It is now nearly a year and a half ago since we moved from Needingworth to Wroughton. James, Danielle, Rosalind and I are all well. We have really missed ‘Needingworth’ and all that it meant to each of us. It has been very painful at times but we are so grateful that many of the friendships that were made while we were in Needingworth have gone on and have been a real source of joy and support to each of us. We are grateful too that the Lord has continued to affirm his will in our lives.
We are thankful for the provision of house in Wroughton which we are renting. It is in a very convenient location for school and work and the Ridgeway hills and the Marlborough Downs are literally on our doorstep. We are very grateful for everyone who has persevered in prayer for us that our house in Needingworth will sell soon so that we will be able to buy a home of our own in the Swindon area. We have also been conscious, most of the time, that the Lord knows what he is doing and that many other people are going through similar struggles and often a lot worse.
Danielle and James are at the Ridgeway School in Wroughton. Danielle (15) is coming to the end of her GCSE’s and will probably stay on at the Ridgeway to do A-levels next year. James (13) is now in year 8 and especially enjoys his electric guitar lessons. We are thankful that the school recently had an Ofsted inspection and was given an ‘outstanding’. The school seems a lot more urban than we are used to but Danielle and James are getting on well and have made good friends.
Rosalind started work at the beginning of September last year. She works in the Special Needs department of another secondary school, the Commonweal, and helps to run the unit for those who have dyslexia and assist the children in their lessons. It was good that during our first year here Ros did not have a job but was able to be at home and help everyone settle but it wasn’t easy for her and she is very grateful for this job and loves the challenges that her new role brings.
As a family we have been attending Swindon Evangelical Church, it is part of the FIEC. We are very grateful for a church where the Bible is taught clearly and warmly, where there is real care and a vision for evangelism and mission. It is good to be getting to know lots of new believers even though the process is slow because we are away quite often. We were given a wonderful welcome and hope to be giving our testimonies and God-willing, welcomed into membership, at the morning service on February 8th.
It continues to be a great joy to be involved with the UFM Worldwide family – missionaries, churches, council and UK staff team. A big part of what I have been doing is getting to know our existing missionaries and their contexts better so that we can offer as much support as possible. A lot of this takes place by phone, skype or email but I have also had the privilege of visiting missionaries in Brazil (6 different projects), the Republic of Ireland, all of the UK, Spain, France and Holland. God-willing I will be going to see Mike and Vi Webb in Sierra Leone from Jan 19th to Feb 5th and a number of other visits are being planned to Turkey, Peru/Argentina and Hungary. I have also been involved in dealing with the applications that come in for long and short term mission, helping to co-ordinate our Summer Teams and short-term mission work, organizing conferences, general administration and quite a lot of speaking/preaching (at conferences, weekends, mission fairs and churches in the UK and when I visit our missionaries). The learning curve has been steep but it has also been a great privilege. If you would like any information about UFM Worldwide or would like someone to come and speak about mission at your fellowship or association or would like to join one of our teams please don’t hesitate to give me a ring (01793-610515) or have a look at our website.
I am very grateful to Andrew Keen and the Association for giving me the opportunity to bring this update and also to each of you in Needingworth and the Association who have continued to support us in prayer and in friendship. We thank the Lord for you and pray that each of you will know a very rich measure of God’s presence and his enabling grace in your lives day by day this coming year.
