News from Pip

This morning we made home visits. The area was more developed today as there were more children attending school and eating regularly.

In the afternoon we visited a primary school. We were given an amazing greeting with lots of beautiful smiling children and many games were played. It was a lovely day but we are all very tired now.

Please pray for energy for Helen as she plans a worship conference.

Pip x

Posted via text message

Shoes and Coats

The shoes and coats have arrived! We are hoping to distribute them on Tuesday. Yesterday we visited the plot of land and Ed and Peter helped measure it up.

In the afternoon we were met by 1,500 school children who performed a traditional Zambian dance to welcome us. After that we tried to organise some sports.

Today we're visiting some orphan homes that Kerith has been supporting with food and schooling. What a privilege. Zoe Hayes

Posted via text message.

Arrived in Zambia

Helen: Arrived in Zambia tired but well, but without our luggage! We went to Leah's church this morning in our 3 day old clothes. Luckily African's are very welcoming. They had amazing worship and an inspiring preach and after that we had the opportunity to meet the Bishop.

Ou bags finally arrived so we could change and have tea with the Vice President's wife. It is amazing to realise a shared passion for this country and she has invited us back on ourlast day to meet the first lady of Zambia-quite a day! We journey up to Serenje tomorrow.

Sent via text message from Zoe's phone.

We're off!

Well tonight at 9pm we fly from Heathrow and head for Lusaka. We'll be in Lusaka for a couple of days and then on Monday we'll drive 5-6 hours north east to Serenje. I received an email from Leah (who heads up what we're doing in Serenje) on Thursday mentioning what we'll be doing this Sunday:

I have been talking to the second lady Mrs Ireen Kunda, the wife to the Vice President of Zambia about the work the EFZ churches are doing in the Serenje communities with the partnership of Kerith church. The Vice President is one of the members of Parliament for Serenje.

Mrs Kunda is very excited about the partnership Kerith church has extended to serve in Serenje and has therefore invited the Kerith Summer team to tea on Sunday 26th July 2009 at 1500hrs (3pm) at Government House. I am making relevant security preparations for the team to get to the Government House and visit with the second lady.

How exciting is that! What an amazing opportunity.

A quick update on the shoes and coats - they're still in Lusaka awaiting government clearance. Please pray they get through whilst we're out there. We'll have a chat with the 2nd lady on Sunday and see if she can put in a good word!

Thanks for all your support and prayers.

We're off to Serenje

So this Friday evening a team of 8 of us are heading to Serenje for 2 weeks. The team are: Peter and Barbara Knight, Jonathan Hanbury, Rob Plant, Pip Reeves, Helen Cottee, Ed Garton and myself. We are going to be doing a whole range of things, from writing business plans for a guesthouse to go on the land we bought (this is where the dormitory will be built. The guesthouse will bring in money to ensure this project is sustainable), teaching sport, gardening, family planning sessions, sessions with young people on abstinence and respect, setting up a library and much more! We are hoping that we will arrive in time to see the shoes and coats we sent being distributed. We're also taking out a football kit that Binfield Football Club kindly donated through Ian Hudell.

We'd really value your prayers whilst we're away. Please pray for:
- the team in Serenje who have done so much to prepare for our arrival, in particular Alex and Leah.
- that we will be a blessing and make a contribution that will last
- safety in travel
- good health
- God to be at the centre of all that we do.

Thank you for your prayers. We'll keep you posted on how we're getting on!

Thank you

Thank you so much to everyone who donated shoes and coats to send to Serenje. It was a real community effort with children from Sandy Lane, mums and children from Sparklers and church contributing. In total we gave 240 pairs of shoes and 160 coats to the children in Serenje. That's a lot of children who can now go to school in the winter because they've got a warm coat and a decent pair of shoes for the long walk. You can see the boxes being collected by DHL from church on Thursday, ready to be flown out to Serenje. A big thank you to everyone who helped make this possible, in particular Penny Lander who headed this up. It's so exciting to know there will be more children in school because of these shoes and coats.

Sharing

I was watching one of these fashion make-over programmes and they were saying that you should throw out anything you haven't worn for 6 months. One statistic I read recently said 'Women spend £1,000 a year on their wardrobe but only wear 30% of their clothes'. Wow.

We live in a throw away culture don't we? The fashion changes, the size of our body changes (sad but true!), we're bored of it, we don't know why we ever bought it in the first place etc etc.

I have to be honest and admit that I enjoy getting new clothes, and feeling lovely in my new outfit. But when I was in Serenje we met a family whose children wouldn't be able to go to school because they didn't have a warm winter coat or shoes for the long walk to school. And suddenly two such different worlds collide. I have a wardrobe full of clothes and they will miss out on essential education if they don't get a coat and a pair of shoes. Crazy isn't it?

It isn't about guilt, it about sharing what we have, with those that don't. What a privilege to be able to give stuff away. To a friend, to a charity shop or if you have some children's shoes and winter coats in your cupboard, to Serenje. From
Sunday 14th to Monday 22nd June we're collecting shoes and coats to send to the children in Serenje. What we need is:
Shoes for children aged 5-15 (need to be hard wearing-for cold weather and long walks!)
Warm winter coats for children aged 3-15
Please take them to reception and let them know that they're for Serenje.

So while I do enjoy new clothes, I've got a feeling giving some away is going to feel a whole lot better.