Sister Isabel Harvey, who is in our Blackpool Home, was born in 1916 in Manitoba, Canada. She was just 5 years old when her family moved back to Scotland.

Isabel heard about the truth in 1939 whilst living near Glasgow. Six months later she attended an assembly in Glasgow and was baptised. It was at this assembly that Isabel heard one of Brother Rutherford's talks relayed from America.

Isabel began pioneering with her sister Mona along with her other sister Grace and her husband in the Orkney Islands. Isabel and Mona had brought Grace and her husband into the Truth. Their father had moved back to the Orkneys but they were told they were no longer welcome there. So Grace and her husband set up their own home in the Orkneys and Isabel and Mona lived with them. Isabel wanted to serve where the need was great and there was a need in the Orkneys as there was no congregation there at that time. Isabel and Mona also worked the outlying Orkney islands on their bikes spending a few days on each island and many a time not knowing where they were going to sleep that night.

During these war years they had to put up with a lot of opposition from the clergy and the local newspaper. They even wrote to the newspaper to counteract the newspaper's false statements. Pioneering on a bicycle was not that easy as everything for the day had to be carried somehow, clothes, food and cartons of literature.

The weather was so bad in the Orkneys that after 6 months Isabel and Mona came back to the Glasgow Pioneer Home. From there her sister Mona went to Motherwell to pioneer, so Isabel joined up with Margaret McHarg and they went to Dunoon to pioneer. There was no congregation in Dunoon at the time so they met up with an elderly brother and sister and once a week studied The Watchtower together. Because of ill health, Isabel had to go back home to the Orkneys. On recovering, she was back into pioneering again, this time in Dundee, then Auchinleck in Ayrshire along with her partner Margaret and finally in Coatbridge.

Whilst pioneering during the war years Isabel took on many of the congregation responsibilities a brother would have enjoyed. This was because of the shortage of brothers mainly due to their stand on neutrality and subsequent imprisonment.

Isabel's sister Mona later married and was in Larne, Northern Ireland, when a congregation was formed there. Eventually Isabel came into the Blackpool Home, her sister Mona coming in shortly afterwards. Sadly Mona died, but Isabel is still going strong spiritually and enjoying the benefits of a spiritual environment along with many other elderly brothers and sisters in the Home.

Jah-Jireh Trustees

Jah-Jireh is your charity-meaning it is operated by and for our brothers & sisters. To ensure that everything takes place "decently & by arrangement", we have 2 managing trustees, who deal with the everyday operations of the charity. These report to the charity trustees on a regular basis, by telephone and e-mail, in addition to quarterly trustee meet-ings, which are usually held at our head office.

Just who are these trustees? Their names are shown on the Charities Commission web-site. But for our purposes their great spiritual experience is the key factor. Together they have spent 100's of years in service of Jehovah and have enjoyed many other spiritual assignments. They bring a wealth of experience in caring for brothers & sisters in the congregations where they live. They have voluntarily taken on this extra responsibility of endeavouring to care for elderly ones when their families and local congregations are unable to do so.

Finances

The finances for Jah-Jireh, as for any registered charity, are available on the charities commission website. As you will be aware, we would like to expand, so as to provide further facilities in the South of England and assisted living units in Wales. As yet, our financial position doesn't make this possible, yet with Jehovah's blessing, your prayers and support, we look forward to being able to progress on the home in Rainham in the future.

Open Days and Functions

During the summer period particularly we do take the opportunity to welcome visitors to our homes for functions such as garden parties during the day / evening. These give opportunities for our resident brothers and sisters to make new friends, and to associate with their extended spiritual families. If you would like to join in, please contact our head office to express your interest.

On a regular basis, brothers & sisters volunteer to help with care of the homes and the grounds, take our residents in the ministry, and share encouragement in other ways (reading, listening and sharing). If you would like to be part of this, please contact the home where you would like to help, or our head office. A big thank-you to those volunteers who regularly show such loving concern.

Donations

Many have enquired how they can make donations. This is possible through our website using Credit and Debit Cards (Gift Aid donations can be made in this way too). We are happy to receive cheques by post and donations directly into our Bank Account - either as individual amounts or as Standing Orders. If you would like to make a donation, the bank details are below, and our address is on the side of this newsletter. Thank you to all those who support our work when they are able to do so.

Donations can be made directly to our Bank Account:

Account Name: Jah-Jireh Charity Donations.
Sort Code: 01-09-51 Account No: 11619333