A Broken Belt

I only brought one belt to Australia with me.  
And on Thursday it broke.  
Thankfully I had a trip to the op-shop planned so I picked up another one for just $2.99!  
Bargain!  I love op-shopping.  
Have I mentioned that?
You may be wondering if my belt breakage was due to all the nice, warm, wintery "Aussie" meals that I have been consuming lately but, no, ... I think it was just old.

Speaking of broken belts, we experienced another, break this week too.  Our daughter Eliana fractured her wrist while playing at the park on Wednesday morning.  
She is being brave about it all, but she is still in some pain and we will hopefully be seeing a specialist at the fracture-clinic before we leave.

We have, once again, been so blessed with the warm hospitality of our friends and family.  As a result, we are thoroughly enjoying the various catch-ups we've had with supporters as well as the chance to share what's been happening at ZOE for the past 12 months at churches and schools.

Dave has headed off to NSW today with his sister Tammy where they will be representing ZOE and sharing at various meetings, services at the Narara Valley Baptist Church as well as with many secondary classes at a nearby school.

You may know this by now but, I have recently written a book... I still can't believe it's actually finished.  
After the 300th post on this blog, I mentioned the idea to Dave about getting some of my favorite posts from the past 3 and a half years published and, with his encouragement (and a few late nights), I finally picked up the finished books the night before we left!  My prayer is that it brings hope and encouragement to all who read it.  It's called, "P.S. I love you muu".  

Well, with just 10 days, 3 churches, 6 school sessions, 1 leadership breakfast and a few more catch-ups to go, we still have so much to look forward to.  
Looking back, here's a few highlights from the three weeks we've had here so far:

Casey reformed Church, ZOE fundraiser.

Eli "gardening" aka digging holes.

Visiting my Aunty.

A day-trip to Sovereign Hill

Speaking at Mentone Girls' Grammar

Doing Lego with Gramps

Well let's hope the broken belt and the broken wrist are the only breaks we have this trip.  This joke reminded me of the ones we were reading from the bonbons at our Cross family 'Christmas in July' dinner the other night:

Q: Why did the belt get locked up?

A: He held up a pair of pants.

So not funny, I know!  

Have a great weekend :)

Officially Counting Down Now... 7,6,5

Well, I hear the weather temperature is dropping in Melbourne which can only mean one thing - that it must be almost time to fly home.  Brrrr.  
Usually there is some new record set on the day we arrive back like, "Oh, it's the coldest day in 103 years today!" Hence our mad dash out to the shops tonight to buy an extra set of thermals.  
We're going to turn our air conditioning on full overnight tonight just to try to prepare our bodies!
With 8 church services, 7 school events plus numerous other activities to keep us busy, this trip is looking like it's going to be another good one!
Here's a rough list of the places where Dave will be speaking, but please check back later for more details including times, addresses etc.

Casey Life International Church, June 30th (am)

Village Church, Dingley Village July 7th (am)

Mornington Christian Church, July 7th (6pm dinner) office@morningtonchristianchurch.com.au

Christian Reformed Church of Casey, July 12th (pm)

Narre Warren Baptist, July 14th (10 am) + Spanish service 1pm

Narara Valley Baptist Church (NSW), July 21st (am)

Antioch House, Saturday July 27th (am) enquiries@antiochhouse.com.au

Narre Warren Christian Church, July 28th (am)

We are so excited to be coming back and sharing about what's been happening over the past 12 months.  We're also looking forward to seeing many familiar faces soon!
Andie :)

Good News!

Well, once school had finished for the year, we headed away on a week's vacation... or maybe I should call it a staycation because we actually only drove about 15 minutes from our house! But still, we got away and very much enjoyed a break from the norm.

It was a week without computers, without work, even without sightseeing.  We didn't even take any photos until we were all checked out and about to head home!
We basically just swam, ate, napped and then went back to the beginning of the list and started it all again.  
It was sooo needed and sooo nice to have both this precious and yet simple time together as a family!
One of my favourite parts about being away was finding "treasures" with the kids around the place where we were staying.  By the end of the week, the children had a whole bag of bird feathers, interesting nuts and various other special things that they had collected.

I had to smile yesterday when Spencer came running in from outside yelling excitedly, "Eli... Eli... where are you?  I've got some really good news.  I found two more feathers in our backyard!" 

Waiting in the car before we went to greet the team.

On the topic of good news... on Friday, the kids and I went out to the airport to welcome the Maranatha Missions Awareness Team who are in town for a couple of weeks.  It will be good to spend some time with them while they are here and Dave is looking forward to having them come out to visit ZOE.

My brain is in a bit of spin since coming home from our week away because just after I finished putting away the last of the washing and finished sorting everything out, I realised that it was time to start re-packing, this time for our trip back to Australia in 10 days time! Yikes!  No really, this is good news too because I am really looking forward to seeing both Dave's and my parents, whom we have not seen in 12 months, as well as all our family and friends.

The not-so-good-news this week has been that on the final day of our holiday, I noticed a big swollen lump on the back of Tobi's neck.  Of course every possible scenario began running through my bed... but after unpacking the car at home, I took him up straight up to the local hospital to have a doctor look at it.  After an ultrasound on the area, the doctor said that he had infected lymph nodes in his neck.  He is now on his second course of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories and we are believing it will be all cleared up soon.  He is feeling very little pain in the area now, praise God.
Eliana and Spencer also came down with infections within days of coming home - both developing outer-ear infections in their right ears.  
The doctor said all three children's illnesses were caused by the pool water... well we certainly had done a lot of swimming so that made sense.
We're praying for full health in all three children before flying back.

All the trips back and forth to the doctors have not left us feeling down though.  We have still had a good week catching up with friends, playing at home, enjoying some movie marathons - snuggled on the bed with the air-con going to keep us cool, reading lots of books and just enjoying being on school holidays in general.
Here is what Spencer got up to while I was painting Eliana's nails and braiding her hair yesterday.  He's such a funny boy!  

It's on my to-do list to post a list of all the places we'll be visiting/sharing/speaking at while we're back so keep an eye out.
We'd love to see you if you're around!
Andie :)

Some Like it HOT!

And some SPIKE it HOT!

I'm guessing most people know the song, "Hot Hot Hot"  (a song written by Montserrat musician Arrow and later covered by Buster Poindexter.) 
It's what I feel like chanting everyday because, well, IT'S HOT here!
I won't complain too much though because I'm sure in 4 weeks time, when I'm back in Australia, I'll be complaining about how cold it is!!
One Saturday recently in the scorching sun, 4 courageous ZOE missionaries took on the challenge of participating in a seriously hot volleyball round robin.
Jessica, Jonathon, Dave and Rob put a team in for the 'fun' pool only to be informed that they're weren't enough other teams to run that competition and that they had been added to the 'competitive' section!
Well, the training began with Denise throwing balls to the team during their breaks at ZOE and as the day rapidly approached, it was with much anticipation that this group stretched their muscles and prepared for the unknown.
Surprisingly they won their first two games... yay!  But unfortunately the rest of the day, although close, did not result in any more victories.  All of us cheering them on were so proud of their efforts.  With sunburn and sore muscles, it was still all smiles as the Some Spike it Hot team looked ahead to being even better prepared for next year!  Go team ZOE!

Our children finish school today!  What? I can't believe my older two will be in Grade 2 and 3 soon!  I love watching them grow up. It is such a blessing.
Below are some photos from their big clean-up yesterday where they washed all the school chairs and ended with a big water fight - one of the joys of living in a hot country.

 

In preparation for Australia, our children have been trying to learn the Australian National Anthem.  They sing the Thai one every morning at school, but remembering when they heard the Australian anthem during a visit with us to one of the schools that Dave and I were speaking at last year, they have been prompted to learn the Australian one too.  It's actually quite lovely hearing them sing it around the house.  

In further preparation for adjusting back to Australian life, Dave and the kids have been keeping up with the AFL football this year.  A couple of weekends ago, Dave set up an area with hotdogs, snacks and the computer screen to create an authentic "footy" atmosphere around their viewing time.  Tobi is extremely excited because he will be attending his first ever AFL match this year when we're back.
Recently we celebrated two of our little friends turning 4 and 6.  Their party was in a park and was so much fun.  Below is Tobi with a school friend.

 The kids with some of their friends from preschool and school.

Well I need to finish off a few more jobs before picking my children up for the last time until mid August when they begin their new school year.
I hope and trust that you are well.  We love hearing from you and can't wait to catch up with all our lovely family and friends very soon.
I'll leave you with some photos from this morning's little party and chance to honour the teachers for a wonderful year of school.

Blessings,
Andie

Excess Baggage

Some of us could be hiding a little "excess baggage" under our loose t-shirts right now.  But that's not what I am posting about today- thank goodness!

The words excess baggage also make me sweat just thinking about our upcoming trip back to Australia and all the bits and pieces we need try to fill our cases with: brochures, newsletters, gifts and of course our bulky winter clothes (that only get worn in Australia) making packing a time consuming process as we have to carefully spread the weight around and ensure that each bag does not go past its limit.  
But that's not the excess baggage I am posting about today either.  [I still have 38 more days to think about that!]


What I was actually referring to in the title, is the state of my handbag right now.

 ~

I ripped a fingernail the other day so I went in search for some nail clippers in my bag.  

I was sure I had some... somewhere! 

Instead of nail clippers though what I found shocked me and left me feeling... well...pretty embarrassed actually.

It was what I had been lugging around on my shoulder.  
One out-of-control, ridiculously heavy handbag. 

No wonder my neck has been sore recently.

How have I accumulated so much stuff ? 

I was thinking, if they ever make a reality show where they choose random women to empty their handbags out and see what's in them, I think I should be nominated for it.  And if there was a prize for the person carrying around more than what would seem physically possible, then I'd definitely be in the running.

Now, just to clarify, my kids aren't babies anymore.  This is not one of those big nappy/diaper-bags we're talking about.  Oh no, it a regular, over your shoulder, pop down the street, meant-to-just-carry-a-few-things sort of a bag.

Okay, in an act of pure honesty, ... and in an attempt to shock myself into not ever letting it GET THIS BAD again, I am now going to list everything in my bag!! (imagine me tipping it out now) {insert gasp here}


Here it is friends: (if I type really small, it might seem like less!!)
sunglasses
wet wipes
packet of tissues
wallet
(not too bad so far...)
numerous pens/pencils/eraser and a pencil sharpener
hair elastic (o.k. more than just one)
phone
random letter in envelope
lacteeze tablets (for Dave and Eli)
tube of 50+ sunscreen
lip balm x2
bandaids
Nurafen
ventalin puffer
scrap of material
hand sanitizer
chewing gum
wallet of all my 'members cards for grocery shops etc'hair brush (and a comb)
tiger balm neck rub
toothpaste (a small tube)
mouthwash (given free at the shops the other day)
travel sickness tablets
concealer stick
old shopping list x2
diary
body spray AND
Thai alphabet flashcards
More like a survival kit isn't it?... I know!!!  And now you know why I was so shocked that there were no nail clippers in there.  Unbelievable, right?

Oh dear!  It's time for a clean out I think.


And then, all this excess baggage got me thinking and questioning how much other excess baggage I just might be carrying.

How that hurtful comment, unanswered email, short reply or sarcastic utterance meant I added extra baggage to my heart this week.  How unforgiveness or unrepentance meant that my heart felt weightier than it needed to.  How when I’d felt worried or stressed by a deadline I took that all upon myself and carried it around like a big, heavy burden.

How I couldn’t find what I really needed because everything else just seemed to weigh me down.

 ~

Ever get to the end of a school term and ask your kids to clean out their school bags?  It’s amazing (and sometimes disgusting) what you’ll find in there.  Like a moldy banana peel, an odd screwed up sock, letters from their friends, the watch you’d bought them to wear and nobody knew where it went, the note you wrote after they were absent from school sick five weeks ago or the missing swimming goggles that you’d already replaced.

Sometimes, we just need to have clean-outs more regularly, yes?

And it’s the same for our attitudes and our hearts too.

If you’re burdened by the weight of an unresolved argument, the sadness or confusion at the lack of communication or the stubbornness to apologise for something that you could’ve changed…

How about having a clean out this week?

Let’s not leave our hearts unattended, heavy and hurting when we have access to the One who comforts us in our sadness, who calms the storms and who forgives us that we might forgive others. 

I'm going to be cleaning out my bag and checking on my heart this week too!

Got more in your handbag than me?  Leave a comment!!

The 300th Post!!

What is it about writing the 300th post that creates pressure? I feel like I should say something really intelligent, funny or at least mildly amusing.  

Ummmm..... {got nothin'}

Okay well it's a public holiday here today so, since my children have the day off school, I decided that I would put them to work and see if they could come up with something!!  

No, seriously, I just asked them a bunch of fun questions and we had a lot of laughs this morning as they all had their turn being "interviewed". 

(FYI, the question ideas were from the YMCA, Fun Questions to Ask Your Kids incase you want to do this with your own children).

I hope you enjoy!!

1. If you could spend your time doing only one activity, what would that activity be? 

S: Having a bath

E: Resting on my bed. Because if I chose something else I would never get to rest or sleep.

T: Learning more stuff. So I can be clever.

2. If you could learn how to do something new next week, what would you choose? 

S: Craft

E: Learning how to make pretty things... but proper things out of recycled materials.

T: I’d learn how to shoot guns in case a robber comes and there’s no one else there in the room.

3. If you could do something to cheer up a group of kids less fortunate than you, what would you do? Why?

S: Give them something big… like a basketball ring.

E: Give away all my teddies except one because they wouldn’t have many things.

T: I’d adopt them because then they won’t be poor anymore.

4. If you could pick something in your bedroom that would last forever, what would you choose? Why?

S: My little Mickey Mouse toy.

E: My snow globe because it’s made out of glass and it means a lot to me.

T: My Bombers hat and my money.

5. If you could send an e-mail or text message to anyone in the world knowing that they would in fact open it and read it, to whom would you send it? What would you say? 

S: Jonas.  Dear Jonas. I hope you have a good trip to Denmark. What does your house look like? Tell me xoxoxoxo Love from Spencer.
Why? Because I can’t see him anymore.

E: Jonas. Dear Jonas. How are you going at your friend’s house? Hope you have a good trip to Denmark. Praying for you. 

Why? I would send this because he left and it was very sad. 

T: God. Dear God, Thank you that you made the world so people could have a good life. Please help me to do the right thing and help others. From Tobiah Cross.  

Why? So I could hear back from him.

6. If you could have a super power, what would you choose to have? Why? What super-hero name would you choose?

S: I'd choose to be super strong because I want to be like Tigger. I would be Super-Spencer-Cross-Superman.

E: I would fly because I would get a better view and I could go anywhere. My superhero name would be Super-Eliana-Cross-is-coming-to-the-rescue.

T: Be able to jump off buildings and not get hurt because if a robber is chasing you, then you can jump off and he can’t jump off without getting hurt. My super-hero name would be Super-Jumper-Cross.

7. If you could have any animal in the world and shrink it down to a mouse-sized pet, what animal would you choose? 
Why? What name would you give it? Why?

S: Stegosaurus. Because it’s my favourite dinosaur. If it was pet I would cuddle him.  I would name it Spencer-Stegosaurus-My-Cross-Stegosaurus because that’s like its nick name.

E: A giraffe. Because I know I could never really have a pet giraffe and I could carry around and look after it. I would name it Eliana’s-Special-Giraffe.

T: A guinea pig because it wouldn’t bite me. I’d name it Simeon because he was my best friend at my old school.

8. Where do you think would be the most exciting place in the world to visit?

S: Kad Suan Kaew (our local shops)
E: Australia
T: Heaven

9. Can you think of something we could do to make meals together more interesting and fun for everyone in the family?
S: Watch a movie while we’re eating.

E: We could have one of our family’s favourite meals each night, everyone could choose what they wanted from oldest to youngest.

T: Have it all nice like a hotel with soft music, big tables, yummy food and soft drink.

10. What is the silliest thing you’ve ever done?

S: Shaking my bottom while dancing.
E: Making funny noises.
T: Doing the chicken dance.

11. What is your favourite sport or game? If you could change one rule, what would you change?

S: Basketball. You should get points for tackling people because I like to wrestle.

E: Basketball. You could move the height of the hoop whenever you want. But only every 2 minutes. But if the coach blows the whistle and everyone is still happy, the coach can still change it.

T: Footy (AFL). Every time a team got a goal against the Bombers, then the Bombers would get a free kick.

12. What is the strangest sound you can make? What do you think it sounds the most like in nature?

S: My noise sounds like a pig snoring.

E: Like a fluffy.

T: A lion with a sore throat.

13. What part about being a kid do you think you will miss the most when you grow up?

S: Dancing all the time.

E: I think I will be less flexible.

T: Being able to run fast.

14. What is your favorite word right now? What do you like about it? When have you used it recently?

S: "Happy Christmas, Suk San wan Christmas"… I like it because Santa Claus brings presents to people in movies.

E: "Stupendous". If someone says it to me, I feel happy. I don’t really use it, I just heard it in a movie.

T: "Heaven". It makes me feel like I want to go there. I liked it when we were watching a movie and I heard the word.

15. If you could swap places with anyone in the world for just a day, who would you choose? Why?

S: Jhan so I could be in Ing’s family.

E: Jonas’ big brother. Because I could be in Jonas’ family for at least one day.

T: Seth (Simeon’s big brother) because then I could spend time with Simeon.

16. What do you think would be the best thing about being a dog or cat? What would be the worst thing? 

S: The best things would be wagging my tail. The worst thing would be doing poo in the garden.

E: The best thing would be that I could tell people I’m happy or sad by wagging my tail. There would be nothing bad about being a cat or dog.

T: The best things would be getting dog treats. The worst thing would be getting sick.

17. What is one thing that you think you will definitely be great at when you are an adult?

S: Cooking… oh no… I mean doing raspberries on little kids.

E: Looking after babies and children.

T: Being in the Olympics... competing in freestyle.

And there you have it, our 300th post!!  Thanks to Tobi, Eli and Spencer for helping me out.

A Sad Goodbye!

Have you ever had that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach when your child is looking forward to something but they don't fully understand the situation.  And what they think is going to be this totally awesome time, has a nasty twist to it?  

Like visiting the doctor for immunizations or going to the dentist.

All week, Spencer has been looking forward to his best mate's party.  Except it wasn't his birthday party we were going to... it was  his going-away party! 

I'm not sure the reality of that fact fully "hit" until the games had all been played, the airplane cookies consumed and it was eventually time to go home... and say goodbye... most likely for ever.

It's not like our family is immune to saying goodbyes.  

We've had our fair share of them and I've heard that heart-wrenching cry before, but nothing ever prepares you to hear it again.  

The sobbing and the complete and utter sadness that you feel after you hug your bestie for the very last time.

How does a four-year-old even cope with that?  

And as a parent, there's nothing you can do to calm the tears but say, "I know".

Followed by, "You can choose dinner... anything you want".

But when every crumb of the KFC has been finished and the last drips of ice-cream are licked from around your mouth, the momentary distraction from the cold, harsh truth all comes flooding back in gushes of, "I miss my friend.  I don't want him to go.  He was my best friend".

And then, as a parent, you're back to just saying, "I know".  

There isn't a limit to the amount of cuddles that you can give on weekends like this.  No amount of extra love is ever wasted.  And the answers to the hard questions seem to form as a lump in your throat as you lay next to your precious, sad, little child just hoping they'll fall asleep soon.  

"Mum.  I'll see him when he comes back though won't I?... He is coming back isn't he?"  

And though I try to stifle back my tears, they're just too big and they fall anyway and I know the answer is not hopeful but I say it anyway, "I really don't know.  But I hope so sweetie.  I really hope so". 

Below are some pictures that tell of the friendship Spencer and Jonas shared.  They will hold each other in their hearts for a long time I'm sure.  

What a blessing to have met such a kindred spirit at a such a young age.  

But there is a third person that has shared in the fun with Jonas and Spencer too.  The gorgeous Ing.  Jonas- Ing- Spencer were an inseparable little group of three friends that knew how to have a lot of fun and they were all as cute and cheeky as each other.

All that could be said when the tears had temporarily dried up and the reality had finally sunk in was, "Thank goodness Ing's not leaving.  

I'm going to marry her".

Goodbye to the sweet Christensen Family.  You will be missed x