This is a quick post to wish you all a very Happy Christmas from the four of us. We are currently enjoying 4 weeks of much needed leave and family time with our families and friends all over south east England. The boys are loving spending time with their cousins (two of whom they've been meeting for the first time) and going to exciting museums and playgrounds, and are getting used to having to wear lots of layers. Bethan and I have been enjoying eating cheese and other English delicacies, catching up with family and friends and also enjoying time to ourselves while others have the boys - especially a delicious meal out in London on our 8th wedding anniversary.
While we're loving being back in England, it is also a confusing place at Christmas time, especially for the boys as the following conversation we had in the car with Sam demonstrates:
Bethan: "How many days is it now to Christmas Sam?"
Sam: "2 days"
Bethan: "Are you excited about Christmas? it's Jesus' Birthday!
Sam: "Is he coming?!"
Bethan: "No he won't be there, although you can talk to him if you want to."
Sam: "Is Santa Claus coming?"
Bethan: "No Sam, Santa isn't real. He's just a story."
Sam: "But I saw him last week at his grotto.......
Prayer Requests:
We're extremely grateful that we've had this wonderful opportunity to come home, to take a break from all the challenges of our life and work in Uganda, and to enjoy time with our families. But we're also conscious that Alfonse and our other local colleagues don't have the luxury of time away from the many demands upon them. Please pray that they can also be refreshed and recharged by the joy of Christmas.
Please pray for Alfonse's ministry with the street children of Kasese, he's planning a big meal and time of fellowship with them on Christmas day.
Please pray for the people of neighbouring South Sudan, which is spiralling into chaos, and for the all the British and other foreign nationals who've been rapidly evacuated this week and now face so much uncertainty, the collapse of much of their work and the likely loss of most of their belongings.
