THIS IS AN OLD PHOTO TAKEN WAY BACK IN 2009, and indeed I had put it up on one of my Blogs for that year.    It is a favourite picture of mine, taken on the spur of the moment as I travelled to visit another Children's Homes about seventy kilometres from us.      It was the Rainy Season, and you can see how muddy the river is.     The chocolate brown of the water, the greenery of the river banks, and the quietness of the scene, with the cattle peacefully indulging in slaking their occasional thirst,- it was SO African a scene, yet it somehow took me back to my childhood in the West of England;   It seemed to speak of such undisturbed rural tranquillity - somehow still unspoilt by the ever encroachment of MAN, and his so call civilisation.      If I had an artists Gift, I would have immediately wanted to paint it, and  hung it on an expansive wall in my home.      Not a very remarkable a scene, but what it evokes in me is deep and arresting.      I took the photo on a little incline with the trunk of an enormous pine just to the left in front of me.    I could have have spent the whole day there........

Well my dears this week has passed very quickly with so many things going on and our scene changing with the close of school,  days of Final Exams, their completion, and Farewell Parties!
AND of course Christmas is now close to us, and preparations already in hand, and demanding a lot of interaction from us all, children included.     The weather is cold for US, and expected to become colder - down to about 58f !!!   The nights even colder than that.    Well at 6,400ft above sea level it seems as if we part of the north of England right now - AND with torrential rain every other day.
FOR US this is not seasonable weather even though perhaps not SO exceptional as in other parts of our wavering world.     But it ought to be having summer in the air by now, and be much warmer - perhaps our part of the world is cooling down?!!

During this last week I have made a careful end of year inspection of our School comprising 24 classrooms, 4 Ablution Blocks, 2 Boarding hostels, Labs, and offices.    A big school of about 175 Boarders, and 720 Day pupils including our own 130 kids in the Homes.     Took me a good three days, and yet again shocked me as I took in the wear and tear of such a daily 'horde' in and out of the classroom.      BUT all well worth the effort as we see the LORD entering so many their lives and also blessing them in Learning ( the School Result for the Primary Section have been very good this year and we believe we shall see the same for our Secondary Section once the results are to hand.

I have managed to send the last Update from my Diary for the year, and a small Christmas Card.  I hope to also be still in touch up to Christmas, God Willing.      SO only a short note this time, but no doubt I will add a little more in the weeks ahead.     God Bless you, and re-inspire you all over again with the JOY of  receiving all over again the Memory of of our Father's Gift, in Jesus, to us all - and not a memory only, but a living proof that He died for us, LIVES now for us, and with us.


Lovingly in His Name

|John Esther, and Daryl Green