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