We send our prayers and good wishes to our Ugandan Representative; Joyce; and her husband Pastor Augustus on the birth of Baby Joseph. We also send our love to big (2 year old) sister, Blessing. We give God thanks for this new addition to the FML family.
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These past few weeks have certainly brought a lot of changes to my home, my family and to the work of Feed My Lambs. There have been times of sadness and tears; times of confusion and loneliness...but there have also been times of smiles when we have shared memories of my dad; times of thankfulness for the health he enjoyed for so long and for the time we had with him and times of determination to press on with the work of God which was so precious to him. No doubt, in the coming days, there will be many more mixed emotions, many more smiles and many more tears.....but through it all, the ups and downs, ALWAYS knowing that he is with his Saviour and his Saviour is with us! Thank you to all who have prayed; phoned; called at the home; sent cards, texts or emails.....we appreciate your love and support.
It has been a time of change at the market these past two weekends. Other stallholders and customers have found it strange to see the empty chair where dad consistently and faithfully sat. For us, we felt it even more so. It was a time of change for us and it was tough....but God helped and will continue to do so. William and I took our first meetings on Thursday evening. A children's meeting followed by a prayer meeting. Sharing about our trip to Africa in July and seeing dad in so many photos was tough.....it was very different.....but God helped and will continue to do so. Tomorrow evening we will share in another meeting and we appreciate your prayers for that. I am slowly and gradually getting back into the work again and have throughout, continued to be in contact with those in Kenya and Uganda. It has been a very difficult few weeks for the team in Africa as they loved my dad so much.....but God helped and will continue to do so. What a blessing to hear of a few new centres of children enrolled in Massai land in Kenya and it was wonderful to hear of over 400 children newly enrolled in Uganda, close to the border with Kenya. God is doing wonderful things. Yes, it has been a time of change....a time of change which has been difficult and which we would never have chosen....a time of change for the future with new decisions to make and one less person to help and advise us.....a time of change in the home and family with a very special dad, granda and friend gone.....but a time of change when God has proved Himself yet again to be the faithful one; who, through times of great change.....HE remains the unchanging one......yesterday, today, forever, JESUS is the same. DR CECIL MANN 6th August 1940 - 27th September 2013 "When I am gone, remember I'm with Jesus;
Then do not mourn because I've passed away. Life holds so many griefs and disappointments, And will you cry because I did not stay? 'Tis only for a spell we must be parted; Not many years on earth to us are given And when my Saviour tells me you are coming, I'll go with Him and welcome you to heaven. Grieve not because the eyes that looked upon you Shall never see your face on earth again; Rejoice, because they look upon the Saviour Who gave His life to ransom sinful men. Weep not because I walk no longer with you; Remember, I am walking streets of gold. Weep for yourselves that you awhile must tarry Before the blessed Lord you may behold." Pastor Aringo, Moses and the rest of the group they travelled with are now safely back in Kenya following their trip to Tanzania. They certainly had a blessed time and enjoyed the experience. I will hopefully share more details when I have had a full report from them....after they have had a little time to rest !
In Northern Ireland, we had a really encouraging time at the missionary convention last week. Many people showed an interest in the work of Feed My Lambs and much literature was distributed. We appreciated the opportunity very much and thank God for His help. We also enjoyed sharing with friends from Scotland on Friday night and telling them all about our July trip to Africa. This week we are hoping things will move at a slightly slower pace, but there is still lots to do as we begin to implement some of the issues which were raised among our workers while we were in Africa. Please pray for us as we prepare for a meeting on Monday 16th and for the country comes to town event in Portadown on 21st. Pray for Joyce as her due date draws closer. Pray that she will be kept in good health and that there will be minimal delays with the lessons while she having a break from the work. Pray on for Pastor Aringo and the team in Nairobi as they adjust to the new premises and pray for Moses and the school ministry team as the outreach into schools has started back again following the holidays. Please continue to pray for us. We have quite a few pressing financial needs at the moment and ask you to pray that God will provide for each of these. Trade at the market was steady on Friday, but very slow on Saturday for all traders. The weather here is getting colder and the sale of firewood and coal is slowing beginning again. Please remember William as he endeavours to keep up with the demand. We always appreciate your prayers and especially over these past few months. We look forward to issuing a prayer letter very soon. What a busy time we have all had this past week....both in Northern Ireland and in Kenya. In the words of Pastor Aringo; "we are so tired we could fall down...but we are very happy!" That just sums up the week for us all I think!
In Nairobi Pastor Aringo and others worked so hard all week to pack up our office and move to our new premises. Packing in itself was a huge job and some of the furniture had to be lowered on ropes from the window! A vehicle was hired to transport everything and by Friday I was able to speak to Pastor Aringo as he was in the new office with a few others trying to organise and get everything into place. And so, after 2 years of searching and praying; of being excited and disappointed; of taking one step forward and two steps back on many occasions;......finally, in God's perfect timing, He has brought us to the perfect place for our ministry and provided for the initial deposit and first month's rent. Praise God! We give Him the glory and thank Him for how He has led. We continue to trust Him for guidance for the days ahead. On Saturday, Pastor Aringo then attended a children's event which was organised by a local denomination in Kenya. Many of those present study our lessons and many are ready for Bibles. Unfortunately we were unable to have these Bibles available for distribution on Saturday, but we continue to pray for God's provision. As I write, Pastor Aringo and Moses are travelling to Tanzania for just under one week. We thank the Lord for the opportunity they have been given and pray for them and those they will travel with. We trust God for a safe journey and a blessed time. We know there is much interest in FML in Tanzania and this is partly the purpose of them travelling there. We pray again for wisdom for the days ahead. Here in Northern Ireland, we enjoyed being at the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention. We were able to have a stand each evening before and after the services. Literature was distributed and we were able to explain our ministry to those who showed an interest. A number of people signed up to our mailing list and we appreciate this very much. Tonight, we will set up the stand again at the annual missionary convention in a local Baptist Church. I will also speak about our ministry at the service this evening. We will again man the stand tomorrow night and Wednesday night. We appreciate your prayers. As always, we appreciate your prayers and ask that you continue to remember us in the coming days. The next two weeks are set to be very busy in the life of FML both in Northern Ireland and Kenya.
This week we will have a stand every evening at the Worldwide Missionary Convention in Bangor, Northern Ireland. This means a lot of travelling and late nights with lots still to do before setting up later today....but it is a good opportunity to raise awareness of our work. Please pray for good conversations and interest in what we are doing. Pastor Aringo is now back in Nairobi and later today he will begin the packing up of our office in preparation for the move to our new premises. This will be a lot of work and we would ask you to pray for him and those who will help him in this massive task. Please also remember Pastor Aringo and Moses as they travel to Tanzania at the beginning of next week. Pray that God will provide the necessary funds for this and help in all of the preparations this week. Without doubt the next two weeks will be among some of the busiest in our history. It is not often so much is happening on both sides of the world at the same time! Of course, the devil knows this too and he has been throwing plenty at us this past week. Please pray that we will be calm, know guidance, get enough sleep and know victory as we move on in God's will. Thank you for your continued prayers. We have now been back in the UK for nearly 4 weeks.....and what a whirlwind it has been!
When we returned home, we mentioned the disappointments we faced concerning the practical work in our office in Nairobi and another option which had seemed to come to a standstill. As you know, we have been searching for a long period of time for a larger office without success. Then the plan to purchase a plot of land had to be suspended. We settled ourselves to close in the balcony of the existing office to give more space and then that fell through too. We really were at our wit's end regarding this issue. BUT.....we are delighted to share that God had a plan and a purpose in it all. He knew our situation a lot better than we did and HE certainly went before us. Just when we weren't expecting it, God has opened that door for us and we have now secured a new base in Nairobi!!!! Negociations are complete and the lease has been signed. The office is a few minutes walk from our current location. It is safe, secure and is larger than our current office. It is one room with a walk in cupboard which is shelved and perfect for the lessons. There are additional storage options and the potential to expand in the future. The rent is higher than we are currently paying, but very reasonable and nowhere near the other prices we were being quoted. We are so excited to see the work grow in this way. The move will take place over the coming weeks and we will be working from the new office officially from 16th September. If you are in Kenya and plan to visit the office during the first two weeks in September, please contact us to find out exactly where we are and what stage the move is at as we may be between offices for those two weeks. Thank you so much to those of you who prayed much for this issue. Please continue to remember us as we establish this new base. There are some issues concerning both the current and new properties which would be much easier dealt with if we were in Kenya. We ask you to pray that we will know the Lord's leading in every step we take. Pray also for the finance necessary for the move and the ongoing rent as we take this next step. Meanwhile, we have a busy few weeks ahead here in the UK. We will have a stand at the Bangor Worldwide Missionary Convention each night from Monday 26th - Friday 30th August. The following week we have a new opportunity as our stand will be at Portadown Baptist Church Missionary Convention from Monday 2nd - Wednesday 4th September and we will be speaking at the Monday evening service. We appreciate prayer for both of these events. We then have a few other meetings before taking up our normal spot at the market for the annual Country Comes to Town event in Portadown on Saturday 21st September. Some other bookings later in the year and into next year are also new openings and we are delighted with this as well as opportunities to return to Churches where we have previously shared. Back in Kenya.....This week Moses and some of the Nakuru school ministry team are involved in a Church camp. Please pray for them as the share the Gospel with the children and pray that little ones will be saved. Pastor Aringo has been following up the work in Kisii and Western over the past few days and visiting centres there. Continue to pray for Pastor Meshack and others who are involved in the work in these areas. Joyce continues with the work in Uganda and there are some good developments there which we hope we will be able to share with you soon. We thank God that Pastor Aringo and Moses have been given the opportunity to visit Tanzania. They have been invited to join a group who are travelling there for a conference and will be representing Feed My Lambs. They will be there from 4th - 9th September. Pray that they will have a blessed time. A large children's rally will take place on 31st August and will be organised by a Church fellowship in Kenya. They are bringing together children from across the country who attend their Sunday Schools. They have asked that Bibles are presented to those who are due to receive them, on that day when they are all together. Almost 300 would be needed. We do not have anywhere near that amount of Bibles available or the funds to purchase them. It would appear that the quantity needed aren't even available in the Bible bookshop. We don't want to disappoint but we can only do what God allows....so pray that we will know the best action to take in this situation. We thank God for the privilege of doing His work.....and it is all because people like you pray! Thank you so much. We appreciate your support very much and hope you will be encouraged that God is indeed listening and answering. As mentioned last week, we thought it would be good to share with you how the Lord answered the specific prayer points we had shared with you before our trip. We hope you will be encouraged.
- Exploratory Farming trip Unfortunately this trip had to be cancelled due to unexpected changes in our timetable. However, we are delighted that we have been told we can arrange this for a future trip. - Safety and good health for the long flights We thank God for His hand upon us during the long journey. We did have delays on the outward trip and we were very tired....but we thank Him that the crew became aware of a problem in the plane and it was repaired. Had the Lord not brought it to their attention it could have resulted in a serious problem. - Our time and ministry in Uganda Uganda was hot! We all struggled a little with the heat BUT we enjoyed our time in the country very much. We visited a number of schools and Churches; met many wonderful children and were encouraged by the enthusiasm of the Pastors and Children's workers. We look forward to developing the ministry in the country. - The need of £1800 to secure our hire car God provided the entire amount which was needed. The car was paid in full before we left UK. Since returning home, the security deposit has been refunded in full as thankfully there was no damage and the hire company were satisfied with the condition the car was returned in. This was a big need and we give God the glory for His provision. - Meeting with markers and teachers in Nakuru This was such an encouraging time. We met with the team who are now ministering regularly in schools in the Nakuru area. We discussed much and have much to implement in the future. - Practical Work in Office This was the most frustrating part of our trip. We bought the materials and were ready to begin the work.....and then it all went wrong and we could not proceed. We were discouraged, disappointed and didn't really know what to do next.....BUT....since returning home we have realised that it didn't really go wrong but it was all in God's plan and there was a reason for what happened. We will share an update on this very soon. - Workers' Meeting A very productive and united meeting. It lasted quite a few hours but we covered everything on the agenda. Many good suggestions were made and agreement was reached on all issues. We thank God for such a great team. ------ In the run up to our trip we listed many issues for prayer. As you reflect on them now, we hope you will be encouraged to see how God answered. We are just amazed when we look back at how HE went before us and was in complete control of each and every situation. Thank you all so much for praying and standing in the gap. There is much planned for the coming weeks; in the will of the Lord; we continue to need guidance, wisdom and provision for the coming days and trust you will remember us before the Lord. We are back in UK after our trip to Kenya and Uganda. We have had a few days to settle back and reflect and now it is time for the work to start....where to start is the issue I am now facing as there is so much to do as a result of the past few weeks. Bit by bit I hope to add photos to the website so you can see some of the wonderful people we met and experiences we had. Meantime, I wanted to remind you of the prayer list we had added to for many weeks on this blog and share how the Lord answered your prayers. So, below are some of the prayer points from previous blogs followed by a little update. The remainder of the prayer points will be covered next week.
- Pray that God will continue to go before us He certainly did go before us and we were very conscious of this. In one issue in particular, we have realised that God knew what would work for us. We will share more later. - Take a moment to THANK GOD for what HE has done so far! We certainly thank Him for all He has done and are excited about the future. -Guidance as to which donated items to bring on this occasion This was difficult and we weren't able to fit everything in....but we managed some stationery and teaching materials. Thanks to those who donated. - Provision of Bibles for presentation during our trip We thank God we were able to collect 80 Bibles when in Kenya and brought them to Uganda. It was decided not to present them as any centre waiting require more and it is difficult to give to some children and not others. They have been left with Joyce. Pray for more. In particular, one large denomination are bringing together all of their children from various Churches at the end of August and would like Pastor Aringo there to present Bibles.....close on 300 are needed for this. - Meeting with School staff regarding building project We had a good time with the staff and students of the School and were able to discuss the work they need done. We are hopeful the project will go ahead and are expecting some more detailed information through from the school very soon. - Protection against the attacks of the enemy The devil always tries to unsettle....but God had the victory. - Teaching and Preaching preparation before we travel We felt that we ran out of time just before we travelled due to some unexpected events. However, the Lord enabled us to have most preparation done and we had time on arrival to finish off what had been started. - Teacher training in Kisumu in partnership with Kenyan Church We really enjoyed the teacher training seminar which was held in an FPFK Church not far from Kisumu. It was a different timetable as we only taught a few of the subjects from our 3 day seminar. Numbers were smaller than expected due to it being a week day and people had work commitments. However, those that came were very keen and we felt that they really listened and contributed well to the teaching. We have been invited to return in the future to hold a further seminar. ----- We thank you for praying for us and we thank God for answering. In next week's blog I will share some updates from the remaining prayer points. The need is great. Please pray that we will know much guidance in the coming days as decisions are made and Sunday afternoon and we are found in a place called Malaba. The town is partly in Kenya and partly in Uganda. Lorries and oil tankers que as far as the eye can see to get across the border. It can be a costly and exhausting experience. We had help from some locals but still we hit obstacles which have left us still in Kenya today instead of being in a Ugandan Church. Yes, HE goes before us but on days like this it is harder to see the purpose. Maybe we just needed a rest. It has been a busy week. However, Joyce's husband is the Pastor of the Church we were meant to attend and he came to the guest house to visit us. We had a great time with him and Pastor Aringo discussing many issues that affect us here. Perhaps this was God's plan. We thank God for time spent in Nairobi, Nakuru and Kisumu. God has kept us safe as we have travelled many kilometres. Pray for continued safety on these very busy and often difficult roads. We have had opportunity to teach the Gospel to children; to work briefly in our office; to be welcomed in a school as if we are royalty; to discuss a future practical project with a school; to train children's workers; to meet our school team and we have had a very profitable meeting with our workers. God has been blessing us so much. Tomorrow we will, God willing, travel into Uganda and spend a few days there. We will teach children, train workers and visit schools where the children study our lessons. Please continue to pray for us as we travel. We need God's protection. Pray for us as we work for Him. Pray for us as we face challenges and cultural differences. W |
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August 2022
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