Today is Mothering Sunday in the UK and not in NZ! So sorry Mum, the card we were going to send is not available until later in the year. We packed up and were on our way out of Hamner Springs by Lunch time after going to church at the Presbyterian Church at the end of Jollies Pass road where our campsite was.
The service was taken by Mike and his wife Joanna who were “called to preach” in Hamner. Mike is a carpenter and builder and is working 20 hours a week and preaching at the same time. Joanna is a receptionist in a hotel. The building is wooden, as are the majority of housing here abouts and it shook as the bell was rung calling folk to worship. An apology from Mike that the PA wasn’t working was and so any that couldn’t hear please come forward.
As the regular worshippers of 20 people are augmented by visitors during the summer months the custom is to ask visitors to introduce themselves and from where they had travelled. Mike made some joke about us travelling here on a Lear Jet but we assured him that we didn’t! Many people had travelled from Christchurch and so we said we were also from near Christchurch, but the proper (original) one in England.
Guess what, Mike and his wife play guitar! We sang hymns we knew except the first one, which was easy enough to pick up, and the first 3 were guitar lead. It was nice that the service was split up with a number of the congregation leading specific sections including an update from their missionaries in India who had just returned.
After the service all those who wanted were invited to share fellowship over coffee or to spent some time in private prayer. There was a genuine welcoming friendship extended to us and an interest in what we were doing. I asked whether I could play Mikes guitar, an Ibanez acoustic, as I found that I was really suffering withdrawal symptoms. After playing some worship music we use in UK for about 10 minutes my fingers were really suffering. I’m obviously getting soft fingers from too much easy living and spa pools!
You may have sore fingers, sunshine, but that’s a very big grin on your face!!
Mike and Joanna, we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers for your continuing ministry in Hamner.
We see that Margery has two services in the April –June quarter. One is World Church Sunday and one is Pentecost. Watch this space!
We set off for Akaroa, a small harbour town situated on the Banks Peninsula. The temperature is in the high 20’s and at one stage the temperature hits 30⁰C, what a change after Friday! The scenery is once again breathtaking and different again from anything else we have seen. The campsite is overlooking the town and harbour. The sea looks more like a lake as the harbour entrance is hidden by hills and will be explored tomorrow. In the mean time we can hope it’s not too windy as we are camped underneath a walnut tree which has some pretty impressive nuts. You never know we might be collecting some for a Waldorf Salad!
This evening we had some strawberries which actually tasted like aforementioned fruit! They were so sweet and full of proper strawberry flavour. M said they were like “Cambridge Favorites” before they bred all the flavour out of them to make them big enough for the supermarkets to take. Doesn’t everyone know that “small is beautiful”.
They were when I was picking them in the early 80’s!
Margery has an update on the imposter vehicle. Unlike Charlie Camel, a proper camel trophy vehicle, who is up and ready for any challenge whatever time of day or night it may be, the imposter wasn’t! I caught him fast asleep outside our cabin early this morning, and have the “crime scene evidence” Ron was talking about yesterday! (see photos above!) For the non-petrol heads among us, let me explain the fascination with Land Rovers, and Camel Trophy ones in particular. Daughter Jen and partner Dan are land Rover Nuts! They collect them, rebuild them, off road them, rally them, go on holiday in them, and Dan even drives one to work! One of their Land Rovers – George, the Series 2a that Jen is currently rebuilding into a mean off-roader, is living in our garage at home at the moment. So you can see the fascination! Charlie Camel is the long wheel base Camel Trophy 110 Land Rover who took them 26,500 miles around America and Canada3 years ago..and to a rally in Russia last year, so is very special to them both...hence the disgust with the “imposter”! Apologies to J & D if I’ve mis-described Charlie!
Pictures to follow - camera in tent!!
The service was taken by Mike and his wife Joanna who were “called to preach” in Hamner. Mike is a carpenter and builder and is working 20 hours a week and preaching at the same time. Joanna is a receptionist in a hotel. The building is wooden, as are the majority of housing here abouts and it shook as the bell was rung calling folk to worship. An apology from Mike that the PA wasn’t working was and so any that couldn’t hear please come forward.
As the regular worshippers of 20 people are augmented by visitors during the summer months the custom is to ask visitors to introduce themselves and from where they had travelled. Mike made some joke about us travelling here on a Lear Jet but we assured him that we didn’t! Many people had travelled from Christchurch and so we said we were also from near Christchurch, but the proper (original) one in England.
Guess what, Mike and his wife play guitar! We sang hymns we knew except the first one, which was easy enough to pick up, and the first 3 were guitar lead. It was nice that the service was split up with a number of the congregation leading specific sections including an update from their missionaries in India who had just returned.
After the service all those who wanted were invited to share fellowship over coffee or to spent some time in private prayer. There was a genuine welcoming friendship extended to us and an interest in what we were doing. I asked whether I could play Mikes guitar, an Ibanez acoustic, as I found that I was really suffering withdrawal symptoms. After playing some worship music we use in UK for about 10 minutes my fingers were really suffering. I’m obviously getting soft fingers from too much easy living and spa pools!
You may have sore fingers, sunshine, but that’s a very big grin on your face!!
Mike and Joanna, we will keep you in our thoughts and prayers for your continuing ministry in Hamner.
We see that Margery has two services in the April –June quarter. One is World Church Sunday and one is Pentecost. Watch this space!
We set off for Akaroa, a small harbour town situated on the Banks Peninsula. The temperature is in the high 20’s and at one stage the temperature hits 30⁰C, what a change after Friday! The scenery is once again breathtaking and different again from anything else we have seen. The campsite is overlooking the town and harbour. The sea looks more like a lake as the harbour entrance is hidden by hills and will be explored tomorrow. In the mean time we can hope it’s not too windy as we are camped underneath a walnut tree which has some pretty impressive nuts. You never know we might be collecting some for a Waldorf Salad!
This evening we had some strawberries which actually tasted like aforementioned fruit! They were so sweet and full of proper strawberry flavour. M said they were like “Cambridge Favorites” before they bred all the flavour out of them to make them big enough for the supermarkets to take. Doesn’t everyone know that “small is beautiful”.
They were when I was picking them in the early 80’s!
Margery has an update on the imposter vehicle. Unlike Charlie Camel, a proper camel trophy vehicle, who is up and ready for any challenge whatever time of day or night it may be, the imposter wasn’t! I caught him fast asleep outside our cabin early this morning, and have the “crime scene evidence” Ron was talking about yesterday! (see photos above!) For the non-petrol heads among us, let me explain the fascination with Land Rovers, and Camel Trophy ones in particular. Daughter Jen and partner Dan are land Rover Nuts! They collect them, rebuild them, off road them, rally them, go on holiday in them, and Dan even drives one to work! One of their Land Rovers – George, the Series 2a that Jen is currently rebuilding into a mean off-roader, is living in our garage at home at the moment. So you can see the fascination! Charlie Camel is the long wheel base Camel Trophy 110 Land Rover who took them 26,500 miles around America and Canada3 years ago..and to a rally in Russia last year, so is very special to them both...hence the disgust with the “imposter”! Apologies to J & D if I’ve mis-described Charlie!
Pictures to follow - camera in tent!!
Your right Mum, that is a rubbish Camel type thing - even the wrong shade of yellow (although admittedly a nicer shade than the baby poo 'proper' Camel! ;) ). J&Dx
ReplyDeleteWe thought to too!
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