JOHN 14:13*

Our project to collect computer, medical and educational supplies for Africa (and elsewhere) has been so successful that we've been desperately trying to find more storage space for some time. As a short term answer we thought about purchasing a secondhand shipping container but the prices we were being quoted were double what we could afford.

But through the generosity of a local engineering company called Steeltech, the good Lord again answered our prayers, and in October we took possession of a forty-foot steel container. Steeltech not only sold it to us at a price we could afford, but did a lot of work for us to get it waterproofed and secure. They also helped to transport it for us to our site - an operation in itself that became fraught with problems.

On the day that the container was due to arrive, of course we had lovely English weather - bitterly cold, strong wind and heavy rain!! First to arrive was the crane, which was needed to lift the container into position. The driver took one look at where we wanted him to place the container, and informed us that it was not going to be possible - the trees behind where the container would be placed were too close and overhanging too much. The driver told us that his boss had only just paid a large bill for repairs to the electrics on his crane, so he did not want to risk snagging any cables on the branches of the trees.

By now I was soaked to the skin, very cold and not happy. So I decided to have a walk around the corner of the church to see if the transport lorry bringing the container was coming, and to offer a silent prayer to the Lord and to calm down. A few minutes later the lorry arrived with several men who obviously knew the driver, and convinced him to at least have one try at putting the container in place. And I agreed that if it looked like that the driver was right, then we would have to find another solution to where the container would go.

Well, as you can see from the pictures we were successful first time in lifting our new store into place. So, once more, thank you for all your prayers, and, please, can you keep on praying? Having this container has given us a much-needed permanent storage space, and it'll help us judge more accurately when we need to order a seaworthy container to load up and actually transport to Africa. To finance a twenty-foot container we need to raise £6,000; for a forty-foot container it will be around £8,000.

It's a lot of money, and if you want to contribute towards it financially there are details on how to do so at the end of this report (you may feel that any donation you can make would be so small it wouldn't make any difference - well, if everyone in Tavistock gave one pound we'd have more than enough!) But whether you can help financially or not, you can help with your prayers. They've helped us get this far already!

(*John 14:13 - Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son...)

Story written by Derek Perry