May 2008

Writing this letter, which is one I never thought I would have to write, has been a very difficult task. I am faced with having to let everyone know the devastating turn events of last November. It is with the heaviest of hearts that I sit here and try and find the right words, and that hasn't easy at all. However, it is with enormous sadness that I have to let you know that jon walked out on me and the girls last November after having had an affair. At the beginning of February he initiated divorce proceedings which he is seeking to push through as quickly as possible. jon is currently living with his parents in Wiltshire and he has resigned from the ministerial course at Bristol Baptist College. As far as I am aware he is no longer pursuing a call to Baptist ministry.

The consequences of his actions have been immense. We have had to stop working with the church in Cheltenham and I have been given compassionate leave from my course at Bristol while I care for the girls and start to come to terms with the enormous impact this is having on our lives. The future is very uncertain, but I feel that it is really important for the girls to have some continuity. I have therefore decided to stay in Gloucester so that the girls can remain with their friends at their current schools and so that we can return to worship at Kendal Road Baptist, the church where we had been for the previous two years. The pastor and my friends at the church have been wonderful to me and the girls during this difficult time. Their love and support has been, and continues to be, invaluable.

I still feel very strongly that I should pursue my call to ministry, but to do so at Bristol Baptist College as a newly single parent, and in the current circumstances, would be incredibly complicated. I have therefore decided to return to Redcliffe in September to complete my degree. I am planning to study my final year part-time over two years which will reduce the pressure of the work load and enable me to continue to offer my full support to the girls. It will also give me time to begin to adjust to what has happened whilst still allowing me to continue with my calling, albeit by a different route to that which I had thought. My friends at Redcliffe, particularly my personal tutor from the past two years, have also given us a huge amount of love and care, for which I am profoundly and immensely grateful and this will continue to be important for me during the time ahead.

For the last three years our financial support has come from the equity from the house we sold in London, but I am now faced with the remainder being divided up. I have also lost the potential salary from the church we were working with and the accommodation that they would have provided. This is a incredibly complicated consequence of Jon's actions and one that will have a huge impact on my, and the girls, future.

With returning to Redcliffe I will be looking to raise support for the fees for the final year of my degree. I have calculated that the total cost will be £7500 and I would like to ask you to consider if you would be able to make one-off donations towards this amount. I am not primarily looking for ongoing support towards our living expenses, though if you feel this is something you would be able to do I would be immensely grateful. Contributions towards my fees can be made directly to:

Redcliffe College, Wotton House, Horton Road, Gloucester, GL1 0PE.

(Please make cheques payable to Redcliffe College, and enclose a note explaining the amount is towards my fees.)

If you would like to support us as a family then please get in contact me (details overleaf) and I would love to talk with you and give you the relevant details.

I am sorry that I haven't written this letter before now, but the last few months have been unbelievably traumatic. I am so saddened by what is happening and just wish that we weren't going through this.

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For those who pray

Please bring us all as a family before God

• we are all so much in need of His love during this difficult time.
• please give thanks for all those who have come alongside us with their love and care – we are immensely grateful for their support

For the move:

• that the pending repairs will be done promptly so that we can move before the end of July when our current tenancy ends
• that the move, when it happens, will go smoothly.

For the future:

• that the there will be a smooth transition as I return to Redcliffe
• that I will be able to find some kind of employment that will fit around the children and college
• that we will feel truly settled at Kendal Road and that our friendships there will deepen and grow.
• that the girls will be able to cope with everything that they face, but especially:
• for Abigail as she leaves Junior School at the end of term and then moves on to secondary school this September.
• for Rebekah who will be studying for her GCSE's from September
• for Bethany as she will be in Junior School on her own for the first time once Abigail has changed schools.