UPDATE

SATURDAY, 30th AUGUST 2008 - a glimpse into Testimony Sch00l
In 1969 God communicated with me, and told me to provide for Kenyan Orphaned and Destitute children in small Cottage Homes, to also provide education, AND to establish a Christian Witness all on the same compound.
In recent weeks I have been writing about the FOUR Homes that have come into being as a result of that confrontation. But by 1980 we were still sending our children out to Government Schools, and the idea of having our own school had somehow been pushed out of sight. But in that year of 1980 we began to experience problems. Many of our children from the Homes began to be picked upon and highlighted as 'These Orphans' and this together with the fact that our local schools were vastly overcrowded with classrooms built for a population of 30 crammed with more than 70 or 80 students - often without chairs or desks or books!
AT the same time the number of infants in the Homes was increasing, and we were finding it almost impossible to find good pre-school opportunity for them. We enquired from the Municipal Council if we could get permission to start a Private Nursery School - and we got it immediately. SO in 1981 we opened Testimony Nursery School. We opened with just five of our own children but soon the public wanted us to let their kids in as well. Today we have an average 120 in pre school. They come in at 3 years old and remain until they are 5, by which time they can read and write three letter words, count to 100 and do simple addition and subtraction. THEN at 6 they enter the first Class of Primary School. Primary has 8 Grades or Classes, at the conclusion of which the Kenya Primary Certificate of Education is sat. This is the gateway to High School for a further four years. Our Pre-School has grown since 1981 until now we also have two streams of Primary and one of Secondary or High School. The public pay in order for their
children to attend, but the Homes children learn free. Otherwise there is no material profit from the School that Testimony Faith Homes reaps - and it is run purely and simply on a NO PROFIT basis. It is a popular School, places much sought after, and maintains a strong Christian, though non denominational, testimony in Jesus Christ. We have seen the Lord use this testimony and so many have come to know HIM as Lord and Saviour in the local multi-racial community because of its Witness. Today the School has a population (through Pre-School to the 4th Form of High School) of 800 students - which include the 14o or so children from the children's homes. It carries a paid teaching staff (all government trained nationals) of 47. Steven, Michael, Elisabeth, Daryl, Edward, Manu and Helen all attended this school together with the other children in the Homes - at least from 1981 when Nursery began!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Thanks for prayers! I know - I feel it in my spirit - that many have had me in their prayers, and His Spirit has walked with me. I am into the sunlight once more! This is the week for Schools and Colleges to re-open in Kenya for the 3rd and final Term of the Year. Actually Colleges and Universities, which used to generally follow the same pattern as Schools, are now all opening and closing at different times, so that in the main SOME of our young people in the Homes are coming and going all the time - or so it seems! University is now costing up to £500 per semester, and the same for most other reputable professional Colleges. This is a hike of almost 40% since last year. But no doubt this is due to the general cost of basics which even these institutions must grapple with. Right now we have quite a few in Higher Education -
6 in University doing IT / Commerce / Civil Engineering.
4 in Teacher Training College.
2 in Accountancy Colleges.
1 in Beauty & Hair Styling Training College.
2 in Hotel Management & Catering Training College.
4 in Technical Training College doing Auto Mechanics, Welding, Electrical Engineering.

None of these obtain bursaries and thus are upon us when it comes to finance. All the Glory then must return to God who supplies and provides against such sudden star bursts of need. And it is a great JOY to see our sons and daughters going on and prospering in their lives. And this is partly what Testimony Faith Homes is all about - but it is not everything. The BEST JOY is in seeing one and another of the children realise the reality of God in their own personal lives, letting Him in to lead, guide and BUILD them.

NEXT week our little Helen now 18 will leave home to pursueTraining as a Nursery Teacher in the BIG City of Nairobi. It is hard to consider the passing of those eighteen years, and to remember the little baby of 10 months that first came to us from the Hospital where she had been abandoned. How quickly the years seem to have passed. We called her Tweetie-pie because she was so little and think, with an extra large head. A cartoon character! She has grown short and thickset, but her head is no longer out of tune with her body. A quiet, gentle, rather shy girl...................please spare her a little prayer as she leaves home; we hope this new chapter in her life will bring out hidden qualities, and strengthen her character. We also pray it will establish even more her faith in God. The RAIN seems to have left off a little and the temperature has been much warmer this week. Everyone well, and the smell of mown grass from the recently cut lawns is wafting in upon me as I write. Esther is at the Preliminary Staff Meeting preparing for School on Monday, and now I must turn to preparing something from the Lord for Sunday Morning Fellowship. There are still letters to write, and Minutes of Meetings to get out plus the end of the month Accounts to finalise, and so much else ...... the days seem hardly long enough! God Bless you and prove Himself close to you this coming week Sincerely in His Love

John and Esther

Update

SATURDAY, 23rd AUGUST 2008
This time it is the turn of Jacaranda Cottage to be in the lime-light and the photo reveals the family of Phillip and Rosalinde NZOMO and their three children, Phillip and Rosalinde are Mum and Dad in this Family Home, and they and their three children also share the house with 37 other children aged between 3 and 22 - boys and girls. Rosalinde is a trained Councillor, and Phillip is actually a Science Teacher, and before coming to us was Assistant Warden of the Eldoret Child Rescue Centre which is still going strong by the way. They came to take over from Joshua and Miriam Mbithi in 2004. It was not an easy first year for them since they had to come from being their own small family to expanding and becoming totally integrated with the Jacaranda Family overnight. This was hardest on their own children who had not had to share their parents affection and attention before. Also, of course, it was not easy to initially find themselves accepted as Mum and Dad in place of Joshua and Miriam who had been in that position for nineteen years before finally leaving to start a new Ministry. NOW they are doing well and the Home is a progressively happy family.
Last week I mentioned the problems of changing Houseparents. Jacaranda which opened in 1975 has perhaps had the greatest challenge to it 'family' status; it has had five sets of Houeparents in thirty three years. Francis and Elaine Wainaina were the first to be Mum and Dad there from 1975-84. After that we had Hans and Sonja Jenson from Denmark, and Bob and Joy Grahamslaw from UK in quick succession, and then from 1985 until the end of 2003 Joshua and Miriam Mbithi. How long will Phil and Rosalinde stay with us? We don't know, cannot tell! But we hope and pray that they will stay a long time, and ask you to pray for them.
Jacaranda Cottage is quite an old house; half of it built of mud brick without any foundation, and the other half build of cement blocks in 1977. It is scheduled for eventual demolition, and a NEW Cottage built opposite the present site. Then part of the site will go down to lawns, and the cement block part will be turned into a Maintenance Workshop and Laundry. We hope the Lord will help us to accomplish this in His own Time and Plan, and hope you will be praying for us. The New Jacaranda Cottage will cater for up to 50 children which will give us a total of 110 children on the compound as a whole. The Building Plan is completed, and all we need now is to accumulate the building materials needed. In a way it will be sad to see the old house go, but it has always been an inconvenient house to manage, and constantly in need of repair and maintenance because of its age and irregularity of shape.
The photo above was taken from Tyndale Cottage which lies near the main gate on the right hand side of the driveway going up to Jacaranda. Drakeley Cottage lies also on the right hand side but further up and beyond Jacaranda Cottage.

SO now I have covered all four Children's Homes as they are today. I will try next week to also give an overview of our School, and how it came about, and how it relates to the Homes. It is an overcast day here in Kenya. The children are running around outside enjoying a dry spell, and the last few days of School Holidays. They have really enjoyed seeing the Olympics on the TV, the coverage having been quite good.
The Lord continue to bless you all and every one.

John and Esther

PS Many thanks to the two of you that wrote to assure us that you would like the Blog to continue. We have also sent by Airmail a Printed update about the Green Family and a leaflet about TFH. We sent it to all those whose address we have including those on E-mail. Please let us know if you would like such updates to also be sent to you quarterly as well.

update

SUNDAY, 17th AUGUST 2008
This week a view of Testimony House as I first saw it on Boxing Day 1972 as I drove in with 28 boys on a lorry with a few chairs and iron bunk beds. The driveway was just dirt then, and not tarmacadam as it is today. Still an impressive view.
AND instead of Esther and me as Mum and Dad we now have Alice and Hesketh MULLI - now in their third year as houseparents. They have two small girls of their own plus a son. Additionally a family of some 45 others, boys and girls from 3 to 24 years of age. Alice also teaches in our nursery School every morning, and Hesketh is here and there assisting with Homes and School shopping with Steven Stuma.
Originally Esther and I thought we would die in this House! We thought we would never leave, and that we would just grow old and die. Rather idealistic! But I sometimes think that this is what should have in fact happened. We left the House and crossed the front lawn to our present Green Cottage in January 1998. Our reasoning then was at 54 and 58 years of age respectively, that with the majority of the family members at that time being over 18 and near to leaving, we would need to admit a whole new family of VERY young children. We felt that we would not properly be able to bring them up to adulthood at our age, and that we should step aside for a young couple. Our son Daryl and his wife Carol had offered themselves and so it all seemed very much in the Lord's plan. But in 2005 Daryl and Carol felt they needed to leave and set up their own private family home for their own sake and the sake of their own children. Thus after being ourselves twenty nine years with Testimony House Family, we have already seen two sets of parents come to replace us in the space of TEN years. It is not so much that those who have taken our place have been unable to replace us and be good and concerned parents, but rather the upheaval that occurs when parents change. We had not really considered this when WE started. And we had always hoped that others that might want to open new Homes with us, or who would eventually replace us at Testimony House would make it a lifetime committement or at least LONG term!

We believe that to actually make it worth while to take in an orphaned child one needed to provide what was lacking - parents and a family home. To do this we believed and still believe that those who would be parents in a Children's Home need to be exactly that, and to be a really family home to every child brought in. We underestimated the obvious cost of doing this and have had to realise that there cannot be a perfect application of the original vision in this respect.

BUT we do pray and seek for the Lord to bring married couples to us who will be willing and led to give a good number of years to the children they come to parent and provide love and security to. This needs not only dedication, but also a clear understanding of the Will of God in those who would offer themselves as houseparents with us in Testimony Faith Homes.

Right now we have 4 Family Homes
each with its own Parents.
We do thank God for each of them

BUT even though we have these FOUR separate Families,
and even though we have seen more than SEVEN different sets
of houseparents come and go amongst these Homes,and also
more than 300 children come and go
additionally to those currently now with us
TESTIMONY FAITH HOMES
is in itself ONE FAMILY
WE ARE PRAYING
this will be demonstrated in July 2009
when we celebrate our
40th ANNIVERSARY

xxxxxxxxx

IT IS STILL RAINING heavily. Esther celebrated her Birthday yesterday, and today a busy Sunday. I am a little late in getting this up on the Blog - I had not realised Bloggers had changed a few ground rules and I got out of sink and quite lost for a day or so as i tried to find my new spot. I managed in the end to do it all on my own, after getting as much help as I could must from the young and mentally alert without a great deal of progress initially. I feel quite WONDERFUL that I still have a few grey cells that can be galvanised into life with a little effort. All is not lost!

We love you all, and hope you are keeping STRONG in the LORD

John and Esther

SATURDAY 9th AUGUST 2008

HEREWITH a photo of MICAH AND CATHERINE YEGO who are Dad and Mum in Tyndale (previously Trinity) Cottage. Catherine also grew up in Testimony House with me and Esther from when she was just about 15 months. She was born in prison where her Mum was confined. She remained in our care until she completed her Bible School Training, graduating with a B.Th. She was known as 'Senge' in those days. She married Micah in 2003. Micah was by then working with the Homes as an assistant houseparent. They are a very loving and affectionate couple, and although not yet with children of their own, they have a delightful family of 30 boys and girls to care for. About half of them are between 3 and 10. Always a delight to visit them in their beautifully kept house, which is sited at the bottom end of Jacaranda Cottage compound.
Micah and Catherine are in their mid thirties, and Catherine is also School Librarian, helping out there five days a week in the mornings. Micah is also busy helping out with shopping and other works around the compound. We feel very fortunate to have them with us in the homes.
Having grown up in Testimony House Catherine is well able to identify with the daily routine and able to build on them. It has also been a great blessing to me and Esther to have a 'son. and 'daughter' in Steve and Catherine working with us and caring on in the way we brought them up.
Wanted to put a few photos of their home right here, but for some reason I am being refused to 'add an image' AGAIN at this point so will have to forgo. I have circulated them before so you may still have them by you to link up with. Just wanted you to get to 'know' the other Homes as it is often the case that we speak so generally that you might not get a clear picture of who is here working with us, and exactly who is looking after who!! Confusing.

Was staggered to hear a report from SKY NEWS that the Chinese spent something in the region of £3000 per SECOND on the Opening Ceremonies and arrangements for the Olympics! Took our breath away for a moment. We could run the Homes for twelve months with something in hand for just ONE MINUTE of what they spent in four hours! How extraordinary the way money is put to use, and how irrelevantly spent it is, so often. Consider for a moment the hundreds of thousands starving in the world around us at such expense; some of the here in Kenya!

TODAY we had a Wedding here in Testimony. Not one of our children or staff this time, but a brother who is a member of our Community Church Fellowship. He is from the West of Kenya and a Luhyia, and she a Kikuyu from Central Kenya. Interesting when tribes / nations intermix across cultural boundaries. We see it happening a lot in our circle, and it seems to work out well every time. Oh that Kenya, as a Nation of nations, might actually realise it in the broad sense, and begin to accept themselves altogether as ONE NATION. About 300 guests from all over descended on us. The children love these occasions since they all get to attend, and EAT, and laugh and learn about people coming together in Jesus. Joshua Mbithi was the one to join the two together, our pastor leading the meeting, and the Bride's pastor giving the message. It was a VERY joyous occasion, and continued from 11a.m until about 4.30p.m. - It was good to see Joshua with us, and Miriam also joined the crowd - though she is recovering from Typhoid. Their work with HIV children is going well, and prayer is being answered for many in very positive and miraculous ways.
The weather was clement, though still cool, and it has rained, but not until the Wedding was over! Now the evening is upon us, and it is getting colder - Esther will be asking me to light the fire soon. She was helping with the guests lunch, having also made the Wedding Cake. Now she is with her Mum for her usual daily visit. Mum is able to talk a little, but forgets immediately, and it seems she has to get to know Esther each time she visits. But otherwise she is well and calm, and apparently in her own way, happy. For this we give thanks to the Lord who alone knows the different way we all must take.

This last few days I personally have felt oppressed in my spirit. I cannot explain it, and can only humbly ask you to remember me in prayer. There was a Christmas many years ago when I felt like this. It passed, but at the time, I was in a deep pit of spiritual darkness. I knew the Lord was with me in it, but I had to endure quite a few days. No explanation is likely to present itself. We know the Enemy - if he cannot get at you one way he will try another.......but he can never overwhelm us for we are in Christ, and He will save and keep us to the end. Pray for my Darling Esther too as she has to bare with me at these times. I am so glad and thankful for her patience and love.

God be with you


John and Esther

SATURDAY 2nd AUGUST 2008

Here is a photo of Steve and Emily STUMA, the Mum and Dad of DRAKELEY Cottage, our 3rd Home. Both now in their mid thirties they also have a small son of their own (Azariah - 'Jah has strengthened') who will be 4 years old this year.
Steve grew up with me and Esther in Testimony House from when he was 9. His single mother, a nurse, had died suddenly, and being alone in the world his mother could leave him to no one's care. He went to the street. Steve was always an affectionate and outgoing child, and on finishing his Secondary School he went on to learn the Hotel & Catering trade for some three years up to management level. He took employment as Assistant Manager of a small tourist Hotel near Nakuru, and later joined the Daguna Fellowship (an organisation similar to Youth With a Mission) as Caterer in Charge of a large 300 strong compound. He married Emily, a Hair-stylist, in 2003 and in 2004 they came to take over Drakeley Cottage as houseparents. Emily also helps out in our Nursery School, and Steve is ever busy in town shopping for the Homes and doing countless other jobs. The are both devoted Christians. They have 30 other boys and girls apart from Azariah in their family - a very happy and well ordered home.
The sitting/dining area of the new house is open plan gives a lot of space light, and freedom of movement. At the same time there is a good sense of homeliness and when ALL the children are indoors from school or play it is a VERY happy place. It has worked well as a family home in design and everyday practice, and Tyndale Cottage which lies at the other end of the compound is exactly the same. We are now tempted to put up the NEW Jacaranda Cottage on the same plan keeping it single story rather than double. The compound is 2.8 acres in area, and even with 110 children living together there is still plenty of play space.

The 2nd Term of School has concluded to give way to the short summer (or is it winter) holidays. With the emphasis on extra tuition in Kenya the School will in fact only be closed for TWO weeks, with a partial closure for two more weeks when only the TOP classes will attend lessons to boost them for their final examinations. Our LONG holiday is usually in December when we are closed for almost 7 weeks!! The unrest in High Schools throughout the Country seems to have calmed down somewhat, and we ourselves have not been in any way affected by it. Nevertheless it is very obvious that the general attitude toward discipline will need to be carefully reconsidered, together perhaps with the whole question of the national syllabus which is very unwieldy, AND the system of CATS and MOCKS that have swamped students with the need for greater periods of stress and tension mentally.
For Esther a few weeks well earned relaxation, and for me opportunity to see more of her - though MY office remains open as usual to deal with the rest of the work. Hopefully I will be able to spend some of my time at home with her though, as some of my work can be done on comp. right here in our sitting room. Great to be able to have time to actually quietly communicate and come aside from the usually Hurley burly of daily life here.

STILL RAINING and very cold weather wise. BUT the rain is still too little too late, and the general outlook is toward yet another poor harvest, which taken together with world food shortages and sky high prices of basics such as Rice and Wheat does not bode well for the immediate and long term future. SKY news is full of the most unpleasant, and despondent news.............. We have heard this week of many charities closing down, unable to meet the costs of inflation all around them. Well this is the time to discover where our faith is, and where our patience is. Our spirit is reminded of Habakkuk 3v17-19, and as we read our hearts our lightened and strengthened so that anxiety flees away, and we learn again to take one day at a time, knowing that the worry of that one day is enough without peering into the future.

The Amplified Translation of the Bible
'Though the fig tree does not blossom, and there is no fruit on the vines,
(though) the product of the olive fails, and the fields yield no food,
though the flock is cut off from the fold, and there are no cattle in the stalls,
YET I will rejoice in the LORD:
I will exult in the (victorious) God of my salvation!
The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army;
HE makes my feet like hinds' feet
and will make me to walk (not to stand still in terror, but to walk)
and make (spiritual) progress upon my high places
of trouble, suffering, or responsibility.'

Truly these are words much needed at this time, a time that could well be that described in Luke 21 with special reference to verses 25-6 where it is written '..on the earth distress of nations with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring ((the peoples)): men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth.....'

I especially like verse 28 -

Now when these things begin to happen'
look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.'

HOW WONDERFUL IT IS TO BE A BELIEVER in these perilous days, and to have Someone, and Somewhere to look up and away from all the fears and travails that surround us. HE is more than able to succour ALL of us, and to DELIVER us.

THIS WEEK in the Daily Nation a Report was published in which the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams referred to 'traditionalists' and 'liberals' as needing to 'respond generously' toward each other. He suggested that if this could happen then 'perhaps we could have something - something more like a Church.' My intellect asked me if by 'traditionalist' he meant a person adhering to the traditions and pronouncements of the Church of England (as for example the traditions and Papal Edicts of the Church of Rome), or a person adhering to the teaching and tradition of God's Word. Then again if the 'traditionalist' is the one who adheres to the TRUTH (whom some refer to as 'fundamentalists), where do the 'liberals' stand, and what part do they have?
To me there is only ONE CHURCH - the Church of the First Born. #
Who are they? I would believe them to be those who have Begun their lives again in Christ.
But it is also true of such that each individual will vary in some way as to how they live their new life, and what they may still permit to be part of it. We also know that in the earthly local church there will be those who have not in fact begun a new life, and are still living the old one under a pretence.
The Church is and always has been a mixed bag, even as those Moses led out of Egypt were a very mixed bag or multitude. Moses went quite a long way with them, and they with him were able to experience a great deal of the reality of God, yet a good number along the way were in fact weeded out, and prevented from entering into God's Rest. Moses exerted discipline according to the Words God had given to him. GOD'S WORD NEVER CHANGES OR becomes diluted or altered in any way. God's mind does not change either!
GOD's WORD has prohibited the homosexual act in mankind - especially where it relates to His People. The people of God are not to participate in it. They are not to uphold or encourage it, or show it to be acceptable within their own circle. And since they are the Salt and Light of the earth they are expected to proclaim their opinion to the rest of the world.
PAUL the Apostle says, by the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, that the only homosexuals that will be found in heaven, are those who came to reject it here on earth, and were save and cleansed from its enslavement by the work of Christ on the Cross. 1. Corinthians 6v9-20 It is an unequivocal statement of fact. There is no room for argument. We have light and darkness. They do not agree, are not alike. Only ONE will be in heaven with God. All willful sin must be done with before we get to the door.
I think I must be a traditionalist, and probably a thorn in a few peoples flesh. I also believe that I am a member of Christ's Body and Church though perhaps I do not see myself as a Christian sectarian. I am not perfect however, and fight every day against the sin that seeks always to prevail against me. But I am glad to have God's Holy Spirit inspiring and encouraging and empowering me not to just 'stand' but walk progressively onward to the moment I will be CHANGED completely into His Likeness.

God be with you all, and encourage you, and inspire YOU onwards. If you are reading the Blog I would be glad to know if you feel it is useful. I do not want to continue without some reason to do so. I shall also from time to time send out a printed Letter again for those who are unable to access the Blog site.

Sincerely your brother and sister always


John and Esther