A few final words - well for a little while!

I need to say that I will be probably unable to keep this online diary updated for a little while mainly because I won't have easy access to the internet.

Our outreach to Wellington has come to an end but the friendships we made have not.

Our next steps......
Auckland for one week until 18th June
Hawaii for three weeks returning to the UK on 14th July

Prayer: I would really appreciate prayer for Jill and me....in the next four weeks we will listen to God and hear what he wants us to do next.

Leaving Playgroup. When it hurts.

I REALLY do not like goodbyes!

Today Jill and I and Joanne went to Playgroup.

One if the single mums who we had got to know came after being away for the last week.
I was really pleased to see her. However, it was really hard to say goodbye to her.

But it was a very hard time as well to say goodbye. This is the hardest part of outreach.

I did not like saying goodbye to the orphans in the Philippines and it was the same here at Naenae.

Our Cross Roads DTS school leader warned us that on outreach we would find that we would get close to people and our hearts would hurt when we had to leave - there will always be a very special place in my heart for the people we met in Naenae.

Job Application, Play Group - "Filling Your Love Tank as a Parent"

I was turning my mind to returning to the UK and thinking perhaps it'd be a good
idea to look at jobs.

A few months ago I talked to Jill about doing a PGCE to become a teacher. Jill and I talked about it for a few weeks and thinking about it it didn't seem such a great idea. I still entertain thoughts about it and even about doing some sort of TEFL course...

Anyhow I found a great job in my area (Training and Development) working for an organisation (Tearfund) that I'd find really interesting. Unfortunately I only saw the job three days before the deadline! So I had to track down a copy of my CV which my brother was able to email across - thanks Mahesh!

Jill and I led the team worship at St. Columba's as Joanne was leading the Parenting sessions this week on "As a Parent, How to Fill Your Own Love Tank".
In the worship we as a team blessed Joanne and the Udvardis.

Last church service, girls birthday

Today we ahd the last church service we would be attending before returning on 11th June.

I really do not like goodbyes! Each of the families spoke for a few minutes about what we had learnt or wanted to share with the church.

Jill and I thought we would share after the rest of the team but Doug (the Pastor) asked us to
come and share first!

We talked about how God had provided for every need of the team in terms of cars, finances, accomodation. How we would miss people and particularly the parents we got to know at the Playgroup. I shared about how one of the single mums let me have the privilege of holding here baby boy. It was great just to pray for him and his mum and sister. I really believe that God hears these prayers and he will honour them.

Straight after the service we had a late lunch and held the girls birthday party.

Finally we had a cake evening at St. Columba's.

So it was a very full day!

Car sold and a Godincidence

In the morning the couple who were interested in the car on Thursday turned up!

We went off to the Post Shop and sorted out the change of ownership documents.
They were very interested in what I was doing here in NZ. So I talked to them about YWAM, the parenting classes we were running.
They were a psychology and business studies students - just about to graduate.

Jill and I went off to Te Papa where we met Andreas and Sara!

Warm and Cold Climate Cultures

Jill went to the Playgroup while I stayed at home with Sam.
The Parenting session again went really well.

We were expecting a family from our Family Ministries School to come to visit us at the Playgroup.

It was interesting how Jill and I viewed the situation. Jill very practically said that we did not have space to have them come for lunch at our house. I found this hard as I thought it very rude to just let them go without evening offering them any lunch.

This highlights one of the differences between Jill and me. I don't see the problem, my motto's are "we'll find a way through", "it will work out". I also like to include people.
Jill is a lot more pragmatic and sees the problem as it is.

Sometimes this is called the difference between warm and cold climate cultures - I'll leave you to guess which is which!

Sam still coughing, Car sold – well almost!

Tried calling my brother, as it was his 41st birthday.

Had a few phone calls for the car (the advert went into the paper today). A couple came to look at the car. It was 5:30 pm when they came and dark!

I told them all the faults with the car and they still wanted it!
The owneres of the house were here at the time and when I went into the kitchen and told the rest of the team that the car was sold they let out a yipeee! I had to quiten them because the buyers were next door in the lounge!!!

As the Post Shop wasn't open the buyers agreed to come back on Saturday.

After they left I thought I'd been a bit daft and should have just sorted out the paperwork later.

Playgroup, New Zealand – Flu epidemic!

Vlado and Renate had one mum come for the parenting session.

Jill stayed at home and I helped out at the Playgroup. There were about half the number of parents and children.

Jill told me yesterday that there were not many parents on Tuesday because apparently there is a flu virus epidemic sweeping the country. Many schools have closed or have been closed so the virus doesn’t spread.

Vlado and Renates First Parenting session

Today was Vlado and Renates first parenting session.

Over breakfast I felt I needed to pray for Vlado and Renate so did this

They were stressed by all this mainly because of their childrens illnesses over the last two weeks. Vlado went ahead to St. Columba's with Filip and came back at 10:45 for Renate and Petra, while I sayed home with their other two children Daniela and Jakub.

The session went really well.

Leaders need to be anointed

The team is really tired and most of us are ill.

Three of Vlado and Renate's four children are ill, Renate is not terriffic herself, Sam is coughing away.

Jill and I went to meet with Frank and Rosemary - it was a really good time.
When we left Matamata we were asked to be the "team coordinators" because we were the only native English speakers. At the time I remember thinking "thank goodness I wasn't asked to lead because of my leadership qualities" (this is meant to be ironic!)

Anyhow, I should have realised that this was setting us up for problems later. The main one being about the team and our expectations of our "leadership/co-ordination" of the team.

Frank and Roasemary wisely recognised that we had not received a "leadership anointing" so they prayed this over Jill and I.

I didn't feel any different but did think this is what we needed.