Before moving to Canberra, God gave us a picture of the road ahead. I saw a path that was littered with obstacles, crevices and red tape, and we were helping one another over and round the obstacles, carefully picking our path.
During our time in missions, we have received two such warnings and, reflecting on our experiences, I doubt we’ll ever minimise God’s caution again! The last two years have indeed been marked with practical barriers, communication breakdowns and relational issues.
Continue reading ‘Tis the new season →
Saying goodbye is rarely anyone’s favourite thing to do, but it does make you stop and be grateful for what you have and had. It marks a change in season and is important in “finishing well”.
Continue reading Toodeloo kangaroo →
Our flights are booked, and our time in missions is coming to an end… for now.
For those of you who are unaware, we feel God is leading us back to the UK for a season. Hence our trip to the UK in a couple of months’ time will be on a one-way flight. Time to squeeze everything into that suitcase again.
Continue reading Preparing to take flight →
As we expected, our time at the YWAM DNA Infusion Leaders’ Meeting in Townsville was one that has marked our year and elegantly divided it into a ‘before’ and ‘after’.
We thoroughly enjoyed being in the presence of so many cultures and languages, with their various expressions in worship and storytelling. There is so much richness in this diversity, so much to learn if you keep your heart open (and don’t do a Michal). For example, I had no idea that potted plants make very amusing and cheerful banner substitutes (wish I had a picture of that to show you!).
Continue reading Genetic diversity →
Like many missionaries, we found that our social, spiritual and work life in Fiji tended to intermingle as one. There was no divide between the sacred and secular, between work and play. Looking back now I can see how God used that to help me unlearn some very ingrained Western thinking: that my value is matched to my productivity. My mind still, at times, struggles to not let my sense of identity and worth be defined by the notion that “since I’ve been given much, I must accomplish much”. Our culture labels certain tasks as significant whilst undervaluing others, yet God calls us to be faithful in the small things first. Continue reading The bits in between →
It was time for the RescueNet introductory course. Equipped with work clothes, boots, goggles and helmets, we entered into the 2-week camp that was designed to introduce us to the world of practical disaster response. In advance we were warned: “You won’t be the first to vomit…or cry… or walk out…” so we were expecting to be challenged. Continue reading Organised chaos →
G’day. Yup, after our quasi-furlough we are back in Australia.
It was undeniably refreshing to experience a healthy dose of the familiar over the past months. In addition to the encouragement and joy from precious time with family and friends, we were completely embraced by Community Church Edinburgh as well as Ballywillan Presbytarian Church in Portrush. What a difference it makes to know the backing and enjoy the fellowship of a community of faith-filled people. And so, apart from the remote work undertaken to uphold our RescueNet responsibilities, we were able to somewhat disconnect and reassess the mission we have lived this past year in Canberra. Simply put, our time in the UK did us good. We return to our work now with a renewed sense of God’s purposes and a better understanding of what we are called to in the season ahead. Continue reading Didgeridoo deja vu →
It’s been a while since we’ve last written and we hope and pray that 2017 has begun well for you all! On our part, we’ve been continuing to work on the projects we’re involved in, trying to keep cool in 40+ temperatures and doing a bit of reflecting on our last few months here in Canberra. Continue reading Preparing for the worst →
Dear friends and family,
I’ve just returned from the WHO Emergency Medical Teams (WHO EMT) Global Meeting in Hong Kong. Thank you to all who supported me in prayer and giving – I can report that the trip was genuinely worthwhile. My brain feels chock-full of new information, concepts and a lengthy to-do list, but I’ll try and summarise here as best I can 🙂
Continue reading From Billabong to Hong Kong →
The days are flying past at breakneck speed here in Canberra! It’s hard to believe we’ve been here over a month already. Since many people have asked us what we actually do from day to day, we thought that over the next few posts we’ll describe what our roles look like and what the purpose of us being here is. Continue reading New Roles →
Our experiences volunteering in medical outreaches and disaster relief