Finnie, Dean and Paula - South Africa
Finnie main pagePrayer Letter December 2007 (click here for Acrobat pdf version)
As we reflect on 2007 we are once again amazed by the faithfulness and blessings of our God! It wouldn’t be true to say that the year has always been ‘fine and dandy’, but there have definitely been far more highs than lows and we thought it would be good to remind you all of how your prayers for us and for our family have been answered this year.
We were overwhelmed by the generosity of our church who got behind our special winter appeal for the poor and disadvantaged in our congregation. Our front room was literally filled with food and goodies and we were able to distribute food hampers to almost 40 families
Joel started Nursery at the International School and has absolutely loved his first year. He has grown and matured so much. We are so grateful to his teachers who really do give the best quality care and encouragement. We are also amazed at how well he has responded to the occupational therapy and physio that he has to receive as a result of his diagnosis of a sensory integration problem. This will continue for the foreseeable future and we value your prayers
Paula has enjoyed being able to get out and about this year – helping a new church plant in Durban with their first meetings in March and attending an HIV/AIDS strategy forum in Jo’burg in September. As a result of this, our church have agreed to write and implement a working policy of our own as well as actively encouraging all the HIV work that is going on
Dean’s Bible study group has been a great encouragement. The group have gone deeper spiritually and Dean is starting to see the benefits of 3 years of input into peoples’ lives
It was a huge thrill to launch HOPE (Hands On, Prayer and Evangelism) Home Based Care in Chris Nissen in August. Paula’s small team of 4 dedicated ladies is awesome and we are already seeing a big difference in the community. The team currently visits 10 long-term/chronically ill patients in their homes
We give thanks to God for 2 successful grommets operations this year! Both Joel and Eli had to have the same operation and we are seeing big differences in their hearing and speech development as a result
In September Dean once again asked the church to get behind “Project Fix It”. Over 2 weekends church members came into Chris Nissen and helped to build, fix, paint and generally do any odd jobs that had been requested by our church members. What a blessing this was to everyone concerned!
Joel and Eli are growing up into lovely little boys and constantly keep us on our feet (running in the case of Eli!) and amused. They are a delight to us!
Paula’s cell group is a constant source of encouragement to her. Despite the very difficult circumstances of most of the members, they are all active in prayer and service. They have become great friends and it is a complete privilege to be their cell leader
Perhaps the biggest highlight for us however, was to tie down our new contract with the church in October. Dean is now to be in charge of community development in 3 of the poorest communities in the Helderberg Basin, on behalf of our church. This is a huge challenge for us and we can only look to God for his wisdom, strength and inspiration. We are excited for 2008 and depend on your prayers more than ever!
We wish you a very Happy Christmas and blessed and peaceful New Year.
With our love
Dean, Paula, Joel and Eli