Thought we’d drop in a quick message with an update from the deep south - before winter arrives and we are cut off from the rest of the world for the next few months!
Our trip south went well. We travelled safely, and enjoyably, and made all our destinations on time and without too much shouting and crying by (or because of) the small people. Highlights included the thermal pools at Moree, the zoo at Dubbo, riverboat ride at Echuca, learning to throw boomerangs at Bendigo, a beautiful beachside park at Warnambool, the incomparable beauty along the great ocean road, and a rough and bouncy trip across Bass straight on the Spirit of Tas ferry.
So a couple of weeks on and we are in the thick of trying to settle in, and figure out why on earth we are here. The kids are into school and enjoying it (probably R more so than M who only goes two days a week) and have good teachers. I’ve been in the office for a couple of weeks now, and starting to feel like getting out of the office and into the real work we have come here for. Sheri is finding it a little hard to find and build relationships at this stage while we’ve focussed on the logistics of the move and unpack, and on settling the kids in.
I just had four days in Melbourne for work which was helpful and enjoyable, though perhaps not quite so enjoyable for the rest of the family who couldn’t come. We have our first family weekend away this weekend when we are heading south to Hobart for a couple of days to check out the city and surrounds.
In terms of church it’s fair to say we are struggling a bit. Fitting back into “normal” UC services, with the liturgy, hymns and structures has challenged us. For me personally, it really hit home when I was sitting in a chapel service in Melbourne last week, singing 300 year old songs using 300 year old language, while the “priest” in all his finery spoke in a deep and formal manner of the grace, and mercy and matchless love of God. It seemed flat and irrelevant. And then the communion service in it’s formality, and with so many rules and regulations about who is allowed to lead communion, when and where. The comparison between that and the simple, beautiful way SW led us into dinner at our last night in Boonah brought me to the edge of tears. Never has the task before us seemed so real, or difficult and the personal cost of leaving Boonah and our faith community so high than at that moment. Luckily I suppose there are positive moments as well, and still a very strong conviction that God has called us here - for his purposes.
We are now up and running with broadband at home, and using skype (with webcam) to communicate regularly. We’d love to say g’day, and face to face over video is nice (at least you can see our faces if you don’t have a webcam). Skype is free to download, install and use. You you can add us to your skype list by searching for sheri_scott_home
We do have a couple of trips north planned. Sheri will be in Qld with K late early August for 4 or 5 days, and then with all three of the ratbags for the first two weeks of September. I’ll be coming up for the first weekend of that trip, and we hope to come and visit boonah on the sunday afternoon (31 August).
We look forward to seeing you again soon, and hope to chat in the meantime.
Grace and peace to you all
The G’s.
