THIS  IS A PHOTO TAKEN IN JULY 2019 - a photo of all the Support Staff of Testimony Faith Homes AND School.    Quite a crowd.  These have been the faithful undergerding of the ministry here, some of them having been with us for decades.   More thana 40 all together, and not including our House parents and General Office Staff.    I had written at the time  about them, and said, 'I take my hat off to them, and honour them.       NOT all of them work for the Homes, but for the School, and THEY are paid by the School, from its income from Fees paid by parents with chldren learning with us.    This has meant that conditions of service have been different.     THOSE employed with the Homes understand that their salaries come in answer to our prayer and dependance upon God.  Those employed by the SCHOOL understand that their salaries depend on the INCOME from parents.
SOME may have felt the latter to be better off, since their dependance and faith in God may not have been enough guarantee.     And this is how it has been, since the School was founded in 1981, and the School has financially been indepenent of the Homes, and had its own Account with the Bank.
THIS WAS BEFORE THE COVID 19 VIRUS BLAST!

AFTER THIS WORLD WIDE EXPLOSION INTO EVERY ASPECT OF HUMAN LIFE AND SOCETY, ITS RAMIFICATIONS HAVE CONTINUED TO MUSHROOM, 

and it is still impossible to forcast exactly how much real damage it will have done, 

or the lives that will have been affected.

FOR US all in the HOMES it has meant restrictions and constraints on our freedom, and upon the way we can conduct what has been a normal way of life.    The FIRST immediate action by Government was to close ALL schools, Colleges and Universities.    This happened in the middle of the 1st School Term, and Testimony School, being privately run, still had not received ALL of its due Fees from parents.     Salaries for MARCH and APRIL could not fully be paid, yet we had no choice but to lay all the Teachers, and other incidental staff OFF, until further notice, and without pay.  More than THIRTY teachers became suddenly financially stranded without redress, plus twenty others working as clerks, cooks, cleaners, and groundsmen.        Everything came to a SUDDEN  standstill, and and the School totally impotent in its ability to PAY its way.    SLAM!   How this has already affected those depending upon it as a living might be imagined the more, as one realises that the State has no emergency schemes or services that can step  in and relieve the unemployed.    And the latest news from Government is that Schools may not open before September, and even then with an adjusted methodology with the Virus still in mind!!

BUT THE HOMES, although they were also required to send all non residential and non essential staff away for the duration of the pandemic in Kenya,  STILL found funds coming in to PAY them all.

Many have warned that funds for charities and mission would diminish, due to the effect, economically, of the adancing Virus.   And yet our prayers have continued to be regarded, and we have received funds enough to pay those who we need to assist us care for the Childlren in the Homes, AND feed us, and pay our monthly bills.     If, at times, we have to hold our breath, or adust our housekeeping needs, yet we have not suffered, and as a group of 130 kids and 14 adults we have been able to REJOICE in the Lord who is our Friend and Sviour!     Yes, truly we have realised His Love for us.

BUT we are increasingly anxious and concerned for all those who are now AWAY, and without any income who have worked cheek by jowl with us, in the School.      We would so much have liked to see them all helped in this very awful collapse of what had seemed to them so very stable and firm employment, and bread of life.     But our hands are tied, and we have to watch and contemplate their difficulty and dispair helplessly unable to save them who have for so long been identified with the ministry of TFH as a whole.       Not easy, since we have to carry the knowledge that if we had had the faith to believe for the cost of running the School at the beginning, things might indeed have been diffferent.    This would have entailed us trusting God for three times more, financially, than we have done, in trusting Him for the running of our four children's homes.     Yes!    Something to consider very carefully now!   

Our Teachers - Nursery, Primary & Secondary as at 2019

Our Homes Staff again 2019 with our House-parents, office clerks, cooks
maintenance, and far right, our pastor.

Please do pray for us all, and especially at this time, those who are employed by the School.

Daryl has decided to at least try and assist FOUR of those in greatest need among them, and

to trust the Lord for them and as many others as the Lord might put on our hearts in Jesus Name.

===================== 

Finally, I am today, feeling much better and less debilitated.    So far no sign of any supposed kidney stone actually having been  moved, but at least the pain of it has diminished, and I feel more refreshed.     I have only to thank the Lord Jesus who walks with me and shares all my joys AND distresses.    My Thanks for all your prayers.       

We are all well, and enjoying each other.      We also are blessed in having received help from the Lord yet again, via much love shared through Aenon Trust who have prayerfully undertaken to foward the gifts of many to us.    Such a very great encourgement at this time, and in the midst of the Trial of Covid 19.       Kenya still struggles to keep the Virus at bay but has many challenges, not the least being transportation across our borders with Tanzania, Uganda, and Somalia, with incoming trade, and also floods, locusts still, and land riots in Narok.     The Country is taking a number of knocks, but our President is standing firm and confidently.
Current figures stand as - our of 76,003 trested 1,618 remain confirmed and being treated.  438 have so far Recovered, and been repatriated to their families, and 58 have died.
So far, in our Country of Uasin Gishu, EIGHT positive cases have been reported - all of  these some 40 kilometres away in Turbo on the main Uganda Road into Eldort, and through to ?Niarobi.

And with this I will pen off for this week.     We do apprecite your prayers and loving support of us all here, and want to repeat that our prayers go up for you all every day, with thanksgiving and love in Jesus.    God Bless and Keep you all SAFE and WELL  always

John, Esther and Daryl Green