THIS IS A PHOTO of a street in a Wiltshire town in England called MELKSHAM. it is the scene of my first job after leaving School, but taken much earlier than the 1950s when I worked there. My employers were Stratton Sons & Mead - Wholesale Grocers - their offices just to the right of the parked automobile within them driveway. You can see the name advertised on the facing wall above. Melksham was still at that time a small market town. I worked there from 1956-58 as a junior office clerk. ( Just came across the photo recently on the Web. ) I was just seventeen. It was the year Jesus found me, and began to take my life in hand. The very place that I had just previously stepped into the road in order to throw myself under a car.......... No John! God does not want you to die but LIVE.....and I have lived, until here I am 57 years later still alive.....! Amazing. And it has been an exciting life. A life full of the unexpected that yanked me out of England into Africa in 1968. A life full of surprises, full of children, full of challenges along the way. A life dependant upon God's Promises.
A life not in any way to be regretted, but for my sins. A life of continuous discovery of His Mercy and Grace in Jesus Christ. A very colourful life - quite unlike the drabness of the little scene above.
TODAY, AFTER A WEEK OF THE HOTTEST WEATHER SINCE THE MID 80's we yet again experience clear skies and soaring temperatures. Wonderful summer weather, day after day. Ahhh! BUT, such a pity life is full of buts.......BUT lack of rain, means diminishing catchment and diminishing water in the Reservoirs and rivers......and finally in our taps. Kenya is NOT a desert land, but there is no doubt that increasing population and less rainfall, is causing water to get short, and areas within the country are turning into arid and semi desert lands. This is having an increasing effect upon the Uuban areas, and thus even Eldoret has begun to 'ration' its water supply. Not too bad but this last week water ceased to reach the School, and you can imagine what that meant to a School of 800 children using main drainage for its latrines!!! We survived but with a lot of extra labour carrying buckets of water from the nearest water supply. You would never know just disturbed we are, looking around. So far the grass is only just beginning to lose its green-ness, the golden sunshine and the tempting blue water in the Swimming Pool more than attractive. Just as well we filled the pool with water before the drought began!!! The Pool provides weekly swimming lessons for ALL the students of the School, and also for two or three local schools as well. It is also provides opportunity for others in the locality to use at certain times.ELECTRICITY is also being rationed. Most of the power is provided from hydro electric dams so once again it is water related. To start rationing both water and power at this time of the year suggests that there is fear the Rains will come late this year, and that the NEED will increase. For the last couple of years Rains have come in May!!! Long time to wait. WAITING seems to be the WORD these days. I started waiting on my Wedding Day. I fund myself impatient even then and I have never found it easier any time since to wait for anything
In this semi tropical land of sun-drenched days we also contend with HEAT, Dryness, lack of water and power, rising prices in every sector, political unrest and TODAY the papers warn us of 'High Alert following terrorist threats'. So when YOU feel cold and wet and depressed REMEMBER even in sunshine and comfort there ARE other worries, anxieties, and deprivations to bare. In all the world it is becoming less and less possible to discover a normal human life without pressure and challenge.
It is even becoming difficult to find normal CHRISTIAN life as it is described in the Bible. Slowly the world descends into further chaos, and disorder, and universal suffrage. What comes next?
JESUS MUST COME NEXT. Keep you eyes and ears OPEN.
Love from us all
John and Esther
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