Open hands

Please pray for Shirley today. She is in the Royal Victoria Hospital and due to face her catheterisation soon. But please pray earnestly. She and Hamilton have been told that this is much more serious and complicated than first thought and will take much longer with two surgeons “operating.”
Today is a critical day for Shirley and for Hamilton and they need our prayers that the Lord might grant a successful outcome.  They rest in Him but know that the coming hours are filled with uncertainty. The Lord knows the way ahead for them and His presence will be with them. May His mighty healing touch be upon Shirley/
I am very grateful to all who have sent messages through me. david@2hearts.org    I will share them all at an appropriate moment. But they are getting inundated with text messages and feel the pressure to respond. Please, please can I ask you to give them  both some space. They appreciate every one but the next day or two will be overwhelming enough without the pressure of feeling the need to reply individually. I promise I will keep you updated.  Thanks for understanding.
God bless you for walking the dark valley with them.
David

I am replying on Shirley’s behalf. We both appreciate the many messages we have received in response to the news of what has happened as far as Shirley’s heath is concerned. It is very moving to see the love and concern for us.

I just came back from Romania on Saturday night. It was good to fulfil the ministry Shirley would have carried out if she had been able to be there. All the donated items (frozen bags, patchwork dolls, knitted hats and little puddings with a chocolate in them, the special gifts etc.) all have reached their destinations and are in the hands of Shirley’s friends in Casa Grace and Hospice Care team. I was able to visit on her behalf some families who lost loved ones recently and bring to them the comfort of God’s word and the hope of the gospel, take the money designated to particular families in need, plus record for Christmas on Radio Voice of the Gospel and share about the book on the Pastoral Epistles just translated into Romanian.

Regarding Shirley, she has been waiting in the Ulster Hospital until she could be transferred by ambulance to the Royal for her Angioplasty. The good news is that she is going across in the morning at 8am dv. Just pray for her and for the recovery period over the next weeks.

God bless you – He is Emanuel God with us!

Hamilton    

‘ ….. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God’ Luke 1: 35.
No Room, the Innkeeper could only offer a lowly, humble manger of hay for the birth of God’s Perfect Gift, Jesus, the Saviour of the World, the Lord, the King of Glory.  Immanuel (God with us). The Christmas Story speaks of faith, hope, love, light, joy, worship.   Angels singing ‘Glory to God in the highest’; Shepherds falling down in worship; The Star in the East going before the Wise Men who offered  gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. As we focus our hearts this blessed season, let us make room, take time to bow down and worship the Rose of Bethlehem whose fragrance and beauty fills our heart.
My friend Ann shared this beautiful hymn by William W. How, (1823 – 1897).
We give Thee but Thine own,
What e’er the gift may be;
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord,  from Thee.
 Christmas Morning, the most important day in the life of a child, waking to the pealing of resounding bells, the singing of Christmas Carols, special gifts wrapped with love ….. Christmas Remembrances (for me) – Mr Robin Red Breast hopping on a snowy covered window sill and watching the little sparrows find their twigs even though the strong mature boughs of the trees were bending beneath the weight of the newly formed snowflakes, the falling Pine Cones….The  day of ‘Thanksgiving’ is soon passed, friends and family are long gone, the table once spread with the Goodness of His Bounty, a constant reminder that He is ‘Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace …..’   the true message of Christmas ‘Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given’.  Greater love hath no man than this.
 A New Year is fast approaching, many hearts filled with memories of the changing scenes of life, challenge for another year ahead, I am reminded of the words of Charles Stanley: ‘Our willingness to wait, reveals the value we place on the object we’re waiting for’.  May my quiet hours sense an awareness of His presence, His nearness, His interest in the ‘all things’ of life.  I pray for wisdom, I ask for grace to love Him more; humility to serve Him more effectively in reaching Even One.  ‘Am I my brother’s keeper’? ‘Brokenness is God’s requirement for maximum usefulness‘ (Charles Stanley). 
2017 has brought me face to face with the reality of physical weakness, heartache, lonesomeness, the flawed of humanity, the outcast.  I can choose to ignore or I can make the choice to ask for continued compassion in my service to others. When you have been torn inside, how can you banish such realities from your heart?  The Word of God teaches that we can excel in our servanthood once we learn to value others higher than ourselves. How do I see my level of care, my attitude, my witness in showing the same love to others I have been shown? My love MUST penetrate the hardened heart, the closed door, the wall of insecurity.  In the midst of all the suffering, my trust is steadfast in the Lord as I commit: Baby Florin, Andrada, Kevin, Dora, Denisa, Diana, David, Alex, Brother Joseph, Sister Magdelina, Sister Emese….. into His care, the list is endless.  I think of the empty chair, the unoccupied corner, the humble gypsy home without heat, light, water, food,  yet this is ‘Home’.  Let’s ‘Come Home’ for Christmas and gather together in thanksgiving for all His blessings.  Whether rich or poor we are family, we are one ‘In Him’. Let us expand our horizon together.  ‘We can trust an unknown future to a known God. (Corrie Ten Boom).  Only eternity will reveal the rewards from following the Lord with unwavering and unfailing faith.
 ‘John 13: 35 tells us ‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’.  Since my visit to Cighid, I have come to recognise that emotional pain is very real and that together we can demonstrate God’s Love to these traumatised, damaged adult orphans.  We serve a God who will enable us to build a wall of security, form a deep and lasting relationship, reach the hidden depths of despair.  The Lord already knows what is needed, we have proved His faithfulness throughout 2017.  Food, necessities of life are important but love is the essence of real importance.  Through your dedication and commitment, we will ‘Follow Our Heart’ in 2018, feeding the hungry, dying, orphan, disabled and abandoned children. He is the Giver of Life.  Thank you for answering God’s call.
Shirley

TO STEAL, KILL AND TO DESTROY…
Jesus said, ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.’ John 10:10.
Children of disappointment, the forgotten, the unknown, those left behind whose memory has been ‘blotted out’, robbed of ‘childhood days’.  They ask ‘will it ever happen; is there beauty to be found; who will scale these walls of ashes’?
We all require the use of a mirror each morning, as we look at our self-image. do we ever think as to how others see us or how they view our service? I do not compare myself to others, I just want to ‘fit’ into the plan the Lord has drawn up for my life.
With every kilometre my heart was beating faster.  My destination – an isolated forest many miles from Oradea.  During the journey my mind questioned how many stars fill the skies of these children, how many sunrises greet them each morning?  I was visiting the original Romanian orphans who were cast aside as ‘rejects’, left without hope, undiscovered, barely surviving.  ‘Shirley, these are not children any longer, these are adults’.  They ran to meet me, thrilled, excited to see ‘another face’. I DID NOT see children but forty nine adults with the mentality of a young child, their dormitories filled with ‘fluffy animals’. Some could not come to greet me, they sat beneath a copper beech tree silently rocking; there were blind, lame, mentally and physically disabled.  I knelt on the grass beside them as they touched my face, while others followed behind, just wanting to be noticed and remain close to this stranger.  They played with my belt, holding it close to their face, felt the softness of my fur collar.  One thing was evident, one thing was all they longed for – LOVE.  I have met many mothers who carry the wound of loss in their heart, sometimes showing you a little lock of golden hair.  I wonder how many hearts grieve the loss of these forty nine forsaken lives?  After some searching, I have made my decision to love, renouncing the care of myself in order to give to others.  Obedience is not selective; it is an all embracing service from my heart to another. ‘God judges what we give by what we keep’ (George Muller).
In conversation, I learned the less traumatised, damaged adult orphans were now residing in Oradea, (groups of 4-5). I remembered with fondness one man (mid-forties) raised in a State Institution (where before the Revolution, conditions were unimaginable) who called last December at the Centre clutching a note in his hand for Santa. ‘Please can you send this for me?’ It read: ‘I would like coke in a glass and some chips, oh yes, and a hat to keep me warm’.  It was Christmas in his heart, yet he has never known the love and kindness of a mother, he is only ONE of the thousands who wait in hope of finding acceptance. I thought of the little darling (abandoned) lying in a cot within the small room of the Children’s Hospital during a visit two days ago.  I ask ‘Will he ever find acceptance, a place to call Home?’
Failure should not be regarded as final.  We serve a God who is able to restore.  My journey was to continue into the ‘depths of despair’ as I learned of approximately one hundred and fifty homeless people, suffering from severe illnesses, bereft of home, family, living on the cold streets of Oradea.  A little boy tapping on the window of my car ‘begging’ for money. Yes, there are people ‘living’ who would rather ‘die’.  Their joy is quenched, they mourn over their loss, their lot in life, silently hoping that ‘suddenly’ it will change.   Wasted years, wasted lives, but may we never waste the opportunity to make an impact, to reach ‘Even One’.   The words of Frances J. Crosby come to mind: ‘Let me at Thy throne of mercy, Find a sweet relief; Kneeling there in deep contrition, Help my unbelief’, While on others Thou art calling, do not pass ME by’.
The ‘Valley of Tears’ is difficult for me (personally) but a reality I must face,   During these weeks I have been brought face to face with ‘little ones’ whose dreams are shattered, no Daddy or Mummy waiting. Their childhood has been stolen, their dreams destroyed.  Door after door, home after home (this week) was such as I spent time with beautiful little flowers whose petals and glory had faded.  Timeea (32), Anca (33) Aurelia (27) John (32)… young fathers, mothers taken prematurely.  One little boy told me ‘When I am alone, all I do is cry’. Another:  ‘My best time is my time with daddy’.  A young father: ‘The best gift my wife ever gave me was my son’.  A young brother and sister sitting on a bed ‘This was daddy’s bed and we feel him close to us’.  Unlocked doors of heartache.
‘I didn’t think you would remember me’, shouted Cristi (4) running into my arms.  It was one important call I needed to make.  Cristi and his grandmother have finally found a small (one room) apartment after being evicted earlier this year.  Florika’s love goes beyond in caring for her little grandson, while his mum continues to work in Austria in order to send resources home.  It can never be a case of ‘I’, it must always be about others.  Our time together was precious and I was glad I made time to show love and express my interest.  A few ‘Irish Aunts’ had sent Cristi a Spider Man Costume, Figure, Hat, Bean Bag.  ‘Now I can be a hero too’ he said laughing.  ‘You will always be ‘my hero’, I replied, walking him down the stairs.  ‘I can’t believe you came back, that you found us, remembered us’ said Florika as I left. This stranger does not want to be a stranger to the needs and heartache within a quiet room or those who sit by a silent telephone for the call that never comes!
A few days ago, Alice found me wandering in the underground of Emanuel University.  ‘Sister Shirley, it is dark here, are you alright?’  ‘Fine pet, I am checking surplus boxes and need to find a way to meet an urgent need in Ichoebed, Suceava, a courier will be very expensive’.  (12 hr drive) ‘I can help you, my friend is driving from Paris and needs to go through Suceava to reach home’.  ‘Can he take large boxes?’  ‘No problem’. Some days earlier, Sister Gaby (Ichoebed) contacted me with an urgent need for hygiene products, baby clothes and feeding bottles – how many (extra) boxes were remaining?  Fifteen! The Saviour can solve EVERY problem, we serve an Amazing God. Text received confirming safe arrival on Saturday morning!
In conclusion I am so thankful that even in the midst of distress, decay, God controls all things. Many still search in blindness, yet we know that God has many blessings for His children. Please pray their eyes will be opened to the Word of God as we share the message of the gospel.  May our tears inspire our love to serve with passion.
Shirley, 29 October, 2017.