Dear Friends,
We are well into the New Year already and we trust that you all had a good beginning to 2017. We have had a busy year so far with more issues with the cars, so transport at this stage, is difficult for us.
The Toyota Surf has a problem and we can only use it on short trips and then we have to be very careful with it. The Rav is coming along nicely and Gerry is slowly putting the engine together after having sanded all the valves, from the cylinder head, down and smoothed them off, which took a long time. He is also working on the Camry’s engine in between as well.
Gerry working hard
The old swimming pool has been filled in and we are so grateful to the Wetfoot group from the UK who donated the money used to fill the old pool up with sabd and for the fencing to surround the top, front lawn and old pool area, as a safe play area for the toddlers to play. The toddlers are really enjoying their new sandpit in their new play area. We have started digging the holes for the fencing poles and are grateful to José and his friend Eric, who helped our gardener, Fana, with this task.
Barry, April & Patricia enjoying their new sandpit area
Angela got a 2nd class pass for her JC in Form 3 and was very disappointed with her results. We felt that after all she had been through in the home last year with the other older kids leaving, and her own few medical problems, that she needed a change of school and so applied for her to go to St Fancis High in Mbabane. St Francis is semi-private school run by the Anglican church and it has a very good reputation in Swaziland. Although she shouldn’t have gotten into St Francis with her 2nd class pass, God’s favour was upon her and she was accepted into Form 4. She is enjoying her new school and is getting used to catching the kombis to and from Mbabane, every day. Keturah has returned to Ngwenya Primary and started in Grade 3. Aunty Alice’s daughter, Ayanda, is now in Grade 6 and Aunty Tema’s little boy, Gift, has just started Grade 1, both also attending Ngwenya Primary School.
Just a few weeks before our schools opened, Joshua had a surprise phone call inviting him to an interview at the Montessouri Primary School, as they were looking for a music teacher. His application was accepted and he is enjoying his new position as a teacher. He is also giving private guitar lessons to students after school for an extra income. Sam continues at the BSA Training centre studying Motor Mechanics and will start his practicals in Matsapha next month. Andrew got a job at the Ngwenya Glass factory for December and January, to help pay for his studies this year. He returned to Uni in Johannesburg at the end of January to complete his final year in Marketing Management. José starts back at Joy Mission at the beginning of February to do his 2nd year in a Diploma in Theology. We are trusting God for his school fees to be paid in full again this year as God provided so miraculously last year for him.
We celebrated our 41 wedding anniversary on the 3rd January and Luke turned 40 years old on the 18 January. Isaac had his 1st birthday on the 26th January. Isaac is not quite walking yet but is furniture wallking everywhere and into everything. The toddlers all had Mumps during January but got over it quickly. On the 24th January, Tino was transferred to a new Child Care facility which will now be his permanent residence, as he turns 4 years old in February and has outgrown our baby home. We have heard that
Tino saying ‘goodbye’ to Barry
he has settled nicely into his new home and is doing really well. The others are coping
well with his departure as Robyn did spend a lot of time talking to them about Tino moving so that he can have a new home and start going to school. It is never easy saying ‘goodbye’ to our babies but if they do not move on we cannot bring in more new-borns who need our care. We are now available to receive 2 more babies into our home.
Please continue to pray with us for:
Finances to run the home and for Jose’s college fees for 2017
For Gerry to complete the cars and for him to have the wisdom to fix the right things on the cars so that we can have reliable transport again,
For health for us, our staff, our babies and our children.
That our God will bring us the right babies at the right time
That the adoptions will open soon and that nothing will hinder the process to make that happen.
We appreciate the prayers, donations and continued love, support and encouragement that we receive from all of you. Thank you.
God bless you all,
Gerry & Robyn
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