Helga Mosey Children's Home ... the New Look!

Over the last few months our workmen have been hard at work in our Children's Home. We have two kids and two adults in our house ... and we know how much punishment a house can take with four living here. But can you imagine a house that has around 15- 22 kids living there with 8-10 adults ... for 13 years!!!

At the beginning of 2009 things were pretty bad. The vinyl tiles were coming up, the cupboards were falling apart, all the screens on the windows had huge holes in them, the toilets were all blocked - bar one, the paint was all faded, the play equipment outside was falling apart and ugly, curtains all torn ... etc. etc. I think you get the message. It all came to a head when we were showing an American Missionary couple around the home ... and we felt more than a little embarrassed!

Yup, it was time for a makeover ... big time! By faith, I asked Jonathan, Matthew and Marilyn to make an estimate of everything we need to do. Everything. We have been struggling so much with the finances in the last year that it was impossible to budget for anything like this.

We prayed and I felt we should first contact the Helga Mosey Trust, headed by Pastor John Mosey (Helga's father). I only wanted to make them aware of the condition of the Home and that we wanted to start raising money for a face lift ... that same day they contacted me to say they would pay for everything. It was a tearful moment. Couldn't believe it.

We started in September and for around a month all the kids were squashed together in a few rooms and the Nursery had to stay in the Guest house (not that they complained!!) ... a challenging time. But not a complaint. Because what was happening inside the Home was fantastic. You can endure a little bit of hardship when you know there is a whole lot of blessing ahead!

Finally, we finished the face lift. Matthew has dome a great job with the guys. There is new ceramic tiles in the Living area, kitchen and workers rooms. The whole place has been repainted - the kids and aunties chose the colours. All new mosquito screen on the windows. New kitchen units and lovely black marble worktop. New curtains in every room and new soft furnishings throughout. All the toilets were unblocked (from teddies, toys, books, cutlery - you name it!!) and new toilets put in. All the kids room have vinyl laminate flooring. The whole outside of the building has been repainted, including windows and roof. We have a new wiring and electrical system. The swings and playground equipment are repaired and repainted. Amazing. Talk about a transformation!


Everyone is so happy now. I went to take pictures yesterday and the kids and staff were over the moon. Delighted. They are calling it 'Malacanyan' - the place where the President of the Philippines resides! Even I would love to live next door at HMCH!


Enjoy the pictures and video ... they all looked a million dollars! I did a bit of a photo shoot for the staff and kids after taking the Home because they looked so good! Be amazed at what has happened. These children are precious to the Lord and the ministry of Marilyn and the Aunties is second to none. I am so happy for them.

Sometimes, a positive change in the physical exterior can bring great joy and warmth to the whole ministry ... it has certainly happened at HMCH! Thank you Matthew & Jonathan. Thank you John & Lisa Mosey. Thank you Mary. Thank you staff. Thank you Lord.

A Question of Sport?

The Philippines is bereft of sporting heroes or teams. In a generation when speed, height and physique is of paramount importance in sport ... Filipinos genetically have very few of these essential attributes. Major sports like Football (soccer), baseball, American Football, Tennis, Swimming are not common, or even unseen.

Basketball to a Filipino is like football is to a European or Baseball is to an American. It is the national sport played in every square meter of the country. You can see hoops everywhere ... even in the most remote of areas! They love basketball. Even though Filipinos are small ... they are nimble and very accurate in passing and shooting. But they are never going to win the Basketball Olympics!

Olympics ... what a terrible word to the Filipino! It has been many decades since a Filipino has graced the podium in any sport. In fact, the 'dream', as in past Olympics, is to win at least ONE MEDAL ... even a bronze! But alas, there was no-one who even came close! "It's the taking part that counts", the headlines stated as the 'heroes' came home. Is it?

I come from a country that loves sport ... em, loves football really! But there is something special when YOUR team or YOUR player wins a tournament or achieves greatness. Here are a few of mine:

* Who can forget Archie Gemmil's amazing goal v Holland?

* My first ever football game in 1983 -13 years old, Pittodrie, Aberdeen 4 Rangers 0. Amazing experience.

* My first European Game, a few months later - Aberdeen 2 Hamburg 0. Listen to this ... Aberdeen were OFFICIALLY the best team in Europe. We had beaten Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Hamburg.

* Jim Watt ... I was only young but I remember those amazing fights

* Home Internationals - I remember 1976(?) Scotland beating England at Wembley ... and the fans sitting on the crossbar!

* David Narey's goal v Brazil

* Gothenberg! Aberden beating Real Madrid in Eoropean Cup Winners Cup Final. Classic!

* The yearly excitement of 'Jockey on the Hockey' v Bristow and co.

* Scotland Rugby team winning Grand slam ... Calder, Hastings brothers etc.

* Andy Murray's win v Federer last month - wow!

Sport, at it's best, CAN bring a feel good factor to an individual or even a nation. It's not bad thing. I remember being in Ghana ... they are football crazy! The whole nation stops to watch their national under 17 team on TV! I went to a few games in Kumasi ... unbelievable passion!

But, to be honest, being Scottish usually means that we have to live with a phrase that rings true - 'Glorious Failures' Yes, we often fail, but we fail with style. We are magnificent against the best of teams, but when opposition comes that we should blow away ... we blow it! I cannot begin to tell you the amount of 'If Only's' we Scotls have had! Mmmmmmm.... don't go there! So sport can bring joy ... and tears!

Here in the Philippines, as most of our visitors will tell you, we can still get good old British football! I am very friendly with the owner of our cable company, and every week I just text what channel the game I want to watch is on ... and there it is! Any game, anywhere in the world - even Old Firm Derbys! I just give a wee bag of donuts for all the staff every month as a 'thank you' ... wow. I must admit, I love watching the Premiership - listening to Andy Gray and John Motson commentate on some great games. It is so good for me to watch a sport I love and listen to familiar British voices. Yup, sport can bring joy!

Here in the Philippines there is not much hope or joy amongst the people. There is so much poverty and so much corruption. Most Filipinos have a hand to foot lifestyle. Even amongst our staff, very few even have back accounts. Their attitude is - if we have a roof over our head, food on our table and can provide enough money to give our kids an education ... that's enough.

But my observation is this: One man, more than any other, brings more joy, pride and hope to Filipinos - Manny Pacquiao.

Don't know about him? Tell you all about him tomorrow!

Until then, enjoy your own sporting memories ...

I've put a few of my memories for you to see above! Enjoy!

Living in Peace

Looking back over the last 10 months since we came back to the Philippines I realise that there have been times when the enemy has tried his best to bring discouragement to me, Mary & our family. God has a plan for our lives; but so has the enemy. One is good, the other bad. One is the right path, the other the wrong. Jonah had two ships to choose from ... and so have we!

The enemy is always at it ... stealing, killing and destroying. He always wants to take the things that we need most in our lives. Cars, houses, computers ... all can be replaced by a decent insurance policy and within weeks or months we forget. These are generally not the things the enemy seeks to steal from us.

What he really wants is for us to lose our peace. Our joy. Our purpose. Our passion and probably most of all our hope. Living with out hope truly is hopelessness. The enemy hopes that stealing some of these precious God-given blessings will start a chain of events and thought processes that will even put our faith and salvation in jeopardy. He wants us to become discouraged, after a dose of discouragement maybe we could become full of self pity and feel like spiritual 'victims'. This could lead to compromise and loss of discipline that could in turn lead to us wearing a Sunday mask - look good at church but inside full of hurt, sadness and regret. Before we know it we have done something or said something in a moment of weakness and our whole lives are changed. So many people have fallen this way.

Bottom line: The devil knows if he steals your peace, joy and hope ... it could be a process that will lead to disaster.

We have to keep our peace. We have to cherish our hope. We have to live in joy. They are absolutely vital for a life of service to God. Without them we cannot live with purpose. Lose them and we are on a slope that could be disastrous.

How so we live in peace? Lets look at David. He almost lost it all. He is a classic example of what can happen to any of us. If a man with a 'heart after God' can fail, any of us can. He loved God ... lived with purpose and was great in every sense. But he became lazy and took the blessings of God for granted. When he should have been fighting and leading his men he stayed at home. Let someone else do it. I'm tired. I've been fighting for years. Anyway, we'll win 'coz God is with us!

When he should have been fighting he was relaxing, taking it easy and utterly unaware that this was exactly the climate that the enemy loves to attack us. The enemy loves Christians who 'take a break' or 'take time off themselves for a while'. Whilst strolling across the roof his eyes saw something that he could not resist ... a beautiful woman. All sense of Godliness left him. Spiritual purpose was evicted and passionate cravings ran through hos mind. The man after God's own heart became a man after a woman's beauty.

We know the rest. David committed indirect murder to get the object of his desire. everyone else thought that David was OK ... but God saw everything. And to every sin there is a consequence and David was like any other man - the product of the choices that he made.

When God blew the whistle at least David knew the score. He had to repent or he would lose everything. Already he was riddled with guilt, saddled by shame and lost his peace, joy and relationship with God. He had to change. Come before God.

This is where I want to bring you today - PSALM 51:10-13

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will turn back to you

How can we keep, or even restore, peace in our lives?

David, after his terrible sins, came to a point of repentance in Psalm 51. Here we can find the keys to peace, contentment and purpose in our lives.

1. A Clean Heart (v10)

2. A Right Spirit (v10)

3. A Desire for God's Presence (v11)

4. A Walk in the Holy Spirit (v11)

5. A Joy because of our Salvation (v12)

6. An Obedient Life (v12)

7. An Opportunity to Serve (v13)

I didn't plan to write about this today but I feel so strong that this is for many people. Please, today, examine your hearts and lives. Do you genuinely have a joy, a peace, a passion, a dream, a purpose and hope? Or are you hiding the real you behind a smile or 'I'm fine thanks'. Don't dwell in yesterday; don't live in guilt; don't walk with regret or shame.

The journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step. The devil knows it. And often his first step is to steal your peace. Maybe it's time to say, "No More" and draw close to God again.

Like David, you will find that God is forgiving, generous and His love knows no bounds. Before you go too far ... come back.

Your peace is waiting for you ...

Selah.