CHRISTMAS 2007
LES & ANN BALL
49 Atkins Road, LONDON SW12 0AH
les@lesandann.plus.com
020 8673 5024
The year
of Completion.
For Jews and Christians the number seven has significant meaning. Going as far back to the days of the creation story, the number seven has always denoted completion. Completion is the understanding that you’ve finished something you started.
Completion is the idea of sticking with something, even against all odds to accomplish the goal at hand. Anybody can start something, but not many can complete it.
Completion is the mentality of one who knows that they have come too far, to turn back now. Looking back over this ‘07’ year we are thrilled to realise just how much it’s been a year of completion for us.
Marie Therese, our Congolese church member and international human rights lawyer, was finally freed from prison and the threat of the firing squad. She had dared to run for the Congolese Presidency and question the conduct of the election. We will never forget the moment she stepped off the Eurostar train at Waterloo International after her 160 days ordeal in Congo, onto a red carpet, a flag waving guard of honour, and crowds of us singing out ‘How great is our God’
Her arrival back to church was captured on London ITV news, giving us a precious recording of a most amazing move of God. Completion. Thank you for standing with us in prayer for this very special lady. She’s now waiting on God for the next step He wants her to take towards healing the ‘broken heart’ of Africa, speaking everywhere God opens a door.
Simon completed his GCSE’s and graduated in style from
Thames Christian College. He is now studying four A levels at
Graveney 6th form college in Tooting, and loving the challenge.
We completed 33 years here in London and were given a three month sabbatical study break over the summer. It was
wonderful! Les wanted to think through the huge cultural changes that have taken place in society in the last five years, and their impact on making disciples of Jesus. He enjoyed studying at the London Institute of Contemporary Christianity, and Kristiansand in Norway, (where we were also taken exploring mountains, fjords and glaciers by our good friends Dagfinn and Randi – awesome!).
We then had an incredible time in Jamaica ‘apologising’ for the atrocity of slavery and getting to grips with its legacy now coming back to haunt us through the gang, guns and knife culture gripping our estates here in south London. Experiencing a hurricane was the icing on the cake – what a wonderful, incredible God-created world this is. Leaving on the Monday, our delayed journey home to London took six days to complete (having to go via Miami, Chicago and Carolina!), arriving just three hours before Les was due to take a wedding on the Saturday!
Phase One of our three part redevelopment project was finally completed and Molly Berry House was opened by our much
loved 96 year old church member, Molly Berry! Building this block of six flats stretched our resources to the limits, (and beyond!) but now we have a great asset which is going to
help fund the next phase of redeveloping our site.
Ann and I also completed personal milestones, both of us celebrating our 60th birthdays this year! We’re so thankful for the many blessings and privileges we’ve known over the
years - at one time it didn’t look like Les would see his 40th! We have so much valued your friendship and encouragement inspiring us to keep on keeping on for Jesus! This
photo of us with our children, Stephen, Abigail and Simon was taken at Ann’s surprise ‘party’! A happy day!
Some issues of course are still uncompleted – Ann is still heavily involved in helping women recover from the emotional and spiritual damage from an abortion, (over one third of all women in England have had at least one abortion). There is just so much hidden pain out there …and in our churches. We’re still involved in planting and encouraging churches in villages in the tribal area of north India. We don’t know how much longer this window of opportunity will remain open and are hoping to take another team out there in April (want to come??). It would be great if in 2008 we could complete a school we’ve started building out there. Would you like to partner with us?
2008 marks a season of new beginnings for all of us. Christians don’t want to tip toe through life as if its purpose is just to arrive safely at death. Let us do a hop, skip and a jump, and blaze some new trails with God’s love this coming year.
With love and wishing you a Happy Christmas and a Hopping New Year!
Les, Ann & Simon
