10 years

Today marks 10 years since we landed in Tanzania. It seems like a lifetime ago - and I guess for our kids it is! It has been a roller-coaster ride at times, but I can honestly say that at no point have I felt that God has not been there for us.

At this time, when I am struggling with various issues, I find that I am drawing nearer to God (and/or he is drawing nearer to me) and I am moving into a much more intimate relationship with Him. He is 'God Almighty', but He is also 'Abba Father'. I think this is a truth that I am only really truly starting to grasp...probably not before time. I find myself wondering more and more whether this is one of the main reasons God brought us here to Cairns - although it may seem a bit counter-intuitive - to recognise my complete inability to 'do life' on my own, and my complete dependence on Him.

It may seem strange that we have found life in 'paradise' that much harder than life in the wilds (and not-so-wilds) of East Africa, but it has really made me realise what is actually important in life - people, and time. Starting life from scratch - especially at the stage of life we are at, and the pace of 'modern life' - is actually really hard, especially for a couple of introverts.

However, my struggles have forced me to face my need for relationship, not only with God, but also with other people. This was such a 'given' when we were in Africa (i.e. the built in community of 'MAF family') that we didn't really realise its importance or appreciate what we had. I am glad to say though that through the 'hard times' I am now forging new friendships, particularly with fellow-MAFers who have made the same transition as us. I am really thankful that these relationships are there, and that I feel much less 'on my own' than I have been feeling. However, the pace of life and the lack of 'spare' time make it very hard to find the time and energy to build these relationships - I think that would be my main prayer point at this time. That somehow we would manage to arrange our lives so that amidst the pressure of all the 'musts' and 'shoulds' we can have time for ourselves individually, each other, our children and for building relationships outside the family.

Anyway, don't mean to sound too doom and gloomy :) God is good, and it feels like life is slowly moving in an upward trajectory. Thank you for all yours prayers and support over the last 10 years. We don't know what God has planned for the next 10, but we are comforted to know that He has a plan, and He is in control.

ANZAC day

ANZAC day is the Australian day of remembrance and is always a bank holiday. We spent it down by the creek, fishing and playing.

Swimming again!

After church today we went with friends for a swim and a picnic. We were the only ones there. Obviously it's too cold for the locals now! The boys spent all afternoon building a dam across the creek. Clearly water never gets boring for our family.

Cross country

It's that time of year again, autumn, so it's time for cross country. We are beginning to feel the chill and it's slightly cooler so a better time for running. Still it was 30 degrees C today! Caleb still wants me to watch him run, although the others are not bothered. He had to run 4km starting in school then running out into the countryside and along the creek. The boys ran fast and hard as was shown by the very red faces at the end!!! Go Golden Dingoes!!

Catch up

It's a while since the last post. Easter holidays have come and gone and we are getting back into the routine of school. Over Easter we went to the Keswick convention in Atherton about and hour and a half from here, although we stayed in Mareeba in a friend's house who was away. The 'Tree house' as Ruben named it was fun to stay in and all the boys enjoyed playing in the big Tree house in the garden. No idea if Keswick here is anything like it is in England but we had a good time and the kids enjoyed the youth program. 
The rest of the holidays were spent, at least for the kids, meeting up with friends and having sleepovers, which meant I spent the time being a taxi service!

After the first week of school we decided we needed what we have now dubbed a 'micro break', so on Sunday we spent the day at the beach with friends. Even though it is only a day, the beach always feels like a holiday and we all enjoyed jumping the waves. Clearly enough time has past since our last visit for us to forget about the crocodiles and the jellyfish. Ruben was a little concerned about crocodiles but I reassured him. Really what else can I say!! Bethany was at a pool party in a 5 star luxury resort, (she has the right friends) which is why there are no photos of her. 

The white bit is the edge of the net. As it is still 'stinger season' you are only allowed to swim in the net.