Exciting News

At last we have a decision from Mosgiel, and they have decided not to renew Chris' stated supply contract for a further 6 months. This means we will be finishing there August 7, and so marks the end of this particular period of ministry in our lives. It is, of course, disappointing and sad not to be able to continue there, and the big girls in particular will miss the friends they have made. However, session asked for a high level of support from the congregation, which they didn't get and so there really aren't more options left.

It is good to have the decision finally made, although August 7 is fast approaching and there are no obvious options for jobs on the horizon. This has financial implications for us, and longer term raises some big questions about where we might live long term. We don't have any idea about what we are going to do, so watch this space and we will keep you updated as we hear.

Last week was a big week for us, as we had Sylvia and Daniel Purdie staying with us for a week while Sylvia attended a block course at KCLM, and MJ had two days in Auckland with studentsoul meetings. She also had the chance to catch up with her uncle who has not been well recently. The children all seem to have managed the transition back into school routines, and we survived the first full on Saturday for this term. Soccer will only continue for this term, and the day will be much more manageable with only music and ballet to worry about next term.

More holiday antics

Chris spent most of this week unwell with the flu - a couple of days in bed, and he still isn't 100 %. However he is at least on the mend and was able to preach today. Zachary turns 9 today, and we celebrated with a party for 7 of his friends yesterday. Katarina and Janine helped with the cake and ran most of the party, which was just as well as Hannah and Zachary had soccer in the morning. Often Hannah goes with her coach but he was away, so I went to watch her play. The team was part of the Green Island team that won the tournament a few weeks ago, but I think they must have combined two teams because we won this time 8nil, having lost to them in the semi's.

This semester is going to be a bit of a juggling act as I try to fit in part time work with finishing off my studies. I have a trip to Auckland this week for some meetings.

Katarina went to the Jaffa Race on Monday and managed to win 4th prize! (A $100 dollar hamper of chocolate!) How cool is that?

July Holidays- week two

We've been away for another weekend, this time Mosgiel Youth group camp at Camp Iona, near Oamaru. Hannah and Zachary stayed with Mum and Dad again, and we enjoyed unseasonably warm weather! Camp Iona remains a delightful spot, and we also spent some time on the farm, shooting, and walking up to the monument - the latter in the dark!!! There were lots of wide games and the theme of the camp was "Worship".
Chris' job will finish at the end of this month. There is some talk of extending this, but nothing is settled yet. In the meantime, we carry on as best we can in with all the uncertainty. God is good!
Hannah and I got involved in the International Science Fair last week, which involved discovering some of the little art galleries dotted around Dunedin. Hannah and Zach are at the Opoho school holiday program this week, and I am hoping to get some more work done on my thesis.

Connect

Chris and I spent the weekend at Living Springs for the national youth ministry conference, Connect. It was very exciting, the national team is excellent and put on a great conference under very difficult circumstances. While our kids stayed in Oamaru with my parents, where there wasn't any snow, there was plenty up on Banks Peninsula where we were, so much snow that it packed out the gutters of the building and caused flooding inside! So, on top of workshops and worship, we also had to mop up leaks and shift rooms. Then the fire alarm went off because of the water in the system, and because it is a large complex, it takes a while to check all the rooms. The fire brigade turned up, in a 4 wheel drive with chains and spent the next couple of hours trying to improve matters. They weren't very happy, because the water increased the chances of a real fire, with the water shorting out the electrics. They would not be able to get a fire truck up the road which is steep and windy and at that point covered in snow. However, things managed to get sorted out, even in our wing was without lights or heating on Saturday night. And the conference managed to carry on regardless! Connect brings together youth leaders from all over the country, so it is a wonderful chance to get together with great people.
We have two weeks of school holidays and Katarina has got straight into some craft activities. We went to the library this afternoon and Hannah has read her books already! Zach has been to a friends house already, although I did managed to drag him to the Art Gallery for quarter of an hour, and Janine made pikelets for tea. And I gave blood today, for the first time in ten years or more.