Hello America

Hello America!   Please, can you help us out here?

America has the largest English speaking population in the world.

America has some of the largest Christian churches in the English speaking world.

Christian House Sitters has been prominently featured in articles in numerous American Christian magazines.

But

We still have fewer members in America than in Australia, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, France, Spain, South Africa and many other countries.

Please, can you help spread the word in the USA?


Remember this is not a business but a ministry.

Becoming a registered house owner is free.

Having someone look after your home and pets is free.

Registering as a house sitter so you can enjoy rent-free vacations all over the world costs just £25 for a year (all of which goes to help vulnerable children at Home of Peace Children’s Home.

We need a few Christians to catch the vision, tell their churches, friends and family and the result will be that we are able to serve everyone so much better.

To find out more about how this ministry works look at our website Click Here
Or read some of our past blog posts such as

USA The No vacation Nation

The Science Behind Vacations

8 Important Questions

God bless you,

Ray

Christian House Sitters
is part of the registered charity
TLC Children’s Trust
UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

 

WordPress is adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

 

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Sorry we don’t ……. but ….

Sorry

Pictures of unusual houses

We do not have any of the houses pictured above available for you at the moment.
In fact, I have no idea who owns them or even where they are.
I saw them as I was browsing the internet and they gave me a chuckle. So I thought I would share them.

BUT

Even though we don’t have those houses we have a constant stream of rent-free houses all over the world being made available so if you are thinking about a vacation why not have a look at our website CLICK HERE

If you would like someone honest and reliable with references to look after your home and, if necessary your pets, while you are away we will be very happy to make your needs known to our members. It will not cost you anything.

(If by any chance you own one of the houses in the picture above I would love to hear from you.)

Why use our service?

  • Christian House Sitters is not a money making business but a ministry to support the work and people of God.
  • Christian House Sitters started in order to provide rent-free vacations for Christians and reliable House Sitters for home owners who need someone they can trust to look after their home, pets and garden.
  • House owners do not pay anything to have their property listed.
  • House sitters are only charged £25 per year and in return for this many enjoy numerous rent-free vacations each year.
  • 100% of the income is used to support vulnerable children at the Home of Peace Christian Children’s Home in rural Kenya
  • We all enjoy travelling to new places but accommodation can be very expensive.
  • God designed us to take time off occasionally.
  • We all need a holiday
  • Our spiritual, mental and physical health benefits from having a break.
  • We become more efficient as Christians and in our home and work lives.

Christian House Sitters can help you do this.

Christian House Sitters helps you reduce the cost of your vacation by offering rent-free accommodation.

For Home Owners leaving your house empty carries many risks. Through a free registration with Christian House Sitters we can help you go away feeling safe and secure knowing that your home is being looked after and if necessary your pets are being cared for and loved in their own home.

God bless you,

 

Ray

 

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

 

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

 

The Science Behind Vacations

Cat going on vacationI read some strange things. Today I was looking at an old copy of the International Business Times and saw an article that they published back in 2011.

It is important so I am reproducing the main body of the article below. Full details can be found at ibtimes.com/science-behind-vacations-why-we-need-break-299133

The Science Behind Vacations: Why We Need a Break

Let’s face it, you hate that person who comes back into the office after a vacation with a sunny smile and a deep tan. They feel rejuvenated, refreshed, reborn, but you just wish they would return to their cubicle and be quiet. But, before you go resenting them and their new lease on life, they may be onto something.

Research has discovered what we knew all along- we NEED a vacation.

More and more experts are urging workers to take full advantage of their vacation days to go someplace new, lie on a beach, read a book and do absolutely nothing- and not feel bad about it! Turns out, there’s some reasoning behind rediscovering the pleasure of napping in a hammock, swimming in the ocean and walking through the woods. These breaks from our everyday life have shown to be profoundly healing to our physiological and physical selves.

Vacations, whatever form they take, are a chance to unwind, regroup and take a step back to examine your life from a new place with a new perspective. Travelling, especially abroad or to a place we have never been before, allows us to temporarily leave our old life behind and adopt new customs, new ways of thinking and looking at the world that can cross over into our everyday lives.

Many people need the time and space away from what they experience every day in order to recognise harmful or self-destructive patterns in their life. Taking time to get away and visit a new place can highlight distinct lifestyle choices; when you are able to directly compare your life choices with others, you can come to a better understanding of your beliefs, practices and actions. By adding this perspective, you can see what you do like, and what, perhaps, you should change.

Another benefit to vacations is forcing you out of the daily rut that you have likely gotten into. Going to a new place can wake you up and shake up your sights, smells, tastes, and feelings. Experiencing all these new senses can help you to better appreciate the surroundings in your day to day life. Vacations can also help prevent burnout at home; by regularly taking the time to relax, you can prevent that overworked, under-rested feeling you know too well.

And what better way to experience these new senses than to simply let them wash over you as you sit back, relax and do absolutely nothing. When you do go on a vacation, take a break. Being idle is good for the mind, body and spirit. It is restorative, rejuvenating and, much like taking a long sleep, invigorates you to return to your life fully charged. A good vacation can help us to reconnect with ourselves, operating as a vehicle for self-discovery and helping us get back to feeling our best. This means no blackberries, no Internet and no working! You can’t take a break from work if you bring it with you.

Aside from your psychological well-being, your physical state can benefit from a few days off as well.

Research has uncovered a link between stress at work and overall well-being – and it’s not pretty! Trouble at work can lead to headaches, fatigue, irritability, anxiety, depression, high blood pressure, insomnia, and can even cause a stroke.What is my job?

The best way to combat these symptoms is to slow down the pace and take some time away from work. Vacations can help keep us healthy by lowering our stress levels that can lead to other problems. The effects of a good get-away can last for weeks, as some research has found that after just three days of vacation, subjects had less physical complaints, slept better and were in an overall better mood than before the vacation. These effects were still present up to five weeks later!

BUT THE COST!!!

Don’t worry.

We can help.

Christian House Sitters offers rent-free vacation accommodation to our members all over the world and if you need someone to look after your home and pets while you are away we can help there as well by finding someone suitable who will do it free of charge.

Full details are on our website CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

 

Christian House Sitters
is part of the registered charity
TLC Children’s Trust
UK Charity number 1156786
www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

 

 

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Wise words from St Augustine about Travelling

This is not a deeply theological blog about Augustine. I will include a little about him because I am using one of his many famous quotes.

So who was he?

Augustine of Hippo was an early Christian theologian and philosopher whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity.

What Did Augustine Believe?

Three of Augustine’s most important ideas or arguments for the God of Christian theism are the following:

  1. Rest and peace for human beings is found only in God.  As creatures made in God’s image, humans can only find genuine rest and peace for their souls through salvation in Jesus Christ.
  2. According to Augustine, human beings are dependent upon God’s grace for salvation. Known as the “doctor of grace”, Augustine argued vigorously that Christianity was uniquely a religion of divine rescue instead of a works-based, self-help religion that was advocated by some of Augustine’s opponents.
  3. In response to the problem of evil, Augustine argued that while evil is real it is not a substance or a “thing.” Rather, evil is a privation, an absence of goodness in the human will. Therefore, God did not create evil; only good. Augustine further argued that the origin of evil resulted when Lucifer chose a lower good (himself) and exalted it above the ultimate good (God).

I am not going to discuss his theology in this blog.

I do strongly support his statement that:

The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page

I have been blessed by having travelled extensively and it is my intention to keep seeing new places for many years to come.

But travel always sounds so expensive and it can be costly however through the ministry of Christian House Sitters we can help you to greatly reduce the cost.

You can enjoy rent-free accommodation in lovely houses all around the world.

You can leave your own home in the safe and reliable hands of a person who will look after it and your pets if you have any, free of charge.

Have a look at our website and see if, with our help, you can ‘read a few more pages’

Why Join Christian House Sitters?

  1. Christian House Sitters is not a money making business but a ministry to support the work and people of God.
  2. Christian House Sitters started in order to provide rent-free vacations for Christians and reliable House Sitters for home owners who need someone they can trust to look after their home, pets and garden.
  3. House owners do not pay anything to have their property listed.
  4. House sitters are only charged £25 per year and in return for this many enjoy numerous rent-free vacations each year.
  5. 100% of the income is used to support vulnerable children at the Home of Peace Christian Children’s Home in rural Kenya

For Home Owners leaving your house empty carries many risks. Through a free registration with Christian House Sitters we can help you go away feeling safe and secure knowing that your home is being looked after and if necessary your pets are being cared for and loved in their own home.

So what next?

All you need to do is visit our website, read all about our ministry and register.

Naturally we are very happy to answer any questions but hopefully, you will find most already answered on our FAQ page.

We look forward to being a blessing to you and your loved ones.

For details CLICK HERE

 

God bless you,

 

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

We had a glitch……….

A couple of days ago we suffered a ‘technical glitch’

Our intentions were good. We decided to upgrade the security on our website. I consulted with the experts and they assured me that they could handle the upgrade without any problems.

The site would be down for a maximum of a couple of minutes and it was all a routine, simple process.

Great.

Next I heard was that they had done the upgrade but ran into an unexpected problem and as a result needed to change our ‘nameserver’ so although the site was up and running it ‘may take a few hours before people were able to access it because the new DNS needed to be propagated‘.

Oh how I dislike technical jargon. Why can’t they just speak English?

Anyway by the next day our site was still down so I had to have a few long and firm discussions with the technical folk.

Eventually I was ‘escalated to a more senior person

I assume that means I was put in touch with someone who actually knew what he was doing.

Anyway we are back!

So if you are looking for a rent-free vacation. Visit our website

If you are going away and need someone to look after your home and pets. Visit our website. This is a free service

I look forward to welcoming you to our family of members all over the world.

To visit the site CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

 

CHRISTIAN HOUSE SITTERS

Is part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

The long spoon………

I am blessed to receive numerous uplifting, encouraging and challenging email most days. One that often helps me is from a man called Pastor Tim Burt who writes a blog called Fresh Manna. You can see it at https://todaysfreshmanna.wordpress.com/

This morning I received the following from him. (Note he has previously granted me permission to reproduce his posts as long as I link back to his blog and acknowledge him as the source.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Spoon That Feeds… (Author Unknown)

Long spoon

A man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, “Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like.”

The Lord led the man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew which smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful, but because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering.

The Lord said, “You have seen Hell.”

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the man’s mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking.

The man said, “I don’t understand.”

“It is simple” said the Lord, “it requires but one skill. You see, they have learned to feed each other. While the greedy think only of themselves.”

Galations 5:13
Gal 5:13 “For you have been called to live in freedom–not freedom to satisfy your sinful nature, but freedom to serve one another in love.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This in many ways is the philosophy behind Christian House Sitters.
Christians blessing each other and being blessed at the same time.

Those who are going on vacation get the blessing of having someone look after their home and pets free of charge

Those wanting a vacation get a rent-free house to live in.

Both parties are also blessed by knowing that they are helping another Christian.

For more information have a look at our website. CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

If money was no issue?

Where do you want to go?

I love travelling. Seeing new places, meeting new people and experiencing new and different cultures.

The only real problem is paying for it.

Through Christian House Sitters people all over the world are enjoying the pleasures of travelling without having to pay any rent for their accommodation and in addition, if needed, having someone who will look after their home and pets free of charge while they are away.

Membership lasts a year so I have just looked back at the past 12 months and I see that we have been able to provide lovely, rent-free accommodation in the following countries.

Spinning Earth

Scotland

Germany

South Africa

England

Australia

Spain

Wales

Ireland

Mexico

France

New Zealand

USA

Do you know anyone who may benefit from this wonderful opportunity?

What about you?Have a look at our website and contact me if you have any questions. CLICK HERE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dog at computer
Have you got any interesting, funny or heart warming vacation stories that you would like to share on this blog?

If so please let me know using the contact form. Especially if they involve House Sitting!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

God bless you,

Ray

 

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

Latest News Report

It is always lovely when someone else says nice things about you. 

I was therefore delighted to receive a copy of the following article written by Rev Dr Ali Green and published in the Holy Trinity Church. Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire. March 2017 news.

Here is a copy:

Home of Peace

Each time I go on holiday I have a house sitter to care for pets and plants – and the sitter gets a holiday, too, in lovely Bradford on Avon. A modest amount of money is generated from this scheme by the organizing charity, Christian House Sitters, run by Ray and Marilyn White. All the funds raised go to a very special family in Kenya.

A Caring Home

This is the Home of Peace, an interdenominational children’s home in which a dedicated team looks after 53 children. The staff of 14 includes the Manager, the Administrator and a Qualified Social Worker. They are overseen by Marilyn on a daily basis. Ray and Marilyn are responsible for all the financial needs of the Home of Peace and oversee the work, monitoring where every penny is spent, under the UK Registered Charity TLC Children’s Trust, and are closely monitored by the Trustees.

Many of the youngsters’ parents have died from AIDS, typhoid, malaria or other diseases and as a result they were left homeless and to had fend for themselves because their home village was too poor to take on an extra hungry child. Some children, as young as three or four years old, were taken from their tiny villages in the bush and dumped in the town of Siaya because the family could no longer look after them. Once in Siaya they were simply left and had to beg or steal to survive.

Thanks to the Home of Peace these children now have a home, medical care and clothing, and they attend a local school. The manager recently purchased two sewing machines and employed a qualified seamstress to make all the children’s play clothes, church clothes, school uniforms and the staff uniforms. She also repairs any damaged clothing – a big longterm money-saver.

Following a major storm last year the home had to undertake a major building project. This resulted in two new boys’ dormitories, two staff bedrooms, a laundry, additional toilets and washing facilities, a new water storage tank and the conversion of a temporary dining room into a permanent structure.

Showing their new shoes

Happy Feet: The children show off their new Christmas shoes

Last Christmas the Home of Peace sent out an appeal to all members of Christian House Sitters and their response allowed the children to get new shoes and underwear and to celebrate Christmas with a special meal. Residents invited local boys and girls to join them for Christmas dinner. These were children who would otherwise not have had a special meal at Christmas.

Help for a Needy Family

A few weeks ago the Home of Peace Social Worker reported coming across a local household that captured her attention. She took a picture of their house and wrote: “It is a nuclear family with five children. Both parents are alive but are living from hand to mouth. My concern was the fourth born girl, ten years old. I was shocked. The mother said she has not been going to school because of lack of food. She seems weak and febrile.

Their homestead is a one-roomed thatched house with a small table sketchily structured at the centre of the room. Nothing to sit on, a papyrus mat spread at the corner as the family bed. They are indeed in abject poverty.”

Her home

Home of Peace arranged some emergency food for the family and contacted Children’s Services to see what else could be done.

Shortly after Christmas I received a message from Ray: “I am delighted to say that we have managed to sort out all the red tape and this young girl is now living safely at Home of Peace, getting nutritious meals, having good health care, getting an education and is happy. Her parents are also thrilled.”

You can find out more about the Home of Peace and Christian House Sitters at www.christianhousesitters.com

Rev Dr Ali Green

Our sincere thanks to Rev Dr Green for the article.

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

This could be the answer for your family?


The answer may not be at the beach But Shouldn't we at least check?

 

 

Are you starting to feel that you need a break?

 

 

Yes I know it is only March but it is a good time to start planning your next vacation.

Many people wrongly think that a vacation is a luxury. No actually it is a necessity.

Everyone needs a break! Working without having a real break will damage your health, harm your relationships and make you less efficient.

Do not be put off because of the cost.

Hotels are expensive but did you know you can enjoy rent-free accommodation all over the world through Christian House Sitters?

Yes I did say rent-free!

Ahh but what about your animals? It will upset them and cost a lot to have them looked after while you are away.

No it will not!

Christian House Sitters will be happy to arrange for someone to look after your pets and your home Free of charge while you are away.
Cat blocking screen of tablet

So if you cat (or dog) is getting upset seeing you read about going on vacation tell them we have it all under control.

All you need to do is visit our website, read all about our ministry and register.

Naturally we are very happy to answer any questions but hopefully you will find most already answered on our FAQ page.

We look forward to being a blessing to you and your loved ones.

For details CLICK HERE

God bless you,

Ray

We are part of the registered charity

TLC Children’s Trust

UK Charity number 1156786

www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

“A Diary of House-Sitting Tails”

A diary of house-sitting tails

I am naturally always interested to read about House Sitting so when I found out about a book called “A Diary of House-Sitting Tails” by Carolyn Slingsby I downloaded a copy from Amazon.

I was thrilled to read about our ministry in this book!

Here is an extract from the first couple of pages:

At the end of November 2008, after living and working in Spain for six years, my husband and I suddenly and devastatingly lost everything, and had no choice but to head back to the UK.

Brian and I had gone to Spain six years previously in 2002, knowing nobody there at all, and we began totally from scratch. I knew I had to find my feet, so I quickly became resourceful in finding jobs, mainly in the property market. At one time, I helped a company to sell villas and apartments, focusing mainly on marketing, but I had other duties, too. Once, I had to do a complete ‘makeover’ on a property, which turned out to be a total full cleaning and fumigation exercise. The property in question was in a terrible condition, covered in excrement and filth which stank to high heaven; he had kept five dogs there, and hadn’t done much in the way of cleaning! Eventually –after hours of cleaning and sorting –I managed to find a buyer, but it still smelled if you were downwind! It was only months later that I realised why I was so ill after that experience.

We loved Spain and its people, and it was our fantastic church community who helped us through the very traumatic ending to our lifestyle there, when –due to the economic climate –we lost our villa and all our money, and had only forty-eight hours to leave and hand the keys back to the bank.

Our compassionate congregation bought all our furniture, including the wood burning stove and very large satellite dish (which went off on the roof of an estate car!), to raise us enough money for petrol to drive back to the UK. We stored ten boxes, containing our various small everyday goods, in the under-house storage of one of those kind church folk, where it ended up staying for two years!

So, back in the UK and having to start again from scratch, we knew we had to survive and get a roof over our heads whilst we worked out what direction life was taking us in.

This was when God led us to The Christian House Sitters website! We found two separate house sits in France on our way back to the UK in December and January 2008-2009, and so began our ‘Tails of House Sitting’ –adventures and experiences we would have missed out on if not for the traumatic ending of our life in Spain!

The book is a lot of fun and well worth reading.

If you have interesting stories about House Sitting please share them with me.

Would you like a break from your normal daily grind. Time to getaway, relax, renew relationships, rest, have fun and generally recharge your inner batteries.

We can help.

We offer rent-free vacations all over the world and, if necessary, we can also arrange for someone reliable to look after your home and pets free-of-charge while you are away

If you would like to benefit from our service please have a look at the website. CLICK HERE.

God bless you,
Ray

 

Christian House Sitters
is part of the registered charity
TLC Children’s Trust
UK Charity number 1156786
www.tlc-childrenstrust.org

WordPress are adding adverts to blogs. They are not always shown but if there are adverts on this page please note they were not placed by me, not approved by me and do not imply my recommendation

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