Dear Friends of Jabulani, we pray you are well and enjoying Jesus! We apologize for not sending out an update for a while but we had had serious challenges and situations which have been very stressful and COVID has been very busy in Zimbabwe, there have been waves of different variants and many people catching the virus and dying but we thank God everyone is COVID free at Jabulani.
The children have been taught online for many months now and I’m sure you can echo with us..when is this going to end..we don’t like the online learning and we were looking forward to the children returning to school today but it has been postponed again! WiFi/ broadband is also hugely expensive and not always reliable so we would value prayer for this whole situation.
Our boy Daniel as many of you are aware has always been a handful, sweet as can be one day and then rebellious and very challenging the next, his behavior has gradually deteriorated over the past year and we have had to call on Social Services a number of times. Unfortunately he has not listened or obeyed the instructions he has been given and after numerous warnings Daniel has unfortunately been removed by Social Services from Jabulani and placed in a boys home. This has caused us much pain and heartache as we never envisaged this happening at Jabulani but nature has overcome nurture and we are very sad, please continue to pray for Daniel that he might change and trust God for his future and have a turnaround.
Also on 22 June 2021 our wonderful Joshua passed away in hospital after battling pneumonia and chest infections during this winter period.Josh has always had breathing and swallowing problems due to his cerebral palsy and has been in and out of hospital over the years but this time our Lord has taken him from his pain and health problems and brought him home to be with Jesus. Joshua had a huge impact on everyone who met him,he was always smiling and was a happy boy, Aunt Mel played a huge part in his life and development for which we praise God.
Our children all loved and fussed over Joshua and are understandably devastated along with the staff on his passing and of course Dorothy and I are here in Ireland and couldn’t travel to his funeral but we are thanking God that his pain and struggles are now over and he is safe in the arms of Jesus! We will see Josh again in heaven Hallelujah! Please pray for everyone at Jabulani in these days of mourning and contemplation.
Dorothy and I are due to go home to Jabulani on 13 July, it has been a hard trip, we started with a very expensive hotel quarantine in Dublin, then I had teeth problems which resulted in an extraction leading to a ‘dry socket’ and excruciating pain, it’s still not healed after 8 weeks, please pray it gets better before we leave for Zimbabwe.
Dorothy and I have both had our vaccinations and that hopefully will help us travel a little easier, we have enjoyed being with our kids and grandkids, it is a joy to see them growing and developing into wonderful young people, pray for us all as we leave.
The Good News Man book has been flying off the shelves, we are grateful for the many friends who have bought and read it and we pray God gets all the glory.. there are still copies available, you can buy on Amazon and also in Faith Mission Bookshops in Ireland. Praise the Lord!
Hannah had a wonderful 9th birthday party, she is a lively girl with plenty to say who is doing well at school , please pray she will continue to develop and grow into the person God desires.
Many thanks for all the messages and emails we have received about Joshua and our children, we thank God for all you friends, it is a privilege to have you in our Jabulani family, we are praying for you.