Update: Catching Up With Kittiphum

As many of you may know, Carolyn’s on a missionary trip in Asia. This photo and a text message were forwarded on to me on behalf of Carolyn to give us an update on her recent activities. The text reads:

Carolyn shares a meal with Kittiphum, the youth she sponsors through Compassion.

Carolyn and Sue will be flying from Kittiphum’s village back to Bangkok and will be ministering at a church there over the weekend. And then, it’s off to Cambodia on Monday. We’re praying Carolyn and Sue will have a safe journey and God will richly bless them and others through their ministering.

UpDate: Click Here to learn more Compassion International

TIME.........

Christmas - the wonder on the face of a child looking at a star.......the lights and music.......the timeless message of God's Son sent to earth - is over. New Year's Eve came - a fun time with friends and games and sparklers - and went. It is now mid January - my year is planned (God willing), diaries filled in, dates made, travel plans in action. TIME - The Inevitable March to Eternity - is flying by. I look at my little friend in the photo. For him, time is dictated by sleeping, waking, drinking, playing. It will be awhile for him to register the march of time. For his active brother (almost 6) time can be 'forever' (waiting for Santa) or "too short" (playing with his friends). For me time is the inevitable passing of days, weeks, months, years seemingly gathering speed each year. Was it really four years ago that I stood in Bogota, Colombia, watching street children board a bus for the journey of a lifetime - a camp that would offer them hope? Could it be seven years ago that Sue and I shared God's love with 1600 excited, expectant children under a silk tent in northern India? Sometimes it seems like an age, at others just a 'few months ago". Time is the most precious gift that we have - time to be the best we can be, to do the best we can do, to change the world around us, to reach out in relationships, to excel in generosity, to 'stop and smell the roses or coffee', and for me as a Christian, time to learn more about the God I worship. After all, I believe I'll spend eternity with Him! (And hopefully, with many who are reading this) TIME: one thing is sure, you only go on this journey once. My prayer for 2008 is that we may make every day count in some way to making someone's life a little happier, to encouraging more and criticizing less, to laughing more than we grumble, and for living in thankfulness for the life we have been given. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Proud moment!

The Wang family are very dear to my heart. Parents Chien Ming and Poh Hong married in Melbourne when they were students studing at Monash University. Shortly after the birth of their first son, they moved to Singapore where Chien Ming (known simply as "Wang") took up a lecturing post at the National University and Poh Hong to teaching at a high school. Christopher (pictured with me) is their second son (another son and daughter followed). I visited often, and several times the family came out to Australia, the most memorable visit being shortly before my father's passing. The children invigorated him and gave us the best Christmas ever!
Chris has been studing at Melbourne Uni for the past six years and graduated recently as doctor. What an incredibly proud moment - a credit to him for his perseverence and hard work and also a tribute to the sacrifice and dedication of his parents. They are a great example to me - devoted to their children, working to provide them with every opportunity in life. Congratulations Chris! You will be a wonderful doctor with your skills and God-given gifts of compassion, friendship and faith.

THANKSGIVING I love the US tradition of Thanksgiving: the history (pilgrims and Indians) the food (pumpkin pie and caramelised sweet potatoes as well as the turkey) and the gathering of family. I called Sue's family in Boise to wish them greetings, and Sue's aunt Olive called out "do they have thanksgiving in Australia?" To which I retorted "No - we are an ungrateful nation." Of course they laughed, but after the call ended I did think about those words. Are we an ungrateful nation? Am I an ungrateful person? The answer to that one was easy "Definitely NOT!" And so here is some of my "Thankful" list.
I am thankful for:

• family (extended and multinational) and close friends of all ages and nationalities
• being born in a free nation where freedom to worship and freedom of speech and a 'fair go' for the common man are taken for granted
• a house to live in (thanks Mum and Dad!) and a car that has served me well
• health and energy to continue to work with kids and children's workers everywhere
• enough money to pay my bills, put petrol in the car and food on the table
• a Church that does make a difference in our community and beyond
• and most of all for the God who created me, His Son who saved me, and The Holy Spirit who daily leads my walk called "life"

WOW....yes, I am thankful. How about you?
Link: Life, God, thankfulness
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"If You Build It......"

To finish the quote from Field of Dreams "they will come". We are hoping that a general manager will come to take SCKC to the next level. I have been involved with Southern Cross Kids Camps since its inception in 2000. We work with kids in foster care, or within the social welfare system. Most of these kids are having it tough and these camps allow them to experience unconditional acceptance, no-strings-attached love, a listening ear and the chance to build some happy childhood memories. Next year seven camps will run - six in three states of Australia and one in New Zealand. The board of directors are all volunteers and work from home. SCKC has two part-time staff for admin and accounts and NOW there is an office for them to work from, an office I will be at for several hours each week that I am 'home' and now the very real prospect of moving on via finding the right general manager. How did this happen? Through the vision, commitment to the cause of SCKC and generosity Jason Smith of the Back In Motion Health Group stepped in and has allowed us to use a portion of his corporate headquarters. We have our own entrance, reception area and two large offices! WOW! SCKC now has a physical presence in the community and we plan to make an impact. Check out www.sckc.org.au and its U.S. inspiration www.rfkc.org

The child within.....

Around ten years ago, Sue insisted that we needed a character puppet to add to the programs we were doing with kids. She bought a worm puppet and "Larry Funzel" was born. At first I wasn't convinced that Larry would be a puppet people would warm to, but true to form, he wormed his way into thousands of hearts, mine included. You could say that we are the closest of c0-workers and I am needed to give him a helping hand. But somewhere between the script and the performance, a strange transformation takes place. Larry takes on his own personna - radical, conniving, confusing, frustrating, funny, warm, tricky, muddled, endearing.... he is a bundle of contradictions and kids young and old love him. School kids chant "Larr-ee, Larr-ee" until he appears, and at one camp teens long graduated from the kids program still turn up to give him candy. One young friend was heard fiercely defending him at a recent camp "Of course Larry's real. A puppet can't have his own email can he!" Yes, Larry does have his own email. For the curious it is larry.funzel@carpenters-cross.org He is soon to feature in podcasts from the ccm website and so the legend lives on. Larry has taught me many things, not the least being "Don't judge by the outward appearance" which reminds me of the Bible verse "Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord sees the heart." I know there are many handsome puppets out there but I've seen Larry's heart (he tells me good earthworms have up to nine of them) and as far as I am concerned, Larry is here to stay.

GO MARINERS!

"GOTTA LOVE THESE GUYS" goes the slogan for the Seattle Mariners baseball team. Sue jokes that there are three conditions in my "contract", namely a visit to the Museum of Glass, a trip to the coast, and one Mariners' game. Two out of three is par for the course, but this year I made it to all three!

Sadly, the M's didn't win, but I love the atmosphere of the game. Family groups predominate, language and drinking are carefully watched, and the thrill of the big crowd, with the carefully placed music or sound affects to draw a supportive response all make for a great few hours. Behind us was a family which included a young boy, possibly 4 years old. He sat perched on his dad's lap and watched every innings intently. As the pitcher wound up I would hear the voice from behind "Strike him out Felix , strike him out!" Felix Herndandez did his best, but victory was not to be that day. Not for lack of support from the young man behind! I was amused at his dedication and the fact that he knew his players! "Hit it out of the park Ichiro!" "Make a home run Beltre!" Sue and I work with young (and not so young kids) most of the year. Just as this young man was absorbed in baseball, so our delight is in kids who realise that we play in the greater game - the game of life - and the Master Coach, Jesus, is there to help us all the way! "Make a home run......." you fill in your name!