A Farewell Post

Hello from beautiful Cairns! (now that’s a good way to start a farewell post…)

Actually, my mind is a bit blank right now. I wanted to write this brilliant farewell post…but we said lots of goodbyes already and we’ve moved on. And as much as there was trepidation and quite bit of stress in the days and weeks before we left it actually all feels quite normal. It feels right. A bit of a deja-vu for me too. I’ve done it all before, the whole moving-country-thing. Just now there’s a husband and a baby. And A LOT more stuff. We ended up schlepping about 90kilos onto the plane (and that is not including the car seat and the pram)!! Yes, rather ridiculous but hey, we’re moving country and I’m learning that there are indeed very few impossibilities.

It all feeling quite normal doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt. The last two and a half years in Albany were among the best of my life and I really mean that. I experienced a welcome and acceptance like I never have before!
 I arrived in Perth in October 2009 with a suitcase, about four cardboard boxes and an engagement ring.
A few days into my stay Bruce’s family in Perth organised a little get-together bbq to officially welcome me into the family! Of course I was a little embarrassed but it meant a lot to me.
A few weeks into my stay in Albany a dear sister-in law organised a secret kitchen-tea party for me. One night, without having the slightest clue, I entered a room full of ladies, young and old, from the Albany congregation and each had a little gift and card to help set up a house/kitchen. Of course I didn’t know what to do with myself and I’m rather helpless in situations like these. But it meant so much to me.
When we had our baby girl we were showered with love and meals and gifts and I couldn’t get over the fact of how much people shared in our joy!
Last week, some friends organised a farewell coffee social after church. So many people wishing us God’s blessing once again opened my eyes to just how much God cares for us and also to the beauty of the Communion of Saints and what it means to be part of the body of Christ.

I love the Communion of Saints. I love Albany, the mighty ocean, the magnificent beaches, the rocks… It is no small thing leaving all of this behind to settle into a new, completely different country and making new friends, being far away from family and familiarity. We all feel rather comfortable in familiarity and comfort...

A ploughman who looks back is useless though and so we’re looking ahead! Looking forward to new things, new adventures, new challenges, the tropics, looking forward to picking up our task with LCM. This adventure would not be possible without the Communion of Saints.

So, to everyone who ever gave us a smile, a kind word, cards, meals, gifts, practical help, financial support, good ideas, advice, and more –

THANK YOU!

P.S. I’ll write a bit more about Cairns later, there will be some pictures too J
On Monday we’re off to PNG! Very exciting!

Dina

PNG Update

Just one week until we fly out of here!! Wow, in some ways it has been a long time in coming and we are looking forward to finally making the big move and it also looms in front of us and we wonder how it will all go. We are very thankful to God how He has guided us in this venture so far. Trusting in God is a blessing but not necessarily a given – we continually pray for God’s help and guidance, that we continue to wait on Him alone and we cherish your prayers as well. We cannot do this in our own strength.

 As you may have been aware, one of the things we have been busy with is helping to create a support committee for us, expecially for when we are away. This committee is made up of friends and supporters from members of our churches from Albany and Perth. They have chosen to call themselves “Lae City Mission Connection”. Their broad aim is to promote the work of LCM; finding opportunities for our churches  and members to become involved by using our resources, skills and knowledge of mission work in a PNG context for the benefit and guidance of LCM. Their primary goal, at this stage, is their support of us as we take up a mangement position with LCM. They hope to help by keeping in contact with us, providing emotional support, taking over and managing our financial support, communicating within our churches and being ambassadors of LCM, escpecially while we are away. We are very thankful for their enthusiasm and help – you wouldn’t believe the amount of thought, effort and emails that have been circulating around lately!!  For spiritual guidance and support we aim to remain members of our local congregration here in Albany as well as becoming involved with the local mission church in Lae from our Churches here in Australia.

 A nice structure is very helpful and useful but we also need YOUR personal support and prayers.

 We will be living on the plantation, 11 miles out of Lae. At the moment a nice 3 bedroom kit home (~100 square metres I think) is being built. The plan was that it would be ready for us to move into when we arrive. However, things like this often take a bit longer than expected so we may have to live out on the streets for a few weeks.. No not that bad J, there are a couple alternatives. Here are a few photos taken a week or two ago. It is looking great so far.

Nicely surrounded by lush green vegetation in a peaceful surrounding, with commanding views across the valley (hmmmm, I think I have been reading too many real estate adverts but you get the picture!). I think we are waiting for a plumber and more painting to be done.

So this will be our last week here in Western Australia. I’m sure we’ll be busy doing those last minute things that need to be done, packing and saying our goodbyes - L. I think Dina wants to write a bit more on this later this week so I will leave it at that.

Our budget was discussed in detail last Friday night with our support committee, LCM Connection. A Financial Target for 2012/13 was finalised. If you would like to support us in our work please refer to the tabs at the top of this page and/or contact our Incoming treasurer, Renske Veltkamp rveltkam@jcsa.wa.edu.au. Please prayerfully consider this need.

Rock Climbing..

Well, there won’t be many baby photos in this post (but keep reading, I might put one in..) and not much about our upcoming move to Papua  New Guinea BECAUSE this is Bruce writing and I’m going to write about ROCKCLIMBING!! (you have been warned...)

Last week was a memorable event – we went rock climbing!! Now, if you know us fairly well you’d probably wonder what’s so special about that – that’s pretty old hat for us, right? Well, with our little cherub coming in on the scene last year some things were put on the backburner and one of them was rock climbing. This was the FIRST time we went climbing together in about a year and with our upcoming move to PNG on the horizon maybe the LAST time for a long, long time.

Needless to say we had a fantastic time. It was great to be out together with friends, on the rock, in the sun, near the relentless and awe-inspiring ocean; testing our strength (hmmm), our skills and rising up to the challenge in front of us.  

I also felt a twinge of nostalgia as I packed up my rock climbing gear, coiled my climbing rope and
stuffed it all into my smelly backpack (No, no bananas in the bottom this time). There are quite a few stories and memories wrapped up in there.

Did you know that one of the very first things I did with Dina, when she came to Australia, was to take her out rock climbing? She told me she had done some climbing before and liked it (I don’t think she told me that almost all of it was at indoor climbing gyms). Well, where do you take a girl that you are trying to impress climbing?

Here? Nah

Here? Nice but too small...

HERE!! West Cape Howe. 80m sea cliffs at the southern end of Western Australia.

Maybe you are shaking your head, but really it IS a fantastic place. These cliffs are awesome to visit. Definitely one of my favourite areas for climbing around here.

(I heard that taking your shirt off was THE mandatory way to impress chicks..)

We set up our ropes on an ‘easy’ climb and I dropped Dina over the edge of the cliff....

She WAS tied securely to a rope of course! My climbing buddy Travis looked at me questioningly  and was wondering if this was all part of some diabolical plot : If she keeps her head and climbs back up she’s a keeper, if she starts screaming, crying and carrying on, then run (ok, maybe pull her up first, we’re not that cruel).

Well diabolical plot or not Dina climbed out (quietly) and even said she thought it was fun and meant it too. Needless to say I was hopelessly in love...

and I still am.J

Princess No. Two.

Halfway There

We've been busy. And that is part of the reason why despite all good intentions it's been a while since I've last posted.
What we've mainly been busy with is raising support for our work in PNG which we will take up mid May. We've held a couple of information evenings, one here in Albany and two in Perth. While in Perth we were able to stay at one of Bruce's sister's house. Lillian got spoiled by lovely cousins and liked it very much to be carried around all the time.

It has been very encouraging to hear people's feedback and suggestions. It is a huge undertaking and the size of the project/task can sometime mount from big to massively daunting. And from massively daunting to really exciting. We are so thankful for all the people who are willing to share with us in this adventure and are helping us out financially or otherwise. At the time of writing we are a bit over half way there finance wise. We trust that we'll get there eventually.

I get nervous before the talks. I am not a great public speaker. But I get passionate about the cause while talking about it. We have such a unique and great opportunity to make a difference in people's lives. To show the love of God through meeting human needs. To invest in people. To pour our hearts out and turn from inward to outward.

I am an introvert and very much so. I have come a long way though. I used to absolutely dread talking to strangers. Public speaking would cause something pretty close to a panic attack to happen. The safest place seemed to be the inside of myself. Within my own little shell I felt safe. The world with all the many face and voices was a very scary place. My comfort zone was small and stepping out of it pure agony.
But I always knew that we're not meant to live within the inside. I knew that introversion was not an excuse to shut my eyes and focus inwardly (although reflection is not a bad thing in itself). It is not what I read about in God's Word. I read a lot about how God used introverted people for his purposes and for furthering His kingdom. And that is what I wanted to be involved in as well in whatever way that would be.
In 2004 I volunteered in a small organisation called "Chrischtehuesli" (Swiss German for something like 'Little house of Christians'). It's a place in the heart of Zurich where homeless people and drug/alcohol addicts are welcome, where they find a meal, someone to talk to and professional help if they wanted it. It was challenging but very rewarding volunteer work. While I was there I asked God why He had me work there. I felt He wanted me learn something. I felt He wanted to teach me about compassion. It was wayyyy out of my comfort zone but I don't remember any other phase in my life where I grew as quickly. It was a great time!

I still want to be compassionate. I think, hope and pray that I am learning. To be involved in helping young men, reaching out to them to give them a second chance in life is an act of compassion. Bruce and I are saddened by the hopelessness so many young people are faced with in different parts of the world that we've visited. We want to make a difference, however small it might be.

Soooo, long story cut short. In about five weeks, on May 7 our little family will fly out to Lae to start work with Lae City Mission (if you're interested please find a video about it in one of the tabs at the top of the page).

I'll add a few more picture of our cute little pumpkin. She's recently been introduced to solids. I was initially hoping to start a bit later but seeing that we are moving country around the six months mark I decided to get her used to the idea of solid food a bit earlier. And at almost five months she's doing just fine with it!

My husband is a good photographer I think. After a nice stroll around the ANZAC Peace Park the other day and a coffee at one of the York Street cafes we used the beautiful late afternoon light for some shots.



Having lots of fun with her dad.

And a million cuddles with her mum.

I guess the next post will be a farewell post!!

Peace,
Dina

Moving, Part 1

Yes, we are on the move. Thankfully, the first part of the move is already in the past. After a week of sorting our stuff into three piles (one to stay in Albany, one to go to PNG and one for the time being) the move happened and we are currently lodging at Dad Hart's place who graciously let us clutter up his house and patio and shed with our clutter...
I really strongly dislike moving. I have moved so many times in my life but I never get used to it. It is always a very emotional experience. There's so many memories tied to places and often I end up flicking through pictures and books when I'm supposed to put them in boxes, and then it happenes - a crashing wave of nostalgia sweeps over me. All those memories, good and bad, thrilling and exciting, heartbreaking and difficult, beautiful and funny, they get unboxed, mixed and shaken and reboxed. A very tiring process but one that makes me thankful too. My life is very rich and very colourful - a great adventure and a great story I think.

 

There's this thing about mess. It does something to me. It is at the same time inspiring and unnerving. The think is, I like order. So whenever there is mess I feel this urge to create order and I can get a giddy sort of satisfaction out of tidying up, creating order. This satisfaction of course is pretty much completely witheld when moving house because inspite of all the tidying and putting things neatly in boxes, the mess just gets worse.
So, yes, by the end of the week I did have one or two small to medium range melt downs. Thankfully, Bruce is super cool through it all and you'd think he's the one who's moved every 1.5 years on average in the last 10 years. We were very thankful to have Bruce's brother Ian and family help out with the actual moving. They spent the most beautiful long weekend moving furniture and cleaning our house. Wow! I don't know what we would have done without them.

Every now and then I had to leave the house, leave the mess behind. With Lillian in the sling I marched to IGA to get some more jelly beans, my one and only comfort food. Lillian still loves the sling. Much more than the pram. Pram is boring. Sling is fun because baby can look around for ages and take it all in.

The little pumpkin did very well in all the moving commotion. We did have a few busy nights but now everything's back to normal and she continues to grow and talk and roll around. She has started to actually play with things and can keep herself occupied for quite a while sometimes.

She continues to be a source of tremendous joy and blessing. Wakeful nights? Fussy evenings? It all does not matter one bit when I get greeted with a smile in the morning or a warm cuddly little body snuggles up to me.

A couple of weeks ago we had our first information evening about Lae City Mission here in Albany. We were surprised, humbled and encouraged by a very good turn up! Things really are moving along nicely and falling into place. Everything is pretty much packed. My visa for Australia has come through. We have two more information evenings planned in Perth. We are receiving good feedback and support and still sometimes the thought crosses our minds - what are we doing???
Someone said to me the other day, 'we're not here to serve ourselves'. This little sentence is still resounding in my head. We are not here to serve ourselves. We were not born to live our own little lives for ourselves. We were born to worship and serve the LORD. That is what we want to do and that is why we are moving to PNG. We have been blessed so richly and we want to pass it along.

Peace,
Dina

Out and about, part 2

This is the promised second part :-)
After my Dad left to go back to Switzerland, the lady folk (with Bruce) made their way down to Margaret River where we lodged in a rustique rammed earth house in the midst of a very picturesque setting - the awesome trees of the South West.
I find the scenery absolutely amazing and awe inspiring. Such beauty.

A couple hundred metres before the turn off to our cottage we drove through this.

We drove through this part of the forest a few times and every time we entered it I had this gasping kind of feeling. There is hardly any undergrowth so the light shining through the trees creates an almost otherworldly atmophere.

We enjoyed some beautiful quiet mornings with books and coffee and baby Lillian.

Of course we went out and about too with Lillian in the sling. I can't remember exactly where it was..but we did a nice nature walk again. In that area there are a lot of grass trees which my mum kept calling hair bushes :-)

It was a very relaxing week for which I am grateful. The past weeks were a bit hectic sometimes and I was feeling the strain of driving heaps, caring for a baby and trying to keep everyone happy and feeling rather unsuccessful at it at times. I knew the weeks to come would be very busy too with preparing for presentations about Lae City Mission and shifting house as well as preparing for moving country.
The time in Margaret River gave me the break I needed. We strolled through an Art Gallery and I was reminded of how much I love Art. Such nice paintings!! If just I was a millionaire...
Of course we did some wine tasting and as a result had some very funny car rides...poor Bruce is all I can say.

While in Margaret River, we celebrated Bruce's birthday and went to Bootleg Brewery, "an oasis of beer in a desert of wine" (that's what it says on the label, haha) for a special lunch. Fact is that in the area there are dozens of wineries.

I looove the following photoes. They will forever have very sweet memories attached to them.

My mum and Christina are now safely back in Switzerland enjoying a very cold and snowy winter. Not knowing when I will see them next makes my heart ache a little bit...

In the meantime..there are things to do and places to go.

Dina

Out and about, part 1

The long awaited day when my parents with my sister Christina would come to visit us finally arrived on the 19th of January! Ah, the many times I've waited in the arrival hall of the airport. And the cherished hugs when loved ones finally appear...
The very next day we headed off to Esperance. We stopped on the way, in Hayden to view the famous Wave Rock. It was...very hot!! Plus, my family made acquaintance with Aussie flies...



It was a very long drive, especially with a baby in tow..she did really well, though, as the car puts her to sleep within minutes - 95% of the time. Which is an obvious problem if you're driving for about 8 hours...we did have a few not so nice nights after that...oh well. We're out and about.

Now that I stopped working at the school I'm basically jobless. Some people call their job description 'Stay-at-home-mum'. I can't help it but it makes me squirm. The whole stay-at-home part was the one thing that I was worried about concerning motherhood. Mum - yes, absolutely and it is the best "job" ever :-) Stay-at-home? No way. We're out and about, wild and free.

And this is how Lillian at her tender age has probably seen more beaches than I did in the first 20 years of my life!

You can't see her but she's packed away in my sling :-) This picture was taken near Lucky Bay at Hellfire. Very lovely, but also very windy which baby doesn't appreciate. So I found some shelter and baby was happy.

For Swiss people beaches are super special as there aren't any in the country of the mountains. And most of the mediterranean beaches aren't quite a match for the white beaches of Esperance. Not that I've been to all of them...but my family enjoyed the awesome scenery.

 My youthful parents :-)



Dad Hart came along to Esperance too which was really lovely. We had some interesting English-Swiss German-Dutch conversations around the dinner table. It is quite surprising how closely related Dutch and Swiss German are. My parents did a great job with their English, seeing as they were jet-lagged and all.
Of course, they really enjoyed Lillian as well. She got pampered almost 24/7!

We enjoyed some fabulous weather and it was only due to babysitting grandparents that Bruce and I were able to enjoy some swimming at Twilight Beach. I remember one day in particular. It is usually quite windy in summer in Esperance but that day was calm and warm and perfect with the water as clear as can be. All the stresses of travelling with a 2,5 month old are forgotten when swimming in perfectly turquoise waters.  As life happens so fast I am trying to enjoy all these exquisite moments as much as I can. Those are the times I want to stop time and enjoy the perfection a bit longer.

On an overcast day we went and did a bushwalk out at one of the lakes. Bruce took some lovely photos of my pretty sister - the supernanny :-)

While in Esperance we celebrated my sister, Christina's birthday. Being the good sister that I am I decided to make a birthday cake and even took the ingredients and cake form along. Unfortunately, the kitchen was quite ill equipped, there wasn't any mixer or whisk and the oven wasn't working. After knocking on neighbours doors and baking it with the grill function, voila - the result.

On our way back to Albany we diverted to one of my favourite places around here - Quaalup homestead, a place I wanted to show my family. It is situated in Fitzgerald Nationalpark and there is nothing around the homestead but tranquility and nature. For pictures follow the link above to a previous visit.

Just one little picture from our time in Quaalup. My mum and Christina loved to give Lillian her daily bath. For the most part she behaved well but this one time she screamed her cute little head off and the water went pretty much everywhere.

Back in Albany we took our parents and Christina to the Porongurups, a mountain (ok, hill-) range about 30min out of Albany where we climbed Castle Rock.

Right at the top after some interesting rock scrambling (interesting because Lillian was in my sling and at that moment decided to squirm and scream) Lillian decided to do business. Yes. Lovely. Of course I did not take nappies along. Bruce carried her down the mountain :-)

I'll bring this post to a close with some pictures of the lovely grandparents who travelled a long way to see their first grand child.

My Dad left shortly after because he had to go back to work while we could enjoy having my mum and sister with us for an extra week. But more about that in the next post.
Right now our heads are buzzing with upcoming presentations about Lae City Mission, moving house, getting some more paperwork done (sigh..). Busy, busy but it will all come out in the wash somehow.

It always does.