I met Margery when I first went to Nazareth in 1969. By then she was well established, known to be very conscientious and caring (if a bit strict!) but a great woman of prayer and faith.
Margery trusted God would help her through every situation.
Margery first went to Nazareth in the mid-sixties and during her time at the hospital she worked on all the wards except from midwifery. She was a trained nurse/midwife who worked for many years on the male ward before taking on the role of Domestic Supervisor as well as Deputy Matron. When the Matron, Leny Van Kralingen, left in 1981, Margery stepped into that role until a replacement was found. Margery trusted God would help her through every situation.
I came to know Margery well after living with her, she had a wonderful sense of humour. Margery was instrumental in bringing my husband Philip to work in the hospital and arranged the flowers for our wedding. She was also a real prayer support the entire time we were in Nazareth and beyond. So, to us she was very special.
On returning to UK in 1988, Margery worked in a care home until she retired. She was not married but was a much-loved aunt of two nieces and a nephew.
Margery was willing to fit into any role required of her and had great spiritual in-put being a persistent prayer. She felt nothing was too hard for the Lord! She will surely have heard ‘Well Done Good and Faithful Servant’ from the One she served so unstintingly.
Welcome to the online version of our Autumn Newsletter.
It has been a very busy few months and in this edition we’ve picked out some of the highlights since our last newsletter. You’ll also find prayer points throughout to help guide your prayers. A huge thank you to all those who continue to hold up our work in prayer.
If you would like to request hard copies of this newsletter from our Edinburgh office, simply email info@nazarethtrust.org.
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At the Nazareth Hospital EMMS, we constantly strive to provide the best healthcare possible to the people of Nazareth and beyond. This year we are celebrating three years since the opening of our state-of-the-art Cardiac Catheterization Unit.
Heart disease is one of the highest causes of death in Israel. Thanks to the generosity of our amazing supporters, the creation of this Catheterization Unit allows us to diagnose and treat urgent cases much more quickly and efficiently. Lab Director, Dr. Akram Abul Ful, describes the uniqueness of the lab at Nazareth Hospital, “Unlike other hospitals, we perform catheterization interventions in veins located beyond the heart area such as the lower limbs and the upper limbs, the aortic vein and the carotid artery. In cooperation with the medical team from the vascular surgery unit, these interventions are performed here in the Catheterization Lab.”
The Catheterization Unit allows our specialist staff to respond and treat a range of medical conditions and emergencies. This summer, the Unit staff treated five different patients in just one night. Since it’s opening over 2,500 have been performed. Last year the Unit treated over 600 cases and as of 2018 is now operational 24/7 with an anticipated 1000 cases per year.
Our grateful thanks go to all those who supported the creation of this unit and who have allowed us to continue changing and saving lives in Nazareth.
Watch our Catheterization Unit video to find out more.
Last month we were delighted to be part of the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention. We spent the week introducing our work to hundreds of people from across Northern Ireland and beyond who attended the convention.
It was a great opportunity for us catch up with supporters old and new and we thoroughly enjoyed sharing our work and vision with everyone we met. We had a stall in the Global Village among many other charities who work across the world.
The highlight of our week was of course Friday evening, when our Medical Director, Dr Fahed Hakim, spoke during the evening service. Dr Hakim shared the story of the Nazareth Trust, how God has guided our work which began over 150 years ago and hinted at plans for our future. Before the service, we hosted a Meet & Greet with Dr Fahed and our CEO Richard Mayhew. A big thanks to all those who joined us.
If you missed out on the week, take a look at the videos below to catch up on the weeks highlights.
SERVE, our international volunteering programme introduces us to wonderful people from across the world. This week we’d like to introduce you to Rose who’s recently joined us from Lancaster County, US. Rose is with us for three months and is working in the Nazareth Hospital’s Maternity Department and the Nazareth Village. Rose shared some of her experiences in Nazareth with us…
“Sitt Miassar” recently died in Ebenezer Home in Haifa, where she spent the last years of her full life.
Miassar was born in Acco, and always loved returning to her home town to show guests and friends the alleys familiar from her childhood, and the crusader sea walls which she used to climb with her siblings to jump into the harbour.
However most of her life was spent in Nazareth, and she was a much-loved member of both hospital and church communities there.
In her early nursing days at the Hospital I understand she had the reputation for being on occasion rebellious under the strict regime expected in the nursing home; but she loved caring for people, and found her vocation in the wards and clinics, adding to her practical skills a gift for encouragement and empathy.
Miassar’s deep and uncomplicated faith underpinned all she did. She was faithful in her church commitment and involved in a number of women’s groups and bible studies.
She was fluent in English, and often served as both nurse and translator in clinics with new or temporary staff who lacked Arabic. I was fortunate to have her as clinic nurse in her latter years in the hospital. I recall her sense of humour, the care she took in conveying sometimes complicated medical information to women, and the time she also spent in explaining to me the customs of Galilee village life. She was my first and best teacher in Arabic language and local culture. Miassar would also sense when a patient needed extra encouragement, and her prayers were often added to the medical advice given.
In retirement from nursing, she continued as a familiar figure in the hospital, with her trolley of Bibles, books and small gifts for sale – see picture.
She was devoted to her family, and while she outlived all her siblings, she remained close to her nephews and nieces. She also had a wealth of adopted family from the local and international hospital community, and she loved to travel to visit them. Our daughter was especially blessed to have “Tata Miassar”; regular fun-filled days with her were a highlight of her early years, and Miassar’s love and prayers have followed her.
Miassar’s deep and uncomplicated faith underpinned all she did. She was faithful in her church commitment and involved in a number of women’s groups and bible studies.
In her last years in Haifa, she was a loved member of the community in the Ebenezer home, with both new and old friends among the residents.
We join many in giving thanks for Miassar’s long and faithful service.
“With your counsel you will guide me, and afterwards receive me into glory” Ps 73.
Dr Helen Allen and her husband Rev David Allen served at the Nazareth Hospital EMMS in the late 1980’s through to the early 1990’s where she was an Obstetrician and he the Hospital Chaplain. They currently live in New Zealand.
We have some exciting news! This year our Medical Director, Dr Fahed Hakim, is a speaker at the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention. Dr Fahed will be speaking at the conference on Friday 31st August at 7:30pm. You can find out more about the Convention at www.worldwidemission.org.
We’re hosting a Meet and Greet with Dr Fahed and our CEO Richard Mayhew over a light tea, before the Convention’s evening meeting and we’d like to extend a special invitation to you.
We do hope you will be able to join us, please do bring along friends and family. If you’d like to attend the Meet and Greet, I’d be grateful if you could RSVP by the 31st July by replying to this email or by using the contact details below.
When: 31st August 2018, 6pm
Where: Welcome Centre, Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church, Bangor
The Nazareth Trust team will also be at the Global Village each evening (Mon 27th-Fri 31st). The Global Village is open from: 18:00 – 19:25 and 21:30 – 22:30.
We do hope you will be able to join us and please do bring along friends and family. If you’d like to attend the Meet and Greet, please RSVP by the 31st July by emailing us or calling 0131 225 9957.
