Roma Diary

( Extracts from my Journal )

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It is so hot here at present. I realized yesterday how much I dislike summers. The heat always effects my heart problem, my uniform as a middle aged over weight Brit is all black and seems to draw heat like a magnet, people in the US and UK rarely write notes of encouragement as they are so busy in their lives, But the up side is our town becomes quiet and restful until the end of August. I am allergic to noise and so the quietness is enrichening and joyful. I am also moved to think of people like Al and Lillie Crowe labouring in Calcutta right now who would think of our summers like their winters.

The crisis of the week is that Daniel quit again but this time I have had to agree for a cooling off period as he really is in a deep turmoil of soul. I am not sure if it is the generations of witchcraft in his family or simply undiluted depravity of the human kind. I have to accept though that whereas people abusing me verbally is a part of doing business with the Bayash, there is a place where simply it serves no purpose to assimilate peoples vileness. I need to think about all this for a while, but it really effects the Bible translation project at a catastrophic level. Right now I would love to be in a country diner in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with dear Nancy drinking decaf coffee surrounded by Mennonites who have no family members who have cursed in nine generations.

On Sunday at our Varazdin Fellowship we had a philosophy student turn up. He is the child of atheists and has been an atheist his whole life. For his philosophy studies he had to write a paper on Thomas Aquinas which led him to the intellectual conclusion that there was a God. He wanted to find a Protestant group to observe and so he came to us through Anita's son Luka. Dear Nancy whose degree is in philosophy was magnificent in dealing with him. I threw in the odd Latin theological point so as not to look like an imbecile but dear Nancy was really on target. He left with a New Testament and much to think about. It seems in the midst of the agonies of dealing with the Bayash that God is prospering our little Varazdin Church greatly.

We have made the decision in consultation with others that I will take on a formal pastoral/eldership role in the Varazdin Church. Even though it is a small group the burden of spiritual nurture and the responsibility of bearing the truth through the Word into peoples lives is not something I take lightly.

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Bob and Nancy Hitching
Trnovecka ulica 2
Varaždin
Croatia 42000
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