Jubilee experimenting with traditional Māori musical instruments near bed time at the marae
Dear Friends,
We have been so blessed. And BUSY... these last few months. As I read back over our last update from March, my job drops in awe of the goodness and faithfulness of God. 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. Some huge praises! The community house where we meet is going to stay open for at least one more year. This is a huge answer to prayer! Also, we have launched with a new leadership team and we are thrilled to have Dalton, Dominique, and Krystal on this leadership team. Praise God with us! And pray for us as leaders to shepherd this group well. Pray against sin, death, and the devil not to have a foothold. Pray for the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort and strengthen us in the power and love of God.
We have eight families and over 20 kids most weeks in attendance now.
Some of our Bible Study girls have started attending our church youth group with Michael, Isaiah, and Ames. Four girls from our neighbourhood also recently went to church camp hosted by our local presbytery!
Randwick Park Whānau Football (RPWF). We are halfway through our inaugural season with our two girls' teams! The Tuatara (8- and 9-year olds) and the Kea have been a delight to coach and lead this season. It is winter time with cold and rain here, so pray for us as coaches to lead this team well through dreary weather and other obstacles that players and families face.
Nova's "Kea" team is SO MUCH FUN! And Nova... that girl has a knack for the goal! :) She is so fun to watch.
Jubilee's birthday party: our backyard full of her soccer teammates where they did dress ups and told jokes around a campfire. Community sport that fosters strong neighbourhood relationships... living the dream!!
Jubilee's "Tuatara" age group (8- and 9-year old girls) play under the lights weekly on Fridays, and then families stick around and share snacks together. This week a mum brought hot chocolate for everyone!
My co-coach, Kumi, and daughter Mele have become such sweet friends (to Jubilee and to me!) over the last few months! Kumi has a lot of experience in the community football space, and it is a joy to work together!
Reading Groups. Please pray for my students in reading groups. Many of them are behind in reading because of school attendance issues. Also, as a member of the school board, I have a big job coming up... we are working to farewell our principal of nearly 30 years, and hire a new principal. This feels quite daunting for me personally, but also for the whole school community. Pray for the school leaders, staff, students, and school community in this season of lots of big change and transition.
Eric* and I often go outside and write in chalk as a way to reflect on the text we read during our reading group time.
Family Life, and a personal note. We have enjoyed visits from both Michael's and my parents. These visits were such a joy to us! And also we have had other rich family time. Please pray for us as we are in a season of a lot of busy-ness. Isaiah (14), Ames (12), Nova (10), and Jubilee (9) are all ages that are full of joy, but also lots of demands on their schedule/time, and ours as well. I remember getting advice to "go at the pace of love." Will you pray for us that we do this? All six of us felt overwhelmed with our schedules this morning! Pray that we walk every hour, every day, trusting God and doing what He asks of us... to love Him and to love others. Pray for Michael and me as we lead our family.
Nova playing rugby ("Tag" - one of the many variations of rugby) at a school competition. One requirement: every player plays barefoot!
Jubilee and Nova enjoyed the Easter Camp mud pit
Michael did an amazing job as the keynote speaker at Easter Camp, where we shared the gospel with thousands of teens.
Another view of Easter Camp
Grandparents! We explored some breathtaking South Island spots with Gay and Mike.
More grandparents! We had a great time with my parents in the Bay of Plenty. Behind us is a huge kauri tree
Michael, Ames, and Isaiah are in awe of the Milford Sound water falls ("water flies" as they are called when it is windy)
As part of a course that Michael co-leads, our family, along with about 30 other guests and students, stayed overnight in a marae and had amazing kōrero (conversations) led by respected Māori followers of Jesus.
Te Whetū o te Rangi marae. The kids and I were very honoured to be part of this visit, as it was intended for Carey Baptist College staff and students.
Nova and Jubilee with buddies at a school disco
On a rececnt (and much LONGER, rainier, and darker) tramp to ____, Jubilee wore her own tramping pack for the first time!
Ames competed in the school chess competition, but also seems to play chess wherever he goes. This game is between field hockey games at an inter-school competition
Isaiah's 14th birthday party included a spontaneous jam session with a combination of youth group friends and new friends from high school. He is trying to get a proper garage band going!
Michael is often able to work from home free from distractions 😂
Michael's new book, Reimagining Biblical Politics is out and ready to be bought and read! Buy it. Read it. :) Buy it for some friends and tell them to read it. There is also an accompanying podcast. It is so good! Spread the word. I am so grateful for and amazed by the work that Michael does to help God's people grow more and more toward loving Him and working out that love in public.
How can we be praying for you?
Love,
Rebecca, for all of us 💚💚💚💚💚💚
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