We continue to thank God for His goodness to us. We had a good time of fellowship with prayer partners on Friday evening and enjoyed updating them on our recent trip and some of our plans for the future. When we see others encouraged, it encourages us as well.
As per our post from last week, please continue to pray for the need for Bibles. We are thankful for those who have responded to this need and will keep you all updated as to purchases made. This past week has been challenging to say the least as we have tried with the help of the Lord to sort out many very practical issues. There are times when it would just be so much easier to be in Kenya or Uganda and deal with the issues on the ground. Pray that we will continue to know the Lord's help and leading. We need a lot of wisdom regarding issues we are dealing with at the moment. Please continue to pray on that children will be saved through the spread of the Gospel.
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I came across a very interesting article about a 90 year old lady in Kenya who is studying at school. She has various reasons for doing so, but one is that she may learn to read the Bible. Here is a lady, it seems, who appreciates the importance of being able to read God's Word. She is making a big sacrifice to learn, but won't it be worth it to gain an education but also to be able to read the greatest book ever produced. She reminds me even of another man who is mentioned in the article. We have shared the story of Kimani Maruge with many children here in Northern Ireland over the past number of years as we have explained the work of Feed my Lambs and how we aim to provide Bibles for the boys and girls in Kenya and Uganda.
Yesterday I was speaking to Joyce in Uganda and to Pastor Aringo in Nairobi. Also, in the last few days, I have had an email from a Pastor in Uganda and also another Pastor in Kenya. I have also had communication and reports from a number of Schools and Churches in Nairobi where children study our lessons. The one word which I repeatedly heard from every single one of these contacts was the word "Bible". Why? because in each of these countries, these areas, these Schools, these Churches, are children who have reached Lesson 15 of our Feed my Lambs lessons and are now waiting for Bibles in order to continue with the lessons. Some of these children have been waiting for quite a period of time now and the need is becoming very urgent. We had asked for donations of used/second hand Bibles and appreciate the fact that so many of you have responded to this appeal. We are thankful for every Bible that has been received. We would encourage you however to only pass on used Bibles which are no longer needed rather than spending money purchasing them. Quite a number of folk have done that and it is definitely appreciated, however, in some instances new Bibles could have been purchased for the same cost as has been paid for the used Bibles. The idea of the used Bibles was that just a few could be given to a centre which had reached Lesson 15 in order to allow the children to proceed with the course. However, the ultimate goal is still that each individual child receives a new Bible of their own. Therefore, whilst we are happy to accept used Bibles which are no longer needed and can make use of these; yet we feel it makes sense that money is directed towards the purchase of new Bibles. Joyce informs me that another 500 or so Bibles are needed in Uganda and she expects that number to rise to over 2000 in the next few months. Pastor Aringo has said that 1792 Bibles are needed in Kenya. Bibles can be purchased here in Northern Ireland at anything between £2.00 and £4.50 depending on where they are purchased and the availability. The lowest price is obviously good, but then we have the issue of getting them to Africa. Sometimes this can take time and we can't have them there just as quickly as we would like. On the other hand, we can purchase them in Nairobi. Stock may be low but the quantity available would be there on the ground and into the hands of children quite quickly. However, at a cost of around £4.50 depending on quantity and exchange rate; these are more expensive that our cheapest source here in Northern Ireland. The Word of God is the most powerful book we could ever place into the hands of children. It is more than just a book. It is the living word of God. It is the Word which explains to the children the gift of salvation and eternal life. It is the Word which guides and directs the Christian child throughout their life and into adulthood. It is the rule book for the organisation of Feed my Lambs. It is the very foundation of our beliefs and teachings. The very first efforts of Feed my Lambs and the very first ministry of the organisation was the lessons which led to the presentation of Bibles. It was something which many people were excited about in days where so many organisations opt for humanitarian work, we were aiming simply to put the Word of God into the hands of boys and girls. I wonder as you read this blog each week are you still excited by that? Do you still pray that God will make his Word available to little children? In many cases these Bibles are the first to enter a home and a family and so reach many more people than just the individual child who received it. We would like to ask you to make this a real matter of prayer. We do not wish to see our Bible Lessons come to a standstill. We do not want the very core of our ministry to be unavailable. We do not want Churches, Schools, Teachers and the children themselves to be discouraged because they have made the effort to teach and learn and have not received their Bible. We do not want our workers on the ground frustrated and in a difficult position as they are continually asked for Bibles and cannot provide them. We do not want to be in a position were centres and children are turned away from our lessons because we cannot keep up with the demand. What can you do? Please pray that God will provide the needed copies of the Word of God. Please consider passing on your used KJV copies of the Bible which you no longer need but please keep the new copies as a priority when it comes to purchasing Bibles. Will you consider helping us financially to climb this great mountain and see these Bibles purchased and distributed? A one off gift would be much appreciated. Finances can be tight..... what about a small amount each month paid to us by standing order. Simply £5 a month can make a difference and buy a Bible in Africa and make it immediately available. Even £2 per month can buy one Bible here in the UK for distribution further down the line. These small amounts would hardly be missed and by setting up a standing order you would hardly need think about it each month....yet you would be making a big difference. Also, by committing in this way, it makes it easier for us to plan ahead. Remember, if you are in the UK and are a tax payer, you can also Gift Aid any donation which will allow us to claim a further 25p in every £1. It all adds up. Whether in the UK or abroad, donations can be made via this website. Simply click on the donation button at the bottom of the home page to donate via paypal. You don't have to have a paypal account as you can simply use a debit card. If you choose to give in this way, simply put on a note or send us an email to request a gift aid declaration form. Perhaps you would like to give as an individual or your Church would like to give. Perhaps you can encourage the boys and girls in your Sunday School or Children's meeting to bring a small offering each week for this cause. We would be happy to come and share with them also so they can see where the money goes. Perhaps you can encourage your own children to tithe their pocket money. Any amount, not matter how small, is appreciated. To request bank details to set up a standing order; to request a gift aid declaration form; to request our address to send a cheque; or simply to ask for more information, please email us at [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected] or call Pamela on (+44) 07711 644209 or William on (+44) 07879 063874. I cannot stress enough just how urgent this need is and I cannot stress enough just how much of a difference you can make......simply by praying and giving if you are able. Thank you in advance on behalf of the children of Kenya and Uganda. For your interest.... the article and related video about the 90 year old lady at school can be found by clicking this link http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-30935874 Thank you for your prayers for us over another week. We appreciate your ongoing support.
This past week Pastor Aringo and Eunice from our Nairobi office visited a number of Schools to specifically promote our new library of materials for teaching children. We have been encouraged by the interest shown and trust that those who said they would register will indeed do so over the next few weeks. Please continue to pray for Joyce as she serves with FML in Uganda. We know new Bibles are in demand there also. I hope to call her tomorrow for an update on the work there. Pray for those who are completing assignments on our email course and pray for new students to enrol. The Lord helped William to complete his assignment on time and he is awaiting the results of both that assignment and a previous one which was handed in before Christmas. Today I have been busy running around doing very practical things for FML. Sending money; emailing; collecting second hand Bibles which have been donated and also clothes which have been donated. Thank you to those who have contributed. Over the next few weeks we have few FML meetings but quite a lot of other commitments. March is shaping up to be very busy for Feed my Lambs here in Northern Ireland with a number of meetings booked. Some are already showing on our calendar while others are being planned and discussed at the moment and still need to be finalised. We are praying about the year ahead as we consider when to return to Africa. Pray that the timing will be made clear and all necessary funds provided. Pray also that we will know which areas to spend our time when there. We have been approached about promoting our library to a denomination and also conducting some training. There are also two areas where we feel we may need to spend some time. We need God's leading. We are also looking ahead to the end of the year and believe it or not we are looking forward to 2016 when Feed my Lambs will be 10 years old!!! We are intending to mark the occasion and are already praying through some ideas and considering dates. Pray with us that we will be clearly led. Thank you for your ongoing support. We thank God for helping William and I on Thursday past as we shared in our home Church about our latest trip to Kenya. We shared the powerpoint presentation, each sharing about our specific roles when we were away and William brought a short word at the end. We are grateful to those who attended and for the prayerful and practical support from our Church family.
This week William will be working on an assignment for his Bible College course. Please pray that he will know the Lord's help as he studies for this and as he returns to class on Thursday evening. He will also attend an additional training seminar this week in connection with our own fellowship. He also appreciates prayer for safety in travelling to his day job in these Winter months when the weather can be far from pleasant at times. This week I hope to be in contact with our offices in Kenya and in Uganda. We continue to implement new procedures and are dealing with one area/worker at a time and helping them through before moving on to the next. We hope in time we will have all following the same procedures. I also hope to be doing some more work on the dictionary which we are compiling to help teachers as their children follow our lessons. The dictionary aims to help with some of the words and phrases that they have been finding difficult. The need for Bibles continue to be a huge concern for us as children are waiting for them in both Kenya and Uganda. Pray that God will provide for these. Pray for Pastor Aringo in the office and for Eunice as she also works there. Pray they will be helped as they greet visitors, mark lessons and promote the new library. Pray for Joyce as she continues to serve in Uganda. She spends time in the office there marking and distributing lessons and she also visits many children who are studying the lessons. She needs the Lord's help. Moses continues to minister in the Nakuru area and appreciates prayer for the work among the children in that area. Please remember the many Pastors and teachers who are part of the work in both countries as they mark, collect and distribute lessons. We appreciate their ongoing efforts and remember them in prayer. Please continue to pray that the Lord will lead us for the year ahead and provide every need. Today is a very significant day.
Today it is 8 years since this website was launched. Over the years we have been able to add to it and keep our prayer partners up to date with the work in Kenya and Uganda. We have shared news and photos; answers to prayer and challenges. We have shared exciting and news and we have shared sad news. We have reached many countries across the world. People from 97 different countries have visited this website and that's not counting those who visited the old format. We thank God for every opportunity to witness for the Lord through this method. Today is also our first post on the blog for the New Year. 2014 has now gone into eternity and 2015 has begun. We were really challenged on Sunday morning as our Pastor spoke on planning for the year ahead. We have been talking and praying about the year ahead for Feed my Lambs. It is our desire to see the work grow. It is our desire to see more children reached with the Gospel and to see more teachers trained. It is our desire to see materials produced that will help more boys and girls come to know the Lord and help those who teach them. We would like to see our library promoted and teachers benefitting from it and we are trusting for more opportunities here in Northern Ireland. Let us pray that God will lead, guide, direct, provide and be our Captain for the days ahead. Today it is also my birthday! I thank God that not only do I have my physical birthday today....but on 4th March I celebrate my spiritual birthday....the day on which I trusted the Lord as my Saviour. It is our desire that many boys and girls in Kenya and Uganda will have two birthdays. Pray with us that this will become a reality!!! Our office in Kenya has now closed for the Christmas Holiday. Northern Ireland office will close tomorrow and the Uganda office will also close this week. All will re-open during the first week of January.
We would like to thank all of you who have prayed for the work of Feed my Lambs throughout this past year. Also a sincere word of thanks to those who have given financially or practically to the work. We value your support greatly. May we wish you and your family a very Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year. As you can see from the photos above; Saturday was a very special day for William and I as we joined with Kenyan friends living here in Northern Ireland to celebrate Jamhuri Day. It was a privilege for us to be there with them. There was a presentation on the history of Kenya, entertainment and a lovely meal. A beautiful cake decorated with the Kenyan flag was also enjoyed after we had stood for the Kenyan National Anthem.
We would like to say Asante Sana to our friends for the invitation and wish you a very special Jamhuri Day later this week. Of course this wish also goes across the miles to our dear friends in Kenya itself. Our blog is a little bit later this week, however we hope you have continued to pray for us.
The ladies' meeting last week went well and was encouraging. Apart from the possibility of one more meeting over the next few weeks (to be confirmed) we have no more meetings to speak at until the first week of January. Please pray for us as we prepare for each booking and pray that we will see even more opportunities in 2015. We have a huge need at the moment for more new KJV Bibles. A number of children are due to finish Primary School over the next few weeks and we really need to see them receive their Bible before they leave. Pray for this need. Do remember the various FML workers around Kenya and Uganda. Distributing and marking lessons is a big task and they need your prayers. We hope to have another prayer letter out very soon and encourage you to contact us if you are not on our mailing list. William and I really enjoyed the meeting we spoke at in Belfast last week. The group there are always really enthusiastic about the work in Kenya and Uganda and last week was no exception. It was great to see old friends and have fellowship with them.
This evening I will speak at a ladies' meeting a little closer to home. Pray that God will help in every aspect of my time there and that again there will be much interest to pray for the work of Feed my Lambs. The news from Joyce this morning is that she and her family are back home in Malaba after travelling to her father-in-law's funeral. Pray for them in the coming days that they will continue to know God's peace as they mourn. Pastor Aringo and Eunice have continued with the office work and from reports sent through to me I can see that many lessons are marked each week from numerous centres. Please pray on. Over the next few weeks things will start to slow down for the holidays. Pray that each member of the team in Kenya, Uganda and Northern Ireland will know God's help as deadlines are met and work tidied up before having some time off. Thank you for your prayers over another week. We were blessed at the house meeting on Friday evening and were encouraged by the questions which were asked. There is the strong possibility of another meeting in the same venue before the end of the year.
We were pushed for time in preparing the powerpoint presentation, but we thank God for His help. This evening we look forward to sharing in a ladies' meeting and ask for your prayers for that. Thank you to those of you who contributed to our recent clothes collection. The lorry arrived on Wednesday and we are now just waiting to hear how much was raised. It is now 4 years since we first began collecting clothes, shoes, bags, curtains, bedding etc. and in that time the amount raised to date; not counting this latest collection; amounts to £2810.75. This makes an enormous difference to the work of FML. Before throwing out those clothes that just don't fit anymore or which you are tired of, please consider contacting us to find out if they can be of use to us. Collecting clothes etc. is an ongoing venture for us so please do not think you cannot help just because this recent load has gone. Please continue to remember William in his Bible College course and pray he will know help as an essay is due next week. In the office here in Northern Ireland, I have been putting together some new records and files based on the reports coming in from Nairobi. This is to give me a clearer picture of the progress with the lessons and those who are studying them. It should also help me to see when centres have gone a long time without needing more lessons or returning lessons for marking and therefore it should help us to follow up those who have stopped the lessons for whatever reason. As we get this implemented for Kenya, I will then aim to get the same system running for Uganda. It very much requires those in our offices in Africa to report in the same format and so it is a team effort. As often happens with new ventures like this, there can be teething problems, however, things are settling now and it is starting to come together. We would ask you to pray very much for Joyce; who is our representative in Uganda; and her husband Pastor Augustus. Pastor Augustus' father in law passed away and the funeral was on Saturday. Joyce and her family travelled to the village for the event. Please continue to remember them in prayer. When we were in Kenya at the end of September, Joyce had to attend the funeral of her Uncle and now they have lost another loved one. Please be with them during these difficult days. Pastor Aringo and Eunice continue to appreciate prayer for their ongoing work. Pastor Aringo visits many centres and teaches in Churches at the weekend as part of his work with FML. Eunice keeps many records and welcomes those who visit our office. Both are involved in marking the many lessons which pass through the office. Please continue to pray for them both. There are so many day to day happenings in the work of FML both in Africa and N.Ireland. So many opportunities to serve God and so many tasks which are necessary but very seldom are mentioned in blogs or prayer letters. Please continue to pray and ask God to bless every part of the work. |
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