Busy as Bees in J une In June, our family has been buzzing about getting lots done both in the ministry and at school. Thomas has been busy assessing the Tabitha school. Sweetwater home visits reaped much fruit with 4 new patients coming to give their lives to the Lord. The interns have been busy with Bible storying, painting, doing recreational therapy, and evangelizing in the rural community. We got 797 Buckets of Hope from the KY WMU filled with linens to pass out in Sweetwaters. Also donors gave the Tabitha kids some much needed winter clothing and shoes. Elizabeth survived midterm exams. Jacob survived rugby season. This month was as sweet as honey!
There is a new Sheriff in town... Thomas is tackling the job of assessing the Tabitha school with the help of our US volunteers. Gina, a preschool teacher from KY helped us improve our preschool room and is showing us how best to give the 2 year olds a "Head Start". Kendra (Math teacher from KY) gave each child an math assessment. We know the math proficiency of each child now. Our interns help us assess each child's current reading level. Literacy is key to being able to read your Bible & grow spiritually.
Preach and Heal In early June, we were able make house calls to the sick of Sweetwaters (SW). We had 4 patients give their hearts to Christ. We got to give away 5 Zulu Bibles as well. At one home, God provided a translator just in the nick of time so the patient we counselled could understand the Good News. We followed up with a recently saved brother and found him sitting up reading his new Bible. How encouraging that was to see! Pray July will be even more fruitful as we provide an evangelistic VBS and soccer camp in SW. Buckets of Hope are Here! The KY WMU packed up 797 Buckets of Hope. Baptist Global Response shipped them to us on June 24th. With the help of our Tabitha staff and the US volunteers, we unloaded the trailer in record time. These buckets contain much needed new linens, towels, Vaseline and lotions which brighten up a hospice patient's life. SW patients literally clap with joy when they receive these buckets. They also open up the doors to the gospel.
I nterns hard at Play! Our interns have been working overtime. Shelby and Lauren worked with our handicapped child, Seth. He received recreational play therapy several times a week from them. Nate and Scott painted the boys dorm, taught the boys to make forts, and built net ball goals. They also had a huge wrestle match which was a hit! Julie and Emily painted everything in site, taught school, soccer, baking class, and Zumba. All interns mentored a small group and storied from Numbers through Joshua this month. Interns evangelized on house visits as well. As you can see, Seth loves our interns! Sing! Sing! Sing! We still faithfully take the Tabitha children to Hilton Baptist Church every Sunday. On the June 15th Sunday, we had a family service. All the children stayed for the large worship service instead of being dismissed to Sunday school. Our kids got to go on stage and lead our congregation in a song. They were so excited to teach the church the new song they had learned. Brian, Ingi, and Tim Tim did a great job!
We have coats! Thanks to the generosity of a private donor and Grove Level Baptist Church's VBS kids, our kids received some much needed winter clothing. Each child who didn't have a winter coat, warm shoes, or a bathrobe got one. Local South African donors also sent many warm socks for the kid's cold feet. It is a great feeling to be warm again! Elizabeth Update Elizabeth is so glad June is over. She had 3 weeks of mid-term finals to finish Term 2. She did just fine but is ready for her July break. She will work in VBS at Hilton Baptist Church the entire 1st week of July. Then she will assist the KY teams in their VBS in Sweetwaters and help out in the SW soccer camp. She will be an intern just like Emily, Julie, and Melina. Oh, AND she still loves to bake with Ingi. The Jacob Scoop Jacob enjoyed his second term of school. He really loved learning to play Rugby. He scored 3 tries (touchdowns) during the year which was really exciting. He is still working hard at his swimming. He entered some swim meets this month. He said it was good to compete again. He will help us get the volunteer area ready for the July teams and assist in VBS programs in the ministry as well. He still is a great guy.
Donations that make us smile:) Used or New Laptops for our computer room 1 New or Used American DVD player and DVD's Used or new children's tennis shoes (ages 2-4) Used VHS movies for kids Sweater vests, scarves, toboggans, and gloves for winter Hoodie sweatshirts and PJs for kids ages 8-11 Hand held mirrors for the girls' bedroom dressing table Praises and Prayer Concerns:
Praises: 4 lost souls saved in June in Sweetwaters on house visits! God providing funds for Tabitha kids to have winter clothing (GLBC VBS ROCKS!) Elizabeth survived her 3 weeks of midterm exams Prayer Requests: Our translator (Zanele) to get healthy so we can resume house visits & evangelize in Sweetwater July evangelism Bible schools and soccer camps to run smoothly & lost kids come to know Christ at these events in Sweetwaters Our familys permanent residency visas to be granted soon Thomas dad has a procedure to drain lung fluid on July 2nd success in the procedure and get a diagnosis of why fluid builds up.
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Permanent Address:
Thomas and Paige Queen 135 Leamington Lane SE Cleveland, TN 37323
In-Country Mailing Address:
Thomas and Paige Queen Suite H 17 P/Bag X 9118 Pietermaritzburg, South Africa 3200