The journey is never boring with God!!

Dear friends and family,

A couple of months has passed since our last post and we are well overdue in updating you. But more than anything we want to ask for you to cover us in prayer for all that is going on here on base and within our lives. God is stretching us to new strengths and new boundaries and we never stop learning here - think that's why we love it! Life is never boring here!

Last you knew our clinic was officially open and now it is functioning well again. We have hired 2 doctors to cover 3 days a week and we have opened up to caring for the community again which is such a pleasure to be a blessing to those who struggle daily with the health system outside our doors. I (Sheri) really enjoy this aspect of my work (working with those from outside the centre)! Please pray for wisdom over each of us who works in the clinic in caring for all who come to our doors. The variety of situations we are presented with are expansive and we're constantly thinking on our feet and reliant on God's awesome wisdom!

So many things seem to have happened in the last few weeks which we are desperate for your prayer coverage and support:

• One of our older boys has been diagnosed with cancer and started on chemotherapy last week. Please pray protection over his body and healing in his cells!! Pray for no side effects to the chemo. Thank you!
• A very sickly severely malnourished baby showed up at our centre on Thursday and really tested my reliance on God and hearing His voice. My daily prayer is wisdom in caring for this precious fragile baby (and healing in her, of course). 8 months old and very long her lowest weight was 3.29kg and in under a week she is already 3.6kg - what a miracle as I was terrified she might not make it through her first nights with us. She is clearly a fighter and is going to be a star of the centre and a testimony of God's love and glory - Hallelujah - Thank you Jesus for the privilege of caring for the least of these. Please keep praying for protection over her fragile body and healing - please pray that this beautiful baby girl would continue to have such an appetite for food and life! We can not wait to show testimonial photos of how much God loves His children! Babies like her are my passion!
• Our leaders have gone away to visit their family for a couple of months and Matthew and I have stepped in to oversee the base - with a team of missionaries supporting us and some of the leadership responsibilities delegated out to some of them as well, His yoke is easy and His burden is light, right?!. This has been harrowing, but a great privilege and responsibility that we do not take lightly. Thank you Lord for your wisdom and help in every situation. We pray PEACE over the centre until our leaders return (of course an enduring peace that continues after their return as well ;-P).
• Many missionaries are on leave through the month of January and February so the centre will be light on missionaries and possibly not all responsibilities covered. Please pray for more workers for the harvest (like you, yes, we're talking to you!). We need people who love children and who don't mind to serve God in so many incredibly rewarding ways!
• Matthew is stepping in to cover one of these missionary's teaching positions in the Bible School (training up Mozambican men and women in the Bible and to be Pastors). Please pray for him in this new endeavour.
• We also ask for prayer for Matthew to pick up Portuguese in a new and complete way (and that he might be passionate about learning it ;-D). In the Bible school he will have a translator, but for day-to-day leading and situations, Portuguese would be incredibly useful!
• The school year has started again this week - please pray for all the students coming in - from the community and children within our center - we pray for a passion for learning and an understanding of the importance of education for both the children and the teachers. We also have a new headmaster (principal) who just started a couple of weeks ago, so prayers that the teachers would desire to work in unity with him and grace for his whole transition.
• We had 2 cases of measles in our centre just about 3 weeks ago. As measles is such a contagiously infectious (and very possibly severe) disease we braced ourselves for an outbreak that never came - Hallelujah - His grace is tangible over our centre and we are so thankful for His protection. Both cases of measles passed pretty uneventfully and both little boys are back to their normal selves again
• And please pray that in the midst of all of the above situations that Matthew and I would continue to  make our relationship together and with God our first priority and that all the rest would follow through in fruitfulness.

We had a beautiful Christmas with the children and it was a lovely time as a Zimpeto family. We hope that each and every one of you had a joyful and love-filled Christmas together with family friends remembering the life-saving birth of our Saviour - and we pray that this New Year will hold so much promise and life for each one of you. Please do write and share with us your lives and your journey. We know that our lives would be very difficult here without your love and support and we would love to share in and pray into your lives in the same way.

All our love and appreciation,

Matthew and Sheri Steer