Back to the Drawing Board

This term has been another term of plans changing, yet staying the same all in one. 

At the end of the first term we weren’t able to commit too far ahead as we didn’t know how long we would be around. We were hopeful that we would soon be in the warmth of Fiji, but the world is a different place with COVID-19 in it. Over the last year many people have prayed that we would get to Fiji in God’s perfect timing… and well I guess he knew better than we did that going in May this year (or sooner) was not great timing. No one could foresee quite how much COVID would get out in the community in Fiji.

Family selfie #1

There are currently over 16,000 active cases of COVID-19 in Fiji, but it would be safe to assume that the actual number will be much higher. We read the other day that Fiji has the highest rate of infection per capita in the world, worrying times for Fiji and many other places around the world. Consequently there is quite a desperate need for emergency food there with the lockdowns forcing most businesses to close and putting more people out of work. Around 50% of their workforce lost their jobs when the tourism industry closed and now, with many of their businesses closing as well, large numbers of employees have been sent home with no pay or help from their government. There is a desperate call for help with food and this is especially true for young mums, often single, who are trying to feed little ones. Other times when there have been cyclones it has been the villages that have suffered most, but in this situation it seems that it is a major issue in the towns where people can’t or haven’t been able to grow some of their own food and have nothing to fall back on. There have also been reports of civil unrest emerging with gardens being pillaged and fighting breaking out.

We have several trusted friends and connections on the ground in Fiji in some of these areas that are badly affected. If you would like to help out the people of Fiji by giving money to buy food parcels for those unable to access food for their families, let us know and we would love to get you in touch with some of these people. 

When you spend years planning for something that never actually eventuates it kinda throws ya. This term has been frustrating, out of control, unsettling, lonely and stressful, probably for me (Rachael) more than anyone else in the family. It is hard to find your feet when the footholds are always changing. We are no longer living the life we planned. But we are far from the only ones in this place right now, so at least we are in good company. We are managing to get our head around it all though and trust in Proverbs 16:9, “Man makes his plans, but the Lord directs his paths.”

So in some ways this term has been quite structured, routined and settled living mainly in Pirongia and attending some regular things, and then also completely different to what we imagined it could be.

Hamilton Samoan AOG
Roy spent until the middle of June working on the job at the Hamilton Samoan AOG (which started February 4th). This provided us with nearly 6 months of some sort of normality in Pirongia. Since our last update, the project has had all the interior finished and painted, the kitchen and bathrooms have been installed and all the exterior decks and accessways completed. They are able to hold their services in the church building again which is great for them after rotating around 3 local halls the whole time - imagine not being able to use your church for 6 months! There are a few small tasks to be done after the different sub trades finish their part, but those final touches are being done by other members of the MMM team.

The Hamilton Samoan AOG brought us together for a thank you celebration

Now it’s getting colder on us… this is not what we signed up for! We have had to buy a few more winter clothes and ugg boots. As COVID in Fiji has slowly evolved into something we never wanted to see there, we have resigned ourselves to the fact that NZ is the right place for us to be for now. With that in mind, we decided it was time to head back on the road and do some jobs away from Pirongia again. 

Kauaeranga Valley
When we saw there was a MMM job to be done at Kauaeranga Valley Christian Camp, Thames,  Roy was very keen to get involved. This is the camp he grew up at as a camper, leader and then volunteer staff before being encouraged to head to El Rancho to do a paid internship (where we met back in 2001).

As with most building jobs, they can change and grow once you actually start… in this case a quick ‘tiling the showers’ job turned into completely rebuilding them after the existing framing and partitions needed replacing. The kids and I were able to spend some time exploring the camp and enjoying helping out where we could. It was also a great chance to catch up with family nearby. The camp staff looked after us well, it was so nice to have all meals provided. The other MMM volunteers with us there were great again as always. 

KVCC - "Come tile our showers." Roy - **Gets out his sledgehammer**

We have now been with MMM for a whole year and have got to know a lot of the regular volunteers along the way. This project reunited us with several volunteers that we have worked with, all from different projects which was a nice touch. Even Ben from the Samoan AOG church who worked with us for the whole project there, also joined us at Kauaeranga Valley.

One of the nearly finished showers (6 in total) 

Hastings
About a month ago we were able to go to Hastings to help with an MMM promotion night as an ‘MMM Prayer Fellowship’ is starting there. It was a really enjoyable night, getting to know some new people that showed interest in MMM and reconnecting with old friends. It was also a good chance to do some sight seeing and go to the Aquarium of NZ in Napier where Josh could teach us about the sea life there. We are heading back there shortly for Roy to lead a team helping Luke Collis, who leads a ministry called Unashamed and is doing some house renovations. 

At the National Aquarium

Totara Springs
Last week was spent at Totara Springs Christian Centre, (a camp Roy and I worked at for about 4 years before having kids) where I was invited to come help out  with their school holiday kids camp. Our family have all really enjoyed spending some time back there in the last year. I have now done two camps as ‘Camp Mum’ for their Junior Kids Camp and last week I was the ‘Leaders In Training Coordinator’, where I really enjoyed being able to input into the lives of the 13-15 year old future leaders. 

There has been a bit of a changing of the guards in the Ministry Team there, so it has been good to be able to support the new team by sharing some of our knowledge, expertise and passion. I was able to orchestrate one of my good friends to be a camp mum these holidays with her kids. It was awesome to see Josh get fully involved with a cabin by having his friend there too. Roy was only around for part of the camp, as he went to Auckland to help with a small bathroom renovation for the National Director of Student Life.

At Totara Springs with good family friends on the lullaby

Car Troubles
For an added twist, we also had about a month of car troubles, including: 

 - The alternator stopped alternating when our car was an hour from home

 - A flat tyre as soon as we arrived in Hastings only to find the spare tyre rusted in place due to water in the well that the tyre sits

 - Some panel beating needed as a result of misjudging a tight gap at night, and

 - A WoF failing on lots of expensive things!

They all happened one thing after another, all a story in itself to tell. Long story short is that they are all sorted and throughout all these crazy ordeals we were completely blessed. Every step of the way we were given cars to drive (never a day without a car) and were given so many one-off financial gifts (all of them completely spontaneous and unrelated to the car), which covered all our costs. Now we know our car is up to date and safe to drive as we head into a season of travelling again. 

The Kids
Josh is really into reading his Bible at the moment and always has a big question or two. If you are a scholar and in for a big discussion, give him a call! Starting a few months ago at Genesis, he has made his way to Ezekiel. It was cool to see him so involved at Kids Camp at Totara Springs, experiencing all camp has to offer including some of his favourites of abseiling, crate climb, go karts and archery tag.

When your uncle is a physics teacher and you have a science question late at night #homeschool

Gabrielle has enjoyed her social life in Pirongia with lots happening all the time. She is into music in a big way, loving her vocal lessons and playing the keyboard. She has been known to wake up in the morning and play for 2 hours before eating breakfast or getting dressed. (The benefits of homeschooling.) She recently performed the song, ‘For Good’, from the musical ‘Wicked’, with her friend Madelyn. She practiced a lot, was very brave and performed well. Next term she will continue vocal lessons with her teacher via Zoom. Gabrielle also turned 8 in June and had a ‘chef party’ with some of her local friends making pizza and decorating cupcakes. She will miss her Waikato friends as we travel for a while. 

Gabrielle and Madelyn saying their farewell before our road trip

Caleb continues to be interested in reading and maths, he recently told someone his favourite times table was the 14x. He is very keen to play chess, but is still working on his strategy to beat a competitive dad and big brother. He loves making friends wherever he goes and isn’t too worried about who it is, as long as he has someone to talk to he is happy.

Turns out he did want to build a snowman

Looking Ahead
In the middle of the school holidays we did the crazy task of packing up what we thought we may need for the next five months and left Pirongia. We have some jobs planned in the lower half of the North Island and then a few months in the South Island.

We will be heading to Lake Coleridge, inland from Christchurch, Karitane, just north of Dunedin, Tasman Bible Chapel (where Gabrielle is keen to see where she was born and lived her first 2 years) and Punakaiki on the West Coast. It will be a big adventure, but also a lot of change, driving and logistics to sort. We look forward to catching up with some friends in the Nelson/Tasman area. 

A Quote from the Kids
Josh: “I haven’t done much school work today, but I have learnt a lot” 

Gabrielle: “Me too.”

It is nice to see them enjoying their learning. All in all it has been a good term, with lots of excitement, adventures and also some times of rest, but we look forward to new adventures on the road… even though the idea of not going back to my own bed and house until December is a little overwhelming. We thank you all for your ongoing love, support, encouragement and prayers. We really do appreciate you all.

Roy, Rachael, Josh, Gabrielle and Caleb/Kelepi.

Some Bonus Photos

Always happy to help

 

Learning the art of camp dishes

Josh put in a half-day on the building site

Not lacking in personality

The 'Jiggers' activity at Kauaeranga

Ready to try the BMX track 

This is a great facility for the camp which the kids loved 

Axe throwing was good fun too

Watching the process of tile cutting

Homeschooling when you aren't at home

Throwing rocks is always a hit

Helping with the MMM mail out

Gabrielle having a go at writing her own music 

Adventuring up Kauaeranga Valley but spray your footwear first, protect our kauri 

Family selfie #2, with Kauaeranga Valley vista behind

Credit to Kelepi Hogan Photography

Josh doing the Crate Climb at Totara Springs

A funny meme we found - we can relate