tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8177838416878508012024-02-07T20:01:50.667-08:00Stepping OutAlechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-68352585711868089722021-01-10T21:59:00.003-08:002021-01-13T17:43:47.345-08:00 2020 the year we all want to forget!!! Except ...<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AOHnIJOOQc8OizyY1_L_ACCfUg80Ie8HctTfQTKbtwcbJfFbPvAofcER6jmOqti-2c0S9a-7BgR_P05pVoBCh59kd6h5g4UGxmg8j4E5nj6knA_iqRN7Jf24by-Z2KCQVioTzxz6eQo/" style="clear: left; display: inline; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"></a></div><p style="text-align: center;"></p><h2 style="text-align: left;"></h2><h1 style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">2020 the year we all want to forget!!!</span></b></u></div><u><div style="text-align: center;"><u><b><span style="color: #444444; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Except ...</span></b></u></div></u></h1><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgp7EUxWSCrh3mP-wx6aAjodZnmFFY3ytD7RT_AGUmkgtN1T2za2SE9v5WQAcnYgjEi3_OkuRlqK4zRyqLRaHGROdNEvbBpGzWVZ958YbL_ascV3j4ZDDSKWXz-aB5apSalkl3N15Rx4s/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgp7EUxWSCrh3mP-wx6aAjodZnmFFY3ytD7RT_AGUmkgtN1T2za2SE9v5WQAcnYgjEi3_OkuRlqK4zRyqLRaHGROdNEvbBpGzWVZ958YbL_ascV3j4ZDDSKWXz-aB5apSalkl3N15Rx4s/w320-h240/image.png" width="320" /></a></div>What excuse can we give for being so remiss in sending you news from Cebu! Well it can’t be time because we’ve all had a good part of the year at home. The year we all want to forget. C19, the dreaded lurgy confined us to our homes, caused a new and strange isolation which brought fear and too often bereavement ... and it seems to be spilling into 2021 as we are currently isolating (again) for another 2 weeks (not allowed out at all after a few of us showed ‘covid symptoms’ and 2 tested positive who had been with us over Christmas.) Thankfully Alec has found a way to order food from a supermarket and we are adjusting... again.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdXPDkAIkCKIvJInAXoiv8GplKZvpMIxahjMOeNp4oYbJZSr1w8WiKnyxAqVDkDELHL8fTsbbUw4y5U5tlj9KS7Hs-VADpv6ESEURXSoy29SEJ8K-QLfUx8E6LVrrC-TyXJsHJ1csv5U/" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1449" data-original-width="1502" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdXPDkAIkCKIvJInAXoiv8GplKZvpMIxahjMOeNp4oYbJZSr1w8WiKnyxAqVDkDELHL8fTsbbUw4y5U5tlj9KS7Hs-VADpv6ESEURXSoy29SEJ8K-QLfUx8E6LVrrC-TyXJsHJ1csv5U/w200-h193/image.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jo’s present to some of the <br />girls this year - a hug<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Philippines have had one of the longest and strictest lockdowns in the world. With schools closing and under 21’s (!) supposedly under 24 hour curfew, our boys were confined to the house (and an area of concrete just outside the door) for 9 months from March till about November. Under 15’s are still supposed to be in 24 hour curfew! ‘Church’ life for so many around the world, has been online and many amazing and talented ‘techy’ people have climbed the steep learning curve to work out how to upload videos, do ‘live’ meetings and zoom calls. </span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">But this strange year has been a remarkable and exciting one for us in many ways.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>#EndOSEC</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Of course the confinement has been difficult, frustrating and stressful at times but it also gave us time to step back and get some things in place. As most of you know the reason for coming to Cebu was to work with children rescued from OSEC (Online Sexual Exploitation of Children) Although we have been engaged with lots of other things since being here, we always knew why we were here but often wondered when on earth it would happen. We questioned God a lot about it. After all we’re not getting any younger! However, some </span><span style="font-family: arial;">time in January 2020 we got to a point where, with the team here, we started making plans and thinking how to move forward. We even started looking for property and tentatively visited a few. One of them seemed quite promising. We allowed ourselves to get excited.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Then C19 showed up.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Through the long weeks and months though we have been thinking, praying and planning about ‘that promising house’, praying that we would have open hands ...but still being secretly super excited! Jo and Reuben started drawing room configurations and designing other houses for on the land and we read many books and articles on childhood trauma, eventually writing a short introductory course for those who will come and work with us. When would we have ever had the time before? It felt like the new chapter was finally birthing even in the midst of a pandemic.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6s9q4Q-AF__EyfLHMDNVLUevEROrkvmGkmy1HvpRnb6efBxTcB6zyfwexFtPSuoVnn_wXMOssMCrNObKUnxf11cRnCQKZWhVfIliFA6jNU1VS8SHhetYuj1q7U3mVkm3X6SmJ2dFKMU/"><img alt="" data-original-height="316" data-original-width="1024" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6s9q4Q-AF__EyfLHMDNVLUevEROrkvmGkmy1HvpRnb6efBxTcB6zyfwexFtPSuoVnn_wXMOssMCrNObKUnxf11cRnCQKZWhVfIliFA6jNU1VS8SHhetYuj1q7U3mVkm3X6SmJ2dFKMU/w640-h198/image.jpeg" width="640" /></a></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">In September we were able to visit ‘that house’ again thanks to a moment of relaxed quarantine regulations, and suddenly it seemed like it was all going to happen. Small groups of us went and prayed and worshipped on the site and in the area for over a month and then the finances suddenly and unexpectedly came!!! We really knew God was doing something special! And suddenly at the end of October we were moving in! </span><span style="font-family: arial; text-align: left;">It was a bit of a crazy time as Alec had to move into the property immediately (to avoid squatters) and we were going backwards and forwards dropping our stuff at the new house, cleaning and clearing the old house as well as transporting unwanted furniture from the new house to our other community houses. Alec was a superstar! From then until now we have been working on getting this house ready. We’ve been busy in the garden - which is beautiful and packed with fruit trees and other edibles - painting, plumbing, changing locks, tiling and having endless fires (fun)! At the end of every day we feel like we’ve run a marathon!</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhftkHlpZb_cERGfqT3MXDZnDb5ow3iYiJhjuU7wukaIXKSedn31rh4C3j6VWsf3dEYm5C2WX1Mgc6h0WOj-0v2KKeCjfyyitWAZpdZtraHFG9Xqh9ABKG64ZrdACOifO1DJiui0ZW5yQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="780" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhftkHlpZb_cERGfqT3MXDZnDb5ow3iYiJhjuU7wukaIXKSedn31rh4C3j6VWsf3dEYm5C2WX1Mgc6h0WOj-0v2KKeCjfyyitWAZpdZtraHFG9Xqh9ABKG64ZrdACOifO1DJiui0ZW5yQ/" width="180" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">We are so grateful for all your prayers and support and we feel amazingly privileged to be living in this paradise of a house. Finally the boys (and our dog, Bear...and our 3 cats!) have somewhere to run around. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Before Christmas we also had a team of guys from one of our community houses come and help with painting our perimeter fence and other jobs. One guy has climbed all of our 15 palms to ‘clean’ them! Each time they went home with a feast of coconuts, papaya, jack fruit and bananas - all grown in the garden. How amazing.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoLnfYj4CCFUjnuG9ZgPKc29dQvEJmYn7hxW6WClc9M3nTrHBv5hRFLUZfukWazpOHuej-e7eIQSWnUUT0e-bp7_dxXpcIBbRD1GeL1lVMxj1YBt-R3OmHEOdR9HkePN1mq5laWeO0zc/" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="584" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoLnfYj4CCFUjnuG9ZgPKc29dQvEJmYn7hxW6WClc9M3nTrHBv5hRFLUZfukWazpOHuej-e7eIQSWnUUT0e-bp7_dxXpcIBbRD1GeL1lVMxj1YBt-R3OmHEOdR9HkePN1mq5laWeO0zc/" width="135" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;">We are so excited, and a little nervous, about opening our house to children. We are thinking to open initially for boys aged between 3 and 12 years old as there is very little aftercare specifically for boys. We still have a lot to do - especially paperwork- but we have had people from all over the world joining with us to pray every other week (30 minutes only!) for those children and families affected by OSEC. It has been so exciting to receive Bible verses and other encouragements from the U.K, France, Holland, France, Hong Kong and other places. If you would like to join us to pray or would like more information about #END OSEC please let us know. Although the Philippines is a hotspot for this crime, the problems (customers) are global....and it is most probably happening in your country.</span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u></u></b></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_pUHXCHzQVOGYbRbE1tOsQLJqWMBoUgY8jjGf7njuc1pkq7w2WcHu0dfsJVRJ9KN0VLEEnpvT0h4j4GFHQY3UY8xLdG2ChlhhQsTEHemlqie0OKffNf4kSl-_qfd8fKOtvOQW0bOkPE/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="1220" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_pUHXCHzQVOGYbRbE1tOsQLJqWMBoUgY8jjGf7njuc1pkq7w2WcHu0dfsJVRJ9KN0VLEEnpvT0h4j4GFHQY3UY8xLdG2ChlhhQsTEHemlqie0OKffNf4kSl-_qfd8fKOtvOQW0bOkPE/w640-h198/image.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Back of the car filled with produce from the garden to deliver to the community houses ...</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u><br /></u></b></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Family News</u></b></span></p><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AOHnIJOOQc8OizyY1_L_ACCfUg80Ie8HctTfQTKbtwcbJfFbPvAofcER6jmOqti-2c0S9a-7BgR_P05pVoBCh59kd6h5g4UGxmg8j4E5nj6knA_iqRN7Jf24by-Z2KCQVioTzxz6eQo/" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="492" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AOHnIJOOQc8OizyY1_L_ACCfUg80Ie8HctTfQTKbtwcbJfFbPvAofcER6jmOqti-2c0S9a-7BgR_P05pVoBCh59kd6h5g4UGxmg8j4E5nj6knA_iqRN7Jf24by-Z2KCQVioTzxz6eQo/" width="114" /> </a><span style="font-family: arial;">Our children, Samuel (17) and Reuben (14) are still doing distance learning and are doing very well. Both are now taller than Jo! The move hardly affected them, it was so smooth and, after praying every day for the house they have, once again, seen God’s faithfulness and amazing timing. Also amazing</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> was that some friends who moved back to Australia around the same time gave us almost all of their furniture which meant we could make it feel ‘homey’ very quickly. We even have comfy sofas which we haven’t had since England! </span></div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AOHnIJOOQc8OizyY1_L_ACCfUg80Ie8HctTfQTKbtwcbJfFbPvAofcER6jmOqti-2c0S9a-7BgR_P05pVoBCh59kd6h5g4UGxmg8j4E5nj6knA_iqRN7Jf24by-Z2KCQVioTzxz6eQo/" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"></a><span style="font-family: arial;">The difficulty now is getting the boys to move! Since moving house our daily lockdown exercise routine has gone out the window - getting back into it is proving quite difficult...the screens are winning! (Boo boo). Although we have the amazing garden it is currently quite public as anyone who walks past the long perimeter fence can see in, and foreigners get a lot of attention! For Alec and I it’s been great to start getting to know the neighbours who love to stop and chat and laugh at our attempts at conversing in Cebuano but it can be overwhelming for teenage boys. We are working on painting and screening the fence it but it’s a long job. </span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VyGwOUrn-NGAEq54s5qjJhr9V0iKkmfQXW0tRy3ugqrlew-nBUWMdHeXkZZWCYz17-e6D8md4vjq59nOxkmlzm_xj3qgTBcua-Rn3W11DoGeSB7qCqY8TJbr-gnPLWKcunCFUceCpcQ/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="454" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8VyGwOUrn-NGAEq54s5qjJhr9V0iKkmfQXW0tRy3ugqrlew-nBUWMdHeXkZZWCYz17-e6D8md4vjq59nOxkmlzm_xj3qgTBcua-Rn3W11DoGeSB7qCqY8TJbr-gnPLWKcunCFUceCpcQ/" width="184" /></a></div>Samuel is currently doing International Baccalaureate and is talking about going to university in the U.K. or Canada in 2023. Scary! Reuben is in his first year of I.G.C.S.E.’s. We don’t know what our changing world will look like in a couple of years but we are confident that God knows so we don’t have to fear. Throughout the last 6 and a half years, since leaving the U.K. He has definitely been our anchor. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">So after all that we are sooo <b>thankful </b>to God for his faithfulness, and to you, our family and friends all around the world for support, love and constant friendship as we continue our crazy journey here in Cebu. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hopefully we will be able to go back to England this year as we haven’t been back since coming to Cebu. Maybe we’ll even be able to hug????? But for now we send love and huge virtual hugs from us to you!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0XRDeW01v0KAN8Zemawrq-jP9DQ6RnqI2Sy4VmHJmkTC8YtkHe-j2PVF1Q_kVtC3WhG2eigfPRt6PSKYnTzvk9SotPd658uz7mivxwcfmf8vH4tZ_z_r9smvpBggKZoCR_fWDvG0vJc/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="780" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0XRDeW01v0KAN8Zemawrq-jP9DQ6RnqI2Sy4VmHJmkTC8YtkHe-j2PVF1Q_kVtC3WhG2eigfPRt6PSKYnTzvk9SotPd658uz7mivxwcfmf8vH4tZ_z_r9smvpBggKZoCR_fWDvG0vJc/w640-h386/image.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><u>Prayer points:</u></b></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">* Please do pray for: our work on the house; for the paperwork and admin to get the social services to allow us to open; and for the team we need (the team is ‘starting’ to come together, but we still need guards, a social worker and one more key worker).</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">* Please also pray for the Philippines. This crime of OSEC has perhaps worsened during the pandemic. Some reports say that 1 in 5 children are vulnerable to this crime in the Philippines. Do pray to #EndOSEC!!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p></div></div>Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-23745457519494635272019-09-10T08:54:00.002-07:002019-09-12T19:23:54.777-07:00Another Year!<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIs90RmYun9Kcj9UtPtog7eCe9XEK8PtaG64w4DOd1VlBy_rtyQh8I77wt3910E617IGGJn6ecvs_ST16UgOasCfWOmIQygJ9YBUbvueARN16eUHuCoup_XDwXnCqfMfHiWxOsJqUY3Y/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIs90RmYun9Kcj9UtPtog7eCe9XEK8PtaG64w4DOd1VlBy_rtyQh8I77wt3910E617IGGJn6ecvs_ST16UgOasCfWOmIQygJ9YBUbvueARN16eUHuCoup_XDwXnCqfMfHiWxOsJqUY3Y/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1040" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBIs90RmYun9Kcj9UtPtog7eCe9XEK8PtaG64w4DOd1VlBy_rtyQh8I77wt3910E617IGGJn6ecvs_ST16UgOasCfWOmIQygJ9YBUbvueARN16eUHuCoup_XDwXnCqfMfHiWxOsJqUY3Y/s400/1.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Downtime in Moalboal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB">Dear Friends, Family,</span></b><span lang="EN-GB"> Having
left the U.K. in August 2014 we are into our 6<sup>th</sup> year away!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways it feels that it has gone in a
blink and yet our boys are evidence of the passage of time. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samuel (15) towers above me (Jo), is shaving
and has the beginnings of chest hair!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Reuben, now a teenager, will be the same height as me in the next 6
months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What a journey they have had so
far with many ups and downs and challenges. Apparently they are called third
culture kids, living in a country which neither they nor their parents are
from, thus merging things to make their own third culture! They are also in a
strange cultural mix as we work with the very poor and yet most of their school
mates are very rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing we know
for sure is that the challenges have knitted us closer together and we are so
grateful for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe one day Samuel
and Reuben will look back and see the benefits …<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></span></u></b></div>
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<span lang=EN-GB
style='font-size:8.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:107%'>Flamboyant
Festivals<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years in Cebu, Philippines.......<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>CULTURE AND PEOPLE</span></span></u></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw1q6KYo6G6ZMkXgFgnFP8IxDBnNkitsA5oDtuKyMis6838ubeeuKOyszb2QD8S58EsDfnm2Dgvqd3Qzfq2SpIq9tWPc-Ewz3F74qfXwo8hAibIMM83fKPZRUESXGW1Upxuw0phuoNuQ/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="780" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinw1q6KYo6G6ZMkXgFgnFP8IxDBnNkitsA5oDtuKyMis6838ubeeuKOyszb2QD8S58EsDfnm2Dgvqd3Qzfq2SpIq9tWPc-Ewz3F74qfXwo8hAibIMM83fKPZRUESXGW1Upxuw0phuoNuQ/s200/2.jpg" width="150"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamboyant Festivals</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></u></b><span lang="EN-GB">The majority of Filipinos that we meet
are very friendly and open, willing to share, hug, laugh, cry, and everything
else in between.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Music, singing and
dancing are very popular, it seems as though it’s in their blood! Being white
in the Philippines gets you a lot of attention!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are often stared at, waved at and spoken to and they LOVE it when
they find out you can speak their language (Cebuano). Given that Filipino
history is riddled with foreign takeovers (Spanish, Japanese and American),
some Filipinos are a bit scared of ‘foreigners’ and often think themselves as
lower. Unfortunately, many white people, men particularly, still come to the Philippines
today and use that, plus the huge problem of poverty, to their own advantage. It
is revolting to see.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95zZ-rTTZasN7-yzYfBudouHS3CWkdQRIGHe-NFPXfkZBttUI5MyEVs5rHtV9qMFabW98mGF-pwtWDfZv8LxJHrXJpHVAJy82tyOSvNSXauKspOEIs2sQxKGkfXbVhmTL8iROUhCkLLk/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95zZ-rTTZasN7-yzYfBudouHS3CWkdQRIGHe-NFPXfkZBttUI5MyEVs5rHtV9qMFabW98mGF-pwtWDfZv8LxJHrXJpHVAJy82tyOSvNSXauKspOEIs2sQxKGkfXbVhmTL8iROUhCkLLk/s200/3.jpg" width="112"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise Worship in Lorega</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the poorer areas people live in close
community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many live hand to mouth and
some of the kids we know are definitely malnourished. Unlike the west people
are very happy to invite you into their homes without a prior engagement and
also join in with things at the drop of a hat. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As someone who likes to plan ahead I’m not
quite there yet with ‘last minute.’… I’m trying! (Jo)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></u></b><br><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></span></u></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THIS YEAR<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></b></div>
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<br></div>
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VISIT FROM OUR MUMS!<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AnuvO6Y3htW_Znpf7AI3f36QdKz2yXyL3AnaAb4AO8fcpTPjNK844RHIrkQ3gCGdo1yKpJ8ttKMAnswM2kqkOLwJS3Etgmr-NdU8dwrEjMMPpaFJYkOfLqSnEfxe4Ex_ufFYeVC_MAs/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1152" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7AnuvO6Y3htW_Znpf7AI3f36QdKz2yXyL3AnaAb4AO8fcpTPjNK844RHIrkQ3gCGdo1yKpJ8ttKMAnswM2kqkOLwJS3Etgmr-NdU8dwrEjMMPpaFJYkOfLqSnEfxe4Ex_ufFYeVC_MAs/s200/5.jpg" width="200"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1YsSjB7192eg47UMPyEzypTkBbjkCfex9mQpJE7Ae8otVFTxjnTMgAJaKSJg07b_i_x2C3yy70oRU5K6Hp-oTVVUtzc_X14v2RbpJwFPiAAMasvjUtDTdNu_hr9UQxBSUTm5S9SfvcQ/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="716" data-original-width="1280" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1YsSjB7192eg47UMPyEzypTkBbjkCfex9mQpJE7Ae8otVFTxjnTMgAJaKSJg07b_i_x2C3yy70oRU5K6Hp-oTVVUtzc_X14v2RbpJwFPiAAMasvjUtDTdNu_hr9UQxBSUTm5S9SfvcQ/s200/4.jpg" width="200"></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">This spring we were so excited to have both our mums
visit. We are so grateful for their love and support and for all the ‘treats’
we received including special meals out, a boat trip and a day at a resort! We
tried to show them all the sights of Cebu – the good, the bad and the ugly 😆</span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">MAY - AN ANNIVERSARY …<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This year the team who originally came from Hong Kong
celebrated their 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary of being here. Visitors from near
and far came back and shared stories over a week of celebration. God is good! 20
years later He is still showing his love and faithfulness to the people in our
community and further afield as they continue to serve others. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then…..<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the last day of the week long events and celebrations,
just as everyone was anticipating a rest, one of our leaders came off
his motorbike and suffered a serious head injury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This threw everyone back into a flurry of
activity, providing round the clock care whilst he was in hospital and then
later after he was discharged. Medical care is very different to the U.K. There
is no NHS, no hospital food, no cafes and no free treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took days to get the results of a scan
(during which time he could have died!) and then the doctor read the results
wrong saying that there was no bleeding on the brain when actually there was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scary!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He was even discharged before he had the results of his second
scan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully he is recovering well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the same time a young woman in the church who had
not been well for some time and had had many tests found that she had an
aggressive form of leukemia and once again several of the team were by her
side, with her family, helping them through a very difficult and horrible
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She sadly passed away about a week
after the celebrations even before she could start treatment. We really saw the
realities of life here for many and the unfairness of it all. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Had she been in another country …<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">JULY – AN UNEXPECTED GUEST<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In July we had an unexpected guest! A lovely little 18
month old boy. For confidentiality reasons we cannot post his picture but he is
one cute and cheeky baby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an emergency
placement which was supposed to last 2 weeks which turned into 2 months!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly we were back to sleepless nights
whilst tag-teaming as we still had our other responsibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Samuel and Reuben were amazing big brothers
to him and had to make lots of sacrifices over the summer. As we’ve known the
baby since birth we were hoping that he would be placed with us officially as
we have been in the process of applying for a foster licence but sadly he was
placed with another family. It was heart breaking to hand him over to strangers
but we trust that God has the best for him. It was lovely, if exhausting,
having him around.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We hope to be licensed as a foster family soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve had to jump though a lot of hoops so
far but IF we get approved we will be the first white couple in Cebu to have a
foster licence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways we are
pleased that the social services are being so strict particularly as we have
asked specifically for kids rescued from OSEC (Online Sexual Exploitation of
Children) which is prevalent in the Philippines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many children with the help of International
Justice Mission, social services and the police are rescuing children, but most
of those kids will end up in an institution, especially if no other family
members will take them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re hoping and
praying to be part of the solution!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWh7K_1XooNjuJ1WkhJXKstNDukmlHcuXoOrG7BUotr3FJGAYC0oz3PfUYexX57GgIdOJ_8STCR70cum9ivlNQVojBiaOL2m2rS1dketsiszGBjS2gKCChwklcj2vp3Q-xEnr0TLU6jE/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="493" data-original-width="1040" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWh7K_1XooNjuJ1WkhJXKstNDukmlHcuXoOrG7BUotr3FJGAYC0oz3PfUYexX57GgIdOJ_8STCR70cum9ivlNQVojBiaOL2m2rS1dketsiszGBjS2gKCChwklcj2vp3Q-xEnr0TLU6jE/s320/6.jpg" width="320"></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lorega Listening Bible</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWKj8mwhe53P0GHvQCRKxr0WK4gQ5jmvcqO6sUiMJFnaVyE7n2mCOFjT4eneJgGnMfxKKbS7Uf1gdy1pEAf5FNw7F0qWSuTtVAF1UYxOE6hZSbSmKBWCEPPQKNNGhcLpFnR-OrpruqB8/s1600/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="780" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUWKj8mwhe53P0GHvQCRKxr0WK4gQ5jmvcqO6sUiMJFnaVyE7n2mCOFjT4eneJgGnMfxKKbS7Uf1gdy1pEAf5FNw7F0qWSuTtVAF1UYxOE6hZSbSmKBWCEPPQKNNGhcLpFnR-OrpruqB8/s200/8.jpg" width="150"></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kids Club Art</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF3VVqPWd9YCfd_1JXf-EbcOSy75YgXuM4oGbWEAmCwxVBBS2t16S9x8d_VyqvqZF5J2cmWjIwRG0Li-r-veKIfXJt38kfIU0UvCWkVMfMcwf_tXBMDi2nlk8OnQhJPZlSHXamR6hY64/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="780" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF3VVqPWd9YCfd_1JXf-EbcOSy75YgXuM4oGbWEAmCwxVBBS2t16S9x8d_VyqvqZF5J2cmWjIwRG0Li-r-veKIfXJt38kfIU0UvCWkVMfMcwf_tXBMDi2nlk8OnQhJPZlSHXamR6hY64/s200/7.jpg" width="150"></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Kids Club Worship</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THE WORK CONTINUES….<o:p></o:p></span></span></u></i></b></div>
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Listening Bible Group <o:p></o:p></span></p>
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<span lang=EN-GB
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hard to share pictures of work in the houses!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Meanwhile,
Alec and I continue to help in the community houses. Sometimes we look at the Bible, sometimes we do art and games,
exercise or baking. It is never dull!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As
well as that we do a kids club once a month for the local kids. Our age bracket
is 2-5 years. A lot of them really love Alec as he runs around with them, throws
them around and has lots of fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact
last month when Alec was the first person ‘out’ in a game, they also wanted to
be ‘out’ so that they could sit with him! So cute! The mum's are also supposed
to come but often just send the little ones with an older sibling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We would love to make stronger connections
with the families and engage them as well but it will take time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">SAMUEL and
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are so proud of both our boys (I’m sure we say that every time!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously we have our moments and they often
drive us crazy with moaning, grumpiness and other adolescent behaviour but we
are trying to be their biggest cheerleaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>Samuel is off to Manila this Friday to take part in
the global round of World Scholars Cup. Apparently 1,500 students from 30
different countries will be there. They debate, write etc. Samuel’s worked really hard for it. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hopefully
his computer-like brain will swing into action for the event. He’ll be doing i-GCSE’s this academic year.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilm8g6hHXV6C6JSAiz0UUBS94xpCysntMrzlWmA1zWgwo8diVfAWKtwGSm0SRm67n1k9_2G8hj6G-bew8r-5kbI4bUl1ca3HZElUG1GsALG3zVwUhLxMh397AyGHLMY3DgxavHXDMPZfU/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfiFtngPhNan0nMZiBgAQ9FTHYsKafrP3V_kB0o_HV_ldecJ7em6jLyZtwAz2Q1MoAZ465tuApzzqS6vB5Tr50QglODJAQwow3txYKW-lKWCumNDnLE6WOMdwg1dAByfH5exw4PFiVR4/s1600/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></a><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reuben is also doing really well. School is not his
favourite thing but he’s doing well and is turning out to be pretty good at
maths, a natural in fact. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s decided
he wants to be an architect. His two favourite things at the moment are
watching bush-craft videos and fitness. He is very musical and loves playing
his ukulele at bedtime….when he’s supposed to be sleeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Super cheeky but hilarious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">THANKS GIVING and PRAYER</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Amazing team of people here - Please
pray for good relationships</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">School fees for our boys which
came at the perfect time.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our foster licence application
is moving forward. Hallelujah! Please pray it comes through soon and for our
next steps. Please also pray for good standing and relationships with Social
Services (DSWD) and other agencies.</span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We really felt that Mark (the
leader of the guys house) was saved out of the jaws of death. Please pray that
his recovery is complete</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-GB">It has been amazing to see how
God has provided the right people at the right time for the guys and girls
houses. Please pray with us for more long term helpers.</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you so much for our interest in what
we are doing. Please stay in touch (sorry we have not been great recently at
sending out updates)!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Loads of Love,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alec, Jo, Samuel and Reuben<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br>Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-34329627982315583622018-12-24T09:19:00.001-08:002018-12-24T09:19:23.481-08:00#jesus is the reason<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156887870889233&id=715059232">Sending lots of love to all our family and friends around the world! Have a wonderful Christmas. </a></p>
<p dir="ltr"><a href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156887870889233&id=715059232">#jesus is the reason</a></p>
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-13652734777028247172018-09-23T07:49:00.000-07:002018-09-23T07:49:41.432-07:001 year in the Philippines! And a 50th Birthday!<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">At last a new blog from the Cobbs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u><i>Natural Disasters</i></u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Super typhoon Mangkhut bypassed us in Cebu, though we know people in the north of the Philippines areas that were affected. There was a landslide just a few days ago in Naga an area
close to us. The landslide was perhaps a result of the heavier than normal
rainfall because of the typhoon. Please pray for the people of the Philippines.
There is real poverty here and these natural disasters just add to the struggles of
many people. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEeg03Svcl5vG8xvRHUXrMpgx8bw9DxP-2zRn1kqngtz5qi-k_VUBe5mIWj4vnHca3VMaplnf6VeDE1XkC5FLvJa_JSS8SYvrtiYVO1NsLlY_9k3jCgDH9qaAnRDGgxv4b955MiqA8H8/s1600/IMG-20180816-WA0001+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="50!" border="0" data-original-height="632" data-original-width="802" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzEeg03Svcl5vG8xvRHUXrMpgx8bw9DxP-2zRn1kqngtz5qi-k_VUBe5mIWj4vnHca3VMaplnf6VeDE1XkC5FLvJa_JSS8SYvrtiYVO1NsLlY_9k3jCgDH9qaAnRDGgxv4b955MiqA8H8/s200/IMG-20180816-WA0001+%25282%2529.jpg" title="50!" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have been living in Cebu Philippines for over a year
now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s gone by very quickly…we must
be getting old!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talking of old, Alec
celebrated his 50<sup>th</sup> birthday in August (you can tell Jo wrote
that!!!) He still works like an ox though, and has recently had to cover the
boys discipleship (new man) house whilst the house leader was away, meaning some days
with 12-16 hour stints!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t have a huge birthday celebration – he was at the boys’ house in the morning, was treated to a
KFC for lunch (wow) and in the evening we all went to the girls’ house for
food and games. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><u>What we're up to:</u></i></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNkYPqMmlDd6SMKqDB0AyAhSuP2UHr3Kap-JmJSXMoFUACMQFfQSKpEV2haHV-KrrtoMcvFqE5qcE7SECCveFFPF-yI6xGzaHwkivHx_vTXrvdhFu5VQQSavtd5F3HACWravE-nVWYdA/s1600/IMG_20180922_230215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="858" data-original-width="1144" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGNkYPqMmlDd6SMKqDB0AyAhSuP2UHr3Kap-JmJSXMoFUACMQFfQSKpEV2haHV-KrrtoMcvFqE5qcE7SECCveFFPF-yI6xGzaHwkivHx_vTXrvdhFu5VQQSavtd5F3HACWravE-nVWYdA/s200/IMG_20180922_230215.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Discipleship House Baptisms</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The guys’ discipleship house is going well.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Most of them are under 20
and some have recently started the home school system which
also operates in the girls’ house.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">It’s amazing
to have a relatively cheap and Philippines accredited system so that those
graduating can go on to further education. Please pray for the volunteers
who go in and that what is lacking in the material will
not hinder the teachers or the learners. The amazing thing is that the girls and
guys are really motivated to continue in their studies. They really do see the
good that can come from having education which some were in danger of missing
out on completely. I said the course was ‘cheap’ and it is, but this year for
the first time we had to pay for the work books. This was a shock as
there wasn’t the money reserved or available, but God is so good at knowing our
needs before we do and the money came just at the right time (Matt 6:8). Amazing!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first batch of chicks</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The boys discipleship house is also rearing chickens. They
have over 30 at the moment which is another way of giving an opportunity to
learn new skills … and to eat more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
plan is not to make this a business, but working out the expenditure v. savings
(on the meat we would have had to buy) is a practical skill that can be used as
a model for a business. This is just starting out but there are plenty of small
business opportunities like this here.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The girls’ house was recently accredited by the DSWD (social
services). It was a lot of hard work trying to get all the policies and
procedures in place but it passed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hoorah. Now the staff just have to make sure it’s operational! Jo did a lot of the
work on the operations manual, along with many others who had to retrieve paperwork, get permits etc! There were a few sticking points that the DSWD just couldn't get their heads around the fact that the house runs more as a family than an institution and that the majority of the staff are volunteers. It just didn't fit with their framework!!!! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Listening Bible in Lorega Continues.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The community we are a part of here (Cebu City Vineyard
which is closely connected to St Stephens in Hong Kong) continue to be committed
to reaching others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teams regularly go
to other parts of the Philippines as well as locally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hundreds of children have been supported
through school and university (people who may very well have dropped out
otherwise because of cost or family pressure) and over 50 people are living in
community houses! </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot is being done, but as ever, there never seems to be enough
people to help or lead.</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Please pray for
more workers (Luke 10:2).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><u><i>Family & Friends</i></u></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LYsoupPvpeteUCuqqMzIs4xPmgYmUycy2NaDOdCZCFPbMGMLALrJyMaEdpVoL_4i6MoYmO4vPo0iJafbC8aBAvCLUMT7gP98TziQitlBUVOZMD8iYQCHQIeGhaiBtjHbX9btbepfEgk/s1600/IMG20180908165525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5LYsoupPvpeteUCuqqMzIs4xPmgYmUycy2NaDOdCZCFPbMGMLALrJyMaEdpVoL_4i6MoYmO4vPo0iJafbC8aBAvCLUMT7gP98TziQitlBUVOZMD8iYQCHQIeGhaiBtjHbX9btbepfEgk/s320/IMG20180908165525.jpg" width="180" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We have just had a season of visitors which was a real
treat. The first were 2 guys from HK, one of whom had been a ‘new boy’ in our
block when we lived there. He was doing something called ‘The Journey’ where
people go and serve the teams in other Asian countries. It was so exciting to
see how this young man had matured, was trusting God and was able to be a
positive influence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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in Cebu for a week as part of their adventure holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a week off with them and enjoyed lots
of treats including a case full of English fare – tea bags, Oxo cubes, Dairy
Milk etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was lovely to see them and
Samuel and Reuben had a great time with their cousins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Last but not least we were visited by some old friends – Rich
and Lou Fox and their 2 daughters. Their daughters did very well despite sometimes seeing and experiencing
horrible living conditions on outreaches into the community. It was such a treat to have them and even more
amazing that their eldest daughter who has suffered from CVS (</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">cyclical </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">vomiting syndrome) </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">for 12 years was not sick at all for the the whole time they were with us. We were so thankful to God for a chance for
them to relax a little.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQpyWX9yXYXvI209Sc4uOasi0EibbVXplCVf_Q5bGda6Bgo5F50skUNvkhh-1wgQPHgyTDeRF79pYrWDxbTEiNPpr3tT_AcLlQD265D5JBxi3l19tjIl95E5yv-golyeK2ox1IfNPk-4/s1600/IMG_20180916_224121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1442" data-original-width="966" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzQpyWX9yXYXvI209Sc4uOasi0EibbVXplCVf_Q5bGda6Bgo5F50skUNvkhh-1wgQPHgyTDeRF79pYrWDxbTEiNPpr3tT_AcLlQD265D5JBxi3l19tjIl95E5yv-golyeK2ox1IfNPk-4/s200/IMG_20180916_224121.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPasOwr1mtRWWfUbkS5lqxaEz8FJIH-tXlzjrct2H3d5R0zqrRJsV8aex2kSZ3NSnG0eyfhmLjj6GSG6WuasUEWQjzW4RuqNqEVfwUfmjzKp5RbkpqGb_RDtVUaIcHkgszH6j9hyphenhyphenYqsQ/s1600/IMG-20180922-WA0007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="1040" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPasOwr1mtRWWfUbkS5lqxaEz8FJIH-tXlzjrct2H3d5R0zqrRJsV8aex2kSZ3NSnG0eyfhmLjj6GSG6WuasUEWQjzW4RuqNqEVfwUfmjzKp5RbkpqGb_RDtVUaIcHkgszH6j9hyphenhyphenYqsQ/s200/IMG-20180922-WA0007.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This week I saw this Christmas tree up with a sign saying 99 days to Christmas! This eagerness for the coming season is both sweet and a little sickly. It did, though, make me think of our plans for the future. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We’ve been here for a year so we are allowed
to apply for missionary visas – please pray as the system here is very long and
tedious. After that we can apply to be licensed as foster parents!!!!!</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> ....part of our bigger dreams! Step by step......</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><i><u>The boys:</u></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Samuel and Reuben have been enjoying a new family from the
UK who moved here a couple of months ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Amazing that Samuel only had one other boy in his class when he
started….who he didn’t 'click' with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since praying there are another 3 boys in his class!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So good to see quick answers to prayer!!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are so proud of our boys and how they have
adjusted to life here. Obviously there are challenges and every so often they
say they are missing friends and family, our garden in England or sausages, but
they are doing well. Having 4 kittens has also helped! We hope that all of these experiences will widen and
deepen their trust in God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, we really want to thank God for:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Health in our family<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The committed team, some
of whom have been here for almost 20 years<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our children’s school – friends
and the miracle of money to pay for the fees!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">New and old friends!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We would really like you to pray for:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our visas<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Provision for the many
works being done already by CCV<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our future dreams – which
are big!!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">This comes with so much love from Cebu!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Alec and Jo</span></h2>
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<br />Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-1562289554653529032018-02-05T22:11:00.001-08:002018-02-11T04:04:37.510-08:00Opening doors... <p dir="ltr">Very excited at the moment!</p>
<p dir="ltr">We've just taken in the first "New Man" (31/Jan) in the mens house here in Cebu. It's been a while that things haven't been specifically setup for this (though there is a long and wonderful history of having New Man House here). We've been planning to disciple the guys that we meet who have 'difficulties' in their lives again for some time, so it's exciting to get the ball rolling. </p>
<p dir="ltr">Please pray for provison ... especially for helpers. Mark is leading the house brilliantly and I'm supporting him. But Mark may soon be the only person 'on site' ... so we need manpower. Also pray for the guys as they get set free from the things in the past the held them captive and are able to tell others their freedom stories.</p>
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-36703219364063629682017-12-21T17:56:00.000-08:002017-12-22T07:54:28.625-08:00Taking the next steps ...<div dir="ltr">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZVPglPZRa9NSia9HwE3O4gUrUKaGuRTQO4QUlAtnBmJaxmEaxT3px2zLQqBewwShPI56HulKm6L8VUTbrvT2CsDLBBUhknhfnxTZo4WoG33EEA8t1S1onGneI6D2QoXvhl8eZ2FE9Tw/s1600/IMG_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZVPglPZRa9NSia9HwE3O4gUrUKaGuRTQO4QUlAtnBmJaxmEaxT3px2zLQqBewwShPI56HulKm6L8VUTbrvT2CsDLBBUhknhfnxTZo4WoG33EEA8t1S1onGneI6D2QoXvhl8eZ2FE9Tw/s200/IMG_0926.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Taking the next steps ...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">HAPPY CHRISTMAS from Cebu, Philippines!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We are so sorry for being so slow in producing our first blog since our move. However, we hope that you’ll be able to get a flavour of what life is like here in both what we say and from the photos.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">First some memories from our trip to the UK this summer:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOIbru2QINNvtP_JSYvBACN8DF9VxS_Uc-RKtL5j4wR1ahkpZOP0AseQduv6RcXtXQQeUF86Dj5KPvHDTPoqhbNn-_CZSAAh2DPxn_Qe4ZClWX3gAAG_UKxqJAVnQpHG5GaVgMbbfSiQ/s1600/uk+collage+2017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="937" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIOIbru2QINNvtP_JSYvBACN8DF9VxS_Uc-RKtL5j4wR1ahkpZOP0AseQduv6RcXtXQQeUF86Dj5KPvHDTPoqhbNn-_CZSAAh2DPxn_Qe4ZClWX3gAAG_UKxqJAVnQpHG5GaVgMbbfSiQ/s640/uk+collage+2017.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It was so wonderful to see so many of our family and friends when we were home in July.<br />Thank you so much for all your love and support!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />What went before...</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWT2AJTYYpXATgOupaxFA8KTQ1kN359_EGvWwUxLtQFAwI5SmxRHDPSKbYUMNSbyBQ60vuJcjyoTognzNiFHchMJsy48YzAznMWAUT-oM6s-ahWljplEMX6Bycb90LLXeOlLvYZgMmv0/s1600/IMG_0221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCWT2AJTYYpXATgOupaxFA8KTQ1kN359_EGvWwUxLtQFAwI5SmxRHDPSKbYUMNSbyBQ60vuJcjyoTognzNiFHchMJsy48YzAznMWAUT-oM6s-ahWljplEMX6Bycb90LLXeOlLvYZgMmv0/s200/IMG_0221.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Block2 Our home for three years.<br />We learnt so much and love you <br />guys! Hope to see some of you soon!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we moved to HK in August 2014 we always knew that it was not the end game ... but weren't sure how long we'd be there or where would be next. Having thought that we'd move a lot sooner, 3 years in Hong Kong gave us the
time to learn and prepare. Although extremely challenging at times, we learnt so much
with the wonderful people at St. Stephens and in Shing Mun Springs. One of the
key things for me (Alec) was learning that many different things hold
people captive (drugs is just the tip of the iceberg and probably only the 'presenting problem'). But God's heart is to free those held captive, that's why Jesus came 2000 years! And the miracle is He does it now just as He did it then! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When we
showed photos and told the stories of some of the men in HK to friends and
church groups in the UK, Jo cried every time and we realised just how special our time had been. There was the story of
a couple, who were both addicts, whose child had been taken away. Both accepted
Jesus' help, and had a massive turn around, it really was incredible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">A year and half later they
were married and their child returned to them. (They are currently living in their own apartment at Shing Mun where they can remain in a safe environment for the next period of time.) It was a beautiful picture
of God's ability to restore and redeem and was very moving. Then there
was a man who hadn't seen his mum and dad for 16 years because of his </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">addictions. He didn't even know if they were still alive. He persistently
prayed and patiently waited to find out any information. Alec was at
their first meeting and their reconciliation. Wonderful! This is what our faith is all about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Cebu...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxfe1nJF-tMG19qRhb0WpicTYKfl9bBzhUKfMo0pDlD9OlU8CRkGpnqQqtucMmyqT5IQXR6utJo0ltP5o71Tzi8ojbmPpM9nlalGGFpoeX_o_o5PonCquoAkfQbM8ehuUzkr2-TUtEyw/s1600/IMG_20171102_204004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnxfe1nJF-tMG19qRhb0WpicTYKfl9bBzhUKfMo0pDlD9OlU8CRkGpnqQqtucMmyqT5IQXR6utJo0ltP5o71Tzi8ojbmPpM9nlalGGFpoeX_o_o5PonCquoAkfQbM8ehuUzkr2-TUtEyw/s200/IMG_20171102_204004.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lapu-Lapu" target="_blank">Lapu-Lapu</a> - look up the history<br />of this man and find out more<br />about the culture we're in.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So why now move to the Philippines? The story started for us about 6 years
ago, when we visited Cebu for just 4 days. We found ourselves drawn to these wonderful warm people. Most of our time was spent visiting families in
in the slum areas, particularly a place called Lorega which at that time was
a grave yard slum.The people lived in shacks
erected over large tomb stones. It was full of addicts, prostitution and filth......there were no toilets or running water. Some of those who
lived there didn't even have a shack to live in ... so they lived in
the small spaces between the shacks and the graves. This was a place of extreme
poverty. About 5 years ago the slum burnt down. No one died in the blaze, praise
God, but as a result the government stepped in. They cleared the graves and gave each family a plot of land (some VERY small) and began to provide materials so people could
build proper houses. This seemed wonderful, though the planners didn't consider the basic infrastructure (water, electricity or drains) BEFORE the house
building commenced, even though St. Stephens offered to pay for the drainage for the whole area. So fast forwarding to the present, when we go into Lorega we see that conditions/houses seem better, and for those who live there it IS much better - but many still
live in the same way, in the same poverty, living hand to mouth with the same lack of self-esteem and self-respect and the obvious question is why?.... and what is the best way to help them long term?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCRCiyhHP_6GrNKlPtwK_OTIxYw6Y1u-bJm3YLTd1EbPeziok7vHvCmE-FAsmwNfEHyG2NUfMsKSBQhMuBM4SNEbtzYUj91at1Of8DxWOIOqAxITF6LfgZfP5iO47HXpDtTaDDzg2Pc8/s1600/IMG20170906104032.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCRCiyhHP_6GrNKlPtwK_OTIxYw6Y1u-bJm3YLTd1EbPeziok7vHvCmE-FAsmwNfEHyG2NUfMsKSBQhMuBM4SNEbtzYUj91at1Of8DxWOIOqAxITF6LfgZfP5iO47HXpDtTaDDzg2Pc8/s200/IMG20170906104032.jpg" width="200" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Running repairs on car that <br />seems to be held together with string</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">God has already done so much through the team that we are with here at Cebu City Vineyard and we are pleased to get involved with what is currently going on. We have been welcomed so warmly, and immediately felt part of a bigger family. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Jo helps at a house for trafficked and abused girls as well as going into the local area, Lorega, to do a listening Bible group. Alec is helping a guy learn how to drive, leading worship, doing handyman jobs in the girls house and is currently helping to plan the opening of a men’s 'discipleship house'. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our biggest desire though is to help in the fight to end OSEC (Online Sexual Exploitation of Children) which is a huge issue in the Philippines. Words can’t describe how awful this modern day slavery is. Please pray for this and our role. The group here work with <a href="https://www.ijm.org/sites/default/files/IJM_FactSheets_Cebu_2017.pdf" target="_blank">IJM and we are trying to see what else we can do</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Our Family...</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Samuel and Alec swimming with<br />whale Sharks. Beautiful Cebu!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The boys are amazing. They have adjusted so well, even though it's their second move in 4 years!!!! Samuel, now 14 and Reuben, 11, are at Singapore School Cebu. It's a small international school that's growing and will prepare the boys to do International GCSE's. They are settling well but both miss family and friends from the UK and HK a lot! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">There's lots of adjustments to be made. Since we got here Alec is 'around' a lot more and is involved in the everyday stuff.....collecting the boys, making packed lunches, cooking dinners etc. It's an adjustment that's been 'interesting.' Hahahaha! After 17 years of marriage and having very specific roles, we are adjusting to new things! Please pray for us!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So, we will sign off. Sending you all love and best wishes for Christmas and the new year.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;">Happy Christmas!</span></td></tr>
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Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0Cebu City, Cebu, Philippines10.3156992 123.8854366000000510.0657982 123.56271310000005 10.565600199999999 124.20816010000004tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-83742933602038098122016-12-20T07:03:00.000-08:002016-12-20T07:03:46.822-08:00Happy Christmas From Hong Kong<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b><u><span style="line-height: 107%;">Happy Christmas From Hong Kong</span></u></b><b><u><span style="line-height: 107%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2016 has been a year of new things for
us!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Firstly Reuben started in grade 5
(year 6 in the UK) at the same school as Samuel. He has already had lots of new
oportunities including learning the tenor sax … seemed like it was nearly as
tall as him though he’s growing so fast that will soon change. He’s also taken
up basketball and is on the U12 team – along with his new best friend Josh.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A new school
for Reuben has a knock on effect for Jo and I too. Until the beginning of this academic
year it’s mainly been me working with the men in our ‘new man house’ (Jo was
still home schooling Reuben). It’s a great relief to the guys that they get to
have Jo’s brillaint input too. This is especially true since we started leading
the house in May. As with most new things it’s been hard work – please keep
praying for us to learn Cantonese better as it’s now more vital than ever to be
able to communicate effectively!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We continue
to have a lot of fun mixed in with the serious business of how we can be a ‘new
creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We call the place where we work ‘new man’ house
for a good reason - as we are trying to show these guys a new way to live, to
have the fresh start which Jesus never stops offering to those who ask.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQd8T-cFtsNfVV0DU_jw__w_BYh5B95MNwtAoOI5zIvbK31IJE7t1YlL5h9eeKMVLLp3ZgJJnLNDt5JKzsoxdBvY74dm6H9ngBNcq1jE1_InztqunbiooObr9AlCLUsZU8V5dSjR7zR8/s1600/paul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxQd8T-cFtsNfVV0DU_jw__w_BYh5B95MNwtAoOI5zIvbK31IJE7t1YlL5h9eeKMVLLp3ZgJJnLNDt5JKzsoxdBvY74dm6H9ngBNcq1jE1_InztqunbiooObr9AlCLUsZU8V5dSjR7zR8/s200/paul.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Other new things included Samuel
becoming a teenager. Here he is with his friends before the Cinema on his 13<sup>th</sup>
birthday!!! </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How has that come about so fast? He’s
growing in to a fine young man. It’s not easy being where we are and sharing
dad with the the guys in the house but he copes well and is enjoying life and
school! This year was his first year of drama club … landing the role of King
Richard in their production of Robin Hood.</span></div>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Reuben also did some acting in a
school assembly – Paul on the road to Damascus. </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We’re so
proud of them both as they seem to thrive despite the challenges of being
transplanted into a new culture and a totally diff</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">erent environment to the one
we left behind 2 years ago.</span></div>
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in Hong Kong (including my mum and cousin) as well as people I knew from 30 years
ago when I was a gap year student here! But it’s been amazing to make some new
special friends too. Some families that have visited have truly become brothers
and sisters for our boys (left), not to mention the ones that seem to be twins
separated at birth! (right).<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What hasn’t changed is where we live.
We still have the same wonderful apartment as when we arrived. It’s amazing
that we still fit into a space that is the same size as our kitchen back in the
UK … and that I still manage to lose things. But the surroundings are beautiful
and while this is what God has called us to we are happy to share our lives and
our family with the special people that He calls to be His disciples here.</span></div>
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prayers and wish you a peaceful and meaningful<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Christmas
and a happy new year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Much love,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-5711981307002521652015-12-24T08:28:00.002-08:002015-12-24T08:28:49.992-08:00Christmas Greetings!<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear Friends and Family,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This comes with our very best wishes for a wonderful peaceful and blessed Christmas and our love and prayers for 2016!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That just shows how long it's been since we sent an update! (our apologies) we hope you didn't think we'd dropped off the face of the earth. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are still here - on the face of the earth and here in Hong Kong! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It seems like only a few weeks ago that we were in the UK, b</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ut in fact it's been about 4 months! W</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">e had a really wonderful time. I</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">f we managed to see you t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">hank you so much for making the time amazing! If we didn't manage to see you we really hope that we'll be able to see you next year ... or maybe out here!!??</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well since the last time we wrote there have been some big changes in how we are doing things here. The biggest change is that Samuel is now in School. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We really have so much to thank God for in this. Samuel got a place at ICS (International Christian School), we got a bursary and provision of funds for the remaining part, and the school is wonderful. After so much transition and a year of homeschool Samuel is doing amazingly well. His grades are good. Perhaps surprisingly Mandarin is his favorite subject at the moment - he's even learning to write the characters (though it's slightly odd that they learn Mandarin in Hong Kong ... where the main language is Cantonese). He's enjoying being responsible as he get's himself ready every morning at 6am! But m</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ost importantly he's happy and</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> making new friends - something that w</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">as lacking last year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He's also had an amazing school trip to Vietnam!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mFtSGdWmhhb0CJUzVnSiimOBrFYSXMPuUd_Y1kzP6LI_WzmDlZgdsO2LxDedL1xLmDCXCd2a9Tx4T8-XfzCPryW55US7J2bXmpxL_p78kby3b3mF-N8s6O9p0Yk2q0uaoKrj8OIHlyY/s1600/IMG_9438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mFtSGdWmhhb0CJUzVnSiimOBrFYSXMPuUd_Y1kzP6LI_WzmDlZgdsO2LxDedL1xLmDCXCd2a9Tx4T8-XfzCPryW55US7J2bXmpxL_p78kby3b3mF-N8s6O9p0Yk2q0uaoKrj8OIHlyY/s200/IMG_9438.JPG" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Reuben is also doing really well. We're still praying for him to get into ICS but while he doesn't have a place there, Jo is continuing to do an amazing job. Reuben is growing so fast in confidence and is adding reading to his list of things he enjoys (phew!). The great thing is that Jo also has some help now (one morning a week we have someone come in from outside to teach maths, music and Cantonese). Another family also came to Sin Mun Springs this year. They have a son aged 11 and a daughter who's 8 - this is just perfect as Reuben and Ian have found each other as friends. It's such a blessing to have other families with kids Samuel and Reuben's age here.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do pray for Reuben's schooling - For Jo to have the resource/patience and/or others to come in to help. And the possibility of him joining ICS sooner rather than later.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With the friend coming in once a week to help teach Reuben it means that Jo has a little more time in 'block2'. We are trying to make other changes so that Jo can be more involved over in the men's first stage house</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. It's been great to be able to work together a bit and are praying for ways to make that happen more.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXaYsCmUpls1rs4zuwp1Ew9Sn_tTi_AQL0NAyrj5mXQ3lOKbaAdasWT_l_JfVlWlebgqI_hI3bVRaLZIZjuO8Rz77iEvgozWSBOpKKduUNC4yCbwhzlTWf5e0ItY1BOUMuJwzylmXlVc/s1600/IMG_9452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXaYsCmUpls1rs4zuwp1Ew9Sn_tTi_AQL0NAyrj5mXQ3lOKbaAdasWT_l_JfVlWlebgqI_hI3bVRaLZIZjuO8Rz77iEvgozWSBOpKKduUNC4yCbwhzlTWf5e0ItY1BOUMuJwzylmXlVc/s200/IMG_9452.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In 'block2' we have had 3 baptisms in the last few months. We had one guy come in who just mocked us when we prayed for him (or especially when we asked him to pray). It's wonderful to see a 180 degree turn around in him. He's given his life to Jesus, received significant healing </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">from past hurts</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">! and is now sharing what he's received with others. He's tasted and seen that the Lord is good and was one of the ones who got baptized. Our desire is not just to see that turning and healing but also to help them become disciples.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pEpuo4Fx8CuQnNQsiVfjsYfjMIZg6o5qYmmdQU04vJY4gjIU3IR74Ni465X1OLNI02fgGwesl_gBTpBNDnlago6WRP0KobsR6e_smPujCgPu1ZaZHexnPI0vKdYk4gjxKj3our82UCY/s1600/20151106_185822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4pEpuo4Fx8CuQnNQsiVfjsYfjMIZg6o5qYmmdQU04vJY4gjIU3IR74Ni465X1OLNI02fgGwesl_gBTpBNDnlago6WRP0KobsR6e_smPujCgPu1ZaZHexnPI0vKdYk4gjxKj3our82UCY/s200/20151106_185822.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBTRgP0Ss4b8C1Md-1nwyIGUKq5Bfzz2AlZ2uxt22EgUkeGzClsRzU7SfeQhhwiEIKNuGJvfGFJxHKeqs8ODGXWTXtjDKPWNS9Fz_NQtS3bgHo5KyvgnCfVbJgFXNiBvcMxjIJ22vdII/s1600/20151108_092814.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBTRgP0Ss4b8C1Md-1nwyIGUKq5Bfzz2AlZ2uxt22EgUkeGzClsRzU7SfeQhhwiEIKNuGJvfGFJxHKeqs8ODGXWTXtjDKPWNS9Fz_NQtS3bgHo5KyvgnCfVbJgFXNiBvcMxjIJ22vdII/s200/20151108_092814.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We try to have plenty of fun with the guys, part of this is practically experiencing the things God has made them to be and do. For example we recently took a group of guys on a 10k run. For some of them persevering through to the end of a training program and doing a race is a first, and something they can really look at as an achievement! Added to that as a 'house parent', it filled me with a real sense of pride that they all completed what they had started! But even more simple things like having a pizza night (Jo's pizza dough is amazing!) or playing Jenga can bring a significant 'family' feel to the house. These things make a difference - but ultimately if Jesus isn't healing the brokenness that leads to addictions in the first place, then we won't see the changes we hope for in the guys. This is an ongoing battle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You probably want to know what our ongoing plans are like. Well at this stage we're still unsure. We are learning so much here - but also see so much need. There is desperate need for workers in all sorts of places along the opium trail and the Philippines and we hear many stories of the harvest being plentiful ... but the workers few. </span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do pray for our</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ongoing vision and clarity of calling as our desire is to serve wherever God would send us ...</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This comes with so much love at Christmas from Alec, Jo, Samuel and Reuben.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-64201652631321678802015-05-31T10:42:00.004-07:002015-05-31T10:42:49.475-07:00Summer is here!<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear Friends, </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We thought we'd do another installment a bit sooner this time - but the weeks fly past, and before we know it another month has gone! Time is a funny thing!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are doing well. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been half term so things for me (Jo) and the boys are a bit more relaxed. Phew! Only 5 more weeks of school to go - I haven't counted the hours and minutes but it will be a huge relief to complete the year. I really thank God that He gave me the faith to home-school. It's been super challenging, some days have been absolutely dreadful, but we've got through them and are a lot closer as a result. I think I know my children a lot better now and they tell me that they still love me which really is a miracle! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're so proud of how they've adjusted to such massive changes. They still miss their friends a lot but SKYPE is a wonderful thing, and that's coming from Jo the technophobe!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Jo has also become school hairdresser.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alec has been working extremely hard ... nothing new there! Rotas, duties, leading worship, maintenance, driving the van and leading meetings (in Cantonese!) are a few of the things he gets up to! It's full on. Although rewarding, some days are just a hard slog and exhausting. However, it was really encouraging when a lady visited recently who had been here as a helper 18 years ago. She saw guys whom she had cared for when they were broken teenagers who were now transformed men able to hold down jobs, lead congregations and are married with children. It's really important for us to keep this in mind - we are planting seeds and God reaps the harvest! We may not always see it straight away. However, small things can make a world of difference. A guy we had round for dinner can look us in the eye now and have a semi-normal conversation! Before, he was all over the place! (He used to call me 'Lazy Monkey Girl!' but now calls me Jo!)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As we've said in the last couple of blogs we meet people whose lives are in a total mess. A few weeks ago a Nepalese guy came in. Basically, he'd drunk a chemical in order to harm himself in front of his wife who was wanting to leave him and go to a refuge with their two young children. During surgery to fix his insides he then had a stroke which left him weak down one side of his body. He'd then started to take drugs to help with the pain. As he went through withdrawal the pain became worse than ever and he got very agitated. However, when he allowed people to pray for him he simply fell asleep. He saw this as a miracle! Despite all this he decided to leave after 10 days to 'rehabilitate' at home....by himself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PLEASE pray for him - it is literally a life and death situation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The same day another Nepalese guy decided he wanted to leave too. We'd hoped the two Nepalese guys might encourage each other, but both began demanding to leave at about the same. Each needed attention and it stretched us to the limit. Obviously reasoning is difficult for someone in withdrawal. This second guy</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> became physically aggressive. All hands on deck! As we prayed we saw moments of softening in him but then we'd see the walls go up and he'd ask to leave again. Eventually after some of the helpers had been hit a few times we decided that we had to let him go. Everything we know tells us that this was the drug addiction making him act this way, but in the end we are also trying to keep a house full of people safe. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As he left, and we stood with him waiting for a bus, his reason seemed to return. We had a good conversation, we were able to forgive him, tell him that we loved him and that we would welcome him back when he was ready. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a tough day at the office</b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ... but God can bring good out of any situation! Firstly there was a miracle related to one of the blows stuck by the Nepalese guy. Because of the blow, which perforated an ear drum, </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">it showed up a problem that hadn't been detected in one of the helper's ears! In fact he'd been suffering for a while with related symptoms. The doctor himself said that it was a miracle that it showed up this underlying problem. He's since had an operation and the hope is that his general heath will be much better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We also had the privilege of baptising 2 of the guys from the house and one helper. It's really exciting to be involved in this especially when one of the guys has gone from being an atheist to being pro-active in telling his family what a difference Jesus has made in his life. Amazing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We thank God for His amazing provision. Funds at the centre were running low ... this is not something we tend to worry about as we know that if God wants this place to keep going he will provide all that's needed....and he does - because yesterday we were blessed with literally tonnes of rice! It's everywhere and 'we will not go hungry' (Psalm 34:10). Praise God! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Thank you so much for your prayers and interest! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Much love from Alec, Jo, Samuel and Reuben.</span></div>
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<a href="http://biblehub.com/philippians/4-19.htm" original_target="http://biblehub.com/philippians/4-19.htm" saprocessedanchor="true" style="color: #660099; cursor: pointer; font-size: 18px !important; text-decoration: none;">Philippians 4:19</a> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">P.S. We found Sha Tins 'Richmond Park' ... hilarious! Plastic grass on a roof 'garden' with pictures of dears on the walls.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And Jo has made the online publication of the 'South China Morning Post'. Check it out on this URL:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: x-small;">http://m.scmp.com/lifestyle/families/article/1792789/hong-kong-parents-opting-out-kindergarten-rat-race</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Or there here is a snapshot off my phone if that easier for you!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ-LySRUTxz-sjSTT8n2OW_is-d5u24UyBKuuW5Wojc9uGJoAksxwJoSM7_WAYX9quwv1wbEQGNh1BFC25OSIL0osZ2XNboLxamRy2HZ6Q2nzTB1i71fK2tmEfTyFvBs45tD6Op18Qec/s1600/Screenshot_2015-05-13-19-46-47.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJ-LySRUTxz-sjSTT8n2OW_is-d5u24UyBKuuW5Wojc9uGJoAksxwJoSM7_WAYX9quwv1wbEQGNh1BFC25OSIL0osZ2XNboLxamRy2HZ6Q2nzTB1i71fK2tmEfTyFvBs45tD6Op18Qec/s640/Screenshot_2015-05-13-19-46-47.png" /></span> </a> </div>
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-2976853835802488252015-04-21T08:36:00.004-07:002015-04-25T06:42:15.689-07:00Keeping on keeping on ...<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well its been about three months since our last post! So sorry for not even managing a monthly photo :-(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today is our rest day and we started with an IKEA breakfast. Comfort food (English breakfast!)....not rice.... and cheap! ANNNNDDDDD RELAX! Unfortunately there's not much else we<i> can</i> do as Alec badly sprained his ankle playing football and is hobbling around. He's had a number of accidents since being here: a dislocated finger, a piece of wire jabbing his eyeball and a dodgy knee to name but a few. Please pray for safety!!!! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Over Easter we were visited by both our mums which was a real treat. We had lots of trips out and tried to show, especially Jo's mum, the 'real' Hong Kong.' Alec managed to get two extra days holiday so that was great. Both mums came with loaded suitcases....we even got English sausages and Cheddar cheese (but don't tell customs!!!!) Janis (Jo's mum) stayed on site here at Shing Mun and enjoyed her time with 'the boys.'....not just her grandsons!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The last three months have been full of change. The number of helpers in the house has varied a lot and at times things have felt stretched to the limit. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When there are plenty of helping hands, the guys feel protected and safe (although they often rebel against any authority). When there are less bodies around to 'hold the line' they get unsettled. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">However, as some helpers leave, others come to fill their places. Currently we have 5 full time helpers, which sounds like quite a lot, but with duties, days off and other responsibilities to juggle it is hard work. In fact Alec has just had to go off to do an unexpected night duty 10pm - 2.30am due to a volunteer not turning up. </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please pray for us (and the helpers in general) that He 'supplies all our needs according to His riches in glory' (Phil 4:19) </span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Recently a few guys have left before they were ready. It's heart wrenching to see them choose to go back to their old lifestyles that in one way or another lead to death! Despite that we pray that seeds of hope were sown in the time they were here. An example of this</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> was one guy who came in literally bent over double because of drugs and a chronic back problem. He was in his 50's and taking $2,000HKD of Heroin a day (about £200 and that's about 10x what we normally see the guys taking!). He should really have been dead. After 10 days and much prayer he was walking straight and looking better... but still on the eleventh day he decided he wanted to leave. </span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please pray for the guys who've left early, that they should pursue Christ, or be pursued</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by Him!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A lot of the guys have not had good upbringings. One guy sat sobbing during a meeting the other day. His parents had not wanted him and when they separated the mum kicked him out of the house (aged 10). He went to live with his dad who sadly mistreated him very badly. What an honour it was to sit with him, put an arm round him and cry with him. God knows how deeply he is hurting and is able to heal those wounds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One big and new piece of news is that we decided to look at some local schools for the boys next year. It's most likely we'll be here (HK) for longer than we'd first thought. Jo does not feel able to homeschool at the secondary level (those maths equations are just too scary!), so we thought we would push some doors. We ended up applying to a school called ICS (International Christian School) just 15 minutes away from us. When we visited we found it to be a really wonderful place. The boys also loved it and have both passed the entrance test. However we found out this week that while </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Samuel has a place, there isn't a place for Reuben at present. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boys have had a great time over the last month due to a family from the UK staying here. Their three children aged 9, 7 and 4 have been great company for them. It's been like an oasis in the desert! Sadly they leave on Monday :(</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We're coming back to the UK in July (14th) so we hope to see some of you then and have a proper catch up!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much love,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alec, Jo, Samuel and Reuben.</span></div>
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Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-23502981803524079062015-01-15T06:38:00.000-08:002015-01-15T06:38:20.327-08:00Belated Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year!!<div dir="ltr">
Well we've been here in Hong Kong for 4 months and we've had a full time in every way. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scary Alec (centre)</td></tr>
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The Christmas period here at St. Stephen's society is full on. There have been all sorts of special events and parties to let people know what Christmas is all about ... celebrating the birth of Jesus, the only Son of God. Jo helped at a party for children and their families who attend something called Art in the Community (art/craft for the children whilst the parents attend a 'parenting' session.) 180 were expected, 300 went. 300 hundred hot meals were served including to all of the helpers who had been told there would't be enough food! On Christmas day families came in to be with their sons or husbands and about 400 of us shared the meal together ... the biggest Christmas meal we've ever been to and huge fun. Just after Christmas we helped at the toddler group party. About 120 families came and enjoyed face painting, bouncy castles,craft and some very scary looking clowns who made balloon animals....one of which was Alec!!! (He only made a few children cry!)</div>
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We talked with the men in our house about what the festivities had meant to them. Some said they'd been touched to see what it means to be a family ; others said receiving a simple gift helped them understand the meaning of Christmas - Jesus being the MOST precious gift ; others just understood for the first time that Christmas was about Jesus. </div>
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We still haven't had a chance to fully catch up after all that but the home-school holiday was good. We had some down time and the family times we had were really special, Not long enough though, and with the new-year begins a new term of home-schooling! But it's started well and the boys are getting back into the swing of things.</div>
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In the past we've done Christmas cards and a family collage. This year we're really sorry not to have had time to do the cards ... and the family collage is a bit different! But never the less, this comes with huge hugs and love from the four of us. We love and miss you and pray you have a peaceful and blessed 2015.</div>
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Alec, Jo, Samuel, Reuben (and all the house). </div>
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Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-19003162181162919842014-11-12T07:11:00.000-08:002014-11-26T11:43:06.284-08:003 months - 1/4 of a year - Christmas is coming!Well time certainly flies! It's only been a while since our last post and things are not standing still.<div>
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Jo mentioned that we're on a training course until Christmas. At the core St. Stephens 'exists to preach the Good News, reach the poor and see people set free through faith in Jesus Christ'. The training is for the newly arrived westerner helpers and the many local people who are all preparing to go out to the poor (either in Hong Kong, the Philippines, along the 'silk road' route, and other places in Asia). It's really helpful to get this overview and to be with like minded people.<div><br></div><div>The Cantonese lessons are going well, but it's still a huge obstacle to jump over. The boys initial enthusiasm has petered out (mainly because it's a 2 hour lesson with no break! a big ask) but Jo and I are sticking at it.<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhol8gPkOsrw1OvErxVZo8I47qF4wLyBy_TbNRK2PUgI6t9bQJiVVTW2cm4n3npZLEN3oIOYhyv6J2pCuDAOhYJhOmmZRqJFDqrg1UlKp6xOrx4b5M5pVDzK-dznMy8RNeUrFirLjurK14/s1600/IMG_8452.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhol8gPkOsrw1OvErxVZo8I47qF4wLyBy_TbNRK2PUgI6t9bQJiVVTW2cm4n3npZLEN3oIOYhyv6J2pCuDAOhYJhOmmZRqJFDqrg1UlKp6xOrx4b5M5pVDzK-dznMy8RNeUrFirLjurK14/s320/IMG_8452.JPG" width="320"></a>Home-school is a lot of fun at times! For example here is Reuben dressed as a Celtic Warrior! But both Jo and I have ended up taking ourselves off on 'cool down' walks - crying ... and crying out to God for help. We met a lady recently who'd home schooled her 8 children!! It was encouraging hear that we're not alone in finding it challenging. Do pray for wisdom in the bucket load.</div>
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We are seeing changes in some of the guys in the house. It's great to see them being touched by the caring/loving environment they are in. One guy who was <b><i>so</i></b> quiet when he arrived (having spent most of the previous 3 years stuck in one room) was able to stand up at a talent evening and play guitar and sing two songs (he couldn't even play guitar before he arrived). What's clear though is that this 'safe' environment won't help in the outside world unless there is a heart change also! Do pray for A. and B. who really need to understand Jesus is not just a 'religious program' but a person who can help.</div><div><br></div>
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We've also been involved in some outreaches. On one midnight outreach to 'Aberdeen' (interestingly the site of the original Hong Kong port before it was moved to the other side of the island!) it was amazing to see 7 teenagers receive Jesus as they responded to what God said to them. I saw the careful work of the team as they made sure that these were not just a 'hit and run' conversions - but that the teens were followed up with bible studies and nurture. Please pray for this follow up, teens are notoriously bad at keeping appointments and being consistent making the follow up doubly important.</div><div><br></div><div>The start of this month also saw Samuel turn 11. Unfortunately we all got sick with some sort of tummy bug on and around the day! Undeterred a day later we went to a place with wall to wall trampolines in it ... no mishaps and we had a really lovely time with some of the gap year students who are hear too.</div>
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<br></div><div>Now near the end of November we are seeing that a number of our helpers here in block 2 will be leaving soon. From about 8 well soon be 4! It's very encouraging that different ones are going on outreaches to different places or moving on in other positive ways ... but it does mean we're going to be stretched. Please pray for help in this - more helpers or the ability (including Cantonese) to cope with these changes. Pray for the guys too as these kind of changes can be unsettling.</div>
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Much love from us all!</div>
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Alec, Jo Samuel and Reuben.</div>
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</div></div>Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-38542850141692623302014-10-23T08:35:00.001-07:002014-10-23T08:35:56.705-07:00Updates ... Oct 23<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well now that Jo's done a post it's time for some other updates on our house/block (we're in block 2, there are 5 blocks in the St Stephens complex).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all, the guy who I talked about (Sept 14th) who was struggling physically decided to leave after 10 days. This was a real sadness as 10 days was enough time for the drugs to clear his system but not enough time for him to really 'turn around' in his thinking and his behavior. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Though it's not what we would want, the chances are he'll take again without some external help. He really needs to ask for the Lords help to 'turn around' spiritually as well as in his thinking and behavior.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a more positive note 2 other new guys</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> have come into the house who have not suffered any pain during withdrawal from hard drugs. This is the peculiar/particular kind of miracle that we see here and we thank God for it. No new boys right now though - so no night duties which is a nice break!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The challenge in the house at the moment is that we have a 50:50 split between guys who've just come in recently (since we've been here) and those that have been here for nearly a year. Some people come in with a 9 month 'court order' to be at St Stephens. As it happens that's probably an average time to be here. This is a challenge as many of the guys have a prison mindset where there is a lot more equality between the 'inmates' - but we're more like a family where brothers and sisters are given different responsibilities and freedoms depending on their age and maturity. It's not always easy to hold all those differences together ...</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Do pray for wisdom for the house leaders Nick an George to know how best to plan things in our day to day activities so that these issues don't become bigger than they should be.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From a Cobb family point of view: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The boys continue to amaze us in how they are coping ... but as half term approaches they are getting tired and emotions are heightened. We have had many tears especially from Samuel after talking to his old class (and best friend) at Nelson School in Whitton. Not an easy time but we know God is faithful and t</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">oday I really experienced that faithfulness. It was a reminder and reassurance that He holds everything in his hands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went to play volleyball down at the sports hall which has a large open air multifunction hard surface. Reuben took his football down for himself, but as we played volley ball two of the guys took his football (they didn't know it was 'his' ball and just viewed it as a ball to play with) and started kicking it around. I quickly checked with Reu</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ben if he was OK with that, but at the moment he said 'no', and I was about to ask the guys to give the ball back, one of them kicked the ball hard and high. It cleared the netting and went for miles down into the 'jungle' below (it's a steep hill down away from the hard court and it really is a bit of a jungle as the complex is surrounded on every side by woods). I looked and it really was impossible to imagine finding the green ball let alone getting down to where we thought it might be.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'd love to say that at this point I prayed and hey presto ... but I didn't. First I talked to Reuben who burst into floods of tears saying that he hated the people who'd kicked the ball. I then took Reuben back to the house as he was so upset. You could say that this is a lot of fuss about a ball ... but this was a prized possession (and much loved birthday present). At this point I don't really know why but I got really upset too! Not with the people or anything but for Reuben - and Samuel, they have given up so much and I felt the weight of Jo and my decision heavy on our wonderful boys (our decision </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">to walk away from all that's comfortable and really follow Jesus in the call we felt on us!)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. Loosing the ball was the straw on the camels back and it broke me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what did I do at this point ... pray? Still not - when will I learn! Instead I wanted to solve the problem! I went down to see if there was anyway I could get down there and find the ball. I looked and even tried a little but just couldn't do it. No-one else was looking, they were carrying on with their games. So what next! Daddy <i>will</i> solve this problem so I go back to the house and look online see if I can find an exact replica to get shipped over.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But God's ways are not our ways! They are much better Isaiah 55:9. Just as I did find the exact same ball online there's a knock at the door. They guy who kicked the ball is there with the ball in his hands. It turns out the Lord even knows what to do when it comes to lost balls. Someone else had kicked their ball over after I left. They went searching and found Reuben's ball immediately. Any cynics among you may say that clearly I should have just tried harder! But I'm telling you it would have been like a needle in a haystack (it was a green ball in a jungle</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">remember</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So what did I learn? Stop trying to be the hero! Jesus already has that job.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Please pray for Samuel's homesickness! And for friends their own ages.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much love from us all!</span><br />
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-66053654758888287772014-10-13T07:05:00.004-07:002014-10-13T07:06:14.932-07:00Jo's turn to write!<div class="yiv1411279246yui_3_7_2_29_1413117436308_56" id="yiv1411279246yui_3_7_2_29_1413117436308_62" sab="4320" style="background-color: white;">
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Hi, It's Jo ...<var id="yiv1411279246yui-ie-cursor" sab="4322"></var><br />
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Wow! We have been in Hong Kong for 6 and a half weeks! AND we have survived! The first few weeks were really quite challenging. We felt like fish out of water and came into a situation where things were in transition, so it was a shaky start with lots of unknowns and not so many people around to answer our questions. However many people had worked hard to make us feel welcome including preparing our apartment and allowing us to move in and make it our home straight away.</div>
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Things are practically challenging. We've moved from a massive house with a huge kitchen to an apartment with a minuscule cooking area (can’t bring myself to call it a kitchen!) where the cupboards have been placed so high you can’t even reach the first shelf ... and then there’s the cockroaches! Also, food hygiene here is 'interesting'! Meat is left out for hours, uncovered, and 'cleaning' the tables after mealtimes was done with a filthy towel which I have vowed to burn!!!!! I have bought some anti-bacterial wipes and the guys are now using them after meals even when I'm not there! Victory!</div>
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Shopping has been my biggest challenge though. Who would have thought that purchasing a shopping trolley (‘granny trolley’ as Reuben calls it) could change your life! After several terrible shopping ventures, (a couple of which actually made me cry!) I think I have now cracked it! I now no longer view missing the bus, which only carries 16 people, as a bad thing. It means I am front of the queue and can lug my shopping trolley to the back of the bus so as not to be in the way!!!! </div>
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... and relax! </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">UNO! The loser gets an arm written on <br />
... so of course Reuben plays to lose!</td></tr>
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We are getting to know the 'boys' in our block really well (actually they range in age from 19 to the oldest who is in his 60’s) and we are becoming very fond of them. Our lives are very much shared. We eat together, play sport and board games, worship and pray with them and study the Bible. We have lots of fun, and although the language difference is still a barrier (for me anyway), we share a lot of jokes and laugh a lot. Samuel and Reuben can often be found next door playing UNO or other games with the guys, even when it’s one of our evenings off! We feel very safe and trust God that He will look after our family as we see these guys have their lives turned around by Jesus. However, the scars on their bodies - knife wounds from fights and masses of tattoos tell of their pasts which we pray will remain in the past as their lives are set on a different course. What a privilege! </div>
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Our training started 2 weeks ago which was great. The downside is that it is not really set up for home-schooling families so Alec and I have to take it in turns to go. Cantonese lessons start next week and we are all going!!!! Personally, I am really struggling with the language. I can't quite tune my ear to the sounds and it becomes increasingly difficult when one word can have multiple meanings depending on the tone. My attempts have been a source of amusement here. I learnt how to ask, ‘how old are you?’ and was very pleased with myself, so I tried it out on a guy who speaks good English. However, I said one word slightly wrong and ended up asking him when he was going to die!!!!! Alec, on the other hand, actually stands and has conversations with people in Cantonese!!!! He is amazing!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home school award day!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Apart from home schooling, which is actually going really well, (do I sound surprised!), I have started reading the story in the toddler group here once a week. (It's in English) I also do baking with the guys in our block, which they love! Last week we made pizza which went down a storm! This week it was scones (sadly no clotted cream though!). Also I have started doing an art session. It's very basic stuff, things you'd do with kids, but the schooling system here in HK doesn't really do anything creative and a lot of the guys are very fearful of making mistakes, it's ingrained in the culture. So by doing an activity where there is no 'correct' way to do it is good for them. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Art activity.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pizza Frenzy!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samuel measures the<br />
amount of blood a human has! </td></tr>
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Another role I have found myself in is being a 'mummy' for the gap year students who arrived about a month ago. Most are 18, and some are finding things more difficult than others. Cups of tea, toast with Nutella, hugs, a shoulder to cry on and someone to pray with are some of things I have provided so far. I love it. They are so brave. There is no way I could have come aged 18.</div>
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We have one day off a week and a couple of evenings. Monday is our day off which is great because weekends in HK are horrendous! So far we have been to a beautiful beach on an island, been up The Peak, done Stanley Market and Ocean Park. Ocean park is a big theme park with rides and animals. We saw some beautiful pandas and stood there taking photos when we realised that a group of Chinese tourists, who had probably never seen a white face before, were taking photos of US not the pandas!!! Then they wanted to pose with Samuel and Reuben and before we knew it even kissed one of the boys! Bizarre! The boys thought it was hilarious!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvWKjx_ruza76vOmVEJmxOCnK0E_2uQpVBEh49wPVhLnH2xNy8ZV4sKsoswegBEb2cGubj1Dv9frPZR4BhypHpQI7Gdter8KFpt-fLyF51WxneHi1Mf_UA7a4t0QwTrMPEhEtjU8imNA/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSvWKjx_ruza76vOmVEJmxOCnK0E_2uQpVBEh49wPVhLnH2xNy8ZV4sKsoswegBEb2cGubj1Dv9frPZR4BhypHpQI7Gdter8KFpt-fLyF51WxneHi1Mf_UA7a4t0QwTrMPEhEtjU8imNA/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wonderful beaches ...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0zq6ghSBmkbSXDoaOXGfsA3BnGwbJ_a5-693tGRkso6L-FJGmcWSIBXCmbIoTO88gggiLFsSNUPPDhlpr7VRIsOmmUo1LZc3YhVRUwRVeN-BYXUhVlPEqyXY5DCSmdr2O1xhLl1jzO0/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0zq6ghSBmkbSXDoaOXGfsA3BnGwbJ_a5-693tGRkso6L-FJGmcWSIBXCmbIoTO88gggiLFsSNUPPDhlpr7VRIsOmmUo1LZc3YhVRUwRVeN-BYXUhVlPEqyXY5DCSmdr2O1xhLl1jzO0/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfJ37AtzdeYA6TzSXSkIFpkHhBHcyTEOHbdZsJ0ioTZcE5UeHztj2zxWjxcKzT7IKpp5-ZDHsOIrdw6kLZmPYTTqA-cRhpujVpya4IQxMpeoTrr83UDNXH3U8cONGxfSJIlvgG7CGar0/s1600/IMG_8323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfJ37AtzdeYA6TzSXSkIFpkHhBHcyTEOHbdZsJ0ioTZcE5UeHztj2zxWjxcKzT7IKpp5-ZDHsOIrdw6kLZmPYTTqA-cRhpujVpya4IQxMpeoTrr83UDNXH3U8cONGxfSJIlvgG7CGar0/s1600/IMG_8323.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panda!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXVMI1HQ6leS4U5O0_8XoljCVQmOp4EBy8lvaPkjHgw9lvuHWHPO5yiygTNnMxh0Q4hsY2LnoXbLsQiVgWmh3oEzdxlfOz0XO35iOvSkLdHa2eoGf2l9MzGG1Wrv_uL-04e2uyJohvFA/s1600/IMG_8334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvXVMI1HQ6leS4U5O0_8XoljCVQmOp4EBy8lvaPkjHgw9lvuHWHPO5yiygTNnMxh0Q4hsY2LnoXbLsQiVgWmh3oEzdxlfOz0XO35iOvSkLdHa2eoGf2l9MzGG1Wrv_uL-04e2uyJohvFA/s1600/IMG_8334.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean Park photo opportunity!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Our boys are doing incredibly well! We are sooooooo proud of them! They have adapted really well in every area. Samuel still struggles with some of the Chinese food though, so we make sure that on our evenings off we have western food! I even managed to find chicken kievs in the supermarket. They cost an absolute fortune and actually tasted as though they had been in the freezer section for a few years!!! Maybe we won't have those again! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Please pray for us. </span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Health </b>- A few of the helpers have had a nasty bug which has meant that they were out of action for a week. Pray that no-one else gets it.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Friends </b>- We really need to find some like-minded friends for Samuel and Reuben.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><b>Language </b>- Not speaking the language really is a barrier, there is only so much miming you can do, so please pray that we pick it up really quickly.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;"><b>New guys</b> - There are two new guys at the moment are coming off hard drugs</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: times new roman, new york, times, serif;"><b>Block 2</b> - The block/house we are a part of (there are 5 blocks) is going through a lot of changes that can be unsettling for the guys.</span></li>
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We are so thankful for this amazing time in our lives and are excited about what the future holds for all of us!</div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Lots of love,</div>
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Jo.</div>
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Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-17916893091626962912014-09-14T23:39:00.001-07:002014-09-15T14:45:27.705-07:00A spiritual battle ...<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't know if today has been a good or bad day. It's an ongoing battle ... but that's part of the reason for being here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've had 5 new guys coming in since we arrived. The latest arrived two days ago and is withdrawing from heroin. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Each drug or addiction has it's own withdrawal symptoms. Ketamime withdrawal for example can cause severe pain in the kidneys and cause the feeling of needing to go to the loo often. Heroin has probably one of the most painful withdrawals though, as the whole body goes into a kind of shock. The new guy is struggling physically and as a result wants to leave. Unfortunately, despite knowing Jesus, he's is not praying or asking for His help. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Three different guys who have got through heroin withdrawal with only prayer have come to encourage him ... but he's rather closed at this point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The program for the day has gone out the window! Much prayer though!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And now at the close of the day God is good. The battle seems to have been won ... for today. The new guy has had some sleep after 2 nights of not sleeping. Please intercede though as without the person being willing to ask for and accept Jesus help it tends to be harder for them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Never a dull moment :) ... whats more one of the guys in the house broke his arm playing football yesterday (reminds me of 28 years ago if you are reading Mr Woods!). Jo went to the hospital with one of the boys and nearly got caught in a typhoon! Fortunately it didn't get too bad.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Much love to all!</span></div>
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0Shing Mun Springs, Hong Kong22.395664 114.21797tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-59037678927309056952014-09-06T18:30:00.000-07:002014-09-07T07:43:26.077-07:00Alec's Day ...<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">Perhaps its a bit early to say what a typical day looks like ... but
here goes anyway.</span><br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Up a 6:30 get ready/breakfast and step over from our flat ...</span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzz9BYg_WRsEC_HzbKbwL3k770IAcHtJ-kiglktznvQuVUwcntNuGh3-gqUtdFroauzrLipqYAaPrA0XrvJQDmmyngu5wWLOO3Js-h157x8ktcpw0NIvDbMlTA9iwwKf4qMEeoznAWDQ/s1600/flat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFzz9BYg_WRsEC_HzbKbwL3k770IAcHtJ-kiglktznvQuVUwcntNuGh3-gqUtdFroauzrLipqYAaPrA0XrvJQDmmyngu5wWLOO3Js-h157x8ktcpw0NIvDbMlTA9iwwKf4qMEeoznAWDQ/s1600/flat.jpg" height="300" width="400"></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Our flat (here centre right)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To the main part of the house:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnh5FmFWkNJV1bIgc-JdS6fEwxsSXTN_JeAnnmeWsHwGAJ3kv73PyEe7vzRhO9u1xlu6ogMesLc9BOot3euEQUv_CwBejBB-jeivLK7edkmL9YIKjTIdUJBc6WsK9VdRIx_d59Jd-o2M/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYnh5FmFWkNJV1bIgc-JdS6fEwxsSXTN_JeAnnmeWsHwGAJ3kv73PyEe7vzRhO9u1xlu6ogMesLc9BOot3euEQUv_CwBejBB-jeivLK7edkmL9YIKjTIdUJBc6WsK9VdRIx_d59Jd-o2M/s1600/house.jpg" height="300" width="400"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The main part of the house (our flat is just to the right)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></span></div>
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<br></div>
<br>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyone else gets up a little later but a helper needs to be around
from 7. It's a good time to have a quiet time and read the bible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This used to be a house with some of the guys who've been in the program for a while. That has means the guys have a certain amount of autonomy. But since we've been here they have taken in 3 'new boys' and things are not normal (at least for the guys). We all have a lot of 'new boy duties' where
someone is with each of the new guys 24 hours a day for 10 days. During this time we
meet every physical need the 'new boys' may have, food - sleep - even massage, and
also spiritual need by praying for them continually. There are
only 12 of us in the house apart from the 'new boys' so 24 hour care means we're all a bit stretched and a bit tired. And some people get up a little later than normal. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By 8:15 though they'll have breakfast together (not so many of them
perhaps because some will be sleeping in after a night dury) and I've already
had some cereal (a little bit of normality! none of us get on with Chinese breakfasts).</span></span></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2KQuUhzCmOhaWNiqbzAV-6UjrPHzA3jLCiRjpWP0oDzDiZTgDa6LjxeuAjTmbzFxttFXJlOg9BOFnZcrp1RhBffx1CbYjPor2J9TX02G2iEL359DJJegXwY8_Rj0JzYTUSZkC8My1Lo/s1600/inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm2KQuUhzCmOhaWNiqbzAV-6UjrPHzA3jLCiRjpWP0oDzDiZTgDa6LjxeuAjTmbzFxttFXJlOg9BOFnZcrp1RhBffx1CbYjPor2J9TX02G2iEL359DJJegXwY8_Rj0JzYTUSZkC8My1Lo/s1600/inside.jpg" height="67" width="400"></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A panorama inside the main room</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8:30 till 9 they have a quiet time and then a worship meeting at 9:30.
Trying very hard to learn the language so I can follow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">10:30 is usually cleaning the house or work around the compound ... so
far for me that's meant anything from fixing the gate struts to clearing
monsoon drains with the guys. Whatever it is, I have to change beforehand as I
am drenched in sweat within a minute of doing <i><b>any </b></i>activity.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lunch at 12:30 ... nothing special to report except that Samuel isn't
enjoying the 'fair' as much as Reuben so we're going to start having 3 western
lunches for the boys a week. The food isn't like your local Chinese take away
and at the moment seems to involve the tips of chicken wings as it's cheap -
Reuben seems to love this, Samuel not at all). <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After lunch til about 4 is work again. After that some physical
recreation. The pool is great and the boys are loving that ... but Reuben has
also had great delight playing as an extra on Daddy's team at 5 aside football
(he's really got some skill and is able to take the adults on ... even if they are
being kind) and Samuel is really enjoying badminton with Mummy! I think we may
all be getting fitter!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ALL of these activities are opportunities to relate with the guys, pray
with them encourage them (if they speak good enough English), or just make
friends and learn Cantonese (our top and ongoing challenge). What is amazing is
how humor doesn't have so many language barriers!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The evening is then supper at 6:30 followed by a bible study/meeting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are variations on this theme. For example: one evening a week they get to
watch a film, and one of the guys has learnt to be a rather a good cake maker and he teaches
everyone else instead of work one afternoon. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx-UensKKykhhn9eFYIMoxxj6fc539u-yGHzg57jtvZPjd3NMAxfAhoIXJkTnLL85pI3ciky9Ot19jrV6eEuB9l7Gwl9fE86jrphyphenhyphenhobJpRpAFOdFwbwNAzkTehKOv_OchguExUrQUSk/s1600/cakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXx-UensKKykhhn9eFYIMoxxj6fc539u-yGHzg57jtvZPjd3NMAxfAhoIXJkTnLL85pI3ciky9Ot19jrV6eEuB9l7Gwl9fE86jrphyphenhyphenhobJpRpAFOdFwbwNAzkTehKOv_OchguExUrQUSk/s1600/cakes.jpg" height="240" width="320"></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Cake Making</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jo and the boys days are quite different to mine but I'll let Jo write
about that next time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you pray then please pray for:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 18.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">Our ability to pick up Cantonese</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: -18pt;">The general fatigue in the house.</span></li>
<li><span lang="EN-US" style="text-indent: -18pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the new boys who has come in through the
parole board and has no real understanding of Jesus.</span></span></li>
</ul>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br>
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-81827582634110514932014-09-02T17:41:00.001-07:002014-09-15T14:36:32.632-07:00Cobb Springs Primary in action<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4444446563721px; line-height: 23.1000022888184px;">So today Jo started home-school for the boys. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.4444446563721px; line-height: 23.1000022888184px;">Uniforms done! Register didnt take long. The day begins</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzbGkK_8dtCgo7u7VQfJ3skLpip9F2v2zqFMqW_3tGvWzPBu0ZTeO33-u1guY3gszDQt2xLqQEiv3VJ7RkoqqqGqgfWrDFYW6mIP_EZzX9KoqJTfEa_lEnkq8HVBsSFK5RIw5dkcdo-E/s1600/1409704712460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfzbGkK_8dtCgo7u7VQfJ3skLpip9F2v2zqFMqW_3tGvWzPBu0ZTeO33-u1guY3gszDQt2xLqQEiv3VJ7RkoqqqGqgfWrDFYW6mIP_EZzX9KoqJTfEa_lEnkq8HVBsSFK5RIw5dkcdo-E/s640/1409704712460.jpg" /> </a> </div>
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-44841676694385439672014-08-31T08:49:00.000-07:002014-09-01T11:52:48.901-07:00Settling in ...Well we've been here 4 and a half days and we've been to the pool 6 times. What a great blessing for the boys to have that to look forward to each day! The boys are doing really well though they have both had moments of sadness. Fortunately skype has meant that Samuel has already 'seen' and spoken to his best friend! Currently we are going with the flow although Cobb Springs Primary School opens it's doors next Wednesday which means that our days will have more structure. Once up and running Jo is hoping to get involved with some other activities which fit around Alec's responsibilities.<br />
<br />
We've nearly made our flat into a home. Just a few pictures to put up and we'll be there. It was so beautifully prepared for us ahead of time and we are so thankful to the people here for an amazing welcome.<br />
<br />
On our arrival we were asked to be 'house parents' in one of the houses here at Shing Mun Springs.This was an unexpected responsibility, but it's temporary! The current 'parents' had to head back to the UK for 3 weeks. But we are getting into the swing of things. We had 2 new brothers come into the house on the second day we were here, and another will arrive on Thursday. These are guys who want to get off drugs. There really is an amazing testimony of people coming off hard drugs in a pain free manner and we're seeing that as we pray for these ones too. Logistics is a tad problematic as normally the houses are fuller than ours right now and the new boys need one on one care 24/7 for the first 10 days. We are therefore a little stretched so some members of the congregation are coming to cover the lack.<br />
<br />
I (Alec) was privileged to pray with one of the new boys earlier and to see him released not just from the drugs but also from deep seated loneliness and feelings of being inadequate.<br />
<br />
We are on a steep learning curve in so many areas, but are excited to be out of our comfort zones.<br />
<br />
Please pray for:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Jo and the boys as they start homeschooling</li>
<li>The new boys - that the Lord would meet their emotional and physical needs</li>
<li>Ah Kai - the house leader </li>
<li>A miracle in our ability to learn Cantonese quickly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-69357825316086275072014-08-26T07:22:00.001-07:002014-08-31T07:26:55.997-07:00We're on the way. <div dir="ltr">
Airport selfie. Nearly on the way.</div>
<div dir="ltr">
Many tears after this happy time!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtat8fJX5pzapRRSJ8j2hNexH-H6Z8PuS5JtXvg26ndk_9GBnoo8haCgJ5GB1taLxNj3CRysTD5n9JfzuK51Qeg8S-TQ91qewLCR9rzLbHZIX-5C0rFKgDOlCRg3tP72C69Gg_ZFmZW4/s1600/1409061949746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirtat8fJX5pzapRRSJ8j2hNexH-H6Z8PuS5JtXvg26ndk_9GBnoo8haCgJ5GB1taLxNj3CRysTD5n9JfzuK51Qeg8S-TQ91qewLCR9rzLbHZIX-5C0rFKgDOlCRg3tP72C69Gg_ZFmZW4/s640/1409061949746.jpg" height="300" width="400" /> </a> </div>
Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-817783841687850801.post-36536885832407559972014-08-25T14:31:00.000-07:002014-08-25T14:31:51.530-07:00First post, and first steps ...<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Alec says:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Wow! The house is 'almost' clear ... it's been a slog! </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Online checkin complete ... and tomorrow we get on the plane. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's been a tearful couple of weeks as we've said so many goodbyes. I think tomorrow will be hard.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But the tears from leaving are mixed with much excitement about what we're going to. Our flat at St-Stephens seems to have been ready for a number of weeks and looks lovely! And this is what we feel the Lord has been calling us to, so it's a step of faith that's been backed up with many blessings</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are some challenges ahead (learning</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Cantonese, being available 24 hours a day at the centre) so we want to face them head on and get stuck in!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jo says:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As Alec said we have very mixed emotions! Being up to my neck in preparations over the last year has made it difficult to get too emotional, so we have packed plenty of tissues for the airport goodbyes. My boys will be saying goodbye to their best friends and their nanny and granny. We know it will be difficult. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only thing I can say is that we are trusting in a God who knows us, loves us and has told us to go! Our only confidence is in Him (God). Without this faith it would seem like a ridiculous thing to do, some might even think irresponsible. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We look forward to filling you in on the next chapter.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Alechttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13593385668129257159noreply@blogger.com0