[Coles Chronicles] Coles Chronicles - Newsletter #21

Coles Chronicles

Coles Chronicles - Newsletter #21 Brenda Cole

Dec, 2007

Coles Chronicles – Newsletter #21

His Blessings This Christmas and For 2008

We are sailing!! from Liberia to Las Palmas, Gran Canaria for a week in dry dock for required maintenance work and hull inspection. From there we will make the short sail to Tenerife for a period of rest and relaxation for the crew after an intense first field service for the Africa Mercy.

Breaking News: Mercy Ships has received an invitation from the President of Liberia to return to serve the Liberian people in February 2008! According to correspondence to the crew from our Founder, Don Stephens, after considerable prayer and process, the decision was made to formally accept the invitation to return to Liberia instead of Sierra Leone where we will go later.

We are excited about coming back to continue the work here in this nation where there is so much need.

Centre for Aged, Orphaned & Abandoned Children: Saturday 17^th November was our last session at this orphanage for this 2007 Liberia field service. As we look back at our time working with the staff and children we are greatly encouraged by all that has been achieved:

• Relationships built with staff & children
• The gospel message proclaimed
• Showing of the Jesus Film, including 250 additional members of the local community
• Dental Screening – resulting in over 20 children receiving treatments/procedures performed
• Rabbit Training – Two staff members were trained to raise and breed rabbits with a view to them going on to train others. They then built impressive rabbit hutches and just recently took delivery of their first 2 pair of rabbits for breeding. This income generation project is extremely effective here in Liberia.
• Building Project – Mercy Ships Crew have raised over $4000 towards the continuation of the building program. The facilities are being expanded to include a dining room and extra dormitories. The pictures below show a delivery of sand and the one on the right a whole new section added to the building.

During our final session at the Centre, Dennis & Comfort presented us with a certificate of Appreciation. They had organised for their choir to perform some songs for us followed by various speeches. It was a special time of celebration and thanks.

We had a time of games and then Andy spoke to the children about how God’s work in our lives often starts out small, but how He develops us and we grow in Him. He used bubbles as an illustration and gradually made the bubbles bigger and bigger. Often times the bubbles burst quickly, but he persevered and didn’t give up. He actually got bubbles twice the size of the one pictured here.

Life in Africa Though Liberia is estimated to be the poorest of all African countries, it is rich in natural resources. With its extremely high rainfall per year its soil is very fertile. Another of its great resources is rubber with a huge Firestone plant close to the airport.

High rainfall does however have its disadvantages and this is evidenced by the state of Liberia’s roads. Andy & I often used to joke about the state of the roads in Liverpool…Oh man! You have to come to Liberia to see what bad roads are really like! Our “4 wheel drive” Landover’s are certainly put through their paces and no more so than when we visit the orphanage. Once we leave the main road and go onto the dirt track the terrain is very bumpy and when it’s been raining you pray you don’t stall and get stuck!!

Though the people here have so little and have endured so much during the 14 years of civil war, we are always amazed by their friendliness and their determination to succeed and make the best of what little they have.

Family News

Brenda has recently returned from a visit to the Mercy Ships International Operations Centre in Texas, USA where she attended meetings to discuss the implementation of new HR software and changes to the application process to bring greater efficiency.

Andy remains busy in Engineering, though the Engineering team have been greatly encouraged by how well the systems and equipment have been running overall. With the busyness of the final months of preparations to get the Africa Mercy to Africa, Andy was unable to complete his studies for his Chief Engineers license. With the current Chief Engineer leaving at Christmas the pressure is on for him to complete this and the C.E.’s job is his once he has his license. He is returning to England at the beginning of January for 3 months to South Tyneside College to focus on completion.

Matt is busy planning his trip to visit with us for 3 weeks in the Canaries. We are counting the days till he arrives. He will stay with us in our cabin. We are excited to have another member of the family with us over Christmas.

Steve finishes his DTS on 15 December and will then spend Christmas and New Year with Brenda’s sister Heather and family in Melbourne, Australia. He is currently in Jakarta, Indonesia on the final weeks of his Outreach Phase of his DTS.

Matt & Steve – pictured together this summer

Steve’s DTS has been an incredible journey of Faith for him. I copy below an excerpt from his latest email to us:

Hey again
I’m really pleased my last email was such an encouragement. I’ve been asking God for these things earnestly and God promises to give when we ask. I’ve been waking up early and praying for you guys and other things. I’ve been praying for God to anoint my tongue permanently, asking for wisdom, which is cool cos people have been seeing the fruits of that which is mint. So I preached a sermon today at a small church in the slums, it wasn't a church building, it was a room made out of cardboard! But man was God there, I’ve never met a church so on fire for God, they were all like 70 and older and were dancing and praising and saying AMEN rhythmically to everything I would say about God. I prepared my sermon about 10 minutes before as things get put together last minute but I did ok, I got some encouragement, I felt like it was a bit jumbled, however it worked. I spoke on the power of God, and the power Jesus gave us. Then the team prayed for all of them. I honestly loved these people for their faith, they had so much faith in God and that he could heal them, unlike every other church were we have to pray for them they came to us. It was so encouraging, and the funniest thing was it was on the train lines lol every 20 minutes a train would go by a metre away from the house!
Anyways I’ve still been diligently seeking after the lord its been kinda hard our new place is errmmm kinda oppressive the lady who owns it has O.C.D. and makes us shower every time we come back from anywhere and she has all these rules....we shower like 4 times a day lol but they have a pool which is nice.

We went into prison this week which was amazing also I felt very connected to Dad because Dad told me about his prison trips to Monrovia Central Prison in Liberia. Well, it was awesome I gave my testimony and got a great response, which was a big encouragement as I prayed long and hard for God to use my words, really remembering what God said to Moses about " Who made your mouth" so I’ve been speaking with confidence that God is in control.....we also have new dramas....Agnus Dei by Michael W Smith, which you did on your Crossroads. I I play the thief...and I thieve and whip and beat Jesus. I’m always the shady guy in the dramas...but its cool.

Oh I’m really happy that you can share what God is using me with to bless people...feel free. I gave a begging boy a bottle of water...then read in the Bible how much God blesses those who give children cups of water ....I nearly broke down cos it was so amazing to feel like I was actually starting to live the way God always intended me too.....I pray for humility everyday.....I dont want to get to ahead of myself.....anyways

I’m gonna have to call it a day....thank you so much again and again for your prayers.....
I owe you so much for your prayers, even when I walked in complete darkness you prayed for me....I’m so thankful....

love you loads - love Steve
xxxxxxxxxxx

We marvel at the change in him and are so grateful to the Lord for His goodness to us in so many ways.

Christmas approaches and we look forward to our first Christmas on board the Africa Mercy. It has been an incredible year as we finally saw our dream become reality and the Africa Mercy finally sailed into Africa. Last year we celebrated Christmas on the Anastasis. Steve was with us and Matt was in the UK. This year we have Matt with us and Steve will be in Australia. As we thank God for all He has done in our family and here in Liberia throughout 2007, we are also so thankful to God for each and every one of you who are so faithful to us. Your prayers and support sustain us and are such a blessing. We recognize that our service with Mercy Ships is possible because you partner with us in our Ministry and we THANK YOU for that.

We pray His Blessings in abundance this Christmas and for the coming year 2008.

Andy, Brenda, Matt, Steve, Emma, Chris & Josh