Congratulations Dan and Rhian

Our families are very special to us and yesterday we celebrated the marriage of Wayne's niece, Rhian and Dan in Pontypridd followed by a reception at Gilfach Goch.  It was a day of great joy and blessing - far removed from the ongoing pressures of my house in Sennybridge.  Dan and Rhian will shortly be uprooting themselves from the Welsh valleys to move to Kent - we wish them every happiness in the future.

We give thanks that, after the "Support for Romania" Thanksgiving Service in Cardiff, we were able to rejoin the evening party, where we enjoyed a boogy on the dance floor - did I ever tell you about my husband;s dancing skills!!!

Here we are soaking up the beautiful sunshine with Wayne's brother, sister and spouses. 

"Support for Romania" Thanksgiving Service

God is good.  What do you do when you are double booked for a Saturday?  We prayed that God would find a way for us to attend both events.  Both  were very special to us - one was a family wedding and the other a Celebration and Thanksgiving Service for "Support for Romania", a Christian Charity based in Cardiff.  The Charity has over a period of 20 years made 127 trips to Romania with a fleet of lorries carrying much needed items to churches, hospitals, schools, orphanages, old people's homes and individuals.  They have blessed us in transporting our shoeboxes and other much needed items for the past 2 years.  Their last trip will be April 2011, however the Charity will continue with monetary gifts.  Please pray that we will find another method of transportation after that date.

We gave thanks that the Wedding Reception speeches were completed by 2 pm enabling us to set off for Cardiff in time for the start of the Service.  Over 400 people from all over the country arrived to share in the celebration which was followed by a buffet.  There was a real buzz of God's love in the air as we sang praises and gave Him all the glory.  Alan Penrose, the President of the Charity gave a wonderful address, his dear wife Ann read a lesson and there were 3 clergy speakers, 2 of which were from Romania.  We recognised Cornel Ghita from the Sega Baptist Church in Arad and we were blessed to meet up with him afterwards.  There were also 2 DVD presentations of the work spanning 20 years which touched the hearts of everyone present.  We give thanks for Alan and Ann Penrose, their team and supporters who have brought joy and hope to so many over the years.

The children, staff and volunteers of Maesmarchog bringing joy and hope to many in need

God sometimes plants people in our paths for a reason.  At St.Mary's Church we met a lovely lady called Gloria who rang me about 2 weeks ago.  Gloria and her friend, Kathleen give up a lot of their free time teaching children at Maesmarchog School (in our local village) to knit.  For months they have been knitting squares to make colourful blankets and have also been creating beautiful knitted soft toys for poor and vulnerable children in Romania.

Last week I was invited up to talk at the School Assembly about life in Romania and the Children's Projects. It was a joy to share value time with the staff, volunteers and 90 pupils, many of whom came up with some interesting questions.  They presented me with 3 boxes filled with the various items for which we and the children of Romania say Thank You.  Here they are with some of their beautiful creations.

The blessing of the Mother's Union at Seven Sisters

A few months ago Wayne and I were invited to share about the Lord's work in Romania with the Mother's Union at Seven Sisters, our neighbouring village.  It is based at Wayne's former Church, St. Mary's where he still has many friends.  They have also warmly embraced me into their lives and last week invited us both back to share out testimonies, which was a joy. 

We so admire their dedication in supporting many projects throughout the world.  Since last year they have also been working tirelessly gathering and knitting items for "Reaching Romania" in support of our Shoe Box Appeal and Table Top Sales. 

May God bless them all for their love and support of many in need.

Wedding Bells at Ramoth

The skies were blue and the sun shone on 24th April as we all celebrated the wedding of our expert soundman of many years, Jonathan and his beautifully talented singer wife, Angharad.The Church was full and filled with the fragrance of Jesus as the band took us into "How Great You Art" (one of my all time favourties) and "Love Divine...".  Wayne, ably assisted by our beautiful grandson, Morgan had spent many days making sure the gardens looked their best for the special occasion.

We give thanks for them both.   Jonathan and his parents stayed up half the night amending the Order of Service Pamphlets for our own wedding 3 years ago and Angharad has also blessed the Charity with surplus toys from the Nursery she runs. Her parents, Chris and Phil are valued trustees of "Reaching Romania"

Here are the happy couple - may God truly bless them as they set out on their life together.

Contact at last!

I can only apologise for such delays in communication.  Since our return to Wales at the end of December there have been so many things that have needed my attention - there simply has not been enough hours in the day.  January was a time for family following the death of my former husband who remained a close friend.  5 weeks in February/March were taken up with my working for my former employer as part of my 5 year career break conditions which ended in April.  I give thanks that this part of my life is now behind me and I can concentrate fully on what the Lord has "called" me to do here and in Romania.

Something I have not shared is that in November a central heating pipe fractured in the kitchen of my former home in Sennybridge, which has been let since May 2005.  There was no negligence on my part and  we responded very quickly in cleaning up the spillage, however the kerosene penetrated into the foundation of the house and affected the neighbouring property.  After 5 months of working closely with many agencies plus2 insurance companies and contractors there is still much to be resolved.  As owner of the property where the spillage occurred I am responsible for ensuring that the whole matter is bought to a satisfatory conclusion.  This serious problem is extremely time consuming and has meant that I have been unable to devote as much time to other matters as I would like.  At present it is also preventing me from booking my next trip to Romania.  It is likely to go on for many months yet - I am dealing with the issues one day at a time and would appreciate your prayers.

Wayne has been extremely busy for around 6 months finishing off structural work at a house his parents own in the Rhondda valley.  I somehow managed to find time to help  with the decoration prior to it being put up for sale.

We have continued with our church ministry work and have managed to do our fortnightly table top sales at Glynneath Town Hall to raise funds.  My good friend Kay has also helped me get started on sorting items ready for the Shoebox Appeal this year.  I have also been out shopping for additional items.  Join with me in giving thanks to our good friend, Sheila who to date has beautifully covered  over 400 boxes ready for filling.  She is such a blessing to us.