Focus

There is an update of the work in Chad to be found in 'World Vision' under 'Ministries'. Click on 'News from Chad' at bottom of the page.

Dear all,

I am moving to Lewes on the 22nd of this month, so the 18th will be my last Sunday at Hook.

My first time was 31 years ago when God who has loved me with an everlasting love, led me back to Himself and to His church here.

Together, we have grown not just in years but also in the knowledge of God. By His sovereign grace we are known by God. We are graven in the palm of His hands. We are never out of His mind. There is no moment when God's eyes are off us. His attention is never distracted from us. There is no moment when His care falters.

These humbling, profound, comforting truths I leave with you all and take away with me also as I bid you farewell.

I look forward to His plans for me in the new place. I pray that with His help and by His mercy I can be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

I thank God for everyone's fellowship, friendship, prayer support and practical help over the years. Technology makes it possible for me to stay in touch, also, listen to the sermons. How good is that!

God bless you and keep you. May He lead you onwards, guide you to speak of His matchless Word.

With love in Jesus,

Rekha

I am not able to present Morning Star to you as an ‘after church’ or ‘feed back tea’ so hope what I can put in writing might help you have a small insight into what I was up to while away with Mel at Morning Star July/Aug 2011. It is also very difficult to put feelings etc into words but let’s have a go….

Some have said how ‘brave’ I was to go all that way. I didn’t feel brave at all, or that I needed to be brave, after all I had my daughter to help me!! Mel went to Morning Star for a month four years previously and had wanted to return ever since. I wanted to go too but the time wasn’t right then but this time I thought why can’t or shouldn’t I go? No reason at all. After thinking and praying about it all the doors remained open so flights were booked.

As a church most of us know about Morning Star. Most of us have heard the talks from Joan Adams, seen the video’s, the pictures etc. But actually being there and seeing it all is an amazing experience of ‘this is REAL’!

People ask ‘were you shocked’? No I wasn’t shocked at all having seen the photos I knew what to expect, but to see it for yourself is an overwhelming emotional roller coaster. We in the western world know we have far too much, we know places like Africa suffer from poverty, crime, etc etc, but do we REALLY appreciate what we have?

God has given us far more than we could ever want or need yet we want more, and more, and more! To see a child wandering along, no toys to speak of, playing in the dust and SMILING, and to think of the numerous toys and other stuff our children have and yet they whine for more and say they’re bored!….well do I need say more??

The children at Morning Star are lovely, happy, ‘normal’ children. It’s easy to forget they live with a life shortening condition, yet to think of that when you’re with them literally makes you pray quickly for the ability not to burst into tears and just to get on with the job in hand. They didn’t ask to be born with HIV. It doesn’t seem fair does it? Why is this happening? Innocent little children some with no dad around, some now with no mother either, being brought up by granny or aunt or sister/brother etc. If only they could all be collected up and have the gospel implanted in them so they started to live a God centred, moral life….we can help in a small way, we can pray, we can give our money, we can volunteer our help, but the bigger picture is in God’s hands. We must trust Him. The seriousness of the situation is beyond belief which is why it is so hard to put it into words. But we must be positive in the knowledge that God IS in control and there’s no point me going out there to help if I can’t control my emotions, with His help. There’s a time to cry later when you’ve gone home, which is easier said than done I might add.

The day at Morning Star began most days with devotions at 8 am, Mondays being the exception when Sister Pulane did training sessions with staff. We would sing, pray, read the bible and hear from whoever was leading it that day. Some days Joshua (new Pastor at Ron and Joan’s church) led with his ministry. I wrongly assumed that all the staff were Christians, but realising later that some weren’t, thought how amazing it was that everyone nearly every day was hearing the gospel. An incredible witness and also a great teaching time for others. I really miss starting my day like that now I’m home.

I’m just going to list some of the things I/we did during our stay. If I wrote about them all in detail I’d need to write a book! I would say though that probably 50% of the time was spent playing with the children which in itself is necessary input as, from what I observed, the children don’t get a whole lot of interaction from some of the carers, which is not a criticism, just an observation of the difference between our cultures. A child might be left to sit on the floor surrounded by toy bricks but do nothing with them but as soon as you start to build a tower or put a brick in their hand, they will respond and ‘come alive’.

I am generalising but it was quite an eye opener to see staff sitting around nattering while volunteers were playing with the children. Some of the staff I must add were brilliant and interacted with them and engaged in play all the time. To see a child respond to any form of involvement was rewarding in itself but that wasn’t the reason we were there. We were there to fulfil what God wanted for us to do at that time which I guess was to share His love and compassion with those lovely children.

Other things done while there:

I visited the hospital a couple of times where one teenage boy was very poorly, and other children have to stay for several months while receiving treatment for TB (parents/carers might not give the medication if the child wasn’t in hospital so they have to stay there for the duration, sometimes up to 9 months!)

Went on the minibus with other volunteers there at the time to the local dump where people actually live so they can have first pickings of things thrown out by others. Our bus took large bags of coats and blankets and also handed out hot soup. As it was their winter time these were all gratefully received.

Several times went on the bus taking the children home to their shacks. We complain if our central heating doesn’t work….they often have holes in their roof so if it rains everything gets wet and with no heating to dry stuff out, it remains wet. No wonder there is so much illness.

Visited the homes of the children we sponsor and met their families. A great honour. Useful too so we now have some idea of what they might like from us in the way of presents for birthday/Christmas. Has helped us with knowing how to pray for them too.

The Tsedesenang Project is on the site of Morning Star where a lady called Paddy

teaches some ladies the skills of needlecraft so they can make the beautiful bags and other crafts that Joan brings over to sell. These ladies will receive a proportion of the sale price giving them each an honest wage. Mel and I spent a couple of hours one afternoon sorting minute little beads into relevant colours etc that had fallen out into a box. A laborious, eye squinting job, but needed doing.

Joan and Ron took us on a trip to the Kimberley mine one Sat. It was a LONG journey along the most amazing roads…you’ve never seen pot holes like these! On the way back, in the middle of nowhere. Ron stopped the car and made us get out and just look up. I’ve never seen the sky look so incredible. There were no street lights or buildings so it was completely black and the stars were SO beautiful. Putting it into words now can’t describe the beauty of it. How could anyone NOT believe in a God of creation? How could such beauty and precision just happen? We have an AMAZING God!

To list a few other things we did:

*Sorted clothes that had been donated for the children…..a daily task

*Made birthday cards for the children

*Helped organise the activities for the pre-school

*Joined in with the children in pre-school helping one particular boy with the actions otherwise he would just wander aimlessly about

*Spent many hours with Solomon who Mel and I support, just getting to know him and encourage him to play/stand/walk etc….he was so gorgeous…not that we’re biased of course!!

*Mel spent a lot of time assisting in the school on the site with the children who weren’t well enough to go to the local school

*I helped Liza in the finance office some of the time. I’m used to admin but not finances so my help there was very limited. I did however shred a whole box of paper …..by hand!!!

Just writing this brief report really can’t do justice to the immense work that Joan does each day. She LOVES every one of these children as if they were her own and it is humbling to see her give so much of herself. She opened her home to Mel and I and the hospitality was next to none, we felt so at home and relaxed, and privileged to stay there.

Did I mention we nearly burnt their house down?? God’s timing is incredible….came home from church (2 days after we arrived in SA) to a smell of burning. Went from room to room, nothing to see. Liz (Joan’s daughter) went into our room, also ok, back along hall. Returning past our room less than a minute later she screamed ‘fire!’. It was from the wall heater to the ceiling in seconds! It was put out within minutes but Ron said if we had been five minutes later coming home…. Yet still Joan remained so calm and kind.

Morning Star Children’s Centre is an amazing place. Lovely children who soak up the kindness of the staff and volunteers and really are just normal happy children, totally unaware of their condition. It really is so very sad as this could all be completely eradicated if they were all peppered from above with morality through a faith in the One and only Saviour, Jesus!

Gladys Christine Wood was born in Ceylon, she preferred to be called Christine. Her father worked on Foreign Service in Ceylon and India.

 According to one of her books Christine was 3 yrs of age and living in Westcliffe on Sea. She had a brother Jack whom she adored. Her father spent a lot of time away in India and sadly she did not know him as a loving father and she never remembered having a conversation with him.

 Christine spent her childhood summer holidays enjoying the long days of sun where she had the freedom of exploring the sea, and the creek and beyond at Leigh-on Sea (she loved the warm mud between her toes) and developed a deep love of wild nature. She spent very little time at home as her father and mother always argued and Christine was often in the middle of it all.

 She was sent to a Convent to learn how to speak properly and acquire good manners. On one occasion during a deportment lesson, a girl she described as a tell-tale and a sneak who could recite catechism by the yard, reported Christine to one of the sisters for swinging on a vertical pole. This to Christine was the last straw as she had put up with this girl’s tale-telling for a whole term and could stand it no longer and punched her on the nose. Christine was no push over. She was sent home and she told her brother the story, where he replied, ‘you should have bashed her harder’. The Mother Superior was in rage and told her she was sinful and lost and that the gate of heaven was closed to her. Christine’s answer was ‘Oh no Jesus can unlock the gate and let me in. She remembered these words from the hymn, ‘There is a green hill far away…’ which her mother sang to her when she was very young.

 She moved with her mother to Tolworth, at the age of 12. A school friend invited her to a Crusaders Bible Class. Her teacher made the gospels live for Christine and planted Christ in her heart and she put her trust in God. She finished her education at a Commercial Training College.

 Jack, Christine’s brother whom she loved was a keen young soldier; he died in Egypt at the age of 21 in the war through an infection. She sadly lost a beloved Brother and friend.

 Christine worked as secretary to an official at Cable & Wireless during the war years, and at this time Christine had an insatiable thirst for bible knowledge and fell into the clutches of the Exclusive Taylorite Brethren, in Brighton, where she wandered off the King’s Highway as she put it.

  She rented a flat in Brighton and through her painful search for practical Christianity Christine met Geoffrey Wood (no relation to Douglas) and with his help and the help of Rev. John Stott of All Souls, London, Christine escaped from the legality and burden of dogmatism. She fell in love with Geoffrey and they were married in 1958 and eventually moved from Brighton to Surbiton. She spent rewarding years as a Secretary to a director of Punch Magazine. She also began her writing ambitions and her first children’s book was published in 1965. She went on to write eleven more children’s books, one of which was translated into Swedish and Norwegian. She became an editor of the ‘Decision’ magazine published by the Billy Graham Evangelisation Association. Christine ran a children’s Bible Class with Crusaders. She was well liked by the children and she received many handmade gifts that reflected this love into her heart, more than any Exclusive Brethren teaching. Her first adult book Exclusive By-Path pub.1976 describes her childhood, her teens and her testimony to the faithfulness of a loving Father.

After 3 yrs of marriage and at the age of 33, Geoffrey her first husband went into hospital in London to have an ingrown tooth removed, he smiled and waved to Christine as the train pulled out of the station. He died from a heart attack during the operation. Facing this tragedy she drew strength and peace from many bible promises lifting her out of the grief into which she had slipped.

 A year later she met Douglas at a houseparty. Their friendship deepened and the warmth of it did wonders in healing Christine’s broken heart. Doug bought her a ruby/diamond engagement ring and now they were moving towards a brighter tomorrow. They were married by Rev. W Hitchcock in 1968 and spent their honeymoon in Weston Super Mare. They were devoted to one another and early in their lives they bought a tandem and rode through miles of Surrey countryside together where they had many a funny tale to tell. They have been together for 43yrs.

 Christine & Doug became members at Hook EC. in 1977. At this time Mrs Walton invited Christine to a bible study which she ran in her home. Mrs Walton became a great friend and prayer warrior to Christine over many years and after Mrs Walton’s death Christine continued to lead the bible study to which some of her friends attended for over 20ys and the study only finished two years ago. I am told that the women in the group thought very highly of Christine’s teaching, and her knowledge of the Bible. The weekly bible study in Surbiton included two ladies who travelled from Bournemouth and Cambridge. Margaret Ellis who was one of her ladies commented ‘this study at Christine’s was the only spiritual input she had for many years.

 Christine and Doug had the opportunity to visit Canada and while there Christine taught students at the School of Christian Writing. Douglas also gave his invaluable help with the students as he too had been involved in writing. Doug authored a biography of Hugh Latimer titled ‘Such a Candle’.

 Christine went on to write her book ‘My time in your hands’ published 1994. This book tells of her life experiences underlining the importance of tuning into what God is saying in all situations.

 In their later years Christine/Doug both regularly attended our small group at our church Hook EC and it is here Stephen my husband and myself gradually got to know a little of Christine and Doug.

 Christine had over the years suffered with diverticulitis and in her later years this affected her appetite to the extent that she could eat only a few things. This eventually affected her physically. She was admitted to KH and also spent some weeks in Tolworth Hospital. Back home we tried every way to encourage her appetite (when shopping for Christine and asked what she really fancied to eat, she always said, ‘I fancy a banana’ and so we bought Christine bananas by the bag full over time and we often laughed together about what Christine called ‘her banana shaped life’ in those last months. Her appetite never improved and slowly she deteriorated, became frail and needed full time care. Early November we arranged a move from KH so she could have full time care at a Christian Care Home in Haslemere, Surrey.

 Christine never complained in her weakness and frailty and eventually she knew that her ‘time was in His hands’ and peacefully passed into the presence of her Lord on 2nd December from chronic pneumonia in The Royal Surrey Hospital.

 A carer that came to attend her daily while at home said to me that she was truly a gracious lovely lady.