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

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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