Today we have started another session of online training in Child Evangelism. Students are from Kenya and Uganda and they will join in with their tutor in the UK using a LIVE video. Every two weeks until the end of July they will receive further teaching and will complete assignments to gain a Certificate.
Today we looked at why we should evangelise children and the importance of remembering that we go with the Authority of God's Word to the boys and girls...not just to teach them lively songs and exciting stories...but to teach them of the Lord and His Saving Grace...and all with the authority of God's inspired Word. It is very true that God equips the called and He will make a way for us to serve in the way that He wants us to serve. It is our prayer that a little training and guidance will help in the mission that our students have to bring the wonderful news of the Gospel to boys and girls in their locality. Contact us if you wish to know more of how we can support children's workers in their service for the Saviour.
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Flash floods have taken lives and destroyed homes across East Africa. We would like to help some of those personally known to us who have been affected. We would appreciate anything you can contribute, no matter how small. You can donate by Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer or PayPal. Just follow the link for more details. Please state "Christmas Appeal" as your reference. If you are in Kenya and wish to donate, please contact us for Mpesa details.
Please click HERE to find out ways to donate! Can you read music? Those little black “dots” with tails, all scattered up and down across the Stave, to the untrained eye may look confused and meaningless. However, to the one who has patiently taken the time to learn, those crochets and quavers, delicately placed on the line or within the spaces, come to together to make sweet music and some amazing compositions. But what about the REST? Some years ago I felt very certain that to take a particular course of action was very much God’s will. But then the door shut…very firmly! There was nothing I could do about the situation. But God spoke. Full of disappointed hopes I opened my daily reading book that evening. It spoke of the REST in music. It is a little symbol that appears very often in a piece of music. At that point, there is silence. There is no sound. Nothing is happening. But…it is very much a part of the music. To forge ahead and play some note would completely change the tune and timing that makes the song what it is. I learned that night a very important lesson. There is music in the rest. There is a time when we have to wait, be still and be silent. It is hard. It seems like nothing is happening. It seems like it would be so much nicer to go on ahead…but to do so would be to push ahead of God. I learned that evening the important lesson that it isn’t just about knowing God’s will, but it is also about knowing God’s timing. Yes, I had known God’s will but not His time. What I had hoped to do at that point was delayed for a further 2 years, but when it came to pass it was far more than I had expected or could have imagined and I experienced God’s faithfulness in a way I would not have done 2 years previously. It can be hard to know God’s will. It can be harder to know God’s time. But in regard to ministry amongst children we do know His will. There can be no doubt. Matthew 18 : 14 “Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”KJV
What about His time? 2 Corinthians 6 : 2 “…behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)”KJV Now is the time that we should be praying for the salvation, not just of boys and girls, but of all those who are near and dear to us and lost in their sin. Now is the time to be reaching out to them and witnessing for the Saviour. Now, we must be about our Father’s business. We are in the last days and time is short. We can help you in your ministry to children. We can provide you with an opportunity to pray for the children of Kenya and Uganda in particular. We can help with teaching materials and resources in various formats depending on where you are based. We can provide training to help and equip you that can be taken anywhere if you have a mobile phone or internet access. We are just one of so many organisations who can assist you, so please determine today that you will serve the Lord and make His work a priority in your life. Of course, if you are not born again yourself, that needs to be the first step you take. There are many decisions in life that we need to take and some can be so hard…knowing God’s will and His time. But, being saved and working for God….we know His will, we know His time. Are we prepared to say yes, Lord, yes, to your will and to your way? Autumn in Northern Ireland…a time of change. A time when the leaves on the trees change colour and begin to fall. A time when the cool nip in the air becomes obvious. The light clothes and sandals of Summer are pushed to the back of the wardrobe and the thicker, warmer clothes begin to be common place from day to day.
But for the people of the Northern Ireland the Autumn of 2019 has brought another change. A change that has far more serious consequences than cold toes because you haven’t wrapped up warm. This change has brought our society to a new low and placed our little land in a position that many of us never thought would happen. Northern Ireland was, at least until 22 October 2019, probably one of the safest places in the world for the unborn child. But as the clock struck midnight, everything changed. The darkest day; as some have renamed the day; became a reality. There and then, abortion in this little land was decriminalised and suddenly we find ourselves at the other extreme; living in a country that has now the most liberal abortion laws in Europe. Those engaged in children’s ministry have often found themselves in a position were they have had to consider what age is appropriate for the outreach they are engaged in. Perhaps it is a children’s meeting or Sunday School class…maybe a 3 or 4 year old can start to participate. Perhaps it is a Bible Correspondence Course; the child may need to be 8 or 9 years old before they can register. But when does our responsibility really begin? Can we really wash our hands of these little ones until we reckon they become our charge? The Word of God says in Jeremiah 1 : 5 “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee…” God was not speaking of a mass of cells. He was not speaking of something that did not matter. He was not speaking of something worthless. God was speaking of a little baby. A little person whom He created. A little one who was known to God. A little one who was, and will always be, precious to the Lord from the very beginning and long before they leave the womb for this sinful world. “It’s 2019, move with the times!” This is the cry we often hear. But God never changes. God’s Word never changes. A sin is always a sin. The killing of unborn babies is a sin. The position of this organisation and it’s workers is that abortion; the killing of an unborn baby will always be wrong. Quite apart from the UK, we realise that we minister in countries where abortions also take place. Very often they are backstreet abortions which also endanger the mother. We realise that very often these mothers themselves are young and vulnerable. We do have a duty of care to them also, to show love and to speak as Jesus would have spoken; especially in situations when the mothers themselves are children. But these mothers need to know there is another way. Today we have been reminded of statistics. Orphans in Kenya could be as many as 3 million! That is a figure which none of us can really fathom. Does this mean that the unborn child should be destroyed in order to prevent one less orphan? No! This one unborn child may be one among millions, but he or she is precious to the Lord. Let us, not just as children’s workers; but as parents, teachers, Christians, humans…remember that God gives life and it is only for God to take it away. Let us remember then that we have a responsibility to nurture the life that God has given….not from the day a child is born until they become old and frail; no…it is our God given responsibility to nurture that life from the moment of conception (if not before) until the day God takes that individual from this scene of time. Time is moving so fast. Here we are in October! Each member of the team has been so busy with ministry that our updates to the blog have been scattered of late. However, the work continues in Northern Ireland and Africa with opportunities to share in Churches and in Schools. We thank God for children hearing the Gospel. We thank God for volunteers who continue to be part of the work. We thank God for those who continue to pray.
Currently our prayers would do well to be directed towards the families affected by the collapse of a School in Nairobi. It is just a few minutes walk from our office there. Two children who received Bibles from Feed my Lambs were present in the building when it collapsed. Though shocked, they were spared. For others the outcome was very different. 8 children lost their lives and over 60 were treated for injuries. Please pray very much for all of those affected by this terrible tragedy. Please continue to pray for all of those serving within Feed my Lambs. We thank God for those who volunteer with us; perhaps in distributing or marking the Bible Lessons which are used with the children or indeed it may be the Pastors, Sunday School Teachers and day School Teachers who know the Lord and who use our programme with the children they are responsible for.
We also ask continued prayer for those who oversee the various areas within our ministry. In Uganda we have many who use our lessons and we are thankful for that. In Kenya, our offices in Nairobi and Western are welcoming to all who may wish to visit and learn more about our materials and how we can partner with you. A number of Schools are also hearing the Gospel on a weekly basis in Western as our worker there brings the Word of God to the children. In Nairobi, you can also avail of our lending library which will equip you with teaching visuals and other helpful publications. In Northern Ireland William and Pamela are this week teaching some of the lessons at the Holiday Bible Club in their Church; next week they will be conducting outdoor clubs for children and later in the month they will be representing the work at a missionary convention. They will be using memory verse visuals like the one pictured below; did you know that you can order memory verse visuals as a download in A4 or A3 size as well as smaller versions which can be given to children? We can provide you with any verse of your choosing; in the King James Version only; so that you can print them off yourself for use with children. In the near future these will also be available; ready printed; in Kenya. Please email us for further information or with any questions you may have. I was recently reminded of a young boy I knew a number of years ago. He was brought up in a Christian home with parents who loved the Lord and who did their best for him. He knew Scripture well but as he grew older, his interest in spiritual things grew less and less. As a young man he became angry with everyone and everything. Just like the Prodigal Son he moved away from home and thought that the grass would be greener on the other side. Today, that young man is far from God. However, God still loves Him and, just like the father in the account of the prodigal son...He waits, ready and willing to forgive.
Perhaps you are reading this as a parent, a Pastor, a Sunday School Teacher, a sister or a brother. Perhaps you think of someone that you love. Someone that you taught. Someone that you shared the Gospel with. Today they are far from the Saviour and it seems like your efforts have been in vain. Remember, they can run, but they can't hide. Perhaps the quotation below will explain it better than I ever could....Keep praying and never give up! Perhaps you are the one who is doing the running....someone is praying for you. Today I have been reminded of the story of Job in the Bible. It is an account that I often think of and indeed it even features in our Child Evangelism Training Course. Job suffered so much. The devil made things so difficult for him and took away so much from him. BUT, the devil could only do as much as God allowed. The Lord knew exactly how much Job could cope with and didn't allow the devil to go a step farther than Job was able to bear. God also knew just how much the trials would strengthen Job's faith and encourage his complete reliance upon a never failing God.
Perhaps today you are going through difficulties in your service for God; whether that is as Sunday School Teacher, Pastor, Wife, Bricklayer, Student, Mechanic, Father....the list is endless; we all have a place where God wants us to be. Be encouraged that God is still with you and knows exactly how you feel and what you are going through. I once read a quotation which said; "The path that leads over the most obstacles, provides the richest journey." This is so true. It is in the challenging days that we are drawn closer to God and learn lessons which will strengthen us for the future. This week children have continued to be taught the Gospel in Western Kenya by our Children's Worker who is based in that area. Lessons have continued to be marked in Malaba and our worker in Nairobi has been communicating with a number of those who use our materials. In our office in Northern Ireland; volunteer applications, new materials for teenagers, preparation for 5 Day clubs and the production of a new booklet are just some of the tasks worked on this week. God's Word never changes and it is more important than ever that we continue to share it with those we are in contact with. You may face some obstacles along the way...but it will be worth it when you reach your final destination and see others that you met along the journey. It is almost 9 years since we (William and Pamela) visited Western Kenya. By that stage quite a lot of Schools and Churches in the area were using our materials and some people had also participated in training for Sunday School Teachers and Pastors. The people of Western Kenya have always shown a great interest in the work of Feed my Lambs and have been keen to use the resources we make available to them to reach out to the boys and girls in their locality.
Over the years the ministry has grown in the area and we are delighted that we now have secured an office there. This will serve as a base for our full time Western Representative and will be of great benefit to local Pastors and Children's Workers. The office will be stocked with our lessons and materials and in due course we hope we can expand our library to the area also. It will be a place where lessons can be marked and prayer can be made for the salvation of boys and girls. We are thankful that there are some shelves already in place, but, in order for the office to be fully functional we need to purchase a desk, some chairs, some stationery and a few other essentials. Will you pray that God will provide for these needs so that the office can be used to it's full potential? Perhaps you would be in a position to donate a small amount? If so, there are a variety of ways in which you can send us your gift...including Mpesa. Please just contact us if our Giving & Gift Aid page doesn't give you all of the information you need. We give thanks to God for His faithfulness. The Western office is our 4th office and is in addition to those in UK, Nairobi and Malaba. Praise God for how He is working and expanding His mission to reach boys and girls with the Gospel. Please continue to pray that we will see the work go forward for His glory. |
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August 2022
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