Days go so quickly and have been so busy; unfortunately the blog has suffered a little. While we really do want to try and update a little more often, it just isn't possible to do it weekly as we have done in the past.
So much has happened since we last wrote. Materials have made their way to Africa and Bibles will soon be shipped there also. New children have started our Bible lessons and the Precious Lambs Ministry continues. Schools have been on holiday in Northern Ireland and Uganda as planned but schools in Kenya also have had some days off due to elections there. The team have had a break from School ministry because of the holidays but there is still much to do. In Africa, Sunday Schools have still been continuing with lessons and a week of online Bible clubs have just finished, having been streamed from Northern Ireland. Please pray over the incoming month as new resources are put together and meetings are prepared for. Please also be praying for all of the financial needs of the ministry.
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We have been so quiet on here! In fact we were shocked ourselves when we realised how long it had been since we wrote a little note here. Sorry for those who have been wanting to read news, but we know that other parts of our website have been being updated as have our social media pages. Of course our prayer news has still been distributed as well.
We haven't been quiet because there has been nothing to share. Just the opposite. 2020 and 2021 have been very busy. Yes, ministry has been very different because of covid, but certainly it has been busy. Thank you to those who have continued to keep up to date and pray for the team. Ministry hasn't just taken place over the past year or two; but over 15 years. It was 15 years in July since Pamela went to Kenya for the first time with her dad. The first training and children's meetings were held and the printing of our Treasure Seeker lessons were put in motion soon afterwards. We are so thankful to God for His goodness over the years and how He has blessed. If you are in Northern Ireland, we would love you to join us for an evening of praise and thanks to the Lord for His guidance and blessings in ministry over the 15 years since Feed my Lambs was formed. Please see invitation below and remember that it is necessary to register to attend as the number of seats available are restricted due to distancing. 2020 has been a particularly difficult year for everyone. However, we rejoice that we can still give thanks to God for the gift of His Son as we enter the Christmas season.
Thanks to lockdown we now have a number of new ministries including our weekly online children's meeting "Safari through the Bible." Today we have started the first of our Christmas programmes and taught about the birth of the baby Jesus. We will continue with the Christmas story over the next two Thursdays (10th & 17th Dec) On Christmas Eve (24th) and on New Years Eve (31st) we will be showing the children how to make a Christmas craft. The items they will need can be found by clicking here where you will also be able to see our first Christmas club and find the colouring page to go along with the Bible lesson. We would encourage you to share this ministry with as many as possible. The videos are available here on our website each week as well as on our Facebook page and YouTube channel. Our club is on Facebook each Thursday at 12 noon UK time and 3pm Kenya/Uganda time and the recording will then be availabe on YouTube and here on our website an hour later at 1pm UK time and 4pm Kenya/Uganda time. Of course all videos can be watched back at a later date on all platforms. Please pray that children will be reached with the Gospel through this aspect of our ministry. Normally at this time of year; in Northern Ireland; we are very busy sharing at meetings and representing the work of Feed my Lambs. This year things are different. Many Churches are only running some of their meetings. Ladies' meetings have been postponed in many cases and mid-week meetings are often being held online.
We realise these are very difficult days and with rules and restrictions changing so often we can appreciate it is very difficult for the leadership of Churches to make plans. Indeed we have faced similar challenges. However, sharing at meetings plays a big part in our ministry. It is how those who follow us are encouraged and brought up to date. It is how more people learn about the ministry and become burdened to received our Prayer Letters and remember us before the Lord. It is also how we as an organisation receive much of our financial support whether from Church congregations or individuals who hear us share, however, we fully understand that things are difficult for so many in these days and so we continue first and foremost to look to God to provide what is needed to maintain the ministry. In having us share with you, items for prayer; there should never be a compulsion for anyone to give financially. We know that God uses different people in different ways. We trust that the Lord's people will continue to faithfully pray for us in the coming days. We are able to share online; whether live or by sending a recorded message. We would be delighted to keep you up to date with prayer needs in either of these formats or can also discuss other ways of informing your congregation and ensuring that they can follow us and pray effectively. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need any further information, prayer requests or would like us to share with you in person or in some other format. Meantime, we do again thank you for your prayers for us in these days and assure you also of our prayers for you. While many aspects of outreach has had to be postponed or cancelled over recent months, we are very thankful that one particular ministry has been able to continue unaffected.
In January, we began another online Training course in Child Evangelism. Seminars ran every two weeks in the form of teaching videos on Facebook. Students were able to watch live or later if it suited them better. They could also choose to complete assignments in order to obtain a certificate. While much of life seemed to come to a halt, we found that students excelled in the training and completion of assignments throughout lockdown, most probably because they had more time on their hands to complete the work. The last training session was held at the end of July. Students had a little more time to submit final assignments and tomorrow they will see their hard work rewarded as we conclude with an online Graduation service. Certificates will be "virtually" presented and forwarded to them soon afterwards. We thank God for those who have a heart to learn and to go forward in service for the Lord. Currently we offer online training in Child Evangelism and also in Child Protection. Have a look around our website or contact us if you are interested to know more. Priority is given to those in Kenya and Uganda followed by other countries who may not have many opportunities for such studies. We would like to thank those of you who have continued to pray for the work of Feed my Lambs over the past few months.
While much of the ministry is still on hold, we thank God for what continues. Our Child Evangelism Training Course will come to an end tomorrow. This is an online course for children's workers. Those participating have worked hard since the course began in January and some will gain certificates of achievement. While our courses are not accredited and do not provide any formal qualifications, they do still help to guide and assist those who minister to children. Our programmes for children have also continued online and via whatsapp and we are thankful for this. Safari through the Bible will again be streamed this week but will take a break throughout the month of August; returning in September. However, we will still be reaching out to boys and girls during our online 5 day club which will stream every day from Monday 17 - Friday 21 August. It will be on our organisation Facebook page at 3.30pm UK time and 5.30pm Kenya/Uganda time. It will also be available to watch soon afterwards on YouTube and here on the website. We would encourage you to use these platforms to enable children known to you to watch. While so many aspects of the work remain uncertain for the months to come we thank God that He is leading and guiding. Please pray for all of the team and pray that God may lead us should there be other aspects of ministry He would wish us to engage in. Meantime, we thank you again for your prayers. It is now over 2 months since our last blog post. As we made the announcement of ministry being suspended in the countries in which we work, we were unsure of what the coming weeks would hold. It is true that things have changed drastically and much of our ministry in Africa is on hold as Schools and Churches remain closed.
However, we are thankful that God has opened new doors using various forms of technology to continue to share the Gospel. Messages are going out to children every week both from our team in the UK and from our team in Africa. We thank God for this. Lockdown has opened up new forms of service for all of our team and it has been a time when God has spoken and made so many things clear. We have had to seek Him for every step, both in the short term and in the long term and we thank Him for His guidance. We would encourage you to take a look around our website. You will see links from the home page to various new ventures. We also have a YouTube channel, Instagram page and Facebook page. Please do keep praying. We have had to re-think many of the ministries we have had planned for the coming months, but God has been faithful and so near in every decision. While our daily routines have changed, God has remained the unchanging one and we give Him thanks for the privilege of being able to continue in service for Him in these days whilst adhering to Government guidelines and restrictions. Please be aware that our ministry is now also suspended in Uganda until further notice.
Response to Coronavirus
In llight of current events and based upon the advice given by the relevant governments and agencies; the Offcials/Trustees of Feed my Lambs have made the decision to suspend ministry and all meetings within Kenya and Northern Ireland until further notice. Some ministry continues in Uganda but restrictions are in place. All online training is continuing at present. Our hearts are heavy but we take the health and safety of our team, their families and those we minister among very seriously. All will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Please take the professional advice which has been given in your particular country and continue to trust in the Great Physician. We pray that you will know good health and the Lord's help in the coming days. Feed my Lambs now have a number of Mission workers in the UK and Africa. Our roles are varied and there are many different aspects to our day to day service. One part which those of us in the UK enjoy very much is when we have opportunity to bring along our stand to Missionary Conventions. Just recently we had opportunity to do this again. Some people wonder why we do this; especially on the occasions when we are not actually speaking at the meeting ourselves. Here are some of the reasons why...
Prayer Support More than anything we need people who will pray with us, and for us. At such conventions we have opportunity to share prayer requests and to encourage those we speak to, to sign up to receive our prayer news on a regular basis. Information People can ask questions. Things they may not ask in a meeting. Questions about the countries we work in. Questions about the culture such as food and religion. Questions about how the work started and what we do. Even questions about finance and how much things cost. We love to answer your questions. Of course we also have lots of literature available on our stand which people can take home and read in their own time. This will enable prayer on a more informed basis. Fellowship Missionary Conventions are a time of fellowship. We meet new people. We meet current prayer partners. We meet other mission reps who share exactly the same joys and challenges as we do. So often we are "giving" as we share about the work we do; such gatherings are a time when we can be spiritually fed and challenged ourselves. As we listen to those who speak we are reminded of the work of God across the world and not just the places we work in. Follow up Quite often we receive bookings to speak in other Churches and Fellowships as a result of meeting someone at a Missionary Convention. We welcome the opportunity to share about the work God has called us to do. These are just a few of the many reasons why we enjoy manning the stand and count it a privilege to be able to be involved in these events. Next time you hear of us having our stand at a convention; please pray for good conversations, that the Lord will bless our efforts and that we will be challenged and refreshed in our labour for the Lord. |
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August 2022
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