Great Happenings

Who said that January was a quiet month? well, it certainly seems to be the month for booking things up. I have the great news that on 28th March, i have been invited to join Dunton school's easter service to give a 20 min presentation on my life and TTR, with all funds raised being given to TTR. this is such good news and i'm very pleased!

I was also asked at very short notice, to write a piece to go in the Grace Baptist handbook which is distributed among approx. 15 churches within a 30-35 mile radius of where i live. i was asked to write a summary of my work with TTR in 250 words. a challenge, but its done now, and i pray that God blesses it and gives me some more opportunities to glorify him.

getting ready

The first part of this year had been filled with arranging various speaking bookings in the next few months. I went to my old school to give a talk on my mission trips to Guatemala last week, and although it was very strange and slightly daunting to go back to my own school, the children listened very well and were asking lots of intelligent questions. they were very interested in the DVD i showed them, and in the things I had bought home from Guatemala. see more about it at www.to-guatemala.blogspot.com

I hope and pray that more contacts will come out of that meeting at Dunton school, and am waiting to see what the Lord will bring from it. I know that they want to stay in touch and to fundraise for TTR if they can. 

I have a quiet month this month, but February kicks off with me doing the thought for the day on Bigglesfm-my local radio station. then from 3-5 Feb TTR is at stand 32 at the Hand in Hand children's ministry conference in eastborne. i'm going to be there through out the weekend , and Alan  the Integr8 project manager will be there all weekend and will be hosting a parachute workshop on the Saturday. hope to see some of you there! 

on 13 and 18th i have speaking bookings, both quite near my brother. one is at the DCF group in Southampton, and the other is in New Milton at the Torch Trust fellowship group.  so a busy month of traveling ahead, but what a privilege to know that God is blessing his work so richly. 

please do contact me if you have a group for me to speak to, or any questions. philippa@throughtheroof.org

Facebook: Philippa Woodcraft TTR

Twitter: philippattr

and on Hisbook as well. 

please go to  http://www.familyministry.co.uk/Groups/170634/Family_Ministry_Web/Conferences/2012_conference/2012_conference.aspx for more details of the conference 

winding up

Happy 2012! 

I am looking back and thinking over the last year. what a year its been! To think that this time last year I was unemployed, and had only just made up my mind to apply for this job at Through The Roof. this time last year, I think i was waiting to hear if i had an interview. it took a lot of thinking and praying to apply, as in the previous September I'd had to give up my part time job at an auction centre in Bedford owing to transport funding issues. I honestly wondered if I would work again. I knew that I would get no more funding for my transport for the foreseeable future. I made myself busy at home, as I have my own bedsit i had housework to do, there was also babysitting to do and sisters to help (i have 4 sisters 2 brothers and 21 nieces and nephews plus 2 great nephews and a great niece).  I also began to help with the sunday school and started, with my family and friends help,  a youth group at my church to be held monthly. so that's where i was at last year when the job came up. I was in 2 minds about it, and really took some persuading to agree with my parents offer of transporting me to my speaking engagements should I get the job. I prayed about it and talked it over and over.  I felt it was God's will that i applied, but at the same time, the practical difficulties seemedso large.  my brother Simeon who is a pastor, gave me some valuable advice. "sometimes God shuts 1 door and gives several others we could go through. sometimes we have to try pushing them to see if they open. if they do open by his will then everything will fall into place. if they don't open, then its not his will you go that way". 

when I got the chance to go for the interview,  and was told I had got the job, I was really really excited! i've loved every minute so far! God is amazing! its a privilege to be doing his work!

in 2011 I visited various groups of people giving them my personal experience of growing up as a blind person, becoming a christian, and sharing with them the work that TTR does and how they can get involved as well as biblical references to show how God views disability. I have spoken to groups of 300 and groups of 6. to young and old. this isn't a boast about what I have done, but a story of how God has blessed  his work this year. people have donated, people have signed up to keep in touch, and I know that people are praying for our work. I have received good feedback from the groups i've visited, which is another thing to God's glory since he gives me the words to say. 

I've been with Tim and Abi to the conference in Budapest  too. there we learned about what other countries are doing for disabled people, and shared testimonies and tips with each other. it was a blessed time. 

I have been on the radio a little as well. I was on Torches Insight program talking about Budapest, and did 2 thoughts for the day on my local radio station, Bigglesfm. 

I also when to Guatemala for the 3rd time and was part of another wonderful team. that trip was such a blessing and God was really there with us, blessing us as well as those we spoke to. please see www.to-guatemala.blogspot.com for details of that trip. 

I have had my first experience of christian camp as well, i went with my best friends Christina and Kayleigh-Anne to Pioneer camp at Root Hill farm. I had a great time! i was asked to give a short talk on TTR and my life, as well as some tips of what churches could do to include disabled people who came in unexpectedly. this well and truly broke the ice and after that I met lots of lovely people and had many interesting conversations. 

September and October were filled with speaking bookings, keeping up with the social network side of things, and getting to know my new computer  (an apple mac) which I had purchased after my windows computer and associated screen reader caused accessibility issues for me!   November was enlivened by attending the ladies conference weekend, where 2 years ago I had been asked to give a seminar on my trips to Guatemala and TTR. it was great to catch up with people and it was a great blessing to hear the messages from our speaker on Job and how God is always with us in our problems. on the way home we were involved in a car accident, but no one was seriously hurt-just bruised and we were able to drive away from the scene thanking God for his protection. the cars didn't fair so well as 2 were written off! but God protected us inside. 

I was asked by my brother Ben (a carpenter who is helping out at a local church while they haven't got a pastor) to take a prayer meeting which he was too snowed under to make. this was a great blessing as the church (not my brothers church but another one) want to keep in touch with TTR. 

December was blighted slightly by me catching the worst cold i've had for 3 or more years. I was booked to speak at a church in London, but due to the slight problem of me all but loosing my voice, and feeling rotten, i didn't make it. 

I am over it now though, and wasn't ill over christmas :-)

the last work related thing was the christmas meal which was a lot of fun! a time of fellowship and happiness and christmasiness (if that's a word) 

then i went on Annual leave until Tuesday 3rd Jan. I had a wonderful christmas, birthday and new year. 

I want to wind up 2011 by wishing you all a happy and blessed 2012, and thank you for your support! 

what i've been trying to say in this mammoth post, is that I couldn't have predicted what would happen last year, or where I would be now. without God, everything is impossible and pointless. but with God nothing is impossible. I couldn't ask for a better saviour and friend. he has richly blessed me, and helped me, even when i have felt alone, he has been there. I know he will continue to do this, and will be with you also this year and forever more. 

please feel free to contact me if you have a group you would like me to speak to. my email philippa@throughtheroof.org or follow me on facebook (Philippa Woodcraft TTR) or on twitter (philippattr).