Great hospitality from Ron - aged 91

It has been a good weekend for me and my book, Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury.

On Saturday I had an email from John Driscoll from Australia, who said: “I received the book today. It reminds me of a vey enjoyable stay at the Lion Hotel and Shrewsbury in general. I hope that I can visit Shrewsbury again when I next visit your shores.

“I think Shrewsbury is one of the best places in the UK to visit. So far I have been there three  times and hope that is not the last. I am looking forward to my next visit.”

Then on Sunday Jan and I had a great day yesterday representing the European Christian Mission at Hagley Free Church, near Kidderminster, pictured below.

Eighteen months ago I wrote to church treasurer Martin Heathcock introducing myself as the new Midlands volunteer for ECM.

He invited me to preach at both their morning and evening service for their World Mission Day.

There was a good congregation for the morning service where the children enjoyed taking part in learning about Albania and many of the adults returned in the evening to hear more about the Balkans country.

In between Jan and I were entertained by the amazing Rev Ron Tucker. He is living on his own and made us beef bourguignon for lunch and had baked a cake for tea – and he is 91 years old. I hope I can be as equally hospitable when I am that age.

He had worked as a missionary with his wife Betty for the Baptist Union in Assam, North East India, for many years before going to Botswana and finally Malawi.

To get to Assam Ron and his wife set off on a marathon passage to India straight after their marriage complete with possessions and wedding presents.

They caught the boat from Liverpool to Mumbai via the Suez Canal which took three weeks before travelling on three separate overnight trains across India and then two days in a canoe and finally four days walking before arriving at their destination.

He added that as the nearest shop was a week’s walk away they had to do a whole year’s shopping in one visit.

Ron said they had to work there for five years at a time before returning home for a year where there was a busy diary full of deputation work.

Getting home the first time was no easy matter as Ron and Betty and their four-week-old daughter had a precarious canoe trip crossing a river which had risen by 30ft in the floods.

Perhaps missionaries with their direct flights from London Heathrow have a slightly easier time today with their travel plans.

It was a very enjoyable and interesting day and also successful as I sold copies of both God’s Secret Listener, published by Lion, Hudson, Monarch, and Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel.