Edward Allen

Dear All,

It has been another week of progress, of feeling dismally cold, and of getting stuff done. This break back in the UK has been just wonderful for me, I really have been able to relax, get addicted to the TV show “Top Gear” once again and eat an awful lot of Jaffa Cakes.

But it has also been frustrating. I’m still in a lot of pain, most of the time, and some days have been bad. I really wanted to make a meeting on Wednesday in Nottingham, but when I woke up very early in the morning I tried getting dressed but wasn’t able to, so in tears had to admit defeat. Those moments are great lows. The bad times are still really bad.

But overall the progress is encouraging. I’ve been feeling a dull longing pain in my heart over the past few weeks to get back to the hill tribe area in Northern Laos, in the depths of my heart I’m missing Bun Tai and our villages. I have to get back there.

I’ve got to the point now where I can see no good reason why I shouldn’t work in such a place and with such people. I need to take more breaks in future, I need to get out of Laos more often, and I need to actually take proper vacations, but I need to also get back to the hill tribes and the hill lands of northern Laos.

A couple of months ago I couldn’t have ever imagined working again up in Bun Tai, I felt physically and emotionally finished there, but after some rest and relaxation and with my health improving, I really look forward to heading back and working again. And I still want to see a children’s hospital built in Northern Laos for hill tribe children, I don’t know how it will happen but it won’t leave my heart.

I’ve just been down with my home fellowship and had a good meeting with the boss of our overseas work. He wants me to take on more international work, and to tap in to my experience and expertise and I’m open to that as the breaks from Laos would be fun and refreshing and I like Africa very much. How that works out in practice could be interesting, but it sounds like it could be fun too.

After about 5 weeks back in the UK I’m really amazed how relaxed I feel, and how good this trip has been. I’ve now been able to go twice back down to my home fellowship, which has been a huge encouragement to me and I feel eager to get back to Laos. It has been possible to meet most people I need to meet and sort out most things that needed sorting out. I’m now left with a few medical appointments to sort out, I’m currently booked to fly back to Laos on 15th February though that obviously depends on getting all the medical stuff sorted out first.

Thanks for all your support and love over these difficult months, I’m not always great at staying in touch but I do very deeply appreciate your support,

love Ned