Australia

Livin' the dream!

2009-05-14T06:39:00.000-07:00

I write in disbelief that we are halfway through the month of May, I have no idea where the last two months have gone. In two months time we will celebrate our third wedding anniversary, and will have been in Sydney for a year. Wow.

We are really settled in our new home, we are so pleased to be situated in an ideal location for work, church and friends. We are feeling more part of the community now, we have been able to invite people over for dinner, getting to know other couples, and really feel at home now.

We were so glad that my parents were able to visit us for three weeks in April, a really fun filled, packed holiday. We appreciated having family nearby again, and was nice that we were able to show them our new home and surroundings. They had a great time, and have the pictures to prove it.

God is revealing and doing so much in our lives, we are so challenged by the shaping and moulding taking place in us, and by what is going to take place in the future. We are learning so much more about the character of God, and He is drilling into us some home truths which are of significance - there is always more to experience in God :) Personally, I am being challenged by how God see's us, his aggressive forgiveness, acceptance and his heart for Justice. I was reading the book of Amos this week and again being reminded of social justice, and the lifestyle of a worshipper. Are we singing songs and seeking to honour God in our church buildings, but missing the full heart of God and what He accepts as true worship to Him. Worship and Justice go hand in hand, we cannot separate them or ignore one and pursue the other. I could rabble on but i'm not going to :) Just my thoughts of today.

Eilidh is loving her job. She has been teaching her pupils some Scottish sayings, and has taught them "Ye cannie shove yer grannie off a bus", which the whole class sang in assembly, to the delight of parents and teachers. She is doing a fantastic job - I know that she is impacting lives around her because of Christ in her. We can so easily forget that we are impacting people without realising it, we can impact them for eternity. Thats a challenge in itself. Goes to show how important our speech and actions are.

We are praying for our nation and believing that God is going to do great things there in our lifetime. We remember our friends and family at Aberdeen AOG, and those heading West to the US. We are looking forward to coming home for a break at Christmas, all depending on our finances and cost of flights, but we are believing God to meet all our needs.

We love skyping family and friends, we try and speak to people back home on Saturdays. so it's been good to keep up with people. We appreciate all your thoughts, prayers, emails and phonecalls. Till next time! Livin' the dream!

p.s - I've been to my first Aussie Rules Footie game, and it was a good experience but can't compare to the atmosphere of a bovril filled, pie eating, tone deaf crowd in the Scottish Premier!

Easter

2009-04-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

April already?! So what's happened since our last post? Well, we've had the Hillsong Album recording, which was great, and looking forward to having the finalised songs in July! Look forward to the album, some great songs have been introduced over the last eight months. We also had the Hillsong Womens Colour Conference. There were two conferences over six days at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, next to Darling Harbour. Eilidh had an encouraging time, and enjoyed the speakers, Bobbie Houston, Lisa Bevere and Sy Rogers. I was there too, serving as a host. It's quite something to listen to 14,000 women worshipping God.

We have had an extremely busy four months. Eilidh has settled really well into her new teaching job, she has a great class and is really blessed by God's provision. We are loving our little home, purchasing things bit by bit for it, but it's just right for us. Studies have been going well, songwriting in particular has been interesting, and our assessments have gone smoothly.

Easter is next week, and we are looking forward to having my parents here for a 3 week stay, we'll have a great time. Hillsong have got some great things instore, including an art festival, which is the first time they have held an art show, so it's nice to see the creative being used in church - after all, God is the creator!

We are missing family back home, especially as Eilidh's sisters are both pregnant and due later in the year. We are hoping to come home for Christmas and visit family and friends all over Scotland. We do enjoy being here as well, but ever now and then we have a hankering for home :)

God Bless you all over this Easter time, such a powerful time and you have a great opportunity to invite family and friends to church. Or if you've never been to church, why don't you go along on Easter Sunday and check it out?

A year of miracles

2009-02-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

As we entered this year, the phrase that was buzzing around church was that 2009 was going to be a year of miracles for people. I responded to this encouragement from the platform by agreeing with a hand clap along with everyone else, by really deep down didn't feel an amazing sense of anticipation or that it would really apply to my life. I felt quite low at the start of the year, Eilidh and I were so weary from searching for a place to stay and a job at a school where Eilidh could be part of the fabric. I couldn't face much more travelling from Penrith to Hillsong (around a 40 min drive), we must have looked at 40+ homes without success. so had really passed the desperation stage and somehow allowed a hopelessness to enter my thinking.

But God's timing is perfect, and at the 11th hour He always answers. You feel at the end of your rope, and close to falling, when He reaches down and touches your life which brings healing, and suddenly, somehow, everything thats happened makes sense.

I reported in the our blog a few days ago about our new home. Praise God for that. We knew God hadn't forgotten about us! :) It gave us a renewed sense that we had heard correctly about moving here to Sydney too. On Tuesday we signed the lease, and celebrated with a meal at a local restaurant. After eating, we then went to our church connect group. It finished around 9pm, and before we left, there was an opportunity for prayer. Eilidh asked that people would pray for a full-time job for her at a school close to home. Literally 30 seconds after finishing praying (at 9pm, with school starting the next day), Eilidh's phone started ringing. Eilidh answered the phone outside. After the call she came back in looking like she had seen a ghost! She was gob-smacked. The call was from an assistant principal of a school, asking if Eilidh could work with them for a year full-time as a year 2 teacher! Starting the next day! Amazing. It doesn't end there though....the school is four doors down from our new home! Well, you can imagine our response and the excitement we felt. Suddenly we saw the big picture. God does know what He's doing after all ;) So our year so far has had two big miracles, and we are so thankful to God for hearing our prayers, and we look forward to all that He will do in our lives, as we live open to his will.

We pray that 2009 will be a year of miracles for you also, no matter the situations you face, if you respond to God, He can't help but respond to you with his love. Things may not seem to go the way you plan or would like, but God always works for the good of those who love Him. Our God is THE Great God.

Property!!

2009-01-26T17:00:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to report that we have been successful in finding a place to rent. It's a lovely one bedroom flat, in a perfect location and is at a good rental price. It's a ten minute drive to work and to Hillsong College, rather than our daily forty minute commute, so we are looking forward to moving in. We are so thankful for everyone's thoughts and prayers as it's been very tough to find a suitable place, so much competition. There were six or seven other couples looking at the place we were have now, so we are so glad that we don't have to look anymore, and can look forward to living there and having friends round etc. Will maybe post a few pictures later. Thanks again for the prayers!

Our new address is 6a Avril Court, Glenwood, Sydney, NSW, 2768.

Our start to 2009

2009-01-26T16:43:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to you all, we trust that you had a blessed festive season! We had a great new year here in Sydney, great sun, great friends and some great fireworks. We spent new years eve down at the Harbour bridge, sat for 9 hours waiting for the big fireworks show to begin. We got a fantastic spot to witness them. It was a good experience, so many cultures, 1.5 million people crammed into spaces down by the water in the picturesque city, and just the carnival atmosphere during the whole day. Of course, the fireworks display didn't disappoint!

The downside of going to an event like this is getting back home. All roads into the city were closed, so the main mode of transport was the train. We were like sardines walking down the street to the nearest station, and then it was a case of squeezing onto the train. It took us 3 hours to get from our place at the show to the station in our home town. However, to our dismay there were no taxis running at the time, so we had an hour's walk home. So we will probably just sit and watch it on tv next time, but was worth doing once.

Our plans to go to Melbourne had to be cancelled as the repairs to our car took longer than expected. We eventually got our car back around two weeks ago, and since then we have been driving around rental properties.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T06:22:00.001-08:00

Just a note to say Merry Christmas to everyone, we will miss not being with friends and family in Scotland, but glad we can spend it with my uncle in Perth. Hope to Skype over the Christmas period! Have a great Christmas, remembering what it's all about!

"Summer Holidays"

2008-12-21T06:11:00.000-08:00

During the "summer" break, Eilidh and I are hoping to explore more of Australia. We have flown to Perth, western Australia, to stay with my uncle for 10 days over Christmas. We have just arrived, and have already encountered two fairly large huntsman spiders - one on our bed and the other in the livingroom. Eilidh is trying to remain calm :) There are also snakes around but have yet to see any. My uncle's place is beautiful - he has a large amount of land, and keeps horses and grows fruit. Kangaroos in the back garden and parrots in the trees are common here, it's so different to what we are used to. There is such a variety of wildlife here, and the house is "in the sticks", everything seems untouched and is basically the outback. We are going to get the most out of our time here!

We have plans to visit Melbourne when we return to Sydney, but it depends on whether or not our car is ready, as it's still being repaired after the accident. Will post some photos on Facebook and a few on here later on.

My Grandfather

2008-12-05T20:59:00.000-08:00

We received the sad news today that my grandfather, John Ramsay, passed away last night (8pm 5th Dec GMT) peacefully in hospital with all the family at his bedside. He was 83. He was suffering from all sorts of illnesses, and had suffered a number of strokes beforehand. But even up to the final few moments of his life, he was able to recognise people and know their names. This to me is a miracle considering the many strokes that he had. I have a hope that he knew God during these last few days.

My grandfather worked hard all his life, a farmer for 50 odd years, a loving devoted husband, a great father to two children, and an amazing step father to my mum and uncle in Perth. He was dearly loved, and it's hard to say goodbye.

He had an amazing spirit, a real fighter. He never complained about being ill, even after all his strokes, heart attack, amputations etc. He overlooked all his hardship and enjoyed the company of others, smiling when it would be easier to sulk. It's a good example for everyone. He made these positive choices in the darkest situations and painful moments of his life.

My grief is not only for him, but also for my gran, who has now had to endure the lost of two husbands. She is an incredible woman. We love you gran.

We have many happy memories of being with him, going on holidays and trips, and wonderful pictures from our wedding etc to remember my grandfather by, and all we can do now is put our trust in Jesus' salvation. We will miss him greatly, and surrender him to the loving care of our Lord.

We love you grandad.

Nothing compares

2008-12-05T20:08:00.000-08:00

It's the start of the summer break, but it's not been an easy one. Last Saturday night I was involved in a hit and run accident, which I escaped from unscathed, but unfortunately the car wasn't as fortunate. Thankfully Eilidh was not in the car at the time. The pickup in the inside lane slid and spun out into my lane only a couple of meters infront of me ( I think he aqua plained as there was torrential rain at the time) and I had no where to go. His truck's rear side collided with my drivers front and the car went under his truck, which swiped up the bonnet and thankfully missed the windscreen. Damage was done to the front and drivers side only. I had to clamber out the passenger side as the driver door was jammed shut. I expected to see the pickup stopped at the other side when I got out, but he decided to make a runner. This is an annoyance we could have done without, especially with there not being a second party to charge with the offense. Dealing with an insurance company is not what I had planned for the start of the holiday. The last month has been a difficult time, with feeling homesick at some stages, and trying to find permanent work and a home. It may be a test...however, everyday is a test when you think about it.

I was thinking over the last five months, and all that has happened - the blessings and the sorrows. Moving to the otherside of the world, and to Sydney, may seem glamourous to some, with the imagination of visiting wonderful places and experiencing "no worries". This isn't the mindset we had when leaving Aberdeen. We knew for sure that along with the excitement, there would be lots of trials and tests along the way. We knew that these would come because we were following God's will. This adventure was never going to be free - there must be a cost - and we knew the cost would probably go beyond being away from family and friends.

As I said, we are incredibly blessed - We have been blessed by the kindness of the family we stay with, by the church we attend, the car we were able to buy, Eilidh's regular casual work at school, my successful completion of my first semester and exam.

In these five months however, we have had to deal with the lost of three loved ones (one of which I will write about in my next post), and being far from family and friends has made these times particularly trying. We have had the disappointments of having a rental property and then having to pull out and fight for our money. We've obviously just had this car accident. There are other things I could mention. Through all of these difficulties however, we remain confident in the One who has started the work in us, that he will complete it. We have really appreciated your prayers and messages, and it's been great to speak to people on Skype.

We still remain positive and trusting God along this challenging journey, we know His purpose is greater and that we are being sharpened and stretched. We look forward to our holiday with my uncle in Perth WA, and just seeking God more, being recharged and refreshed for next year.

"Nothing compares to the greatness of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ"

Semester ending

2008-11-19T02:09:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe I'm writing this - I only have one more week until the end of my first semester! How time has flown by! I can look forward to the Christmas break now, as I have successfully completed all the assignments and got a high mark in my end of term exam, so I'm pleased to have that all done.

Eilidh will have a further three weeks before she is on holiday. She got word this week that she is entitled to a pay rise, which is great! It will also be back dated for the last three months, so the extra money is coming at a good time of year for us :)

We are heading to my uncle's in Perth in a month's time, and funnily enough, he is in Scotland as I write this, but he has promised to be back in time :) We also have Ross Johnson from Aberdeen coming over to Sydney, so will be good to catch up with him before we leave for Perth.

We are really hoping and praying that the rental market will be more favourable over the 'summer", as we are desperate to get a place closer to Hillsong. We saw on the news that rental prices are going to rise sharply next year, so just trusting that God has the right place in store for us.

We were at a church meeting this week and met someone from Scotland there - we asked where she was from, and she said Dunfermline! It's a small world :) She is teaching over here, so its another good contact for us, Eilidh especially, as they can share teacher stories.

Anyways, I need to head off, will write again soon! Thanks for your support and messages. Miss you guys!

Mens Conference and 25th Anniversary

2008-11-06T22:10:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was probably one of the best weekends that we've had since being here. Firstly, I was at the Men's Conference, with speakers Perry Noble and Mal Fletcher. Robert Fergusson and Brian Houston also spoke. It was great to be in church with all the men, being encouraged and refreshed - a great weekend with great teaching over the Friday and Saturday. Eilidh met with her girlfriends while I was away, and then we watched a film at night.

On Sunday, Hillsong celebrated 25 years of being a church. The morning service was amazing. It was a strange moment for me - I was feeling a bit emotional during the service as I watched clips from the past, sung songs through the years and listened to Brian. I've only been here four months, but It felt like I'd been there longer - I felt very honoured to be there to celebrate. As I say, I was shocked by the emotions that I felt, just overtaken by God's goodness to the church. It was a special moment and one I'll remember for years to come.

Hillsong sung some of their old songs, it was great! They should do them more often. My Redeemer lives, Shout to the Lord, Your Light, Everyday, Touching heaven Changing earth and many more. It was a powerful time of Praise and Worship, and also so much fun!

In the evening the church went down to Darling Harbour and held an outdoor service. Around 15,000 people gathered to worship God at the heart of the city. It was awesome.

College and teaching are going well. Eilidh still has plenty of work available, and I'm nearing the end of my first semester. I had an exam this week which went well, and so really looking forward to Christmas as we are going to both Perth and Melbourne.

It's wild!

2008-10-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

(Yawn) I'm up far too early today, and after a late night last night at a concert, my eyes are rather red. I'm up early for worship practice for chapel today - 7.15am start, which means I need to leave the house no later than 6.30am. The weather is shocking today, more like Scotland - rain, heavy rain. I'm sure there will be a few aqua plaining cars today!

So I'm now finished chapel practice, and sitting in Gloria Jeans waiting for my class to start at 10am today. So I thought I'd bring everyone up to date on whats been happening recently.

Well, last night Eilidh and I went with some college friends to the Passion World Tour, to hear Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. We had a fantastic night with 8000 other Jesus lovers, as we sung with all we had, losing our voices and having sore calf muscles from jumping. Louie preached on Grace, and we were reminded again of just the "wow" factor of Grace. I can't even put it into words on here, but we have received a gift so undeserved, no matter our past or present situations, no matter our mistakes, the love of God still reaches out to us. This world is so used to having to pay for things, that anything free offered to them raises suspicion or a question about what's in it for someone else. Those who don't know God are not aware of this wow factor, that Grace is for them and that God's love is for them and that he longs to have a deep friendship with them, taking away the guilt and past mistakes that we couldn't rescue ourselves from. Some people think they are way past the point of forgiveness, that the mistakes they have made are too huge. God's grace is enough. We cannot fathom just how large and deep the grace of God is. But we say yes to God, believing and receiving life that is so much better than we could ever hope or imagine, knowing that we'll spend eternity with him.

That of course doesn't mean that we won't be faced with trials or hardship in this life, but we have the security and comfort in knowing that Jesus is with us forever. Hillsong have been writing some new material, and here is the lyrics for one of the songs, which explains just how great eternity will be - no weeping, no hurt or pain, He holds us, and his grace is enough.

"On that day when I see, all that you have for me

When I see You face to face, there surrounded by your grace

All my fears swept away, in the light of your embrace

Where your love is all I need and forever I am free

Where the streets are made of gold, In Your presence healed and whole

Let the songs of heaven rise to you alone

No weeping, no hurt or pain

You hold me now, You hold me now

No darkness, no sick or lame

No hiding, You hold me now, You hold me now

In this life I will stand, through my joy and my pain

Knowing there's a greater day, there's a hope that never fails

Where Your name is lifted high and forever praises rise

For the gory of Your name, I'm believing for the day

Where the wars and violence cease, all creation lives in peace

Let the songs of heaven rise to You alone

No weeping, no hurt or pain

You hold me now, You hold me now

No darkness, no sick or lame

No hiding, You hold me now, You hold me now

For eternity, all my heart will give, all the glory to Your name"

Amazing truth.

What else has been happening? Well we celebrated Eilidh's birthday, although she wasn't very well. We spent the day in Sydney, shopping for clothes etc. Stayed in a cool hotel overlooking the opera house. We then had a lunch with the family we stay with on the Sunday, it was really great.

Eilidh has two weeks left of her seven week block of work at the local school, will then go back to do supply work. She has been helping teach kids how to swim the last week or so, and so class is a bit different than usual.

College is going fine. Lots of assessments, all of which have been handed in, and so I'm pleased that I'm not behind with the schedule. I think I have eight more before the end of the semester in December.

Next week Hillsong celebrates being 25 years old, and so have booked Darling Harbour and are having an outdoor celebration - its gonna be wild!

We have booked our flights for going to Perth at Christmas to spend it with my Uncle and family, really looking forward to going and spending Christmas Day in a swimming pool with the BBQ on!

Anyways, I have to head off to class, sorry for the lack of update recently, will try harder! :)

The inner feeling - Doh!

2008-09-28T06:23:00.005-07:00

I'm sure we've all experienced the inner feeling of dread and despair....the feeling like when you drive into the back of another car, or are at a friends home and you drop a treasured ornament of theirs, or when you are playing sport and you injure someone badly with a poor tackle or misplaced drive. It's a feeling that points the finger at yourself, where the blame solely lies with you. It's a feeling that gives you no time to take it captive...it's so sudden and....just so horrible :) It's funny how, as human beings, that we are never immune to that feeling. It arises frequently as a child (I'm sure it did for Michael anyway!), when you are caught doing something you knew you shouldn't have been. But adults are not immune! Well that Homer Simpson moment of "Doh!!!" visited the Robertson's on Friday morning.

Eilidh's sister got married this weekend in New Zealand, and so Eilidh was excited to go, had all her gear ready (in one small bag I might add, a minor miracle!). For some reason Eilidh decided to book the 7am flight which meant that we had to leave the house at 4am to get to the airport in time (You have to be there two hours prior to your flight).

Since we had to be up just after 3am for a 4am departure, we decided that there was no point going to bed, so we watched a film together, and then I was on Skype to Michael for a while. By this point it was 2.30 am. Eilidh was half asleep but had her alarm set, so I decided to shut my eyes for a while. You can guess what happened next. No alarm call. The next time our eyes saw daylight was 6.45 am. Fifteen minutes before the plane took off!........and there it was, that feeling.

So panic stations all round.

To cut a long story short, and after prayers on the motorway, we arrived at the airport at 8.30 (a miracle in the rush hour traffic), and the Air NZ staff were so impressive, they were so helpful. They put Eilidh on the next flight, which had already boarded by the time we got everything sorted out, and so she got personal assistance, and there were no charges or fees for missing the flight and transferring. So Eilidh got there in the end, and is currently still in New Zealand. She arrives home on Monday, and I've warned her not to sleep in! :)

"We do not have a God who is unable to sympathise with our weakness...so let us approach him with confidence, so that we may find grace to help us in our time of need" Hebrews 4 v15.

It's Spring!

2008-09-20T00:07:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since our last post so here's an update. Eilidh is currently working at a primary school near Penrith ( where we are staying just now). Its been her first of seven weeks there. She only has one week to go before the two week term break. She is then jetting off to New Zealand to attend her sister's wedding, so thats really cool. Unfortunately we can't afford for both of us to go, so I'll probably have a weekend of visiting some more of Sydney, and may take a drive to Canberra or Newcastle.

We have visited the Blue Mountains, which are named that because of the ocean of blue created by the Eucalyptus trees covering the valley. The pictures are on our facebook page. It's a spectacular place.

It's September now, which means we are now in Spring, and not Autumn, which takes a while to get your head round. The temperatures are rising now, and it reached 28 degree's last week and is due to hit 31 degree's this weekend. Our Scottish skin will be out in force, with the precautions of course - slip (on a top), slap (on a hat) and slop (on the suncream)!

This week at church we have Ed and Lisa Young from Dallas, who have been doing two-two day conferences at Hillsong on relationships, so that has been excellent, very thought provoking and also very comical. Taking our relationships to a "Holy, nuther, level!"

We are loving being here, but do miss some things (other than friends and family). I'm missing British tv, especially shows like Match of the Day and Top Gear. Australia has very poor links with the outside world of sport :) They are not showing any of the Ryder Cup which is a pain, and have no Formula One showing just now either. I try and keep up to date with things on the BBC website. We also miss the taste of a Dairy Milk bar. My mum sent us some, as did Eilidh's sister Cat, which we were very thankful for, even although they arrived in liquid form :)

We have yet to have our first experience of the friendly spiders here, the Funnelweb and the Redback. We have however had an attack of ants last week. We went into our closet and found ants all over our clothes, and so a killing spree took place of mammoth proportions, no ant spared, Mr Dyson coming in handy too :) They also have crazy wasps here that attack you you. The answer? Torch them with 2000 degrees of heat, thats Mr La Greca's method (the man we stay with).

I can hear the frogs and other creatures of the night calling out in the back yard, it's a great sound, but means it's way past my bed time.

Eilidh is finally authoring a blog!!!!!

2008-08-27T03:22:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, I figured it was high time I actually filled folk in on what I was doing. I'm not really the blog type but will give it a go as I'm sure some of you may want to know what I am up to. I am now fully qualified to teach in NSW after completing a 12 day pre-employment programme. I had been praying for several things before we came out to Oz. One was that I'd be placed in a good school for my teaching placement and with supportive staff and lovely, cooperative children. I also had been praying for God to provide me with a friend that I'd be able to get on really well with and someone to pray with and have a laugh with. Well, as always, God has been such a faithful friend and provider. I managed to complete my pre-employment programme and got a great report from the school, then in my interview the DET (Dept of Education and Training) said he was going to recommend me as Excellent and not just Satisfactory! The kids were so perfect that I had to teach and I even see some of them from time to time at the store and they run up and chat and hug me. I was really so blessed during my time at Glenmore Park Public School and praise God for giving me such a fantastic experience. I have since had work every day since I started Casual teaching and am enjoying it so far. Lots of exciting new things to learn! Lots of awesome kids to meet and be blessed by! (I'm praying against the ones that don't bless!!!!)

It was funny because I always get the kids to guess where I'm from and some of the little ones have suggested places like China and Korea! Lol. So cute. A little worrying. But very cute.

My other prayer for a friend I could identify with and have a laugh with and be able to pray with? Well I was introduced to Andrea through Jennifer Jones' sister Ashley. Andrea is a primary school teacher who has been teaching the same length of time as me and is from Ireland. She is over at Hillsong for a working holiday and we just kinda hit it off as we had the teaching thing in common. However as we hung out together more we have really become good friends. She has been so important and such a blessing to me and a comfort too. We have spent days organising our resumes and praying over the schools we would hand them in to. We have spent days driving around the schools and handing in our resumes. We have prayed and just had fun and even worshipped while cruising around Bella Vista! She's just a great girl and I know God has brought us both into each other's lives to be a support and friend. We began praying for a job at the same school and today we got a couple of days at the same school. It was so comforting knowing that I wasn't alone doing subbing but that I had a familiar, friendly face in the staffroom and one that had Jesus shining out of it too! Awesome stuff. I will keep you posted on further developments and when God answers our prayers fully and gives us work in a school full time together!

Other than that, I am a happy lady and enjoying the adventure of being at Hillsong. It is awesome and I'm loving Hillsong women and all the stuff the place has to offer and I even went to college with Simon one day! Now that was fun! :)

Lots of love to you all. You guys are awesome and we love you. xx

How old?!

2008-08-26T20:30:00.001-07:00

I would never have thought that I'd ever celebrate a birthday in Sydney, Australia. God is amazing! I had a great day, my college mates were so great, they gave me a cake and a few goodies which was awesome. They had the whole Gloria Jeans coffee shop singing "Happy Birthday"! It was really thoughtful of them. I had a lovely meal in the evening with Eilidh and the family that we are staying with. So was an enjoyable day all round - the weather was great too!

Just wanted to say thank you to all who sent cards, left messages on Facebook etc, for gifts and money. I really appreciate your kindness and thoughts. I miss all my friends, but glad that technology allows us to stay in touch pretty easily. We are having a great adventure, and hope one day that some of you can come and experience it with us.

By the way, you need to multiply the number of candles by seven ;)

Aussie kids watch out!

2008-08-20T23:09:00.000-07:00

After a 10 day placement and an interview, Eilidh is now officially a NSW primary school teacher! :) She did extremely well, and has her first day as a supply teacher this week, which is great! She has been busy going round schools in the area handing in her cv and making contacts which has paid off as her phone has been ringing frequently for school work. Will be bizarre getting a NSW pay cheque!

What an absolute "air" con!

2008-08-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I guess I better update you on the property situation. I posted earlier that we had been successful in finding a rental property, the same day that we got our car. Well there is a whole other story to it. But basically we were almost at a rental tribunal....that would have been interesting! You know, being in Oz for a matter of weeks, and almost in the court of law already! When we got the keys and signed the lease we had to do an inspection report. The estate agents brochure for the property said it was newly painted and had air conditioning. On further inspection we found that it didn't have air conditioning (seriously, a pair o peelie wallie scots needs air con in Australian summers!) and there were other things which did not match the advert. We were really only concerned about the air con, so we went back and complained to the agency. They basically denied being at fault, came up with all sorts of excuses. Long story short is we got all our money back and out of the contract after calling the Department of Fair Trading etc, and with help from our Boersma buddies. We are grateful to God for helping us out of sticky and unpleasant situation. So we are still looking for a place for ourselves, however we are staying in a beautiful home in Penrith with friends (a 40 minute drive from college). The LaGrecas have been amazing to us, and has been good to be part of the family for a while. As you can see from the picture above, its not a bad wee place! :)

"In Another Land" - Joe Zickafoose

2008-08-14T05:50:00.000-07:00

It is with deep sadness, but after the tears, joy, that we remember our friend Joe Zickafoose, who passed away this week after undergoing treatment for cancer. We received the heartbreaking news on Tuesday evening. It's hard to know why, or to answer all the questions that circulate in our minds, but we are comforted by knowing that Joe is now experiencing life in heaven with Our Father, with no pain or trouble, and has heard the words "well done". Joe was a sensational human being...infact when Eilidh and I first met him we truly thought he was an angel! God's face shone upon him and through him. His beaming smile was amazing, and more so was his actions in word and deed. He always had time for others, was able to comfort in the hardest of situations, able to answer the most challenging questions and love with a giant heart. He served God with all of his being, and preached the Word with such precision and clarity - you never wanted one of his sermons to end, such knowledge and wisdom flowed out of him.

He loved his music and was an amazing musician, loved his guitars. It was great to play alongside him, knowing that he'd pull out a great lick or riff at the nod of a head. He was a real "muso", who could make a guitar sing.

Affectionately known as "The Foose", our friend impacted our lives in so many ways, and it's hard knowing that he'll no longer be on the end of a phone or email, or we won't hear his great laugh, but we feel very honoured to have had him in our lives.

We daily think about Joe, and his wife Jayne, and boys John and Andy who have been so strong throughout this difficult time. Please pray for the family.

It just leaves me to say:

Friend, thank you so much for who you were on this earth, the endless time you spent in our lives, and the good things you poured into us. We are forever grateful, and will miss you terribly. We love you and will never forget you, knowing joyfully that we'll see you again "in Another Land."

ONE80TC

2008-08-06T00:26:00.000-07:00

As part of my course, away from the lectures and the tutorials, I have placements in "Church Life" and "Fieldwork". As already said, I'll be helping with worship at the Asian extension service for the semester for "Church Life". My fieldwork will be with One80TC, which is Teen Challenge in Sydney. I see it as a God thing as I helped out a little with the music for Teen Challenge graduations in Scotland, and a few years back used to go to the Scottish TC and meet the guys on a Saturday morning. These were sometimes stretching but enjoyable times, the guys were really hungry for God and found great encouragement with meeting with them. Some of the most intimate worship times I've been involved in was with these guys in a small room at Fyvie TC. So I'm excited to be part of the process which see's lives turned around from addiction, and humbled that I'd be asked to be part of it. It's all about Him!

School and School

2008-08-01T06:26:00.000-07:00

This week we have both been busy at school, with Eilidh starting her pre employment program and placement at a local school. The school has around 700 kids, and she has been made welcome by the friendly teachers and new class. There are obviously some differences in culture, but on the whole she is enjoying getting her teeth into teaching again. Her placement lasts 10 days, and then she'll be able to apply for cover work.

Bible college has been extremely busy, the intensive week is finished now. At the start of the week I had an audition for the worship team, which went great, and I'll be serving in a team throughout the semester. The worship team is around 1000 strong for 35 services a weekend. Next week we begin tutorials and the timetable has little room to take a breath. As part of the course all students have to serve in two weekend services, and attend another. During the week we have Fieldwork, which we are assessed on throughout the semester. So I found out that I'll be serving in the worship team for the Asian extension service, and my fieldwork will take place at the Teen Challenge centre in Sydney - called ONE80TC. I'm looking forward to both, as I've been involved before with leading worship at Teen challenge meetings in Scotland (Teen challenge in Scotland attend Aberdeen AOG each Sunday too), and have had some great Asian friends over the year. It will be challenging, but I'm looking forward to being stretched and trust that I'll see God do great things and that people's lives will be turned around.

With being in school fulltime, we both have little time to look for property, we find that most viewings for property are during the day when we're not available. So we pray that God would provide a home for us soon.

So we are busy and quite tired most nights, but also enjoying life here, and we have a great peace inside as we know we are in the will of God.

My serving at the Asian services will take place every Saturday evening, so I'm starting tomorrow, so will see how it goes :)

Study begins!

2008-07-24T04:32:00.000-07:00

This week I started studies at Hillsong Bible college, along with another 700 or so students. There are students from all over the world, a high percentage (around 70%) of them being from America. I've got to know folks from Australia, South Africa, Korea, Switzerland, Sweden and New Zealand. Obviously being the first week of study it will take time to get to know everyone better.

The first few days were spent going through enrolment and orientation, the do's and don'ts and general information.

We then started our main classes. Every day we have what they call Chapel. It's basically a time of worship with a twenty minute word given by one of the lecturers. Sometimes Chapel is first thing in the morning, 830am, or later in the day. The first subjects that we are covering are worship culture, servant leadership and teamwork. We also have tutorials, where we are in smaller groups of 25 and we can have discussion on topics but also practically outwork what we have been studying or preparing.

As I am part of the worship and creative arts stream (WACA) I have the opportunity to serve in the choir in chapel, but also in the main Sunday services. They like students to get involved asap, and so I look forward to having the opportunity. Also, as a student and as part of our course we have to serve in at least two weekend services each week. This could be in any ministry in the church, such as welcome team, stage management, information desk, coffee makers etc etc. They have over 100 ministries, 35 meetings a weekend over 7-10 different locations ( Spanish, Chinese speaking services too).

So it's going to be an extremely busy time and full on schedule for each student, but I'm looking forward to getting stuck in and serving.

Eilidh begins her pre employment course next week, so she has been busy reading up on Australian school culture and curriculum this week. I think she is looking forward to getting started. She has a placement over three weeks, so it will be around the end of August before she can apply for a full-time position.

Will keep you updated! Thanks for all your prayers, messages of support and encouragement!

Second wedding anniversary

2008-07-15T00:48:00.000-07:00

We would never have thought two years ago that we'd be spending it here!

Car and home!

2008-07-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update. We have great news! When we woke on Monday, we had to get a car as our rental car was due back on Tuesday. After many visits to car yards we found a great deal on a car - we are again so thankful to God for providing for us, we are so pleased that we found a good car for a small amount of money. It doesn't stop there though! Just as I was buying the car, our phone rang and it was the Estate agent to say that we had been successful in our application for a property! We couldn't believe it as rental properties are so hard to get....again God is so good. So we can really enjoy our anniversary withouth worrying about not having a car or a place to stay long term. We'll post address etc soon. Thanks for your prayers! Eilidh is especially excited that it has a swimming pool too!

Hillsong church - our first Sunday

2008-07-14T03:59:00.000-07:00

I love Sundays! This Sunday (13th) was our first Sunday attending our new church, Hillsong, and we really had a great day. We didn't really know what to expect, and I guess we were pleasantly surprised at how down to earth it all was, and relieved that we won't "get lost" in a church that size. The auditorium is not as large as you'd think (they also run multiple services), so you are only in contact with 4.000 people a service. The worship time was a great offering to God, and as you'd expect from Hillsong, the music was note perfect, with time made for personal and spontaneous worship. Darlene Zschech led excellently, I have to say that she has such humility and there is no flashy, self-seeking leaders there. Some songs were hard to get hold of at first, and that could be frustrating, but after the day was out, you catch yourself singing them and heading to the cd store to buy them!
You hear lots of opinions from people about Hillsong church, but you really need to go to see for yourself at how normal, but passionate, that they are. I felt very refreshed after it, and we are looking forward to being involved in the church in the months ahead.
Hillsong have so many resources and ministries. We went along to the welcome lounge ( for newcomers) after the morning meeting and met some people to get connected and give our details for a home group.
We have been impressed by Brian Houston and how he communicates, his heart and love for God is so apparent. We are still waiting to hear him preach, as this weekend he introduced Paul de Jong and Mike Pivilachi who spoke in the morning and evening. We'll have to wait till next Sunday for that!
Again, I'll post pictures soon!

One long week

2008-07-14T03:47:00.000-07:00

Apart from attending the Hillsong conference on three nights, Eilidh and I have been flat out looking for property and a car. Rental properties are really difficult to come by ( a good rental property that is!) because of the rising costs, and so we have been limited to what we can get because of the higher rent. We have visited countless properties during the week, and have really only found two that we like, and so are applying for them. The visits are open homes, so there are countless people looking at them, so there is so much competition - we are so glad that we can rely on God as we search the market. It has been frustrating at times, but we are trusting God as we know He didn't bring us to the other side of the world to make us homeless! We know he has great things in store.
Along with the property search we have been at a dozen or so car yards searching for a suitable car which is reliable and cheap - and on our budget thats hard to find too! But again, we know that God knows our needs, and He knows that our rental car is due back on the 15th July!
We have been staying with a great family called the Lagreca's, who are friends of the Boersmas. They have been so kind and helpful, and we can stay with them until we find our own permanent home. They have a HUGE house, and there are currently eleven people staying! So we are thankful for great friends, and look forward to what's going to happen. Will keep you posted.

Hillsong conference

2008-07-14T03:28:00.000-07:00

Our first week in Sydney is over, and it has been great to attend some of the evening rallies in the ACER Arena ( The arena used in the Olympics) for the Hillsong conference. I couldn't tell you how many people were there, but I'd say in the region of 35,000 people each night. It was a fantastic time, with great worship times and powerful deliverence of God's word. We heard Joyce Meyer, Mike Pivilachi, and Robert something or other speak on the nights we were there, with worship led by the Hillsong team - Darlene Z, Marty Sampson, Reuben Morgan, Brooke Fraser, Joel Houston - along with Israel Houghton and Michael Gungor. It gave us an introduction to the heart and vision of Hillsong church, and we look forward to our first Sunday at Hillsong!

Planes, trains...and chicken salt

2008-07-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

So we have finally arrived in Australia after 26 hours of flying! The journey was long and quite tiring ( we don't sleep well on planes) but was really good to visit Dubai and Bangkok if only for a short time en route. Emirates were excellent, the food on board was fine, we each had our own tv screen (watched around eight movies) and all our baggage arrived in Sydney - including my guitar, all in one piece - Praise God! We had little turbulence while in the air, and all take offs and landings were fine although Sydney has a very short landing strip right next to the water!

Dubai was a good experience. We landed there after midnight local time, and immediately hit by 33 degrees! Was bizarre - we burst out laughing coming out the airport as we are used to 5 or 6 degrees at that time of night! There was so much hustle and bustle, the different culture was fascinating.

After Dubai we had a little stop in Bangkok, only for an hour, so didn't get out the airport.

After another ten hour flight we landed in Sydney. We saw the sun rise just before landing - was stunning. We landed at 745 am, and were thinking that we'd have a long wait at the airport as they would be checking our visa and asking questions. We were so happy and surprised when we got rig

ht through customs in five minutes, and our baggage- all of it- was waiting for us.

We got a taxi to the hotel, and then slept for almost eleven hours. We went out in the evening, around 11pm, and got on a train - double decker trains - straight to the Opera house.

Wow, what a building! It is such a great place

with plenty of restaurants, music and coffee houses beside it. A real cosmopolitan feel. The view is beautiful, you have to visit! We obviously are still trying to get our bearings, s

o after a few hours we headed back to the hotel. We first went to KFC for some food as we were starving, and our fries tasted a bit different. Now I've

heard of chicken flavoured crisps, chicken soup, chicken fried rice...but chicken salt?? I have to say I prefer the good old plain salt!

The most ultimate test of Australian food would be the chocolate test. Would an Australian Dairy Milk bar overcome the British bar. And the winner is........British by a mile. We miss chocolate....and our family and friends of course! The chocolate is poor, poor, poor. Send us some chocolate that we can take delight in! Even Turkish! :)

So we are here and really enjoying it. We're about to head out to Darling harbour now. Catch you later!

Our work and studying

2008-06-15T12:48:00.000-07:00

We will have a few weeks to familiarise ourselves with Sydney, and the Hills area, before we start work and study. Within this time we need to find our own accommodation and a car. We have been kindly invited to stay with friends of Steven and Fiona for the first week or so until we find something.

Eilidh will be starting a pre-employment program which all teachers have to complete, before she can begin teaching in Sydney. This will start at the end of July and will last three weeks, then the job hunting will begin, so we'd appreciate your prayers for Eilidh as she prepares, proceeds, and performs on the program ( thats a three P prayer!) We also pray that Eilidh would find favour with the interviewers for schools etc, and that she'd find the right school to work in.

I begin studying at Hillsong a week before Eilidh begins the pre employment program. I have a week of matriculation and introductions before the full-time studying begins. I'll be studying the Worship and Creative Arts course. I'm looking forward to getting my teeth into the subjects, and even although I have experience in some of them, will be good to sharpen them and perhaps get a different perspective on some areas. Here is a little breakdown of just some of the subjects I'll be studying in my first year.

- Old Testament Introduction - New Testament Introduction - Christian Doctrine - Spirit-Filled Living - Personal Leadership - Personal Evangelism - Teamwork - Communication in Ministry - Church and Ministry - Conference Service - Introduction to Worship Ministry - Songwriting 1 - Musicianship 1 - Worship Excellence 1 - Worship Band - Pastoral Care

Includes 240 hours of practical ministry work experience.

Our new home...wowsers

2008-06-05T15:38:00.000-07:00

Ok, since we've never been to Sydney before, and the chances are that you've never been, I thought that a little information may be helpful as way of introduction to our new home for the coming years.

Sydney is situated in New South Wales, which is in the South East of Australia.

Sydney is the most populous city in Australia, with a metropolitan population of around 4.28 million, that compared to Aberdeen's 202 thousand - thats going to be a major shock to the system. It's the state capital of New South Wales, and the site of the first British colony in Australia, established in 1788. That's fortunate for us as we get a few perks that other nationalities don't, such as help with medical bills. God Bless James Cook. We'll need all the perks as Sydney is Australia's most expensive city, and ranks 21st most expensive in the world, so just as well we have lots of money... not. I'm not sure where Aberdeen ranks worldwide, but I do know that outside London, Aberdeen is the wealthiest city in the UK.

Weather wise, its vastly different from Scotland, doesn't take a genius to work that out. Sydney has an average of 47 inches of rainfall and high temperature of 25 degrees, compared to the 120 inches and 18 degrees that we have been raised in!

We'll be living in the Baulkham Hills area of Sydney, a suburb to the north west of the city. It's around 40 minutes from the city centre. So please pray that we find good accommodation - we'll be looking for a place pretty much straight away. Will let you know our address when we have one!

What else can I say about Australia?

Well, a baby kangaroo at the time of its birth measures 2 centimetres. Kangaroos need very little water to survive and are capable of going for months without drinking at all. When they do need water, they dig 'wells' for themselves; frequently going as deep as three or four feet. These 'kangaroo pits' are a common source of water for other animals living in the kangaroo's environment. A kangaroo being chased by a dog may jump into a dam. If the dog gives chase, the kangaroo may turn towards the dog, then use its paws to push the dogs head underwater in order to drown it. Sorry you dog lovers!

Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards, and are on the Australian coat of arms for that reason.

The Sydney Funnelweb spider is considered the world's most deadly spider. It is the only spider that has killed people in less than 2 hours. Its fangs are powerful enough to bite through gloves and fingernails. The only animals without immunity to the funnelweb's venom are humans and monkeys.

Long fence - The 'dingo fence' in Australia is the longest fence in the world, and is about twice as long as the Great Wall of China.

With less than 1 percent of the world's population, Australia has more than 20 percent of its poker machines

For each person in Australia there are two sheep and over 16 rabbits, the latter introduced in 1859 by one enterprising man who brought 24 wild rabbits from England in an effort to remind him of home

So there you go, an interesting place!