Of course when in London it is also an opportunity to take in a show. We managed to get tickets to go and see “Phanton of the Opera” now I must confess that I’m not a great fan of Lloyd Weber’s music to me much of it all sounds the same and it has a touch of the production line about it. But hey who am I to critise, one of the staff was telling me the show has been running for over 23 years in the same theatre and is played to packed audiences most evenings. So I guess there is a huge audience for musicals.

As I looked around at the packed theatre it got me thinking how many of our churches would be packed like this on a daily basis seven days a week? I began to wonder is their a story of faith that would engage people to the same extent. Any ideas? What would you make a musical about to engage people with faith issues? I’ve just read in the paper recently that the Vatican are promoting a three hour musical centred around the life and times of the late Pope John Paul the second. the musical is entitled ‘ Don’t Be Afraid” it would appear this was a phrase John Paul used a lot to inspire those round him to live lives of faith.

So why the photo? Where is the Guard? Well having a look around the Palace I thought there was milage in the idea of a Phatom of the Palace. But don’t be afraid. If you look closely you’ll see the guard is still on his horse its the way the photo has been taken.

Here I am reporting the devastating news. One of our homes for abandoned boys in Peru has been washed away by the severe flooding which has taken place in the “Sacred Valley”. Fortunately the boys were all on holiday at Kawia and the home was empty. The home was recommended to be built on the banks of te river because it was thought to be completely safe.

When I visited the home in March 2009 there was a rainbow in the sky. A sign of God’s promise that he would never destoy the world by a flood. Certainly for the people in the sacred valley their world has been utterly destroyed. I’m grateful that the sign if nothing is a reminder to me for the rest of my life that these children were kept safe. If you have a moment take time to rread some of the prayers that Gordon Kennedy has written for Sanctuary First they are very appropriate for a time like this.

The latest, particularly from the reputable newspaper, El Comercio: Some 3,000 tourists stranded in Machu Picchu, including 300 or so on the Inca Trail (helicopters airlifting them out), 7,344 homes and buildings awash (latest count), valley most hit was the Urubamba, several Bridges gone, including the Entrance to Pisac, 30 landslides between Pisac and Cusco, the Government declaring Cusco in a state of emergency, aid being flown in, etc.

Thousands of tourists are stranded in Cusco and roads and villages in the sacred valley are cut off. Great mud slides have blocked roads and river banks have overflowed. I’m told that many people say they have never seen such heavy rains in their lives.

Paul Clark the Director of Union Biblica in Peru reports that ; “around 4am Sunday morning the river burst its banks and entered the Casa Girasoles Valle Sagrado home at window level and has severely damaged the adobe structure to the point that the home will almost certainly require to be demolished.” I believe that a report from the civil defence authorities has already been sent to Lima.”

Union Biblica are in the process of working out contingency plans exploring how we might use some of the other homes to house the boys on a temorary basis. Willie McPherson the Executive Director of the Vine Trust asks us all to ” Please pray for our colleagues as they wrestle with the logistics involved and begin the process of working with the local fiscal over a suitable long term solution being found.”

This is another natural disaster to hit Peru. the Trust worked to support the victims in Ica in 2008 it looks now as though we’re going to be involved in another reconstruction opertion. I have just heard that once again a generous donor has offered to help rebuild the home in Valle Sagrado. However It will take 18 months I’d imagine before such a building will be finished. Meanwhile accommodation will need to be found for the children.

All this news is breaking as a numberr of the Vine Trust Board members are preparing to go to Peru next week for our first ever joint Board meeting with our partners in Union Biblica.

One of the most popular shows on TV centres around the lives of a group of friends. I think the above clip is pretty funny. It reminds me of a few people i know who have gone down the road of the fake tan. Its really strange, but you know when we were in India this Summer the TV commercials were advertising cream to make your complexion pale. While we in this country go looking to become tan. Human nature were never happy with what we’ve got.

On Sunday morning I asked the congregation to think of the qualities that they look for in a friend. I did so knowing that the sermon was going to be centred around the teaching of Jesus regarding the topic of making judgements about people. Its such a difficult thing for all of us when we are in a situation where we have to cultivate friendships. I asked the congregation to begin to discuss the topic this week in their homes.

I was in the church lounge making a cup of tea this morning as intrigued to over hear a conversation between two staff members all about the difficulty many teenagers have in discerning who are really their true friends. So many pressures seem to face them as they seek to discover who they are and also what kind of persona they should promote in order to attract friends.

The thing is its not only teenagers that have the problem there are just so many people out there struggling to hold on to life itself because they’ve been let down by so called friends.

At the end of our reflection in church I asked the question to all of us. What kind of friend are we, to those we call friends. So lets hear you thoughts on friendships.

No doubt you may have seen the pictures as they were broadcast as part of the News. So what is it that makes people risk everything to try and win British Citizenship? Maybe we have so much in this country that we take our way of life for granted. We are never afraid to speak our mind because we don’t expect to be arrested. The thing is all around the world today people are looking for sanctuary.

I believe genuine people looking for shelter and sanctuary should never be turned away. As I type these words I hear Grace in the Sangita Orphanage telling me she can’t turn a child away who comes to her door looking for sanctuary.

All this reminds me of the thousands of people who roam our streets at night who are looking for meaning and purpose to their lives. They may have homes to go to but they are looking for a different kind of sanctuarysanctuary. Will you remember in your prayers this new web based ministry that starts in the next couple of weeks. We’re looking for congregations and individuals to partner us as we seek to take this right into the ” Lions Den”

Anyway it was an opportunity for us to catch up with the Davidars after spending the day with their staff who run the Raphe Ministry. Shanti is always full of amazing stories and her faith in the Lord is quite irrepressible.

Among the topics we discussed was the work that was started in the Rainy Hospital by   another woman, this time a powerful Scots lady called Christina Rainy, she was ably served by another Scottish lady doctor . Together they founded the Rainy Hospital here in Chennai in 1888.  Christina Rainy had visited this area with her husband Robert Rainy who was the Principal of New College in Edinburgh. She returned home with a passion to establish the hospital and find women doctors who would come and work to establish a service for local women. Christina rainy knew that moist women like to be examined by a woman doctor. So the hospital was established.

I spent sometime looking round the facilities yesterday. I found it very sad to see that the place had been allowed to fall into such poor condition.  I was heartened to meet the senior doctor in charge of the hospital  Dr Chris Roy. I was also full of admiration for the task that he has taken on. He has only been in post a year. He tells me he is fire fighting everyday to raise enough money to pay bills. He is in need of so many resources. he is short of sterilising  equipment, a present he has cannibalised  an  older broken down machine to make the present machine work. It is difficult to know where to start he tells me as he shows me round a hospital that has been allowed to fall into such disrepair. Yet he has nothing but faith and praise for his team of doctors and nurses. He tells me they have just stabilised a young girl who was admitted the previous evening after trying to hang herself in her home. He tells me of the successes he has had with such meager resources. We try hard to keep the wards clean and tidy. We have no infection whatsover in the hospital. However he explains it would be wonderful if we could paint the walls and have the equipment we need to do the heart operations that I’m skilled to do.

I came away moved at the commitment of this man to bring back to life the vision of these two Scottish ladies and I thought to myself I’ll do all I can to help him make that vision a reality. When we get back home there will be opportunities i hope to speak with others who might take up the call.

I’m sure in the past this hospital no doubt has had challenging issues to try and resolve. However with the right support there are no issues that can’t be resolved and indeed turned to good. Pray for Chris Roy as he works tirelessly along with his staff to serve the poorer people in Chennai.

It was actually no different this afternoon when we visited the Sangita Orphanage. What an amazing transformation has taken place in the last year. There are a number of key building erected now enough to move some of the children in next month. There’s still a considersbleamount of money required to finish the work. Paul tells that they at short of about 100,000 to complete the whole project. I’ll get some pictures up when we get to Temple Bay.

We’ve just been resting here for the past twenty four hours. I think it is a well earned rest. It also has allowed me to reflect on all that has gone on in this trip.

We are so grateful to our fixer over here Captain Alfred Thacker. He is a man with outstanding determination and is greatly respected in these parts. In India seniors are often referred to as Uncle. it is a term of endearment and also respect. So we salute uncle once again on this trip just encase he thinks he’s been overshadowed by the women. Anyway her are a couple of pictures from the Sangita Orphanage. We have been filming the new build. In due course when it is edited we’ll get it up on youtube so that everyone can see the massive improvements that will come about with the new build. Grace was telling us that she took the children to see their new home. their eyes were popping out of their heads at the sight of the new granite floors and the spacious sleeping areas. Here are some of the children.

In the midst of all this movement of people we too make our way out of the city of Chennai to drive for about four hours to  the State of Kerala, we are heading  for  the village of Marriyoor.

This is where we will meet up with the Sisters of Nazareth. Both of these women have quite outstanding stories to tell of the wonderful way God has called them to be servants among the people who live in this region.

They have been working here for over 15 years. They seek to be champions of the poor with a special remit to serve and support the tribal people who live high up in the mountains. This group of tribal people are known as “MUDHUWANS”. They have very little contact with civilisation. They are a primitive group of people and it is estimated that there could be up to 400 settlements spread out across the mountain range.  Jansi in forms me that some anthropologists have suggested that these tribes are linked in some way with the tribes of Indians found in South America.( I must look into this the next time I’m over in South America.)

The only way into their villages is to go on trek into the hills and climb high up tpo around 7,000 feet. This journey will take you at least five hours if your fit or perhaps your life if your not.

Freeda speaks with great passion for her work.She tells me how the Mudhuwan’s live. “They live in huts of bamboo covered with clay,” she explains. ” when we first went there all the people ran away from us they were terrified. Finally we met the chief and we managed to ccommunicate using  a language mix of Tamil and Malayalam. Today, some 15 years later, they run a school for the children in their complex which is just outside the village of Marriyoor. About sixty boys and girls from the tribal villages in the mountains attend the school and it is becoming a source of great pride to all parents who live in this area. The children come and live with the sisters and are educated up to secondary school age. There are many opportunities that come Freeda and Jansi’s way.  We need to help them maximise these offers.

This project has great potential if we can find so group out their who would be willing to lend a hand. I can see us doing a similar thing that Vine Trust do in Peru sending out work parties to help establish buildings and infra structure for this kind of work to continue.

It is from these distant mountains  communities that the  above children have come to study and be educated. On their returnm these children become the community educators in all sorts of subjects.one of the most important is in the area of health education.

Today’s guest is Stuart Murdoch the Baptist minister in the town. I think we’ll have a bit of banter. It will be a great show. I hope that Lilias will also be able to join me as part of the production team. Lilias is really chatty and good at answering the emails that come in from time to time while your on the air.

I’ve got a kind of theme in my head for tomorrow. We’re all in search of this theme but too often we don’t quite find it. And when we do it seems to just disappear. Anyway I thought I’d play a track from Blue Nile.Here is

Paul Buchanan singing

Click here to view the embedded video.