Finnie, Dean and Paula - South Africa
Prayer Update
September 2007
Dear Friends
Well the rugby world cup has started again and we are still shivering here in the Cape. It's now supposed to be spring, but it is very disappointing temperature wise. Unfortunately, this is bringing lots of illness and we have really battled as a family in the past 2 weeks. We have all had flu, and the children have battled with ear and chest infections too. We would really value your prayers for Joel as he goes into hospital on Tuesday for the very same grommets operation that Eli had to have just 3 months ago. We can hardly believe it and had been praying so much for healing for him. Still, God knows his needs and we are praying that his quality of life will be greatly improved after Tuesday. We are also praying that God will provide for us financially as this op is not cheap and we feel the pain of having to dip into savings for it.
Paula officially launched her small home based care team in Chris Nissen on Friday. The ladies were thrilled at the bags packed full with essential bandages, lotions and potions, as well as buckets and water bottles, sheets and towels for our patients. We have identified 6 people most in need of care and it was a real privilege to visit them on Friday to ask permission to start caring for them. All of them are delighted and some were very moved at the love that the ladies are showing them. Praise God. Please pray for the ladies that they will remember all that they have been taught and that the emotional strain won't be too much for them to bear. Please also pray for good opportunities to share the gospel as we read and pray with these people and journey with them through their illnesses. Some, if not all of them, will be long term patients. Please keep praying for both of us as we visit in the community daily and build friendships - this is what we are here for and it is at times exciting, many times daunting, and always a privilege. However, it is also thoroughly draining and we are both currently looking at how to build outlets for this personally.
The men Dean has been building with for 3 years now are all growing so well. He has seen many ups and downs, but we are particularly thrilled at the moment with Michael and his wife Joyce who have taken in their first baby on a place of safety order. This is a very big undertaking for anyone and it is humbling to see a family that have so little, materially speaking, doing this and giving that baby 100% love until it is time to go to adoptive parents. What a testimony in the community!
Paula is really excited to be going to Joburg on 20 and 21 September for a New Frontiers HIV and AIDS Strategy seminar. It involves people involved in HIV/AIDS work in the NFI churches all over South Africa and Zimbabwe and looks set to be a really informative, exciting and challenging 48 hours. She is thrilled to be representing the small home based care team and we pray that she will learn so much and come back fired up to implement more in the church.
September also sees a much looked forward to 10 day school holiday and Dean is doing his biggest mountain bike race of the year on 23 September. He is hoping for a place in the top one third! We will also have been married for 16 years on the 14th and really can't believe that. We are going away for the weekend without the boys and can't wait for that much needed time together.
Dean would also value your prayers as he continues to negotiate his new expanded role with the church. Negotiations are never straightforward and we just want to be doing what God wants us to be doing! We are particularly thrilled at 2 big answers to prayer lately (1) we have new visas which last for 2 more years and are 'relational' on the strength of being family members of a SA citizen! (2) Eli has been granted British citizenship only 4 months after applying.
We know that we serve a God who is on the move in this nation and we very much want to be caught up in that and part of His purposes. Thank you so much for your prayers, e:mails and letters, we love to hear from you.
With love from
Paula, Dean, Joel and Eli
XXX
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