Thanksgiving

It is November 21. I do trust your Thanksgiving Day is a blessing to you. We continue to pray our lives “will be an alleluyah, a gift of praise to God our King.” We also remember thanks to our God for His Gift to us, which we are trying to share with others.

This week has brought some changes for us, which we know are God’s leading and which we know He will continue to make clear. Due to a series of conversations and events, Kennedy and his wife will be leaving us within a few days to go back to where they came from to pick up the ministry they were in before they came to Bible School. They go with our blessings. We are thankful for their help while they have been here.

Thanks for praying for Ndegwa. He had a good time of learning in Nairobi. He arrived home safely yesterday, but we have not yet had time to discuss issues of the week. No word on the land in Mathaithi.

Monday evening we had a good “counseling” session with our one young man who is our first to leave our care. I had never been convinced that he knew the Lord, but that night he at least said the right things, and also had thanks for helping when he was in such need. He took our advice, counsel very well and when we saw him later in the week, was very warm – always a good sign!

Tuesday at ladies’ class, Kennedy’s wife led and did a good job. Two of the ladies caught on very quickly on how to do intarsia knitting. I was thankful.

Wednesday evening after Dad taught in prayer meeting (they answered questions very well on the lesson last week), a lady came with a paper, asking us to take in twins aged nine – a boy and girl. They are to be brought back tomorrow with a decision as to whether or not we take them. PLEASE remember us in prayer. There is a lot involved in this decision, and only God can guide us together in what to do.

Work is going forward on Ndegwa’s house in Mathaithi…. We were given some money towards it this week. We are thankful.

Friday was a special day in our town as President Kibaki came to town to lay the cornerstone for the new market. He ate lunch at the Government House next door to where our YIT boys live. Of course most of them were away in school, but some got to see him. We enjoyed the benefit of an extra clean town, and our road patched up …. For a few days anyway!! A lot of preparation went into his coming. We thought how careful all was for his coming…. Yet most don’t care/prepare for our Lord’s return. We are so thankful he had a safe time here. We tried to stay out of the way, though Carol and I did go visiting in the afternoon and were able to share the gospel with several.

Saturday classes with our youth at church went very well… we had a new girl in our group and they listened well to the Word.

Today we had 8 in deaf church. Afterwards we had prepared lunch for them at our house, which they really enjoyed… on cup of soup was left. All the rest of the food disappeared! Good service at Mathaithi this evening.

Sandy for us both

Singing.......

Today I just missed so much the spontaneous singing when people get in the car there in Zambia. And often in meetings, someone just starts singing and everyone joins in. How I miss that…. Singing like that is just not here very often. But, we press on, “looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith.”

The week has not been without trying to settle problems between young people, and even some adults. We pray often that God will help us be menders of breaches and help reduce tensions between folk, and not make them worse.

Visitation was called off due to lightning, thunder and rain. But we had our other regular classes. I was again left with a teen girls’ class without knowing it would be that way. It is a challenge to speak in Swahili (Kikuyu is the mother tongue of most), but yet they don’t like to read that Bible. So, I am finding that if the girls read the verses we are studying in English, Swahili and Kikuyu, it helps. Also, to try to fill-in-the blank type of work sheet is impossible at this point with such a variety of understanding. So, I continue to learn from them in language to help show them that we need to help each other. Some are so sweet and helpful. Others are still not used to be around me…. They weren’t here when we left in July, and we have just been back one month.

Dad is teaching the deaf church again and it went very well, though we were few in number. He also taught Wednesday night. I always remember your David sitting on the front bench there in Itimpi with his Bible on his crossed leg as he listened to Opa teach….

We had to build a shelter to put our donated hay in. It is completed and we trust we get the hay this week. The shelter will also be used for our meeting place if it rains during church time on Sunday evenings.

Would you PRAY with us as there is a man who is trying to get an extra acre donated to us by the government, along with a small portion joining on to the ½ acre we already have. We will have to pay for closing costs, but that is minimal compared to the cost of an acre of land (I am guessing that would be $25,000 in that area). Pray that the man will proceed and see the matter through. It is a much coveted piece of land by other groups. Only God can work through this man to give it to us.

Our young man who is going out of the dorm this month has a job promised. Ndegwa went and checked into the promise and found it is not to be fulfilled. So, we PRAY for wisdom to know what to do with him.

This week is my last one of teaching in Bible School as far as I know right now. I will miss it in some ways, but really believe this is the Lord’s will, as we get more into the ministry with the church-plant we are working in.

I know Pastor Ndegwa would appreciate prayer this week as he has gone to Nairobi for a week of class. He is taking a course so that he can be the social worker that the government requires, and we then don’t have to pay another pserson to do this.

I was reminded this week of what the Jews did in Hosea’s time (13:6)..”they had their pasture… they became satisfied and being satisfied they became proud; therefore they forgot Me.” Let keep our eyes on Him and remember to be thankful for His provisions and love, and hedging about those who love Him. (Ps 145:20).

Blessings in the Lord,

Sandy for us both

Washers ministry letter

Dear Friend,

It is November 7, 2010. Last Monday afternoon, Carol and I went to visit the Gramma of one of our teen girls. Esther, the girl, has been drawn to immorality at the tender age of 13. When Carol had confronted her about it, Esther told her, “I have needs…. “ (which girls have, for supplies) and she knew of no other way of getting those things. Esther wasn’t there when we met the Gramma in her one room wooden structure abode, but a cousin with her small baby, a small child and the Gramma were there. Torrents of rain came down making it difficult to talk above the pounding roar on the metal roof. But, we were warmly received and they listened politely to the message of salvation. Esther was in class yesterday along with six other girls (knitting and Bible). The lesson was the second half of Proverbs 9. They listened so well and I thank the Lord.

Tuesday ladies’ class went well and I thank the Lord for His help as I taught. Swahili is coming more fluently now as the Lord helps me continue learning, though some days the first words that come out are Bemba and I get these blank looks which let me know I was not understood!!

Wednesday night we met two brothers aged 7 and 10 whose Dad is being sent to prison because of neglecting his kids. The mom died. The boys were going to be taken to Nakuru into a large children’s home. We have been given permission to take them in, as well as another 11 year old whom we have taken care of some in recent weeks due to being mistreated by his Gramma. He has been in and out of hospital due to her abuse and some nurses at the government hospital have been trying to pass him around to try to give him a place to stay. So, without trying to get more kids, it seems we have three new ones this week. Our first young man goes out at the end of this month. He already has a job.

Thursday I met with the principal of the school across the street. God in His grace, gave me about a 25 minute slot of time to talk to him about God’s gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. It was truly God’s working. Then, two Bible School students and I were able to meet with some of the students to plan for next year’s Bible study and opportunity to learn to knit. We had opportunity to admonish them not to get into “trouble” over the holidays.

Last Sunday a man had made a profession of faith at our evening service out in the field where we meet at Mathaithi. The man asked us to come visit, so we did on Thursday. He got several in his family together to hear the plan of salvation, and this evening we are to have our first meeting with adults up at Mathaithi. If it rains, we will meet in our hay shed, which is finished but not full of hay yet! We look forward to this beginning work with the church planting ministry up there.

Terry is going to be taking over the teaching in deaf church, and will teach again on Wednesday night, Lord willing.

We had a good meeting with our YIT (Youth in Training) staff yesterday. We have much to thank the Lord for in what God has done this year.

So thankful that God is the One Who strengthens us with strength in our souls,.... and prefects that that concerns us. Ps. 137

Sandy for us both

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Terry & Sandy Washer