I am now a clergyman!!
During today's morning service at Holy Trinity Cathedral, Karachi, I was ordained Deacon, by the Rt Rev Sadiq Daniel, Bishop of Karachi and Baluchistan. I was also welcome as an honoury member of staff at the cathedral.
It was a wonderful service and I was very touched that many of my friends here in Karachi took the time to be there and support me. It was also very special to be able to have my mum and godson here as well. The service went really well and I am really looking forward to role in the church.
I am really pleased that Thomas has been here, and even more so given the horrendous journey the poor lad had. He left Cairo on Tuesday night, three hours late, which meant that he missed his connection in Doha. Qatar Airway.s first suggestion was that he wait 24 hours and then fly on the next morning. This idea was rejected!! Their alternative suggestion involved Thomas flying to Dubai and picking up the 8am flight and arriving in Karachi only 6 hours later than planned.
This seemed an excellent solution and in fact would fit in well with our plans. So the flight departed on time and Thomas drifted off to sleep. Then, an hour and half into a two hour flight, he awoke to discover that he was heading once again for Dubai!! The reason was high winds here in Karachi meaning that the aircraft could not land.
He finally left Dubai once again at 3.15 and landed safely here at 6.15. Mum and I met him at the airport and then headed straight off to the Country Club. We passed a very pleasant couple of days by the pool. The water looked very inviting but was icy cold and so we were only in for a few minutes, and took refuge in the sauna and steam room.
The rest of the time has been spent shopping, mainly for clothes, as Thomas likes the kurta that are available here as they are very suitable for the Egyptian climate.
After the service, a group of us retired to the Sheraton Hotel for a lovely breakfast and then the three of us came back to the house. We had a game of Super Scrabble (like ordinary Scrabble only with a bigger board and more tiles) and I am pleased to say that I won, and also managed to get out three 7 letter words!!! Then this evening we had dinner with the Ryans which was a lovely way to end what has been a very special day for me.
I am also grateful for all the messages of encouragement I have received from my friends in England, Northern Ireland and Kenya and for all of you who have been praying for me. Please keep it up as I move on with God into this new phase...
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