T2- Week one

STOP PRESS : I forgot to mention that I also enjoyed a fantastic night with the book club girls during my holidays. What could be better that sitting around with 4 other godly women discussing and encouraging each other over God's word with cuppas and crochet (for me at least) in hand? Praise God that this time is set aside to honour him and grow us. Thanks ladies! AND our family enjoyed a lovely afternoon/evening in the hospitality of the Saul's with 2 other families on the last Saturday of the holidays. The kids had such a gorgeous time and the adults actually had grown up conversations without too many interruptions. Another great time with great people! Spoiled.

Garth found it very difficult to get back to the grind stone - in fact half of his week has been a dismal failure when it came to house work - just couldn't get back into the groove. Well, at least that is what he thinks. It has been quieter and therefore more enjoyable but he is missing me greatly...Likewise, baby! Swae has been diligently getting up at 5:30am (thank you day light saving) and Garth now has to get up at 4am if he wants to go for a walk - you can imagine how successful he has been. We are both finding the effect of getting out of bed for exercise very challenging at the moment...ho hum... A pray point would be: deciding what playgroup Garth should start attending with the girls. Thanks

Ezri started this week with a fresh hair cut - taking off a couple of inches has meant far less time is being spent grizzling when I brush it each day! The boy's hair was also attacked by scissors (by me) and returned to school looking less like beach-bums - but still messy boys! Although they were less than enthusiastic about the routine of school again, both have settled into the new term a-okay.

Capernwray this week has been ever so challenging with the topic in lectures being 'Servanthood of the Believer' delivered by Satish John. This is a man I have heard and read about for probably 15 years through other Christian friends who work with him in India, so it was a great pleasure to actually meet him. Tuesday morning I presented a devotion to the students and staff and I also delivered a very brief testimony on Thursday morning. A lot of the students have been tired this week and have found it hard to get back into the swing of it, most of all me. This time around I think I have less adrenalin and I am aware what I am missing out on with family time. But alas, it will be great and as I have started preparing the Bible study I have to write and present next week, I have fallen in love with studying God's word in such depth all over again! Ministry work recommenced which for me is scripture teaching in Moss Vale High. Although I have taught Years 10 and 11 for 5 years voluntarily, I haven't been in a class with years 7 and 8 before - but I am also loving that age group too. What a fantastic opportunity we have to teach public school kids the gospel!! Praise God.

Last night was casual girls night at Capers and I enjoyed having some down-time with them, I even taught 5 of them to crochet! I will make grannies out of them yet!

I would appreciate prayer for this week coming - Ray Andrews will be teaching EVERY lecture and I have this 'feeling' that it will be a gruelling time for me but probably the best week ever. Ah, the anticipation of change.

Week nine and holidays

It is hard to remember the last week of term one - it seems so long ago! I know it was only 4 days long and that I received some great marks back for my work but other than that.....?

Our speaker for the week was a Jewish Scholar Arnold Fruechtenbaum and he actually lead us through a passover meal (the short version cause it only took 1 1/2 hours). Our family went and Garth had to take the girls home after the main meal because they lost the plot. On the other hand I was SO proud of my boys for trying all the different food rituals and participating. It was an interest night that gave you a glimpse of the connections between what the Jews had been doing for so many years and how it all related to Jesus and how he made sense out of it all. Simply amazing stuff! Arnold then went through the 8 covenants (well, time only allowed us to cover 5 in lectures) and that was heavy but so interesting! Even hearing how he became a Christian... God is great! Jesus is weaved throughout the whole Bible, from beginning to end, even though these books where written over thousands of years.... wow!

Easter weekend took us down the coast for a day having Pixi-photos of the girls and then the beach. It was a lovely day that inspired Garth and the boys to return in the last week of holidays with the caravan in tow for an overnight stay at Corrimal Beach. Their only agenda "BEACH"! They had great guy-time and I enjoyed a very peaceful, quiet house with my girls. Everyone was happy.

The middle weekend found me hosting a 'How to host a murder' evening and I loved having some of my friends around for food and fun. I didn't realise just how much I missed everyone during term! This particular episode was set in China and everyone was suitably dressed up - a great night of laughs!

The closing weekend of the holidays saw the completion of our house being fully carpeted! Brent King willing came with 2 more lots of carpet for the boys rooms and also finished our stair case - The house looks like a million bucks and it cost us nothing! What an awesome gift to receive from such a cheerful giver! What a blessing from our Christian friends!

(Garth here. Cass would never tell you, but she has been doing REALLY well at Capers. ALL of her work has received 'A's with some 'A+'s as well. She did receive a 'B' for a group effort, but that was a GROUP effort, and we all know how those can go sometimes... Praise to God, and kudos to Cass!)