"God is Faithful" 1 Cor.1:9
We are so thankful to our God for His
faithfulness to our family and the college over
the last 9 months, the fact that the college has
been able to continue is a sure testimony to His
provision and sovereign control. We are also
thankful for you and your faithful support as
you have continued uphold us all in prayer, and
for all those who to serve here in the college,
including the new members of our `Baldaeus
family'. Finally we are thankful for our students
and their sending churches for continuing to
stand with the college during this lean time of
the Lord's refining and pruning.
Jehovah Jireh, our Provider
Our librarian, Jebajulie and our office help,
Joel left us in May to pursue their own careers
elsewhere. We are thankful for their time of
service to the college and pray for them
as they move on. Sivakumar, who was with us for
a term as hostel warden while he worked on his
thesis, returned to Hatton with his family,
where he co-ordinates the Baldaeus Extension
work and Mini Bible Schools alongside his
pastoring work at the Church of the Sovereign
Christ. In the Lord's sovereign provision, all
three workers were promptly replaced,
Jeyaseelan came as hostel warden but soon
expanded his duties by taking on a number of
the administrative responsibilities in the college
office; Ravi, a local Trincomalee man, came as an
office help and Ajey, from Colombo, has come to
take up the librarian's work. All three come
with their own distinctive personalities and have
exhibited much enthusiasm adding richness and
variety to the college community. It has been a
real joy this term to see the staff working so
well together as a team, appreciating and
respecting one another, enjoying being part of
the Baldaeus family. We are truly thankful to
the Lord for all those He has brought to us and
all that He has been doing amongst us.
Friends from afar
It has been a joy to welcome Pastor Martin
Lloyd again this term on his fourth visit in as
many years. Initially he spent five days in
Hatton with Sivakumar (mentioned above)
visiting believers and conducting a baptismal
service, both were mutually encouraged by the
visit. In Trincomalee Pastor Martin taught a
modular on Romans and spoke at our Christian
Worker's conference (see below) We are
thankful for Pastor Martin's hard work and
faithful fellowship, as well as the support of his
church, Gosen Evangelical Church, who also sent
Sarah to us last term. We also have two other
modulars this term, Pastor Jothy taught
Penteteuch in May and Pastor Mani from
Singapore, is coming in July to teach Galatians.
The involvement of visiting faculty from further
afield certainly enriches the life of the college
community. We are thankful that Priya Handy,
Pastor Masilamani and Satyendra have continued
with us as regular faculty members, despite the
long hours of arduous travel from Colombo.
Christian Worker's Conference
`Revival and Reformation in the church, pastor
and family' was the theme of our Christian
Worker's Conference, held in the local YMCA
hall from 6th - 8th July. Pastor Martin Lloyd gave
the six main addresses, supplemented by
addresses from Newton and Jeyaseelan. It was
an encouraging time with about 40 attending,
including a number of former students. It
makes us aware of the need for such times of
teaching and fellowship as another way in which
we can serve the church here in the North
East,
Family comings and goings
Our longstanding faculty member, Newton
Jeyaraj, is hoping to pursue his Master's studies
at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales
from this September. Satyendra, who began
teaching with us in January, was also intending
to further his studies, but decided to defer for
a year so that he could join us on a fulltime
basis. He hopes to move to Trinco with his
family from October and his wife, a competent
computer typesetter, is also keen to work in the
college. We are also looking forward to
welcoming Alexander Macleod from Scotland in
August, his coming will be a real boost to our
faculty as well as our immediate community in
Trincomalee.
Precious Fellowship
All our family were thankful to be able to spend
a refreshing five weeks in the UK during the
April break. It was a precious opportunity to
spend time with family and visit a number of
friends and supporters of the college. We were
able to share news of the college in four of the
main supporting churches, Calvary Church in
Brighton, Every Nation Gospel Fellowship in
Southall, Gosen Evanglical Church in Wales
and Trinity Methodist Church in Storrington.
It was heartening to affirm fellowship with so
many and realise the level of prayer and support
there is for the college, not just in UK but also
in the States and Canada.
Lengthening our cords
Once again we need a miracle: a larger hostel,
preferably within the next month! This is not
just because our present contract has expired
but also because our student numbers are
increasing (we recently received eight new
applications from Hatton!) We realize that
continually renting buildings is not a feasible
option if the college is to grow and be
permanently established here in Trincomalee.
Thankfully some recent generous giving has
enabled us to more positively search for
prospective land, but we need wisdom in
choosing the most suitable location particularly
in the light of political uncertainties, local as
well as national. We will also need more funds if
we are to build!!
Thank you again, for standing with us in this
work and let us all give thanks to the Lord for
His goodness, faithfulness and sovereign
provision,
Yours in Christ,
Jaqui
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