Waiting

I found this prayer in a book I was reading. It seems to sum up really well how frustrating "waiting" can sometimes be, but just how important it can be for our personal growth and faith!

We recently gave a presentation to a church whose focus was on preparing ourselves as individuals and as a Church for mission work. It could mean; a "calling" abroad, to another part of the country or as individuals within your local community.

This simple pray could be used as prayer of dedication, towards hearing God's direction for your life. We found it really good. Hope you enjoy it!

Love Rachel & Charley

Waiting

Lord, I seem to spend my whole life waiting...

Waiting for the bus or train

Waiting in the queue at the supermarket

Waiting for the traffic lights to change

Waiting for the exam results to come

Waiting for the computer to start

Waiting to see the children's teacher

Waiting to see the doctor

Waiting for the results of hospital tests.

Help me to use my time wisely, to pray for those around me- the supermarket staff, the other passengers on the bus or train,

the local council who try to manage the traffic as best they can;

for teachers, doctors, nurses, all hospital staff... and others in the community who keep things moving.

I want to wait on you, Lord, too, for direction.

Guide my life - in its major directions as well as in the nitty-gritty details.

I put myself at your disposal again, Lord.

I do want to serve you and others with my life, Lord, I pray.

Amen.

Great news...

A lot has happened since our last blog. We have had a weeks holiday at home celebrating Easter, Alexandra's birthday and spending time with Charley's parents who visited us from The Lake District.



I have had a milestone birthday-the big '40' and spent it outdoors at Longleat, in the pouring rain! It was a great day out and everyone had fun, despite the weather.



It was also great preparation for getting used to some of the creepy crawlies we may come across in Arnhem Land.



Alexandra surprised me by wishing to hold, and handle, every kind of creepy crawly she could find. I just hope that we don't see too many snakes and spiders in Australia!

The great news is that we are almost fully supported.

We now have almost 200 on our prayer support list, and if all the financial help that has been promised is given, we will have reached the minimum that we need before we can go.

Praise the Lord!

We are trying to raise a further 10% before we depart as our support level decreases in December, but this isn't going to stop us.

We are off...

We hope to be leaving this country sometime in late June to begin our training in Melbourne. After that, we are to continue our training in Cairns for a week before finally arriving in Gove in August. Our anxiety over school places and start dates have been resolved. All of the children now have places guaranteed for their start dates in August. This is a real answer to pray.
A BIG thank you to ALL of you who we know have been praying for an answer to our children's schooling issues.

It is so humbling to know that you are all praying for us.

More updates soon.

All our Love


Rachel, Charley, William, Alexandra, Georgie & Freddie.

Stop worrying about it!

This was our bible reading for yesterday.(UCB notes)
I found it very encouraging so I thought that it would be nice to share it with you all.
Stop Worrying About It!
Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you... Psalm 55:22
When worry comes knocking on your door, stop it on the doorstep or it will move in and take up residence. 'Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you' (1 Peter 5:7 NIV). God cares about the things that worry you and prey upon your thoughts. He cares about them more than you do. Not one nagging, aching, worrisome, gut-wrenching, blood-pressure-raising thought escapes His notice. Because 'you are his personal concern', He watches over you day and night. What qualifies as a worry? Anything that robs you of joy, anything you can't change, anything you're not responsible for, anything you're unable to control, anything that torments you, anything that keeps you awake when you should be asleep. All of that 'stuff' needs to be transferred from your worry list to your prayer list. The Bible says, 'Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace...' (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). Give each worry, one by one, to God. The more you practise doing this, the more exciting your walk with Him will become. You'll be amazed at how easily He handles things that overwhelm you. Remind yourself that He's able to handle it, willing to handle it, and waiting for you to give it to Him. 'Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.' Those who live worry free are those who keep casting their burdens on the Lord until it becomes as natural to them as breathing!

They notice!

A friend of mine sent this poem to me today as a word of encouragement. I thought that it was so good I would share it with you.



WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN'T LOOKING

A message every adult should read because children
are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other..
When you thought I wasn't looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking I learned most of
life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,'Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn't looking..'


LITTLE EYES SEE A LOT .

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend)
influences the life of a child.

How will you touch the life of someone today?
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.

What a week!

Our Visa's are here.

Praise the Lord!

After a few challenges it is such a relief to have them.

Before they came it had been a funny old few weeks...
A mix of highs and lows!

They have included visiting old friends and catching up with their news. Making new friends while sharing with them the calling that we have to work with M.A.F. All rounded off by fitting in a trip up to Cumbria to visit Charley's parents.

At the end of half term there was the inevitable mad rush to pack and get ready to go away while still trying to fit in swimming clubs , music lessons and of course we needed to wash the dog "Molly " before an eight hour car journey on the M5 /6 with her. At least she smelt nice!



Fortunately it was not too bad travelling up, but the return journey was not so good. Rain, sleet and snow for most of the way. I'm so glad I wasn't driving!
It was lovely to meet some new people while away from a church in Broughton-In-Furness who were very interested to hear about the work we will be involved with in Arnhem Land. It was also a week filled with long, cold wet walks (See photographs) but was contrasted with good food and drink, fun and laughter, which more than made up for the total drenching we all received on one of our walks.

Visa challenges and a broken laptop screen are all things sent to try us! We must be on the right path. Praise the Lord...

Now we have our Visa's all these hiccups seem insignificant.

We have a few more talks to give at various churches and home groups and are spending most of our time catching up with supporters and updating newsletters and face book.

We are now excited about moving forward in God's will, keep praying!

All our love Rachel, Charley and the children.