Friday, July 29, 2005
Pictures in Time
Time has a funny way of affecting the way you view places and people. When you want time to pass quickly it seems to come to a grinding halt. For example, waiting at the Department of Motor Vehicles, the I-95 grind, or waiting to clear international customs. However, when you wish time would move in slow motion, to absorb memories and moments, it seems that quick moving sand is racing through the hourglass. The more days we spend building relationships with the people in Portland and with the fellowship at Portland Baptist Church the more time reveals we have one less day to spend with them.
I guess that is why we treasure cameras. They allow us to capture the essence of the moment through pictures. It is our way of holding on to time. (Especially when our photographic memory is a few rolls short on development.) In my heart I am feeling like a kid again with my old 110 camera. Think back before the time of disposable and digital cameras and 1 gig memory cards. Remember the days of 110 film and the cubed flash bulbs good for only four pictures? Remember the “click” of the shutter followed by the “winding clatter” of the film advancement wheel? In those days I carefully picked my photo opportunities. Wasting shots was not an option because I only had one 12-exposure film roll and a couple of flash bulbs. I am that kid again – right now. I have hundreds of photo opportunities, but my schedule confirms I have only 3 days of shooting left on my Portland camera.
Anyway…here are some ministry and event snapshots of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in Portland. (Warning: Pictures may be out of chronological order!)
Christy attending the preschool playgroup held at Portland Baptist with mums (yes, they say mums) from the church and community. CLICK! Michael attending the twice-weekly prayer group with an incredible group of Portland prayer warriors. CLICK! Lunch with the senior adults of Portland Baptist at the home of Lorna Moyle. CLICK!
Attending the evening small groups at the homes of Jim and Judy Blake (Tuesday), Ian and Margot Bail (Wednesday) and Warwick and Kris Harland (Thursday). CLICK! Venturing down the Nelson River in a small, inflatable duck boat with Neville Hann. CLICK! Christy attending a young mums morning group (home-based) where outside speakers help mums in different areas. This month the topic was finances. The speakers consisted of a financial counselor from the Portland Shire (we call them counties) and a consumer affairs representative. CLICK! We visited Kay and Shirley Aldridge. These two sisters help care for injured koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. Yes we got to hold and cuddle with them – the animals that is! CLICK! Early morning trip to downtown Portland to experience a beautiful sunrise. CLICK! Lunch with Steph and Jon Lambert. We had the pleasure of meeting them when they were at Grace Baptist last year during the July 4th weekend. CLICK! Riding to Bridgewater Bay to experience some of the most beautiful beachside I have ever seen. CLICK!
The next few days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will be filled with dinner with the Portland Baptist deacons, speaking at a community men’s group breakfast, teaching Banquet Table to small group leaders, Sunday Celebration service and more. Please continue to lift us up in prayers. It is cold and flu season here in Portland. Sniffles and coughs abound. Keep reading for Christy’s first Blog!
Until next time…..Blessings,
Aussie Word of the Day: Chuck a sickie – to take a day off sick from work when you are perfectly healthy.
Dear Diary…….oops!
Wrong entry! What I meant to say was, “G’Day friends and family”.
I wanted to assure you that I am alive and well in Aussie Land and savoring every minute of our visit. The locals assure us that we are here at the worst possible time of the year. They say that Spring and Summer are magical here…..glorious flower gardens and warm breezes in the bright sunshine. Well, winter has been magical for us. There is something very special about sitting around a table with friends, sharing a “cuppa” while the woodstove keeps us warm and toasty. The hospitality here has been wonderful.
As Michael mentioned earlier, it is winter here and the weather is a bit unpredictable. The sun is shining one minute and the clouds roll in the next. The skies open up for a few seconds and then the sun pops back out. Sometimes the sun doesn’t even have time to hide. That’s how it was yesterday while visiting friends in Heywood. Because of this, we were able to experience the most beautiful rainbow! It was so big I couldn’t get it all in the photograph. I was so thankful we were carrying our camera with us. We were prepared! As we drove back to Portland, I considered these same implications in our daily walk with Christ. The weather changes quickly! Am I always prepared to take advantage of the opportunities God gives me? Because, just like the rainbow was a precious gift from God, so are the people I come into contact with every day. Am I prepared to see and treasure the beauty of God’s creation? Do I seize every moment I have with them? Because that’s all it is….a moment. Who knows what is coming next. Just as the rainbow quickly vanished, so does our opportunity to share the love of Christ. Sometimes we only have one shot. Don’t forget your camera!
In His Love and Joy,
Christy
Christy and Michael at Bridgewater Bay
Sunrise at Portland
Portland Baptist Church
GlenElg River Gang
(Michael, John, Len (not really that tall)
Christy, Judith, Nev)
Penny and Michael
Next Post In Series: Kuranda Rainforest ¶ 7/29/2005 05:57:00 PM
I guess that is why we treasure cameras. They allow us to capture the essence of the moment through pictures. It is our way of holding on to time. (Especially when our photographic memory is a few rolls short on development.) In my heart I am feeling like a kid again with my old 110 camera. Think back before the time of disposable and digital cameras and 1 gig memory cards. Remember the days of 110 film and the cubed flash bulbs good for only four pictures? Remember the “click” of the shutter followed by the “winding clatter” of the film advancement wheel? In those days I carefully picked my photo opportunities. Wasting shots was not an option because I only had one 12-exposure film roll and a couple of flash bulbs. I am that kid again – right now. I have hundreds of photo opportunities, but my schedule confirms I have only 3 days of shooting left on my Portland camera.
Anyway…here are some ministry and event snapshots of Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in Portland. (Warning: Pictures may be out of chronological order!)
Christy attending the preschool playgroup held at Portland Baptist with mums (yes, they say mums) from the church and community. CLICK! Michael attending the twice-weekly prayer group with an incredible group of Portland prayer warriors. CLICK! Lunch with the senior adults of Portland Baptist at the home of Lorna Moyle. CLICK!
Attending the evening small groups at the homes of Jim and Judy Blake (Tuesday), Ian and Margot Bail (Wednesday) and Warwick and Kris Harland (Thursday). CLICK! Venturing down the Nelson River in a small, inflatable duck boat with Neville Hann. CLICK! Christy attending a young mums morning group (home-based) where outside speakers help mums in different areas. This month the topic was finances. The speakers consisted of a financial counselor from the Portland Shire (we call them counties) and a consumer affairs representative. CLICK! We visited Kay and Shirley Aldridge. These two sisters help care for injured koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies. Yes we got to hold and cuddle with them – the animals that is! CLICK! Early morning trip to downtown Portland to experience a beautiful sunrise. CLICK! Lunch with Steph and Jon Lambert. We had the pleasure of meeting them when they were at Grace Baptist last year during the July 4th weekend. CLICK! Riding to Bridgewater Bay to experience some of the most beautiful beachside I have ever seen. CLICK!
The next few days (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) will be filled with dinner with the Portland Baptist deacons, speaking at a community men’s group breakfast, teaching Banquet Table to small group leaders, Sunday Celebration service and more. Please continue to lift us up in prayers. It is cold and flu season here in Portland. Sniffles and coughs abound. Keep reading for Christy’s first Blog!
Until next time…..Blessings,
Aussie Word of the Day: Chuck a sickie – to take a day off sick from work when you are perfectly healthy.
Dear Diary…….oops!
Wrong entry! What I meant to say was, “G’Day friends and family”.
I wanted to assure you that I am alive and well in Aussie Land and savoring every minute of our visit. The locals assure us that we are here at the worst possible time of the year. They say that Spring and Summer are magical here…..glorious flower gardens and warm breezes in the bright sunshine. Well, winter has been magical for us. There is something very special about sitting around a table with friends, sharing a “cuppa” while the woodstove keeps us warm and toasty. The hospitality here has been wonderful.
As Michael mentioned earlier, it is winter here and the weather is a bit unpredictable. The sun is shining one minute and the clouds roll in the next. The skies open up for a few seconds and then the sun pops back out. Sometimes the sun doesn’t even have time to hide. That’s how it was yesterday while visiting friends in Heywood. Because of this, we were able to experience the most beautiful rainbow! It was so big I couldn’t get it all in the photograph. I was so thankful we were carrying our camera with us. We were prepared! As we drove back to Portland, I considered these same implications in our daily walk with Christ. The weather changes quickly! Am I always prepared to take advantage of the opportunities God gives me? Because, just like the rainbow was a precious gift from God, so are the people I come into contact with every day. Am I prepared to see and treasure the beauty of God’s creation? Do I seize every moment I have with them? Because that’s all it is….a moment. Who knows what is coming next. Just as the rainbow quickly vanished, so does our opportunity to share the love of Christ. Sometimes we only have one shot. Don’t forget your camera!
In His Love and Joy,
Christy
Christy and Michael at Bridgewater Bay
Sunrise at Portland
Portland Baptist Church
GlenElg River Gang
(Michael, John, Len (not really that tall)
Christy, Judith, Nev)
Penny and Michael
Next Post In Series: Kuranda Rainforest ¶ 7/29/2005 05:57:00 PM
