20 Years of CitD


 

Wow 20years of CITD who would have believed it? I certainly wouldn’t have!
But when I look back I see so many wonderful times and moments good and bad, I am reminded that these things help form us and create in us the character that God wants us to be! He uses the highs, the lows and the in betweens to position us for what he has in store for us and the ministries he placed into our hands!

I remember when CitD first started people would ask well Steve what is your five year plan? Where do you see CitD five years from now? And to be honest I never did have a five year plan or a ten year plan or even a month long plan!!! We travelled and worked by faith we didn’t have cash flow charts we didn’t have projections of funding etc…
We looked at what we had and we used it. That being said we always tried to be good stewards of what God gave us. We still are, but as we grew and as God grew CitD these things such as cash flow projection came into play, governing bodies don’t take kindly to us reporting, “well we believe God had called us” or “we are stepping out in faith!” Doesn’t go down too well with the charity commission. God tells us to respect and honour our governments’ taxes etc… So we do and we do produce these things, every month in fact now days.
That doesn’t mean we have lost our faith or our vision, no not at all, it means we can make sensible decisions based on what we see and what we hope for and have faith in!

God has been faithful to the children and families that we have worked with for the last twenty years and although times can be hard he has always provided one way or another. He does what he does and we do what we need to do and the job gets done!
God uses believers and non-believers to love and care for his creation that’s you, me and whoever! I’ve met some beautiful people along the way Christian and non-Christian and those who just don’t know! All I know is that even last year over 150 volunteers came through our projects in Romania and God used them all to care, play, entertain, build, dig, mix, cycle, run, talk, preach, cry, laugh, pray and most of all love!

So as we start another year firmly holding on to Jesus and his shirt tails who knows what will happen, so please don’t ask me for a five year plan because my answer will be this –
CitD will continue to do what God calls us to do but most of all continue to love those created in God’s own image.
You, me, us, and them all, marginalised or not let’s just try and fill this world, Gods world with God love and you don’t have to be a Christian to do it!
Ooooooh controversial but hey that’s me!

So here’s to another great year with the glory going to God and our beautiful brilliant supporters’ thank you and may God bless you through all the coming year and beyond!

Steve