September 2005 It is hard to believe that we have been back in Northern Ireland 6 weeks now. We thought it was about time we wrote a letter to let you know how things are going. Thank you so much for all the letters, cards, gifts and phone calls. At times we have been reduced to tears knowing that so many people have been praying for us, holding us up to our Heavenly Father. We must admit that it has been very difficult being back, even seeing family and friends has been hard at times. Thank you also for your prayers about our journey, everything went smoothly and we even managed to land in Belfast 1 hour early! Even the food that people supplied and cash for our first few days was so welcome – it actually took 3 weeks before we were able to use our bank account cards again! Thank you also for the money given towards Pastor Laurano (from our prayer letter in April). Sufficient money has now been received and before we left Peru we used this money to get him a very good digital hearing aid, he is very, very grateful and he knows the benefits of having it. Our house We are living in temporary accommodation in Conlig (between Newtownards and Bangor) and are very grateful for the kind use of this home. The sale of our house in Dundonald finally completed the week after we returned and so now the search begins for a new home. We have been praying over this and believe that God has led us to the perfect home for us, we have agreed a price on the house and hope that everything completes in November time. Phillip & Debbie Thank you for your prayers for them, we know that God holds them dearly in His hands. We have had some reservations over the kids, I suppose worrying needlessly about how they will settle. We had 3 weeks to re-adjust before they started in Conlig Primary School. We believe that this school was a good choice for them with only 21 in Debbie’s class and 16 in Phillip’s. It is a huge answer to prayer that both are very happy and settled in class, making friends and joining in with class activities. Debbie is in P1 and Phillip in P5. They are getting used to seeing rain again, but one day shortly after returning Debbie announced that she couldn’t go outside because she might get wet. I think she could be spending a lot of time in the house! Phillip’s English is quite good, thanks to reading many books. We have some Spanish books and CD roms back with us which will help keep his Spanish up. Us Its hard to begin to explain our feelings. We have felt that we don’t belong, very out of touch with people around us. We found ourselves asking questions, why are we here? What/where is our future? Iain has had 2 appointments with the specialists and it has been confirmed that he is border-line for driving, but the Doctors have recommended that he doesn’t drive. This is hard to face and brings with it changes in our lives. Many Doctors have taken the opportunities to look at his eyes, he’s definitely a very rare case and all are completely amazed at the speed of deterioration in such a short space of time. There is a possibility that the high UV factors are to blame, but another explanation could be that a defective gene is working to increase the speed of deterioration in Iain. Only time will tell whether or not the deterioration will continue rapidly. The Doctors wish to see him every 3 months to monitor him closely. They have explained that there was no way that they could have predicted this rapid decrease in vision. Both of us have started to apply for jobs, this is also a long process, but we leave it in God’s hands to lead us in the right direction. Even looking for jobs brings questions, with Iain not driving, taking the kids to school and picking them up again raises difficulties. So many jobs require driving for the job, or driving to the job! We have also investigated benefits which may be available, but we can only apply for them after we have been back more than 6 months, or are unemployed. Financial matters Thank you so much for the gifts that have been coming in for us. We really are starting again with a home and so there are many things for us to buy. We have been very touched by the faithful giving into our support fund month by month, thank you so much for standing with us in the Lord’s work. We feel that the time for this support should now stop and if you have been supporting us monthly, the last payment will be taken in October.(by this stage Heather should at least be working, if not Iain as well) Please do feel free to contact SIM about supporting another missionary, or another missionary society or project, or even the Breakfast Feeding Programme we were working in. We know that the need is great. To prayer There are so many things we can pray for – the children, work for both of us, a home for us…. Recently we have been talking with several good friends about how we feel and one of them talked openly about his experiences of returning back. These talks have been so helpful to express our feelings, but also as a time for others to share their thoughts. Continue to pray for every aspect of our lives. We have been very challenged by our time in Peru and know that the Lord has a plan for our future. Thank you so much for your prayers, letters and financial support. We want to close with a little passage that helps us daily – James 1 verses 2 & 3 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” May the Lord continue to shape us all into the people He wants us to be. Yours – (trying to muddle through all of this) - and in Christ |
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