October News
Sunday 14th November, 2021Peter writes: Dear praying friends, It is such a long time since we have been in touch with you all. However, after completing the task of putting down a new wooden floor in our living room which has taken me around three weeks , (I don’t have the stamina I used to have). I sat down yesterday and began to work through the long list of tasks which has been growing in leaps and bounds.
Having completed the ‘too urgent to leave for just one more day’ pile, I can now sit down and share with you what the Lord has been doing in our ministry over the recent months.
The success of the first Contextualised Leadership Development course on Personal Evangelism and Discipleship which I have been teaching on behalf of MidWestern Baptist Theological Seminary (Spurgeon College), in Kansas City, has been beyond my wildest dreams! Although we only had a limited number of students on the first course we have seen students lives transformed in spiritual growth and changed lives. We finished this first course a few weeks ago and are awaiting the arrival of the Accreditation Certificates from the States.
MidWestern is one of the largest colleges in the world and has around 4000 students. They have been absolutely incredible in the amount of encouragement and support they have offered to us. Students taking the course in America at the College could pay over a thousand dollars in fees, however, the only cost to our students is for the purchase of the four required textbooks. The College have even permanently removed the legal requirement for each student to pay the $25 college registration fee. Our next course will begin in January next year. It lasts for 15 weeks, (around 1 hour a day) and is taught over the internet (via the ‘free’ Canvas Learning Management System). Please contact me if you would like details.
Although I have continued to ‘shelter’ a fair amount during the Covid pandemic, I am now beginning to engage in various evangelistic opportunities. This coming Saturday I will be speaking in Walsall. An opportunity leading towards outreach in the Messianic Jewish Communities. Then on Sunday I will be speaking at the Emmaus Romanian Church. During the pandemic we have ‘sorned’ my car and just used Maureen’s little Yaris. Now we have to consider if we should pay for MOT, Tax and Insurance to get my car on the road again, in case we both need the car at the same time?
Maureen writes: Hello Friends, I wonder how you are after all these months of pandemic? I found this year more difficult to cope with than last year, I think to myself, ‘this has gone on long enough,’ and I find it harder to motivate myself. But in spite of that the Lord has been with us and blessed us.
Our Grandson Jack married Caitlin at ‘The Well’, in Sheffield in July. Most of our extended family were there and it was a very special occasion. We felt truly blessed as we worshipped together with all our children, grandchildren and in-laws who all are followers of Jesus. My sister was able to get a lift here for the wedding and stayed a few days with us. Afterwards we took her back to Minehead and had a few days holiday with her. My brother had a prostate cancer operation 10 days before the wedding, we thought that he would not be able to attend, but he made it, and joined in everything that was going on. And we heard recently that the operation was successful.
Rob was out of work when I last wrote, he now is very busy having two jobs! One was supposed to be temporary! The Christian firm is beginning to take off again after lockdown. Anita is working as a classroom assistant again and enjoys it more than the child minding she had to do when only the children of key workers came into school. Peter still works at Brize Norton and Larissa is almost at the end of her dental nurse training. Joe is now a policeman in Suffolk. Lynzi is a medical secretary for respiratory and cardiology and gets second opinions on Pete’s treatment from her consultants. She joined a trial of people who had Covid. A blood test is taken regularly and she still has antibodies from nineteen months ago. Paul is back at work full time. Life for Katrina has been very difficult as nationwide there is a shortage of midwives and it is very stressful for all the staff. Jack now lives in Rotherham and works in Wakefield and Caitlin is teaching in Sheffield.
Peter now has stage 2 heart failure, the medication he is on is intended to keep him from getting worse. Some of it gives him bad hot sweats, and I am mostly cold, so that adds to the fun! He doesn’t have as much stamina as he did. Though as he told you, with some help from our grand-daughter and lots of rest, he has laid a laminate floor in the living room. It was too much really and he is having to rest now. It looks very nice though.
I am still part of the Prayer Ministry and Pastoral care team at church. I have also joined the Erdington Litter Busters team and keep our road clear of any rubbish. We are both getting older and more forgetful but taking life one day at a time. The Lord is good.
We pray that the Lord’s Love, Presence and Peace will be very real to you every day.