Two Thousand and Ten has involved probably the most change for our family in many years. It started with bang as we left our relatively new church family in Aldgate to start a new church in Littlehampton. Having been meeting with a small group of people for the 12 months prior, it was a long anticipated thing and we were very excited, blessed and honoured to be involved in. This Church has become a major part of our lives this year, which we are thoroughly enjoying. We are learning again the joy and fulfilment found in serving others. The members of Trinity Mount Barker are our family and we love serving in this community. Andy took on the role of Music Director, which required us to buy a second set of wheels, given that getting church 2 hours before it started each week was not something that the rest of us really wanted to do... especially when you take in to account the 30 minute drive. We managed to find a ’93 Hyundai Sprint with low kms for sale on the side of the road that became ours. Despite its age and second car qualities”, Mr E was besotted from the beginning and insisted on referring to it as the “new car”.
Naturally, both the children progressed a year in age and with it has brought many more abilities and funny anecdotal stories. Mr E has “graduated” Kindergarten. He made some very special friendships, one in particular that we hope will continue, despite the fact that they will live in different towns and go to different schools. He starts at St Mark’s Lutheran School in Mount Barker in Term 1 of 2011... a concept that he is very excited about. He is still very interested in all things ‘machinery’ and will correct you if you refer to an Articulated Excavator as merely a “Digger”... for example. He is our delight as we are privileged to watch him grow into being somewhat of a thoughtful little boy who we would describe as malleable and even keeled. Miss N has developed largely in all of the milestones, this being the year for her moving from a toddler to more of a little girl. She began attending Occasional Care on a fortnightly basis in the middle of the year and loved being able to go to Kindy with her big brother. She has exceptional communication skills – both in verbal, and shall we say, ‘non’-verbal. She is far from being a stereotypical “quiet and retiring” young lady, however in recent days has discovered for herself the delight of all things pink and ‘skirt-looking’. She is our joy as we are mostly entertained by her cheeky antics and dynamic personality ... the rest of the time we are fearful as we consider her in a decade’s time... The kids enjoyed again both the Playschool Concert and the Colin Buchanan Concert.
Somewhere in the middle of the year, two pretty significant things happened. Firstly, a series of events and potential occurrences led us to put our resignation in at Wirraway. It was not an easy decision to come to but has proved to be the right one. We went to work at Wirraway in October 2005 as a married couple. We leave 5 years later, having doubled the number in our family and immeasurably multiplied our experiences of seeing God work through that amazing place. Over our time there we have been personally stretched, blessed, exhausted, excited, encouraged and loved. Mr E and Miss N have grown up there and we are particularly thankful for the example, the babysitting, the friendship and the fun that the staff and volunteers have had with them both.
The other significant thing that happened was that Taimi went back to work as a teacher for the first time since having children. Hills Christian Community School offered a 0.2 position for Term 3 which was extended until the end of the year. It was a lovely transition back into the classroom and has hopefully paved the way for some more work in the future.
So the last couple of months of Two Thousand and Ten has been planning and preparing for Two Thousand and Eleven! We are now renting a house in Littlehampton and have bought another new car, which naturally caused some confusion for Eli... if this was the ‘new’ car, what was the other ‘new’ car now? Andy has been appointed as a “Minister in Training” at Trinity Mount Barker Church with a focus on youth ministry and will be continuing his studies at Bible College of South Australia. Taimi will hopefully pick up some relief work or maybe even another small contract in the local area. Mr E will start school and Miss N will enjoy being the only child at home. Sadly, we had to find a new home for our dog. Rental houses with small backyards aren’t a welcome place for pooches. We trust she is happy with her new family.
We hope this letter finds you healthy and happy and that you have a very blessed Christmas. May you enjoy the hope that this season brings. No doubt next year we will be sharing some interesting reflections about our new adventures that we are about to embark upon.
Let us praise the Lord, the God of Israel! He has come to the help of his people and has set them free. He has provided for us a mighty Saviour, a descendant of his servant David. Luke 1:68-69
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