Welcoming in 2009

"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," [Bilbo] used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.” J.R.R. Tolkien

We have not had a dangerous time of it, but our feet have taken us to some great people and places over the past few weeks.

We spent Christmas in Armidale, visiting and being visited by friends, which was a gift in itself. The children enjoyed the novelty of a hail storm just after Christmas, and all the puddles to splash in. We especially enjoyed being at church on Christmas Day. The house we are staying in was very wonderfully and thoughtfully prepared for us.

On New Year’s Day we drove up to Mt Tamborine, in Queensland (and near Brisbane), for the annual CMS Summer School. During this week we got to hear some fantastic Bible teaching, updates and challenges from missionaries home on home assignment and, via video and powerpoints, from those still serving in their locations (CMS missios generally come back about every 3 years for about 6 months).

We have caught up with many friends and made lots of new ones. It has been a great privilege to speak to people interested about what God is doing in Namibia.
We got to do a number of presentations about the work in Namibia, including speaking to each of children’s and teen’s groups.

As you can see on the children’ blog, they made friends, too, and enjoyed the children’s programme. David joined the traditional volleyball match on the penultimate day and his team won! I was taken out for coffee with friends who were fellow clergy wives when David was a minister in the Armidale diocese. They are wonderful ladies and I loved spending time with them.

Summer School usually invites a musician to perform on one evening. A bonus was to hear one of my favourite singers, Nicky Chiswell, perform.

Before we went to Summer School, we took the children 10 pin bowling. That was fun, especially when we scored a few strikes and spares. Caris went horse riding twice. She insisted in learning to trot the first time out! A friend has also kindly given her a couple of informal lessons.

Someone has mentioned that it is not so easy to spot our children now that we are back in Australia! But you will find it easy to spot the green! Caris says she misses the sand back in Ongwediva a bit, as you could play IN it rather that just ON it, as you do with grass. She also remarked on the fact that people’s fences and walls were only half built and you could see into the gardens – and that some people only had flowers for a ‘wall’. (She has been so used to high walls and fences.)

‘Down on a farm’ resulted in playing with friends they have known since they were young; swimming and canoeing in the creek, going blackberrying on a quad, having a ride on a pony, and seeing some ‘roos and a long-necked turtle! The children met up with interesting creatures, as well. Australia has some very colourful birds. (See www.matthiasmail.blogspot.com for pix)

1st February saw our deputation start off with David preaching 4x at St Peter’s Cathedral in Armidale. (He was the assistant minister there for 4 years so there are a number of familiar faces.) The children and I did a children’s talk in church, then Étienne spoke about Namibia at Sunday school and answered a few questions.

School has been a real hit. Other than the fact that Caris comes home very tired each day, they love it. Being small classes, they have quickly got to know their classmates and both have excellent teachers. They are undergoing 9 swimming lessons to improve their style – late afternoon swimming lessons in Armidale can be rather chilly. Caris does German in her class and Étienne is doing French. They will also have piano lessons this term and Caris starts her weekly horse riding lessons this week. Last Friday I took her to gymnastics, which she LOVED and I think Étienne will join her next time we can get there. However, on the next two Fridays we have other commitments so we won’t get there. The second Friday is when we drive down to the coast to join one of our link churches on their church family camp.

Sorry if this posting is rather bitty. I have been adding to it, sporadically, over the past month. I shall close now and upload it! BTW, the new heading photo on this blog is of a road in Armidale, just next to our street. A bit different from a road in Owamboland, hey!