Good-bye Rhemites!

Yesterday was my last day working for Rhema Theatre Company...my LAST day! I have to repeat that to myself so that it will gradually sink in.

What a wonderful day it was though, and how loved I felt! They honoured me and spoiled me...with cakes, with presents, with hugs, with dinner and dancing. Good times, good times. I shall remember my Rhema days for always.

P.s. If you ever want a dynamic theatre company to come and perform action packed bible stories at your church, fun day, local school...they are the people to call!

The best bits of life...

Family...friends...sunshine...food!

And we've been enjoying all of them in abundance during the last few weeks...


Lise is back in The Netherlands after 4 years in Sydney...makes me happy!


Long chats in the park surrounded by blossom trees...b-e-a-utiful!


And who should stroll passed by my brother (in-law) Jonathan...also visiting...


The taste of summer...ummmmm!


Family Hack...Micha, Nette and our most beautiful neice and nephew...with us last week.

Truly, life IS good!

Fun & Frolics!

Who's been skiing before?

Not me, until a few weeks ago. Now, just to clarify, the definition of 'skiing' in my case was slipping, falling, generally looking uncoordinated and being buried in the snow! But what a hoot! I'm actually told that I did very well for my first time, and was very brave since I didn't mess around on the baby hills and headed straight for the slopes!

Some of our friends from Munich treated us as a belated wedding present and took us away for a fabulous weekend with them in Munich and away to the Austrian slopes! They looked after us and blessed us and it was the BEST wedding present! So a HUGE thank you to you x

We also just celebrated our 2nd anniversary so the ski trip was perfectly (tho unintentionally) timed! So, congratulations to us!

New Abode

We've moved!

As anyone who has moved will know, this involves becoming friends with cardboard boxes, brown tape and smelly markers (I actually quite like the markers!)...and more aquainted with all the things you had lurking in drawers and cupboards that you never knew you had!!!

We packed boxes and boxes and more boxes...










Three van loads later and I don't know how many trips up and down the apartment staircase, we successfully shifted everything across the to new place, just in time to...

UNPACK boxes and boxes and still MORE boxes!!!!!










We are very happy the mission is accomplished and definitely deserve some time with our feet up...Aaaaahhhhhh.

Psalm 29

I am so glad that we can hear God...as in, read the words on a page but actually hear the truth ringing in our hearts.

Life has been a bit of a rollercoaster for me, pretty much up until two weeks ago. My heart felt in absolute turmoil over one thing I was facing on a daily basis, and for all my searching I couldn't find peace.

During Christmas break I happened to look upon Psalm 29. It struck me as awesome, as only God can be!

The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders...
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty...
The voice of the Lord makes the desert quake;
The voice of the Lord twists the mighty oaks
and strips the forests bare...

The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as King forever.
The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.

The very One who's voice has the power to thunder and quake, split and twist creation itself is ruling over the floodwaters of my heart, reigning as King over my life, giving me strength and pouring out His blessing of peace. This is the truth.

I love hearing Him, I love knowing that He is present, that He is over ALL things and yet He is so close. Isn't He beautiful?

Happy New Year!

From us and our buddies in Bissingen, Germany! Good times, good times!

Another planet?

I think I must have been on another planet for the last...???...I don't know how long...because when I left I think the summer had just finished and now it seems like all of a sudden I've landed and it's TWO WEEKS 'til Christmas! Whilst the Christmas season is all very exciting, I think it's going to take me a while to catch up...

I've realised my address book is full of a thousand scraps of paper with friends addresses scribbled down, and I am confused which are, in fact, current? Hmmmm, this one needs sorting before I send this years cards off into oblivion.

So if you've moved in the last year and think you might not have told me... please get in touch! Cheers x

His Voice

In the valley His voice is loudest,
Resonates deepest,
Like thunder trapped between mountains.
There's no escaping,
No hiding,
You cannot be shielded from the voice of the Almighty.

Loving my friends!

Friends are wonderful, aren't they? They make you laugh, see you for who you really are, kick your butt, give you strength and courage to face whatever it is you happen to be facing...The last few weeks we've had friends staying with us and it's been so good!

Natalie, whom I haven't seen since Timo and I got married a year and a half ago, came all the way from Kelowna, Canada because "it was time". In some senses our lives 'look' so different from each others, and yet there is something so similar in our hearts - we connect and just seem to 'know' each other so well, despite the time and the distance. It's such a blessing and we conclude that it must be God, because everything He does is good! I love you. Watch this space for a trip to Kelowna...!

Then we had both Timo and my parents to visit. They get along so well, mostly Timo and I get to sit back and leave them to it! Our heart really was to have them with us and really honour them for being extraordinary parents, role models, friends - and whilst I think we did acheive this, they ended up blessing us so much more! We love you. That's parents for you, can't seem to out give them! Hmmm, sounds familiar....

We've just had some other friends from back in my home town with us. What a giggle! Andrea and Leo are some of the most chilled people...we basically did not a lot of anything, and had the best time! Plus, ever so domestic that they are, did all the washing up! Please come again! We love you.

And anyone who hasn't yet been... please come!

I-i-i-i-i-italy

A week in Italy and I'm still recovering from the sheer volume the Italians muster in simple, every day speech! It's incredible!

Anyway, it was a real treat to be there, at Lake Como, northern Italy for a week soley for Timo and I. We didn't do very much at all...walked a few paces from our tent to the beach, lay in the sun, read, slept, obvserved all the energetic people doing various water sports, turned over and slept some more...it was WONDERFUL!

In the evenings we had a bite to eat, sat on the beach drinking wine, read books to eachother, talked lots about everything and nothing. So romantic, just as all things should be in Italy. Oh, and we also became hugely addicted to playing spider solitar! Slightly less romantic but fun never-the-less!

We drove back through Austria and Switzerland, my first time to both, and I was gasping all the way at the absolute beauty. It was like a thousand unexpected joys dropping into my sight one after the other.

We spent our second week in Germany, catching up with family and friends and generally having a blast. It was so exciting to meet our new nephew Noah for the first time and also to get to know our niece Emily a little better. Might I mention that she can in fact say my name now...and not Timo's yet. Thrilling for me. Slightly distressing for Timo!

We were blessed with perfect weather for both weeks and are consequently sporting rather glorious suntans.

Perfecto.

Campfires & Cocoa

We have just come back from a few days away with some of our youth; time away to hang out with each other and explore a bit more of God. It was such a good time, tho we are totally wiped out (and back to work!) now. Our 'international speakers' Raymond from Ireland and Lukas from Germany, and home grown teaching talent Ben doing a most splendid job encouraging and challenging us to take God at His word...to knock, to seek, to ask..and surely He will step out into the light for us to see more clearly.

Talking about light, one of the highlights (probably as much for us as for the youth!) was our home made live flame torches and night walk! It was awsome, treking down the lanes of the Cheshire countryside with our torches held high... it felt like a prophetic declaration of the way we choose, to be ones who will not fear to hold the flame high, to carry the fire and head off into the darkness. Phew!

Good times, good times.

So, we survived the early mornings, late nights, the hyper kids on sugar overload and a few spots of rain! And although I'm back at work and Timo is looking after our new Intern Lukas who is with us from Germany, we are very much looking forward to our upcoming holiday to Germany, Switzerland and Italy next week! Yeah baby, we're smiling!

What a Mighty Good Man!

My husband astounds me! He really does. He treats me so well, like no one I know has ever treated me before. Like a queen, like his greatest friend, like someone he really does want to spend the rest of his life with! And so he invests in me - sometimes, I know, selflessly. It makes me smile and cry at the same time. He inspires me and makes me laugh out loud and behave in ridiculous ways that I only behave in around him. I wonder if he knows what a mighty good man he is?

(He's not here, twisting my arm...how could I type otherwise!?).

Beginning

I can't even keep up the pages of my own journal so I cannot promise to be a regular poster of tales, fables and romance! But you have to begin somewhere, don't you? Start as you mean to go on...Set your desire up with your intention!

So here we are, a small beginning. And welcome one and all.