BATS IN THE BELFREY..?

NO - BATS IN OUR HOME!   More than a dozen little mini-monsters like this cosily roosting in our attic.    Probably started with just a couple, and they they decided to settle on making a home for themselves and their progeny with us.   WE did not hear them, or see them - but recently we did begin to smell them.  TODAY they have been evicted, their home sterilised, and all trace of their habitation removed.    Just took 30 minutes.          Amazing!     Amazing that we were so unaware of them.     We HAD seen one or two over the last year few years fly down the chimney in our sitting room, but, thinking nothing of it, we opened the outside door and they flew out and away.    AND YES we did feel a little 'queazy' about it and wondered if we had a party of 'demons' hiding in the dark places of our little home - little did we realise the truth.      I am told, if left to themselves, they will live for approximately 30 years.
Are they to be feared?     Should we see them as servants of Satan?     The Bible says in Leviticus 11v13-19 that they - bats- should not be eaten - they are abomination / detestable ....AND in Deuteronomy 14v11-19 Moses adds that they are UNCLEAN, dirty, unhealthy, unhygienic.
WELL, our own Medical Research of this age has clearly stated that BATS are carriers of sickness spread to humans through their urine, faeces, and bite.    Both viruses can kill.   RABIES is the worst of the two.      Both have to be suspected to inhabit any bat you might meet, or from which you may have been bitten, or having inhaled or touched its urine or droppings.    This is was  recently endorsed and confirmed unilaterally by the United States Center for Disease Control.        DOGS actually look quite mentally deranged and demonically mad, when found to be Rabid.     BATS do not seem to have to wait - they tend to look like this normally - and even though we are encouraged to now cast out from our mind memories of the occult, and graveyards when considering bats in general, the BAT still somehow evokes the image of a Griffin / dragon / or little devil.     The Bat still brings us the smell of Hell, and thus is not sought after, but rather run from and avoided at all costs.
For my part I am glad and relieved to have them GONE!

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WAS THIS THE ANTI BAT TEAM?     No!   HE alone was inside the roof they were standing on, and although he explored and disinfected the entire area of the roof, he only found the bat colony concentrated in the left of the attic to the left of this photo, right at the end.        No, it was our Solar Heating Team on top of the roof;  two men and a girl - a family business!.    They have not completed the installation yet, until Monday next week, but they are efficient.    This installation will only deal with our hot water for the house.     It is, as I may have  previously mentioned, a Gift from our Old Boys and Girls.    We think it will have cost them them  almost two thousand pounds to put up the entire unit - including the repair of one of our bathrooms.........We feel very, very, thankful to them all for wanting to appreciate their old home, and ourselves in this way.   In future Kenya Building Requirements will insist that all new residential houses must provide Solar heating and lighting as part of the build.

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THIS LAST WEEKEND, began with the Graduation of the youngest son of Joshua and Miriam Mbithi.   You will possibly remember that Miriam grew up with Esther and me from when she was 7 in Testimony House.    We see her as our daughter, and thus grandparents to her children, Mark, Jonathon and Esther.     So this time it was Jonathon Graduating from his University on Saturday, and then on SUNDAY afternoon there was a Reception and Party in his honour at their home within the Neema Children's Home and School complex, just a few kilometres away from us.  We were invited,and arrived in time for lunch with everyone, after our Morning Service.     Later our friends from Huddersfield in the U.K. Ian and Diana Hogley joined, together with other friends, Stuart and Janet Brown.     We had a truly wonderful and happy time together rejoicing over this tall young man, so like his Dad, Joshua, who had finally concluded his Degree.    We Praised the Lord for His Goodness.     Above left can be seen a photo of ourselves with our 'grandson' Jonathon, at his home last Monday, having Graduated the day before.    We truly rejoice to see him at the end of his Course, and we pray much, together with Joshua and Miram, that he may soon find opportunity to discover employment and a way forward for his independent life.      Seems only the other day that he was just a babe in arms.

Miriam and Joshua commenced their own Home to assist HIV children in 2003.    They had both previously laboured with us in Testimony Faith Homes for 19 years.    But The Lord led them in their leaving, and proved Himself to be WITH them also in their new vision and work for children.  They have now also begun a Primary School, just as we did, and as they have prayed and trusted God to provide they have now been able to build Classrooms.     These were Opened at a special Ceremony on MONDAY of this week,    Daryl, and I, plus Ian and Diana Hogley attended.    The Lord had spoken to the hearts of Stuart and Janet Brown to also have a big hand in this development, and they had specially arranged to be present for this Occassion.

Above is the completed first block of five classrooms.    Two more are planned and it is hoped that by the Grace of God they will become (as the first) the evidence of things once hoped for; the Substnce of things not seen.   Neema Homes children, and those from the nearby locality attend the School.

IN 2015 we, in Testimony, built the NEW Jacaranda Cottage, and it so happened that Stuart and Janet Brown and their Trust in the U.K. became God's Answer to our need and prayer.  When it was completed and we were ready to Open it the Brown's were unable to be with us.  THUS after the Opening of Neem'a School last Monday morning, we took them back to Testimony Faith Homes and to the NEW Jacaranda Cottage for a Blessing.       They were delighted, and so were the Jacaranda Family.      Daryl organised this event, and had chairs arranged in front of the OLD house, with the new cottage behind. children present a dance and a song or two, and then we all walked across to the NEW cottage, and Stuart and Janet were shown around, and 'officially' once more, Opened the Cottage.      ALTOGETHER a busy but VERY enjoyable few days.     I think everyone was blessed - and GOD was honoured and glorified.       There is no doubt that without Him being a living Entity in our lives, none of what we have together seen put together here could have happened

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WELL HERE WE ARE, AT LAST - THE OLD AND THE NEW.

Only 32 years between us - quite a Gap,

BUT Jesus has Bridged it.

FINALLY

a picture of SOME of the Greens

We were celebrating Esther's 75th Birthday, and our 48th Anniversary

left to right round the table 

Becky, Abby, Helen, Esther, Dad, Jesse, Jeremy, Daryl

(Carol is taking the photo)

Love from us all in Jesus Name