Just Cards Direct sell beautiful cards for all occasions, at reasonable prices, some with a Bible verse.

Many of the cards are made by community projects in Africa.  Often these projects provide the only income to a widow or an orphan, helping to provide self-worth and security.

Just Cards Direct practises fair-trade principles and aims to bring hope to those who have been down-trodden, neglected and traumatised.  They give away over 25% of their profits to Christian charities and Through the Roof will receive 10% of any card sales from our supporters.

Purchases may be made online at http://www.justcardsdirect.com/ – please remember to select Through the Roof from the charity list!

Including Gift Aid reclaimed from donations, Friends of Jesus will have raised the brilliant total of £4019 to benefit our overseas work.  Members from the group commented on how much they enjoyed their special event, and members of the team say that it was a joy to be involved – they were particularly encouraged by the willingness of numerous people to give their help and support.   One team member commented that whilst being hard work at times, the event as a whole had been a real blessing.

If your church group would like to raise money for Wheels for the World or any of Through the Roof’s other programmes we’d love to hear from you!  Email info@throughtheroof.org

• Follow this link to find out about 2011’s holiday

One of the charity’s projects is to provide a short holiday for families struggling with the demands of caring for an autistic child. It takes place at Dalesdown, a purpose-built Christian centre based in large spacious grounds in the Sussex countryside, just south of Horsham. We take 9 families and each is provided with a one-to-one support helper for their autistic child. Dalesdown offers both ‘time together’ as a family (including siblings of the autistic child) and ‘time out’ for the parents to relax, knowing that their children are in good hands. A key feature is the carefully structured programme of activities which includes outings to the seaside and swimming pool, praise parties, adventure trail and puppet show.

Families who often find it impossible to take a holiday together appreciate our understanding and accepting attitude towards their children’s needs and behaviour. They also value the chance for fellowship with other parents in the same situation. Their comments include:

“This holiday has provided me with the most stress-free time I can remember. Our one-to-one helper was absolutely superb. Without this help I would not have considered coming without my husband; with it the whole holiday felt like an extraordinary blessing from God to us.”

“Just to say how overwhelmed I have been this week by people’s kindness and generosity. The helpers’ good attitude made a big difference to how we felt and contributed to us coming home completely rested. We have really felt loved and cared for.”

So what can you do?

• Do you have an autistic child, or do you know someone who does? If so, we are taking bookings for 2010 now and would be pleased to hear from any family who would benefit from this break.

• We need more one-to-one helpers. Their role is to get alongside the disabled young person, learn what makes them tick and facilitate their participation so that parents and siblings may also have a break. The main requirements of helpers (who must be over 18 and CRB checked) are to have a caring heart and willingness to serve, plus (preferably) a Christian faith and an abundance of energy! Experience of autism is an advantage but is not essential – we hold a Helpers’ Training Day in Feb/March in Ewell, Surrey which they would need to attend. Helpers are invited to contribute £50 towards the cost of their food, accommodation and activities. This is a real opportunity to serve God in a practical way and helpers are always blessed by the experience.

For more information please contact: Margaret Bale (Administration Manager, Through the Roof) on: 01372 737045 or email margaret@throughtheroof.org .

Follow this link to visit the Dalesdown website

The event took place at the LTA’s National Tennis Centre in Roehampton, who generously donated free use of a court to Danny, 35. A rising talent in wheelchair tennis, Mark McCarroll, was first on court for the 32 hour event which, at one point, seemed to be a step too far for Danny who was forced to coach players while laying flat on his back to ease the pain. “I never thought it would be physically this tough”, Danny said, “but God intervened many times and gave me the strength to get through it.” Appropriately some literature given out to those who attended included the verse: “if anyone serves he should do it with the strength God provides” (1 Peter 4:11).

Through the Roof’s Development Manager, Tim Wood, said, “Danny’s efforts have been fantastic and his sacrifice of time, energy and coaching fees will help make it possible for many more young disabled people to fulfil their God-given potential.”

It is still possible to congratulate Danny by donating securely on-line via: www.justgiving.com/dannysitton32

“Being on a Wheels team is an amazing chance to make a real difference, meet amazing friends, eat strange foods, swim in algae covered swimming pools, fly in tiny planes, go on long wiggly bus trips but most of all have great fun doing God’s work!”

My name is Becky Nightingale and I’m a Christian worshipping at Highfield Church,  Southampton and working as a Senior Physio at Southampton Hospital.

I first fell in love with Africa as a student, having travelled to Uganda,and I realised God had bigger plans for me as a physio than just working in the NHS. I started going on Wheels trips in 2005 and have been to Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya. Wheels has enabled me to enjoy my passion for Africa while staying in full time employment in the UK.  I have been able to travel with my best friend and husband as a part of several teams and have also made amazing friends whilst on the trips.

For me, arriving in country seeing disabled people crawling in mud around a market and seeing children with huge birth deformities is heart-breaking. I truly don’t believe that the huge gap in health care, sanitation and education is how God intended the world to be. However working with Wheels gives me the opportunity to use my skills for God to vastly improve peoples’ lives and to use the wheelchairs as a tool to talk to people about God’s love for them. It is amazing to see a child walk for the first time or have the freedom of movement by sitting in a new wheelchair.

It is important that all the people we meet as a team realise that they are very special and perfect in God’s eyes. I remember on a trip to Ethiopia I was distressed to meet a very unwell child who we could not help in a practical way. However, through our work as a team we showed that family God’s love which was very important for them and community around them to see.

Mine and my husband experiences with Wheels have made us very much consider doing further work in Africa for longer periods of time, so watch this space…!!