Guest blog

We are still here and a few people have been asking for a blog, so I will try and resurrect it! Starting with a few photos from Easter when Wendy and Farhad came to visit, (My sister and brother in law) and followed by a guest blog written by Wendy. We had a lot of fun seeing the sight of Cairns and just being together.

Going to Australia was never something I wanted to particularly do. That was however before my older sister Libby and family decided to move there from Kenya. The only new problem was that Australia was ‘down under’ and very far away, whereas in comparison Kenya was only ‘down the road’! It took me 4 years for me to actually get there due to family circumstances and I was there just 2 weeks. 

I had a great time with my husband enjoying the outdoor life that good weather brings with walking, cycling, playing table tennis and swimming. Cairns itself is a very tropical place with beautiful hills and quiet, sandy beaches lined with palm trees. It has a more overtly Christian society than the UK. 3 Christian films were showing at a cinema as one example. Our trip coincided with the Commonwealth games so fireworks were displayed from near the lagoon, the central point of Cairns to swim and bbq. It was also wonderful to see Joshua so well. In fact it is only the monthly checkups that serve as a reminder that he was seriously ill just a few months ago. Amazing. 

The trip also served to emphasize for me the sacrifice that those who ‘go’ experience as well as those that ‘stay’. Those that ‘go’ somewhere like Australia can look as though they’d have ‘no worries’ as the Australians often say.  But other than crocs, typhoons and jelly fish there are other sacrifices that are made in order to live there! There is guilt of not being on hand to help family, only seeing friends and family in the UK every 2 years at best, unless they visit Australia. There have been many birthdays, Christmases, family days out missed now over nearly 13 years. Those that stay also feel that gap, that family are missing. But this is taking up our cross to follow Jesus. Libby and Daniel and family have given up house, parents, brothers, sisters for the sake of the kingdom of God and I love them for that. It is worth every sacrifice....when we look to Jesus and eternity. 

““Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭18:29-30‬ ‭NLT‬‬