Year's End Relief

I couldn’t resist the above photo, springtime fun at Laidlaw College!  Henry and Eva are both thriving. Eva is into everything, walking, talking, pulling drawers apart and chewing anything that looks edible. (It was blue-tack last week.) Henry sometimes gets frustrated with his sister who not only has taken some of the lime out of his light, but also insists on following her brother everywhere and doing everything that he is doing. Suffice to say that as parents we are beginning to value separate space and individual activities for both children! They are both still attending Olive Shoots childcare, Henry three days a week and Eva just one morning at this stage.

Helen and I can breathe a huge sigh of relief with Simon’s degree now done and dusted. It has been a bit of a slog this semester with the continued juggle of family, work, church and study. But we have made it! And thankfully as final grades are rolling in, they seem to be having a nice vowel-like tone. For now the study is over, or to put it rather more bluntly and in Helen’s words; “you’re not allowed to do any more study until our kids leave home.”

 So what does 2012 hold? First and foremost the search is on for employment and there are some positive signs. Simon has been employed part time as a grounds keeper at Laidlaw this year and it looks as if the role is going to morph into a full-time position. He has an interview later this week. Simon also has a couple of other options open to him, but for now the Laidlaw position is preferred.  Helen has also been looking at teaching positions, mostly part-time and if nothing comes of these will seek employment as a reliever in 2012.   

  

Many people have been asking us, ‘So when are you off to Taiwan?’ The short answer is; ‘We’ll get there when we have enough support.’ As per our last update we are still booked into the Initial Orientation Course with OMF in Singapore in July, but this is dependent on funding. So as well as working to put bread on the table and continuing on with our church involvement at St. Michael’s in Henderson next year, we will be focussing on raising this support. That essentially means a lot of networking, relationship development and travelling around speaking to different groups and churches. If your church would welcome a mission speaker then Simon would be happy to oblige. And if you, your family or your church would like to consider supporting us, just let us know and we can send you the appropriate forms to fill in.

Hoping this letter finds you and you loved ones well for Christmas and wishing you all of God’s blessing as we approach the season of Peace. – Peace I leave you; my peace I give you.   John 14:27.