LAYING A LEGEND - REMOVING A MYTH?

LAST WEEK, I put up a photo of the cutting down of four trees on this compound, the compound of Jacaranda Cottage.      TODAY (Friday 19th December) the Earth Movers moved in and initialy flattened an area we want to build on.  Yes, this will be the place for the NEW Jacaranda Cottage to be built.   It will be exactly opposite the OLD house.  We can see part of the front of that house.

Here is another view showing, on the mid right, the breeze block end of the house built in 1979.   We may keep this area comprising about a third of the old house - maybe to build on later.    The left hand part of the house, with pointed corrugated roofing is expected to come down completely, and the ground it covers grassed over.      The driveway is between the old and new, and is also due for re-siting, in order not to crowd the fronts of either side. The two small photos show Tyndale Cottage,  and also the side of Drakeley Cottage.  Both cottages are on the same side of the Compound, with the New Jacaranda in the middle.
The three houses will bring a total population of 140 children plus six resident staff.
BUT WHY are we wanting to pull the old house down?   And why have we consistantly prayed that the Lord would help us to do so?    Many reasons -
First the house is very dark and gloomy.    Built in the early part of the 20th Century of sun-baked mud brick and wattle, it was badly planned and resulted in an inconvenient arrangement of rooms not easy to keep track of.   The widows are few and small.
Secondly the roof leaks is and not well put together, with too many gullies, joints, and precipices which induce the rain to gain pressure ant put strain everywhere.    Constant repair and redecoration is needed. 
The THIRD reason is rather tenuous, but perhaps the most important one.     Someone may have been murdered, even buried somewhere under the floor of the mud-brick part of the house comprising most of the bedrooms, and sitting room of the house.      The original owner's husband suddenly disappeared - and strong rumour had it that in a furious quarrel the wife killed her husband and buried him in the house.
Certainly there has been a lot of unrest in the house between houseparents and children over the years, and on many occasions we had to enlist pastoral help to come in and pray seriously in each room in an effort to bring peace to the house.     Miriam and Joshua who were the longest to stay (19 years) felt there was some evil influence in the house.      We can PROVE nothing factually, but we have to accept that something -  circumstantially - is not quite right about the place both before and since we bought in 1975.
        We hope that in LEAVING it and ceasing to live in it, peace will come to it, and the gloom will lift from the family for ever.  

AND TODAY, SATURDAY, 20TH December 2014, our friends, Ian and Diana Hogley having arrived yesterday, we held a 'Ground Breaking' and  Dedication Ceremony' on the site of the new building.   Almost ALL the children from the four homes were present, together with houseparents.    Daryl was also there as Director of TFH, myself,
Esther and Ian and Diana.     We crowded at the edge of the site, as we sang two hymns and then opened with Prayer.      Then it was for me to introduce Ian to tell us a little about how the Funds to build the new house had come about.     Just a year before he and Diana had brought friends with them on their visit to us.     They were Stuart and Janet Brown.   They stayed for a few days with us, and walk around TFH missing nothing, and somehow impressed by all they saw.     They are also involved in a Charitable Trust Fund in the UK,,,,,,,and the result was that we received an offer of help to provide us with a NEW Jacaranda Cottage.       Today we all Thanked you, Stuart and Janet AND all those involved with the Trust who together have felt led to answer a long time Prayer.
Ian gave a short word based on Luke 6v46-49 and then Diana read a Blessing for the NEW House -

'THIS is a place of New Beginnings!

Let us acknowledge the past with thankful hearts.

The home is a place of welcome,celebration, meeting, joy and sorrow;

a place of rest and peace & a place of work.

WE ask Your Blessing

on everyone and everything that passes through this home.

THEN Ian and Diana, on behalf of the Kirby Trust and Stuart and Janet Brown stepped onto the site, to break the ground!      They had not realized that they would do this whilst occupying an Earth Shifter!!   It really delighted us all, especially the children, to see them accomplishing this feat.        AND so the real WORK has begun, the work of building.        All GLORY be to God.

Right now the weather is VERY HOT and DRY, with a lot of dust in the air.     The TOWN is choc a block with people and traffic and not a place any might choose to be.       But all is peaceful and full of good cheer. 

An unexpected posse of Esther's cousins and aunts arrived last night at 11.15p.m  - on the way to a Wedding and needing overnight accommodation.    Finally all got to bed at 1.15a.m.     They suggested, whilst saying goodbye this morning, that we might see them again this evening!!    Thus is our relaxed way of life.   People coming and going all the time.       House Decorations also going up slowly since yesterday - we try not to commence Christmas BEFORE the 18th December as the commercial and media worlds try to encourage us.      Christmas is about JESUS, and the DAY he was born.       Not about months of trade, ending in 'Black Fridays'.

God Bless you all as you go about your business and family arrangements through the coming Week.   We shall be thinking of you all,     Our sitting room wall are decorated with your Cards,  and our Tree is in place.
Just TWELVE DAYS and it will all be past.       School will almost be opening, and a NEW year will begin.
Be all at Peace, and full of calm contemplation as you enter this time of rejoicing for Jesus Sake

Lovingly to you all,

John, Esther and Daryl Green