ANOTHER VIEW OF OUR FRONT LAWN - please note it is now GREEN again, and this with only a very small ration of rain - just one day and night last week. My last photo showed only a Brown expanse of what appeared to be only DUST. Amazing! BUT it has not rained since, and our National Weather-men are saying it won't rain again - appreciably - before October. IF that turns out to be true, then I think the whole town will have to be evacuated!! Let us not, therefore, look too far ahead, and instead be Thankful for Today - tomorrow God will take of.
I took this photo as I was walking around this afternoon - a little aimlessly, having little of great interest to actually report in relation to the past week - the LAST week of the Easter School Holiday.
But although Daryl is now Director I still like to walk around and make sure all is still neat and tidy, and not in some way allowing anything to get run down. It is quite easy for it to happen with so much going on.
Immediately to the left of the photo above, separated by a driveway, is Testimony House, still looking just as it did 47 years ago when we first arrived to take possession of it. It was about 1.15p.m. when I took this photo, today. It looks quiet - empty in fact, but it was Lunch time and the family of thirty kids were all inside having their lunch. Eunice Lahol still Mum and the Lord is with her, and helping her wonderfully to be strong and comforted.
ABOVE a photo of what used to be our first chapel in 1975-87 when we transferred to the School Hall, our numbers having grown from 30 to about 150 worshippers, including all the children in the -Homes, by then. NOW it is part of the Nursery School, which extends behind it, and then down at right angles to the left, behind the fir trees. There is work going on re planning a play and recreation area -
The Nursery School has approximately 130 children with nine carers plus the In-Charge. Currently
only SIX of the Homes children are attending, the rest coming from the locality around us. Additionally we have 52 in our Primary School and 36 in Secondary making a total of 94 of our children in the Homes out of a total, as of today, of 127. A further 20 of our children are attending College and 4 more in University. The Nursery School is just beyond Testimony House, following the driveway upwards and turning LEFT.
THE NEXT PHOTO is taken from the School Hall, showing the Driveway going the way I have come, from the Nursery School.. In the distant right of the photo you can just make out one of the School Labs.
We are looking at the Chaplain's Office, framed each end by one of the Euphorbia Bushes I described last week. The one that suffered a fall is out of sight to the left of the photo, in front of the Office Building. This gives a fair idea of the actual size of them.
AT THIS POINT, I walked across to the Jacaranda Cottage side of the road, passing through the School Gate.
THIS is a photo of the now empty Drakeley Cottage. We now have plans to re-open it in the not too distant future, and hope that Hesketh and Alice Muli will be able to take up the post of Houseparents. Once installed we hope to take in up to 24 BOYS only aged 2-10 years.
The end nearest to us in the photo is having a problem with the flooring - it is sinking. This has been a special section of the House where we had set up a sleeping area for GIRLS only, quite apart from the rest of the house and the boys sleeping area. It comprised two dormitories and Toilet Shower. The flooring is sinking slowly along the the whole of the width of the house from the back wall to a width of about two meters. We are informed that the Builder had not ensured that the right materials were used as filling and that it will now need to be dug out (to a depth of about 1 - 2 meters, and refilled and compacted before relaying the flooring. Fortunately the perimeter foundation is safe and sure, as is the ring beam, so that the external walls are also safe Nevertheless it will be great work. But we can shut this section of the house off from the rest whilst work is done, and still run the rest of the house without any real hindrance or difficulty. Something we need to do, and we hope you will pray with us. We do not want to have to withhold the shelter and home this Cottage was built to provide.
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THIS WEEK our pastor and School Chaplain has finally left us for his new appointment. So far no one has come forward to take his place, and so I shall take on a little more responsibility in this direction, but not alone, and David Chumba who is Dad in New Jacaranda Cottage, will be joining in with me and also, hopefully Hesketh Muli, and also Micah Yego from Tyndale Cottage who is just now returning from his annual leave. This will, we believe, not be for a long period, and we are sure that prayer will be answered and the Lord supply a Man of His Choice to come and join us in the FTH Family. This Sunday I shall be ministering. School will open on Monday so boarders will be returning Sunday Evening, but in the morning it will just be us - a small but loving group.
I want to talk about Friendship, and especially that kind that is willing to get involved no matter what the risk to themselves.
I hope to talk about King David's testimony of how, having found himself cut of from God and man in a horrible hole, unable to free himself from its sticky, clinging contents, CRIES out to God, the One he has in fact laid aside to satisfy his sin. He cries out to the Friend he let go of, to please himself. I don't think his 'hole' was a physical one, but rather an emotional and spiritual lapse that left him sunken in guilt and deep misery of spirit. He had failed his Friend. He himself had failed; and he could blame none but himself. Where could he GO? To Whom could he Turn?
He CRIED out to his FRIEND! And THAT friend did not turn away, but turned to his Cry and pulled him UP and OUT of the mire, and sticky sin, and set his feet - his LIFE - on a ROCK, AND established his life, and put a new song in his HEART. What a Friend!
In JEREMIAH 38 is the story of the a time when Jeremiah, standing and living for GOD, was arrested and imprisoned. He was lowered into a dungeon - a very REAL and PHYSICAL HOLE in the floor of the prison, up to his neck in unmentionable filth, A slab was dragged across the opening cutting of all light, and there he stood. LAMENTATIONS 3 he tells us what he then DID.
HE CRIED OUT TO GOD! There was no lightening flash, no role of Thunder.
ABOVE the ground one man heard what had happened - and he was a friend of Jeremiah's, though but a lowly servant, a man of no substance, power or authority. BUT he loved Jeremiah, and was his disciple. HE got up and went to the King, and there pleaded on Jeremiah's behalf. for mercy. And the King who was not doing too well in his own life, listened, and AGREED TO HELP, even against those who were in his own pay. Ebed-melech, the Ethiopian, a nobody, put his own life on the line for his friend, and moved the mountain. King Zedekiah gave him 30 men, to help move the stone and pull Jeremiah UP and OUT of his hole. And they together did it gently and kindly doing their best to help without hurt, lovingly. What a Friend was Ebed-melech. YES, but a friend motivated by an even greater friend - even GOD, for it was God who moved his heart, and gave him courage........
We all follow our own way - in or out of the Church. We all find ourselves in times of trouble. We all can find ourselves helplessly STUCK in our own sin and selfishness. We all need HELP, and someone we can depend on to hear our cry and COME to our rescue.
Forgive me if you feel the above is out of place in the middle of this little discourse.
I could not resist it. I love Pooh Bear. Such a simple soul, so totally unaware of what is going on, even in his own life, and here he is STUCK!! But his human, friend, his dependable, so much stronger friend, comes to his aid and immediately gets busy UNSTICKING Pooh! Well in this case it DID take a bit of work, on Pooh's part as well, and it took a little while to actually happen! BUT the HELP was available on demand. It was there for him. Help full of sympathy and compassion for such a 'Silly old bear.' Thank you Christopher Robin. Thank you JESUS for being my dependable, compassionate Friend. For being my Christopher Robin. HELP ME to be such a Friend to the one who is in NEED of getting unstuck as I was.
THERE IS WIND SUDDENLY OUTSIDE. As I look through the window I see the whole sky has changed from BLUE to GREY, great swirling rain clouds ....... will it rain? Of course it will! He knows what we need before we even ask- and he will not be blind or deaf to it when we remind him of the need.
'HE laid aside His reputation'
when He came and stood by me.
He knew, full well, my degradation but became a friend to me!
That's why I love Him, that's why I love Him;
He laid aside His reputation, and became a friend to me
God Bless, and Strengthen you all, and as you draw near to HIM may you know HIM to be close to you ALWAYS.
Lovingly
John, Esther, and Daryl Green
FAYTH is actually introducing us to her Fiancee, and him to us - to her home and family. She will be bringing two or three others to 'hold their hands', and we will also have Joshua Mbithi join with us, as he and Miriam actually brought Faith up from a baby to maturity in Jacaranda Cottage. She came when she was only ONE year old, in 1991. Her birth family have not been traced. She has been a quiet, obedient and helpful person and loves her Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Probably Joshua will be the one to 'Give her Away' on their soon to come Wedding day. Quite a few other of our houseparents will also be Esther and me. They are expected to arrive about 11a.m and stay for Lunch and Fellowship. We are looking forward very much to it. I have always had a special regard for her.
