Hello again everyone (anyone??) - long time no blog.
Yesterday was a bit of a mile stone kind of a day for me - we looked at and applied for our first rental property in Noble Park! - talk about your mixed feelings. The place that we looked at was a town house type unit that is ideally located to other UNOH members - with one living in the same block of units and another group living directly across the road. It is a smallish 3 bedroom type place... a bit rough around the edges, but then we have lived in worse.
Driving home from Noble Park to Ferntree Gully I realised how much I am going to miss this place, we have really made a home here - and some valued friends, but then Jesus never said that following him was supposed to be easy!...
On the other hand there is a real sense of excitement and anticipation for both Naomi and myself in looking forward to the move.
Anyway, we will let you know how things went with this place as soon as we know - if things go according to plan we will be moving in around 2 weeks!
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Monday, May 15, 2006
Back home
We have been back home for a few days now.
to update you... The school hunt went really well, we visited an number of schools in the end, and there are some great option, though the cost of sending our boys to any of the international schools in Thailand is very full on. However I guess this is an area that we have to trust in the Lord over - if a life in Thailand is what he is calling us to be involved in, then he will make a way!!
It was hard to say goodbye to Thailand, especially as best case scenario it will be around a year and a half before we get to go there again... Naomi & I both shed a tear as our plane took off.
The trip home was routine though it was Luke's birthday. Ash & Anji had bought Luke a number of lucky dip presents for Luke - one for each year of his age which he then received at intervals throughout the trip home - he really enjoyed that!
Life goes on here in Oz as we get ready for our big move to noble park - it will be in around a month from now, with I guess another 2 weeks to a month until I leave Koorong.
We will try to continue blogging over the next while and hopefully by the time we reach Thailand again we will be seasoned bloggers. Thanks for paying an interest in our blog - It probably has not been the most exciting blog of all time, but hopefully things will improve!
Peter
to update you... The school hunt went really well, we visited an number of schools in the end, and there are some great option, though the cost of sending our boys to any of the international schools in Thailand is very full on. However I guess this is an area that we have to trust in the Lord over - if a life in Thailand is what he is calling us to be involved in, then he will make a way!!
It was hard to say goodbye to Thailand, especially as best case scenario it will be around a year and a half before we get to go there again... Naomi & I both shed a tear as our plane took off.
The trip home was routine though it was Luke's birthday. Ash & Anji had bought Luke a number of lucky dip presents for Luke - one for each year of his age which he then received at intervals throughout the trip home - he really enjoyed that!
Life goes on here in Oz as we get ready for our big move to noble park - it will be in around a month from now, with I guess another 2 weeks to a month until I leave Koorong.
We will try to continue blogging over the next while and hopefully by the time we reach Thailand again we will be seasoned bloggers. Thanks for paying an interest in our blog - It probably has not been the most exciting blog of all time, but hopefully things will improve!
Peter
Monday, May 08, 2006
Finally back on the net!!!
I have been trying to connect to the net for around 3 or 4 days now to update our blog, but connecting here can sometimes be difficult - and trying to get assistance from the ladies in the lobby is next to impossible as their computer literacy is nearly as bad as their English literacy!!!
anyway it seems I have finally gotten connected - thank you to everyone for your birthday wishes for Naomi they are appreciated! - things here are going well, we are well and truly finished with the ESL classes and have been spending the last couple of days hanging out with anji and ash - Saturday we went to another amazing indoor amusement park that the kids really loved and Sunday we went to MBK which is a massive (8 stories) shopping center - we had lunch there with the barker family to celebrate naomi's birthday - then ash and I took the kids to see MI3 while Naomi and Anji went shopping. There really was not anything else on in English worth seeing, but the kids loved all the explosions and stuff!!
Today we head out to the only real schooling option that is available to us (given location and stuff) for an interview. It should be interesting - Pray that it all goes well for us - in our minds now this is the only obstacle to us moving here in the future - everything else has gone so well!
In 2 days we fly back out to home - with mixed emotions - a big part of us don't want to leave, we are really loving it here and feel at home - another equally big part of us is missing friends and family - and we do want to get back as we are now more eager than ever to take the next step in the Unoh journey - Noble Park.
I have tried a few times to get the emotions I am feeling down on paper - or blog - but it really is very hard - obviously there are a lot of things that have really spoken to me along the way, you cannot help but be affected by things like this - however I have also been very comfortable here - I could really say that I do feel at home.
People have been trying to prepare us for the shock of coming here - the poverty the smells the business etc... To such an extent that I truly believed that coming here would be a harder job than working in Sri-Lanka - however when I got here I found that the experience was very similar - if not less extreme as we have the option here of escaping to starbucks or a shopping centre if things get too full on for us. I feel a real peace here, and love the life and vibe of this city! - the people are great and on the most part very inviting.
anyway, I have to run back up to my room to prepare for our school visit. If I get a chance I'll try to get back down here again this arvo for an update - otherwise tomorrow will have to do.
(P.S. Daniel - I'll try to get Jacob down here this arvo too for an update - thank you again for all your posts!)
Peter
anyway it seems I have finally gotten connected - thank you to everyone for your birthday wishes for Naomi they are appreciated! - things here are going well, we are well and truly finished with the ESL classes and have been spending the last couple of days hanging out with anji and ash - Saturday we went to another amazing indoor amusement park that the kids really loved and Sunday we went to MBK which is a massive (8 stories) shopping center - we had lunch there with the barker family to celebrate naomi's birthday - then ash and I took the kids to see MI3 while Naomi and Anji went shopping. There really was not anything else on in English worth seeing, but the kids loved all the explosions and stuff!!
Today we head out to the only real schooling option that is available to us (given location and stuff) for an interview. It should be interesting - Pray that it all goes well for us - in our minds now this is the only obstacle to us moving here in the future - everything else has gone so well!
In 2 days we fly back out to home - with mixed emotions - a big part of us don't want to leave, we are really loving it here and feel at home - another equally big part of us is missing friends and family - and we do want to get back as we are now more eager than ever to take the next step in the Unoh journey - Noble Park.
I have tried a few times to get the emotions I am feeling down on paper - or blog - but it really is very hard - obviously there are a lot of things that have really spoken to me along the way, you cannot help but be affected by things like this - however I have also been very comfortable here - I could really say that I do feel at home.
People have been trying to prepare us for the shock of coming here - the poverty the smells the business etc... To such an extent that I truly believed that coming here would be a harder job than working in Sri-Lanka - however when I got here I found that the experience was very similar - if not less extreme as we have the option here of escaping to starbucks or a shopping centre if things get too full on for us. I feel a real peace here, and love the life and vibe of this city! - the people are great and on the most part very inviting.
anyway, I have to run back up to my room to prepare for our school visit. If I get a chance I'll try to get back down here again this arvo for an update - otherwise tomorrow will have to do.
(P.S. Daniel - I'll try to get Jacob down here this arvo too for an update - thank you again for all your posts!)
Peter
Friday, May 05, 2006
Tastes like Chicken
Hey everyone, I ate my first frog last night and it really did taste like chicken, although all the little bones were really annoying to eat around. My family are all horrified at me, as they are all frog lovers, but I figure it was already dead so no harm in me eating it.
Had our final english class today, it was sad to say goodbye to all the gorgeous kids (and the not so gorgeous ones too) but I guess all good things must come to an end sometime. Most of the team is heading back home tomorrow, we have made some really great friends here, and it will be strange to have them all go back while we stay on.
I know people are probably wanting to hear spiritual reflections, and all that kind of stuff, but I just don't know what to say........we have experienced so much in the last 2 weeks and it has all felt so natural and been really easy to process, probably because we have felt God's presence so closely during our time. I dunno, sorry if you are hoping to hear more...
Anyway.....only 4 more days now......it is going to be very hard for all of us to leave....we all feel very attached to this incredible place, but we are also excited at the thought of coming home and seeing all our family and friends.......can't wait to share the adventure with you all.
Mum, I need to book in to see you on the saturday after we return.......we can't wait to see you but I also need my hair done...the blue is kind of a mouldy colour now and my roots are shocking!!!!!! so see if you can keep the arvo free and I will call you when I get back......thanks mum, I love you.
Love so much,
Naomi
Had our final english class today, it was sad to say goodbye to all the gorgeous kids (and the not so gorgeous ones too) but I guess all good things must come to an end sometime. Most of the team is heading back home tomorrow, we have made some really great friends here, and it will be strange to have them all go back while we stay on.
I know people are probably wanting to hear spiritual reflections, and all that kind of stuff, but I just don't know what to say........we have experienced so much in the last 2 weeks and it has all felt so natural and been really easy to process, probably because we have felt God's presence so closely during our time. I dunno, sorry if you are hoping to hear more...
Anyway.....only 4 more days now......it is going to be very hard for all of us to leave....we all feel very attached to this incredible place, but we are also excited at the thought of coming home and seeing all our family and friends.......can't wait to share the adventure with you all.
Mum, I need to book in to see you on the saturday after we return.......we can't wait to see you but I also need my hair done...the blue is kind of a mouldy colour now and my roots are shocking!!!!!! so see if you can keep the arvo free and I will call you when I get back......thanks mum, I love you.
Love so much,
Naomi
Thursday, May 04, 2006
another spare moment
Trying to continue where I left off...
There are some things that are really beginning to impact me about this place, in particular all those people you see with cerebral palsy - There is an old lady who hangs out just inside the slum each morning who is heavily effected (affected?), her face lights up every time she sees us and I have a feeling that her day to day existance is sitting by the side of the road waiting for anyone to give her some attention... Then there is a young girl 9 or 10 years old who has the same sort of cerebal palsy that I was born with - afecting the right side of her body - and I can't help to think how random life seems to be - or how little human logic there is to God's greater plans - allowing someone like me to have all the care and attention that the western world (& christian worldview) has to offer - yet this girl lives in a slum and essentially has no real chance of getting out - the buddhist world view and the idea of karma if nothing else insure a life of living in the slum...
I'm being called away sorry guys
There are some things that are really beginning to impact me about this place, in particular all those people you see with cerebral palsy - There is an old lady who hangs out just inside the slum each morning who is heavily effected (affected?), her face lights up every time she sees us and I have a feeling that her day to day existance is sitting by the side of the road waiting for anyone to give her some attention... Then there is a young girl 9 or 10 years old who has the same sort of cerebal palsy that I was born with - afecting the right side of her body - and I can't help to think how random life seems to be - or how little human logic there is to God's greater plans - allowing someone like me to have all the care and attention that the western world (& christian worldview) has to offer - yet this girl lives in a slum and essentially has no real chance of getting out - the buddhist world view and the idea of karma if nothing else insure a life of living in the slum...
I'm being called away sorry guys
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Can't Blog - eating!!!
Sorry guys,
really want to have time to sit down and blog a bit, but I am just too busy!!! - we are heading out to cabages and condoms tonight (thats a restaurant) for the obligatory team night out - it should be good - I've only heard good things about it - WE are counting down to 3 minutes before everyone is ment to meet in the foyer - so I probably have a good 13 minutes...
Things here are in some ways getting better and better and in other ways becoming more challenging... I have moved on to the Rong Fork slum to teach english this week and am really enjoying it the class we are teaching are probably of a younger average age and we have both boys and girls in this group - it is a little bit less under control and a lot more exhausting, and add onto that that we are teaching outside... - but it is all great...
will have to continue later everyone is here - on time for once!!! sorry about the spelling no time to fix...
Peter
really want to have time to sit down and blog a bit, but I am just too busy!!! - we are heading out to cabages and condoms tonight (thats a restaurant) for the obligatory team night out - it should be good - I've only heard good things about it - WE are counting down to 3 minutes before everyone is ment to meet in the foyer - so I probably have a good 13 minutes...
Things here are in some ways getting better and better and in other ways becoming more challenging... I have moved on to the Rong Fork slum to teach english this week and am really enjoying it the class we are teaching are probably of a younger average age and we have both boys and girls in this group - it is a little bit less under control and a lot more exhausting, and add onto that that we are teaching outside... - but it is all great...
will have to continue later everyone is here - on time for once!!! sorry about the spelling no time to fix...
Peter
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
