Jeremiah is 6

Last weekend we had another birthday to celebrate. Jeremiah turned 6!

I think he had a wonderful birthday. It started with a video greeting from his best friend from St Louis. Matthew played and sang "Happy Birthday". As he did this huge smile appeared on Jeremiah's face and lasted for a long time.

We then took a picnic lunch to Temple Newsam and the kids saw the farm animals there. We finished by having dinner with friends who helped us celebrate Jeremiah's special day.

We are so grateful the Lord saw fit to place Jeremiah in our home. One day I should write about the way he was placed with us ... it was definitely an act of God. But for now, we just thank the Lord for him.

Michelle

Out of the mouth of babes

A couple of weeks ago Deanna, Jeremiah, Naomi and myself were riding the bus home after church. We were on the top deck of the double decker bus and were all alone up there. After a while the bus pulled over to pick up passengers. They made there way upstairs and as they were finding their seats Deanna said to me (pointing and in a very loud voice) "Mom are those people sinners?" (She already knows she is!!) After the initial shock that my daughter would say something like that I was able to respond - but not as loudly as she asked!! I told her that they were, that everyone is a sinner. So she proceeded to look out the window and started pointing to people as she asked "Are they sinners, Mom? What about those people?"

I hope, as she grows, she will continue to be bold and won't be embarrassed (like most of us are) to share her faith with others.

Michelle

Saving Hailee

James 1:27 "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this, to take care of the widows and orphans in their distress."


I was so touched by the Salem family who have been led by the Lord to adopt Hailee.

She is a precious child of God who is waiting in an Eastern European orphanage for a family. Hailee has downs syndrome. She is 4 years old yet only weighs 15lbs.

Please pray with us for Hailee and her new family as they wait to be together.

It brings such joy to my heart to see a special needs child like Hailee find a home. It was not an easy decision for the Salems but God called them to adopt her and they are obeying. It is a delight to read their story and to hear how much they love this little girl.

Now, I know not all are called to adopt, but I know there must be many out there who are called, but don't respond because they are afraid. Afraid of the unknown, afraid of the cost of adoption, afraid of the future, afraid of what people will think, afraid of being able to meet the child's needs ... etc, etc.

I understand that fear, we have been there. BUT, God calls us not to fear, instead we are to obey. He will supply all our needs and give us the strength we need, when we need it.

There are way too many orphans in the world, waiting for a family ... could they be waiting for you?
(James 4:17 Anyone, then who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.)

Please if He is calling, take that step of faith and TRUST IN HIM.

Michelle

On the Radio

As part of the radio course that is held here, the students have to come up with topics to discuss on air. One group decided to approach the subject of bedtime stories and how they are good for children.

So they asked to interview our children. Of course we said yes, and the kids seemed quite excited. BUT, when they were put in the studio and front of a microphone, they suddenly became very quiet!! The interviewer asked a couple of questions and getting any answers out of the children was like getting blood out of a stone.

Thankfully their answers were recorded and will be edited before broadcast tomorrow. It should be fun to hear how it turns out.

Michelle

Naomi's Birthday

Hard to believe another year has passed for Naomi. Last weekend she turned 8 and on July 23rd we will celebrate her being with us for 8 years. This year she has been aware of the calander and had been counting down the days to her birthday for over 2 weeks. She was so excited when it finally arrived.

She is developing into a beautiful girl who loves to help around the house and be a second mom to Deanna. She will make someone a great wife and mother one day.

I think she had a fun day. We spent most of the afternoon at Rothwell Carnival. She (and the other girls) certainly came back different than when she went.

Michelle

Rothwell Carnival

Last Saturday was the Rothwell Carnival. The main attraction was a family stunt team. The kids loved to watch the jumps that they performed on their motorbikes etc. Especially, when it involved fire!

During one stunt they asked for volunteers. Many raised their hands and Elaina and Jeremiah were chosen along with 8 other children. Jeremiah was the smallest by far. Do you see where he was laying? Right at the end, in the most dangerous place for when the motorbike would fly over him. All the older kids were too scared and led close to the ramp!!

During the week of the carnival the members of Radio Worldwide (along with the students on the annual radio training course) go on air and broadcast from the event and continue to be on air for the following week.

This was the 601st year of Rothwell carnival, but was probably the last as the organizers are stepping down and there doesn't seem to be anyone willing to take their place. We were pleased that we were able to attend this year, especially if it won't happen again.

Michelle

The Work Continues

After 3 months of work, the roofs are finally finished and most of the scaffolding has been removed at the Springhead Park House property.

While the contractors were replacing the roofs they discovered that the chimneys were in very bad condition and needed tearing down and rebuilding. Before they could do this the pest control man had to come in and take care of some bees. He was shocked to find a honeycomb that was over 6 ft in length. He said he had never seen one that large and it must have taken years for the bees to build it. It was a shame they had to poison it - there was several black sacks of honey that had to be just thrown away.

Gary has been busy trying to get an apartment ready for the new Managers that are arriving next week. Along with this he has also had to convert a ladies bathroom into a new server room and move people's offices to accommodate the new managers! Not to mention the meetings with contractors about the roof and chimney work and repairs that come up during the course of a day.

He was very grateful for the help he received last week from a couple of men from Liverpool who were here for a few days (pictured above). After he gets these jobs done, he then has to concentrate on moving people around, redecorating and fixing other apartments ready for several new people to join the team here. This work includes the conversion of an old workshop into a new apartment. Once this is done he can then concentrate on repairing the many years of damage that the water has done through the leaky roofs.

This is a lot of work, especially for 1 person - so if anyone feels led to come and help for a short time (maybe combine it with a vacation??!!) - Gary would certainly appreciate it!!

Please continue to pray for Gary as he does this work. Firstly, that he would be able to accomplish the work needed by the deadlines and secondly,that his body would hold up to the work, as he currently works in pain most days.

Thanks

Michelle

A Beautiful Country

I know this post is a little late, but on Father's Day we kidnapped Gary after church and took him up to the Yorkshire Moors.

The pictures really don't do the view justice, but it was really stunning to sit and see God's beautiful creation.
We spent about 3 hours walking the moors and climbing rocks.

Oh, can't forget, the kids also loved chasing the sheep. (Can you spot the sheep on the rock in the middle of the picture?)

Michelle

A Surprise Visit

 

Two weeks ago we received an email from a friend from our home church which said she would be in our area on Monday and she asked if she could she stop by.

Of course we said yes. Monday came and we waited and waited and waited for her arrival. By 11pm we gave up waiting and went to bed. The kids arose the next morning excited to see our guest only to discover she hadn't made it. We were all a little confused and I have to admit we were getting a little worried about what had happened to her.

Kim finally arrived Tuesday evening (she had got her days mixed up). We had a wonderful time visiting places around Leeds with her and getting to know her better. She stayed until Saturday when she left to travel back to Ireland to get her flight back to America.

If anyone else would like to 'stop by' for a visit you would be more than welcome :-)

Michelle

Light Nights

 

Sleep is a problem around here these days. The kids are not getting enough of it because they are having a hard time going to sleep when there is still daylight outside.

The above picture (please forgive the poor quality) was taken at 10.30pm. There is still light in the sky. When darkness does finally arrive, it doesn't stay for long. By 3.30am the sky is no longer dark.

This takes some getting used to!!

Michelle