June News from the Colyer Clan in Brussels

Dear All,

Click here for more photos…

We have had an action packed May and June (so much for taking it easier after the house move) and had a lot of fun as a result! May and June are odd months in Belgium as there are a large number of bank holidays at surprising times of the week. So it has been a lot of short weeks and long and busy weekends (that we made the most of).

We have had a pleasing number of visitors to the house. Ellie usually offers her room to visitors and happily shares Sam’s room (”Daddy! Sam’s strangling me because he says I wont stop singing!”). The house is great! We are finding we can get a lot of peace and quiet. One day Kevin arrived home knowing that there would be one extra child for a sleep over and was surprised to learn there were three extra kids upstairs! That is the advantage of five floors. It has been great having people to stay and experimenting with eating breakfast in the backyard. Nicki can host a housegroup on Friday mornings, which suits many women with small children. They have a babysitter who takes the kids up to Luc and Josh’s room, which is easily big enough to house them all. The house is a great blessing.

All the kids are doing well. Sam is thriving in a new drama club at school and Ellie loves her ballet class and recently performed another beautiful tragedy (Butterfly’s burning their wings on Glow-worms!?)  at the school’s May Fair. Josh and Luc are on the move. The stair gates are going up (much to their disgust). They both have cut two teeth each and are crawling with increasing speed and confidence in a forward direction. Josh is constantly pulling himself up and it can’t be long before he will be walking! They are getting a reputation for being active. One nick name for Josh that we like is “the squirmy brown one”. He got this name because of his utter inability to lie still when his nappy is changed! (We do recall that Sam, at a similar age, once needed three people to change his nappy!)

We have been very active as ever at the Link. Nicki is taking Sunday school lessons again. Josh and Luc are now going into the crèche so we are both freed a little more to help out. We also managed to get out to Kevin’s monthly evangelism night at Bier Circus called “God and my Pint” (a low key, social discussion based evening with 100 beers to choose from!) Kevin has also put in many hours delivering evangelism training to the Link house groups. He felt it went very well, and the feedback has been positive. The Linkers feel much more confident in how to share their faith in a relevant and simple way. It was very enjoyable for Kevin who was very pleased with the level of boldness and confidence in the different groups.

This month for Kevin has been a hectic one in YWAM. He has had to pull together YWAM’s accounts, and get them audited and ready for the Annual General Meeting. Ordinarily this is straightforward, however the accountant dropped off the scope for weeks necessitating a last minute rush. As well as this he has been working on PR and produced YWAM’s annual report as well as helping to organise the Brussels’ Open Day. He also held a week long conference for his KnowledgeBase project (http://www.ywamkb.net). Currently he is working on staff development by implementing evaluations. Of course there has been a myriad of other tasks and meetings with people.

A lot of the work is essential background management, without which YWAM would grind to a slow halt. But it is the little bits of outreach and people development that he really enjoys. Kevin has been meeting with a young Belgian guy called Nickolai, giving the occasional evening of coaching and encouragement. This is a lot of fun as Nickolai is very open and teachable. Kevin also was invited to give a school lesson on Methodism in the local European schools’ religion class. It meant a fair bit of research but it was great fun to teach the class, who really were interested in understanding the concept of “Justification by Faith” that Wesley taught as his heart was “strangely warmed”. Kevin also really enjoyed the Open day where he stood on the front door and welcome all passing to pop into the YWAM centre and find out what we do. We had a large number of non-Christians come in and it was lots of fun to explain (in French or English) the reasons why we do what we do! (And of course the person behind it all, Jesus)

Coming up next is the summer break. Nicki is especially looking forward  to it, as are Sam and Ellie who are feeling tired after the long school year. We are planning on taking an early break in July and going camping together in Holland. We will pop briefly into Stroud but will be spending the eight weeks break here in Brussels. Next year we will have furlough time and will be planning on being in the UK for much longer.

Lots of love,

Kevin, Nicki, Sam, Ellie, Josh and Luc

News from the Colyers (at last!)

Dear All,

I have finally found time to write about the last few weeks. The biggest event for us as a family has been the move! Yes, we are in a new place, with a new phone number and we are re-connected to the internet. We have felt out of touch with everyone, but now we are settled we can get back in contact again!

2009-04-18 trip to Stroud at Easter

We are now renting a tall and skinny house, about two kilometres north of the YWAM centre in the district of Schaerbeek. The address is 24 Rue Thomas Vinçotte, 1030 Brussels. The new phone number is +32 (0) 2 304 6924. Please call! The email address stays the same, as does Skype. The move has gone really well, thanks to some fabulous help from Kevin’s mum, friends and team members. In fact we had so many offers for help we felt really bad turning people away! It is great to have such a broad network of people around us who love to help! The move went without a hitch and the only breakage was a small figurine of Ellie’s. (Yes, there were tears!) We love the new place, the extra space and the new neighbourhood. It is somewhat Turkish around here.

Some gifts are still coming in but it looks like we have met our financial target that we set. Thanks to all our generous supporters who have helped us in this way. It really has made a difference to us. We also hope it will inspire other team members in the YWAM centre to take a leap of faith and move out too. Our apartment is already filled with single people sharing, who previously were living on the top floor of the base. This is great and the top floor space they have left is being filled with new staff members.

Yes, the YWAM work is going very well too. We have had a number of single staff join recently. Daniel (from New Caledonia) is here short term working in counselling and in the bookshop whilst Frankwin (from Holland) is long term joining Patrick and Mariette doing youth work and evangelism. Willen and Marina Nel have also moved to Brussels to work with the Kerygma Team. They will be aiming to start fellowships amongst Muslim people. We love seeing the team expand like this. The fresh dynamics that are brought to the team really revitalise us! We are hoping for more. Please pray that those staff in process will have no blockages to hold them back from coming (particularly in the area of visa’s).

Brunel

One of the more exciting moments happened the other day when Kevin was passing through the bookshop after posting a letter (what a thrilling life he leads!) when he realised that Richt Jan was in the process of selling a Bible to a man and was also explaining where to start reading it. Kevin decided to stay a while to help other customers so Richt Jan would have the time to talk to this man as he was clearly exploring faith seriously. After a little while the man left. Richt Jan explained that he was in fact a Muslim, who wanted to read about Jesus (revered as the Prophet Isa to Muslims) from the bible himself. We prayed for him right then. It turns out that the bookshop team have been praying daily for Muslims and this man was the third who has come in since they started praying. It has almost never happened before in the long history of the shop!

We look forward to chatting, skyping or emailing you soon!

Take care,

Kevin, Nicki, Sam, Ellie, Luc, Josh

We’ve found a house to rent!

Dear All,

24 Rue Thomas Vinçotte

Having grown unexpectedly to a family of 6 we realised we were bursting at the seams in the apartment in the YWAM Building. Well after talking about it for a long time we have now found a place to live! Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement to keep looking.

Vital statistics: 4 bedrooms (we are going to make the dining room a lounge so that the upstairs lounge can be used as a bedroom!), a small yard, laundry room and another basement room (a den for Kevin!) even a basic garage just next door. It is thin, narrow and tall (on 5 floors) and in need of modernising and some love, but nothing we can’t deal with for a tenancy for 3 years. It is 2 km from the YWAM office and the schools are roughly halfway in between the new house and the office. It is just in the right area we think.

The backyard. Small but you can put a sandpit or two in it.

All going well we will be able to have it from the 15th March, probably moving sometime in the week following. The address is 24 Rue Thomas Vinçotte, 1030 Brussels. You can see the house on Google Maps.

We have been blessed for the last 5 years with a reduced rent in the YWAM building and also no utilities bills. Our new financial challenge is to take on the new rent and bills!

This is where you come in! We need your help to make this move so that we will have a secure family home in the city now our needs have changed!

During our summer fundraising we were so thrilled to have new support and increases in old support. Yet, the plummet of the pound has wiped out all of the gains we received for now. We also have some new Euro supporters that have come along though which is great.

Our new house will be 950 Euros plus 250 Euros for utilities (1200 total). Our current rent is 650. We have gained about 150 in extra Euro support and a pledge for 100 more just recently. That leaves a gap of 300 Euros to go. Can you help us bridge that gap? Just three houses below!

We’ll be in touch with more news soon.

We’re very excited!

Kevin and Nicki

January Jottings

Dear everyone,

I cannot believe we are nearly at the end of January! This month has flown by, mainly because it has been a busy start to the new year with many good things happening. We hope that you all had a great Christmas and New year. We loved our first Christmas as a family of six (Sam and Ellie enjoyed opening the presents for their younger brothers!) and we had a fantastic New Year staying with our friends in Germany (see photos!). We were all too tired to see the new year in properly though so instead had early nights (definitely a season for grabbing sleep when we can!)

January pictures – click for more

We returned to Brussels ready for Kevin and the team to do the inventory for the bookshop and the bar. It’s always a good way to start a new year, with the whole team working together rather than on different things. Due to an effective computer system the inventory was done in record time this year and was remarkably accurate (and encouraging!)

We have had some extra life brought to the base this month with the arrival of an outreach team from New Caledonia (all French speaking). They were often found with Patrick worshipping God the Central Station using their traditional dances. They even managed to get some of our team to do one of their dances in a staff meeting! As well as teaching young people in the city, the team also helped with a 24/3 prayer time on the base. We all took time slots to ensure that as much prayer as possible was done for Brussels and Belgium over a three day period. Since it has been renovated, one of the offices has been permanently set aside as a prayer/meeting room. For me personally I found it a peaceful place to go and listen to God. With many things in the room set up to aid prayer it also helped creativity and keeping focused. Having the team here was also a good chance for Kevin to do some teaching in French. He did some training for them on Evangelism which went down really well and encouraged Kevin in how much his French has improved.

(Video showing the New Caledonian team performing in the tunnel and the reactions they got.)

There have also been some answers to prayer regarding gaining new staff. We have a number of people applying at the moment to join us on staff but we have had some blockages due to visa problems. It has been a complex situation concerning how we relate as an organisation in the country and at one point it seemed that certain visas would only be permitted if we declared that we would only work exclusively with certain denominations. As this goes against our YWAM values of being inter-denominational we knew we needed to stand firm and engage in much prayer. Thankfully we think God has opened a way and in fact has strengthened out relationship with some key people in the process! Please continue to pray with us that the application processes will go through quickly from this point on for Ye Soon (from Korea), Miwuh (Cameroon), Marina (Eastern Europe), Frankwin (Netherlands), and yet others who are just starting applications.

Looking ahead, February will start with Kevin visiting Berlin for five days of meetings with European leaders  (2nd – 6th). It looks like he will be contributing to sessions on Church planting and Communication. Mid way through the month the whole team will also be going on retreat to the Ardennes to draw closer to God and each other. This time we will have some Argentinian guest speakers Jose and Rosana Liste who are working with YWAM London. Please pray that this will be a time of refreshing and encouragement for all the team.

Finally, please can we ask you to pray with us for a new house/apartment. We have seriously started hunting now for a new home. We are prepared to compromise on bedrooms but really need somewhere on the ground floor and with a garage or parking space. We would also really like a garden and to be near public transport on route to the schools and base. We are aware we need a bit of a miracle… as properties close to us are very expensive and the cheaper accommodation is way out of the city. Thank-fully we have a great God who knows our needs.

With much love,

Nicki, Kevin, Sam, Ellie, Luc and Josh!

Christmas Greetings

Dear All,

How quickly the weeks have shot past as we approach Christmas! I hope you are feeling ready to enter this wonderful festival time and enjoy worshipping the one who is the real purpose of the season.

After the past few hectic months in YWAM we have had a slower month here in Brussels. I think I was ready for it. I have been working with my leadership team and enjoying that very much. Mariette and Jorien are very capable and positive people, making them a joy to work with.

December in Brussels (click for more)

Much has been happening in our family world as we have had weekend visits from Nicki’s mum and partner and also my dad and sisters. It has been a lot of fun to see everyone and we have been frequent visitors to the Christmas market in the city centre. This year both our skating and the weather has been better leading to many magical moments together and less wet trousers.

Sam has been performing in his school pantomime as both Town Crier and Postman (a “First Class Male”) and diligently learnt his lines. He really enjoys acting and I am sure we will see more of him up on stage in the future. Ellie took the staring role of Mary at the Link nativity but was slightly upstaged by Luc who was Jesus. (Joshua was understudying Luc as he was grizzling away in my arms!). Now school has finished for both of them they are looking forward to a good break, roast dinners, Wallace and Gromit and skiing in Germany!

You might have missed that last bit, but we have been invited to stay in Germany over New Year with our long time friends Markus and Leonie. Their house is about 8 hours drive from here and they are only about 45 mins from German ski slopes. We are thrilled as we know how much Sam and Ellie love snow and it has been a longing of Sam’s for many years to ski. So we get a few days there together and resting with Markus and Leonie and their kids.

So we hope to recoup much energy over the Christmas break. We hope you too get much rest and enjoy the peace of the season too. This year has been a roller coaster of emotion with the difficult pregnancy, the anticipation of the twins and the great excitement of their arrival.

We couldn’t ask for better babies. We are stunned and grateful for the way they are easy to manage, sleep the night through and radiate smiles! They are a constant source of cuteness around us, which keeps us going when we get tired.

All the very best from us. We hope to see more of you all this coming year but we feel very much in touch with all the cards, thoughts and presents everyone has given over the last year.

Kevin, Nicki, Sam, Ellie, Luc and Josh

Latest Colyer News

Dear all,

Finally we are getting back in touch with you all! Time certainly flies by at the moment as we juggle ministry and family life, but thankfully things are settling into a routine again!

October was extremely busy for Kev. Now that he is The National Co-ordinator for Belgium he has a number of new responsibilities. He is overseeing the Kortrijk team and also the Kerygma team. This mostly happens as a part of the new National Leadership Team and Kev has been working at building that team. As well as that he needed to fly to Malaga, where his new line leader lives for a meeting of all the Western European leaders. It was good to meet with other team members and he also got to hear about the church that his new boss, Stephe, has been planting with his wife Rite and friends. There are a couple of video interviews you might like to watch to find out a little more about the excitement of church planting!

He has also been forming a new leadership team in Brussels consisting of himself, Jorien Creemers and Mariette Brandes. It is coming together well and they are enjoying the experience of working closer together. He has also managed to squeeze in a couple of Dutch lessons here and there.

Visit to Plymouth and Next Wave and more!

Kev had to go back to Malaga a week later for another initiative he has been part of; the New Teams Network (more videos). This gathering was to support all those in YWAM who are starting new evangelism teams or initiatives and would like to work together to support each other. It was very exciting to hear of projects in Vallencia, Milan, Carlisle, Leeds, Paris etc. and to really give people a huge encouraging boost to keep going. A leader from Paris wrote about Jono, who came to Spain: “Jono a été complètement boosté par le temps à Malaga! Merci Kevin!” Kevin was really thrilled too.

Right after he got back it was into the car and off to Plymouth. It was wonderful to see many of you during our trip. The evening on “The Next Wave” was a great success and thank you to all who made that possible for us. We were really blessed to be able to stay in a lovely house owned by members of St Judes Church. It was great to have a spacious house to ourselves that we could also invite people back to and was only 2 minutes walk from the church. It really felt like a holiday. It had been far too long since we had all been in Plymouth so it was great to introduce Luc and Josh and catch up on news. Being able to visit the Next Wave was also really inspiring for Sam and Ellie who were both able to give tours by the end of the evening reception!

We are so sorry to all our friends in Stroud as we had to change our arrangements for visiting. My grandmother (last grandparent) took a turn for the worse just prior to our visit so we changed our plans and came early leaving Sam and Ellie in Plymouth. We had chance to pray with her and she said some very special things to us which we will treasure. She had been very ill for many months with cancer and was not expected to live much longer than Easter. However, she was determined to see the twins and so held on to meet her latest great-grandchildren. She passed away just a few days after our visit. We were so grateful for that special time with her and for her precious example of a faith in God. Because the earlier visit meant more travelling we decided to stay on in Plymouth after our return so we could rest. We discovered that travelling as a family of 6 can be exhausting (it took 15 hours to get back to Brussels!) and we needed the rest! Once again, sorry that we missed seeing everyone in Stroud and we hope to visit some time soon in 2009.

The twins are doing wonderfully well. They are starting to sleep for 8 hours now, for which we are grateful! They are charming their way across Europe and stopping people in their tracks when they go out in the buggy. We are so pleased at how Sam and Ellie are daily building a fun relationship with them and inventing games they can play with their younger brothers. Sam and Ellie are also doing really well at school. Sam is once again achieving 15/15 in his spellings and Ellie recently had a glowing report too.

One more pressing prayer request is for our hunt for a new home.  Getting out with the babies is getting more difficult due to our many stairs to the apartment and rarely being able to park nearby.  They have also been sleeping in the same cot in our room but are VERY quickly outgrowing that!  So we are starting the big hunt for a new place that will be more suitable.  Please pray we find somewhere ASAP which we can afford!

There is always so much to write about but that is it until next time!

Love,

Nicki, Kevin, Sam, Ellie, Luc and Joshua

News from the Colyers- babies, bliss and boats

Dear All,

There is so much to talk about this time I had better be quick! For us the most wonderful news is that of how Luc and Joshua have been getting along. And the short answer is wonderfully. They are healthy, their growth is on track and they are very content. Nicki and I sit there thinking how great it is to have two babies and how weird it would have been if we had only had one! The boys are really very good. They do have some interesting moments when they grumble, groan, moan and grimace for England. But they are generally easy babies and in a good routine. Surprisingly the nights have not been too bad which keeps us sane!

September 2008 Photos and video too!

Sam and Ellie continue to dote on their brothers almost as much and Nicki and I do. Both of them are immensely proud of Luc and Josh. The first and last thing at night for them is checking on the boys. They have both adapted really well to the changes.

We have been showered with cards, gifts, wonderful meals and baby clothes. Thanks so much. My particular favourite are the NASA baby boots that we were given! Financially we have much to thank God for as we have had many one-off gifts that have helped immensely. We are also seeing an increase in the regular monthly giving which is going to make a long term difference. Thanks to all. We are also pleased to say our house is nearly sold in Plymouth. Connells have been wonderful agents and their sensible advice meant we accepted an offer 10 days after putting the house on the market. We frequently feel a sense of God around us graciously making lots of things go with ease just now. It is a tender feeling and we are grateful for it!

I (Kevin) have found getting back into work surprisingly easy. I guess I expected more problems to have arisen over my summer absence but alas all is calm! I have two new leaders working with me: Jorien Creemers and Mariette Brandes. It is early days but they both bring energy and vitality into YWAM here. Generally all is going well. We have some new staff and the ministries are all doing well. It is good to see akaZOE doing well after its summer break. Christel, from Holland, has joined the team. She is a really talented singer and pianist and brings much enthausiasm to the team.

I have been catching up on a number of projects that have been planned for some time. We held our first Alumni day for all graduates of YWAM DTS’s who are currently living in Blegium. We will have to hold another one in the future as the day was great and very encouraging. It was fascinating to see what these local people are involved in and that they still have a sense of strong association with YWAM. It was especially good to run a day where so many people went away refreshed and inspired to serve God in their daily lives. I also popped out to a weekend of discipleship training for young people run by Jorien from  our team here. She has gathered a great group of young people eager to learn more clearly how to go about the practical business of living for Jesus 100%! To top it all off we have had a team from an Australian DTS here for two weeks doing all sorts of outreach in Brussels.

As things really are going well work and family-wise, we have decided that we will come and visit the UK during the half-term holidays. We are planning a quick trip to Plymouth (25th October to  28th then to Stroud for the end of the week). But the exciting bit is that we have heard that the YWAM sailing ship the S/V Next Wave is visiting Plymouth from Saturday 18th to Monday 27

s/y Next Wave

th October. If you have not seen the Next Wave or heard about her ministry of Training and Evangelism then you will enjoy her visit to Plymouth! Especially as she will be berthed in Sutton Harbour, and will look magnificent there. There is tons of info about the ship at the YWAM Marine Reach site and there is also an opportunity to sail with the ship. It is a great project that we have been supporting from Brussels as much as we can.

However, there is a VERY SPECIAL invitation to ALL of our supporters to come on board for a special reception with Nicki and myself. We welcome you all on Saturday 25th October between 7.00pm and 9.00pm for a time on board. We would love to have time to meet with you all, explain how our work is going and explain about the Next Wave too. There will be a little tour of the ship as well as drinks and nibbles. Please come if you can make it as we only have a few days in Plymouth and our wonderful colleagues on the Next Wave (thanks Captain Brian!) have kindly given this opportunity to re-connect to our supporters. If this was not enough we also plan to bring Joshua and Luc who will growl and grimace for your pleasure and entertainment!

If you would like to come then please RSVP to kevinandnicki@thecolyers.net and we look forward to seeing you there!

Love,

Kevin and Nicki, Sam, Ellie, Luc and Josh

The Twins are here!

2008-08-19 Birth of Luc Joseph and Joshua John Colyer (click for more and bigger pictures)

Dear All,

After what has seemed like the longest pregnancy in history the boys have arrived!

Please welcome Luc Joseph Colyer, born 1:40am, 19th August 2008, 2.515 Kg (5lbs 8oz) 48,5cm (19″) and Joshua John Colyer, born 1:46am, 2.620 Kg (5lbs 12 1/2oz) 47.5cm (18 1/2″)!

They are perfectly healthy and happy and have their mother’s nose. We had the whole delivery ward to ourselves and the most wonderful care. Nicki has been a model mother and gave birth after a short labour with an excellent delivery. Everyone was impressed, except the doctor perhaps, who got his shoes soaked by Joshua’s waters!

We will keep you all posted but it all looks very good. Please click on the photo for more pictures.

Love,

Kevin, Nicki, Sam, Ellie, Luc and Joshua.

PS You can pronounce Luc however you want (’Loook’, the French way, or Luke, the English way)

PPS For the Bruxellois, Nicki is in clinic St Michel, Room 314. Visiting hours are 14h30 to 19h30.

No Babies Yet!

Dear All,

We are in the waiting phase… Yes that is right, the twins are not yet here and we are hanging on for them to come. According to the doctor the twins are ‘done’ and ready to come out, but nature needs to take her course. Nicki is as uncomfortable as ever and was practising some gentle aerobics today and contemplating the trampoline to give nature a little ’shove’!

2008-08-01 Holiday photos in Wezembeek (click for more)

We are back in the apartment in Brussels after our wonderful house sitting stint. Ellie remarked today that she likes living in the country, as it is quieter and there are less bangings! (She is referring to a team of Korean Kings Kids who are in the visiting team’s apartment above us and were making banging noises on the ceiling!) But it is great to be back home.

Sam had his ninth birthday yesterday and had a marvellous time. After a massive brunch with our friends Markus and Leonie and family I took Sam and three friends to the fabulous Kessel-lo park for a picnic and lots of fun.

Fund-raising

As we wait for the babies we have been communicating to supporters and doing some fundraising. We wanted to use this letter to explain what our needs are, as there may be some people reading this who would like to enter into financial partnership with us in our work.

We have some BIG thank you’s to say to all our supporters for so many years of faithful support. Please look out for a large letter dropping through your door right now! We have been working in YWAM now for nearly 17 years. Quite amazing really.

As we enter into the next phase, which will begin any moment with blood, sweat and tears(!), we have new challenges of feeding more mouths, driving a larger car, moving to a bigger house and becoming more stable. We know that a good strong support base helps us focus without distraction on the work we do in YWAM. We also know we need to make one of the largest increases we have yet seen in our YWAM careers.

You can find more information from the pages linked on the top right of our blog, plus we have the YWAM Annual report and a ‘Supporting Kevin and Nicki’ document we can send you via PDF too. Basically due to the decline of the Pound to the Euro, plus the need to move to a larger accommodation and general increased expenses we will need to raise another 1,000 Euro a month.

We would really like to ask all of you reading this to prayerfully consider whether God would like you to be a part of this. A regular monthly gift makes the biggest difference to us. (There is a way for UK tax payers to make their gift tax-efficient too.) Some of you are already supporters, and perhaps this would be a good point to reconsider your giving and God-willingly increase it? We just simply wish that you hear clearly from God his prompting. He has looked after us so far through all our wonderful supporters and will continue to. We are certain of that! We will keep you all informed in the next letter how it is going. We have had so much help and gifts towards the twins we are extremely thrilled and amazed at God’s ability to provide through his people.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please email, call or Skype if you want to know more about supporting us, to ask questions or chat. The next time I write I will be telling you all about the twins! Please keep praying for a safe delivery and that Nicki will quickly regain her energy and pizazz!

Love,

Kevin and Nicki

News July 2008

Dear All,

I am writing in the sun (and rain) drenched wilds of Wezembeek-Oppem, a world apart from our apartment in bustling Brussels (well, 10km anyway). We are house, dog and rabbit sitting for our friends and having a great time. The house plants are not dead. The rabbit and dog have not run off or anything. We are all at peace!

The last few weeks have been a winding down time at work for Kevin. There is not much work to report on and it gets quiet anyway at this time of year. It gives us much time to reflect on how the last two years have gone and what is next. At home we have been getting ready for the furlough and preparing for the babies’ arrival. We have been showered with cots, bottles, buggies and all the baby paraphernalia we could wish for. We only have needed to buy a few things and even then we had an anonymous gift that paid for all but 20 Euros of what we needed. Thank you all sooooo much. So we feel ready for the arrival of the twins.

Ellie’s baptism and birthday (click for more)

The biggest happening have been in the lives of Sam and Ellie. Sam finished school well and has made great  progress this year. It all has come together for him with strong friendships, a great teacher and several good achievements at school. He is now a free reader, which was a major goal for him. His football skills are growing and he is becoming a fearless goal keeper.

Ellie had another great year too. This was the first official year of primary and she has excelled. She can now read (and write) basic French. Nicki and I keep getting little notes under our pillows telling us “tu é mon trésur” and such like. She writes phonetic French which is so delightful to read. Not content with that she is reading English too using her phonetic skills to piece together sentences. If only we all could keep such an absorbent memory all our lives! She passed her seventh birthday and a day later was baptised in a swimming pool just around the corner from the church. She has firmly decided that she wanted to follow Jesus her whole life and this was why she asked to be Baptised. We are very pleased as we wanted all our children to be able to make the decision to follow Christ for themselves.

The Baptism’s have been a high point of life in the church plant. This year we have seen strong growth and we are all feeling confident that over the next year God will do more. The saddest thing is saying goodbye to Sean and Helen and family as they are leaving Belgium to take up leading a church plant in Reading. We will miss them very much. However, the church itself is in a strong place and Sean’s low key leadership style has meant that the church is very much a team endeavour and the responsibility is already spread around. We are hoping to recruit a replacement for Sean over the next year, but please pray that we continue to grow with confidence anyway!

Nicki has been enduring the last months of her pregnancy. She is exploring the deeper meaning of the expression “Great with Child”.  The latest news is that the babies are fine and healthy (as is their mother) and look like they are enjoying it in there and are in no hurry to appear. This is good of course, but tough on Nicki. She is due on the 1st of September but is likely to be induced if they haven’t popped out before then around 14th August. Please pray they hang on a bit and that Nicki also hangs on in there with them as well!

News just in about our house is that is has JUST become vacant. This is a huge relief to us, although I am not sure how or when we will do the official handover from Plymouth Council so we can get the house on the market. But the best thing is that we are free to make our own choices about the house again!

We hope we will be in touch with many of you by phone over the next weeks of our furlough. We wont be able to visit but we have the telephone and Skype (with webcam) so watch out.

Love,

Kevin and Nicki

Diary Dates

• 14 August – Probable date the Twins will come
• 1 September – Official due date
• September – Kevin due back to work after furlough.