habari from Alan and Davina Sully
August 2005
Doesn’t time fly?
Alan & Davina have now been away 5 months and as you will have read last month, they are really into their work and all the challenges that brings.
Introduction: I would like to introduce myself to those of you that were not on the initial contact list to whom I wrote back in April when Alan & Davina first left.
I am Alan & Davina’s Prayer Secretary. I will be writing to you occasionally, sending out the regular updates, prayer letters and contacting you when there is a special prayer request. I have known Alan & Davina for seven years whilst they have been part of the local church here in Durrington. I live with my husband Peter and two children Thomas (21) and Sarah (18).
Communication:
Firstly, I do wish to thank everyone on behalf of Alan & Davina for your prayers as they have settled into their new lives in Tanzania. I also thank you for your support in contacting them by email and post. The simple things we take for granted like the regular receiving of mail through letter boxes has now gone for Alan & Davina. They collect their mail personally and only receive it once a week. I believe it can take up to two weeks for mail sent from the UK to actually reach them.
I would like to encourage you to continue, or begin to sending them, your news as I know they would love to hear from you all.
Transportation and time:
Alan & Davina have no transport at present. They ordered their vehicle before they left the UK – hoping it would be delivered in time for their arrival - but it has not yet arrived. So, their shopping currently takes half a day. There is, as you would expect, no large supermarket like Tescos with a variety of choice, or even a local corner shop to run to when they are out of milk. Most of their time is occupied by their jobs, shopping, preparing food and keeping in touch with us all.
Praise the Lord:
Recently Mission Aviation Fellowship contacted Alan & Davina to inform them that 58% of their minimum target of sponsorship has been raised or pledged. Praise God for his provision. They know the Lord has always provided for them and will continue to do so.
Food for thought:
I read this recently which made me think:
“SHE GAVE UP HER LAST PENNY” Mark 12:44
At some point in your life God will challenge you to give beyond your present comfort level. In that moment your faith will cause you to say yes, or your fear will cause you to dismiss it as impractical. Your response to God’s challenge will determine your future, for when God talks to you about a specific seed; he has a specific harvest in mind. Some giving levels are effortless, others make us uneasy. Sooner or later you hit a wall called fear.
Until you recognise it you will never be able to break through it. As a result you will live with less than God intends you to enjoy. What’s the solution? Change your idea of ownership! If you believe everything truly belongs to God, what do you have to fear? If God controls the comings and goings of your money, there’s no reason not to give, right? But getting God involved in your finances means surrendering control of your money to Him and that is scary. Jesus’ model for generous giving was a widow who gave her last penny; now she had nothing to rely on but God’s promise to meet her needs.
