Laura writes of both the good and frustrating things about living as a family and working abroad:
We have had computer problems! Simon’s computer died: so he resurrected his old one and has spent days downloading anti-virus stuff to use it. I think the amount of use it had in a bouncy car left an irrevocable mark on it. He is suffering, very frustrated and tonight very suddenly, and very profoundly, sick: maybe God is saying just slow down. But he has an important meeting tomorrow ... and he also has had some very poorly people whom he has not been able to diagnose, help or refer with success. This always is difficult for him to accept.
School is challenging! Simon really wants to hand over to a new Chair of Governors for June’s meetings, which look towards the new Academic Year, but it looks unlikely. There is someone who is really praying hard about the role, but she has a family to consider: we pray that things will open up, if not this year, then next. The girls are going into exams soon and they are already getting worked up: James is playing up for want of attention, I believe, so we are juggling hard.
‘Youth groups are going well, praise God. We are going to do a course about “Sex, God and Me” with the older group, helped by a friend of ours, as we feel that our lads are at the right age. Sunday School is hot, long and hard work. There is to be a seminar which Penny, from Scripture Union, will lead. Teachers should come from all the Anglican churches in the area. Please pray that they do! Incentives include: Food and Soda and a Children’s Bible. Our prayer is that the churches will agree to meet again together for fellowship, for sharing ideas and that we will see new teachers appearing.
‘There are some really good stories from Nuru: we had a seminar on Entrepreneurship which planted some ideas in the minds of the workers about, not necessarily moving on, but starting to plan and prepare for something of their own. Florence wants to sell charcoal and Elias wants to do welding. I’m gutted as it’s not craft related, but if they have the confidence to even think and dream, we have done a good job so anything is good. But there are troubles as well...
...and... We’d love to receive beads – Glass or Wood – please! In the picture, there is one of the decorated shoes that Nuru is working on. I’m looking for cheap glass and wooden beads which they can sew onto shoes, and then sell on. Flip flops are really popular, so beads in glass or wood, not plastic, would be really appreciated. So, if you have any spare beads – as strings or just loose beads from broken necklaces, probably popular in the 1950s and 60s – could you get them to Peter Hemming, (via the Parish Office or church?) He’ll find a way of sending them out.
Thank you for all your help and support. We send greetings to all at St Chad’s.
With all our love, Laura, Simon, Grace, Esther and James.
Please continue to pray for the family: Grace - working towards her main GCSEs. She’ll come back to live in Manchester from the Summer, so she can start her A-levels in England; Esther - starting her GCSEs, and will finish these in Summer 2016 when the family plans to come back to UK permanently; James - a typical boy: very able but also not always disposed to work as hard as he could! Simon - working to ensure, as far as he can, that the Buguruni Health Centre is working from a sound footing: also trying to relinquish his role as a Governor at the School. Laura - working towards making the Nuru Centre self-financing.
If you’d like to know more about Simon and Laura’s work in Dar es Salaam, please ask Peter Hemming
Gifts for the Waltons can be made to CMS:
Church Mission Society,
Watlington Road,
Oxford OX4 6BZ
– please say that the gift is for ‘the Waltons in Dar es Salaam’.
Gifts for the Nuru Centre can be made to the Imbaseni Trust – which has a UK Bank Account till Christmas at least:
Imbaseni Trust,
c/o Morag Stenhouse,
31 Victoria Street
Kirkintilloch
Glasgow G66 1LG
Peter Hemming
About the Waltons and St Monica's Mission
There are up to 100 children in Sunday School each Sunday at St Monica’s:
“Sunday school, although a lot of work, can be very enjoyable and it is good
knowing these kids more. We have been meeting with our Friday Youth group
for almost a year. Slowly they are opening up and talking together.”
Laura works at the Nuru Centre where disabled adults make craft items for resale:
“Recently the Trust drew up an agreement to give the Nuru workshop
independence from the Presbyterian church which shares the compound”.
Each week they open the grounds of the School for community children’s work:
“Kids’ Club welcomes around 300 kids every week. The girls have grown in confidence
and dignity as they have played and even won football matches against
other local International schools, including Grace’s team. They are growing in
self-esteem and we thank God for the privilege of being with those who gives
them the good news that they matter to God.”
Simon works at the Buguruni Health Centre and is governor at the school the children
attend: “The health centre is strengthened and growing with the building
of St James’ Children and Women’s Hospital and debts are being cleared. It has
been painted avocado green!”
“We will be thinking of you all and knowing that through your faithfulness to us
in giving and in prayer we have the honour of being Christ’s co-workers here in
this city, with license to speak freely and openly of the hope we have in a Saviour
whose name is Jesus Christ.”
