Brian and Rhoda Pirie [aberdeen@scfs.org]
We have been married for 32 years and have a son and daughter who are both married. We have a grandson who is two years old. Brian did research in marine biology for several years and currently is involved in occupational health. Our grandparents were fishing families in North East Scotland and the call of the sea is in our lives. About 15 years ago when Brian was recovering from a serious illness we decided to distribute bibles to Russian seamen visiting Aberdeen, Peterhead and Ullapool. As this work expanded we realised the opportunity to contact seamen of all nationalities and joined SCFS some years ago.
In years gone by Aberdeen was a bustling fishing port but this has decreased and nowadays it is the centre of the North Sea oil industry and the harbour is busy with oil supply vessels and cargo ships manned with crews from all around the world. One thing that is special about our area according to Rhoda is Cullen Skink which is soup made with smoked haddock, onions, potatoes and milk! If you want her recipe, just ask her!
Some years ago a Russian navigator called Sergey received a bible from us when his ship "Cutlass" visited Scotland. Sergey was so excited by what he read in the bible that he returned to visit us with his wife for six months during which time they both trusted the Lord. He is now a full time missionary in his own country and has led many others to the Lord. Please pray for him as he visits prisons, schools, colleges and hospitals.