Greetings to
friends and whānau – family as Advent rolls in and Christmas beckons,
another year nearly done and dusted.
Settling
in and Moving Around
This
year as the impact of the last few years “stay near home” dynamic has eased, we
have been able to move around a bit more. We had a great start to the year with
a “house swap” with my brother and sister in law (Scott and Liz) which saw us
enjoy the delights of Wellington,
including catching up with a few friends and ranging as far as the Wairarapa.
We had a bit of a cross over with Scott and Liz when we got back in January, and it was a great opportunity to lay my mother Alison’s ashes to rest, including a new plaque that remembered her and my sister Jenny (who died in 2012)
Not
long after this we made the big shift to a new (slightly larger) property
literally on the other side of the hill, where we have been gradually settling
in as the year has progressed. It was a little hard for me to leave “The
Carsonage” and to start again on some of the basics that make a place more
liveable (wall insulation, double glazing etc), but we are starting to make
some progress. It was great to be able to invite friends and family to a house
blessing on March 4, and (in true Andrew style!) a brief video including this and other
highlights from the first few months ensued.
Marty
began a job of 0.8 Chaplain at Dunedin Hospital in February and has been
juggling this with some restorative justice work. It’s a job that has its various
existential challenges, but he has also been doing a part time chaplaincy
papers via Otago University, which has been helpful to reflect more deeply on
this rather unique role.
Otherwise
Bound
We’ve been trying to count how many visitors we have had to
say at the new place… and its more than 20 people, so the extra space is well
used.
Gainfully Employed
Work continues much the same as last year in many ways, with
saying goodbye to two little country churches in Balfour
and Middlemarch, but also enjoying
some welcomes and new beginnings in various places. Our most recent visit was
to the little church of St Alban the
Martyr in St Bathans – a real joy to see it packed out with people enjoying
the first Christmas service for 2023.
I
continue to be so grateful for good health (never taken for granted), the love
and friendship of Marty and of all those who we have the privilege of having in
our lives in some way. In a time of political change (in NZ), of unrest and the
brutality of war in other parts of the globe, I continue to be reminded that
Love really is the only solution to all that seeks to tear things apart. We are
planning to head back towards Scotland, England and Wales in June 2024.
I wish all of you the peace, joy and love of Christmas that can follow you into 2024.
Arohanui, Andrew