The Brush

I'm a retired officer having worked, with my wife, on agricultural projects in Africa for much of my life. (I have a BSc. in agriculture). We now live in Perthshire. You may know Majors Stephen and Heather Poxon (at Paisley). Heather is our eldest daughter. We worked in Zimbabwe, Kenya (where Heather was born), Congo and Nigeria and retired in 1996. Both of us were new to the Army and just thank God for the wonderful way He has led us over the years. 

I still go to Africa quite frequently, last year I went with our youngest daughter, Carol and her family, and a group of school children from her school to Malawi to plant trees and put up beehives in four villages for the Army. Then in November I helped run a beekeeping training course for the Army in the Congo. Next month I will be going to Sudan to help with a beekeeping project run by World Vision.

Since retirement I have published several books for development workers in Africa (on plant uses, beekeeping and edible insects!). This work was paid for by doing dry-stane dyking for local farmers. I enjoy dyking, and it's a way of saying thank you to God for being able to live in this beautiful place.   

A few years ago I went to stay with my eldest daughter, Heather, who lived in the bush in the Congo. I remember when I woke up in the morning hearing all the wonderful sounds of Africa, the cockerels crowing, some women talking, I felt the warm air that came through the window which was wide open, and then suddenly I heard a pig. I looked out of the window but couldn't see it any where. Where had it got to? Then I suddenly saw it being carried on someone's shoulder.

While I was staying with Heather I was given my duties each morning. One morning she gave me this brush made from some grass stems bound with an old tomato tin.

It had been bought in the market for 10p.

My job was to sweep out the sand, dead cockroaches and ants each morning - all the bad things that had come into the house during the past 24 hours.

Each morning we need to ask God to keep us clean, pure and fit for his service - to clean out something unkind or untrue we might have said, some bad habit we've got into or some bad thought that's been bothering us.


Let us make the same prayer that king David made many years ago, each morning when we get up.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit in me".

Major Paul Latham (R)

Community Choir Gets In The Swing Of Things

The first rehearsal of the Community Gospel Choir went with a swing this evening! Over 50 people joined together in the Wallacetown Parish Church Halls to rehearse gospel music for the Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 6th December.

Led by Bobby Irvine, who certainly knows how to get the best out of any vocal grouping, everyone enjoyed the music, and the fellowship. The community feeling of the evening was evident from the very start, as everyone was encouraged to welcome three people that they had never met before.

After a quick shuffle to organise the singers into vocal groupings: - soprano, alto, tenor and bass and a humorous rendition of “My bonnie lies over the ocean,” the serious stuff started! (if you can get serious with gospel!)

All members seemed to enjoy the evening and many commented on what a good idea it had been to bring together this community gospel choir. Its not a closed event – all can join in and it seemed this evening to be a case of the more the merrier.

Watch this space to see further progress as the rehearsals start to build pace.

Graeme Parkhill

Faithfulness

Over the past few weeks, as a topic for our meetings at the Salvation Army in Ayr, we have been looking at the first few chapters of the book of Hosea and have been discovering together that what God requires of us is faithfulness.


It brought back to my mind a story I had read about Hudson Taylor. He was born on 21 May 1832 and died 3 June 1905. He was a British missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission. Taylor spent 51 years in China and the society that he began was responsible for bringing over 800 missionaries to the country, founding 125 schools and directly resulting in 18,000 Christian conversions.

The story goes that on one stormy night; Hudson was due to preach in a school in the city of Birmingham, England. The organiser of the evening insisted that nobody would attend on such a stormy night, but Taylor insisted on going. "I must go even if there is no one but the doorkeeper."

Apparently, fewer than a dozen people showed up, but the meeting was marked with unusual spiritual power. Half of those present either became missionaries or gave their children as missionaries; and the rest were faithful supporters of the China Inland Mission for years to come. Taylor was faithful and God rewarded him.

This story challenged me that human wisdom often fails us – too often we approach things from the eyes of logic, rather than the eyes of our God. Logically, Hudson should not have bothered that evening – on a cold, wet and windy evening in Birmingham, Hudson should have stayed in the house, in front of the fire!


He faithfully carried out God’s work for him and God used his efforts. His faithfulness was useful to God.


I once read a ‘thought for today’ in the Daily Record, of all places! These words have stuck with me. “When your faith seems small – stick to being faithful.”


God requires and uses our faithfulness.


May God bless you greatly as you remain faithful to Him.


Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus – but to trust and obey.


Graeme Parkhill

Life is a Journey - Part 3

his article is the third of a series written by Major Ian Robinson, who is a local Ayr product. You can read the first article by clicking here and the second by clicking here.

Major Robinson and his wife Isobel are the Corps Officers at the Sheringham Corps in Norfolk.

Ian and Isobel are well-known all over the Army world as pastors, missionaries, and an incredible music and song-writing team. While they were stationed in Singapore, Ian and Isobel wrote a series of email "epistles" to the rest of the world entitled "Survivor Island". Those letters were always filled with poignancy, hope, and a love for the people for whom they worked so diligently to bring the love of Christ.

We are delighted Ian has agreed to write these articles for us and we hope you enjoy this journey!





Major Ian graduates to Trombone!

Life is a Journey – Part Three

Life’s journey takes many twists and turns. Over the years since I left Ayr God has taken me to some incredible places and introduced me to many delightful friends along the way. Here are just a few:

- Santa Barbara – We spent seven and a half years in this beautiful Mediterranean-style community about one hundred miles north of Los Angeles. It was our first Corps appointment and we grew to love this wonderful city with the Pacific Ocean breaking on its shore and the mountains standing tall behind. We grew from rookies to seasoned officers here. In January 1999 we were commissioned as “full” Captains in the Corps with the Regent Hall Band led by Stephen Hanover accompanying us – they were in California for the Rose Parade!

- Singapore – Part of our hearts will always be there. It is a magical, enchanting island with everything ancient and modern. In just a few square miles you can be in England, or China, or India, or Malaysia, or Indonesia, or even the USA! We loved the people, the food, the pulsating, driving lifestyle, the convenience for traveling throughout Asia, and the ministry that God gave us among the people.

- Asfirrudin – He was a fourteen year old Malay Muslim boy with a brain tumor who was admitted to Peacehaven, the nursing home we ran in Singapore. When he came in he was not expected to live more than a few weeks. He could not move or do anything for himself – he was literally in a vegetative state. But the constant care and love that was showered on him by our staff saw him begin to respond, first with slight movements of his eyes, then with his hands. Soon he was sitting up and quite aware of his surroundings. I visited him often and was always surprised at the progress he was making. Our chaplain, Jimi, also visited him and kept telling him about the love of Jesus. One day, more than a year after his arrival, Jimi asked him in Malay if he wanted to accept Jesus into his heart. He told him to squeeze his hand once for “Yes” and twice for “No.” Asfirrudin squeezed his hand once and accepted Christ as his Saviour while Jimi prayed. He went to heaven a few weeks later. His doctors said that the quality of life he enjoyed was far greater than anything they expected. He was my special friend and I still miss him.

- Mui Lang – She was the cause of some of our greatest headaches in Singapore, but became one of our best friends! As the Assistant Executive Director for Nursing in Peacehaven she really ran the place. We called her “the matron” since that was her role. It was also her attitude. But we recognized her leadership and potential to help us achieve our goal of making Peacehaven truly a Salvation Army ministry. Over the years we saw her move from adversary to friend. She began attending the Corps, then became a soldier, and finally we commissioned her as our Corps Sergeant-Major! What a woman! A five foot nothing bundle of nuclear energy, she kept us running from morning till night. When we left Singapore, we proudly and confidently handed over the reins of Peacehaven to her, and she still calls us every week with an update!

- Kolok – Captain Tan Guat Hai, or Kolok as he is known, is the Corps Officer in Bintulu, East Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. I visited Kolok several times and was always impressed by his energy and compassion. One day, while conducting the Corps Review we were interrupted by a phone call. A longhouse belonging to an Iban family had burned to the ground. Kolok told me we needed to deal with this so the review was put on hold and we loaded his van with food, clothing and other supplies. Then we set off on a two-hour trip into the jungle where we found the family living in a makeshift tent alongside the ashes of their former home. We gave them the supplies and spent some time listening to their story. It was only later that I discovered that the Iban people used to be headhunters! Many still have the little shrunken heads hanging on their doorposts to ward away evil spirits. But this young officer and his CineseHong Kong wife bravely and regularly carry the compassion of his Christian faith into the heart of Borneo, because they love Jesus.

- Myles and Debbie – These two are among our newest friends. While we were attending our “home” Corps in California (Tustin Ranch), we met Myles and Debbie after a Sunday morning service. Myles was going through a very difficult work-related trial and although he was a Buddhist, he was looking anywhere to find some peace and help. They were Japanese-Americans from Hawaii who both worked as pharmacists. Isobel talked to them and quickly realized they needed Jesus in their lives. Led by the Holy Spirit, she asked if they wanted a relationship with Christ and to know His peace. They blurted out, “Yes!” and we led them into a small room where they both invited Jesus Christ into their hearts. We only had a few weeks with them before we left for the UK, but saw tremendous growth in their faith, and great joy and peace come into their lives. They now attend the Corps regularly, and we look forward to seeing them in a few weeks.

Throughout this journey Isobel has been my constant companion. She is my best friend, my inspiration, and my soul-mate. Without her I would have been lost. Of course, the same is true of Jesus Christ, who brought us together and has kept us in His love. Together we travel through all the twists and turns and eventually will be united for all eternity. What a wonderful hope! Jesus says, “Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). And so we journey on singing the words of Fanny Crosby:

I must have the Saviour with me,
For I dare not walk alone;
I must feel his presence near me,
And his arm around me thrown.

Then my soul shall fear no ill;
Let him lead me where he will,
I will go without a murmur,
And his footsteps follow still.

Major Ian Robinson

Who's Success?

I read a story the other week that I thought was great! Let me take this opportunity to share it with you.


A proud woodpecker was tapping away at a dead tree when the sky unexpectedly turned black and the thunder began to roll. Undaunted, the woodpecker went right on working. Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck the old tree, splintering it into hundreds of pieces. Startled but unhurt, the haughty bird flew off, screeching to his feathered friends, "Hey, everyone, look what I did to that tree!"

It got me to thinking that very often we are quick to turn to God when things go wrong in our life – whether it is health wise, relationships, finance and money problems or disastrous accidents. Often, though, when things go well we are less quick to recognize that God is to be praised and thanked for our good fortune or success. James reminds us in the scriptures, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

Let’s not stop turning to God in our hour of need, because He is always there for us – but let’s be quicker to turn to Him in praise when He showers His blessing upon us.

“All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above,
Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,
For all His love.”

May God bless you each one.

Graeme Parkhill

Gospel Choir Rehearsal Schedule Announced

Bandmaster Bobby Irvine has announced the rehearsal schedule for the Ayr Community Gospel Choir. He writes:

"Hello everyone!

Thanks for responding to the invitation to take part in the Ayr Community Gospel Choir. This is something new and exciting and I’m really looking forward to being part of it, I hope you are too. Rehearsals commence on 17th September 2009, the list below gives rehearsal dates and times. The venue will be the Wallacetown Church Halls, John Street, Ayr.

"We have had sufficient response to get started, however if you have any friends who would still like to take part then please let them know it’s OK to turn up on the first rehearsal night!
I am really looking forward to meeting you all, and looking forward to the privilege of being able to take part in our Community Carol Concert on 6 December."

Rehearsal Schedule (all to be held in Wallacetown Church Halls, John Street, Ayr)

1. 17th September 7.30pm till 9pm

2. 08th October 7.30pm till 9pm

3. 22nd October 7.30pm till 9pm

4. 05th November 7.30pm till 9pm

5. 12th November 7.30pm till 9pm

6. 26th November 7.30pm till 9pm

It's still not too late to register your interest in singing! Just click here!