Mum's Special Day

I am blessed to have a mum that loves me,  is always there for me and I thank God for her.  On Monday we had a family party to celebrate her 85th Birthday.  The sun shone outside and in our hearts as over 30 of the family, including her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, sisters and friends gathered in a breathtaking location called The Fron, a remote restaurant near Garth which my cousin runs.The food was delicious and the atmosphere exciting as mum greeted people and opened her cards and presents.  Her great grandchildren ably assisted her in blowing out the birthday candles and also presented her with a basket of flowers.

It was a truly special day that we will all treasure.

Ramoth activities

We have been taking advantage of the beautiful weather here in Wales.  Last week our special "Almond Tree" ladies enjoyed a lovely afternoon out in Aberdare Park - here we are soaking up the sunshine.  We had a blessed time with them all and my dear husband Wayne started his training for the Cardiff Half Marathon  by running round the lake 6 times!!!

This Tuesday we held a Thanksgiving Service at Almond tree to commemorate a year of our new Team under the leadership of our friend Jen. We had a display of pictures of our outings, a DVD of celebration events, a quiz on the year's teaching together with readings and praise.  The afternon ended with the team dressing up as old ladies to perform an hilarious sketch and song.  We give thanks for the way in which the Lord has bonded us as a team enabling us to reach out to these beautiful ladies and gentlemen whom we all love.

After the Sunday morning service we enjoyed a fellowship afternoon playing golf on the Mumbles near Swansea.  We took along 7 young people from Upside (Ramoth Youth Club) who really put their heart into the tournament.  There was much competition, sunshine and laughter.  Much to the delight of the young people the day rounded off with a trip to MacDonalds.

We value our Church and the various ministries attached to it for believing in our vision and for supporting the Lord's work in Romania.

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.