HRPC TeamTalk

One of my favourite Chichewa proverbs is ‘Mutu umodzi susenza denga’. Literally, ‘One head doesn’t carry the roof!’ When building a village house, the roof is completed in a section and then supported on several heads whilst being put up. The proverb emphasises the need to cooperate to get things done – a theme that links many of the events of the last few months. Thanks to grants from ELMA Philanthropies and the Day One Project at Rice University we’ve just secured all the money we need to revamp our neonatal care unit – the place we look after premature babies. In particular we’ll be doubling the size of our Kangaroo Care unit.  Kangaroo care is the evidence-based, low-tech way to care for small babies in our sort of setting. Thanks to the cooperation of the hospital management, the plans are proceeding well through the various regulatory bodies and we hope to get building early next year. With the help Dr David Sweet (a neonatologist in Belfast) and the Perinatal Trust in Northern Ireland, several of our neonatal nurses attended the International Neonatal Nurse conference in Belfast in September. Our ‘senior’ sister Netsayi Gowero was runner up in Save the Children’s ‘International Neonatal Nursing Excellence Award’. The video they made about her work is worth a look. Our application to the African Paediatric Fellowship Program was successful and we have secured funds to train 8 specialists over the next 5 years. In a country with 7 million children and only 14 paediatricians, this is very good news! It is very heartening to see several ex-Christian Medical Fellowship student leaders join the department as postgraduate trainees. The One-Stop team has been strengthened by the addition of Tengi as a full-time ‘volunteer’ counsellor. She is being supported by Fountain of Life. The Ministry of Health have posted a full-time clinician (Tamanda) at the centre. Hopefully she’ll help improve the care we offer to adult women who have been raped. Road to Relief (a local Malawian Charity sponsored a recent awareness raising tour.  Resplendent in their new ‘T’ shirts and caps, the team visited every health centre and police unit in the district – talking about their work to staff and putting up posters. The funds to buy the phone credit and the motorbike fuel we need to make the centre work come from lots of donors in Presbyterian Churches in Ireland, our friends and family. THANK YOU! We had a great family holiday in South Africa at the end of July. A week in the Drakensberg, followed by a week at the beach was just what was needed. Whales were watched, mountains climbed, and sharks avoided. Ben’s GCSEs went well and he’s started his ‘A’ level courses at St Andrews. Grace is now in year 9 (3rd form in old money) and enjoying playing the saxophone in the church worship group. Sara is teaching year 6 in Phoenix. Thankfully the troubles that affected the school during last year have resolved. In the Bible, Paul thanks his friends in Philippi for their ‘partnership in the gospel’ (Phil 1:5). When we look back over the last few prayer letters, we give thanks to the Lord for those who have prayed for the grant applications or the One-Stop awareness campaign or the kid’s exams. You’ve helped to ‘carry the roof’! Here are some ideas for your prayers for the next few months: ·        Give thanks for the many answers to prayer we’ve seen and the many different groups and people that the Lord has used ·        Give thanks for some new cardiology scanners that have been donated – and for Dr Heather Clements who helped us learn how to use them! ·        Pray for the new members of the One-Stop team. Pray that they will help the work to grow. Pray in particular that we would overcome the obstacles that stop some adult women accessing the centre. ·        Pray for our new postgraduate trainees – Jessie, Rizine, Elizabeth, Gugu. Pray that as they learn to be paediatricians, they would be a good witness to their patients and colleagues. ·        Pray for the visit in October of a team from Bloomfield Presbyterian Church who’ll be working and teaching in Queens. Pray for Rev Frank Sellar who’ll be the main speaker at the Christian Medical Fellowship national day conference on October 26th. ·        Pray for us all as a family. Pray for Ben and Grace – several of their closest friends left Malawi during the summer. Neil, Sara, Ben and Grace

Good afternoon praying friends, It has been an unusually long time since last time I wrote, and most of you will know (some by first-hand experience) that I am back in Northern Ireland. Despite what many, including me, might be tempted to think, a break from serving in Malawi is not a break from living 100% for Christ. On top of that, life goes on in Ekwendeni and I don’t want you to be uninformed about that either.

Since flying into the UK on August 8th (a day late due to the Nairobi airport fire), I’ve had the luxury of 3 weeks total holiday on the Mainland with family and friends and two weeks of comparative holiday in Norn Iron. It’s interesting to find out what I really do miss in Malawi; people I already knew about, but I’ve really enjoyed the sense of not being an outsider (relatively speaking) and being in my own culture. As well as that is the obvious relaxation of being away from college and other ‘people ministry’ responsibilities. Even though I was feeling more and more comfortable in Ekwendeni, it turns out that it was still pretty taxing in many ways.

The plan for the next three months is to keep letting the batteries recharge, even as I become increasingly busy with speaking (I’m at about 20 churches, which will eventually all be listed on the PCI overseas board website - http://www.pcimissionoverseas.org/get-involved/deputation/whos-speaking/ - the September 18th engagement has moved to 2nd October). As I keep saying, not many people get the chance to speak to hundreds of people about what they’re most passionate about, especially in a situation where they pretty much have to listen. So it’s a privilege, and I’ll keep repeating that to myself as I drive back across the Glenshane Pass at 11pm on a stormy October night, or as the sat nav sends me through a field. I will also be doing a fair bit of studying, some more generally on the nature of the church’s mission, and some in specific preparation for teaching in January (my Hebrew needs particular attention). Those walking down Clifton Road will regularly catch sight of the back of my head in my bedroom window; be assured that I’m not just watching youtube (usually).

I have heard bits and pieces from friends in Ekwendeni, and the first thing to report is that the College of Theology is continuing in full swing despite challenges to its stability. The financial situation is still a grave matter of concern, but with the arm of the Lord being as it is, there is no place for hopelessness. In terms of personnel, the second member of staff to start his masters’ degree – the Rev Colby Kumwenda - is safely in Edinburgh and Mr Tyler Holm is back at the college. Everything should just about be covered until the end of semester and in fact the Synod posted a new lecturer to Ekwendeni, Rev Mwangonde, who starts in January. In the meantime, things are a bit stretched for the whole college community and a lot of discipline and determination will be needed to keep everything going well.

Even before I left, prices of maize were rising at alarming rates. It is nearly impossible for some of us to imagine, but try and put yourself in the position of a family with no job, no real qualifications, no land, no well-off relatives and rising food prices.

What do you do?

A friend of mine, when I ask him how he is, often says ‘I’m being given my daily bread. I can’t complain’. But don’t be deceived; even those who just about eat enough never have a lot of things that we would take for granted as ‘necessities’. I wish we could be softer hearted.

Give thanks that I’m having a chance to rest, process things and (hopefully) inspire others.

Lift up the College of Theology to the Lord of the harvest for whose kingdom work it exists.

Pray for justice to increase, especially in the Ekwendeni area; that those who have too little are helped, and those who have more than enough have the love and wisdom to help well.

In Christ, Matt

Hola from Havana! The summer just seems to be flying by and through trips home, a Step team arriving and preparing for the new term we’ve been kept very busy! As always thank you for your on-going support and love –may our Lord bless you all every so richly and we hope you are enjoying the British  summer!

Travels, Teams and a Finished Terrace! It seems like a world away now, but Tagle and I were deeply blessed and encouraged through our few days at home in N.Ireland at the beginning of July. It was amazing to spend time with my family, to rest, catch up with a few friends (although we would have loved to have had time to see more!) and enjoy Christian fellowship. Thank you God for making the impossible and unexpected possible! But  inevitably not long after we arrived we were saying goodbye and once we got back, work was awaiting us and my war against the ants resumed! Thanks to a couple of bank holidays Tagle and I finally got our terrace finished and put up our hammock, as well as pieces of material to give us a little more privacy. It is just GREAT to finally have a place to sit (or in this case swing!), to think and read. It is something so small, but it has made a real difference for me so I couldn’t be more thankful. At the beginning of  August we welcomed this year’s Latin Link Step Team (4 girls and 6 guys) and they are just great. God has proven faithful in every detail and necessary provision and it has been great spending time with them as they settle into their time here in Cuba. They are based in a Church in Los Palacios (near Pinar del Río) and will be doing a lot of work within the local community/running prayer nights/evangelistic events, all in partnership with the local church there and its members, particularly the youth. Please pray for them as they seek to plant seeds which will grow long after they leave.

Congratulations Pop! This month our dear friends Lynda Topping and Stuart Nelson  became Mr. and Mrs. Nelson and although it was heart-breaking not to be able to be there, Tagle and I wish them every love, blessing and joy in our Lord. There are no words to say how delighted we are for you both and although we weren’t able to be with you on your wedding  day, you’ll always  have  our  friendship and  love  throughout  your marriage. We love  you  both and you are never far from our prayers. Felicidades!

New Life Church For  many  years  now  the  Western  Cuban  Baptist  Convention  has  been  praying  and  eagerly  waiting  for  the  opportunity  to  plant  a  new church in the Baptist Cemetery here in Havana. Amazingly God  has opened up  the opportunity  for our family  to play a key role in  the leadership of the new church and we couldn’t be more excited!  Since February we have been leading one of Almendares’  fellowship  groups  located  in  a  house  right  beside  the  cemetery.  The vision is that this fellowship group will them go on to form the  core members of  the new church and so it has been great getting  to know everyone and  pray  together over all  the plans. There is a  small church  building  on  the  plot which we  have  been  renovating  slowly over  the  past number of months and God willing, it will  be  ready  to  use  by  Oct/Nov.  Tagle’s  dad  Carlos,  (who  is  currently  working  as  the  Elderly  Pastor  in Almendares Baptist  Church), has  been  asked  to  become  the  Pastor  of  the  new  church,  called  New  Life Baptist Church, and so Tagle and I will be working closely with  him, particularly in terms of the praise, youth work and teaching. A  couple  of  weeks  ago  we  finished  working  through  Christianity  Explored  with  the  group  and  it  was  such  an  amazing  resource  to  have. The group loved working through Mark’s gospel and were so  diligent  in  their  ‘homeworks’  each  week.  It  must  be  said  that  we  are definitely an eclectic bunch, but every week there is a growing  sense  of  fellowship  and  the  group  seems  to  be  feeling  more  comfortable to share and participate. For me personally, I’m really excited and a little curious at the same  time  because I have never  been involved in a church  plant before  and  so  suddenly  all  my  classes  in  Belfast  Bible  College  about  contextual ecclesiology and my  own experiences  of  church are all  running around my head! Above all though, we are praying that we  will be faithful to the responsibility that God has entrusted us with  and that many people in the local area (where there is little church  presence) will come to know Him personally.

And Prayer Points/Diary Dates § Step  Team:  Remember  the  team  as  they  serve  in  Los  Palacios  Church.  Pray  for  depth  of relationships,  understanding,  help  with  the  language  barrier  and  that  many  people  will  come  to know Christ! § Tagle and I: Sometimes we wonder what we’re really doing here and if we are really pleasing and  serving  God  to  the  best  of  our  love  and  abilities. I  wonder  if  we’re like  the  Church  in  Ephesus, displaying perseverance but forgetting our ‘first love’. Pray for us as we pray through this. § Tagle: Things at work just seem to be getting worse and worse and so please pray that he will have Godly patience and perseverance. Also the wisdom to discern what God would have him do/go. § Pray  for New Life Church: Remember Carlos as he prayerfully prepares to pastor this new church. May he have the wisdom and the vision to know and implement how God would like things to be done. Pray for us, as a ‘new’ part of God’s body, to serve together, cultivate authentic unity and for God’s continual provision both in terms of resources, but also people’s giftings.

David, Lucy & Naomi Eastwood Chung Shan Road, Section 3, Lane 1, No. 26, Taiping district, Taichung 41169, Taiwan Phone: Taiwan (886) 422757445 E-mail: [email protected] SKYPE: davidjeastwood

Summer means hot sticky weather and short-term teams, which force you to go out in the hot sticky weather. The team from Ohio at the end of July were an answer to prayer. It was an encouragement to have them with us for the week and the Lord blessed the various activities. Perhaps the highlight was the youth outreach over three afternoons. This was an intense time of outreach to some of the youth that have been contacted by Su Lin, who runs the restaurant next to our center. We had around 15-20 each day and one girl in particular was touched by the messages and prayed to become a Christian. Please pray for Minwen who is 15 and from a family that, while not opposed to her occasionally coming to church, would not be happy with her being committed to the faith. We now need wisdom as to how we can follow up the contacts that have been made with these local youth. Tim & Jennifer McCracken have started a Friday Night craft & story activity that some of the youth have attended. We are not sure if it will be possible to continue this after the new school term starts but it has helped to keep contact with those who came to the outreach.  

Another highlight was the "American Party" on Saturday evening. We handed out over 600 invites to this throughout the week and had around 80 people turn up. These included some of our own contacts and church people, a youth group from another church and a lot of new people that we met throughout the week. David spent the evening grilling 75 hamburgers and 50 hotdogs. We had a brief testimony time at the end of the evening.

Pray for the team from Ohio, that they will continue to process the various lessons that God was teaching them during this trip and perhaps a few may end up becoming long-term missionaries.

People to Pray for: A-Syin from Vietnam still hasn't yet made a commitment to Jesus and continues to experience frustration with her marriage to A-Ming. She prayed for the first time in a meeting recently.

Bau-Jin started running a restaurant in July but the stress of the work, plus having three children on summer break and very little support from her husband has proved too much for her and she may not continue despite the business being initially successful. Guan-Tsau continues to struggle with stomach problems and has been very down. We need at times to remind ourselves of how much progress he has made spiritually and how difficult it is for a person handicapped from birth to feel valued within Taiwan's society. David meets with him at lunchtime every Wednesday. Please pray for wisdom in knowing how to support him without letting him swamp us with all his problems.

Diana Cheung, from Costa Rica has settled into language school and will joining us in Taiping at the end of the year. Thank you for praying for her visa situation, though it was difficult to work out finally she was able to get the correct documents and can stay in Taiwan. Recently we have been helping Paul and Abbey Brookes, new missionaries from the UK. They are not part of our team but will be living in Taiping while beginning language study and we have been helping them to settle here. Please pray as they adjust to a new lifestyle and try to make friends in the area. Nathan & Tina Keller have been delayed for a month but plan to return with their 3 children at the start of October to join the Taiping team. Please pray for Melanie Bister, from the UK. Melanie has been working with OMF in student ministry in Taipei but will move to Taiping / Taichung this month where she will take on the role of new worker's supervisor and also hope to become involved in youth or student ministry in Taiping.

Our holiday plans for this summer did not work out as expected. As we were about to leave the house to catch to boat to MaZu Island we had a call to say the boat was cancelled due to a nearby Typhoon. We did however manage to get away for a few days holiday in the South of Taiwan and a few days in the Mountains. Recently Lucy heard that her mother's older sister has been diagnosed with cancer. Please pray as we interact with the family and especially for a planned visit on the 31st Aug/1st Sept. Naomi has now started at Morrison Academy High School and claims that this means more homework!

Dates for Prayer in August / September 26th-28th Aug - David in Taipei for OMF field council meetings. 1st September - visiting Lucy's relatives in Kaohsiung 21st Sept - Autumn Moon Festival BBQ outreach 29th Sept - David preaching at Beside Waters Church

Yours in the Lord,

Family Update

Dear friends and prayer partners!

Very warm greetings from Slovenia, where we are trying to cool down in the shade at about 35 degrees!

After arriving home in the beginning of July we had a lot of catching up to do with our families and friends. It was great to see everybody and receive a warm welcome. Children were excited to see their rooms, toys and other familiar things that felt like new again. They really enjoy running about in the garden, whenever it is not too hot. Of course all the excitement can make them a bit careless so Ben already had a visit to the hospital with fear that his elbow might be broken after a bad fall. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, only badly bruised and is again fully functional.

We have spent the first two weeks trying to get sorted with all the necessary connections, home, utility bills, etc. It is amazing how time flies when trying to get organized.

Grannies were happy to see they grandchildren and they already had a chance to spend some good and fun time together when we were sorting out all the necessities and having meetings in the church.

We also visited my (Alen’s) grandmother who lives in the care home and struggles with dementia. Her condition has gotten worse over the year; however she remembered us all and was really happy to see us again. Please pray for her, her name is Kristina.

Jure (Lila’s brother) is also doing reasonably well, though he was recently transferred from the open facilities to closed unit where the nurses are able to keep a better watch over him. Please continue praying that he will know the Lord’s peace and comfort.

Being back home in Slovenia feels like ‘home’, however it also feels very different. Rebeka already misses her friends from school and UNITE in HRPC. Jakob keeps asking when we are now going back to our house in NI. Maybe in his mind he thinks he is on holiday. Ben has sent greeting cards to his friends in NI after talking about how he misses them.

CHILDREN AND SCHOOL

Children visited their school in Ljutomer and returned some of the materials they’ve used during our time in NI. Their teachers were glad to see them and were very helpful in sorting out all the necessary things with regards to recognition of their results from NI.

Jakob was excited to see the school and meet his new teacher. In our system he will start 1st grade of primary school in the beginning of September. He did however make sure to tell them that he already is a ‘big boy’ as he finished P1 in NI. 

Rebeka and Benjamin shared about their experiences from school and explained to teachers and some other staff about what a great time they have had in NI.

Rebeka and Benjamin are now progressing forward as normal into year 7 and year 3 and Jakob will start with year 1.

They are all looking forward to school, to seeing their old and new friends; however it will be interesting to see how they will cope with our system again after a very different way of learning in NI.

UPDATE ON CHURCH

Returning to the Lutheran church in Murska Sobota after a year was interesting; in one sense it was encouraging meeting with other members of the team and receiving a very warm welcome from them and some of the other members of the church. On the other hand it was not easy to hear about some of the recent developments in the church. The team at church is facing opposition with regards to the work we are involved in (reviving the church from within). Leon (the minister) in particular is in need of encouragement to continue responding to the call of the Kingdom. Along with him we are determined to continue the work and see people becoming or continuing to be faithful followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, though we are now more aware of the opposition from some of the other Lutheran ministers. Please continue praying for wisdom, protection and perseverance in sharing the Lord’s gospel and see him exalted in the life of the church. We know it will not be easy after the lines have been drawn; however we are determined to stand for the Lord.

As a testimony to our Lord’s providence, faithfulness and encouragement when we are under pressure; amidst all of what was going on in church, all the meetings and stress our next door neighbour came over one morning and asked us to share with her the reason for our peace and joy. She is married, has two lovely children, a good job and a new house; however she has no peace, no rest. We were able to share with her our testimony and she went home saying she wants what we have. Please pray that she will continue to seek the Lord and that she will know Him and follow Him. Please also pray for her husband and their two children.

FUTURE PLANS AND PRAYER POINTS

We have become official members of the Lutheran church in Murska Sobota this month and we are currently exploring and discussing employment options through the church for both of us. Please pray for wisdom and guidance from the Lord in this.

The church life is quiet at the minute with the summer holidays; however this is a good time to evaluate the

situation and plan for the future. Please pray that we would know the Lord’s guidance in how to best move forward with the ministries in church.

Please continue praying for the team that is involved in the work at the Lutheran church in Murska Sobota; pray for protection, unity, growth and mutual encouragement within the team.

Please continue praying that the Lord would use us in the lives of people; that they may know Him and follow Him. Pray that we would remain faithful in our daily walk with Him, that we would remain aware that reform and renewal is the Lord’s work and He will bring people to Himself according to His good will and purpose in His timing.

Pray for our witness in Ljutomer, pray for our neighbours and friends; it is our deepest desire that they would come to know and follow the Lord.

Pray for Rebeka, Benjamin and Jakob as they reintegrate in the school and re-establish friendships.

Continue praying for their walk with the Lord. Rebeka is eager to be baptized and so publicly profess her faith in the Lord. It is a tremendous encouragement and joy to see the children professing faith on their own. Praise the Lord!

Please continue to pray that the Lord would move in the hearts of people who would support the Lord’s work in Slovenia in prayer and finance.

GIVING

Considering supporting us? Then please follow the link and designate your gift for Alen and Liljana Kercmar.

THANKFUL FOR THE YEAR IN NI

Dear friends and prayer partners, our time in Northern Ireland has come to an end. Therefore our last newsletter from here and also shorter with more focused update.

It has been an amazing year full of new challenges and opportunities to grow in our relationship with the Lord. We have enjoyed our time in HRPC and the privilege we had of visiting other churches across NI and making new friendships. It is humbling to know that we are part of a bigger family that is ready to stand with us and pray for the work the Lord is doing in Slovenia.

The children are finishing school on June 19th. Rebeka is aware of the change that is coming and is already talking about missing her Christian friends in school and UNITE in HRPC. Jakob, Benjamin and Rebeka have all done really well in school and we are grateful for your prayers for them over the past year. Lila has enjoyed being involved in the churches ministries and will not be leaving them behind lightly.

Alen is finished with college and has enjoyed his studies, although he found it quite challenging and hard at times. The Lord has been faithful and looking towards Him throughout this academic study was of key importance. It is very easy to lose oneself in academic exercise rather than grow in owe of who our Father is. He is the Lord God whom we worship and adore rather the just study and analyse.

BACK TO SLOVENIA ON 2ND JULY 2013

So our route is planned and our tickets are booked. We will hit the road on 2nd July across to Cairnryan, driving to Hull, taking the overnight ferry to Zeebruge (Belgium), drive to Nurnberg (Germany) and then to Ljutomer (Slovenia). Yes, quite a long journey, but we will make it and adventure.

We are looking forward to going back to Slovenia and seeing family, friends, people in church, etc., however if we could have the best of both worlds we would not complain.  If you remember from our April newsletter we serve in one the darkest places in Europe with less than 1 Christian per 1000 people among 2,025,000. We will miss HRPC and new friends we had the privilege to get to know. We thank you for your interest in us as a family and partnership in the Gospel. Let us continue to pray for the Lord’s work in Slovenia and look with anticipation into the future of what the Lord will do for the glory of His Holy name.

If you wish to contact or see us before we leave:

Alen (079 071 72959) & Lila (079 071 72951) or e-mail: [email protected]

Please pray for:

- Pray for safe travel. We will be on the road from July 2nd.

Pray for the transitional period for children as they go back to school in Slovenia.

- Serving in one of the spiritually darkest places, pray for the protection and empowering of the Holy Spirit as we continue to serve alongside Leon in Murska Sobota Lutheran Church which in itself is a mission field.

-Please pray for us as a family that we would remain strong in the Lord and be aware of the Lord's presence.

-Pray for the existing believers to meet together for prayer and fellowship.

  A new year and a new acting Principal for NETS!  Although Josh continues to make good progress with his health (more about that in a moment) he decided to pass on the leadership of NETS to his colleague, Simon Gillham.  In God’s good timing, Simon had handed over his position as Academic Dean to Basilius Kasera (a Namibian) and was therefore free to take on this new challenge.  He is an excellent leader and will bring fresh thinking to the role.  Please pray for Simon as he adjusts to his new position.  Obviously, this will be a big change for Josh as he has been in leadership for the past five years at NETS (four of which he was the Acting Principal) but the good news is that he will be able to take on more lecturing now (something he has been longing to do!)  Pray for Josh as he teaches The Trinity and The Pastoral Epistles this semester.

    The B12 injections seem to be having their desired effect.  Sensation is returning to Josh’s body, but it is a very gradual process.  From time to time he still has problems with his eyes (which makes reading difficult!) and feels dizzy, but these problems do not seem as bad as they were.  In February he hopes to have a gastroscopy to find out why his body is not absorbing vitamin B12.  Please pray that he would continue to make good progress.

In early December we had a family holiday in Cape Town.  It was a long drive (2 days there and 2 daysback!) but it was so nice to be in this beautiful city again.  What made it particularly significant was the fact that Cathy’s parents made a surprise visit (we had no idea!) and so we were able to spend time with them.  It was especially lovely for the children to be with their grandparents just before Christmas

News in brief

  ·       Please pray that we will be able to find new tenants for our house in Lowestoft.

·       This semester Word Alive will not take place at NETS, but staff-student teams will run a programme for four local churches.

·       By the middle of the year NETS hopes to start building the first new accommodation block at the back of our site.  It is hoped that this will help to cover the cost of salaries for our local staff.

·       NETS is due an inspection this year from the Namibia Qualifications Authority.  Please pray that this visit would go smoothly and that NETS will be able to get re-accreditation with them.

·       Many of you will remember Peter Tefo (a former student) who is back in Lesotho working as a pastor.  He has received an excellent result for the first module of his Masters, but is in need of further finance to complete the programme.

  New email address

Josh will no longer use the [email protected] account.  Instead he will use [email protected] (particularly for NETS-related traffic).  We will still use the [email protected] account at home.

  Cathy’s Comment

The November meeting with the Ministry of Education to discuss a Biblical Studies programme was cancelled due to a nationwide teachers strike.  This process has been slow and frustrating.  Please pray that those involved in arranging the meeting will not give up but that a break-through will happen this year allowing children to hear the gospel in schools across the country again.

  It has been wonderful having the children at home for 6 weeks and we have spent some lovely days relaxing, swimming, picnicking and eating ice cream together.  Now the holidays are over.  Pray for the children as they start new classes at school with new challenges.  Pray for me as I restart the school prayer meeting, the book stall at NETS and get involved in the Ladies Bible Study again.

  Benjamin’s Blog

In Cape Town we went to a castle and saw cannons.  We even heard one go off!  We went up a cable car, went to a carol service in the botanical gardens and got to eat McDonalds more than once!

  Erin’s Entry

I auditioned for the school choir and I got in!  I am learning to play the recorder this year and also to play tennis.  In church I said my wish for this year was to see my Nana and Papa again.  We had a picnic with our church and we got to eat lots of goodies, including marshmallows!

   Matthew’s Musings

Some friends came to eat with us during the holidays.  Aune taught me how to play games on an iPad.  Mummy is in despair that I can’t yet hold a pencil ‘correctly’ but I have the ability to fling birds across a screen with accuracy and cut ropes to let frogs catch bugs in their mouths!

  We are really excited that Crosslinks celebrates its 90th anniversary this year! Over the past 90 years Crosslinks has enabled more than 820 Mission Partners to serve in over 45 countries resulting in better equipped local leaders and strengthened gospel initiatives.  We are thankful to the Lord for all that has been achieved through Crosslinks and look forward to further fruitful ministry in the coming years. 

  To facilitate this on-going ministry Crosslinks urgently needs new regular and one-off givers.  It would be great if you could prayerfully consider supporting the work of Crosslinks in this way –  see the enclosed flyer for further details about how you can be involved.

  During October this year I spent two weeks in Uganda and South Sudan, working with ‘Christianity  Explored’ (CE) and ‘Fields of Life’ (FOL). We were in South Sudan at the invitation of Bishop Moses Deng of Wau diocese and Bishop Abraham of Aweil diocese to lead  a Christianity Explored training conference for pastors and church leaders. The challenges of organising such a conference are significant as great distances are involved and this is the first time such a conference has been held.

  South Sudan is a young country just over a year in existence and the fact that it has suffered more than 50 years of conflict and civil war is obvious. The results are apparent with lack of education, health and transport. Soldiers are visible on the streets with a strong UN presence. During our last day of the conference the sound of gunfire could be heard close to the compound we were in, which was close to the Cathedral and guesthouse of the Episcopal church of Sudan.

  To organise such an event it is necessary to have someone local who can advise and assist. In this case I was grateful for the help of the Rev James Baak, Country Manager for Alarm. Alarm is an NGO that has grown out of the genocide in Rwanda and Darfur. James is involved in peace and reconciliation work and is very happy to  support the work of Christianity Explored to help equip church leaders in South Sudan and to help them in evangelism and discipleship within their communities. James has lived through the war and famine in South Sudan, at the age of 13 he was forced to leave his village which had been destroyed by Muslim militants, and walk by foot to Ethiopia where he was placed in a refugee camp. It was there he heard the gospel and received Christ as his saviour. After being moved to Nairobi, Kenya he entered a theological college and was ordained as a minister. In 1998 he returned to South Sudan where he planted a church in his home village and led many people to Christ, including his immediate family. Since then he continues to work for Alarm and support the work of many pastors.

  The CE training conference in Juba was led by Rev Stephen Sizer and myself with support from James Baak, Bishop Moses and Bishop Abraham. Churches represented included the Episcopal Church of Sudan, Africa inland church, the Pentecostal church and the Presbyterian Church. Many of those attending travelled over 500 miles to attend. During the first day Rev John Athil from the local Presbyterian Church translated to Dinka – Rek. There was active participation and involvement by all present. During the second day our translator was Rev John Malesh, of the Bible society in Juba. 35 delegates were present and again there was active participation by all particularly as we broke into small groups for discussion.

  By way of conclusion of the first ever two-day CE training session in Juba South Sudan an invitation was issued by both Bishop Moses and Bishop Abraham for the CE team including Rev Stephen Sizer and Jim Mcanlis to organise and lead CE training sessions in the dioceses of Wau and Aweil, possibly in  January 2013. South Sudan is a new country in the making. Its people have suffered much therefore this request for training and support deserves much consideration. It requires the translation of the resource material into Dinka Rek including the study guide, the leaders guide, and talks. We also need marks gospel in Dinka- Rek. CE training programs in South Sudan will involve both English and Dinka Rek translations.

Saludos everyone! I trust and pray that you enjoyed a very special Christmas time and New Year. I am now writing to you from my new home in Havana, Cuba, where the wintery cold of N.Ireland has been replaced by the Caribbean sun. As always thank you for your ongoing prayers, support and love – in return may you know our Lord’s richest blessing.

Introducing Mrs. Hollie Tagle… Thank you to all of you for your prayers, love and sacrificial giving leading up to and after our wedding. Your support and generosity have been invaluable to us and we truly thank God for all He has blessed us with through your kindness. On a very rainy (!) winter day in December, Tagle and I were married in Hamilton Road Presbyterian Church, surrounded by our friends and family (nearly all of them). It was a very special day for us both and one we will never forget – thank you Lord. After spending Christmas and New Year with my family, Tagle and I headed to the airport on the 5th Jan on our way to Cuba. We were met by his very excited parents in Havana airport and driven to our new home where I was able to meet our new dog Jasper for the first time! Our first night we slept on the floor but we were finally home. Little by little God has provided us with a bed, a kitchen table, a washing machine…however we still have a lot to do, including installing the washing machine, completing a roof terrace, and putting things up on the walls etc. Tagle has just started his new job this week and so we have had the luxury of being able to spend the past month with his family, including his sister, brother-in-law and nephew who are visiting from Panama. It’s been a steep learning curve for me and to be honest I don’t know what I would have done without Tagle’s mum or sister for company, help and guidance. But Tagle and I are very blessed and just pray that we may be a blessing for the people here too.

A heartfelt “Gracias”

In my last prayer letter, I asked you to pray for me as I prepared for my time on Stride, particularly in raising the financial support that I needed. Thank you not only for your prayers but your generosity as I find myself here by God’s grace and your generosity – THANKYOU. I have been amazed and humbled by your generosity, support and belief in what God has called me to do, even on the darkest days here it reminds me of his call, presence and purpose. I would also like to publicly thank the wonderful Elma Currie for all her support over the last 6 years and I pray that as she moves on from her role within Latin Link she will know our Lord’s richest blessings, guidance and joy. Thankyou Elma, for your friendship, endless patience, vision, support, never-ending lattés and giggles. I will miss working with you but will always call you a friend.

So little time, so much change… In the space of 4 weeks in Dec/Jan, I graduated, married Tagle, moved house and country and arrived in Havana. It was a change I knew was coming for so long and yet when it happened it brought with it a mixture of joy and sadness. I have been in Cuba for a little over 4 weeks now and I must admit that it feels like a lot longer! I haven’t been able to start work in the seminary as quickly as I had thought and so I have had time to settle in, find my way around a rice cooker and a “reina”, learn how to make milk from powder and work out how to get to and from our house to different places. I am very happy in our small but perfectly formed home however I miss friends and family. Despite my previous years working here and developing relationships, in many ways I am having to start all over again as I make the move between being a foreigner who visits Cuba and one who lives in Cuba. This transition has been a little unexpected for me and often makes me feel quite lonely. But living somewhere is always different than visiting and so my understanding of the country and culture here has soared in the past few weeks and for that I am truly thankful. As expected, I stand out a lot here, particularly in the area where we live and so this limits how much I can move around by myself. It has been great to have renewed fellowship with the elderly group in Almendares, and last week I had the opportunity to share with them about my home church and Psalm 92. I should hear from the seminary soon regarding when and what I will be teaching so until then I am carrying on with preparations for potential Step teams in the summer, and preparing to offer private English classes from home. Later this month my Supervisor Suzanne Potter will be visiting us and so I can’t wait to see her!

Prayer Points/Diary Dates

19th- 24th Feb: Suzanne Potter arrives from Guatemala to oversee my supervision, spend some time with me and confirm pending details regarding my placement here. Praise God for her visit, it’ll be lovely to see a friendly face!

Foreign Residence: This month I will be applying for Foreign Residence here in Cuba, please pray for God’s continued favour and control over all the necessary paperwork.

Please pray for those thinking of coming out to Cuba this summer on a Step team, that God would call his people to work for his glory here. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few…

Christmas wabwino!

Happy Christmas!

December 2012

I’m writing this on our ‘konde’ – the covered veranda that many houses in Malawi have around them. I’m listening to the thunder rumble around Blantyre and praying it would rain. It’s just too hot and humid! 32 degrees yesterday on Christmas day!

Our (late) Christmas present to all of you is…. (don’t get too excited…) a new fridge magnet! Just what you wanted! For those of you who get this by email, we’d like to send you one, so please send your PHYSICAL ADDRESS to our prayer secretaries Campbell and Helen Killick at [email protected] and they’ll post it to you. For those who get this by post, hopefully it will come with a magnet!

Thank you so much for your prayers over the last few months which have sustained us through an extremely busy time - it’s only in the last week or two that I’ve felt on top of things.

Deputation in Ireland went well, though the break from the family is difficult. We were encouraged by the response to the ‘Resurrection’ talk, by many people who’ve signed up to pray for us, and by the financial support we received for the One-Stop-Centre or the work at Queens.

The One-Stop Centre is going really well. The team are passionate about what they do and we’re seeing some great results – not least an increase in prosecutions against offenders. The ambition of the team is inspiring in the face of the challenges they meet - cases being dropped at the last minute after money changes hands, or young children forced to give evidence in open court. So at a recent team meeting, we decided that one of our aims over the next few months is to meet with senior officials in the Ministry of Justice to advocate for a meaningful change in judicial practice. The head of DFID in Malawi has promised to help us meet the right people.

As the service becomes known, more and more clients are coming – there is such a need. A few days ago, we were receiving gifts from a local charity when a 13 year old was carried in, bleeding copiously following a gang rape. We quickly got the shocked visitors off-side and she’s now making a good recovery after theatre. We’ve made good progress in getting services for adults up and running, though there are lots of practical issues still to resolve.

The other big news from the College was the opening of our second teaching campus in Lilongwe – 4 hours drive away. All of our 3rd years are being taught there now. This involved a lot of prep, quite a bit of travelling and multiple sleepless nights. On the whole it’s gone remarkably well. My colleagues in Lilongwe have done a great job, and I’m confident that the standard of course we’re offering there is good. But the college is very short of cash (like most of Malawi right now since the devaluation), so

resources are in short supply, we’re doing everything on half a shoe-string, and senior management hasn’t always given the support that’s needed. The Lilongwe student Christian medical fellowship group has gone well – merging with the local clinical officer training school group.

We’ve had a nice Christmas as a family. The new-to-us Landrover was used for its first significant trip as we went camping / hoteling (depending on the X and Y chromosomes) on the Northern Lakeshore. All well apart from one puncture, but we got to use the suitably named very large ‘Safari jack’ – so not all bad news. Ben’s street-kid work received a god-motherly boost with the tremendous news that we’ve got funding to feed the children at least once a week. Sara is enjoying the Christmas break from class. Grace is enjoying her new saxophone! Thanks to everyone who has sent us cards and greetings.

Some items for prayer:

1. Give thanks for the way the way the One-Stop is working. Pray for Charity, John, Salifu, Patricia, Tandu and Emmanuel that they’ll be able to persevere in bringing a great service to the clients despite all the frustrations.

2. Pray for our plans to try and influence the way the justice system handles sexual violence cases. Pray we’ll get to speak to the right people and make good practical suggestions.

3. Pray for the teaching we do – in Lilongwe and Blantyre. Pray the standard will be good and the students will see examples of good practice that they’ll want to emulate in their own work.

4. Pray for Ben – mocks in the next few weeks.

5. Give thanks that George passed his re-sits and is now a full paediatric consultant – the 8th to qualify from our program in the last 4 years.

Thanks again for reading and praying. Don’t forget your fridge magnet!

This morning we considered what it means for Jesus to become man.  As he came into the world, he identified with us and was not shielded from any of the effects of sin... is he more of a man than me in that regard!

Here's the quote from Donald MacLeod:

‘For the son of God, the incarnation meant a whole new set of relationships with his father and mother; with his brothers and sisters; with his disciples; with the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees; with Roman soldiers and with lepers and prostitutes.  It was within these relationships that he lived his incarnate life, experiencing pain, poverty and temptation; witnessing squalor and brutality; hearing obscenities and profanities and the hopeless cry of the oppressed.  He lived not in sublime detachment or in ascetic isolation, but ‘with us’, as ‘the fellowship of all men’, crowded, busy, harassed, stressed.  No large estate gave him space, no financial capital guaranteed his daily bread, no personal staff protected him from interruptions and no power or influence protected him from injustice. ’

Donald MacLeod,The person of Christ,IVP 1998

He came to be with us, and he came for us.  He came to save us, because he loves us.  Here is MacLeod once again.

The wonder of the love of Christ for his people is not that for their sake he faced death without fear, but that for their sake he faced it, terrified.  Terrified by what he knew… he took damnation lovingly.

Donald MacLeod,The person of Christ,IVP 1998

The passage we turn to over the next couple of Sundays...

The message of scripture is not just about the existence of final glory.   It is equally concerned with how one gets there.

John L. Mackay

Dear Praying Friends,

I’ve lost track of time, and genuinely don’t know at all when I

last sent an email. It reminds me a bit of scuba diving, when you

go under the water, chase around after some fish and then

resurface somewhere else without knowing how long you’ve been

down there or where exactly you went.

Well, I haven’t been chasing fish but it’s been (and is still) the

toughest of my three semesters. There’s all kinds of factors at

work but the net result is a slightly mushy brain; I’m grateful to

have just two more weeks of teaching.

Having the chance to wrestle with the Old Testament has been

brilliant, and God has taught me many more things than I could

ever teach. But one thing stands out; knowing God requires

wrestling. I’ve had periods of time when I’ve tried to just get on

with what I have to do, but have soon found that I drift into a kind

of half-assed Christianity. You know, that kind that quietly ignores

the command to love the Lord with all of your being and replaces

it with the suggestion that as long as you do your quiet times and

don’t sin too obviously, you’re being a good Christian. Thus I’ve

been challenged again and again.

At this point I’ll enlist my limited Microsoft Word skills to help my

mushy brain to impose some structure; otherwise we’ll end up

with a ramble that would make the horizontal walkers proud.

College

Amidst the usual financial/structural issues, for which long-term

solutions remain elusive, there have been some good things

happening. There was a prayer & fasting retreat day earlier this

month, which we all committed ourselves to as students and

faculty. Nothing dramatic came out of it, but we trust that the

same One who called us to do it is working out the results.

Personally, I’ve been happy with the engagement of the 1st year

students with Old Testament Studies and pleasantly surprised with

how much the 4th years seem to be enjoying Greek (they may be

faking it I guess). I remain convinced that all my teaching should

tend towards engendering a passion for the careful, well-informed

and God-seeking reading of the Bible itself. Please keep praying

that this is successful; there are still students who openly admit

how much of a struggle it is to understand the Word. We have

exams in 3 weeks and close on November 23rd.

Community

It’s not a difficult place to live in many ways, but I do end up

involved in things I don’t expect sometimes. For one reason or

another I’ve had quite a bit of dealing with the police recently; I

got broken into one Sunday, but the two main things that got

nicked were recovered. Community policing at its finest. I also had

to go down to the station to ask for help catching a mental

patient. Which we did. Otherwise, I’m increasingly good friends

with a few people here, and always trying to do what I’m told,

being confronted daily with the blatant injustice of constant

physical comfort whilst others struggle for their meals. There’s no

way to resolve that tension; I just have to learn to live with it

faithfully and thank God for the gifts he gives me.

Miscellaneous

The weather’s getting hot, I just saw a big cockroach a few

minutes ago but I don’t know where it went, hopefully it doesn’t

have a nest in here. I have seen some crazy looking insects

recently. Mangoes are back in season; my vitamin C count is

through the roof.

Finally, I booked flights last week and I’m coming back to UK for

most 4 weeks this Christmas: I’m planning to be in NI from Dec. 11-

18th and Dec. 28th – Jan 2nd. I’d really like a couple of hours one

evening to share some things with all who are praying/

supporting/interested. I’ll get on to sorting that out and let you

know.

In Christ,

Matt

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Over the last couple of weeks both the back and front pages of our newspapers have been dominated by the downfall of hero's.  The nation has been gripped by the stories of Lance Armstrong and Jimmy Saville.

The downfall of a hero is nothing new, infact the bible is full of tales of fallen hero's - not least the story of Abraham, which we shall be returning to this Sunday morning.  This week, is a good week for him... but it won't be long till he stumbles once again.  Refreshing honesty, which I for one can identify with.