MuskNews: “Please pray for us!”
July 2010
1 Family news
: we arrived back in UK in mid-July very tired, but with thankful hearts. It was lovely to attend Nicola’s graduation at Royal Holloway College, University of London and celebrate her good achievement with her – we are very proud of her! She is now BMus! More family news offered below, by Hilary!
2 St George’s, Tunis
. We have put in place an alarm system for church and outbuildings and grounds. We have sought and appointed a gardener-cum-daytime-custodian. To have accomplished those actions required a lot of sustained effort by several people at St George’s and we have employed a lovely, gracious, hard-working brother who already is having a positive impact on how the garden looks and how visitors feel when they enter the site.
: at the moment we are seeking to increase the administrative resource to the church by upgrading our part-time administrator’s post to one that is full time. This will especially help in the management of personnel and projects and hopefully take away from me some of the micro-managing I have had of necessity to be involved with – because there is no one else to do it!
: our older youth, who call themselves “Teens in Christ” or TIC for short, have spent time on Retreat before they lead services in church on one Sunday in August.
: we ran a wonderful Vacation Bible School/Holiday Club for 120+ children on the site of the American Community School in Tunis. Amidst the joyful noise and chaos the Lord worked in children’s hearts.
: the Women’s Ministry is operating a program of visiting and practical support to two local centres for marginalised mothers and children in Tunis. This is a wonderful practical expression of compassion and service.
: I enjoyed giving the Bible studies at the Arabic-speaking congregation’s weeklong Retreat at a local monastery just before we came home to UK. Several of the fellowship took a significant step in affirming their faith in Jesus after a night of prayer in preparation. I am so grateful for Rev Emil’s careful pastoring and leading of this group.
3 North Africa Episcopal Area
: Hilary and I spent a wonderful few days visiting our sister church, Christ the King, in Tripoli, Libya. We were there to rejoice together that the Lord had brought Rev Vasihar and his wife Malini from Chennai, India to Tripoli, Libya after a wait of more than a year for visas. Suddenly their visas were granted and so I needed to go and license Rev Vasihar. We enjoyed a lovely celebratory service together, in which some of the African adults of the congregation were also confirmed. I am so thankful to Rev Hamdy and Rev Gus for their faithful and mature leadership of the church, and thrilled that Rev Vasihar now brings his experience and spirituality to contribute to that leadership.
: at the beginning of September I hope that Hilary and I will both be able to travel to Algiers – we have visas! – in order for me to license Rev Jan to the role of minister of Holy Trinity, Algiers.
: we, with others, have prayed and worked to see renewed leadership put in place in both Algiers and Tripoli. I am thankful to the Lord for those he is providing – people of faith and pastoral experience.
: I am praying that each of our churches in the North Africa Episcopal Area will become increasingly self-sufficient and not reliable on the diocese and others for financial support. This is already mostly the case with St George’s, Tunis; is becoming the case with Christ the King, Tripoli; is a considerable challenge for Holy Trinity, Algiers.
: we have welcomed to Tunis a young Nigerian, named Ayo. He has come to work as an intern, under my oversight, after completing some theological training in Kenya. Throughout different parts of our diocese there are many Africans, especially from West Africa. Ayo previously spent four years in Tripoli, Libya, so he knows the situation there very well.
4 Personal touch!
: we have had a very, very busy couple of months and are glad to be back in England having some space and some family time! The heat and humidity in Tunis were pretty bad by the time we left, although we hear it is much worse in Cairo!
: during the past two months we have had relaxing time with friends: Helen from Cairo, Lucie from London, Doug and Dulcie Anderson from Australia! We knew Doug and Dulcie from as long ago as 1973 in Beirut and later in Cyprus; it was lovely to see them still fighting fit, amusing, as sweet as ever and globe-trotting in their 70’s/80’s! It is good to take a little time out to spend with friends and help them experience some of the amazing sights, smells and sounds of Tunisia!
: we also went to a conference Bill spoke at in Europe and met some inspiring, young, dedicated servants of the Lord! We met the widow and team members of a young man who was shot in Mauritania. His message to the local believers had been, ‘This is a faith worth dying for!’ How humbling and what a witness. It was so good to worship and pray with such precious people.
: Libya - I had been worrying about our trip to Libya and what I would do there, while Bill was meeting various people; I was hoping I would be able to be a blessing to the wife of the new chaplain who had only arrived the day before. My daughter Helen spoke to me on skype to check if I was ok and consequently asked me whether I was able to spend time with Vasihar’s wife, Malini. Here are some excerpts from my replies to her and to our other daughters. NB for Dad, read Bill!
: Tuesday - had nice meal with new chaplain and wife, Vasihar and Malini. She is very sweet, but seems completely shell-shocked and is still in India in her heart and mind. They packed up and left in one week!! One week to pack and tell everyone and say goodbye! No wonder they are in shock!! She actually hasn't brought any photos of her family cos she says if she sees them she will feel too sad. I hope I can be an encouragement to her.They are such a lovely couple and very close.
: Wednesday - I think Mali began to feel more relaxed with me at lunch time when I spilt food on my glasses and then tried to crack a stubborn pistachio nut with a knife and it flew off into space! She laughed quite a bit!! After lunch we wandered together in the Medina and found her some medicine, as she was very run down. We found some interesting shops too, so it was nice for Mali to begin to get a feel of the area. When we got back the men weren't back yet, so we sat in her flat and shared and prayed together, especially for her family. I was thinking of our girls too and ended up in tears! Mali came and sat on the floor with me and I guess she was praying quietly in her own language. I could sense the presence of God tangibly, just like in the little chapel at Margaret and Marcelle’s house in Tulse Hill. She told me that her and Vasihar sit there every morning and have their devotions and prayer together for one hour! So no wonder I could sense God's presence!! I was sitting in the hot seat!! It was good, we finished just as Vasihar came in to the flat. She told her husband afterwards how simple we were; apparently in India, some bishops and their wives are treated with awe and put on airs and graces! I'm not sure I would know how to!!
: maybe the pistachio nut experience and me sitting on her floor was good!! So maybe it is good I came with Dad! She also said that Dad reminds her of her father who is also a bishop (not the awesome sort though!) and is thin and looks a bit like Dad. It is hard for them to buy things in Libya even though there is money available for the house, because even things here which seem incredibly cheap compared to Tunis, seem really, really expensive when compared to India!! So I guess that is all part of the culture shock too. At lleast there are lots of other Indians in the congregation who will make friends with her once she meets them on Friday. Tomorrow we will go and look at food shops in case we can find the chapatti flour! I think she wants to make us chapattis! Mmmmm!
: Thursday - Well, after making Vasihar's wife Mali feel at home yesterday with food on my glasses and the pistachio nut incident, I made her laugh a bit more today! We went and found chapatti flour, which made her very happy. So I had my third lesson in chapatti making! Different again!! Three ways to make them!! She so generously gave me one of her chapatti pans and a wooden spatula.
I embarrassed myself by eating too many chapattis with small spoonfuls of gorgeous curry. Everyone else was polite and only had one or two!! And we are all going out for dinner tonight with the church council!! The church had provided them with some kitchen equipment including a new food processor, but there were no instructions. I was trying to help her work out how to use the new food processor they have put in the flat for her, specifically the grater attachment. The bits of carrot were coming out still mostly large and she found it hilarious that the main reason was that I had forgotten to peel the blue polythene off the grater bit! No, I haven’t changed a bit!! I was trying to work out how to fit the other attachment and hit my head on her cupboard which set Mali off again!! Her husband heard her laughing and said she seems to feel very at home with me! Well I am glad that she is not looking quite so sad now!!
: Friday - The service went really well, the music was amazing, with tastes of Africa, Pakistan and India! Amazing to watch too, as the Africans just could not keep still whilst the Indians and Pakistanis hardly moved a muscle! The whole congregation was very welcoming. Mali has met a number of people who speak her language now and we know that she and Vasihar are going to be loving, prayerful pastors to these people.
: on our return from Libya I was plunged headlong into the VBS (equivalent of Holiday Bible club) which our church ran in conjunction with the French church at the American School. I and another pastor’s wife ran the 3-4 yr old group. I love working in a team and found the week both stimulating and draining! We looked at the life of Peter which leant itself to art and drama; fishing nets, stormy lakes, crowing cockerels and lame men jumping! What fun!! The numbers decreased during the week as the hours were very long for the little ones and some of them were just too tired!
: Family time! - now we are in the UK and seeing our daughters and families, firstly being proud parents at the wonderful occasion of Nicola’s graduation! Nicola and Simon both did really well in their degrees. We are writing this in Dorset near where Bill’s mum lives. All our extended family is staying in a large house for two weeks! Sarah’s pregnancy is going well and Andrew showed us an amazing photo of their little one in utero! Thank you for your prayers for Helen’s leg; it has been very up and down with complications in all the soft tissue which seems to be taking a long time to settle down. All our grandsons had glowing reports from school, not just academically, but about their lovely personalities!
: thank you all so much for your prayers and for taking time to read all our news! We love hearing from you, too! Hilary xxx
: Stop press: Cat News! - I am sure you want to know! We put three little kitties in a box the day we left and Khemais has taken them to a farm on the Cap Bon peninsular. He assures me that the farmers are glad to have cats and that there are mice and snakes galore! Our new warden is looking after the remainder just now! Hopefully it will put a stop to the jokes from Bill about sending them for a swim in the Mediterranean!
5 Prayers please for
: folk in Tunis on staff at St George’s – Bill, Kwame, Emil, Ayo, Khaled, Souad and Mohsen.
: Rev Vasihar and his wife Malini as they settle in and find their feet in ministry at Christ the King, Tripoli.
: Rev Jan as he settles into life in Algiers this summer, ready for licensing at the beginning of September. There is so much potential for ministry among different English-speakers in Algiers.
: pastoral ministry amongst different groups of people at St George’s.
: protection and growth of national believers in North Africa.
: Yessine, our previous custodian, recently released from prison and seeking to put his life in order in a way that gives fulfilment to, instead of frustrating, his brilliant artistic talents.
: the impact of the work of members of the Africa Development Bank throughout the continent of Africa.
: the security measures we have put in place to work well!.
Many blessings to you all and lots of love.
Bill & Hilary
Bill & Hilary Musk are mission partners with I.C.S. (Intercontinental Church Society: registered charity no. 1072584). If you would like to contribute financially to their support, please go to www.ics-uk.org and follow the link to “Make a donation”, then select “Tunis–St George’s–Musk” from the drop-down list. Thank you.
6 Contact details
Bill & Hilary Musk
St George’s Church, 5 rue Ahmed Beyrem, 1006 Bab Souika, Tunis, Tunisia
Phone in our flat: +216 71 335493
Mobile (Bill): +216 23447439
Mobile (Hilary) +216 23446739
Email: billamusk@gmail.com
hilaryamusk@gmail.com
Congregation get together after Sunday morning service, Tunis.
.jPG)
.JPG)
