Prayer Letter 17/07/13

Dear Friend,

Thank you so much for walking this journey along with us as we step out to establish a new Safe Haven in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. It is a very exciting time for us, but it would be wrong to pretend that it is not also a very difficult time. Once again we are getting ready to say goodbye to family and friends.  Every objective we achieve reminds us that we are one step closer to painful goodbyes.

Having said that with each objective achieved our excitement levels also increase. It really sank in, on Friday last, that our imminent return to Port Elizabeth is really happening. After a week of packing up boxes, labelling and measuring, our shipping was picked up and is now on its way to PE. Seeing the boxes that will help us start up a new haven, driving away on the start of its journey, gave us the realisation that the countdown to departure has started. We will be leaving Northern Ireland on the 24^th August and then flying to South Africa from Dublin on the 31^st August.

We are also very excited to be able to announce the launch of Penuel Children’s Foundation’s website, facebook page and twitter page:

Web:           www.penuelchildren.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/pages/Penuel-Childrens-Foundation/211794965628895

Twitter:     @PenuelChildren

Penuel Children’s Foundation is an organisation awaiting charity registration in the UK. Kate and I invited a group of 6 friends to establish this organisation to provide an avenue to see vulnerable children rescued from unsafe environments marked by severe poverty. We are very excited to be starting the first Penuel project with our partners in South Africa. We look forward to see other people join with us to see children rescued worldwide. We are very grateful to Andrew Rossborough from “Solid” (www.wearesolid.com) for the wonderful work he did designing our logo and website.

The launch of the website, facebook and twitter pages will directly impact how we will communicate with you. All project updates will go through the above avenues of communication, along with a newsletter from Penuel Children’s Foundation. To receive this newsletter, please email us at richie@penuelchildren.com.

Due to the data protection act we cannot and will not add your email address to the Penuel Children’s Foundation Newsletter. Therefore, if you do wish to receive it, please email us at:  richie@penuelchildren.com stating you would like to receive the newsletter.

We will continue with these email prayer letters and our blog (anewthing43.wordpress.com), but from now on it will be about our personal journey as a family. Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support. Please also know that we are praying for each one of you & your families, that you would know even more of the breadth, length and height and depth of His great love for you.

Please Pray for:

• Protection for all four of us as the departure date draws closer, especially in the area of physical health.
• For God’s love to surround all our “goodbyes”.
• Give thanks for God’s wonderful provision and faithfulness to us.
• Give thanks for our wonderful family and friends and all their support and encouragement.
• That God would give us wisdom for how to use our remaining time wisely.

We thank God each day for each of you. Without your support and prayers none of this would be in any way possible. This is not an individual’s journey but a gathering of like hearted people who together are seeing children rescued, and brought into the fullness of the knowledge of His love for them.

With much love and thanks,

Richie, Kate, Joseph and Reuben.

Paradox.

There is a wonderful African proverb which says: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Having spent the last 2 weeks with our Southern Irish family, we are so aware of the fact that we cannot do this alone. We need each other. We need the body of Christ. And we are so grateful for every person along this journey who has stood beside us & confirmed our calling to His children. Many know the impact they have had on our lives, but there are many more who are blissfully unaware. Each one of you, please know that we could not be in a position to make this next step of relocating again back to SA without your love, prayers and friendship.                                                                                                                       Thankyou.

We cared for 3 siblings who had been orphaned & were living in Zanethemba last year. They would sometimes talk about their mum. We would chat together about their memories of her. I remember listening & telling them that I couldn’t wait to meet their Mama in heaven, to be able to tell her what amazing children she had. I also dream that one day everyone who has been involved in “sending” us, and others, shall be introduced to folk in heaven whom they have indirectly cared for. Although the Kingdom of heaven can look small like a mustard seed, Jesus said “when it grows it becomes a tree, so that birds of the air come & perch in it’s branches”. (Matthew 13). Our dream for Penuel is that it would grow much bigger than “us”, and eventually become established in many countries worldwide. I love that the “tree” in this scripture becomes a home providing rest, safety & shelter.

Life over the last few weeks has been full of many paradoxes. One minute I’m excited that finally this dream that we have spent over half our lives praying about is taking shape… and the next minute I’m crying over the fact that we won’t be able to see Irish friends and family so easily anymore. One minute I’m enjoying every second of quality time spent with family, and the next weeping over the fact that when we move, our kids will miss out on time with their grandparents, families and friends who love them to pieces. God is going to work all of this together for the good, as only He does best. Paradox. When we look at the face of Jesus we know it is okay to live in this tension. His presence is with us in this place. There is movement in tension, and where there is movement there is life. Where there is life there is love & we know that love must be at the centre of all of this. Love is all that counts in giving away what we’ve so freely been given.

The things that have been causing me to flap and stress of late, have been melting away in His presence when I re look at His face & the fact that we were never ever meant to do this thing on our own. Richie and I need Jesus and one another more than we ever have before. We love each other immensely but are also acutely aware of how much we’ve received from authentic community and relationships with people who’ve supported us, particularly throughout the last 12 months. From prayer, to a car, to a house, to financial support, to advice, to a shoulder to cry on (or rant on, as has been the case with me!)… you know who you are. We are eternally grateful.