In the midst, for many, of good food, personal gifts to each other, and for others a scarcity of all these things, LET US REMEMBER JESUS - for this is a day to understand that GOD in Heaven GAVE to each one of us past present and future a priceless Gift - the Gift of His Own Son, and through Him, by His Death on the Cross of Calvary, the Gift of Free and Eternal LIFE.
WE give each other toys, chocolates, and whatever we think might express our love to the other. GOD gave us Himself. IF we are to also GIVE let us give ourselves - first to God, and then to each other, and then to those in need around us who are in the wide sense all 'family'. Greater love, says our Saviour, has no man, than that he should lay down his life for his 'friend'. So when we say we love God......our husband, wife, child, family friend, the man or woman on the street in the wide world around us.....just how MUCH to we really love them? Do we love them enough to lay down our life as JESUS laid down His own. No FORGIVENESS until we love like this. When I would give my life for you, then I must forgive you all your sin as well.
So brothers, sisters, friends make this Christmas special. Forgive each other, reach out to and for each other, and give the GOOD NEWS to each other - Tidings of Comfort and of Joy - A Child has been born and given into the world that has become the means of our cleansing and forgiveness so that we might once more be what we were created to BE - children of God.
THE SUN IS SHINING HERE IN ELDORET, KENYA - A BEAUTIFUL DAY of Light and Warmth, and Colour. Last night a busload of our children went out into the neighbourhood singing carols from about 4p.m. to midnight!!! Tonight our Family Christmas Eve fellowship on the lawn in front of Green Cottage. All the children will be there again as they were last year, and we expect to have a wonderful time together sharing and remembering the Birth of all our Hope and Happiness.
TOMORROW the Christmas Service, an afternoon of family togetherness - some will play games, some will go for 'Family Walks' and in the evening each of our Homes will share a good Christmas Meal together.
And on MONDAY we expect, God and the weather permitting, to ALL go for an all day outing and pic-nic to a nearby School Swimming Pool facility. We usually arrive about 10.30a.m. and leave about 4.30p.m. All four Homes join together for this outing, and it is now a tradition that we all go and fellowship and have fun. Old boys and girls also come if they are nearby, and even friends.
LAST WEEKEND Esther was away in MBALE a Uganda Border town about 100 kilometres away. She was with her sister Mary and brother in law Joe Kibe. They left here on Friday last week and returned on Monday. On the way home, (Joe driving), a white saloon (top) made as if to overtake them. The were just about 20 kilometres out of Eldoret. Then suddenly the overtaking vehicle, radio blaring, turned abruptly into the rear offside of Joe's car, ramming it, and making it spin around to face the direction it was coming from. Somehow both vehicles were now locked together and the Joe's car was then dragged along backwards by the 'rammer' who continued on his way, for twenty or thirty metres before separating and overturning on the road. Fortunately there was no oncoming traffic, and a policeman appeared immediately on the scene. It was very scary. BUT no one was hurt in any way, although both cars had to be towed to the Eldoret Police Inspection Unit, they were both on the road again the next day!! Poor Esther and family were quite shaken up, and although they had started their journey back here at 10a.m. did not finally arrive until 7.30p.m.It was yet another proof of how we are all watched over by appointed Angels. Thank you Father for your servants who constantly have the care of us.
GOING BACK now even further to 2007 Tyndale and Drakeley Cottages were both being built by the same Contractor. He proved himself (although with a Christian Testimony) to be very unfaithful, and put in very substandard material into the construction, and also was found careless.DRAKELEY Cottage especially has suffered. The house is built on sloping ground and one end needed a lot of 'filling' in putting in the foundation. This filling of ballast and earth later was found not to have been properly compacted, and in 2009 we found cracks in the outer wall of the one end.
We had another contractor in and the floor was dug up, but by 2010 the problem re-appeared until we could not use one bedroom and bathroom for fear of collapse!! The cost of repair, which will necessitate a great deal of work on the floor, foundation and outer wall of one end of the house was something we could not contemplate. So we told the Lord about it and left it there. Just this month we were advised by a friend in Northern Ireland that a group had heard about the ministry here, and having funds on hand were offering to put them at our disposal to BUILD a new Home for the kids. However although a sizable sum of money it would only have accounted for perhaps one quarter of what we would have needed to put up a new house. I replied that we really could not contemplate building in the near future anything substantial, and suggested that maybe the Lord would have the funds used somewhere else where an immediate project was in view. HOWEVER, I did say that we could use the funds for repair of a building that was in need, if this might fall within their vision for their use. They have written back to say that they will be delighted for us to use this money for this purpose. GOD is so good to us. SO we hope to start work there soon.I shared this because it is yet another example of us only sharing our needs with the Lord - but HE puts them on the hearts of those who have not known from us anything at all! Surely this IS a Wonder. He IS Wonderful.
God Bless and enfold you in His arms
John and Esther
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