Hi all,

It's been a hot and sticky weekend, with lots of activity and a number of 
problems - and now I'm really tired!

We need God to answer and make some provision for us pretty quickly.  I'll 
spare the details, except to say that, after some difficulties with the 
person from church who has been reading our mail and helping us to keep our 
dog bin and run sorted (on a weekly basis, we do the rest), he's not wanting 
to do it any more and we have no replacement.  The right help of this kind 
is difficult to get and church has not been interested in meeting other 
needs, such as help with cleaning etc.  We also were forced to let our 
gardener go a couple of weeks ago as he was taking real advantage and we'd 
worked with him on this for a long time.  Again, we don't know anyone 
interested.  These things really tend to raise the anxiety level, especially 
as some just must be done and we can't!

Please pray also as the person who has stopped coming went to our elders and 
moaned and groaned etc. and they're talking about a meeting with us.  We 
felt his behaviour (in not coming to us directly to discuss difficulties) 
was unscriptural and Mike told him this today.  We are not intending to 
involve others but he obviously feels it's a good thing to have some of his 
very long-standing friends on his side and listening to what he has to say. 
This has very much hurt us.  Now he tells us he will continue to think of 
and pray for us . . ..  I am pretty mad as I don't see this as the church 
helping us in our real needs right now.  Also, the elder to whom he spoke, 
contacted Mike at work so that he could keep it quietly from me.  Mike was 
taken by total surprise and was trying to take other calls and then suddenly 
realised that he didn't want to keep this from me, as he never keeps 
anything, so was very upset late last night.  He had felt he had to keep it 
back until after we had had a special meal out on Friday and a meeting on 
Saturday with very long-standing friends who I'd not seen for 35 years as he 
didn't want to spoil these occasions.  He's not good at having to try to do 
this though and I know he was put in a very difficult situation.

I am sure some will understand how the church's decisions not to get 
involved in real practical needs can be such a problem to us!

Our dog, Fabian, continues to be quite poorly but is still enjoying some 
quality of life, though is very hot in this weather with his big, black 
coat.  Please pray that the Lord will be good to us all and enable us to 
cope for as long as we need and then to make it very clear to us if we 
should not continue to care for him.

Thanks for listening and for your prayers, all of you.

God bless:  I must try to get some sleep.


--
Carol - Reading, UK

To you, o Lord, I lift up my soul;
In You I trust, o my God.  . . .."  PS25:1-2 NIV.