RAIN GLORIOUS RAIN!!!

AND THE RAIN GOES ON COMING DOWN, DOWN DOWN!    Well it seems to have come earlier this year, earlier and heavier, and more determined, day after day to establish its presence.  Are these Early Rains, Middle Rains, Latter Rains?     Who knows; least of all the weather men who one week tell us it will be Drought and Famine, and then the next warn us of Floods, Prolonged Rains, Mud Slides and general mayhem.     BUT one thing we CAN say right now is that IT IS RAINING WITH A VENGEANCE.    

The top left photo is of Testimony House taken from the drive gate.      When we first moved in the driveway was not tar-maced; you will imagine what it was like then in the Rainy Season.    Just a river of MUD!     Now at least the mud has gone, but the 'river' still returns whenever it rains heavily.     And the RAIN has been beating down on this old house of colonial days for almost a hundred years - a house itself made of MUD, without being swept away.    You can see how lush and green the grass has become in just over a week!   Our cows have been enjoying an occasional graze on it, to their great satisfaction.      THE NEXT PHOTO TAKEN TODAY, shows the same as before but looking the other way down from Testimony porch to the drive gate.    Here the rain has tailed off a little, but it still is producing a small river.


A SIMILAR TORRENT pours down the newly carpeted road outside our compound.    In this photo you can see it rushing downhill past Testimony School gate on its way to the river.  Not many people about !!!    NO, when it rains like this most people are sheltering wherever they can.  The air is cold, the sky grey and overcast with boiling clouds, producing an almost 'twilight' effect.
This is the OTHER side of the Tropics - the cold, dull, and WET side.     Right now I must say I am enjoying it...........BUT the time WILL come when I will find myself saying 'Rain, RAIN, Go AWAY..'   and I may well forget to invite it to come 'another day'.      Perpetual days like this do tend to remove ones cheerfulness finally - the chill, the mud, the general WETNESS, and greyness of everything day after day.        BUT I feel guilty to complain.      At least we ourselves are high and dry, well above flood waters, and to a large extent severed from immediate mud.  OUR toilets are connected to the main sewer, and not holes in the ground that slowly fill up from beneath in times like these, and overflow all around.    OUR homes have roofs that do not leak - or at least not as much as those around us.      We are fortunate.     We can enjoy and profit from the rain, without being endangered or inconvenienced too much by it.     THUS we must and WILL Praise the Lord for the Blessing of Rain upon this thirsty land; rain that brings the promise of a good harvest and LIFE with it.

This time of 'change' in the climate usually presents us with an increase in coldy-flu's and malaria, but so far, so good.   Everyone keeping well and happy.    But no doubt once School starts again next week we shall find one or two catching something.      I usually thrive in this climate!!!

TO-DAY two important decisions have been made.      The first concerns Daryl's wife, Carol.   Carol used to teach in Testimony School, but about two years ago she felt that she wanted to try something 'outside'.     It was still teaching, but teaching to assist slow learners and children with special problems.      She actually did establish herself in doing this.    However it also had its drawbacks, as she found that being self employed and away from the family longer than she would have been in a regular job routine somehow diminished family life and freedoms.      Since Daryl was appointed C.E.O. of the ministry here, he has more and more felt that she should work more closely with him, and with the Homes.     They have been talking about this for a little while now, and today Carol came to chat about returning and throwing in her endeavour with Daryl in the Work.        She will still lend a hand in teaching backward children, but from within the Homes and the School, and will also slowly get involved in other aspects of the Work such as monitoring the hygiene and housekeeping standards in the Children's Home.       We are delighted that she has felt led to do this, and we feel it will strengthen Daryl's position and support.    He is himself, very happy about it.      She will commence on 2nd May.

Secondly we have today adventured ourselves into the art of Bread making!!    Some many years ago we assisted a young woman accounts clerk who had lost her job, giving her employment in our office.     She was physically disabled, and her employer had been very unsympathetic to her case, and purposely given her more work than she was able to undertake.   Then he would abuse her and miss-treat her.     She is a Christian, and during her time of oppression happened to hear one of our Radio Program broadcast locally and came to see me for counselling and advice.     The result was that after a few more meetings we invited her to work with us in our Office.    She retired two years ago, and opened, very successfully, a little business of her own making bread, cakes and other confections.
Just a few weeks back she to came to suggest we ourselves could save a lot of money if we made and even sold our own bread; she offered to come and train, and start off such a project, free of charge.       She came today, and THREE of our out of work older boys came to begin the project with her.      So far so good - already in one afternoon 100 loaves of bread and 100 muffins have been successfully made - and MMMM - they taste good!!!         Whatever next I wonder.


Well this must be enough for this week!!!     We trust the Lord who watches over us will also continue to watch over you, and to keep you all safe from falling.     We need your prayers at this time, and we do ask you not to forget to lift up your heart to Father on our behalf.   Bless you!

With our Love always in His Glorious Name

John and Esther