Saying goodbye from afar

Today as I was moving data from one computer to another, I deleted an address from my computer address list and started to cry. No big deal you say, well it was the address for folks that I have known my whole life. Within a month my aunt and uncle have both died. Uncle Bill was 97, Aunt Betty was 86 and they were married 66 years. A good long life; ones well spent.

Since their youngest daughter was my age, and was in my class through high school, I spent hours/ days at their home and felt welcomed. Uncle Bill was a tease and Aunt Betty made mashed potatoes just for me. Sunday lunches, cookie baking before Christmas, holidays, and other times when I was young were spent with them at my grandmother's home (Aunt Betty's mother). Both of them made me feel like I was a favorite. I could tell many good stories about them.

The hardest part about living on the other side of the world is that I have to grieve alone. I am too far away to grieve with others who knew them well. I can't be there to hear and tell well worn or little known stories about them. I can't laugh and cry with extended family. I can send sympathy cards to my cousins, their daughters, but I can't give and receive the needed hugs.

Other family members have died while I have lived 'away' and it doesn't seem to settle into my mind until I return to PA and they are missing at family events.

Part of grieving is often regrets. Mine is that I spent weeks in the US in 2009 and didn't take time to go see them. When Mark and I would visit them, we were always fed well, enjoyed our conversations and delighted in Uncle Bill's paintings, Aunt Betty's quilts or whatever their present involvements. They always showed interest in our pursuits and adventures.

One of Uncle Bill's wooden ornaments hangs from the mirror in our car so that I can tell it from all the other white cars in a parking lot; I view it often. Like that ornament, I can take things and people for granted; see them but not really take time to notice and appreciate.

I will try to not to have regrets. I will try to not be so busy but take time for people who are important to me. I will try to notice and appreciate. God help me to be present and aware.

* Thanks to their grand-daughter's Facebook for the photo of Aunt Betty and Uncle Bill when they were first married.

A way forward

As many of you know, technically we have been unemployed since November. Granted AAANZ (Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand) has continued to pay our rent and our supervisor at MMN (Mennonite Mission Network) has found extra money for us. But this was not sustainable.

I know that many of you have been praying for us and we thank you immensely.

Recently, one of our local Baptist Churches asked Moriah (our daughter who works as a pastor at a Baptist Church in Canberra) if she would be interested in a pastoral position. She was not but later asked us if she could give our name to the church. They contacted us, we met with the deacons, and we organised the service for them one Sunday.

While we were in New Zealand, the church unanimously decided to invite us to be their pastor. They have been without a pastor for 18 months, are a smallish group, and only wanted someone for two day a week to prepare the service each Sunday and do some pastoral care.

After talking to some friends, we decided to accept their offer.

One deacon spoke about it being a win-win for all of us. They welcome us using their building for workshops; so now we have a venue while the new building is constructed at the front of the 1643 property. We are already arranging a meeting at the church with Ron Sider when he is here in July.

Mark gets to study to teach each Sunday. We have a place to invite others to visit when they ask, "Where do you go to church?" Since it is just a suburb away and both of us are on the bus line, we can travel by bus. It will ground us in this area.

We are hopeful that the extra income on this end will relieve the pressure to reach the 80% support mark on our budget so that MMN will take us on as missionaries.

As of 21 March 2010, Mark will be employed part-time by Avalon Baptist Peace Memorial Church. [He told me that I would have to do the teaching if he wants to swim in another rough-water ocean swim.] Hummm...

Home Blessing/House Warming

From the time we came back to Australia at the end of 2007 and moved to the house in Mona Vale, AAANZ and our friends, the Longleys have wanted to have a Blessing for this place, our work and the developing community at 1643 Pittwater Rd.

[Left-Mark taking balloons out to the mailbox to mark our house]

After much window washing, cleaning (Mark is a cleaning wonder), cooking, and planning, Saturday 13 March at 3:00 p.m. it happened.

Around 2:30, folks started to arrive for the 'ceremony' at 3. Approximately, thirty people arrived; AAANZ (Anabaptist Association of Australia and New Zealand) members, friends and family of the Longleys, neighbours, members of the Wellspring community, families who are part of the table fellowship and members of Avalon Baptist Church (ABC and that is another story - soon to come).

Left: Mary and our neighbour from down-stairs welcomed folks to tour the house. Our neighbour received Cilentro as a gift for her cooking.]

Both of our new large screen monitors scrolled through photos taken of the changes throughout the last two years - as the termites were expelled and their damage rebuilt, as the garage and the rest of the ground floor were changed into two flats, as the back room was removed and rebuilt by MMM (Mobile Mission Maintenance),

as trees and weeds were removed, and as gardens were weeded, mulched and replanted.

[Left: Our friends, Sally and Jim arriving with food.

Right: Everyone respectfully listens as our neighbour down-stairs speaks. The tall man next to her is a local Anglican Pastor, and next to him is the local member of state parliament. Next to him is one of our neighbours.]

MC, Jim Longley welcomed our guests and introduced the president of AAANZ, Doug Sewell who welcomed everyone again and explained AAANZ and then introduced Mark and Mary. We talked about our vision for our work and 1643. [Left: The yellow sheets were the blessing printed.]

The group moved from area to area around the house blessing the folks who live here, those who will visit and those in our neighbourhood.

[Right: Mary starts the blessing by lighting a candle acknowledging God as the light of the world.]

So many friends and neighbours brought food that we had a beautiful spread for afternoon tea.

[Right: Being a house of peace, Mark received a peace plant.]

The second Saturday of each month our table fellowship meets so we ended the day with that gathering. We were going to order out for pizza but so much good food was left from the home blessing that we just grazed on that. We even had more food to send home with our visitors and Mary put some in the freezer for later use.

During Table Fellowship, we explained some history and beliefs of Anabaptism, followed by discussion, prayer for each other and many conversations.

[The photo on the right was taken on our deck when we were blessing the neighbourhood.]

We felt appreciated, blessed and supported. [The man on the left is the builder who has redone much of our house. Yeah! Our friend, Sally is in the purple. Note the computer screen next to her shoulder showing photos of the house in various stages.]

I love my job

PASSIONFEST 2010

Some days I just love what I do and get so excited about connecting to young adults who are passionate about their relationship with God and what they can do in the world. One such occasion was during our recent visit to Aotearoa New Zealand for Passionfest.

We were first in Wellington staying with hospitable and gracious Urban Vision (UV) folks who gave up their bed for us while they slept on mats on the floor. UV is an intentional Christian community doing amazing things whlie living and working with ‘the least of these’. Check out their website http://www.urbanvision.org.nz/.

For Passionfest, on the weekend we went to another site for UV at Ngatiawa Camp, Reikorangi Valley (Waikanae), 1hr from Wellington. It is a retreat centre in beautiful bush land. In Maori language, we had a 'Hui' or a meeting, conference or gathering.

For the 'Powhiri' ceremony, the children and women walked in front of the men, as we were sung onto the property with the 'karanga', and called to enter with a Maori welcome, 'Haere Mai! Haere Mai! Haere Mai!' or Welcome! Enter!

After a speech (Whaikorero) and song (Waiata) from the hosts and similar reply from the visitors, we were individually greeted.

As I passed through the welcome line, I was told that in a true Maori welcome both people lean in touching noses and foreheads and breathe each others' breath before pulling away. So I continued through the line that way, not extending a handshake, nor giving a kiss of peace but a Maori 'hongi, where the 'ha' or breath of life is exchanged and intermingled.

One evening we celebrated with a 'Hangi' or a delicious meal 'roasted' over hot rocks in a pit. The food used to be buried in leaves but now mesh bags in wire trays are used.

Unlike the rainy weather last year, the weather was gorgeous with blue skies days and clear starry nights. Many folks brought tents but our hosts prepared a room for Mark and me with a double bed and an extra doona (comforter) "for those Australians who can't cope with the NZ cold."

A huge 'marquee' tent was erected for the main gatherings. Since we arrived early, we helped set up a 15 ft. tall teepee, which drew on Mary's Girl Guide training since the directions 'went walk about'.

One workshop we offered was on Trauma and Forgiveness with the marquee as the venue.“Did Jesus Really Mean That?: Understanding

the gospels in their context” was the name of our other workshop. Even after we returned we received requests for resources on hearing the gospels with the ears of 1st century people.

Three times a day we were invited by a bell to the new chapel for prayer, songs, worship. It formed a calming rhythm to start and end each day with

a community in prayer.

Conversations between sessions were the best times.

Another reason for attending Passionfest was to meet with next year's organising committee. AAANZ's biannual conference will be held in conjunction with Passionfest but the few days before.

After Passionfest we returned to Wellington for a few days meeting with different UV teams. One night we talked about trauma healing for some of these folks will start fostering hard to place children. Many already work with refugees who have seen and experienced terrible things before coming to NZ.

Another organisation, Praxis, asked us to speak to their first year's students on entering a new neighbourhood looking for the positive and where God is already at work rather than searching out and starting to work on the problems. Praxis offers youth work diplomas using an experience/action then reflection method. check out Praxis at: http://www.praxis.org.nz/