The following prayer letter is reproduced with permission of the author. Julia attended the Residential Refresher Course for Christian Doctors three years ago. She has gone with the support of her church to a partner church in rural Kenya initially to set up a clinic. She describes how her work and life has developed.
(MMA/HealthServe is receiving fairly frequent requests for this kind of support from churches in Africa where the pastors are overwhelmed with sickness among their people. Some of the requests come from well-established projects. Others from those who seem to be struggling to initiate a project and any plans to help would need a preliminary visit. The pastor's requests are often for a nurse or doctor (possibly a retired couple) to relieve them of the burden of caring for the physically sick so that they can continue with their spiritual ministry - Ed)
Your Care Has Preserved My Spirit
As I write this letter the above verse Job 10.12) aptly describes my last six months. I have seen God's hand of Grace and Care through prayer letters, financial support and gifts sent (Jackie the sachets of hot chocolate are wonderful).
The Lord has continued to establish and root me in this corner of Kenya, with my various avenues of work continuing and changing as God leads.
The clinic work continues, but I am a part - timer these days, which I feel is right. In my last letter I talked of a village Vihiga, where we have a growing sister church. I remain to be the only Sunday school teacher of around 15-30 children from 2-12 years! We meet outside on the grass with 3-4 benches and then return to the main church nearby - a rented empty mud house. Please pray for folk within the church to have a burden for these children, I have helpers but no one really committed.
My involvement in the church school (Dunamis Academy) continues which I enjoy - I teach Health Science to the Nursery and Primary classes. We hope to develop the school with a third class next year, and there is the possibility of a teacher coming over from America to support the teaching staff.
The mention of school and children brings me to the main point of my news which is that I have taken a little boy, (of 4 years 6 months) to care for. He is the beginning of a ministry which I believe God has given me. In fact the Lord spoke to me shortly after I took him from John 6:12, 'Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost!' God showed me that in the world's eyes even these children are like fragments leftovers that are ignored and neglected but to God they' are precious and to be gathered up.' I wait on the Lord to see how he will work out His purposes concerning this word, but my heart is burdened for these children.
I first met Peter in January when he began to come to our Nursery, a kind favour of our Pastor as there was no means of paying school fees. His old grandfather would bring him and then take him home after having a good square meal at lunch-time. He was the outcast of the class: always dirty, smelly, wearing old ragged clothes hungry and unable to talk very well due to lack of social stimulation at home. I felt a burden for this boy who always looked oppressed and sad: At the beginning of September the grandfather became ill with query T.B. which gave me occasion to visit the home. I was shocked by the social environment as well as the physical one and learnt that apart from school meals he would often just drink black tea. At 18 months he was admitted to hospital with severe kwashiorkor (protein malnutrition) and spent several weeks in hospital with his grandmother. Now he is mildly malnourished but is catching up by devouring his food and discovering new foods like Blue Band margarine eggs, chips etc! Peter has a mother somewhere, presumably alive but no one knows where. She abandoned the child after giving birth as a young single mother and has not been seen since. This is all the history I know, but I hope to proceed with the legal adoption process soon. Please pray that I will have wisdom and grace to bring him up in a godly way, but I do thank God that he has already changed: he is happy, and becoming a normal four year old boy.
I must mention the issue of my permit which is ongoing, I had mentioned that I have it. That is true in theory but not in practice yet. The immigration people put me in the wrong class so instead of paying 2,000 shillings (£20 ), they asked for 50,000 shillings (£500), it is still in the process of being changed! Next installment in the April prayer letter!
Otherwise life continues on. Mosquitoes are one of my constant crosses, but we live to learn to bear all things and not take life too seriously! My house is slowly developing, now that I have gas which is much easier than a paraffin stove. My next project is a sofa set and fridge!
So as I close, I send my love and greetings to you all praying God's blessings, enabling and Grace on all your lives as we continue to seek Him, serve Him and worship Him until he comes.
Your sister in Christ,
Julia Pring
P.S. The situation with the Sunday school has changed since first writing this. We now have another experienced teacher and have started renting the two-roomed mud house next to the church to meet in. God is faithful!
(MMA/HealthServe is receiving fairly frequent requests for this kind of support from churches in Africa where the pastors are overwhelmed with sickness among their people. Some of the requests come from well-established projects. Others from those who seem to be struggling to initiate a project and any plans to help would need a preliminary visit. The pastor's requests are often for a nurse or doctor (possibly a retired couple) to relieve them of the burden of caring for the physically sick so that they can continue with their spiritual ministry - Ed)
Your Care Has Preserved My Spirit
As I write this letter the above verse Job 10.12) aptly describes my last six months. I have seen God's hand of Grace and Care through prayer letters, financial support and gifts sent (Jackie the sachets of hot chocolate are wonderful).
The Lord has continued to establish and root me in this corner of Kenya, with my various avenues of work continuing and changing as God leads.
The clinic work continues, but I am a part - timer these days, which I feel is right. In my last letter I talked of a village Vihiga, where we have a growing sister church. I remain to be the only Sunday school teacher of around 15-30 children from 2-12 years! We meet outside on the grass with 3-4 benches and then return to the main church nearby - a rented empty mud house. Please pray for folk within the church to have a burden for these children, I have helpers but no one really committed.
My involvement in the church school (Dunamis Academy) continues which I enjoy - I teach Health Science to the Nursery and Primary classes. We hope to develop the school with a third class next year, and there is the possibility of a teacher coming over from America to support the teaching staff.
The mention of school and children brings me to the main point of my news which is that I have taken a little boy, (of 4 years 6 months) to care for. He is the beginning of a ministry which I believe God has given me. In fact the Lord spoke to me shortly after I took him from John 6:12, 'Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost!' God showed me that in the world's eyes even these children are like fragments leftovers that are ignored and neglected but to God they' are precious and to be gathered up.' I wait on the Lord to see how he will work out His purposes concerning this word, but my heart is burdened for these children.
I first met Peter in January when he began to come to our Nursery, a kind favour of our Pastor as there was no means of paying school fees. His old grandfather would bring him and then take him home after having a good square meal at lunch-time. He was the outcast of the class: always dirty, smelly, wearing old ragged clothes hungry and unable to talk very well due to lack of social stimulation at home. I felt a burden for this boy who always looked oppressed and sad: At the beginning of September the grandfather became ill with query T.B. which gave me occasion to visit the home. I was shocked by the social environment as well as the physical one and learnt that apart from school meals he would often just drink black tea. At 18 months he was admitted to hospital with severe kwashiorkor (protein malnutrition) and spent several weeks in hospital with his grandmother. Now he is mildly malnourished but is catching up by devouring his food and discovering new foods like Blue Band margarine eggs, chips etc! Peter has a mother somewhere, presumably alive but no one knows where. She abandoned the child after giving birth as a young single mother and has not been seen since. This is all the history I know, but I hope to proceed with the legal adoption process soon. Please pray that I will have wisdom and grace to bring him up in a godly way, but I do thank God that he has already changed: he is happy, and becoming a normal four year old boy.
I must mention the issue of my permit which is ongoing, I had mentioned that I have it. That is true in theory but not in practice yet. The immigration people put me in the wrong class so instead of paying 2,000 shillings (£20 ), they asked for 50,000 shillings (£500), it is still in the process of being changed! Next installment in the April prayer letter!
Otherwise life continues on. Mosquitoes are one of my constant crosses, but we live to learn to bear all things and not take life too seriously! My house is slowly developing, now that I have gas which is much easier than a paraffin stove. My next project is a sofa set and fridge!
So as I close, I send my love and greetings to you all praying God's blessings, enabling and Grace on all your lives as we continue to seek Him, serve Him and worship Him until he comes.
Your sister in Christ,
Julia Pring
P.S. The situation with the Sunday school has changed since first writing this. We now have another experienced teacher and have started renting the two-roomed mud house next to the church to meet in. God is faithful!
