 Hello Supporter
A very Happy New Year to you and I pray that 2009 be a year of getting closer to our lovely Jesus. My last newsletter was from Kolkata, where we spent a week, ministering with Mother Theresa's organisation to the destitute and dying. We worked alongside my friend Liz who has been working there for the past few months. They are doing an amazing job. We helped practically washing sheets, floors and beds as well as praying for and singing to the patients. Liz goes to the station every morning, picks up those who are dying and brings them to the home in a taxi. One time I got to help her wash and care for a dying lady she had just brought in, who died that same night. Another time Liz found a naked man dying on the streets. She bought a cloth to cover him up and then took him in a taxi to the home. He died on the way in her arms, as she prayed over him. It was such a privilege to take part in this ministry where people die being loved, cared for and prayed over instead of alone on the streets.   After that we ministered in Dharamsala, Agra and then Sri Lanka, in churches, orphanages, to street kids, in a Bible school, through prayer and worship and also ministered to the teams serving there. We spent a lot of time on trains, chatting with people, praying and worshipping and on one journey when travelling all the way across India, we read the whole New Testament out loud. We got to do prayer walks in significant Buddhist and Hindu places. Agra was especially significant as it is mum's birthplace. It was the first time she had been back in 64 years, and so it was really special. Mum got to preach in the church there on the Sunday, and when they heard she had been born there, someone shouted, "You're not English, you're Indian!" In Sri Lanka we were supposed to go to Jaffna but because of the political situation we couldn't get the permission to go. God however had other doors open for us, and it was nice to catch up with old friends and to celebrate mum's birthday with our family there: Kit, Maggie and Nathan. While we were away, Living Waters ran itself well without me. Amongst other things they had a missionary camp for teenagers, with many of them leaving fired up to serve the Lord. The team organised another missionary camp in January when I was there and I helped with the teaching. The children were really touched by the lives of missionaries that we shared about, and when I gave an altar call for kids who want to give their lives to serve as missionaries, about 15 teenagers came forward. Many of them were crying as the Lord touched them in a deep way. I was home for only 5 weeks in Dec and early January. It was so nice to be in one place and to sleep in my own bed – the longest I was home in 2008! Of course it was a real rush to get everything done: get my children organised, see team members, get problems sorted and leave everything in place to be away again for 3 months. I now have a team or supervisors who are in charge of the centre. Please pray for them. Their names are Larisa, Zhenya (Varya's daughter), Sergei, Nina and Sasha Z. Varya is now in charge of mission trips and programmes and has been released from the everyday running and management of the centre. I am now in the UK spending a month finishing off the book I am writing about the story of Living Waters. I am then off to the USA to do a speaking tour and visit relatives. My dear cousin Gina who is like a sister to me became seriously ill again in December with brain tumours. They have removed one, and will attempt to remove the others tomorrow on Tues January 20th at 3.30pm UK time. We will be praying and fasting for her and would appreciate your prayers to join with ours for a complete recovery and for Gina to fulfil her destiny. Thanks once again, Lots of love Paula xxx |
