BLOG Post: The Four-Minute Read
Dear Friends and Supporters,
At the beginning of a new year we want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to each of you for your encouragement, prayers, generosity, and faithful support over this past year. It has been a year that required perseverance as we stepped across barriers and navigated challenges—particularly through the registration process—and we are deeply grateful that we did not walk that journey alone. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness in seeing registration completed at the beginning of December, a significant milestone and a real answer to prayer.
As we look ahead with expectation to this coming year of 2026, we do so with hope and confidence in what God is continuing to build. We are excited to develop and further establish our Child Registration Programme, strengthening its work in Pakistan with Global Mercy Foundation and prayerfully exploring opportunities to extend this into Zimbabwe.
We also look forward to continuing to grow our relationship with Master 7 in Laos, working together to ensure the continued success and long-term impact of the Rugby programme. Alongside this, we remain committed to strengthening relationships and partnerships in Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Poland, as we seek to walk faithfully and collaboratively in each context.
Recently, we have felt drawn to these verses in Isaiah 54 as we look forward to the future;
“Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” says the Lord. “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”
These verses speak into seasons of apparent barrenness, limitation, or waiting, where fruitfulness seems unlikely and hope feels deferred. God calls the one who has known loss, emptiness, or struggle to lift their eyes beyond present circumstances and to respond not with fear, but with joy and praise. The command to “sing” comes before the evidence of change, reminding us that faith often celebrates God’s promises in advance of their fulfilment.
The image of enlarging the tent is a call to prepare for increase—to make room for what God is about to do. It speaks of intentional readiness: stretching out, refusing to hold back, strengthening foundations, and ensuring that growth is sustained rather than fragile. This is not reckless expansion, but faithful obedience rooted in trust that God is the source of the increase.
Together, these verses remind us that God brings life where there has been barrenness, growth where there has been limitation, and joy where there has been waiting. They invite us to believe boldly, prepare wisely, and partner expectantly with God as He unfolds His purposes in ways that exceed what we could ask or imagine.
They speak of God’s goodness, His provision, and His call to prepare for growth. We ask God to reveal how we are to live this out as STURR in ways that reflect our core values of being Sustainable, Trustworthy, Responsible, and Resilient.
Thank you for standing with us. Your partnership makes more possible than you may ever see, and we are deeply thankful for you as we move forward together into all that lies ahead.
