ended by saying Ursula and I might go to Nepal to work with the International Nepal Fellowship (INF).  Well, it's happening!

Would you like to be involved?

Until the middle of the last century Nepal was a completely closed country.  In 1936 three Scottish lady doctors felt God calling them to Nepal, and prayed, waiting and working in northern India for 17 years.  When the border opened in 1952, they walked across and started a hospital.  They were accompanied by the first Nepali Christians who started the first church in Nepal. 

INF has therefore always been a medically orientated Christian development agency, with a hospital, clinics, medical camps in rural areas, rehabilitation work with the disabled (particularly leprosy victims), a poor fund for a government hospital, and programmes to help HIV/AIDS sufferers and drug users.  INF aims to work for people not reached by others and is training and resourcing the poor to be able to earn for themselves.

We will be going in February and after 4-5 months of orientation and learning the language, Jos will be managing some of these programmes.  It is not clear exactly what Ursula will be doing, but Nepal is a very poor country with Maoist Rebel activity in the areas in which INF operates so there are slums, camps of displaced people, a Christian orphanage, etc, so there will be no shortage of opportunities.  We will also join and participate in a local Nepali church - language permitting! 

If you would like to keep in touch with us we will be sending out regular e-mails.  We also have to raise £16,000 a year of support for INF in order to cover the costs of being there and the work, so we are looking for about 40-50 people to be involved with us and give between £10 & £100 a month.  This money goes to INF and so can be gift aided.   If you would like more information, to be on the circulation list, or support the work financially, please contact us at Nancoll, Red House Lane, by phone 702591, or by e-mail to jos_johnston@yahoo.co.uk.

Jos

We have yet again managed to receive 94 Shoeboxes.  This has been due to the kind efforts of the people of Elstead who have taken time to fill the boxes and to give hope for the many families of Romania.  We would especially like to thank the children at the school and also the Rainbows Nursery who always make a great effort.  We would also like to thank certain people outside of the village who have helped us over the past 10 years of collecting the Shoeboxes.  Mr and Mrs Norkett from Lower Froyle and Mrs and the late Mr Lewis of Badshott Lea who have never missed a year to ring us up and ask for the leaflets.

We have decided to make this our last year to organise the collection of the Shoeboxes.  This being due to other commitments and so would like to thank everybody again who have been so kind to send a Christmas cheer to many deprived families.

We would be only too pleased to help anybody who would like to carry on the Shoebox appeal.  It is not a major task but requires a facility to store approximately 100 boxes.  We did find it easier however to deliver a number of boxes at a time to Worthing.  (We would spend the day there and have a walk along the prom). Should this not be possible then Link Romania could arrange for the boxes to be collected.)

God Bless you all and may you have a wonderful time at Christmas.

Philip and Pauline.  (Tel: - 702158)