Trevor recently became vicar of St Helen’s, Serian; a parish some 45 minutes drive away from the city. He came over to Lichfield for the Crosstalk event in 2008. ‘I learned a lot from the old folks. Their love and commitment. I was impressed by their love for God. Once a month we meet for special prayer, the whole church gathers. That would be a good time to share in prayer for our Lichfield partners'.Trevor spent four years at the House of the Epiphany, which seems dormant at present, before going to Adelaide Ministry training for three and a half years. 'You can pray for us following the Allah issue. Also as we deal with native custom land which is being taken away from us by the Government. A few cases are being won now opposing this but it is a big issue'. I wonder if we can help. The aboriginal case in say Australia has in many ways been transformed and their case increasingly recognised and acknowledged. I subsequently ask Bishop Bolly as to whether we can help with this. He thinks so. ‘It’s hard for us. We are too close. But your voice from outside could be very helpful as we have seen with Myanmar. When they know they are being observed they are more careful’
Trevor tells of a recent mission trip to a long house in the ‘interior’ in which 117 people from St Helen’s went , making their way in cars. 'It was a big house with 26 doors'. Trevor tells me I must next time visit a Long House. 'I grew up in a Long House bathing inn the Lamana river and attending the local mission school. The people in one Long House still remember a visit from some Australians – it’s 23 years ago now but it is a lasting memory when an ‘orang putih’ a white man visits'.
We are taken a bit further on to see the newly constructed chapel of St Luke’s, Kampong Bayor, recently opened by Bishop Bolly. After visiting the church and meeting church members we go to a member’s house where we sing together and pray and share tasty porridge, snacks and small fried fish. I am given a beautifully woven reed mat. All I have to pass on is a card made by my mother in law. It is passed round and one man asks me as he points to her name on the back; ‘Can you say her name’. ‘Oh yes,’ I replied, a bit perplexed. ‘Judy Barker’. ‘Ah you see’, he replied,’ In our Badan culture we are not allowed to say the name of our mother in law or father in law’, and there was much laughter.
The mother of the household told me that her son had gone to Wolverhampton ion order to study law and had come back as a tattoo artist, now with several shops in Kuching. Strange reversals!
Later I am driven to St Basil’s, Batu Kawa where I meet Rev Stanley Bunseng. He has been moved from Miri where his wife has a high powered post in sales for Shell. His wife and children are continuing to live in their house there while Stanley works some 5 hours away in Kuching. Clergy tend to be moved around quite a bit and several times in different contexts the topic of canonical obedience has come up. I also meet one of the church warden’s Johnson Lapok who came over to Lichfield on the first youth exchange visit in 1989. He is now working for the government and whilst being very careful in his presentation he seeks to be as wise as a serpent and as innocent as a dove as he shares with a Muslim colleague. He shares how his wife is Roman Catholic but he seeks to work with all traditions. He is thrilled because his 12 year old daughter really grasped who Jesus is two days ago as a result of a conversation they shared.
We go to a hotel for an Iban style meal in the evening; my favourite was the chicken cooked in bamboo. Suzanne Mppam is keen to organise some exchange with our Women’s Fellowship but I have to tell her that many of our churches do not have any women’s groups.
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