Dear friends at Harmony Hill,

Warm greetings from West Timor, Indonesia and a very big thank you for your generosity in supporting PCI's project to raise funds to improve sudy and living conditions for ministry students at the Arta Wacana Christian University in Kupang. 

The theology faculty here in Kupang is shared between the Christian Evangelical Church in Timor and the Christian Church of Sumba. There are currently around 600 ministry students of whom 100 are resident on campus. It is the accommodation for these residential students that we have decided to focus on in this joint project between Harmony Hill Church, Lambeg and West Church, Bangor. The current accommodation was built in the 1960's and has had nothing done to it since, apart from a few repairs to roofing. With the money that you have raised we hope to be able to improve the kitchen, the water supply and provide study desks for the students. Also, we hope to set up a small computer room with several computers connected to a printer for the students to be able to print their assignments. If possible we would love it if some of you could get to know the theology students yourselves through a visit to Timor and learn more about life of Christians living in this part of the world along with the challenges they face.

On a personal note, we're all doing well. We're especially thankful to God for the birth of our second daughter Gisell Francine on the 11th of March and that both Mum and baby are doing great. Rebecca is taking great interest in her little sister and constantly wants to give her kisses.

Elsye's maternity leave sees her through to June when she'll begin supervising theses again and then some supervision of student placements in July and August. Lectures of course start again in September. In the synod office alongside the usual work we're getting ready for our 4 yearly general assembly which will be held in Kalabahi. Yes believe it or not we have a Cullybacky here too on the island of Alor (pronounced the same but spelled a bit different from the Ballymena version). I'm also keeping up the preaching in various places. And just at the moment I'm preparing for Easter week. 

We're really looking forward to my folks, and my brother Andrew coming for Gisell's baptism in July and also to having Jim and Pam Ferguson from Bangor who are past PCI missionaries in  Indonesia joining us in August to do a bit of teacher training. 

We really enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with some of you last summer when we were home for a while, although unfortunately time was very limited.

Once more many thanks for your interest, help and prayers.

God bless,

Barry, Elsye, Rececca and Gisell McCroskery