| "It is for freedom that Chist has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" Galations 5 : 1 |
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| Prayer Update - September 2006 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 |
| Hi everybody! I can’t believe another month has passed already. The beginning of September is always special to me because my birthday is the 3rd. I had a really nice day, although the fact that it was a Sunday meant that I spent my birthday running round after children at church and although they said they´d behave since it was my birthday, only a few actually did! Some teenagers from the youth group I used to help out with came over with a surprise dinner for me and some handmade birthday cards which was really nice and after the “surprise dinner” I had another dinner which my husband had arranged at a nice restaurant in town…. and friends took me out the next two nights so over a 3 day period, I had 4 birthday dinners!! I thought that was quite impressive and it was lovely to celebrate with Chicho and friends…. and even with the kids that constantly wind me up and make me feel more like 86 than 26! There have been moments this month with various problems, health issues and other frustrations that have been hard and we´ve struggled, and thats why 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 is at the top of this update.... it's so reassuring to know that even when we go through hard times and troubles, we can still be renewed by God´s grace and love each day! Please pray that we will keep fixing our eyes on what is unseen and eternal as we seek to serve the Lord here. |
| Rachel's birthday with friends from the youth group |
| As we mentioned last month, we had some problems in the prison with one of the parents. Thank you all for your prayers for that situation. We´re happy to let you all know that the issue was quickly resolved and after a meeting with the president of the prison (an inmate) and the director of each of the three prison areas (also inmates) things were much better – the prison is run from the inside mainly and two of the men at the meeting were fathers of children and were supportive of us. We really appreciate your prayers as we were trying to sort things out and improve communication with the parents in the prison. A couple of days later, we had a meeting with the parents of all the children to talk through the programmes that the children are involved in, church activities and health care, and the response was very positive, which we are very grateful for and we give thanks to God for enabling us to use this difficult situation to actually improve relationships with parents! The dad that had the problem is also letting his children come out with us again and is chatting to us and the relationship there has also changed and been restored. With all the issues in the prison at the beginning of the month and the worries that they brought, Romans 8:28 came to mind, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Even though this started out as a “problem” and something to be resolved, in the end, our relationships with the parents have improved and been strengthened, and we are learning to be grateful for the all the obstacles that God puts before us, which sometimes seem hard to overcome, but in the end turn out to for the best, so we rely more on him, and are strengthened in our faith. |
| We have had a busy month with translating and distributing cards and letters from prayer partners for their children here in Trinidad which has been a huge encouragement; both for us, to see people taking a real interest in these children and praying faithfully for them, and also for the children, who are always so excited to hear from their special “aunt” or “uncle” There are now 89 children who have a specific person praying for them and we would ask that you would pray that God would really use this prayer project to build relationships between praying friends and young children and that lives would be changed through prayer. We also have some teenagers who don´t have anyone specifically praying for them yet and if you would like to get involved, please contact us and we will send you information on your new friend and you can start praying! One of the highlights of the month was a special birthday dinner for one of the girls from the children´s home, provided by her prayer partner. We invited all the older girls from the home to come and share with Ximena and 10 of us went out for a fried chicken dinner before coming back to our house to blow out the candles on the cake and as in tradition here, take the first bite (which means taking a bite with your mouth and having someone behind you who always pushes your face into the cake!) The girls had a great time and it since they don´t leave the home much, it was a good opportunity t share with them and chat and get to know them a bit better. Please pray for all the girls in the home and that they would really know God´s love and care and come to know him for themselves. |
| Paola with a present received from her prayer partner in Scotland |
| Birthday Party with the girls from the home |
| Classes this month went well and the children are enjoying their colouring books with bible story pictures and the older children continue to progress well with their workbooks and their talks with Chicho. They´ve also been enthusiastic about jigsaws and playing games and are learning how to share and play together, which is great to see and we pray that it will continue! Having Gabriela with us helps, especially with the bigger group in the afternoon and we´re now able to split the group into three. We had a couple of trips this month to get the children out of their normal routine and have something special for them. The first trip was the to swing park! We all got into the truck and drove off to the park and as soon as we arrived, everyone was running in all directions, looking for swings, chutes and open areas to run around in! After everyone had tired themselves out climbing up climbing frames and running wild, we had an egg and spoon race and some running races before having some coca-cola and heading home exhausted! The second trip was to the town square where the children spent time looking at turtles and little fish in the fountain in the middle of the square, and then had photos taken and had juice and biscuits on the park benches. |
| " Hi!! to all our far away friends!" - the kids at the fountain in the town square |
| Hernan with his completed Shrek jigsaw |
| Nothing beats the classic egg and spoon race! |
| Prayer Requests: Please continue to pray for Maira and her family in the prison, and especially her daughter Reina, who has moved out of her sisters house and is living with her boyfriend. Also for her sister Barbara who has a 3 month old baby boy. Please pray for OANSA - the leaders and children and that God would use this ministry to bring children to Him. For the church "El Jireh", the pastor, the leaders and all the members and children that meet together there to praise God. Please continue to pray for the transport situation and the possibility of buying a minibus to safely transport the children. We would ask for prayer for our living situation. We had hoped that we would be able to stay in the house where we are now for the next year, but we encountered some problems with the papers for the house when Chicho went to do the transaction with the lawyer and the owner. It now looks like the owner doesn´t have the necessary papers to let us have the house on this type of contract and if he doesn´t sort out the papers, we will be unable to stay where we are. We are once again looking for a house, and would ask for your prayers are we seek God´s guidance on the right place to live, until we can build our own house. Please pray also for my health. I have Pharyngitis again (the third time since July!) and I haven´t been feeling very well at all. I think the antibiotics are starting to help as I´m doing better this week and would appreciate your prayers for health and strength. Also prayers for Chicho as he deals with me when I´m ill and moody! Thank you once again for all your prayers and support. love Chicho and Rachel xx |
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