The English say that thier Royal Family can trace itself back a thousand years to Alfred the Great, a Man brought up in the Christian Faith from a youngster.    Initially unable to read or write, he thirsted after knowledge, and taught himself, so that later in life he was able not only to read, but to translate what others wrote, so that others of his Nation could also know more.     He wanted England to know what he knew.    He wanted them to know Christ - the REAL King!    His was a simple Crown.   It may, at first, have only been a plain band of gold encircling his head, but later something very similar to the image above, which was itself worn by English Kings - a substantial base of gold, suporting repeated symbles of the Cross of Christ. All who looked upon it, and upon the one who wore it,  were confronted with the fact that this crown, and the one who wore it, (and the Nation with them), stood for Jesus Christ, the Only Son of the Only God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.    And, although, through human fraility and faultiness, this declaration of faith may have dimmed, or even at times miss-represented the basic, firm, and unswerving Faith of the Nation, it has HELD clearly for a thousand years - until recently.

LEFT is an imitation of the turban of the High Priest of Israel.   At the front of the turban, above the priests forehead,  facing outwardly, is attached a Gold plate on which is clearly written HOLINESS TO THE LORD.     (in this image the words are written in Hebrew)  This was in order that both the Priest, and the People before whom he stood, might be reminded what they were all meant to BE, in front of God Almighty.

I wanted to include this representation here, because I believe the representation of the CROSS on the early Crowns of our Kings was to achieve a similar, if not the same, purpose as the Golden Inscribed Plate on the Turban of the Jewish High Priests, the Leaders of the Nation.

THIS IS THE Imperial State Crown of the United Kingdom of Great Britain ( inclusive of England, Scotland,  Northern Ireland.    It is the Crown with which King Charles 111 will be Crowned at his Coronation.  At its appex is a diamond Cross with a Sapphire at the centre, said to have once been on a Ring worn by King Edward the Confessor.    Another Cross - center - studded with a great Ruby, joins other representations of the Cross all around the Crown.      This Crown STILL declares the State to be a Christian State, and the Wearer to be a Christian Leader of that State!    It is a far Richer Crown than the first, and the one to wear it may also be richer, but still a man none the less.  But is his Faith in Christ, and the Cross on which He died?

In the Blog for 18th September, I mentioned the 'Hollow Crown, and I referred again to the Words of King Richard 11, put into his mouth by William Shakespear 

'....Within the hollow crown that rounds the mortal temples of a king,

keeps Death his court, and there the antic (Death) sits

Scoffing his state, and grinning at his pomp.'

Richard 11, Act 3 scene 2

What is this 'Death' that lives within the hollow of a crown?  Could it not be Satan himself  -(In Judaism it was believed that Death was a Devil of some kind)?   But I feel it refers more to the 'Mind' - that Fallen, fleshly satisfying carnal mind.   After all a Crown encircles the temples of a king, the dome of his head, where evil thoughts are conceived; surrounded like a perimeter fence.     Within this 'dome is enclosed, brooding on matters (temptations) leading to DEATH: - and Death MOCKS all that the Crown speaks of -  The Nation and it's Majesty, as it is meant to be seen and empowered by the Christian Faith.  Whence cometh this Death; this Mindset?  from the wearer's lack of committment to his Faith in Christ, and his ready willingness to compromise with the World, befriending its values and 'faiths' in opposition to God's Word as given in the BIBLE: and to the Truth taught and demonstrated in and through God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.  AND this Death comes to Kings, as well as Presidents, and indeed all of us commoners - there are no partialities with Death - he welcomes ALL.    As it is written -

'It is appointed to men once to die,

but after that the Judgment.'

Hebrews 9v27 - The Bible

The Believing Christians  should then take care not to embrace all that he finds attractive in this world society, that he is born into, wheather rich or poor.  Friendship with, and to the World, which can lead us into enmity with GOD.    And this can hurry on our real death physically, and spiritually.

But of course, the King, together with each one of us, lives IN the world, and and cannot but mix and come into contact with people and things oppposed to God and godliness.     What are we to do as followers of Christ, who also lived in this world, yet kept himself from whatever did not please God, His father in Heaven.     In Jude, v21, in the Bible it is written -

'Guard and keep yourselves in the Love of God'

 (Amplified)

And in the following two verses we are told to deal with each other, in that Love, and to be wise in our choice of where, and how to fellowship with our diverse fellow human beings.    On some (who may hold different customs, traditions, and opinions), have compassion, making a difference; (give space, patiently) and thus show them God's Love.

And others, more entrenched in their own ways, and philosophy of life, take care;   lest they should overwehelm you, and lead you away from the Truth of the Gospel; whose moral lives are polluted by all uncleaness of thought and life-style  -  keep clear of any close attachment or fellowship with them - even with the very best of motives.

The United Kingdom is still, after more than a thousand years, by LAW, and Constitution, a CHRISTIAN  NATION.   It's purpose to be a light and illumination to all around them, through its Faith in God, demonstrated by King and Government, to the least of its citizens.

In this Year of 2022 half of the population of the U.K. are without ANY Faith in anythng at, all religiously or phlophically.     We see a GREAT falling away.    Our late Sovereign Lady, Queen Elisabeth 11 held the Christian Faith, and for seventy years constantly reminded the Nation of it's need of God, individually.    Yet she was not always able to give a true and faithful LEAD in how to evaluate the changing moral values and respect for God handed down though our history.    She had to tread carefully, and refrain from saying anything not in line with her very secular Parlaiment, the representative of the 'people'.   She had to compromise or Abdicate from the Throne.      The Crown is not only subject to the Mind of it's wearer, but also to the common MIND of the People.'    And the People's mind and heart is being  stolen away from GOD, who are for the  most part unbelieving in these Latter Days.    One might say that to be King in the U.K. one has to walk a tight rope between God and Parlaiment.    Hard, at least, for one who has not put serving, and pleasing God FIRST.

KING CHARLES has often been quoted as saying that he Will not accept, as those before him had, to be called Defender of the Faith (the Christian Faith),  but of ..'the Faiths'.      To do this he must be spiritually unfaithful  and adulterous to Christ and the Church.   In the photo opposite, His Majesty is conversing with those of another Religion, seemingly very fraternally.    He is right to reach out, as long as he does not seem to join with them in their religious beliefs - as a Christian - for he will then be seen to be of no faith at all - It is NOT true that 'ALL roads lead to God'     The Christian has been clearly shown from The Bible, and from the life and teachig of our Lord Jesus Christ, that there is only ONE way to God, our Father in Heaven, and that it is in following Jesus, and in accepting His Salvation from Judgment through His Death and Resurrection on the Cross.    'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and in His resdurrecton, and you shall be saved'  (Romans 10v9-13 - The Bible).

TODAY

In the United Kingdom

we seem to have entered truly perulous times.

We are now a progressive Mixed Multitude, constantly increasing, and with an increasing pressure not to offend or discomfort any of a different cultural, religious, or politial background.   Our own Culture, Hstory, and Faith, is being contiuously attacked, suppressed, misrepresented, yea, and even pulled down before our eyes.     From the 1950's a small percentage of immigrants have brought their own politics, religion and cultural heritate more and more to the fore, imposing their own individual national identity upon that of the host Country,  whilst at the same time gladly receiving that Country's hospitality, goodwill, and protection.   It may only be a small number, but it is growingin fact, and finding little resistance to their effort to discredit, condemn, and do they can to challenge our own Christian standing, and heritage.

I do not greatly find fault with them for there are few who stand up against their aspirations.       No indeed, they have found a 'Chrstian' Country, which rarely shows a determinaton to adhere to Christ's Example. in living according to the Ten Commandments, from the Crown, downwards.     Churches suppressing the REAL Truth of the Gospel with a diluted morality,  and licenteous life style.     And a Government itself, also in disarray, and willing for almost anything.    We do nothing to protect our heritage- Is it that we do  not value it?        We NEED Leadership; Christian Leadership;  a Christian KING to wear the Crown in front of the People,    boldly wearing the Cross, and upholding all it stands for in our LAWS.           Yes EVERYONE needs to be loved and CARED about.  But we need to make it clear to ALL, our Nationals, and Immigrants together, that the United Kingdom is a Christian Kigdom,  with the Head of State, bearing a Christian Crown, with Christian Responsability and Identity readily and unswervingly demonstrated in front of Parlaiment and the People.

GOD SAVE THE KING

and The United Kingdom
 of Great Britain.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

 

  NEWS FROM US

Here is a photo of JOHN, lizzy,  and ESTHER

taken Early July, just after Esther's 3rd Chemo

She has done very well, and will go for her LAST and 8th Chemo this coming Friday.   She has coped well, and apart from not wanting to eat anything, she has not suffered from nausia or vomiting; just a bad taste in her mouth which nothing seems to relieve.     This week she is eating well, and we feel that she is regaining her old strength and energy.     However her memory has been a problem more and more, and although we thought it was caused partly by the Chemotherapy sessions it may not be so.     But it has not affected her ability to converse, but her ability to 'remember' what was said or what happened five minutes earlier.      So we get over this by just repeating and recounting events and important messages etc.,    She is  VERY happy that her hair has begun to grow back altogether.     In about two weeks time she will commence fifteen sessions of ten minutes Radiotherapy in a near by hospital   This will done over fifteen days, one session each day.      We are praying this will not again sap her energy too  much.  Thereafter another Mamiogram, and if all is clear, as the doctors are sure it will be, she will jut have to make periodic checks.    It has been an arduous time for us both, but we Rejoice in the Lord who who walked with us and blessed day by day, all the way.  

The HOMES - all four of them and thee 125 chldren and young people that live in them are well and happy.     Daryl has continued to visit Government Meetings to work out how their plans to CLOSE all Homes by the end of TEN Years can be achieved.    There are many problems.   However it seems that they will now allow US to contnue with the children we have as here laid our  -

•  1st - ALL over 18s must be removed finally from the Homes and be put in Hostels in town at OUR expense until they finalise their School or College/University courses. 

• 2nd - ALL 40 of our under 18s who have ANY relative must - if possible - be re-patriated to their care.    WE have to visit the relative's home and arrange everything, at our expense.                                   

• 3rd -  The remaing children will be allowed to remain where they are in our care, but we are to be ready for any one of them, at any time, to be adopted or fostered, and removed from our care.

All this is difficult, but we arre confident that the Lord is with us.     IF at the end of the 10 years, and IF the Government does finally close down every Children's Home we will consider expanding the School and of using it to offer more FREE places to the poorest children in our area.      Daryl  and I will be Meeting with our Board of Management on this coming Thursday to discuss this  in more detail.    

Some twenty of our College University have not been able to returns to their studies this month.   The hikes in the cost of living, and drop in volume in our incoming gifts have made things more than tight this month, and we just could ot feed everyone AND put these College fees on the table.   It has happened before, and somehow our kids always managed to go on and complete their studies,   We know HE watches over each one us us.   We will value your prayers.

This has been longer than I planned - my rambles once again!   

Love you all in Jesus

John, Esther, and Daryl Green

and all with us here in Testimony Faith Homes

 

 

                                             

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                           .

 

TESTIMONY SCHOOLS ARE OPEN!

Praise the Lord our God !!  It has not been easy to effect Government Directives that had to be achieved in order to open again.   The fact that students could no long sit together without space of at least 1 meter between them posed the biggest problem.    We closed with 800 students, and all classes full.   Could we now cope with putting them all at a distance from each other.    And if not, and if we could not achieve the population at which we closed, would the school be able to cover it's cost;  we had always operated as a non profit making School, wanting to offer education without too great a cost to those who needed it.     We did not have funds to build new classrooms, and hardly enough to consider conversions and alterations to what we already had.    We looked to the Lord, and carried on through the months from March 2020 to December.   

God alone has been our provision and stay.  And He, alone, has given the wisdom and strength of mind and body  to Daryl, enabling him to face, almost single handed, the daily planning and headache.   He took on the whole responsibility, with only a handful of untrained support to deal with all the labour involved.  Planning how to re-arrange existing classes and other rooms to accommodate almost double the existing space needed; , physical conversion of many such rooms, repair and refurbishment of desks, chairs, and tables (Some existing desks made for TWO had to be cut in half and made into two single desks).  Paint work, redecoration, extra plumbing, and electrical wiring.   Digging drains and cementing paths.     It seemed an impossible work to be accomplished in time - and with no reserve of finance to hand.      INITIALLY the Government had intimated that they would assist private schools with some of the related costs in labour and material, but they were unable to fulfil these intimations.   But they DID issue more than 75 typed pages of detailed Instructions of what each school must provide and make arrangements for, before Permission to open and operate would be granted.    WE have been ONE of a few that so far has been granted that Permission.       And ALL of our students have returned to Class.  

DARYL began the work in September last year after we opened, partially, to just THREE classes on a kind of trial basis.    He began with provision of extra Hand Washing stations.   Very simple constructions, but still took time to put together with basic plastic bowels hanging in  an angle iron frame, with its own tap and water supply, and soap dispenser.   At least FIVE rows of these were put at five different points around the school.      These were in ADDITION to the already Boys and Girls Toilet & Ablutions installations.  Children AND staff are all expected to FREQUENTLY wash their hands as they move in and out of Class and around the Compound generally.

Some walls had to be knocked down in order to enlarge some rooms previously not used for classrooms, and that were too small to accommodate a reasonable Class Population of 25.  It has not been easy to see the utter mess and chaos caused by change and re-arrangement of what had been a very well organized School, with clear divisions between Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Departments.      Will we ever be able to see a return to normal, and original order in the Schools re-established?  Today it looks far away.

BUT our situation is far removed, just now, from the CRISIS we see in Europe and the UK now facing up to, to say nothing of the U.S.A!!

However, testing seems to have flagged a little, and it is difficult to gauge if things are as encouraging as they may, on the surface look.......As of 7th January.     Total tested 5424   -    Positive Cases Perceived 335   //  Total tested positive since March 2020  -  97,459  The Total Recovered over same period - 80,671

Total Deaths..............................................   1,703

RETURNING TO OUR comments regarding changes we have had to go through over the last 6 months.

First a few photos of our Pre- School Unit                       

WE have allowed all classes but one to remain where they were - the youngest however have been relocated to what was the Secondary Girls Boarding Hostel.     The big problem was the lack of tables and even chairs, which in the end had to be fabricated just a few days before we were to open!     But we managed, and we have been able to accommodate almost the total number of students we had before.

Pre-School students are probably the most difficult to distance from each other, since they are totally abandoned to BEING together in everything, and especially at Breaks are ever rushing around together and playing games that seem to demand 'touch' and close chatter.  They reman a great joy, just to see their happiness and freedom from a any kind of fear or anxiety - even WITH having to wear masks all day.  But their teachers find it hard work to enforce the Rule of Law - and insist on spacing out of the classsroom. 

I am a little frustrated with my Blogger.   They have been constantly changing (improving) themselves and thus making what was easy and straightforward, for an old duffer like me, totally awkward and ,a nuisance.     These days I am unable to find out how each progressive page I create is actually looking and I must apologise if finally it prints out with page gaps,  and so on.    I have tried communicating with them but they seem very unhelpful.     But it does make every blog a labour.     Even difficult to put a phot where you want it without a hassle. 

To continue - here are some photos of various Classrooms - old and 'new'.

The recommended spacing of desks precribed by Governmend in Kenya is 1 meter only.   We had to remove and relocate 16 desks from the Classroom on the left which has space now only for 20 rather than the previous 36.    The photo to the right shows where the the 16 were relocated - to a converted Senior Boys Dormitory!  This had to have a wall taken down halfway down the length, and to the right a new partition put in.   The Boys Dorm was re-sited to another building.

Below to the left is a view of one of the junior primary classes where double desk needed to be divided into two singles so that we could use them still.   It was a lot of work but well done.    Two of or senior boys helped with the welding.   The result is really 'stop-gap' and we  hope,  eventually, to provide a less stark desk for this Grade, once things return to normal.   This Blog cannot do real justice to the work that has had to be done.     Additionally even some of our Staff have had to be re-located into difficult circumstances, and as said before, the School has had to see different departments encroach upon another for the time being.     Less convenient to students and teachers alike.     Also for the 600 or so day students arriving each morning it is NOT easy to see everyone individually TESTED, temperature taken, and sanitated all by hand BEFORE entry;   it takes time and patience.

BUT the SCHOOL is OPEN.      And, to some extent the HOMES remain open also.    We currently have 125 children and young people resident in our four family homes.     So far so good.   In the Beginning of my time in Kenya the LORD spoke and A  Family began, was sustained, and made to grow and prosper for fifty years.       We accepted whoever came to the Door, and still  do so.   The Government refers to each of them as 'OUR' children, as Wards of the State, but they do not in any way provide a shilling for their keep; their food, health, education, and general wellbeing.      It is God who opened the Door and it is God who Provided all each one was to need.        WE see them all as His children - and OURS as well, in His Name.       Since 2008 we have been under threat of Closure by the Government.   Twelve years have passed.      The Threat remains.     We also remain.     Fear NOT, says the LORD to our spirit.     Sing Praises, Stand and do nothing, and SEE the Salvation of the LORD.

And this is where we continue to be.        Thank you all who have likewise stood together with us, and been the channels of His Blessing day by day and moment by moment.

TEN of our College students (4 in University one doing I.T. and the others Teaching) and the other 6 doing Nursing, Secretarial, Accounts, I.T., Business Management, and Theology!   4 Girls and 6 boys. Ten more waiting to join their Colleges.   Some will Graduate this year, and others will hope to START their Course.    SO already many are believing the  LORD to find WORK......and this is much harder than it was with Covid 19 adding to the to difficulty.

Esther and I still carrying on from our little retirement cottage as honourary 'grandparents, with many opportunities to share in daily chores, and especially in praying for and finding time to relate to the children as chance is given.    We feel it a privilege to still be allowed a share in this ministry at our time of life.     We are both well.     I am still Diabetic, but well.     Have what my doc thinks might be a bit of arthritis in my left leg, but am mobile and still get about.   Esther too is generally well, and still busy with everything and everyone, as well as her hobby of Quilting!            A group of our Old Boys and Girls ('sons and daughters') sent us monetary gift just before Christmas.     We were very moved, and thank God for their care of us.       And, of course, Daryl is ever in and out every day, sharing all the news and so on, and does his best to bare with us, and take physical care of us.    We are Thankful.

I am not sure how regular my Blogs will be this year.      I am feeling slower, and frailer.   But I will try to share when I can.      I am encouraging Daryl to do his best, now, to be in touch with everyone.

God Bless you all, most of you we are supposing, still in Lock down.      Open your eyes, and SEE the very real fact _  if you are Believing in Jesus _ that beyond our carnal vision are ranged all the Forces and Power of God to protect us and ward us off from all the powers of the Enemy directed on us.   We are NEVER alone, and never out of His Hand.

Lovingly in Him

John, Esther, Daryl, and all the staff and children here with us.

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