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Easter is a fantastic time to remind us of all that God has done for us. In case we forget that Jesus died on the cross, he also rose again, defeating death, sin, Satan, sickness and an abundance of other things. It is in THAT victory, in THAT freedom that we now live. We’ve had an interesting few months, underlined by a fresh vision and desire to serve God overseas. Having come back from Nigeria, Tim was really stuck by the all the things that God is doing out there both through the ministry of Wycliffe colleagues and many other ministries too. (THIS BLOG POST) was a bit of a review of that trip. This renewed vision has given us cause to begin gingerly investigating if we might be called to go and serve in Nigeria for a spell. We are just at the start of the process of investigating and we are conscious of a few things.
Primarily: 1 – God’s leading (we need to be sure that we are totally open to God’s guidance in every step) 2 – Ali’s healthcare provision (we need to make sure that Ali can get a source for her daily medication and for the blood tests she needs on a fairly regular basis) 3 – Tim’s current health (read about knee & read about depression) Secondarily: 1 – Job roles (what would be the best use of our skills in Nigeria?) 2 – Finance (we are still quite short on donors) 3 – Dan’s schooling (does it make more sense for him to be home schooled or to go to the mission school in Jos?) 4 – Timing (when should we be looking at going and for how long?) Prayer for all of those things would be much appreciated, as always if you feel God is saying anything to you for us, please do pass it on!
Tim continues to coordinate the From Eden to eternity tour www.eden2eternity.org . We are heading to 27 locations all over the country, there is quite possibly one close to where you are (if you live in the UK!)! On the 6th of April, we embarked on quite a complex publicity campaign, trying to do the correct bits of publicity the correct amount of time before any given performance. The tour runs in May and June, and then when July hits, Tim will be joining the WYnet team heading out to Togo. Although Tim moved out of the WYnet job 12 months ago, there were some areas that could not be handed over as Tim’s successor Steve couldn’t get the training or did not have the necessary experience. Leading teams of young people on short term overseas trips was the main area where this was the case. So Tim’s involvement in the trip in July is really about getting Steve up to speed so he can lead teams in the future. Tim is extremely pleased to have the opportunity to go again, he is also pleased to be able to hand over the relationship with the project and get some closure. The knee saga continues, having seen the surgeon, or at least his registrar, Tim has put in to try and have the ACL replacement surgery in August. Until the letter arrives, we have no idea what dates will be offered, but in the mean time, Tim continues doing physiotherapy to build strength which should aid the recovery process. We will let you know as soon as we receive the date.
Ali is pleased to have finished term, it doesn’t seem that long ago that it was half term but there are only a few teaching weeks after Easter, then exams kick in and Ali’s teaching schedule is dramatically reduced. There is talk of some extra hours from September as there are a couple staff members leaving the department. Ali has said she would be a happy to teach 8 days over two weeks. It doesn’t seem like much but that is a great testament of how well her health and energy levels are doing. Ali has been quite excited and energised by the discussion of a spell in Nigeria, if you don’t know, Ali spent the first 13 years of her life in Ghana and generally considers West Africa as one of her Homes. We have done some initial investigating into how to get the medicine she takes daily if we head out to Nigeria. It seems that we can easily get hold of them, but at what cost? The solution could be anything from buying them in bulk from the USA to trying to source them in country. Any wisdom or experience welcome! Fortunately her consultant does most of his communicating with Ali via email, and has confirmed he would be happy to continue doing so, if we can get the blood tests done locally. On that theme, it turns out that there is a local hospital that can provide these tests!
Dan is in Year 1 at school, he still enjoys it for which we are hugely thankful! He says his favourite part is doing maths work because it is easy, he also enjoys reading, and is progressing very quickly which is fantastic! He has one term left with the wonderful Mrs Knapman, and then in September he moves class rooms and will be taught by Mrs Anderson, who we know very well (she used to be involved with WYnet when Tim was responsible for it and is also married to Tim’s current line manager!). Mrs Anderson is well practiced teaching Wycliffe Kids that she knows, we are also thankful for her expertise with wriggly little boys! We’re trying to involved Dan in the discussions about Nigeria, we do find that as it is all in such vague terms at the moment he doesn’t quite grasp what it all means. Please do pray for wisdom as we look at what the move will mean for Dan, not only schooling, but change of environment, new friends and probably a whole lot more!
Well this has been a bit of a mammoth update, we’ve enjoyed a wonderful Easter weekend, meeting up with lots of people, yet managing to complete a good number of jobs around the house too! Thank you all for your prayers and support, and HAPPY EASTER!
Tim & Ali & Dan.
