A LITTLE JOY, A LITTLE ENCOURAGEMENT, AND A LITTLE CHALLENGE

SUCH REAL DELIGHT!    This is a photo of our NIECE  Elisabeth Mugure on her Wedding Day!    It truly expresses her JOY and excitement, and indeed the entire day was one of pure happiness.     She has sought the Lord for this day, and for the one she married, and yet in many ways, I think, the Day caught her almost unaware, and even here, in the photo, there is that incredulous look of amazed surprise.   I wasn't at the Wedding but I can almost hear her saying 'Hey!  I'm getting Married!  ME!!'
Well, we both wish her every blessing together with Paul, her husband.    Such a thrilling thing - to start a NEW life together, with the one of God's choice'.    And to have God with you, between you, and walking with you is one tremendous piece of confident Assurance.     We all need such a Friend by our side, each of us, for there is another who is an 'Enemy', seeking all the time to come between to divide, and to destroy our trust and love.     But if God, in Jesus Name, is binding our marriage together, then it will not easily be broken. - Ecclesiastes 4v12
Let Jesus hold on to your hearts, and to your lives, and He will never let you go, and will renew your love for one another even in times of stress and disappointment.

ON MONDAY Esther, arrived home with our son Steven who has been with us until today when he will be flying home to Manchester again.   It has been a very special Blessing to us both to have him with us.    We have needed his fellowship and companionship.   It has been a good week, even though the Rains seem to have decided to arrive together with the usual cloud cover, and cooler temperatures.    Steve will fly from here this afternoon to Nairobi, and then on from there to U.K. tonight.   We shall miss him the more, since we see him so little, and also find his 'being here' has caused us to miss  Anji and our grandchildren the more.      Last night Steven took us all ( me and Esther, James Manu, Hellen and Abigail, Daryl and Carol and their three kids, Jesse, Becky, and Jeremy, out to supper.    It was quite an occasion, and very good to be all together for once.     When shall we meet again?    No way of knowing.    But God has it all worked out.

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ON WEDNESDAY one of our Cleaners, Harbert Taabu, who has been with us for many decades collapsed on duty.  He was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with an intestinal hernia.    It seems he had suffered with this for more than two years without sharing with anyone.     The Hospital declared it was an Emergency case with immediate need to operate.    However, they then declared that they did not have what was needed to repair the hernia, and that WE would have to look for the materials elsewhere and buy them before an operation could be attempted!    The materials have been found, and the op is now scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday).     Harbert is 44 and has been with since June 1990.   He is married with family.   Please remember him in your prayers.


DURING THE WEEK, we also saw one of Testimony House' iconic landmarks removed.   The largest of five Jerusalem pines was finally cut down.    It must have stood for at least 80 years on the left of the driveway leading up to the Testimony House.   Eighteen months ago it caught a disease that destroyed it's foliage till nothing was left.    We left it standing hoping to see a recovery, but no!  It slowly dried out, and this week it was finally cut down.    We miss it.  In the photo on the left it can be seen still standing in its grey deadness, ( see bottom centre, going up.), and on the right the resultant GAP and residue of its trunk and branches on the ground.    It is sad; sad to see and have to make way for change.BUT change is part of the ebb and flow of life.   Change is inevitable, and whilst we may not always rejoice at it, it has to be, and in coming to be it must also, to some extent, take us on, changing us too.

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DARYL has been in Nairobi most of this week; he arrived back yesterday in fact.    He has been attending a week's Meetings conjoined by the  African Charitable Children's Institutions in Kenya, and the Kenya Department of Children's Services.     In the short time he has had to brief me, the general governmental vision for the future is not very encouraging for us.     The ideas themselves are not new.    

 First the plan to channel ALL incoming charitable donations to a central clearing house in Nairobi,where, on receipt they will be sorted out according to where the donation is meant to be placed.    However,  only 15% of the total income for any one NGO or Charity, will be sent on to the individuall Charity -  the rest will be distributed to poorer NGOs, that are still unprovided for.    This will leave the rest of us who are receiving only 15% of their expected income  forced to find the rest from local Kenyan based effort, or close down.      Some have done so already, in advance, and have re-sited their ministry in other countries.
Second, the general feeling was that Children's Homes were outdated and should give way to simple and institutional 'Holding Centres' where children would be first investigated and their histories proved before either being repatriated to their discovered family roots, or passed on to some other unit to be educated, trained, or rehabilitated as the case may need.        Homes like ours, set up to provide an alternative for children, without ANY home or family seem to be considered  almost non existent.     Children's Homes of our kind of vision will be purely temporary holding centres from which children will be fostered or adopted.     This means short stay tactics.
Third all those children in existing and future CCI's/Holding Centres, who have attained the age of 18 and over must be moved out and on to some other facility.     Any CCI such as our own, who continue to harbour this age group will not be Re-Registered, and might even be closed down.  the whole tenure of social thought as it applies to children and young people is - don't draw attention to them, get them all fostered, adopted, or working.        
This is not good news for us.      We are therefore seeking the LORD to help us re-define the Vision He gave us 44 years ago.   Please do bare this all in prayer.     There is no immediate danger to us, but we now realise that we must be prepared, in the LORD, for changes to come, not resenting them, but ready to enter into them in the Mind and Vision of the Living God.

Must close now for this week.    Accept of our love as always.   We do keep you all in mind in Jesus Name.


John, Esther, and Daryl Green

MEMORIES!!

THIS IS A LITTLE FAMILY GROUP PHOTO TAKEN IN AROUND 1983. Esther and I, plus Steve and Lizzy Green, were visiting others of the Testimony family in and around the Luanda area in Western Kenya.    Henry, standing to the left of me was in High School at St. Mary's Yala,   Hendrika, standing between Mark Auma and his wife and child, was in a boarding Primary school in the same area.  We usually packed a pic-nic lunch on these visits and made a day of it.
HENRY, now married with grown up children is currently living in the U.S.A. and is a lawyer.    HENDRIKA is also in the U.S.A. working hard in Business.   And MARK has been engaged in Primary Education in Nyanza area here in Kenya.   He has been a well known Headmaster, and also Inspector of Schools in his area, and is well respected for his Christian Testimony and consistent life.    All of them now older of course.   We are in touch with them all, and this Christmas we are hoping to see Hendrika and friend with us for a week or so.    We also see Mark and his family, though not too frequently - and on a very rare occasion may also see Henry.     It is a huge delight to see a photo like this taken in a rather arid area, when we were ourselves suffering some privation, and at the same time managing to see so many young people being given a chance to hope for their future.    And we were were all in it together; an ever increasing and expanding family..........SO much to thank God for.

AND HERE ARE THE 'GIGGLING THREE' Sarah Njeri on the left, then Lizzie Green, and on the far right Catherine Senge.  Not sure of the date, but at a guess, sometime in 1985/6.
SARAH now a senior Bank Manager with Equity Bank.   LIZZIE a mother of two, married to Pastor Prem Joseph pastoring in Rochdale, Lancashire, England, and her self, qualified teacher and accountant..   And on the far right SENGE now Mum in Tyndale Cottage, married to Micah Yego with two kids.    Such good friends and 'sisters' still.     So good to see the
m in this photo, and to know the bonds between them have not been broken or spoilt by the years between and the general process of 'growing up'.

BELOW is photo of Richard Ochieng looking more like a Tibetan or Chinese peasant, than the Father of three and a successful Business man, as he is to day!   He was always a joker, and up to fun and games, and it is so good that he remains local and close to us all.   Again it such a pleasure to look back and to remember days gone by, and the times of good family joys and fun we all had together.   Yes, of course, it was not ALL fun, and each member of our BIG family was and is an individual.   And each one had to bear and suffer things within themselves that did not always promote happiness; many of them had memories of home and family lost, and others with the pain of not knowing their true parents or history at all.  But, I think, in the main, we did help each other to be healed from our pasts, and to embrace the future with God.
We have many photo albums going back all the way to the year we began.    A wonderful source of encouragement to us.     I hope you will enjoy seeing at least a few of them, and in doing so, feel yourselves the more connected to the Testimony Family here in Kenya.

FINALLY for this time, here is a photo of three boys, all brothers.    They also came to us with a forth brother, (Percy) and sister ( Francina)   The three came to us 1986/8.   Steyne on the left NOW aged 32,  the Robert aged 35 and Gordon aged 37.   All married with children, but not so far very successful in life.     Poor Robert is a long distance lorry driver, and has suffered the death of to wives, and a serious accident in which both his legs suffered multiple breaks.    He is still recovering.   Steyne and Gordon have both had problems in holding on to various jobs which has not been easy for them.  BUT they are all very likeable young men, and we are still in touch with all of them including Francina now 50 and married with a son and daughter in Nairobi..  Francina has also come to know and trust in Jesus - We continue to pray for the boys as well.
We have shed a few tears for them over the years, but when I see this photo, I always feel, rising within me, a great deal of affection and hope for each one of them.

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I AM WRITING THE BLOG today - FRIDAY !     Esther, Daryl, Manu, Hellen and baby Abigail, plus three of Daryl's children have all motored down to Nairobi in order to attend the Wedding of one of Esther's nieces tomorrow.     Steven Green is also in Nairobi having flown in from England yesterday to attend the same function, and then will come back up with the others for a week with us in Eldoret.

Daryl will be remaining in Nairobi until Thursday next week for some special Meetings to do with Child Welfare.      The house is very quiet!,  but it is quite a blessing in its own way - baby Abigail is quite a lively and demanding young lady of 18 months.!       Why did I get to be left behind?   Well it is to do with with the Diabetes I suffer from, and it is somewhat difficult at times to be too far from a toilet.    Otherwise all is well, and my doc, says I must be patient !      Well that is not altogether bad advice, for I am a believer in letting 'Patience have its perfect work....'!     Sometimes I find myself a little impatient though - for the work to be done in me.

Daryl and the Management have agreed now to go ahead with the idea of a Day Care Centre, and a great deal has been done in the last week towards repair, redecoration and equipage.   Might be able to include some photos next week..     God be with you all, and always keep you safe.

With our Love and affection in Jesus always

John, Esther and Daryl Green

KEEPING UP THE GOOD WORK

BUILDING MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS on Testimony House have been going on from time to time over the last 40 years.     The Plot on which the house stands was purchased from the Colonial Government in 1908,   We have believed that the House literally rose out of the ground around 1910 which would make it about 105 years old to-day! But it is possible it was erected a little later, say 1920.    Many Boers from South Africa trekked up to Kenya as from 1908, and settled in what is now Eldoret.    We believe one such family purchased the land on which our Home now stands.    They would have travelled up by ox-mud waggon; a long hard journey.
The house was built from mud; mud dug from the surrounding ground, and baked in bricks by the sun. Once finished it was lightly plastered to give it what still strikes the eye as a substantial and attractive house.     There is no proper foundation. Heavy rocks were laid upon the surface of the ground as 'footings' and the brickwork laid out on a smooth platform of mud.    But now the house has become elderly, and like many of us who have also arrived at that status in life, it needs regular care and attention.     Especially the termites are working hard to give themselves a foothold in the brick work, and take the place over.   Many of the walls are hollow now.      THIS MONTH one of the gable ends of the house became in danger of falling down.
Water had been seeping from the roof into the exterior and even interior walling, and worrying cracks were appearing.    Daryl felt that the time had come to find a Builder who would be willing to tackle the situation.   They are not too happy working on such structures as ours.       Well as you see he found one, and a little team of very 'amazed' builders arrived to 'patch up' our ageing home.
THEY DID A GOOD JOB, and the exterior walls now look as good as new.  But they had to use some light steel bars to strengthen joints and cracks, and then cover the brickwork finally with 'chicken wire' before plastering.     We had to do the same some years back with the front of the house and it has held well, so we are hopeful all will be well on this occasion also.
INTERNALLY the same principle has been followed.     I will include a few photos of the exposed brickwork - apart from cracks we were quite surprised at the good condition of the bricks.


These few views of the original brickwork with the plaster removed
show just a little of the building style used by the man who built it those years ago.  No cement was able to be used. and bricks were laid upon plain mud  in layers.      Such methods of building ARE still to be found today, but not often, and certainly not for such a large construction.  

The Picture to the right is of a building under construction in Rwanda.   Note the surface foundation of rough hewn stone or rock. This is of course a very cheap way of putting up a house, but perhaps not very up to date - on the other hand it can provide a good hundred years of wear and tear, and may still be good for a long time into the future.     I lived in a house in U.K. that was 800 years old.   And Testimony House is well worth taking care of for the future.   A warm, comfortable home, that still speaks to this modern and less enduring generation.       However it is true that Testimony House  will need careful monitoring as the years go by if it is to remain safe and strong enough to endure the task of sheltering and suffering the use of more than 40 people day in and day out into the future.

We had found Jacaranda Cottage, across the road, built at least thirty or more years after Testimony,
to have been less cared for, and in places water from the roof had been seeping into the mud walls without any restraint, so that in places serious reconstruction and even renewal was needed.   Since moving out of the house, we have been able to shore up and strengthen the weaker areas enough to keep it going on a less demanding basis.     We would in some way like to keep it UP rather than ruthlessly pull it down since it has been 'home to more than 150 children since we began to own it in 1975, and many still see it as 'home'.    But it was never an easy house to run since it was never intended to cope with as many occupants, residentialy, as we forced it to do.      THUS we will slowly retool the internal space to provide less demanding facilities that might at the same time assist the ministry of TFH as a whole to assist itself financially.      The OPPORTUNITY to consider this has only just been realised as a very real and possible asset.      Indeed, if it had not been for Stuart and Janet Brown of The Kirkby Trust in England, then a very real chance to expand and improve what we have would have been missed, quite apart from seeing a NEW Home up and running.

THIS IS A PHOTO of Stuart and Janet Brown of Kirkby Trust, taken at another function in the UK, where they donated some 20,000 pounds to assisting the Bradford Cancer Crocus Appeal.    They are, both, two very dear and generous hearted people who both walked quite unexpectedly into our lives here in TFH, and left us with the Gift of a completely new Jacaranda Cottage, and the quite un-thought of chance to use the old 'condemned' premises to provide new life and innovation into the entire work.    Our Thanksgiving for this will take time to fully measure, since the 'benefits' are still dawning upon us, even as the Jacaranda Family of 35 is still, day by day, discovering the joys of their NEW home together.
We had prayed for many years for the opportunity to have a New Jacaranda Cottage; many years!     God's ways of answering are usually very unexpected.    The very ways He has of involving other human beings, part of His Family, is
beyond guessing!    But He arranged for Stuart and Janet
to call in here one day, and put it on their heart to make an offer which was the Answer to our Prayer.    Truly Amazing.
And the Timing was right, and the Answer is beginning to unfold as one beyond our imagination!

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OCTOBER is almost ending.     The Promised 'El Nino' and its deluge of rain, has not so far appeared, though today the weather is very overcast and cool.    AND we need water still.   I personally have not felt too well still; partly the weather, and partly ????    I have continued to feel very fatigued.   My doc is neither sympathetic nor helpful in that he merely says 'You are 75 and should expect to feel older.'    Anyway I feel there is a great benefit in not having a helpful doctor down here, since I am the more thrown back upon my Lord and Master, Himself, the greatest Physician,  I am otherwise in every way well.    I am due to travel up to Nairobi next Friday with Daryl and others to our nieces Wedding on Saturday.    We hope to meet with Steven there as he will be flying in from the U.K on Friday as well, and will then return to Eldoret with us on Monday.     I am not looking forward to the journey there and back, and my Diabetes does not make it easy to travel these days in any case.    I may not decide to go with them all.    Also it might be best for me to remain since if ALL of us go we shall leave no one of substance in Charge of the Work here.     I shall be grateful for your prayer and for the Lord's Guidance in this.

We thank all of you who have prayed for us during this last week, and for all who may have been part of the Answer to our Prayers in relation to our needed Provision for this week.    God Bless you all.

Our love always to you all in Jesus Name,

John, Esther, and Daryl Green

LOOKING BACK

HERE IS ONE OF MY OLDEST KENYA PHOTOS! Taken in early 1969 at weekend Retreat with the Roving Team.    To attend it, in Lumbwa, I needed to take my first journey by train at night in Kenya.    A very elderly steam locomotive chugging along under the stars suspended in a clear moon ruled heaven. The gauge was narrow, and the speed was slow, but the 'atmoshpere' was just SO amazing and special.  God spoke to me very specially at that Retreat.   It was led by a very dear Man of God - Rev. Gilbert Mulaha,
I, of course, am the one with the beard in the photo.
To my left is Elijah Akhahenda, now in the States with his family, and to my right Evelyn Achenje a School teacher.    We were with a number of others including Dr. Nelson Munala, Dr. Johanna Mruka, Elijah Malenge,  Micah Amukobole,    Rahab Kimani,  Harry Cotter, and Joseph Yobera.   There were many others.    Some of the most well known have already past on to Glory, and we begin to be conscious of a passing Era, and with it the present need to see more equally noted brethren rising up with commitment to the Word of God, and the energy and dedication to proclaim it.    I was very blessed to know so many of them, and to be not only encouraged, but also accepted as as a friend and brother in those early years when Green was truly a 'greenhorn.' in matters Kenyan and African.    They were my preparation for all that came afterwards in the founding and development of Testimony Faith Homes.
IT IS GOOD TO LOOK BACK.

Just a year after this photo was taken, I met Esther Iguru, a high School teacher of English and Home Science.    I had about 28 boys staying with me by then, but had travelled some 400 kilometres to Machakos, from Maseno in Western Kenya where I was living.  I had gone to speak at a Boys High School for the Week-end.   Esther came to supper with my hosts there, and immediately I saw her I knew she would be my wife.     She says it was the same for her when she saw me that evening.   And so we were in fact married in August 1971, and have been together every since.   28 years as parents to our own children, plus some 150 others who came to live with us in Testimony House until 1998, and then as Grandparents to all the 350 that have been part of the greater Family of Testimony Faith homes since its onset.    It has been a wonderful experience, and a wonderful partnership.    I was 31 and she was 27 when we married.

IN MARCH 1972 we had about 30 boys and had moved from Maseno to Ramula in Siaya District.   We were able to leave TFH with Duncan and Christianne Munn for some months so that we could visi the UK..   THEY were on their way to Congo and needed time or get used to climate and so on.   We were away nine months. We took one of our first boys with us, Johanna Nanjelo Okombo.  Esther was pregnant with OUR firstborn, Steven, and was to give birth to him in Truru Hospital, Cornwall on 16th June.    Johanna stayed with us till he had completed High School but then ran off. and became a thief.   He eventually killed a man, and was imprisoned for life.    Whilst in prison the LORD met him, and Redeemed him.    Many in the prison were saved because of his witnessing, and eventually he was released early because of his Good Conduct.    He came to work with us as a Groundsman and Cleaner, eventually dying from heart failure brought on by Malaria in 2010.  He was 52.

ON BOXING DAY .we moved from Ramula to ELDORET, about 130 kilometres east.   We came to a compound of some 5.15 acres comprising of just one house - which we called Testimony House.   It had been empty for some three years, and was built of MUD brick and timber, the walls externally plastered.   It had been built in 1910!!    It had a huge sitting room some 900 square feet, and seven bedrooms.
It became Esther's and my home, and home to our three children, plus an extended family of more than 40 at any one time over the next twenty six years.    It was a happy house, and we always felt the warmth of a happy history in it all the years we were there.
We purchased a SECOND house in 1975 - Jacaranda Cottage just across the road from us, and in 2007/08 we built the third and forth houses on the same compound - Tyndale and Drakeley Cottages, all now with a combined total of some possible 140 children plus staff.     I am not going to go into details about these Homes since previous BLOGS do this - especially those of the most recent review of the ministry here dated as from 1st November 2014.
THE SCHOOL did not get going until 1981 when we started Nursery.  Then Primary started in 1983, and High School in 1994   -   Once again the School has been reviewed in Detail previously.

In JANUARY 1973 we were joined in Eldoret by a young High School graduate, Francis Wainaina,.
He became a very real and valued assistant to us both, and in 1974 married Elaine Johnson, a High School teacher from the UK, who was on the staff of a local school.    Elaine came into the ministry with Francis, and until 1977 were Mum and Dad to Jacaranda Cottage.     Eventually the left us, to work in the UK.   Francis was ordained in the Anglican Church of England where he still ministers.
Esther and I were standing with them at their Wedding (also with our second born Michael).     From here on I will insert a few more photos from around this era until about 1977.    

.ABOVE is a group of some of those who were in the Family of Testimony House around 1975. From the left is George Muturi, John Francis, Abwao Ongondi, Wafula Wanjala, Then also Patrick Najok, and John Etabut, both soccer players.  Patrick played for Kenya, and John for Bata.  Both have now died, and Patrick was in fact murdered in Nairobi, leaving a young wife and children.   All very distressing at the time for us all.
AND HERE IS Francis Wainaina with our TWINS Christopher on the left and Anthony on the right in the photo. They both grew up wanting to serve God, and are both now in the ministry and pastoring churches; Anthony in Nairobi with his own wife and children, and brother Christopher here in Eldoret with his wife and children.    We thank God for them both, and see them frequently.
IN FEBRUARY 1983 Esther and I again visited England for the 2nd time round.
We left Nicholas Mwangi in charge at that time.    He had worked with us as my Assistant for some years by then, and he proved himself more than reliable and efficient in all that he did whilst we were away.     Although he was eventually to leave us in 1988 to go into private business, he remains, with his family a valued and close friend both of ourselves and of the Homes.

Nicholas is standing on the back row of this photo to the far left.    The photo includes almost all those who were in the Testimony House Family at that time, and you can see how well he kept them.     Our thanks Nicholas, always for all you did for us at that time.   Following on from you on the back line going right can be seen, John Ngugi, Moses Ongonga, David Koech, Joseph Kihara, Daniel Kinyanjui,  Anthony Wanyama, Mwangi Macharia, (and  Peter Kalulu - staff member). Then IN THE CENTRE is Sara Njeri, and Catherine Senge.    Finally the bottom row left to right - Jotham Chege, Ezekiel Kipchumba, Samuel Macho, Christopher Kiptisia, Peter Wangolo, Anthony Kiprotich, David Senoga, Richard Ochieng, William Oyongolot, Charlie Green, Daryl Peacock, and Sammy Kirui,   Five among them all are now full time pastors and servants of God.
This goes back up to 32 years ago, and jogs the memory of the FIRST fourteen years that we had been existing.    They were good years in the main, though not without a great deal of challenge and disappointment at times,    AND, of course JACARANDA Cottage was also having its own family from 1975 alongside our own.  WE had grown.      And we continued to grow even until now.

TODAY one of our old girls, Purity Abwona, now an Early Childhood Development Teacher with our Nursery School is having her 2nd Pre Wedding Party in Testimony House.    She and her fiancee hope to marry in December.     Esther and I will be there, although of course Mum and Dad in Testimony House is now Hesketh and Alice Muli.     One of the wonderful things about Testimony is that it IS a Family, and even when children grow up and leave us to become independent, the majority still remain in touch to some extent, and often find themselves back with us to celebrate as well as to cry. That is very special and encouraging.

DARYL is away in Nairobi today.   He is looking over possible 'equipments' for a Day Care Centre that has at last been identified as the first of THREE projects that we feel can be housed in the shell of the old Jacaranda Cottage and also assist us in attaining at least a little 'self sufficiency'.      It is also hoped to install a Tailoring Department which will make and sell UNIFORM to our School parents and perhaps even to parents of other schools.    And finally to move the Bakery from Testimony House into the same facility.
THEN we will go public and seek Licence to sell our bread to other schools and the general Public.  We would appreciate your prayers for our father's Guidance about this, but we believe it will be a very great assistance to us, and enlarges the benefit of having been given the funds to build a NEW Jacaranda Cottage.      Kirkby Trust say they do not wish to be thanked in writing for all their Gift has meant to us, but I guess they will never be able to prevent our hearts thanking them goingly and for ever. Surely God will Bless them so much, and also Stuart and Janet Brown, their Trustees.

For the first time I have felt glad to have been able to retire from all the work here, and to be able to leave it to a younger man, with inspirational energy and vigour.      It took a while!     Recently I have been feeling very weary, and tired.       I am still up and about and able to share with Daryl when and where necessary, but I am happy it is no more than that.      Esther,contrariwise, is still spending four hours a day involved in School business, as well as looking after me and the visitors that come to encourage us and share friendship with us.        We thank God together for being well enough to do the little we do, and for giving us mental and physical health enough to still enjoy each others love and fellowship.

God Bless and be with you all till next time

John, Esther, and Daryl.

TO BE GLAD FOR YOUR CHILDREN..!?

HERE ARE SOME OF OUR GIRLS, NOW ALL GROWN UP, MARRIED WITH KIDS!
What is more important they all love Jesus, and He is the Head of all their families.
Damaris, grew up in Jacaranda Cottage with Miriam and Joshua Mbithi.  Catherine Senge, the youngest in the photo, Francina, and Elisabeth our daughter, all part of the Testimony House family.
We had started with boys only in the Homes, but gradually took in a girl from time to time as from, 1971.  By the time Esther and I ceased being Mum and Dad in Testimony House, in 1998 we had seen 24 girls become part of the family, with some ninety boys!    Only one of the girls got into trouble with a boy,and he was not from within the family.   THEN from '98 things began to change.  More than 14 girls became pregnant in the next seventeen years.    The moral teaching did not change.    So we can only look to the advent of the School as a possible factor.      In 1987 we built up the Primary, and in '94 added the Secondary departments, and suddenly between 400 and 800 day students began to come in and out of the compounds of both Testimony and Jacaranda.     Certainly this must have made a difference together with a general increase in licentiousness in a more and more permissive society.
From our point of view every 'daughter' that is seduced and becomes pregnant is a heartbreak, since we know that a whole lot of further misfortunes can follow.   No least what to do with the baby!
Abortion will often be the first presented option, which although may not always be perceived as such, is in fact infanticide - murder.     Adoption is another option, which may provide home and family for the child, but often without the understanding and and perceptions that are there with ones real, birth, parents.   And in Kenya, as in other places, one might even SELL the child ......for 'spare parts' or even worse!      To KEEP the child means you may never find another man to actually marry you.     The child then becomes immediately a hindrance to finding a normal happy life for the mother.    
MANY of the children we try to bring up in Testimony Faith Homes have missed both, and at least one parent.    The obvious LOSS is evident.    To know and live with ones blood parents, good or bad, is a big step in learning to know and accept yourself; understanding where you have come into the world from, and why you are the way you are in character and personality.     Without such a foundation of knowledge about your origins a person can truly suffer an identity crisis.      It is SO important and necessary for any child to grow up in a home environment with both Mum and Dad present and relating affectionately together.     The sense of 'belonging, security, and acceptance', together with the emotional awareness of Love, kindness, mercy and forgiveness interacting with family members will be the foundation on which the child's own ideas and hopes towards making a home and marriage will be based.    
To base ones own life on this kind of a concept is that much harder in 2015 than ever before.   Our world is increasingly hooked up to getting, and to pleasing ourselves, rather than GIVING and denying ourselves.       But there is no real happiness without a willingness to sacrifice.

Growing up, as I did, in a family full of marital strife and violence, I often felt insecure and in the midst of a very dangerous situation.     As I grew up marriage itself seemed a very risky business to commit oneself to.    BUT I believed it was possible to have a happy home and family.    One of my uncles did.     I began to dream of such a home. and on discovering God was there to help me live a better life, I began to ask Him to provide me with a good woman to be my wife, so that we could together build a home in which love also existed and overflowed upon our children.     God answered my prayers.     And after 44 years Esther and I can both look back to our Wedding Day and see that what we had been denied in our childhood was given back to us on that Day, and has remained and grown in our lives ever since.     Our Thanks to God for showing us His Reality, and for letting us experience it, and bring others into it.

A growing Family of sons and daughter, grandsons and granddaughters !    Wow!     Dreams and Hopes galore, and the need to pray for each and every one.     Dear Friends always pray for and encourage your children and grandchildren to pattern their family life on God's Word.   It is a 'lively' Word, and when we put our faith in it, life changes, Hope dawns, and Miracles happen.    TEACH the Word of God, Talk about the Word of God, and LIVE the Word of God with all your might.   It will NEVER become out of date, or obsolete


THIS is one of our Boys from Testimony House marrying on 15th December 1994 (John Ngugi, another of our old boys,and his wife Susan were his Best Man and Maid).    Wykliffe was a teacher at this time, and eventually returned to TFH as Headmaster of our Secondary Dept., and later still as Chaplain to the whole Work and Pastor of our Christian Fellowship.   His wife, Miriam, is now H/mistress of our Nursery School.    Just recently they had the joy of seeing their daughter enter University.  Another lasting Marriage and Family
THE RIGHT shows the Wedding of one of our girls from Testimony House - Jane Wanjiko - to Peter Mwema, a pastor with Africa Inland Church at the time, on 7th August 1993.    Jane had trained as a Secretary and was for a time School Secretary to Testimony School
She finally went back to University to get her Degree and is still working there  on their Staff.  Another Marriage continuing to stand the test of time in Jesus Name.

And lastly another of our boys, Molem Piera marrying his Grace, with me and Esther by their side.    Molem is a Laboratory Technician, and quite tall; I am 6;11" and he must be a good foot taller!!   It was a great and happy Day as all our many Weddings have been.     Could not put a photo of all, else dozens of pages would have had to be sent.   Just a few of the many!     Molem married on 5t April 1014.    They are still beginners!  But we have great hopes for them, as there are so many that have gone before who are still together after many years.   We are proud of them, and very Thankful to God our Father, for answering not only OUR prayers but also theirs.    

God Bless you all who together with us can claim some good part in all these unions that you - many of you - have assisted to come together and face a future with God by their side

Blessings on you all

John, Esther and Daryl.