HERE AND THERE

WAY BACK IN 1976 these two boys came to the door with their Mother.    They were brothers, Simeon aged 10 and his little brother Charles aged 8.   Their Mum, unmarried, brewed illicit beer for her living.   They and many other siblings all lived together in severe squalor and poverty on the outskirts of Eldoret Town.   after ourselves visiting the 'family home' and seeing the awful situation, we finally agreed to help by letting the two boys into Testimony House.

Simeon grew up to be quite intelligent, and eventually joined the Kenya Army where he is still serving - right now in Somalia against the local terrorist group Al Shabaab.   He is married now with children of his own, but regretfully the Army introduced him to alcohol, and he is well hooked on it.    But he had previously made a decision for Christ, and he knows the Way Home - just awash in liquor and presently away from the Safe Way Home.   His little brother is not with us any more either.   He was crossing our local river in the month of May 1977 when he was just 9 years old.   He and his friends were returning home from School some few miles away - we had not started our own school then - and they all opted to cross the river which was in flood - not by the safe road bridge but by a short-cross over a sewerage pipe that spanned it nearer to our compound.      Charles was last to cross, and slipped and fell into what was a raging torrent beneath him.    He was swept away, our children running along the bank after him till he could be seen no more.   All of us from Testimony House spent the rest of the day and night searching, and then into the next day, following the river through the Town.    But Charles was never found or heard of again.     We held a Memorial Service for him a month later.       Everyone was greatly distressed and shocked.      BUT a little later we were able to take a third member of that family into care - Frank.    Frank was just ten years old when he joined us in Testimony House, a quiet, intelligent child who went on to qualify as a full Chef.     He is now married with two children of his own, and as we reported before is now Dad in Drakeley Cottage.   He AND Simeon have not forgotten their poor old Mother, and have managed to repatriate her to her original family location in the north of Kenya, providing a little land and a simple house for her to find refuge in her old age.     Children come and go.     The majority do keep in touch, but some have left to not surface again for years.      When a child is admitted it is impossible to know the final outcome in advance.     We are not always happy about them by the time they have to leave us......but we have learnt to trust the Lord for them, and to follow them with our prayers, and over the years we have seen HIS Faithfulness in pursuing after them and finally securing their lives.       Testimony Faith Homes is not impervious to the world around it; and with the advent of the School the lifestyles and cultures of the big 'outside' have actually come inside our compound.     AND the Town which was at one time three kilometres walk away has now begun to encircle us, and to threaten our insulation from it on every side.      Our children therefore have more and more to grapple with as they grow up - even here in Eldoret.

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WHO IS TO BLAME

(a poem discovered in a Parish Magazine from Sheffield)

Apparently Anonymous!

We read in the papers and hear on the air

Of killing and stealing and crime everywhere.

We sigh and say, as we notice the trend,

This young generation - where will it all end?

But can we be sure that it's their fault alone,

That may be a part of it isn't our own?

Are we less guilty, who place in their way,

Too many things that lead them astray?

Too much money, too much idle time,

Too many movies of passion and crime;

Too many books not fit to be read,

Too much evil in what they hear said;

Too many children encouraged to roam,

Too many parents who won't stay at home.

Kids don't make movies, the don't write the books;

They don't make the liquor, the don't run the bars;

They don't make the laws and they don't sell the cars;

They don't peddle the drugs that addle the brain;

That's all done by older folk, greedy for gain........

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THIS WEEK has been a comparatively QUIET week, with just our regular routines ordering our day.

Mondays are the usual Shopping Day taking us to the Market and Provision Stores for the week's supply, God Willing, of the basic needs for each of the four Homes.   Other days also find one or the other of us out and about in the Town for sudden extra needs such as unforeseen items, visits to the doctor, dentist, and the Children's Office.     Then the occasional payment of a bill, follow up of a child's background history, attendance at a Meeting of some Committee or other.     This on top of constant supervision and making sure every one is busy with their individual duties and responsibilities within the two compounds.

GLAD to report that little Yusuf who had his tonsils removed has recovered well and is now weaned from his 'ice cream' diet - it was only for a couple of days in fact.   He is now well and happy, and we hope will enter into a healthier and less troublesome phase of his life.

YESTERDAY it RAINED - HEAVILY - for a good part of the afternoon and evening, and even through the night!!    It was very much welcomed by our thirsty, water starved, gardens.     We are hoping it might continue for a few days at least although this is NOT yet the expected commencement of the Rainy Season.

Every little helps.    And on Saturday we took in another 130 LAYERS into the Poultry Project.   We should have enough eggs now to also be able to SELL some.     Praise the Lord for this provision.

I do apologise for being late this time.    Our Server has somehow once again been unable to serve us, and we have been unable to access the Internet for some days now.    We ARE back on today, but Service these days is very uncertain - either very slow or just disconnected.       Frustrating?    YES!   However we are doing our best to reject such irritation - since after all life goes on.      Frustration is another way to take us away from the Spirit Filled life.     We need to be on our guard - what WE think should happen and so on may be quite carnally selfish.      At ALL times we should trust in HIM who is busy arranging our steps.      Nothing NEEDs to happen the way I think it should - I should not feel inconvenienced or upset when things seem to go wrong with my planned day.     I should trust HIM to have it all in hand for my blessing and Praise Him for keeping me safe and well.       Blessed be the Name of our God.

I am sure our brother Paul found it a comfort at times to have a physician like Luke as his companion at times.      These days we tend to have to go looking for a doctor, and IF we can afford to wait, might have the doubtful joy of actually seeing him or her.      Then it not always comforting.    My doctor is a very busy one, and also mixed up in politics.     Very hard to find a time to see him without wasting a day sitting in his Waiting Room.       This last year my blood pressure and sugar levels have gone up, and seem unable to come down.    Constant checks with my hard to see doctor result in constant changes of drugs, none of which seem to produce any result other than anxiety.     I FEEL well, but apparently am NOT well.    

I begin to see the truth of the proverb - 'what the eyes don't see, the heart (mind) doesn't worry about.'

We are told High Blood Pressure and Diabetes are both silent killers - you are dead before you know death is creeping up on you.     I think that is not very bad actually.      Better not to know and feel WELL and happy, than to spend your days glued to some kind of 'metre' or medical check-ups that only inspire anxious apprehension .........

I have actually changed my Doctor for an older man, who has time and patience AND wisdom - he only tells me what he thinks will encourage me.       He is of course just a humanly common sense pulse upon my physical well being - the REAL Physician is Jesus, the true HEALER and origin of our health.  Thank God I can trust Him and rest from all my frail doubts about myself.     HE finally IS all my health - AND WEALTH!    Isn't that TRUE?    Do I really believe it - DO YOU?

MY CHRIST, He is the "The Tree of Life"

The living "clear as crystal" stream

Whence life for ever flows.

CHRIST is my Meat, Christ is my Drink,

My Medicine, and my Health;

My Portion, mine Inheritance.

YEA ALL MY BOUNDLESS WEALTH.
John Mason 1646-1694

Our love to you all, and be sure we do try to remember you all in our prayers as the days pass by.  Be encouraged, and strengthened in His Name ALWAYS.

John and Esther