I can’t believe how generous you have all been with Harvest food donations this year, never have we had so much food, which is great as this will enable us to be more generous to our families as they combat the winter battle of eat or heat! We are all feeling the pinch I know but the challenges keep coming and we keep rising up to them.Like every charity that is reliant on an employed professional staff, we will be hit by the increase in the NI changes when they come in and we think that means we will need to raise an extra £30,000 a year just to continue as we are.On the positive side we constantly see improvements in the lives of our families; we keep experiencing the generosity of our supporters, so we stay positive, confident that our work will continue for as long as our families need us. Our Board meet later this month and we will be looking at what we want to achieve over the next five years. It won't be as ambitious as the growth we have experienced over the last five years, but it will focus on what we need to keep doing and how we can strengthen our teams to make sure that the families get the best that we can deliver on your behalf.So once again please accept our heartfelt thanks for all that you do,With thanks as always for your support.Martin and the FSW Team
Update from Kevin and Jen in Israel May 2024 Dear FriendsMuch has happened since we last wrote. Thank you foryour prayers surrounding our visas which were onceagain, renewed at the last minute for another year. Westarted to plan a much-needed break to the UK, andhaving booked our flights, it became apparent that Kevinneeded surgery that we were advised should not wait untilwe returned. You will have heard us talk in newslettersabout the relationships we have built since we have beenin Jaffa, and we are so thankful to the Lord for providing uswith friends and contacts that enabled us to be put intouch with the head of surgery at our local hospital. Hewas able to operate a week later after we accessedvarious tests that even by Israeli standards, wereperformed, reported on, and found to be satisfactory inrecord time. Kevin has a new cardiologist, who kindly gaveup his time and saw us out of clinic hours in order to certifyhim fit for surgery. This was a great testimony aseverything fell into place and many friends and neighboursacknowledged the work of the Lord in the situation. Wewere blessed by two dear ladies in our congregation whohelped transport us to appointments and stayed with Jenwhile Kevin had surgery, when they were able to praytogether, read scripture, and offer support for Jen. Oncedischarged home, Kevin started a week of enforced rest,hoping to be fit to fly one week after surgery.As we waited to see the surgeon on the day before weflew, the Iranian missile attack took place and we spentthat Saturday night, and the early hours of Sundaymorning, once again in our bomb shelter in our apartment.It was a different yet familiar atmosphere as we waited andprayed together, aware of the time frame from missilesbeing sent to reaching their target and seriously wonderingif this was to be our last night in Jaffa. Many of you willknow how much we needed a rest, and especially nowpost-surgery, how much more so. We felt sure that theLord wanted us out of Israel for a while to pray and seefamily and spend time reflecting and discerning, and yetwe watched the news as flights were cancelled and theairport was shut. We thank the Lord that he provided awindow for us to travel and, having got the all clear fromthe surgeon, were able to continue with our plans.We have just returned from three weeks in the UK wherewe were able to spend time with family, friends, andvisiting familiar places that were important to us. We arereally thankful for a mixture of people’s hospitality andgood Airbnb’s, and were able to enjoy the Englishcountryside, sunshine and rain. It took about three daysfor Jen to warm up after we arrived!We are sorry that we were not able to see as many of youas we would have liked. Those we did meet up with, thankyou for your kindness and love, and for the support youshowed for the ministry here in Jaffa. It was a privilege tobe able to share first-hand what the Lord is doing here andto know you will pray directly into the situation here.On our return, we have a further two weeks to settle backinto life here. Kevin managed the trip very well but is stilltaking things slowly. We have time to reflect on the timeaway and pray about the next steps. There are plans forthe renovation and extensions of the Beit Immanuelbuilding in Jaffa that we hope to be involved in, and welook forward to sharing with you how those plansprogress.In the meantime, thank you for your prayers and we will bein touch with more news very soon.Blessings,Kevin and Jen
Another fun and very busy Pantry social this week. Some old friends, who used to use the Pantry, came along and gave out Advent Calendars to the children. It's wonderful when we hear from those whose situation has improved and they want to help by giving back. Our cupboard is quite depleted, so if you can help us to restock, we are short of pasta sauce, tinned tomatoes, microwave rice, custard and biscuits. Thank you so much for your help.The Pantry Team.
