I BELIEVE - IN CHRIST'S RESURRECTION AS FACT.

WE WISH YOU ALL

A VERY HAPPY AND BLESSED

EASTER 2018

We have not sent a Blog for the last two Saturdays, mainly because of more activity than usual that kept me away from my computer, and ALSO this week in particular because our Internet Server had his communication net work interrupted.    The County Council cut down the POLES which carried the wiring.       We were cut off most of the week, until today Daryl hooked me up to another Server until we see where things are going.     So do not be anxious at all, we are ALL well and enjoying OUR Easter here within Testimony Faith Homes.

ON THURSDAY evening Esther and I laid on what has become a yearly event at Easter, the Remembrance of the Passover and Last Supper.     We had Daryl, Carol, and the family joining in with us this year, and had a very blessed time together.       After the Meal we spent time in prayer and singing hymns until quite late into the evening.

FRIDAY MORNING saw all in the School Hall for our Good Friday Service of Bible Readings, following the events from Gethsemane to the Crucifixion and Death of our Lord Jesus.   Many of our staff took part in sharing as we went event by event following Matthew 27.  Then Wycliffe Ondanga gave a Message.  The sun shone warmly throughout, and we enjoyed great peace in the midst of our remembrances.         Later, in the evening our son, Steven, who had been on business in Zambia, arrived to spend the night and Saturday with us before returning to the UK.    It was a very special joy to see him with us, and at such a time.    Regretfully he has to fly out of Eldoret quite early in the morning in order to connect with his International Flight from Nairobi, and so will not be with us for the Sunday Service.

AND SO TO SUNDAY, and the JOY of KNOWING Jesus is ALIVE, and RISEN from the tomb.  Again we shall be together, and this time tears giving way to Happiness and Joy as we once more Break Bread, and share together, our Love for Him with each other.     This year I shall be speaking, and have felt led to begin with the story of the Widow of Nain's son whom Jesus raised from the dead, and concluding with the death and resurrection of Jesus Himself, and the present Assurance we have of Him, ALIVE in our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit to work with us and walk with us for ever.

TRULY we know that DEATH has lost it's sting, it's dread and fear, for we are held by the hand of He who ROSE from DEATH, and who knows the way, having overcome all, and will take us through into EVERLASTING LIFE secure and safe, and unscathed.    We are SAFE.

WE WILL NEVER BE ALONE, SINCE HE IS WITH US - ALIVE!

The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.

HE makes me to lie down in green pastures;

he leadeth me by still waters!

He restores my soul;  he leadeth me 

in the paths of righteousness, for His Name's sake.

YES!  though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I shall fear no evil;

for YOU are WITH ME

Your rod and staff shall comfort me.

Psalm 23v1-4

Our Father in Heaven, comfort you and make you to REJOICE in the Fellowship of His Son, giv ing you Peace, Health, and your daily need, till He comes again.

Lovingly from us all 

John, Esther, and EVERYONE in TFH

HE STEADFASTLY SET HIS FACE TO GO....

RESURRECTION?     Yes, we must always come upon this scene if we are in any way remembering Jesus going up to Jerusalem, to His own death!      Last Easter I wrote at length about this incident.    First told of Lazarus' sickness, Jesus arrived to find his friend Dead and buried......

Standing near the entrance of Lazarus' tomb He had cried out 'LAZARUS, COME OUT!'  And he who had been dead four days arose and got up, and came out!     A memorable, remarkable, and astonishing story, if true!    Was it true?
A former Anglican, Bishop David Jenkins is recorded as saying (in sharing his views in the 1980s) that the Resurrection was comparable to 'a conjuring trick with bones.'    He was to go further and to say that both the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection should not be taken literally at all.   He is not alone in this.    Both The current Archbishop of Canterbury, and Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa have voiced similar views.     An article written in 2002 by one Jonathan Petre states -

'A third of the Church of England clergy doubt or disbelieve 

in the physical Resurrection, and only half are convinced

of the Virgin Birth'.

Have things changed since then I wonder - or is the picture even worse?

JESUS certainly existed, and just two weeks before he was undoubtedly Crucified in Jerusalem,  he found himself outside of his friend's tomb, surrounded with his grieving relatives, disciples, and others.   He was not alone.    What happened was witnessed by ALL present.   As another Bishop said 'It was so clearly visible it could have been videoed, had a camera been available.'     This was not something done in a corner, or in a closet.    It was done in the light of day.    Oh, yes it MUST have happened as described.     And Jesus, continued his own journey to his own death, and his own Resurrection, the Gospel of Luke telling how Zacchaeus the tax collector had tea with Him and been redeemed from his greed and dishonesty;  and how he taught and spoke with his disciples along the road.....that road he had set himself determinedly to Jerusalem, and His Death.     Then also as he left the home of Lazarus, how he went on toward the great City, collecting crowds along the way who had seen and heard the great things that He had done.............'        All this carefully observed and noticed by those who were with him; not by angels or supernatural beings, but by ordinary men and women like you and me.     This was no account of a Fairy Story.  NO, it was a factual narrative of what was taking place.

AND THUS to St.Paul's 1st Letter to the Corinthian Church, chapter 15verses 12-58 (and no I am not referring to ALL the verses, but only commending the serious and thoughtful reading of them), where he says -

NOW, if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?  But, if there is no resurrection of the dead, thén Christ is not risen.

AND if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching for nothing, and your faith also for nothing.

You are still in your sins.      All those who have fallen asleep have perished.  There is no eternal life.

Indeed if this should be true then we have nothing to HOPE in or for, apart from our earthly existence, and we are indeed most miserable sinners.      The RESURRECTION of the dead gives REASON for everything experienced on earth.    Without that hope in us, then we have nothing to live FOR, and are no better than the feckless ant busy upon his anthill.

BUT EASTER is almost upon us, the season that forces us to look up and be caught up in the ultimate JOY that fills God's Heaven; the JOY of all the Ransomed who have died in Christ, and who confidently look forward to living WITH HIM with God at home IN Heaven.........     This is why Christ Suffered and Died, and rose again,  not only that our sins might be forgiven and cleansed, but that we might be restored fully to the God and Home our sin had separated us from.    EASTER is the BRIGHT LIGHT of every year since Christ died.       

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

THIS IS ABIGAIL, our daughter Helen's daughter, our granddaughter.    She is FOUR today, and a very bright and happy child.     She loves to laugh and chatter, and is full of inquisitive interest in everything.    Very affectionate and out going; the darling of all who know her.     Hopefully she and her Mum might be with us soon for the Easter Holiday. They are both down in Nairobi residentially, since Helen is teaching there.    We miss them both, but miss the three of our children who are in England, with their five children, even more.     Hoping to see  Steven with his son Eric, and maybe also together with John Finney, Lizzy's son in July - God Willing.     It is GREAT to have children, good or bad!    They are the fruit and product of our love for each other.    We and our partners are entwined in each of our children, and we cannot but remember how they reflect our first love for each other, and constantly remind us to be thankful and grateful to each other.   It helps us to love our children faithfully with thanksgiving.

This what binds families together.     It is God's Plan.

IT IS RAINING AGAIN, and the sky is grey and cheerless.     And it is not even the season for it.  Well, but so far Eldoret has not suffered because of it, and together with other areas we should be GLAD for it, since rain and water from any source has been scarce in much of Kenya.     BUT now also FLOODING is being experienced too, in Nairobi, and other places.     Flooding that comes every year with the rains, but which always seems to take everyone by surprise, causing much hardship, discomfort, disease, and even death.       

I am hopeful to be able to send the 2nd Update to you all soon, and before Easter arrives.  The New Year has been rather 'uphill' at times, as it usually is, with the beginning of the School Year and more of our children becoming young adults and seeking professional training, and employment each year.  We have fifteen a present in College, and another NINE seeking employment.   Tough times in Kenya with unemployment figures rising annually, and the National Debt beyond control, as the Population also climbs inexorably - not a very encouraging scenario.     BUT, Jesus is with us, and HE never fails to help us and prove His very real Presence in and around us.     He certainly is NOT dead!  He HAS risen, and IS alive.

Our love always in Him, with Thankful hearts and lives!

John, Esther, and Daryl Green

HE IS NOT HERE! HE HAS RISEN !

YESTERDAY, 9TH MARCH,   one of our sons of Testimony was laid to rest at his family home in Kisumu.    He was 62 years old.   He was 14 when he first arrived (not 12 as I stated last week).   He did not live long in our Homes - roughly ten years - before taking up his chosen profession as a Primary School Teacher.    But he did not lose touch when he left.    He visited often, and remained a well remembered, and continually visible member of the Family.      In 1983 he married Sarah Atieno, and they were to be proud parents of three sons and a daughter, all of whom live today on their own land.    It was there, at their home, that Mark Ouma was  buried, and to which crowds of friends, colleagues, and family made their way to pay their respects. 

Although I would have liked very much to be there, I was unable due to a little discomfort from my feet.    It was a three hour journey to Mark's home.       But he was not forgotten, and Esther and Daryl drove down early in the morning with Miriam Mbithi from Neema Children's Home who grew up in Testimony House with Mark for a time, and also our Chaplain, Wykliffe Ondanga, and David Koech both of whom also shared their lives partly with Mark in our home.  In the photo (David, Wykliffe, Esther, and Miriam.)    You can have some idea of the crowd that attended by noting all those seen in the background, and realising that there were as many again out of view in the photo.      Our party arrived about mid day, and the Funeral then commenced, and continued beyond 4.p.m. when they left again for home, here in Eldoret.    There were dozens of people there,
all of whom were down to speak and to share
a word of remembrance of Mark.    Esther was also invited to say a few words, which she did as much as Mark's 'Mum' as anyone there.    It was a poignant moment for her, and many others of Mark's family who know us well, and the relationship we have had with them all over the years.       He was only 62!    He could have had many good years in front of him, and he was still needed by his family, and even by his local community who also knew and loved him well.
BUT he will be REMEMBERED.     And as he is remembered, so will the God he served and trusted be lifted up and Glorified.
My dear wife and all those with her arrived home about 7p.m., rather tired from the journey and full of dust and exhausted from the very hot weather they endured in the planes where Mark's home resides, some three thousand feet below Eldoret and close to Lake Victoria.

Mark is not the only only one of our 'children' who has passed on before us.   More than 21 of the 406 children and young persons who have passed through Testimony Faith Homes since 1969.    We have attended a good many of their funerals, though not all, and we feel their loss even today, for each one has a place in our hearts.     There may have been more than 21 since we are not in touch with ALL those who have passed by, over the years. 

But these are the ones we KNOW about and the ones we still miss,

Zacaria Nanjelo; Johanna Okombo; Mark Ouma; Peter Odeyo; Catherine Akinyi; Simeon Majimbo;Benson Kariuki; Paul Ngugi; David Kamitti; Peter Onyango; John Etabu; Patrick Najok; Daniel Kipkoech; James Simiyu;  Hosea Mwendo;  Charles Kauka;  Simeon Lumzee; Abraham Kiprono; Ezekiel Kipchumba; Stephen Waweru; Percy Emslie;............

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HERE IS AN ADVANCE WARNING!

NEXT YEAR - 2019 - 

Testimony Faith Homes will be 50 Years Old.

We expect to host as many Old Family Members as possible 

as from Friday p.m.  30th August to Sunday 2.p.m. 2nd September.

THIS YEAR 2018

We will be holding a Local Anniversary for those 'family,' 

living in the locality of Eldoret

with a Family Luncheon & Fellowship

in the grounds of Testimony House (if fine)

Or the School Hall (if wet)

on

SUNDAY 26th August

as from 1p.m. to 3p.m.

We would be very much helped to plan these occassions

if you could let us know in advance if you want to attend, and also how many per family.
Food and accommodation will be free, but we cannot pay transport costs to or fro.

Crinum Lilies

These lilies grow just outside Green Cottage, and they flower continuously, just as long as they are watered.

I have enjoyed them many years, and am always uplifted to see them so fresh and alive.    They speak of the JOY that there in the Lord.   And especially on a grey, wet, and dull day they have often just sent a 'thrill' to my heart.

Yesterday funds came to an end here!    Yes, it is true, the Bank was empty, but we did have food in the larder and we did all eat and wake up to a new day, and the weekend, taken care of.      Totally strapped for cash, but STILL provided for.    AND today, before we could look to Monday, we had word that once again some had felt to remember us, and had sent a gift.  The week ahead, now, is provided for.     SURELY God does watch over us.      Do not be Anxious.     Praise Him, because he is aware of you need, and He has already taken care of it.

Much love in Jesus to you all, always, and until He Comes

John, Esther, and Daryl.

MORE VALUABLE THAN GOLD

TODAY WE RECEIVED this welcome photo of one of our girls, Hendrika Natal, together with Eilene Pickwell, who she is visiting in Australia..
Aileen was here with us in Eldoret with her husband Warwick, who was himself teaching in Moi Girls High School.    They came to know Hendrica when she was just a small girl, and also for many years as she was growing up with us.
Hendrika has been working in the U.S.A. for many years now, but she has not forgotten Kenya or her family and friends that were part of her life when she was in school and college.    She came to stay in Testimony House with me and Esther in 1975 when she was about three years old.    She, like so many others who lived with us over the years, though not adopted, she was very close to us, a real 'family' member.     She has visited us quite a few times, and indeed we hope to have here with us again quite soon - say at Christmas!     Always a very enthusiastic and encouraging person, it is always a happiness to have here around; full of life and action.    It is really a joy to see her here with Aileen, who is herself, with Warwick, a dear friend in Jesus,       We greet them both with JOY and GLADNESS.

YESTERDAY, we bade farewell to the last of our many visitors, that have quite filled our month with a great deal of happiness, laughter and memories of long friendships.     In the photo to the left we have Allan Nicholls, myself, Esther, and Margaret Nicholls.   The had been spending some of their last days in Kenya with us -  they also a spent a few days at the beginning of their visit, with son-in-law Paul.  They now face flying back to a currently cold and freezing U.K.  although the snow may have gone by the time they arrive.    We have had, we feel, a very 'special' time with them.
OUR FRIENDS from All Hallows, Bispham, have also returned to England, and seem to have managed to endure the truly foul weather they found there on arrival.    They managed to visit Masai Mara Game Park before leaving Kenya and saw a fair amount of our animal wild life, to great satisfaction.    And Ian and Diana Hogley from Huddersfield also spent some very good and precious days with us before leaving for Mombasa.   They should get back to the UK when  most of the bad weather has passed - we hope!!      The days have flown by, and we have been truly blessed from having them all with us, and for allowing ourselves the time and freedom to just ENJOY their company, love and fellowship - a rare and refreshing time.
AND the RAIN finally arrived as well - to releave US of the heat and dryiness of past months.
AND LAST NIGHT Esther and I were able to enjoy the firmness and comfort of a NEW medium density Mattress on our bed for the first time in more than 20 years.    Niether of us are lightweights so I am sure our old mattress is more than glad to be done with being suppressed and deprived of the life and density it once enjoyed, before we jointly compressed it all into but a memory.

MANU, went for more eye injections last week.     He also went through an hour long operation on his abdomine which had been waiting for action most of the year.    It went well, and he is very much relieved and happy at the outcome.    It has been a difficult year for him, and for us as we have walked with him.      The eye consultant was also happy to say that there was a definite improvement in both of his eyes this time, and he felt sure that this would improve further and be sustained.    He has asked Manu to return in April for his next appointment, but Manu, who had been quite depressed about his sight, and the real possibility of losing it, returned home with more hope and peace than we have seen for some time.   Please do continue to pray for him, and to believe with us that he will accept the love God has for him.

Our Love in Jesus to Everyone.   God Bless and keep you through EVERY trial and danger..

John, Esther, and Daryl Green