MARCH 2026

 

Nova with two other girls at FootyGirls. They are focused. :)

Dear Friends,

We are grateful for each of you, and are grateful to be able to share some highs and lows of the past month.


  • Bible Study. We continue to walk through the gospel of Luke together. This group still feels very tender, and we are still not sure where we will meet after June. Please continue to pray for us as we lead this group. Recently we read the story of the lost… coin, sheep, and son. God’s lavish love means He goes after what is lost. He does not desire any to be lost. He finds what is lost and binds up what is broken and heals the sick. He brings dead things to life. He is the Resurrection and the Life. We want our Bible study to be a place where people encounter this good and lavishly generous God. We will take a two week break during school holidays, and hope to come back fresh and full of energy at the end of March.

Jhia and Riaana enjoying kai (food) together at Bible study.

Jhia, Ecclece and Tia are regulars at Bible Study. Please pray for the rangatahi (young people) and how to support them as young women facing life's joys and challenges.

Krystal (in the middle) and I are becoming better friends, mainly through Bible study. She and I went to cheer on her daughters at a nearby rugby tournament. This was her first time ever going to see her kids participate in extracurricular activities! It was so special to do this together.

  • Randwick Park Whānau Football (RPWF). Our FootyGirls programme went so well! We ended up having 12 (not eight) sessions spanning February and March. Now we are gearing up for the (southern hemisphere) winter season (May-September), and I am working with families to get their children registered and to get the gear and support they need to participate. Please pray that God uses RPWF to help people in Randwick Park lead a more flourishing life, with God, others, themselves, and creation. 

The fun always continues! Many of the girls keep hanging out at the skate park and playground even after FootyGirls sessions finish. 


  • Reading Groups. I really enjoy my time at the school leading reading groups. It is amazing how students open up, specifically in written responses, sharing vulnerably and openly about their lives. Please pray that I have wisdom in these situations. Many students have such hard things going on in their lives.

Jerry* and I meet 1 on 1 twice per week. Please pray for him and several of the other students I meet with. Some of them struggle with regular attendance which creates gaps in learning. Pray for the families in our neighbourhood for stability in housing, work, and school, even in this season of very real economic instability. Pray for us at Urban Neighbours of Hope as we consider our part in helping Randwick Park be an even better place to live.

  • Family Life, and a personal note. This past month has felt hard. I don’t even know all the reasons. One example is that Isaiah one day bicycling home from school got hit by a bus. He was miraculously totally fine, with just a few scratches and a sore neck the next day. But it was a very scary experience for him, and jarring for me and for our family. There are a lot of hard and scary things happening in the world right now. It sometimes takes my breath away. I am so grateful to belong to Jesus who is King of kings and Lord of lords, and who loves the sparrows and grass of the field. Our hope is in Him. Our hope does not fit in the here and now. It is deeper and thicker and greater than what we see. It is a hope that stretches to eternity, where God will make all things new. This hope is close, but it sometimes feels far off. Right now it feels far off. This is why I am grateful for you, and why I think it is so important to do life in community. We lift one another up when one has fallen down. Be an encouragement to someone today. Share the love of Jesus with those who don’t know Him. Encourage those who do know Jesus in their walk with Him. He is our hope.

He is our peace

Who has broken down every wall,

He is our peace, He is our peace.


How can we be praying for you? 


Here are some recent family photos and events...

Ames' big rainbow trout catch

6-7

The kids and Michael made me a memory and photo book for my 40th birthday. :)

Jubilee and some of her school buddies have intentionally been walking to and from school together. So sweet to see our kids grow in friendships.

Ames and his school softball team got 2nd at Auckland Championships!

Isaiah plays saxophone at school and showed off his skills for the family.

Our housemate, Rebecca Hooper ("Hoops"), put together a fun birthday get together for herself. There were many highlights, but chocolate fountain was a big one. 

All six of us ran a 5K! 



Love,

Rebecca, for all of us 💚💚💚💚💚💚

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

September 2025

Image
  Dear Friends, Spring is on its way! As we see our friends in America kicking off the school year and pulling out Autumn sweaters, we are grateful for winter coming to an end. Here are some highlights and updates from us: Bible Study . We are experiencing rich community through eating food and feasting on God’s Word together. Michael, Pauline, and I share leadership which is exciting and energizing. We sing big, act out Bible stories, and pray together. Please pray as several members of our Bible study are experiencing very difficult health and life situations. Also, please pray as we consider moving from meeting in our home to a community house a few blocks away. There are pros and cons to continuing to meet in our home vs. moving to a more public, bigger space. Please pray for wisdom and God’s timing if and when we choose to change locations. Jubilee, Pauline, and Ria Faith learn about the wise and foolish builders (later acted out for the whole group by Pooh and Pig) Many of th...
Read more

October 2025

Image
  Dear Friends, The past month has been full of days and moments of answered prayers; and also ministry and family life at its fullest. We are blessed and grateful. Here are some highlights, praises, and prayer requests from us: Bible Study . We are now meeting at the community house a couple blocks from our house… and it has been wonderful ! The front porch, bigger kitchen, and visual accessibility to and from the street has transformed the feeling of our Bible Study. We have new neighbours coming, and there is a thirst for knowledge and access to God’s Word. Praise God with us! And please continue to pray for Pauline, Michael, and I as we lead this tender group. One of our most consistent families moved far away (to their ancestral home in the far north of Aotearoa New Zealand), and we miss them. Viv, the matriarch of that family, was my closest friend in our community for the past three years. She is irreplaceable.   Zyane and I often took our reading group outside to the...
Read more

NOVEMBER and DECEMBER 2025

Image
Dear Friends, Summer heat has arrived here in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), and with it a good bit of heat, end of year and Christmas season busy-ness (and blessings), meaningful work, and blossoming friendships. Here are some highlights and updates from us: Bible Study. We wrapped up our year with a “Randwick Park Bible Study Christmas Party” this past Monday. This was a highlight of the year! About fifty of us neighbours feasted together through great food (including delicious hāngi ), carol singing, a nativity play featuring over twenty kids; and then we finished off our evening with an epic dart gun battle (boys vs. girls of course!). This was a fitting end to our year. Krystal, Pauline, Michael, and I co-hosted the event. Each of us brought our best to the evening… Krystal is an amazing gatherer (and incredible cook!!), Pauline used her gift of hospitality to make everyone welcome and run the kitchen, Michael brought his unmatched passion for raucous and worshipful Christmas carol...
Read more