Dearest Friends,
GARNGAD
On Tuesday, I spoke at a church in The Foundry Boys Church in the area of Garngad in Glasgow. Before I tell you what God did at that meeting, I need to tell you how they got to the place that they are in today.
In the 1820’s, Irish Catholics were brought over from Ireland to work in the foundries. It was a hard place for everyone. The work was dangerous and there was great poverty. Many children did not go to school because they were needed to crawl under the machines and fix things. Often , they were severely injured, maimed or burned. Life was cheap. There were always more hungry children who would take the jobs.
In the 1860’s, a Christian businessman heard the Father’s voice and started a work among the children. In time, over 200 mission halls grew from this work, reaching not only the children, but their parents as well. By the start of WW1, Glasgow was the most evangelized city in the world.
Hundreds of young men joined the fight and did not come home. All of the young men in this part of Glasgow who were the Sunday School teachers and street evangelists volunteered. Most did not return as three fourths of the units they served in were killed. There was no one to take their place.
The work continued to decline and today of the 200 plus missions and churches that grew from the children’s work, there remains only one. It has 20 members.
Though a dear young man who loves the Lord pastors the church now, Josh has precious little support. He has started the children’s work again and it is going well. However, a vote will be taken April 5th as to whether he goes or stays. Based on what I saw as I spoke to the group on Tuesday, I believe that they will ask him to leave. All of the leaders in the church were at the meeting and I think, based on their conversations and lack of response, most do not even know Jesus. It was an extremely cold crowd. One man openly showed his disgust for what I shared. Please pray!
Our New Puppet Team
On Tuesday, we trained our new puppet team. They are amazing! On Thursday, they went back to this same church and did a show for the children. Our pastor friend intends to work until God closes the door.
The team is led by our former Hungarian Director who is married to a dear Scottish lady. All of his puppeteers are Scottish. Please pray….asking God to open doors for them and show them the name He wants for their team.
The Tornado
So many have written and asked about my house. It is easier to answer all of you at once. Many friends are trying to clean up the damage at my house that was done by the tornado. I come home late Monday night and they are trying to make it better by the time I arrive. The insurance company will fix the roof damage to the barn and mend the small damage done to the house , but they consider the damage done to the yard an act of God. Funny, I agree with them on that point and trust the Lord to work through this problem.
The estimate to clean up the debris in the yard was over 8,000 dollars, so that is why my friends are working so hard. The damage is extensive. If anyone asks if I need any help, I should be able to answer yes for months to come. Needless to say, we will not be hiring their clean up crew.
A group of friends plan to work Saturday, but need you to pray the rain away so that they can come. As always, God is kind! God takes care of me. I am truly grateful that this happened as I know the Father will turn it into blessing!
In Jesus, Linda
