Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Oh, how good, how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to live together in harmony! (Psalm 133)
The summer holidays season of the Northern hemisphere has hit the planet and airports again after a 3 years hiatus. Families are coming together and reuniting, tourists are discovering again new destinations and meeting new people.
Air travels are bringing again possibilities of enriching encounters and harmony in a world that desperately needs it when wars are raging in different parts of the globe separating families and friends. Air travel contributes to build bridges between people and cultures where conflicts and political shrinking builds walls of rejections and hatred. It feels great to see our airports filled again, doesn’t it? It feels like a blessing (sometime an overflowing one!) although we must admit that the crowds who tend to have forgotten about the specific rules and requirements of air travel and airports added to lack of staff in airlines and airports makes the experience a little less harmonious than we wished it were.
But that’s where we come as airport chaplains! We are a very small and humble part of the rich and complex airport environment. But we certainly are a drop of oil in these incredible gear systems facilitating the journey of lost passengers whom we help and put back on the right track so that they could fly to the heavens!
On this regard, the very nice story that was shown on Australian TV with our colleague (and incoming IACAC President) Martyn Scrimshaw and Melbourne chaplaincy was a perfect example To view the film clip go to Melbourne Airport Chaplaincy Facebook page).
Humbly being there to help, guide and comfort those who need it is at the core of our ministry and how we become blessings to others. That is how we become like the fragrant oil and the refreshing dew that are mentioned in Psalm 133. Are we aware of the many blessings we share every day? As you read these lines I invite you to pause for a minute and remind yourself of a few people you were a blessing to in the past few days.
Oh, how good, how pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to live together in harmony!
It will soon be time for us to receive the blessing of meeting again for our annual conference in London Heathrow. Learning together and from one another, meeting old friends, making new ones, enriching the harmony of our fellowship are the main benefits of our annual conferences. We had a great time last year in Nairobi but due to the pandemic and economic situation, most international delegates were unable to attend. This year, the number of people who has already registered is promising but there’s room for more! So, don’t wait, register and join us in LHR!
Pierre de Mareuil (CDG)
President