Hungry?

We've successfully survived another 40 Hour Famine weekend. Saturday was wet, so no soccer and Zach decided to do his famine right away. He managed well, only 20 hours but a new experience for him. Hannah was very put out that she is too young to do a famine. She has lost another tooth and is looking very, very, very gappy at the moment. Janine took off her glasses for 40 hours and managed to survive by doing a lot of reading. She can't even watch TV without her glasses! Chris and the two girls went to the Youth Group sleepover in Mosgiel on Saturday.
We are setting things up this week to be away next week in Auckland for a youth ministry conference. Mum is coming down to hold the fort!
It is getting colder but no frosts yet for us, although down on the valley floor is a different story. We've had a grey sort of a week weather wise and this week looks to be more of the same.

More in May

Katarina arrived safely home from Deep Cove on Saturday with loads of stories and memories. Along with Janine and Zachary, Katarina is doing the 40 hour famine this coming weekend.

Hannah played her first soccer tournament on Sunday morning, and her team made it into the semi-finals. Zach had a disappointing run, the first team defaulted and they lost the next next so they didn't even get their guaranteed 3 matches. It was a lovely day to be out; a pity it was Sunday morning. Hannah had a farewell afternoon tea for her ballet teacher and then we all went back to Mosgiel for a Passover celebration. Chris organised the whole thing, including the local rabbi and we had an amazing time, listening to lots of background and connections between the gospels and the Jewish faith. Yesterday was exactly a month after Passover, and there is biblical permission to celebrate it then for those who couldn't do it the first time around, being ritually unclean.

Hopefully we have a couple of quieter weeks coming up, although Chris and I both have seminars to take for the 'Going Somewhere' course, a youth leadership training event on Tuesday.

Mayhem

Katarina was in Stage Challenge which meant practises all day Sunday and an early start down at the Town Hall on Monday morning. I went to the performance that night (KJ was there all day and didn't come home) and it was fantastic. 9 schools performed, a very diverse collection of themes and costumes, good effort by all. Columba came 4th with a performance of 4 of the 7 deadly sins. Katarina had Tuesday at school and then another early start to have her at school by 6:15 for her school camp. They are off to Deep Cove (somewhere in the Deep South) and will be back on Saturday. The trip is a long one, bus and then boat across Lake Manapouri.
I spent Tuesday travelling for a meeting in Auckland, this is part of my new role as studentsoul (national) facilitator. We are looking at planting new student congregations on campuses around the country and I will be helping that to happen. Very exciting.
Janine is continuing to quietly keep on top of things at school and is a big help at home, especially on Saturday, our chore day, as she is the only one not playing sport then. She is really into baking which is becoming increasingly unaffordable with the rise in the cost of butter for example. She has settled well into Columba.
Zach continues to organise his afternoons. He rang me on Tuesday, when I was in a taxi on the way to the airport, to ask if two friends could come over, having forgotten that I was away until that night! Yay for cell phones I guess.
And Hannah is just a honey. She is currently wearing a pink 'onesie' to bed, which is very cute. Chris just showed me one of her drawings, which is some ways is a typical six year old drawing and in others ways is absolutely stunning. Hannah was very earnest about Mother's Day, to the point of making me breakfast in bed along with handmade chocolates (thanks Opoho School) and several cards, which say things like "I love you mummy, so, so, so, so much".
Chris is in the midst of things, organising a Passover Meal for 70 this weekend at Church, which is going to be quite an experience. He preached at Martin Macauley's induction last Thursday, which went well.

May and all that

The children are back to school this week, mostly happy. We had a relaxed sort of holiday at home, some movies, some friends over, a sleep over at Anton's for Zach, that sort of thing. Katarina is back into Stage Challenge practises with the performance next Monday in the Town Hall.
Temperatures have plummeted, no actual frosty frosts yet but snow on the hills over the weekend which meant cancelled soccer games for Hannah and Zachary. At least the house is warmer with the insulation we put in and the heat pump is great!
I have finished recording and transcribing worship services and will make a start on the analysis this week; this is the second phase of my thesis, so the end is in sight! (yay!)