Another busy week for the folk in Kenya. Moses and the team continued with the school ministry and met with various people regarding lessons. Pastor Aringo and the office team continued with marking and the daily routine of visitors to the office. Joyce returned to Uganda following the burial of her sister.
Another clothes collection was completed and we are waiting to hear the amount raised. The market was open as usual here in Northern Ireland. Again, it was cold at times but the Lord provided. William was injured as he and a friend were splitting blocks for the market. He has 10 stitches in his hand. Pray for no infection and complete healing. The container sent from Northern Ireland at the end of November has now arrived in Kenya and we are making arrangements to have the many boxes of lessons, books and Bibles collected and brought to our office. Please continue to pray that God will lead, guide, direct and provide in the coming days.
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Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to contact us in order to assure Joyce of your prayers for her and the family following the passing of her sister. She appreciates very much the support which has been shown to them all. The burial took place on Saturday past. Joyce will return to her home in Uganda today. The entire family continue to need your prayers in these difficult days. Please pray that the work will continue to move on in Uganda without problem so that Joyce can take things slower for a little while.
I had a good time at the meeting in Belfast on Tuesday evening. The Lord really helped and I was greatly encouraged by the interest shown in the work and the requests for future prayer news. Despite the cold and an earlier finish at the market on Saturday, overall, we had a good weekend and thank God for His provision once more. We have another clothes collection this Wednesday and thank God again for this way of providing for us. If you have missed this collection, you can send your items to us at any time as this is an ongoing venture. We thank God for an encouraging meeting which Moses, in Nakuru, had with some representatives of a large denomination in Kenya. Pray for wisdom as the way ahead is planned and that we will be able to partner with them in a way which glorifying to God and which helps to bring the Gospel to the children as well as encouraging the children's workers. We thank God for this couple we are working alongside and thank God for their friendship over many years. Pray for them as they continue to serve in their own ministry. Today our hearts our heavy for our dear friend and co-worker, Joyce, who serves with FML in Uganda.
In 2011, Joyce's sister, Dorine, gave birth to twins. Following this she became very ill and spent many months in hospital. William and I visited in hospital in Nairobi in December 2011, just a few months after she was admitted. For the past year or so, Dorine has been at home with her family but still in need of constant care. Hearing, seeing and eating have continued to be a problem for her and she hasn't been mobile. Dorine's husband is a Pastor and he very kindly allowed us the use of his Church for our 5th anniversary service in Nairobi in 2011. They have older children as well as the twins. Since our last blog, we received the sad news from Joyce that Dorine has passed away. We were so saddened by this, though rejoice that Dorine is now free from pain and suffering. We were very determined to see Dorine next time we return to Kenya, but that is not to be. We rejoice that we will meet her again one day. Dad never met her in the hospital but we know that today they are together. On Saturday, William spoke to Joyce as she was travelling from her home in Uganda to her collect her mother close to Kisumu and travel on to Nairobi to Dorine's house. They will as a family, then accompany Dorine on her final journey back to their home place near Kisumu. We were there at the time of Joyce's wedding and can picture the scene well. The journey home is planned for 13th and burial is planned for 15th February. A huge hospital bill of Ksh 1.4 million (over £10000) needs to be cleared. Please pray for this massive need. I can only imagine the pressure this puts on a family. We pray for God's peace and comfort to be with Dorine's husband and children, her mother, Joyce and her other siblings. We pray that the Lord will be their comforter and provider in these days. Pray for safety as they make the long journey back to Western province on Thursday and pray especially for them as they have the burial on Saturday. In 2006, dad and I were in Kenya for our first FML trip. We were holding our first ever teacher training seminar in Nairobi. In 2006, Joyce was a very shy and not very confident young lady who desperately wanted to work with children but was always discouraged and told by others that she wasn't capable. But Joyce had a sister, Dorine, who had faith and confidence in her. It was Dorine who convinced Joyce to come to our teacher training seminar. It was Dorine who encouraged Joyce and told her she could work with children while others said that she couldn't. It was because of Dorine that Joyce and I met. Now, nearly 8 years later, Joyce is a very confident and capable FML worker, Pastor's wife, mother, co-worker and dear friend......and much of it is down to Dorine. Today, she has her reward. Pray for the family in the coming days. Before the news came through of Dorine. Joyce had travelled to Busia to visit centres there who recently enrolled children on our lessons. She had a great time meeting with them on Tuesday. She had planned to travel to Kampala with Pastor Samuel on Saturday to introduce the work there, but unfortunately found herself travelling to her mothers' and on to Nairobi. Pray on for the work in Uganda in these days. Thank you for praying for the meeting which William and I shared at on Friday evening. We really enjoyed our time with the folk in Belfast and were so encouraged once more with the interest they showed and the many questions which they asked. This week I will speak at another Church in Belfast. This is a new opening for us and so I am looking forward to meeting new people and introducing the work to them. We would like to ask you to pray again about the need for Bibles. The financial need, but also availability. I spent a long time one day last week emailing and contacting various suppliers and distributors in UK, Kenya and Uganda. I have been so disappointed and frustrated that so many; including those in the UK; have not replied. I was reminded of the verse in Lamentations which speaks of young children hungry for bread, but no man breaketh it for them. We have so many children who are keen to have a copy of the Word of God but Bible suppliers do not have them in stock or don't answer. Our normal supplier in Kenya thankfully have a lady work for them who is very good at responding. They can supply us with some but they are low in stock at the minute, hence the reason I made enquiries with others also. Please pray that we will know the best way to deal with this situation of Bibles as it is now quite urgent, yet not straightforward and we need much wisdom and guidance. Please pray on. It was another cold, wet and windy weekend at the market on Friday and Saturday. However, last thing on Friday we got a rush of customers and we spent nearly 2 hours doing deliveries. God is good.
Can we ask you to pray please regarding the work in Uganda. We are considering taking a step to further and help the work there and appreciate you praying with us that we will know God's will and timing. This week William and I will speak at another meeting. I have shared at this venue before but it will be the first time for William to visit. Pray that we will know God's help as we update these praying people on the work and they learn about the ministry in Uganda for the first time. We will have another clothes collection in a few weeks time, so if you have any new or used clothes that you no longer need (adult's or children's) bags, shoes, bedding, curtains etc. then please consider donating them to us over the next week or 10 days so this can help to further the ministry. Also, can I remind you, that if you donate financially to us and are a UK tax payer (even through an occupational pension) we can benefit from the Gift Aid scheme and receive an extra 25p from the government for every £1 you donate. Please consider signing up for this scheme if you can. Contact us for more details. As we often share about those who help us in the work, perhaps we forget sometimes that they have loving and supportive families behind them. Please pray for Pastor Aringo's wife Jen and their two sons and one daughter. They need God's help, guidance, provision and protection. Please also remember Joyce's husband, Pastor Augustus and their two children. We commit these family members to the Lord. Thank you again so much for your prayers and also a sincere word of thanks to those of you who support us financially. Your kindness, faithfulness and generosity is always appreciated. |
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August 2022
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