Sismeys in Rostock

Last night Emeline told me to write in the blog that there was no prayer needed for her anymore as she had already found friends in school. Simple child’s logic - prayer request achieved, let’s move on to the next subject. But it’s not just children who think this way. I guess I do exactly the same thing. I have a long list of prayer requests (or should I call them worries?), which I faithfully present to God. As God answers those prayers or changes cirumstances I tick things off, move on and worry about the next thing.

Of course I told Emeline, that we can still pray and thank God that she has found new friends and enjoys going to school. I just wish I would remember this part myself. I’m sure if I was to focus more on the way in which God has so faithfully guided me to this point in my life and often answered prayers in ways that I could never have imagined my current worries and stresses would lose some of their importance and would have less of a negative influence on my life.

So, today some thank you notes instead of requests.

 Emilia’s birth and development   Justin’s job Emeline’s school   steadily increasing finacial support holiday in Germany   relationships and friendships that have been formed, renewed and strengthened during these last few months  the ongoing work in Rostock and the arrival of Family Libuda

Please feel free to add your own thank you notes in the comments below!

Emeline started School on Monday! She now attends a smallish Lower School in a nearby village (10 min by car). She had to start in Year 1 as the school considered our circumstances not exceptional enough to allow her to go into Reception Class. Therefore she has a bit of catching up to do. Luckily there are only 19 children in her class, which should help her not to get lost. So far she has enjoyed herself and the only real complaint was not liking the school dinner. We are very happy with her school, especially when we found out that Emeline knows some of the children there already through church and nursery. God has definitely provided the right school place for Emeline and we are very thankful for that!

Apart from sorting out Emeline’s school we had a very busy week with various church activities Men’s night, Leaders Day, Church BBQ … But Justin’s highlight of the week was watching England beat Croatia 5-1 live at Wembley! His voice had suffered considerably ….

Emilia in the meantime continues to grow and has now started to chuckle, which is just adorable

Exciting things have also been happening in Rostock where on Sunday Family Libuda was officially welcomed as team leaders of the church plant in Rostock! We pray that the whole family will settle in quickly and are looking forward to hopefully meeting them soon in person!

And lastly could you please pray for our friends Ron and Irma who are Missionaries is Mozambique. Irma has been very poorly and had to be medically evacuated to South Africa. The doctors are still doing tests to determine the cause of this illness.

Yes, we are back in wet and windy Britain! After an 18 1/2 hour drive we arrived back in Milton Keynes without being held up on the M25 for once! The girls did great, although Emeline has made it clear that she wants to fly next time! But the real hero of the day was Justin who drove us safely all the way!

Our time in Germany was just the break we needed. Thanks to my parents we could just rest and enjoy the lovely summer weather, not having to worry about cooking or cleaning. Danke Mutti und Vati!!! 

And now we are back to reality. School start for Milton Keynes is tomorrow. We have not heard yet if Emeline has got a place in any of our chosen schools. Emeline seems undaunted by the uncertainties and is looking forward to going to school wherever that maybe. I on the other hand worry about having to buy all the school kit, sewing in name labels and doing all the other stuff mums of school kids do but with considerably less time.

Over the last weeks we have been reminded how this preparation time for our work in Rostock is a learning and growing experience for us and those who support us. We want to thank all of you for sharing your questions and concerns as well as giving help and encouragement. Thank you for your continued interest in our progress and for your concern for us as a family. We really appreciate your calls, chats and e-mails!!!!