Our time in Perth has come to an end. We are to fly back to Brisbane at 11.59pm tonight, on the last aeroplane trip, fingers crossed, for a while.
The last four weeks have flown by. Our holiday was pretty hectic, but a truckload of fun. We spent most of our nights out, catching up with friends and family.
The three girls are growing up so quickly. Elizabeth and Emily have changed from toddlers into little girls. It’s been so much fun to play with them. Aliyah is walking now, and she is the cutest thing ever! And we finally got to see our little nephew Isaac. He’s a charmer. The next time we see them all will be for the wedding, and no doubt they’ll have grown even over one month.
While we were here, we had the huge privilege of being involved in Xult Youth, the youth church that Kat and Nick are presently running. They have about eight young guys that they are training as up and coming leaders. We spent once a week with them in leadership/training meetings, bouncing ideas and planning events. They have church every Sunday afternoon, and they get a fair few high school aged kids coming along. The things that I’ve seen God doing through those kids, and in their lives is pretty dang incredible. The highlight of my trip was definately spending time with them. Any sane person would be jumping to be a part of what is happening there. Most of them are new Christians, but they’re really pushing in to God, seeking Him, and its paying off.
We went on a two day camp down to Busselton with twenty of the Xult kids. It was great fun. We spent plenty of time on the beach, chilling, and just building relationships with each other. God showed up in some pretty awesome ways. It’s a ministry that is changing lives. I’d encourage you to pray for what God is doing there.
It was still a bittersweet time coming home though. We had the ashes internment for Rosy and Tim’s grandfather at the church that Sarah was married in just last year. It’s also where Elizabeth Clare’s ashes were placed nineteen years ago, Tim’s baby sister. It was a pretty intense time for everybody. Emily and Elizabeth had a blue toy spade with them, and so they helped cover in the hole. Emily kept asking where Rosy was, because she was expecting her to be there. A few days before that, we started cleaning out her room, giving Adam and Helene first dibs on some of her things. Other items were left in the hall after the service, for her friends to take as memories. It was tough having her things cleaned out. We’d only been back for two weeks total since the accident, and so it seemed too soon for Tim and I. For most of us I think.
While we’ve been cleaning out her room slowly though, we’ve been rapidly accumulating things for us when we move out. Towels, cutlery and dishes. I had a surprise Hen’s breakfast one morning that Helene, my bridesmaid, organised for me. Most of the family was there, even the little girls, and we had a massive feast cooked for us. Tim for his Bucks night, met up with his two groomsmen, at one of their houses and they geek talked for the entire evening, while I hung out with his sister. Typical.
Tim has been ecstatically happy being home and having a decent computer. He’s been programming, writing software, and doing geeky things nonstop since we got here, leaving me feeling a little abandoned, but happy enough. Once we get to Queensland, he’ll have to suffer once more.
Wedding plans are coming along quite well. It’s only five weeks from today, a little spooky, but it will be fine. We’ve been talking a lot, and praying, and we’ve decided to move back to Perth after the wedding, honeymoon and Easterfest! So we’re building up a pile of things over here. We’re hoping that when we’re home, people will feel led to give us monetary gifts rather than wedding presents, because it will be interesting trying to bring all of our stuff back over. I’ve decided to go to university over here, doing chemical engineering. We’re not sure whether I will start that midyear or next year. Tim is exploring the idea of full time bible college as well.
Our focus is still on missions work though. Even after all of our planning and dreaming, we are still walking towards that calling. I view the university degree that I’m looking at as a visa for my family more than anything else. God still has that on our heart. You just watch what happens. That’s all that we’re doing.
So the next few weeks are going to fly by, and in no time at all I’m going to be a married woman. God is good. All the time.