ICMDA appointed its first Area Student Representatives (ASRs) in 2000. On 22-24 May this year we held the first meeting of the seven ASRs for Eurasia - four from UK, one from Norway and one from Germany. Nada Petrovski from Serbia was not able to come and we were joined by Kirstin Hartwig, ACM Germany's first part-time student staff worker.

All the ASRs are junior doctors giving part of their time volun­tarily for the student work in their region. We looked back to see how much had changed in the last five years and were able to fill two pages of a flip-chart just with the changes to the ICMDA scene in that period. So much is happening especially among students and junior doctors that sometimes it is hard to keep up. We then gave time to prayer and planning for the years ahead.

Until very recently CMF in the UK was the only movement in Europe with any paid staff of any kind. A few years ago NKLF in Norway appointed a part-time secretary and a part-time student staff worker who combined this role with his role as ICMDA ASR for Scandanavia and this April organised a very successful training weekend for student leaders from every medical school in Scandanavia and the Baltic States (39 participants from 18 different medical schools in 8 countries).

Following the Krelingen conference last year ACM in Germany appointed a part-time secretary and now Kirstin as student staff­worker, giving 25% of her time to the work.

IFES in Russia have two interns for medical students this year. CMF Netherlands have some part-time secretarial help and are looking to appoint a part-time student staffworker this year. AGEAS in Switzerland are moving in the same direction. Gradually movements across Europe are waking up to the fact that you can only go so far with voluntary work. If the work is to continue to grow it needs paid staff - and this costs money!

CMF Netherlands held its 50th anniversary meeting on 28 May. The first ICCP congress (precursor of ICMDA) was held in Amsterdam in 1963. At that time the Dutch, along with some Scandanavian leaders were the trail-blazers in international work among the medical profession. It was good to see their renewed commitment to the international scene and to the young generation of students and junior doctors.

As CMF News went to press I was travelling with a team of twelve doctors to teach at two conferences for medical student leaders in the former Soviet Union; first Kursk in Western Russia where 100 from 12 cities were expected and then to Central Asia and another 200 keen young students. What an extraordinary privilege to be involved in all that God is doing in this generation.