Annual Congregational Meeting - Wednesday March 12th
The Annual Congregational Meeting proved to be upbeat and positive. The meeting began with worship and then proceeded to the reports. These were from the Kirk Session, the Treasurer, the Sunday School Superintendant, the WFM, the Youth Fellowship and the Minister. Each report was followed by a time of prayer. The evening was finished off with a look at the miracle of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes - showing what the Lord could do with such minimal resources. The disciples thought the task of feeding the 5,000 impossible, yet the Lord saw the need and was able to meet it. We were encouraged to go on believing that He is the same today as He was then.


Visiting Speakers - Sunday March 9th
It was a great pleasure to have Marie Christine Lux with us for both services today. Marie Christine, who spoke at the Ladies Meal on Friday (see entry March 7th), spoke to the children in the Morning Service and to the Youth Fellowship after the Evening Service.
It was also a pleasure to have the Rev George Donaldson take our Evening Service. He spoke to us from Paul's final address to the Elders of the Ephesian church. George is soon to become the Church of Scotland Minister in New Stevenston (near Motherwell).


Prayer Breakfast - Saturday March 8th
There was another good gathering for this the second of the recently organised Prayer Breakfasts. About 22 people from different churches in Sutherland and Ross-shire came together to pray for their churches and villages and also for the world situation with regard to Iraq and the possible threat of war.


East Sutherland Ladies' Meal - Friday, March 7th
Ladies from Helmsdale, Brora, Dornoch, Lairg and Rogart met together in Golspie for this annual occasion hosted by the Golspie ladies. There were about sixty present and, as they shared a three course meal together, all enjoyed the opportunity to meet and exchange news with friends from around the county. The Golspie Craft Group had some of their work for sale and many of the ladies were happy to buy cards and other hand-crafted goods.

The Guest Speaker for the evening was Marie Christine Lux who returned, late last year, from a second term of service with Tearfund in Honduras. She out-lined the work of MOPAWI, the Christian organisation to which she was seconded by Tearfund. Her particular remit was in the area of Community Health and she was responsible, along with her colleague, Elsser, for giving advice and training to the village health facilitators. Their visits to the villages in their district necessitated travel by small planes or on the river by canoes. These journeys were not easy, but Marie Christine also had to deal with other more significant difficulties and problems. She honestly shared with us that these past two years had been challenging and often frustrating. When she came home early, it was with a sense of disappointment and failure and of a task uncompleted.

As she was about to leave Honduras, a young friend thrust a hastily wrapped parcel into her hand. On board the plane she undid the wrapping and saw that it contained a roughly sewn blouse with unfinished embroidery decoration. At an initial viewing, perhaps not the most acceptable of presents. However,as she looked again and thought about the gift and the giver, she realised that this blouse was a parable of her time in Honduras. It was not very skillfully made and it was unfinished, but it had been made and given with love. As she looked more closely she could see that amongst the embroidery there were designs that were bright and beautiful which spoke of hard work, diligence and thoughfulness. Although she was dissatisfied with much of the past two years, Marie Christine realised that in her work too there had been good things; developments that were worthwhile, plans that could be built upon and relationships that would last.
Please continue to pray for Marie Christine that, as she settles down again in Glasgow and looks for work, the Lord will continue to lead and guide her.

She asked that the collection taken after the meal, which amounted to £230 be given to Dumisani College in South Africa for their Students' Book Fund.