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Testimonies
If anyone would like to record a short testimony of how they have experienced God’s Faithfulness I would love to be able to include it in our recorded service. Please send by Smash to me by Wednesday 3rd March. Thank you.
Pastor Peter.

WBC Bank Buildings

If you have reason to go into the premises (by whichever door you use) please can you sign in and out so that we have a record of who has been in the building for track and trace purposes.  There is a sign-in sheet on the table as you go into the side corridor from the side entrance door, and also one on a clipboard at the bottom of the WBC office stairs.

Ladies Fellowship
Matthew 18:20 For where two or three come together in My name, I am there with them.

Lovely ladies, join us for a morning cuppa and chat via ‘Zoom’ every Wednesday at 10.30am

Just to see someone can make a difference. Ladies, this will open the doors to enable us to have:

• A chance to speak, looking at each other woman to woman.
• A time to praise God for all of His provision.
• A time to share, chat and laugh together.
• An opportunity to share hope and positivity.
• Fellowship to build each other up, to encourage one another.
• With a time of shared prayer at 11.15am

To join the Zoom meeting, or if you need any further information, please contact June Stephens.

For those who do not have ‘Zoom’ the phone, or text  "how are you?" is already working well, and so wonderfully welcoming during the week.

Luke 1:45 And blessed is she that believed.

Dear Church Family
Please would you consider writing to our local MP Richard Drax, this is time sensitive - there are only 3 weeks in which we can do this.  This link to a video explains what we are campaigning for and it takes less than 2 minutes to send the email as it’s already filled in, it would make a huge impact to people who are struggling .

Many thanks for your support and all you do!  Together we can make a difference! Claire Atkin

Request For Disability Friendly Accommodation and Thank You for Prayers
Mary-Jane and Andrew are looking for suitable accommodation for a care team to look after Andrew at home. It would need to be suitable for a wheelchair user, with easy and safe access, ground floor with two bedrooms, wide doorways and a large suitably adapted bathroom and living rooms that could accommodate a wheelchair and disability equipment.

 It would need to be available in the next 6-12 weeks ideally, and the landlord or lady would need to be happy to accept housing benefit. A suitable shared housing situation would also be considered.

If you know of anything suitable available for long term rent, please contact Mary-Jane as soon as possible (phone number from the office).

I would also like to thank everyone for their prayers for Andrew. Progress is slow but steady, so prayers for resilience, patience and God’s everlasting arms to uphold and provide, are very much appreciated. There will be a lot to practically sort out in the coming weeks. Blessings, Mary-Jane Wallace

Greetings
Hello everyone, my name is Abby Somesan. I am the daughter of Greg and Corina Somesan, many of you most probably know them. I moved to the UK about a year ago and now I study law. I've recently finished one of my exams, I've got two more to go. I'd like to thank everyone for their support, help and prayers. I couldn't have done it without you but God has been so good to me through everyone, and I couldn't be more grateful. I'd also like to say that I know that these past few months are quite hard on everyone, but remember that, in prayer, we are altogether never alone. He will never leave His children alone. God bless everyone!

Ydson’s New Year Placement Update
Hi Guys,

Sorry for being slow with my update at my placement. These past few days have been a handful - juggling assignments, conferences, lectures, facilitating session, preparing for sessions, and coming up with design ideas for the detached youth work team. I have been keeping well, going out for some daily exercises when possible in accordance with the guidelines.

It’s currently a struggle during this lockdown to keep motivated and focused – each day is starting to look like the other and I sometimes lose sense of what day it is. Please pray for me on this, and for all who are struggling with the same issues in this lockdown.

Also, thank you for keeping me in your prayers and for your support as they have helped me greatly, and also help me to continue doing God’s work in reaching the hearts of the youth in this community.

I do hope that you are doing well and feel free to get in contact with me. You can get my mobile number from Elaine Pullen, Nick Wrightson or Timo.

God Bless You, Ydson

The Douglas Family – February 2021
The Prayer Letter for January from the Douglas Family has only just arrived with the heading “Upheaval and Uncertainty”. They send New Year greetings but they are not in Nepal but in a Mission House in Birmingham! There has been much political uncertainty in Nepal and the Prime Minister dissolved parliament to avoid a vote of no confidence, prompting a general election in May. Of course this has had an impact on government departments and, in their case, their renewal of their visa, and they heard on the 12th December that they would have to leave the country. They flew home on the 18th December just in time to spend a quarantine Christmas. They came out on the 29th for two days on tier 3 outdoor catch up with family before entering lockdown again!

Helen has been having medical issues, the results of investigations were encouraging but she does need to have surgery before they can return to Nepal. This is not easy to arrange during a pandemic and given the over stretched health services here in the UK. So now they are experiencing the same lockdown as us which has knock-on consequences for many other areas of family life. Angus will likely need to undertake much of the role of his new job as Director of INF International remotely initially. The children are continuing with online schooling from KISC whilst here but this is not easy with the 5hr 45min time difference between the two countries. They are sad because after nearly 11 months of online school they will miss the resumption of in person classes back in Nepal. Caleb is due to sit his Cambridge AS Level exams from April to June, this is still currently scheduled to run despite the pandemic, but they don’t know if they will be in Nepal in order for him to sit them.

Their international adoption process has moved to the next stage, but they are not sure to what extent the surgery and Covid variants in both UK and S. Africa will impact the progress. There are so many things that are out of their control, the border of Nepal is shut to UK returners and they do not have a visa ready when they do return. They do not have the answer to the question they are often asked “what will you do about?” They just do not know, but they do know that God is with them in this season and has proved Himself faithful so, they choose to trust Him to work these things out.

In Nepal the Covid pandemic has not gone away, they have gone through the first wave with relatively low numbers, 26,7000 cases and nearly 2000 deaths and is now classed by the WHO as having only ‘clusters of cases’. Restrictions have largely been relaxed with gyms, restaurants, cinemas and schools being reopened across the country. There is concern however that the second Covid wave seen in nearby Asian countries and predicted in Nepal, will be deeper and tougher.

Nepal didn’t have the resources to pre-order vaccinations like western nations, in fact the government had been unable to secure a deal to buy any vaccines even once they were available in the region. Recently, however, India announced a gift of 1 million vaccine doses to Nepal due to arrive at the end of January. An encouragement not just for overstretched health workers and vulnerable individuals, but also for the country in its often turbulent relationship with India. Shoots of hope.

Please Pray for:

    • Nepal – that the political process would be peaceful and constructive, for effective distribution of the vaccine to those most vulnerable and on the front line and for more vaccine.

    • The Nepali Church as they seek to bring light and hope to those struggling.

    • The INF agreement to be signed and visas issued (this is essential for them).

    • Caleb, Charis and Esther as they manage online school and lockdown away from home and friends.

    • That God works out the timing of Helen’s surgery and their international adoption.

    • Them as a family, that they will love each other well and know God’s peace, patience and endurance during uncertainty.

They finish by saying that they know that winter lockdown and its consequences is hard for so many of us and they pray that we all here at WBC would know, not just the hope of the new vaccine, but more importantly the hope of Jesus, the Light of the world bringing peace and joy in the midst of the confusion and darkness. The new life of spring is poised ready to burst through the cold grey of winter, have HOPE.

Rosemary Croft.

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