HAVE YOU EVER HAD THAT 'SINKING FEELING' COME OVER YOU,  and suddenly feeling God is not at home?      Well I have, and I must say, not only once in my life    Quite recently we found ourselves getting behind in paying our way.      Yes but nothing has changed, and our Testimony in Jesus remains just at it was when we began almost 49 years ago.    God will Provide - and He has!    But once or twice it has felt as if He was quite unaware  of us..........  AND like the brethren on the lake, in the boat in the midst of an over-whelming storm, we were crying out to Him - 'LORD, do you not care if we perish?'
On this latest occasion we had of course taken our problem to the Lord in prayer, both individually and unitedly.     Days went by and funds did not come in to relieve the situation.    Worse still just a week before funds HAD come in, and we had been able to clear all our immediate needs.      But in clearing them we left ourselves nothing to go on into the next month.......Unforeseen events began to happen, as with receipt of the Electricity Bill for more than double the usual month's charge.    Other expenses were also unexpectedly dropped in our lap........we ate, but we could not pay our way.      More than twenty of our older boys and girls were still waiting to start College, and for us to find the Fees.
everyone of us raised our voices beseeching the Lord to deliver us all.   
The Bible was open in front of me, and I found myself reading from Luke 5-10.

   'Which of you has a friend, and will go to him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of  mine in his journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.       Here I am to see myself in a desperate situation of needing to fulfil the expectation of another, waiting upon me.    And I immediately see myself knocking on God's door for our desperate need to be provided.    And in our own plight, God's door remained shut.   I read on -

    And he, my friend, from within his house says  Trouble me not; the door is now shut, and my children are in bed, I cannot rise and give you.'    I, JESUS, say to you that 'Though the friend will not rise and give him because he is his friend, YET because of his importunity he WILL rise and give as many loaves as he needs.

SO, I SAY (Jesus) UNTO YOU.

Ask, and keep on asking, and it shall be given to you;

Seek, and keep on seeking, and you shall find;

KNOCK, and keep on knocking, the door will be opened to you

(the Amplified Bible Translation)

Knock and KEEP ON KNOCKING!      I knew this verse, and the story behind it, but when I read it afresh that morning, it was as if I had NEVER read it;    I felt the witness of the Spirit within me, that God was pointing me to ACT.     I HAD prayed every day, but this was not it!    I needed to pray more determinedly, more insistently - my Friend was inside the house, and He WOULD attend to my prayer.        Maybe this is what 'Storming the Gates of Heaven' is talking about.      I began to pray again, bearing this all in mind, and LAST NIGHT  heard that exactly what we had been praying for had been provided and was on the way to us - and ONLY God had known.   I am very certain this was not just a co-incidence.    It has been quite an eye opener to an old man who should have known and acted on this premise in the days of his youth - although in His Grace and Mercy he heard my feeble attempts -  my prayers have not been too 'fervant'.          I also was reminded of a woman from Canaan who begged at Jesus table in Matthew 15v21-28.     She was not an Israelite, but her daughter was possessed of a demon, and she desperately wanted her to be helped.    Thus she ventured to approach Jesus, even though He was not of her tribe or nation.    She believed in Him; believed in who he really was and she cried out to him  -  'Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David!'

'BUT JESUS ANSWERED HER NOT A WORD.'

but instead pointed out to his disciples that HE was not sent to any 

except the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And the woman came again saying persistently - 'LORD, Help me!'

And THEN Jesus said to her  -  "It is not right to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs.'

And the woman, persisting still replied -

Truth Lord; yet even the dogs eat of the crumbs

which fall from their master's table.

And JESUS said to her

O Woman, great is thy faith.

Be it unto thee even as thou wilt.

And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

THIS WOMAN, though a complete stranger in Israel, and to the Lord was not to be put off from making sure that her own desperate need was given every chance of catching the attention of Jesus.

Even when He appeared to refuse her, and to insult her by referring to her people as dogs, she would not give up.     She persisted in her quest for help, did not give up, and pursued help from the only one she believed could help her.        And Jesus granted her request.

NOT because she clever with words and repartee,

but because she BELIEVED in Him.

She would not give up.    She persisted, even when she knew she was being importunate, she continued UNTIL she had what she wanted.

I must say, personally, that I have often lost my momentum in my prayer life, and there is little doubt that when things have gone slowly for me, and when it has seemed as if God has wilfully gone to sleep, unwilling to attend to me, it has been due to my own lack of faith; faith that thrusts again and again upon the Lord, the ONLY HOPE any of us can have in our lives.       As it is written 'Without Faith it is impossible to please God,' and surely in letting our faith lapse, or sleep, we bring upon ourselves more than His displeasure - even His disappointment, - and instead of His mercy and compassion being aroused to cause Him to come to our aid, He turns away His face from us   -   UNTIL we CRY out to HIM in waking desperation of having lost all hope.

I Thank Jesus for His love and Mercy with the wonder of a child who understands so little, but His love and mercy are only a reflection of our Father's in Heaven, and I bow before HIM as an otherwise fatherless child, amazed before HIM.       Amen.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 

THE TESTIMONY HOME FAMILY 2018

And YES we are all still here, and living with God in Mind.

The Government have now replied to comment and question from the Charitable Children's Homes.  The Permanent Secretary to the appropriate ministry has apologised for causing any uncertainty or anxiety and assures the Management of the many Registered C.C.I.s that they are well appreciated for the important work they do.     Those C.C.I.s already Registered or awaiting Re-registration, can expect to carry on as before, but NEW applications for NEW, never before Registered, will not be considered for Registration for the time being.

This news was received with mixed feelings since it has not removed the warning that by 2020 there will be no further need for CCI,s of any kind.       We do not believe the Government can allow this to actually be the case, due the lack of infrastructure needed to actually make it happen on the ground.    Nevertheless CCIs will certainly be considering what to do, just in case, and have Plan B in place before 2020 so that we shall all somehow continue to reach out to the poor and needy children in the land of Kenya.

DARYL is travelling up to Nairobi again tomorrow with DAN NDUNGU for a further, and we hope, a final Check before they announce a date for the Operation.     He remains outwards fine, and still attending School.    Please do continue to pray for him.       He will be at the Hospital on Monday morning very early, and if all goes well will return home once more to wait for op.

MANU was away at his Eye Clinic at Tenwick Hospital again this week, and returning yesterday was much encourage by good news from his Doctor there who recognises some good improvement in both eyes.    We give all the Glory to God who alone is the Healer of all our ailments.

We have 21 young people in Colleges - 2 in University this year.     This has always put extra pressure on our daily need, even though the cost is spread through the year.    So far ten are now back at their respective desks, and the remainder, who have not yet started their Courses, are still idle - and we have time to pray in what each will need.      It is always a good opportunity to pray with them and to yet again challenge them in their faith, and in the knowledge of God.     This year we have two training as Teachers,   4 training as Accountants,   1 in Actuarial Science, 2 in Mass Communications, 1 in Bible College,  1 in Nursing, 4 in I.T.,  2 in Procurement and 2 in Community Development.      Just one more to place.      There is not a problem in finding the placement opportunity for training.     The real problem is finding job opportunities there after.

I will close for this week.       We are expecting visitors this week coming, and more will continue to come through the month.     I shall enjoy talking about them as they spend time with us, and hopefully even a few photos.

God Bless you all, and be sure our Father in Heaven has us surrounded and protected in the Name of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour/

Lovingly in Him,

John, Esther and Daryl Green

   '