Greetings Church Family,
It is comforting to think about you all back home. I am thankful for the prayers that are sent here from home. They are the absolute best Christmas gift I could ever hope for. I see how God applies the prayers of his saints where ever he needs them. I see how they are used to prevent peril, provide for needs, to soften hard hearts, and increasing his kingdom in every imaginable ,way. THANK YOU!!!
The children are done with school now and are preparing for break, "holiday" as they call it. It is summer vacation and Christmas all wrapped together. They will return to school January 15 to begin a new year.
Most of the children will be traveling. They go to the "farm". The farm is a general term which could mean a farm with animals and produce or just where they have "family". Family could be the people they grew up with or that lived in their household, not necessarily blood related. So if they say my brother, Aunty, or cousin it is, for sure, an important relationship of some sort.
The farm, however, isn't always a safe place for them. It represents the dangers, negligence that fostered their coming to Arandis. Many were removed by the government for their safety.
I had the privilege of assisting Anna in planning a Friday Fun Day full of events for about 35 of the children. The main desire was to send them off with prayer as we do in our church when someone is going off somewhere. First we had a field play where they played soccer, elimination, and other fun activities with water balloons. There were lots of smiles and joyful sounds as they all interacted. We then prepared snacks for the movie we showed at the end of the activities. The most important time was the prayer and sharing we had with them. We asked pastor Banda and another brother involved in youth ministry to join us. It was reassuring for us as well as the children to have encouraged and prayed for them before they all leave. God will protect them!
I will leave you with some verses I've been meditating on.
" Praise to God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly realms in Christ. For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love. He did this by predestinating us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will to the praise of the glory of his grace that he has freely bestowed on us in his dear Son. In Christ, we too have been claimed as God's own possession, since we were predestined according to one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will.
"in this new life, it does Not matter if we are Jew or gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave or free. CHRIST IS ALL THAT MATTERS AND HE LIVES IN ALL OF US!!". Ephesians 1:3-6,11.
Colossians 3:11
Yes, Father, we were all created by you and in your image and likeness as part of your family. Some come from such places of devastation yet we all are rich in your glorious nature through Jesus Christ, our brother of redemption. So from Every nation, tribe and tongue we call you, Abba,Father. Praise to your most Holy Name!
We love you, church!
Grace and peace be to you all,
Anna and Maureen
