You were out in Peru before. Can you remind us of when that was and what you were involved in at that time?
We went to Lima, to Colegio San Andrés, in our youth! It was in the late 1970s, and I was a teacher of English in the school, at the time when Rev W Mackay was headmaster. Ruth was looking after our two eldest girls, Judy and Rachel, and we lived first of all in the block of flats right next to the school. After a couple of years there we moved to a rented house out in the suburbs, in Surco.

I was involved primarily, of course, in teaching English (as a foreign language), but there was ample opportunity to become involved in Scripture Union, both in school and in camps at Kawai (on the beach) and at Kimo (in the jungle). We were also involved in the San Andrés congregation’s youth club.

Have you visited Peru since then, and if so, what changes have you noticed in the school and city life?
I visited Lima again briefly in the summer of 2007, and found that the city had grown enormously, that the traffic was even more maniacal, and that the weather was worse than ever. But more importantly, that the school had made very enterprising use of its limited campus, and that it still holds fi rm to its motto, ‘the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom’, in its teaching and daily witness.

How do you feel about going out to work in Peru again?
Enthusiastic - but we shall enormously miss our congregation in Ayr!

When we were approached by the International Missions Board earlier this year, we both experienced a conviction that this was a call from God: we were aware of the need, others saw in us the gifts required for this job, and the call was clear from the church. We can see now, with the benefit of hindsight, how God has been preparing us over many years. Even though we are no longer young, we are certain that ‘And in old age, when others fade, they fruit still forth shall bring’! We would like to encourage others, as they approach their “senior years”, to be open to serving God in places they might never have considered.

Do you know where you will be living in Lima?
Yes. The church owns a house in Surco, which has been occupied by various previous headmasters, and it’s not very far from where we lived in Lima 30 years ago, so we know the district.

What will your new appointment entail?
My “job spec” from the IMB is, thankfully, quite specific.

Firstly, and most obviously, is the responsibility of running the school, and in particular to foster, with God’s help, the Christian character and teaching of the Colegio. That includes beginning each school day with assembly and teaching from the Bible, but it will also permeate the whole curriculum, so that what we are teaching our pupils, from pre-school through to their final year in secondary, reflects a thoroughly biblical perspective of life. Equally important is the personal witness and interaction between staff and pupils, so that the gospel is seen to be lived, and we look for the Holy Spirit to bring about new life and spiritual growth in our pupils and in their families.

Secondly, to transfer the Colegio to local governance. It has been felt for some time that the school should be run by a local Board of Governors, rather than from Scotland, and it will be my responsibility to play a role in the steps to be taken in achieving this.

Thirdly, to pursue a strategy for the long-term sustainability of the Colegio. For this I will want to draw on the help and expertise of the school’s financial administrator, as well as that of the yet-unformed local board. The school building is now over 70 years old, and its location is far from ideal. Several attempts have been made to re-locate the school over the years, and it may be that a local board of governors will be better placed to bring this about.

I doubt that any “job-spec” will cover all that will be required in the job, and I will value the prayers of people here in Scotland for these aspects, as well as for all the undefi ned other things that will, doubtless, fall into my lap.

Tell us something about your family.
Well, we have four daughters, most of whom have already left us, and five grandchildren. God has blessed us so much by bringing each one of our daughters to know and serve Jesus, so that we know they are in His hands even though we may be far away. Judy and Norman are in Aberdeen, Rachel and Neil are in Manila, Vickie and James are in Dingwall, and Catriona is in Glasgow. Skype is a wonderful invention – it lets us talk to each other over the computer!

Please pray for our children as their parents do the reverse of the normal and leave them; pray particularly for Catriona, as her home will no longer be there for her in Ayr.


(Extraído de la sección From the Frontiers de la revista The Monthly Record de enero de 2008, página 18)

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