Happy New Year

Dear All

With only one more day in 2012 we would like to wish you all God's richest blessing for the coming New Year 2013.

Our Christmas was effected a little with the adults of the house hold having all having a stomach bug, which we are only just still recovering from. The children have been mostly well though Gabbie had a little bit but seems fine now.

The children are off school this coming week and will go back on the 7th January. Paul will return to work on Wednesday though he is hoping to have Thursday off with the family to have a day out together when hopefully we are all feeling well. Paul will take this in exchange for the work he did on Christmas Eve when the office was closed and also some time that he has spent over Christmas putting the November figures together.

Well thank you too you all for your prayers and support throughout 2012, it's been a difficult year and we would not have managed it without all your prayers and support. God Bless you all as we enter into 2013.

With love from us all

Paul, Edith, John-Luke and Gabriella

Happy Christmas

Dear All

We arrived safely back from Dodoma on Saturday afternoon, the drive went well though at one point we had to almost stop as the rain was so heavy we could not see more than a few feet in front of us.

Today we had a service at Iserv the church we attend, we had the Christmas service  last week which the children took part in before a number of the church travelled for Christmas. This evening we joined some others at the house of a couple that work with SIL for something to eat and then to sing Christmas Carols. The British section managed to introduce the American section to three new tunes for them for three carols, Away in a Manager, Oh little town of Bethlehem and Angels and It came upon a midnight Clear, most of the Brits knew the tunes the Americans use.

MAF is now closed until the 2nd January here in  Tanzania, but Paul will spend some time in the office tomorrow to make sure all the cash and banks details are up to date before the year closes as he was away in Dodoma last week, so just needs to sort the Dar side out.

We would like to wish you a very Happy Christmas, as we remember the birth of our Lord and Saviour.

God Bless you all with all our Love Paul, Edith, John-Luke and Gabriella. 

In Dodoma

Dear All

We all travelled to Dodoma on Sunday after our churches Christmas service and lunch. We managed to arrive by about 7.30pm so not to late after dark.

The family is on holiday here though Edith is doing some work in her MAF training coordinators role. Paul is working mainly on the November figures and is being helped by Neville in the UK. Please pray that we manage to get this all completed be the end of the week as we close the office on Friday for the Christmas break. We hope to join a Christmas meal with the national staff here in Dodoma on Friday afternoon/evening.

Please pray for a safe trip back to Dar es Salaam on Saturday.

Please pray for us to all have good health Paul and Gabriella mainly have not been feeling so well and Edith has been having long nights with disturbed sleep.

That is about all the news for now.

God Bless and love from us all

Last Week of School

This week is the last week of school for John-Luke and Gabriella for 2012, they will finish on Friday with a Christmas Assembly for the whole school. Edith continues to help in Gabbie's class three days a week and then has one day at the Nuro centre.

Suzan has now travelled to Uganda and will be staying there until the new year, but Lillian will be staying with us until after the New Year.

Neville left for England on Sunday and will continue to help Paul from there until January when he will God willing return for a further three months. Paul will take on the main work of the preparation of the November accounts this month. Paul will be in Dar this week and then working in Dodoma next week. We will all travel to Dodoma on Sunday after the church's Christmas service and then Edith, Lillian and the children will enjoy the cooler weather of Dodoma whilst Paul continues with the work. We will travel back in Saturday the 22nd December. The office will be closed from the 22nd until the 2nd of January so we are looking forward to a good Christmas break.

Paul has been making some good progress on his emails so he is now almost up to date with them.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

God Bless you all

Christmas is coming

Dear Family & Friends

On Saturday was the start of Christmas events here in Dar when we had the Christmas Fun day craft fare at the school to raise money for two charities and also for the school. It was a hot day and all went very well though we do not know yet how much was raised.

There are two more weeks of school and on the last Friday there will be a Christmas assembly at the school which the children will be part of. Then our church will also have their Christmas service on the following Sunday, which the children will again be taking part in the service, so we will all stay in Dar until after the service, then we will all travel up to Dodoma for the following week, so Paul can do the work he needs to there, we will then return on the Saturday before Christmas. Please pray for a safe trip particularly on the Sunday when we hope to arrive in Dodoma before dark so need to leave by 12pm from Dar. It was this journey last year that I had my accident after being blinded by a lorry, as I was too late leaving Dar and had to drive the last hour in the dark. This time though I will be with the family so will not be alone so even more reason to have a safe trip.

We will be back in Dar for Christmas.

Suzan Edith's sister will be travelling to Kampala on Friday and will stay there until in the New Year but we will have another 'sister' Lillian here who is staying with us until January.

Please pray for strength for us all as we are finding the weather rather hot at present and officially we are not in the hottest part of the year yet and we find it is sapping our energy rather already.

We pray that you all will have a wonderful week and may God Bless you each.

With love from us all.