On Saturday 11th August we met for a shared lunch at Debra and
Noel's place. As it was a lovely warm day we were able to have our
meal outdoors. There were 23 people present, including 2 new
people, Meredith (whose mother is active in Thames CFFD) and
Tina.
Kay and Leslie both won a box of
chocolates for being the closest in
guessing how much string was
curled up in a glass jar. Destiny
found a prize too, quickly pouncing
on a piece of quiche that was
dropped on the ground. After the
meeting was opened with prayer,
Sara gave the notices and told us about the latest e-mail from
Tammy. She invited us to read newsletters and supplements from
other areas and encouraged us to register for Labour Weekend
Camp. She then showed us a lovely book she had bought and
asked Bob to read a devotion from it.
Ken reminded us to support the work in the Philippines. He also
encouraged daily Bible reading and suggested Radio Rhema's
"The Word for Today". Sara said she could get large print daily
readings for anyone who may need them.
There was prayer for Lyndsay and Cees and a "Get Well" card was
handed around for folk to sign. Mavis gave us news of Margie and
we were shown a copy of her book which was available for purchase. Janice shared about getting a job, for which she praised
God.
Ken then shared about his life. His father died when Ken was 8
years old. His mother, a Wesleyan Methodist, gave him a good upbringing, if a little strict. He lived some of the time at Whakatane
and some of the time at the Mount. From there he went by boat
each day to attend Tauranga Boys High School. In the 1970s he
went on his first mission trip - to Vanuatu, where he helped at a
hospital for people with leprosy. He has since been to many Asian
countries.
In Vanuatu, Ken got malaria and was very ill. He has been to all sorts of
places - jungles, prisons, refugee camps etc. At a previous meeting he
spoke to us about his involvement in the Philippines.
For thirty years Ken lived in Edgecumbe where a certain lady (who may be
reading this) kept on bugging him about going to National Camp. After many
years he went, in fear and trembling. He found it very challenging and has
been back 20 times! This year he went to his first Torch Camp.
In the Philippines Ken has a special interest in an orphan whom he looks on
as another grandchild.
We were encouraged to prepare testimonies etc. for when we take more
church services. We were each given a tract - "Think of the Lord Speaking to
You".
Debra led us in singing
"We are heirs of the Father,
We are joint-heirs with
the Son,
We are children of the Kingdom,
We are family, we are one."
This
was an expression of how we felt and was followed by the songs "Let's just
Praise the Lord" and "What a friend we have in Jesus". Janice led us in a
closing prayer.
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More of our number are able to attend the monthly
service for people with special needs held at Bethlehem Baptist Church. It has been good to see an increase in the numbers attending this year, including
lots of new people.
