PRESSING ON TOWARD THE MARK.......

JANUARY seems to have already taken wings, and School having begun we seem to be speeding into the New Year.     I am including a view once more of the Children left in our THREE Homes, Drakeley Cottage, Jacaranda, and Tyndale. Only 90 now resident since 38 boys over 18 were transferred to what is now Testimony Boys Hostel.
Hopefully we shall add about 15 more children aged 0 to 10 as the year now progresses, giving each Home a population of 35.   And so we still seem to be in operation, and the Kenya Children's Office seem satisfied that things should go on as before.  
our DAIRY has continued to be operational, and we now have a new dairyman to take care of the THREE cows we now have.     He is a young married man, and we have given him a small house of his own on Jacaranda Compound so that he can be close.    So far things going on well.    We first began with just ONE cow in 2011, and then by mid 2012 we had four.    Things went on quite well and we felt the saving on buying milk from the Town.    The Dairy was then nearby Testimony House,  and not too good a structure.    

 THEN in 2014 we moved, with the help of Tyndale School, to a new site near to Tyndale Cottage on the Jacaranda Compound.     Alas disaster struck and we lost three of our lovely cows due to the negligence of the Dairyman at that time.    We had to dismiss him, and sold the remaining cow.     The Dairy stood derelict for some time until this year when we hired a new Dairyman as mentioned earlier.     Things are now looking better, and we are trusting the Lord to keep all well.

We are now Pressing on .......     JESUS said 'Occupy, keep busy, till I COME.'      Some people, even Christians, have given up expecting His Coming Again, but He WILL - He IS coming - and perhaps sooner, as I have constantly believed!    We see no reason to slacken off the pace, or even give up on our 'expectation'.    NO! Not at all, as long as there is what needs DOING let us hasten to push forward - PRESS toward the Mark, the Finishing Post.   And there so many that need to know and hear about God's Love.

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TOMORROW I shall be back in our Fellowship sharing God's Word.    It has been some time due to having been laid aside over Christmas.     The last occasion was at the end of last Term when I shared with our staff on one of Saturday 'Spiritual Emphasis' Fellowships.    I will close today with the Note I used on that Occasion -

I WANT TO TALK ABOUT WANTING GOD

(I am using 2.Chronicles 30v1-27)

This is the story of one man's dream of seeing his Nation united and dedicated to God.

Israel was backlidden, and divided, and the 12 tribes were confused and full of hatred

for one another.   They had forgotten God's Love for them.

This can happen even in the confines of Family. between sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, and other family members drifting apart with passing years.   The Love that should bind them together somehow thins, and almost vanishes away.

It can happen also in the Workplace where every day people meet and jostle amid their working together - yet forget to CARE about each other, and more and more become strangers and even enemies of each other.    Yes it is true even in the family and workplace - AND even in the Church - people can so easily be separated from each other

HEZEKIAH decided to send messengers throughout the land to INVITE everyone to come to Jerusalem to remember God and the Passover - to remember God's Love for them, and His desire to keep them safe, well, and FREE from oppression.

The Nation had not come together as a Nation in such a way before.  All of them together at one time.

They were a divided nation, full of factions and argument, having no unity.      Hezekiah cried out to them saying - 'The Lord your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away His face from you if you return to HIM.'

SOME LAUGHED at him and his invitation.   They scorned it, and mocked Hezekiah.

But others humbled themselves, meekly accepting their need.     

And still others welcomed Hezekiah's Invitation with one heart gladly.

A VERY MIXED RESPONSE.     One Nation, One Church, One Family, Town, Village, workplace or school  -    All with divided hearts.

BUT GOD LOVES US ALL;   Died for us all, Is alive and seeking for us ALL.    We need to SHOUT it out!

In Jesus all those who have been scattered and separated have been been given the opportunity to be ONE 'Family', one Nation, one Tribe again - TOGETHER.

On the day appointed a huge number converged on the City of Jerusalem to remember the Passover.

And in remembering, to remember God's Love for EVERYONE, for every individual,

AND to return that Love in humble Thanksgiving.

A HUGE NUMBER ASSEMBLED - 'a very GREAT congregation  - and they all ate of the Passover TOGETHER.      'And many among them were quite ignorant and unprepared religeously and spiritually  -  they were not CLEAN in the sight of God, and had drawn away from Him............'

Are WE all CLEAN here today?    I mean are we aware of God, .....is the knowledge of Him and the desire to be close to Him in our thoughts - or have we got used to ignoring Him; of actually doing without Him?

HEZEKIAH looked and saw all the people, and he was moved in his heart for them.  He longed for them all to come close to God, and to each other, and to ADMIT and GIVE IN to their need of God, and of His Love not only for themselves, but for one another.

HE PRAYED FOR THEM ALL without exception - all of them, unbelievers, and the spiritually untaught and unclean together, and he said -

'The good Lord pardon every one

that has prepared their heart to seek God, The Lord God of their fathers

Though they be not cleansed according to the custom of the Santuary.'

AND the LORD hearkened to Hezekiah

and HEALED all the people.

AND THERE WAS GREAT JOY THAT DAY IN JERUSALEM,  AND the priests arose and Blessed the People, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came up to God's Holy Place - even to Heaven.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

In Testimony

we have always sought to work with us, those with a desire to honour God and each other.  We feel that each of us working here, should be one Family together,

and that we should visibly love each other as God, through Christ has loved us.

We have laid a Table here today!

Upon it are the emblems of God's Love and Forgiveness.

Le me invite you all to come and share what is there.

COME!

Be Blessed.

This is all for this week.     We remain Thankful to all or you for your prayers and support.  Keep the Faith and be Strong in the Lord - till He comes.

Yours in His undying Love and Grace

John,Esther and Daryl.