Finally, half an hour free

I'm not sure I can do the missing period justice in half an hour, but I'll try.

I guess one pretty big thing was last Saturday. It was Joanne and my fifth wedding anniversary. Five years. Time flies, eh? I can't believe it was five years since we were stood at the front of the church in St Helen's making the promises to each other and God. It's been a wonderful five years.

Also on Saturday, and a very nice way to celebrate our anniversary, was Ruth & Al's wedding. What better way to remember our vows to each other than to see two friends make the same commitment to each other. It was a lovely day too, complete with bagpipes and a Ceilidh and everything. My first Kiwi wedding was a decidedly Scottish affair.

What else have I got to mention? Oh yes, thanks to those that asked, I appreciate the concern but the shoulder I mentioned last time that was hurt was mine (I was fouled at footy the other week and took all my weight on it as I landed). It wasn't dislocated after all, but the physio reckons it's an acute sprain of the AC joint, supposedly. I reckon there's rotator cuff damage too, but I think he probably knows more than me. I'm booked in a cortisone injection in it next Wednesday which I'm really not looking forward to. They have to use an x-ray or an ultrasound to guide the needle between bones and joints and stuff. Ouch.

It snowed here at the weekend. My first Christchurch snowfall. I saw some Kiwi snow when Dad I ventured halfway up Mt Hutt in March but it's the first snowfall down here, at home. It didn't last though, but it was pretty waking up on Sunday morning to snow on the Porthills out the back of our house. Ski season starts next week, I think. Although I guess my shoulder needs to get better first, eh?

Given the cold weather we've had recently last week wasn't a good time to run out of gas. In Christchurch most houses aren't on reticulated gas and so you have a couple of bottles stuck round the back of your house. We're still trying to figure out how the gauge works and exactly when we need to replace a bottle. In theory you can run out one bottle and then order a new one while using the other one. We know now that when it goes completely pink you've run out of gas in both bottles. Last week was very cold down the front of the house where we have the gas fire. We lived in the bedroom where the heatpump is pretty much and luckily got some gas delivered on Friday before the snow.

The other big thing to happen recently was the St John's Young Adults' Camp. About 80 of the younger people from church all went out the weekend before last to a place called Glentui(e?) which is about 45 minutes or so north-west of Chch. Friday night through Monday lunchtime (Monday was a bank holiday for the Queen's birthday - no really!). It was a great time with some great teaching on Colossians and plenty of time to hang out and get to know people better. It was really good for that actually. There were some people we kind of knew but hadn't really had much of a conversation with and spending time with them over the weekend was great. I have missed the weekends away with our friends and Christian family on St Peter's Barge since we've been here so it was really good to have that time of teaching and encouragement and hanging out. We ran a pub quiz on the Saturday evening too, which seemed to go well, although a few people commented that the questions were a bit hard. I guess that my cultural experience is so different so most people's there that it's difficult to judge what people would know and what they wouldn't.

In one of the sessions Joanne and I were asked to stand up and answer some questions on how we became Christians, what brought us to Chch and what we'd say to people considering moving overseas, either temporarily or permanently. It was great to be able to share with our new Christian family the same things we shared at St Peter's before we left about why Chch and also what we'd learned about Christian priorities regarding finding a good Bible-teaching church. Afterwards some people came and thanked us and said that it was really encouraging to hear what we had to say. I still find it surprising and pretty amazing that God uses us to encourage our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's incredibly humbling to be used by him.

Speaking of serving God, we're up to week five of the Exploring Discipleship course now. This week I am giving the fifteen minute talk. I'd really appreciate your prayers, if you are able to. I am speaking on the topic of prayer - who we pray to (the Sovereign Lord of the universe and our Father in heaven), and why we pray (to deepen our relationship with him, not as a last resort in a crisis), remembering that God answers prayer but not necessarily in the way we'd like or expect but always with the power and the will to do what is best for those that love him. Please pray I speak clearly and faithfully. Thank you.

OK, so it took closer to an hour than half an hour.