Back in Touch

Welcome to the new-look BMS website! We are glad to be back in touch with you after what has been an intense few months.

Since the last time we wrote to you we have been saddened by the death of Philip’s brother Mark. Mark spent his last weeks in a hospice, with the extended family around him and his wife Mary at his side day and night.

Shortly before Mark’s death his G.P. described him as a “miracle of survival”, adding that she had never known anyone with such advanced disease to survive for so long. We are grateful to God for giving Mark several ‘extra’ and unexpected years with us all.

It was at Mark’s bedside that we got a phone call to say that Charis was in intensive care in a hospital in Kolkata, where she had gone for a month with BMS. A combination of infections had caused her to have a dangerously high temperature which, in turn, had led to a loss of consciousness and laboured breathing. Happily, Charis was discharged from hospital after a week and was able to return to the UK in time to attend Mark’s funeral.

Inevitably, the family feels like it has been somewhat ‘through the mill’ in recent months but there has been happy news too. Lydia did well in her baccalaureate and so was able to take up her place to study midwifery at Edinburgh.

Work-wise, Philip has been ‘on the road’ for over 50 per cent of the time since September. That said, Rosemary has been able to join him for more of his travels this autumn since there are no longer any school-children in the home to worry about! Coming travel includes trips to the UK, Germany, Italy, Albania, and Kosovo.

Closer to home we continue our chaplaincy role in the Les Cèdres French language school here in Massy, offering friendship and practical help to the fifty-or-so international students and their families. Rosemary has borne the majority of this responsibility since the summer, given Philip’s frequent absence.

At church we continue to give thanks to God for our pastor Simon, now into his second year. The Massy church building is more than full on a Sunday morning and Simon is leading a consultation about the best way to continue to grow and to reach out to the community around us. Do pray for this process.

We await the return of Luke and Lydia for the Christmas break - snow permitting - and look forward to the prospect of everyone being together for a couple of weeks.

With our thanks to you for reading the blog and our best wishes for a joyful Christmas,

Philip & Rosemary.