Wisnoe Lee is a Jakarta-based artist whose cartoon characters and illustrations appear in a gamut of advertisements from sleek cars to mobile phone service providers. While Wisnoe has created a number of different comic strips, his pet project is an online series, Glbug, which features a corrupt official who has lost everything and is given a second chance -living a simple life as a whimsical bajaj (tricycle) driver roaming around the notorious streets of Jakarta with his cat, Oncom.
A flying visit to Edinburgh at the weekend for the wife’s sister’s wedding.
Will put some photos of the big day shortly, but wanted to put up this photo first.
Before the event, we met up with the wife’s other two sisters and went for a walk in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens.
I liked the bench so I took a photo.
Partly for a Valentines night out and also because it was an Oxfam Benefit Performance we recently headed out to see Quidam at the Royal Albert Hall.
As you would expect from anything that Cirque du Soleil produce, it was an absolutely amazing night and nearly the best show I have ever seen (De La Guarda still ranks as the best – although it was a serendipitous event!).
What was quite interesting afterwards was walking back to the Tube and overhearing all the conversations, particularly those who were singularly unimpressed, who were commenting that “they could do that with a bit of practice”
Yes it was skipping, juggling, trapezes, etc and if you watch TV I’m sure you would have seen similar (but not quite as good performances along the same lines) but it would certainly take a long, long time before I was anywhere near half as good as those guys.
The show expands this to "a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a person rushing past. One who cries out, sings and dreams within us all."
An interesting theme that I would explore in more detail if I had the time.
We have just started up a Prayer Ministry at the church, which we are both involved in, and it has made me think a bit more about prayer and what it is all about.
I’ve also revisited Philip Yancey’s book and am slowly reading my way through this on the Tube (when I have the space!).
In the review of this, in Christianity Today, another book was mentioned which has also captured my attention a little bit and I would like to read in the future; “Knocking on Heaven's Door” by David Crump.
The reviewer says:
“Crump offers a radical affirmation of the centrality of the Cross to Christian prayer. Powerful prayer, he says, is not prayer that leads to bodily healing and riches. Rather, the Bible's model of powerful prayer is Paul's petition, in prison, that we "may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ."
[…]
Perhaps the implications for us are this: without dissenting from the notion that prayer can make a difference in human events, we can, as Crump suggests, affirm that the essential shape of our prayer is cruciform. When we suffer, a miraculous answer to prayer is not out of the question, but our hopes for a miracle ought to be secondary. The primary hope with which we pray, in our sufferings and our darkness, is the hope of the Resurrection.”
We may be back from Africa, but we still want to keep you informed about what we are doing!
Here’s our latest newsletter with an update from London.
Mario Molina is a Peruvian cartoonist and illustrator, and has studied Journalism and Communications at the Lima University (1976-1982). Since 1977, he is cartoonist and illustrator of Caretas magazine, where he illustrates, among other articles, Mario Vargas Llosa’s and China Tudela’s columns. Since October 2001 , he has published his political cartoons in the editorial page of El Comercio. His work has also been published in Expreso, Liberacion, Ojo, Foreign Policy, La Cronica, El Idiota, El/diota Ilustrado and Monos y Monadas. His publications include Anita, selection of the best comic strips published in Ojo newspaper (1 992) ; Genio y Figura de los Arequipeno, portfolio of cartoons of historical characters from Arequipa; and El Secreto de las Pampas de Nazca, comic strip about the life of Maria Rieche based on a script by Luis Freire.
On another note, and I am probably quite slow in picking this one up, “a lorry was found hanging off the back” of the HSS. Found! It almost sounds as if they never noticed it until they were about to set off!
We have between 4” – 6” of snow, the buses aren’t running and pretty much every tube is either suspended or part suspended, but I managed to brave my way through the snow and reach the office.
Only three of us made it in – so it is a fairly relaxed day.
The above are snowmen outside the Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell Green.
We had the vicar and his wife, Will and Ellen for those in the know, around for dinner last Saturday night, and the topic drifted towards missionary work.
They mentioned an article, which they gave us a copy of at church next morning, written by Matthew Parris in the Times.
It is an article that has certainly been interesting to think about while the wife and I contemplate our role in mission, development and humanitarian works.
Anyway, without any further comment, here's a couple of quotes from the Times article:
"Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good."
"The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world - a directness in their dealings with others - that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall."
"It would suit me to believe that their honesty, diligence and optimism in their work was unconnected with personal faith. Their work was secular, but surely affected by what they were. What they were was, in turn, influenced by a conception of man's place in the Universe that Christianity had taught."
Following Anne's comment an earlier post, I came across a post by Olive & John Drane, about the Christmas Eve service at St Matthew’s.
Scott came to St Matthews round about the time that we were preparing to leave Perth but we have heard some very positive and encouraging reports about him and the direction the church is heading. I passed the church regularly on my way to the coffee shop, and it always stood out for me in its combination of ecumenical spirit and practical intentions. They always seemed to be working hard to raise support for Christian Aid, in particular.
Bu this is just great! St Matthew's Special Ale. I’m looking forward to heading back up to Perth at some point.
So I nipped out for something to eat and a bit of a wander, and it turns out that they are filming the new Sherlock Holmes film outside the office in Clerkenwell. The fans (presumably of Jude Law and Robert Downey Jr) and the paparazzi were all gathering around a caravan presumably to catch a glimpse of the great ones.
It was quite impressive being in the midst of it all, but I was most impressed by their catering facilities. They seemed to have about 3 lorries dedicated to catering and food. About 25 % of the total number.
I have just sent the last assignment for my Masters away which means that I have now managed to complete all 18 of my assignments, at a grand total of over 300 pages. It has taken me about three years to get to this stage. I still have my thesis to do (it's only about 150 pages long so I should be pretty quick in knocking that one off!)
I know I'm not exactly Karl Barth, with his 10,000 page Church Dogmatics, but I'm feeling quite pleased with myself.
The church was invited by the local pub to have a Carol Service with them, so we all went to the John Baird pub and had a bit of a sing-song.
The landlord gave us the freedom to do whatever we thought appropriate so we had some songs, readings, and Will, one of our Vicars, gave a small talk.
It was an odd, but very interesting, night. I'm not sure the church has done anything like it before and it certainly was a "slight" variation on the nine lessons and carols format. But we met some very interesting people, took a little bit of Christmas out into the community and, on the whole, it seemed to go down with the regulars well.
I wasn't allowed to add any tinsel though. Apparently when I start to put tinsel on the tree I get a bit overexcited, so the wife tells me, and she has subsequently banned me from using tinsel not just on the tree but within a radius of 6ft from the tree.
That leaves me the kitchen and the bathroom ...
I am detecting that the anti-tinsel feeling is not just limited to my wife! There's a lot of negative attitude about which I don't understand. Surely all it's trying to do is make the tree look like it has a bit of snow!
Anyway, not going to get all "Scroogey" about it, the tree is up and the endless cycle of John Rutter CD's begins.
We had our last Sunday service in Opuwo yesterday. The Pastor, Kalusha, came back from his training course especially to spend the last weekend with us and share the celebrations.
It was a good service, we enjoyed seeing the people who had been about the church for the last year, and then we shared a meal together after the service (which extended a three hour service to about six hours!)
There were a few tears as we feel very much part of the family here, and have assured them that we will return for a visit.
After being prayed for by the church we had an opportunity to say thank-you- just about holding back the tears!
Our faithful old 'tate's' on the front row enjoying their sprite!
Well here it is, the last newsletter of the year!
Please have a read, and see the results of the mattress appeal!
Thanks
Our most recent newsletter has now been sent out and added to the site.
Please have a read.
Thanks
