Going 'Round the Bend'
Telegraph Island is a small island off the coast of Musandam. In the 19th century, it was the location of a British repeater station used to boost telegraphic messages along the Persian Gulf submarine cable, part of the London to Karachi telegraphic cable. It was not an easy posting for the operators, with the severe summer heat and hostility of local tribes making life extremely uncomfortable for them. According to legend, the expression "go round the bend" (to go crazy or out of one’s mind) comes from this place, a reference to the heat making British officers desperate to return to civilization, which meant a voyage around the bend in the Strait of Hormuz back to India.
Today, Telegraph Island is a reminder of the British Empire’s past influence in the area. Abandoned in the mid-1870s, the island has remained deserted and only the ruins of the repeater station and the operators' quarters can be seen. The island is regularly visited by dhows carrying tourists to view the ruins and to fish and snorkel in the waters around it.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
Today, let’s pray for Omani’s suffering from mental illness. Pray that the stigma around mental health will be lifted. Pray that they will get the help they need from qualified professionals, in culturally appropriate ways. Pray that they will find the Prince of Peace, who calms their anxieties and lifts their depressions.
Worship with us!: Sound Mind by Bryan and Katie Torwalt. Jesus, thank You for giving us a sound mind!
Matthew 18:14 Focus—‘Your Father in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost.’
Please bring these towns and villages before the Father:
Ash-Shuqur, Dima Wattayeen district, Ash-Sharqiyah North region. Population: 288
Aqda, Dima Wattayeen district, Ash-Sharqiyah North region. Population: 281
Ar-Rikakiyah, Dima Wattayeen district, Ash-Sharqiyah North region. Population: 279
Ihda, Dima Wattayeen district, Ash-Sharqiyah North region. Population: 269
Naqib, Dima Wattayeen district, Ash-Sharqiyah North region. Population: 269
Tawl, Dima Wattayeen district, Ash-Sharqiyah North region. Population: 266