Poking around in the garden...

Em: I love to watch things grow. A tiny seed breaking open, giving way to a tender shoot which struggles skyward, producing leaves and flowers and eventually fruit, and once again seeds and returning to the ground as compost, is just amazing to witness and be a part of! The power of life that God put into creation speaks volumes to me of His presence with me, His purpose for all life, and His activity in life.



Above: I discovered this bird's nest with two pale blue/green eggs in it today, tucked into the fig tree which grows along the fence.

Right: Lemon flower.

Left: Strawberries, yum!

Right: Cucumber flower

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends,

whom we could not be with this Christmas.

Ulf's 30th Birthday!

On Saturday, 31st October we celebrated Ulf's 30th year! We had a joint party with Brooke, who also turned 30 on the same day!

It was a wig party and we had heaps of fun!

Right: Ulf and Chris.

Emma dressed up as Pippy Longstockings and won the prize for the best wig! Here she is with Brian...!

Right: Carolyn, Esther and Jeanette.

We played a few games, enjoyed a great Barbie spread and birthday cakes and dessert afterwards.

Right: Leanne, Matt and Raechelle.

Ulf had a great time looking silly with all his friends!

On becoming me

"When I sing that song now, I think about the girl that I was. I didn't believe that I was beautiful, I didn't believe that I was pretty. I just needed somebody to keep telling me that. I was like the bottomless well of love-need. I just wanted to be told and my husband would be like, ' I tell you every day,' and I'd be like, ' just tell me one more time.' And this is a bit of history, but it is a mark in history that changed me. I remember the Lord coming into my present and speaking to me and going back and healing some wounds in my heart from decades before, when I was a little girl. And speaking to that person, speaking the truth into those places. And now when I sing that song, I think about how every day of my life now is different because I think that the salvation that He meant to happen every day has finally come, where I every day believe that I am totally and completely loved just like I am. I'm truly adopted as a daughter and I don't have to do anything - I can't do anything to really just please Him except besides just being me. And I didn't grow up with that. I grew up thinking that if you just do these things, inside of Christianity and being a good believer or whatever, then you'll please the Lord. And that is just religious crap. It's just not true, it's a lie - really.

"I just want to encourage your heart tonight, that the Father's love for you is rich and wide and deep enough to not just tell you tonight but to reach into your heart and touch the places that have believed lies for ages and set it right. And give you a new, fresh mark in your history - to be able to go,' that's the day that I became me.' " - Robyn Pasley, House concert KC IHOP, 2007.

"It's one thing to be a professional worshiper; it's another thing to be somebody who receives love." Ben Pasley, House concert KC IHOP, 2007.

At home

Right: Ulf trimming a tree that leans against the house and makes creepy noises when it's windy.

Ulf hanging out the washing...

We now have a desktop computer which we got for free! Hallelujah! Hard rubbish is the best! So that makes everything a bit easier because it's heaps faster than our laptop was.

It's been raining on and off the last few weeks, this week being a rainy one. Great for the garden, but it keeps us indoors. We've put a few seeds in - tomatoes, eggplant, pumpkin, zuchinni, etc - but not many have come up, probably because it's still quite cold outside. It feels like a long winter this year!

A few weeks ago Ulf converted the rabbit cage into a chicken coop! We're just waiting on the chickens... Snowbell is enjoying the space for now. Lily and Butch went to a new home about two weeks ago.

Ulf continues to enjoy his cleaning job at the high school. He's even found some wood scraps to continue his carving with.

Emma did a new painting today. If you want to check it out, it's at http://emmajetter.blogspot.com/

Home again; Em's trip to Ballarat

After a couple of very long flights, we arrived safely home again - to spring!

Not too much had changed since we left, but it took a week to settle in again after such a long time away. It was great to see friends again and be so missed!

We've already put in our tomato seeds for the coming season and have sold our mating pair of rabbits, with the idea of getting a couple of chooks at some point.

Last weekend Emma went to Snake Valley, near Ballarat to visit a good friend Sherry and to help plant a garden at her new home.

Right: Just out of Ballarat, this sign shows the distance to Snake Valley.

Right: Sherry digging holes in her front garden so we can put the plants in.

Right: Freezing wind, rain and mud were all part of the experience, but we enjoyed it!

Right: The sun came out onthe day we finished the garden, so we went exploring. We found this cute little cafe in Buninong, south of Ballarat.

Right: Next stop was Bird World. Here's Sherry with a red tailed Black Cockatoo.

Right: This one thought I was a great perch!

Right: Sherry gets a cuddle from this Black Cockatoo.

Right: A friendly King Parrot flew over to us in the large free flight enclosure.

Right: A beautiful blue sky bade me farewell. It was really nice to see Sherry again and bless her with a garden. The countryside was beautiful.

Valley and Mountain

There is only one way, and that way leads up the mountain, to meet with my Lord who calls out "Draw near to me, and I will draw near to you".
How often do I still choose the easier way of staying down in the valley, building my golden calf according to the knowledge that I have of how I should behave as a Christian. It all looks nice and shiny, and people admire my 'refined life', but it's just a fascade, made with my own hands, like an upgraded fig leave covering my nakedness.


In the valley my 'self' thrives,
on the mountain it surely dies.

In the valley all I see is ME,
On the mountain HE gives me true identity.

In the valley I make God into an image of my own,
on the mountain I'm changed into His, the image of a Son.

Isaiah 32:17 [my paraphrase]

"...till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.
The Holy Spirit poured out is like judgement that turns the desert into a fertile field of righteousness. The fruit of this field will be peace; and whoever eats of it will receive quietness and confidence forever.
I have peaceful dwelling places for you, my children, to live in. In me you'll find secure homes, undisturbed places of rest.
Even in times of storms and trouble, you will be save and blessed; giving of yourselves, knowing the source, and sharing your gifts freely."

A Caribbean adventure on Curacao

In the middle of the rainy season we spent 9 days on Curacao, a Carribean island off the north coast of Venezuela. 33 degrees every day, approx 75% and higher humidity, sunshine, misquitos, sticky skin all day, beautiful beaches, sunsets, reef fish and coral, sunshowers, and of course, beautiful people!

Right: Volker, Naraleska, Samuel, Hope and baby yet to come, our friends who made a corner of their very full house into a bedroom for us. You guys are amazing!



Right: The island has some mountains! Unfortunately they are covered with cactus and other prickly bushes which were brought there by outsiders, but they look nice! The island was the main port which received slaves from Africa and were then taken to all parts of America. For many years the island was covered by plantations owned by white people and worked by dark people. For this reason, any sort of cultivation of the land is associated with slavery and the locals (mostly African in origin) do not grow anything that doesn't grow itself. Amazingly, apartheid existed on the island until the 1980s, when it was abolished, and a tension between white and dark people still exists today. For more info about the island, go to http://www.curacao-travelguide.com/about/

Right: The second beach that Volker and Nara took us to. We went snorkelling many times at different beaches around the island, and everytime was amazing! There are so many fish and interesting things to see, and very close to the beach, too.







Right: Happy snorkellers!









Right: Everywhere on the island there is rubbish to be seen and, sadly, the beaches and the ocean floor are no exception. The locals use the beaches as a place to go to 'party'.










Right: Ulf and Samuel in the water as the sun sets. The ocean is the nicest place to be during the day to escape the heat, despite the sun.






Right: Volker and Nara's freshly painted yellow house. The houses on Curacao are painted in bright colours, with concrete walls and guard dogs. Volker and Nara also have a dog, but she is friendly and goes for a run with a YWAM staff every morning - something which amazes the locals as they just feed their dogs to keep them for security.

During the day the iguanas scurry about the yard, foraging for food, eating fallen mangoes, chasing each other and running from Samuel and the dog! You can see as many as five at one time. Mocking birds were also about and we had a theory that they loved to play in the trees in this yard because of the yellow coloured fence!

Right: Downtown Curacao is likened to a colourful Amsterdam and is split in the middle by the harbour entrance. A floating pedestrian bridge connects the two sides, which has an engine to push it to one side whenever a ship enters the harbour. A free ferry also takes passengers from side to side throughout the day. The coloured tents and the boats are the markets - fresh fruit and vegetables, some fish and souveniers.


Right: This beach was covered in coral, not sand. From here we swam a short distance to see a small sunken boat and loads of reef fish. We saw, among others, Banded Butterfly fish, Yellow Goatfish, Trumpetfish (agressive), Yellowtail Snapper, Spotlight & Princess Parrotfish, Sergeant Major, Blackbar Soldierfish, Carribean Reef Squid, French Grunt, Bluehead... that's all that we can identify at least. The following sites have photos:
http://www.reefnews.com/reefnews/index/fishes.html
http://www.reef.org/resources/galleries/caribbean

Right: Ulf enjoying a rest after the exhausting return swim from the boat wreck. The wind and waves had picked up, making the return swim a lot harder physically than the swim out.








Right: Emma, Sarah, Naraleska, Hope, Corina, and Malena (Nara's Mum) enjoying a drink and some special desserts in the city.





Right: Flamingos at the Curacao Zoo, which has free entry. They looked like statues at first, until we saw them close up. They also had many species of monkeys and birds that are native to South America.










Right: Cocktails at the old Fort in the middle of the harbour - great views of the city at night. Ulf was glad to finally try the famous Blue Curacao, which is produced on the island.





Right: The airport is right on the edge of the island. This is just before takeoff to Amsterdam.

Well, that's our Carribean holiday in a nutshell! Of course, the photos just show the snorkelling and sightseeing, but we had many good times with our friends and the YWAM staff who live on the same property. We really appreciated the times of worship and prayer, and of course the times just hanging out. Volker and Nara were very gracious hosts and we are thankful for all the time that we could have with them and their family. Misquitos were a common enemy and much time was also spent swatting and zapping them!

Our trip to the Carribean was amazing and I'm so thankful to God for allowing us to be able to go. He doesn't miss any opportunities to speak to us and teach us things, and for me Curacao was no exception. Some things were difficult to hear and painful to surrender to. But as the journey of dying to self continues, so to does His refining of our souls. - Emma.

Visting our nephew! and other adventures...

As we have had so many little adventures in the last weeks, it seems easier to describe them just with photos...



Ulf's finished wooden kangaroo.











We spent a week and a half with Ulf's older brother Bjoern, his wife Sue and their first child Robin. Here is Ulf and Robin playing on a see-saw together (with Em on the other end)!







During our stay with Bjoern and Sue and Robin, we went to an underwater world. Unfortunately all the photos we took inside were too dark, so here's one of Ulf playing in the gift shop! Sue and Robin are in the background.




We were blessed to be able celebrate Robin's 1st birthday on 31st July. The hat didn't stay on very long, though!













Emma and Robin playing on his 'Bobby Car', which he got for his birthday.





In the middle of our stay with our nephew and his family (he he), we went camping on the Baltic Sea for two nights. This is where we stayed the first night - ont he edge of a cliff! The view was beautiful, but the 10 o'clock winds which lasted through the night, were not! We didn't sleep a wink as the noise was so loud and our tent was moving around so much that it would bend inwards and touch us.



The beach there was also not that enjoyable - all rocks! We did go swimming, but it certainly doesn't compare to a nice sandy beach! Here's Em on the cliff, showing the rocks below and the wind!


The next day we drove around the island Fehmarn, checking out the small lighthouses, rocky beaches, sheep, and the ferry to Denmark.


For the second night we found a small camping ground with a sandy beach (with a few pebbles, but it was the best that we had seen). The camping ground was mostly full and through some unlcear communication we had some diffulty getting a spot for our tent. But in the end, they gave us a sheltered spot which is normally for caravans, and we thanked God because it was so nice!


On our way back to Bjoern and Sue's place, we rented a rowboat on the lake in Eutin. That was relaxing and fun!





Last week we spent some time with an old friend - Steffi and her fiance Richard. Here we all are, off on our bikes to spend a day in the water and the sun!





We spent the day swimming, playing in the sand, laughing at passers-by falling into Richard's big hole at the water's edge, eating and resting on the beach.







Here's Richard and Ulf, behind our 'Ritter Burg' - 'Knight's Fortress.'







Yesterday we spend the day in Brake/Lemgo with Gunnar, visiting a Bible School where Ulf's family went for their summer holidays for many years. We had lunch in Lemgo, and here we are playing around in the old city centre...








Gunnar and his ice-cream.


It was a relaxing day for us, which finished off with some volleyball which was cut short as we were making too much noise and interrupting the missions evening that was taking place in the chapel...!

Unfortunately we won't be able to make it to Paris this time, but we are thinking that all our adventures and our trip to the Carribean will be enough fun this time! Until next time!