US Thanksgiving

Thursday 22 November was US Thanksgiving. We were very privileged to be invited by our dear friend April from Regent to share Thanksgiving with her and some of her extended family.

On Wednesday we drove from Vancouver to Yakima, Washington. Along the way we stopped for lunch in Mount Vernon with Marq and Marlene (April’s friends), read some of the Old Testament (required reading for one of our courses), engaged in good conversation (talking is never difficult for some of us…), and admiring the scenery (which at times was breath taking). When we arrived Wednesday night we were a little tired, but started the festivities with a lovely dinner.

The next morning Bronwyn and April awoke early to cook the Thanksgiving turkey. In between bastings, we watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on TV. We then had a beautiful Thanksgiving lunch, with 23 people around the table! Amazing! (Mum McLellan – think those huge family Christmas Dinners!). As if the Thanksgiving Dinner wasn’t enough, before hitting the road on Friday morning, we were fortified by a scrummy breakfast! We would later need this for the longish border crossing

Such a treasured time for us both! People graciously opened their hearts and homes to us, especially Don and Julie (April’s Uncle and Aunt) with whom we stayed, and Florence (Don’s mother) who graciously hosted the festivities. We were so blessed to have been invited by April. We hope to one day return the blessings when she visits us in the Land of the Long White Cloud (NZ).

Here are some of our favourite pictures from the trip. The rest of the pictures can be seen on our web album: http://picasaweb.google.com/n.b.mclellan/ThanksgivingInYakima07

The Rev. Natasha Glenderran

Deacons in the Church of God serve in the name of Christ, and so remind the whole Church that serving is essential to all ministry. They have a special responsibility to ensure that those in need are cared for with Christlike compassion and humility. When called upon to do so, they may baptise, preach and give instruction in the faith. When the people are gathered for worship, deacons are authorised to read the Holy Scriptures, lead the prayers, and distribute the bread and wine of Holy Communion.

These words from the NZ Prayer Book would have been said to our friend Natasha, as she was ordained a deacon on Saturday 24 November. Because we both feel Natasha's journey to ordination has been partly our journey as well, a journey in which she has had to hold tenaciously on to God, we both felt sad that we were unable to be there. But we did share in her joy from a distance! We were also very pleased to see that someone had updated the name plate on her door to reflect her new 'reverential' status!

The other day in class, I (Nathan) took my pocket New Testament from my bag (yes - theological students do read the Bible!), where it fell open at the 'presentation' page. I was reminded that Natasha gave me this New Testament as a birthday presentation in 1999. This got me thinking about all the immense ways God has blessed Bron and me through Natasha. Natasha - you have been a loyal, wise, open and loving friend. We are both deeply grateful to God for you! And we both pray that as you enter this new phase in your ministry, that God will continue to richly bless others through you!

Canadian Thanksgiving Day

On October 8th, Canada celebrated Thanksgiving Day. This is officially, if not always in practice, "[a] Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed … to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October." We got into the spirit of the celebration when we realised we'd invited a couple for dinner that day! As it turned out, they were ill and cancelled at the last minute, so a quick email around resulted in Claire joining us for dinner instead.

For our yummy dinner we ate:

roast chicken with cranberry sauce(the turkeys are 4 times the size!), roast sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and green beans. For dessert we had pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and we drank ginger ale (Canada Dry) and apple juice. Yes, we did want to have a snooze after all this food!

This day also marked the start of our first Reading Week. We did some solid work that week, in between a bit of socialising (and depression about our workload and the rugby!). Mid-week we devoured another big dinner - this time a NZ leg of lamb, expertly roasted by Claire. Here we are at her house with her housemates and friends. (From the front: Ginny [new Regent NZer], Bronwyn, Claire [NZ]; Middle: Sheila [England], April [USA/honorary NZer!], Sharon [Sth Africa], Nathan; and back, Jonny [Scotland]; Tim [USA] was at work.)

We ended the week on Galiano Island, of the coast, where we helped cater lunch and snacks for the faculty retreat. It was great interacting with some of the faculty in a different setting from college. The island was very green, and reminded us a bit of NZ (but with different trees, of course). Here are some shots of the views we had from our accommodation and workspaces.

Regent Retreat

Two weeks into the new term, we headed down to Warm Beach Conference Centre, Washington, USA, for the annual Regent College Retreat - a bit like church camp. We had no problems crossing the border (those visas are starting to reap dividends) and had a very pleasant journey with our friend Amy. Some parts of the journey were like travelling through the pine-forested areas of NZ, though on wider roads. The retreat location was lovely, although not warm and more of an estuary than a beach!

Some new experiences included seeing a bald eagle (sorry, the camera wasn't at hand) and eating 'smores' (below). The centre holds a Christmas light display each year so they were just starting to put up strings of lights (also below). Another new experience, was having meals served to us at our tables, rather than the long queues usually associated with catering for 100+ people in this kind of setting!

The program was balanced between community, teaching and free time. It was a good chance to interact with faculty members and other students. A highlight was the talent show - the calibre of acts was high and the staff items were particularly entertaining. Our only criticism is that the retreat didn't really allow for study time so the last two weeks we have been frantically trying to catch up on reading, etc. So that's what Reading Week is for, we guess!

Blackberries and Books

That last post seems so long ago!

We have enjoyed the 'end-of-summer weather' which had very little rain and lots of sun, but that is now over by the looks of things. The fall/autumn has been noticeable, with some of the trees starting to lose their leaves and turning beautiful shades of gold and red. Yesterday saw the first dusting of snow on the mountains, and there was a definite nip in the air. The rain has been more regular in the last week. This is the Vancouver we remember!

We spent the time before classes started walking to the beach, catching up with friends, blackberrying and getting ahead in our reading. We helped out with orientation week (for new students) and have made lots of new friends (as well as caught up with the 'old'.

We have just finished our first four weeks of classes and feel TIRED. We are well and truly into study again. This weekend marks the beginning of our first Reading Week - not a holiday... we really need it for reading!

So what are our courses this term?
Nathan:
*Old Testament Foundations - a survey of OT themes, and features of each book (to add to the NT course last semester)
*Christian Thought & Culture 1 (CTC1)- an interdisciplinary course covering theological, cultural, societal and other developments from the time of the Early Church to the Reformation
*Introductory Greek 1 - beginning to learn the language of the New Testament
*History of Christianity 1 - also covering the Early Church to the Reformation (to supplement the History 2 course last semester)

Bronwyn:
*Old Testament Foundations - as above (also adding to NT last term)
*CTC1 - as above
*Christian Education & Equipping - evaluating and developing education materials for discipleship

Some of our other responsibilities include Nathan being on the "Living Well" committee, a student & faculty group that promotes balanced living and student welfare; and Bronwyn has a part-time job doing catering for faculty functions and meetings. (See the BroNZ Bitz link at the side if you want to see more about her job and general musings.) We are very busy this term!

Wish You Were There

We have just got back to Vancouver after spending Monday to Friday on Vancouver Island with our friends, Claire and April. We rented a cottage in East Sooke, on the south-western coast of the island.

We were blessed with an free upgrade to a fabulous place, overlooking Sooke Harbour, right on the waterfront - a great deal for us students! It had a hot-tub and a private wharf (if we'd had our own fishing boat) as well as a wonderful house with almost all the mod cons. (I say "almost" because I went to use the hand-held electric beater to whip some cream but could only find 1 of the 2 whisks to put in it. I burnt off the calories from the cream as I whipped it by hand with a whisk!!!) The highlight was really being right on the waterfront. We spotted purple sea-stars (a bit like soft looking starfish), lots of crabs, a fish or two, a sea lion or seal, and had daily visits from a heron, who sat on a rock in our little cove to fish every time the tide turned.

We spent Tuesday in Victoria. We saw the government buildings (it is the provincial capital), had some great fish'n'chips, ate a "Canada Cone" (an icecream with cream and strawberries on top), wandered the streets, and watched an IMAX film on an African safari. Victoria is very "English-looking", and had multiple statues of Capt. James Cook, who claimed Victoria Island for the British in 1769 (or thereabouts!)

We spent Wednesday at the famous Butchart Gardens. The sunken garden and dahlia display were particularly spectacular. It was a hot day (in the 30s celcius) and it was great eating a picnic lunch in the shade of a tree on the grass. We even met a NZ couple from Lower Hutt as we wandered around!

We celebrated April's 33rd birthday on the 30th of August. We surprised her with balloons, party hats and candles in her breakfast pancakes. It was hard to keep a straight face during some "serious theological discussions" later in the day when we had these ridiculous hats on! Otherwise we rested, had soaks in the hot-tub, and taught Claire and April to play the card game 500.

Another highlight of our week away was establishing a "Kiwi-American Dictionary" with April. As the 3 Kiwis chatted, April would pipe up "I'll add that one to the list!" We ate 'hamburger'/beef mince, wore our flipflops/jandals, and wore our swimmers/togs in the hot-tub. It was against Nathan's instincts to eat Jif peanut butter, especially when he found some Vim (which looked remarkably like NZ's Jif cleaner) in the cupboard too!

Overall it was a fantastic week. You can see plenty more photos if you click on the link at the side. Now we need to slough off the holiday thinking and get ready for college.

Catching Up

Since we've been back in Canada we seem to be "catching up" with our friends all over the place! The last few weeks have been a diary full of dinners, visits and "popping up to college".

We enjoyed a beautiful meal at Soohwan's during our first week, before she flew back to Japan and South Korea to visit family and friends. Soohwan made yummy bread and raspberry bars for dessert. All of us (McLellans, Claire, April, and Holly) had a great time.

Later that week, our friend Jodie had her first baby. She was in labour for FOUR days and had to have an emergency C-section in the end. Wes, her husband, says she was really worried later that she had been rude to the anaesthatist - even though she had spoken politely and thanked him as he'd left! Another example of Canadians being thoroughly nice! Here is the beautiful Smith family (Wes, Jodie, and 2-day-old Synova Josephine) when Bronwyn and some others visited them in the hospital.

Last weekend we went to a birthday party for Cora, daughter of our friends David & Megan. Cora was turning one so she had fun eating cake, tasting her first hotdog, discovering presents, and generally being the centre of attention. We are told Cora also took her first steps after the guests had left!

On Tuesday we had dinner at Claire's, along with April and Sheila (Claire's house-mate), where we planned our upcoming trip to Vancouver Island. You'll be sure to see more about this in a later post!

We also have had time to catch up with Esther, Ben & Jen, Leonard, Susannah (thanks for the dahlias), the Yeohs, and the Lims at various times. We'll be seeing plenty of others soon too.

Our most recent visitor has the honour of being our first non-Vancouverite visitor. Nathan's second cousin, Rebekah(Bex) Murch, was staying with a friend in the city and came out to spend yesterday with us. She has been nannying in south London in the past year, and spent her summer as a camp counsellor in a christian camp near Chicago. We took her out to visit Jericho and Locarno Beaches for an iceblock/ice lolly/ice stick, and had long chats about family and the joys of being New Zealanders in other cultures (e.g. the difference between UK and NZ marmites).

The (Long) Story of a Handmade Quilt

Towards the end of our first semester in Vancouver I (Bronwyn) took a study break and wandered up to visit the (dangerously tempting) quilt shop nearby. After rummaging through the remnant bins I left the shop with $20-worth of various flannelette off-cuts and the beginnings of a plan to make a quilt!

Due to lack of a sewing machine, my idea was to hand-sew a lap quilt from these scraps so I could use it to keep warm when I sit and study. Nathan has encouraged me to document the quilt-making process so you can all vicariously share its warmth. So here goes...

After washing and drying all the fabric (so it won't shrink if washed in the future) I cut hundreds of 2.5 inch squares from it.

Then I tacked (used big stitches to secure) the fabric squares around a paper template - in my case some 2 inch square post-it notes!

When all my remnants (plus a few from my friend, Holly) were converted to 284 little stiff squares my desk wasn't really conducive to much study anymore. The squares were set aside until the end of the semester!

When I picked them up again, I spread the squares randomly on the floor and decided I needed a background fabric. From there, I manoeuvred the squares into a checkerboard formation with a large feature square at each corner. I then recorded this pattern on a piece of paper to maintain the "random" placement of colours.

With Holly, I hunted in fabric stores across Vancouver for a background colour to blend in with the existing fabric. I think we walked 5km that day and bussed a fair few more! The expedition was ultimately successful, as we found the perfect solution at a bargain fabric shop after a tip from a teenage boy on one of the buses. He didn't look like the type who quilted!

283 khaki-striped squares tacked to post-its later, we were back in NZ. I was ready to start sewing the pieces together! This involved putting the right sides of two tacked squares facing each other. Then I sewed along one side of the squares, joining them by catching together just the fabrics (not the paper inside) with my needle and thread. When folded open the squares were joined. Another square was put right side to one of the joined squares, and another seam sewn. When each square was completely surrounded by other squares, the tacking stitches were removed and the paper pulled out.

As our months in Wellington passed, in between teaching jobs and socialising, the joined squares came to resemble the pattern I had noted on paper back in Vancouver. Technically I was only doing the patchwork - joining the patches together. By the end of June, with the addition of a strip of background fabric on each side, the patchworked quilt top was finished. That was a good feeling!

A further shopping expedition resulted in the purchase of some batting (the fluffy polyester filling) and a large piece of black flannelette for the reverse side of the quilt. Here you can see the white batting overhanging from the edge of my quilt.

Quilting is the act of binding the three layers (top, batting, and backing) together. Initially this is also done with long tacking stitches, just to hold the layers together while a more intricate pattern is stitched. I chose to stitch a circle around each of the coloured squares, not the background fabric ones - I'm not a glutton for punishment! Here you can see the white paper circle I pinned on to guide my stitches.

It was easier to stitch when the layers of fabric and batting were taut, so I used a giant embroidery hoop to hold them in place. I got pretty fast at completing each circle - I think about 8 minutes was my best time. It was a good activity to have while we had long conversations with our parents in Palmerston North and Feilding during July. I had hoped to have finished this stage by the time we left NZ but I didn't quite make it. With less than 20 circles to quilt, it was packed in our suitcase again.

Back in Vancouver the summer weather put me off for a few days. It sure gets warm under a quilt when you're sewing! When I'd acclimatised, I finished the circles and began sewing some satin blanket ribbon around the edge of the quilt, still binding the layers together. Here you can see the post-it note I used as a guide to try to keep the border an even width.


Eventually, the quilt was quilted and the satin binding was attached. At last the tacking threads that had initially bound the layers of the quilt together were removed.



The next step was to cut off the excess batting and backing fabric.

Then I folded the ribbon over the raw edges and attached it to the back of the quilt, trying to hide any unsightly stitches!


Here is a picture of a corner, showing some detail of the more decorative circle stitching on the feature square, as well as the ribbon binding.




Nathan insisted on taking a picture of the very last stitch!




Of course, a quilt isn't finished until it is signed and dated. Again you can see the decorative quilting in the corner.

And here is the well-travelled finished product out in the summer sunshine in our Vancouver backyard. Now the quilt is neatly folded up on our couch, waiting for some cooler weather to prompt me to snuggle up in its warmth. If you've managed to read the whole of this blog-post, you'll be feeling some of the relief I felt at finally finishing my project!

The only problem is that now Nathan is wanting me to finish the first quilt project I started... perhaps when a study break is needed... you know, quilts do fly!

Celebrations Galore

Our visit 'home' to NZ is now over and we are back 'home' in Vancouver. The last two months of our stay seemed to fly past, yet so much happened.

June saw us continue working (Nathan at Treasury and Bronwyn relieving at various schools in the Tawa area). That filled in most of our time, but we managed to squeeze in some TV (which we don't have in Vancouver - too distracting!), some quilting, some visiting of friends, and visiting of churches (in Tawa, Johnsonville, Feilding, Palmerston North, and Linton).

We also had the chance to meet with two lovely couples to talk about Regent College. Lex & Barb have done summer courses before, and are thinking about bringing their family over to Vancouver for fulltime study. John & Jenny were just 'testing the water' before John headed over for a summer course in July. We hope both John & Lex were blessed in their recent courses.

The highlight of the month was the engagement of Nathan's brother, Alastair, to Kim. We were staying with them at the time, and got to vicariously relive the excitement of being newly-engaged. We'd forgotten how much happens in those first few weeks! The engagement party in July was a time for the McLellans and Beauchamps to celebrate together. We trust all the wedding preparations are continuing smoothly, Al & Kim.

We finished working at the end of June, and spent July with our parents. This involved a lot of lovingly 'mum-cooked' food, cups of tea, and conversation, with a small sprinkle of exercise (walking with Nath's parents, and digging out the carport base with Bron's parents). Needless to say, our clothes fit a little more snugly now, and our regular walks to the local beach are far more necessary!

Bronwyn also celebrated her birthday in July with more food (dinner and afternoon tea) and various family members. Her Vancouver friends even sent her a birthday card with lots of lovely messages. Now birthday blessings reach around the world!

Nathan preached at two services at St Columba's, Linton. His messages, based on the 'River of Life' (Ezek 47 & Rev 22), gave him a chance to put some of his recent learning into practice, and both were well-received by the congregation.

One reason behind our stay in NZ was Nath's dad's health. While we were there, Ian received a report saying his cancer had been cleared. There was much rejoicing in the McLellan clan again! This culminated in a thanksgiving service on the last weekend of July. Friends and family from all around the country descended upon St Columba's (where extra chairs were needed to seat everyone) to join Ian in offering God thanks for his healing, the many answered prayers, and the comfort of many who shared the journey. It was a very special time, and an opportunity for Christian witness that Ian did not pass up!

We left NZ on August 1st, with the maximum baggage limit once again. How we'll ever get all this stuff back to NZ at the end of our time here is still a mystery! No doubt the suitcase of Kiwi consumables (pineapple lumps, biscuits, honey, NZ keepsakes to give away, etc.) will lighten the eventual load a little. We're well-stocked until the next trip anyway.

NZ Nostalgia Month

A month has flown by, and we now have a blog-post to show for it! Life back in NZ has been a whirlwind of work, and catching up with family and friends. We're missing broadband internet so no photos here, just look under our Web Photos link on the right hand side. Here's the low-down (and hopefully we haven't missed anyone important!):

We flew into Auckland and spent the weekend with our friend Natasha. She kindly drove us to Long Beach, where we spotted more native birds than seagulls. It was great having a "debrief" with another theological student! Thanks Tasha.

We then caught the bus down to Feilding, staying with Bron's parents for the night. A huge lamb roast and lots of smooches from our cat, Smudge, were added bonuses to spending time with family. Then we visited Nath's parents (for bacon & egg pie, and copious cups of tea) before heading down to Wellington to start work. We're staying with Alastair (Nath's brother) and his partner, Kim, in Tawa while we're working.

It has been easy to step back into work. One of Nath's colleagues said he felt like he'd never left! After a slow two weeks, Bron has been relief teaching every day, at her old school (Holy Family) and at a couple other local schools. It has been nice to be back in a classroom (not as a student!)

Our weekends have been pretty full so far. Most are spent back in Palmerston North between our parents but one has been in Tawa. Some highlights have been: Mother's Day with mums and grandmothers, Feilding garden show, a visual literacy course for Bronwyn, meeting up with some future Regent students, seeing our friends from church, having lunch or dinner with friends from our respective workplaces, visiting the Wellington Food Show, chin-wagging with our home-group friends, watching the All Blacks beat France at the Stadium, watching a "Maori version" of Othello at Downstage theatre, and delivering various parcels for our Vancouver-Kiwi friends.

Beyond our friends and family, some things we've been appreciating since we've been back are: time to quilt, tasty honey, NZ music month (Opshop and Hollie Smith are our latest favourites), home cooking (!!!), cheese, NZ accents, Vogel's bread, familiar landmarks, new ads on TV, clothes dried on clotheslines, and lots of native birds, like the tui in our photos. (For the non-NZers I've put a somewhat grainy video so you can hear its song that we wake to each morning here!)

We have also just heard from our Vancouver landlord that a huge tree fell on the property from the street, missing all the important parts of the house and leaving only minor damage. All three houses affected had people at home and no-one was hurt. "God is good!" The photos are also in the web album.

Vancouver Adventures... and Beyond

In a few days we head back to visit New Zealand, so we thought we had better have "done something" in case people ask us what Vancouver's like. Saying that everything seemed great within the 20-block radius of our house didn't seem like it would meet everyone's expectations!

Since our last blog we have had a busy social calendar that has included some sight-seeing. We probably waited until the right time because the rain has cleared in the last two weeks (at last!) and we have had some beautiful days of sunshine and spring flowers - great weather to explore two of the top tourist attractions in Vancouver: Capilano Suspension Bridge and Stanley Park, and also to venture "south of the border".

Capilano Bridge spans the Capilano Valley in North Vancouver. Once you cross the swaying bridge (from the east side, where there is a cafe and souvenir shop) you enter the fir and pine forest, where shady paths meander through the trees and you can find lookout points across the valley. We also enjoyed the Treetops walk, a pathway of (not-so-wobbly) suspension bridges between the trees about 15 metres above the ground. We took plenty of pictures so you can check them out by clicking the 'web album' link on the right-hand side of this page. You'll also spot our friends, Claire and April, in the photos because April was kind enough to drive us all out there. Thanks April!

A few days later April, Claire and Holly joined us to explore Stanley Park, a forested park right next to downtown Vancouver. We wandered around Lost Lagoon (spot the turtles, racoon and squirrels in our photos via the link), went through the rhododendron garden, past the playground (via the kiosk for refreshments) and then took one of the many trails through the forest, stopping at the rose garden, close to where we had started. It was a lovely afternoon... and we were very tired by the time we finished!

Last Monday, Fay ( a fellow Kiwi who goes to our church) invited us to the U.S. for the day, as she wanted some company when she drove down for a music lesson. It was great to go beyond the rolling plateaus of Vancouver, out past Delta (aptly named!) and, after a wait, cross the border to Bellingham, in the state of Washington. Here is a picture of the Peace Arch at the border crossing. Fay dropped us at a rather large mall while she went to her lesson. The weather was beautiful so we took some pictures of the mountains in both countries. We had lunch, spent a student-sized portion of money, and then made our way back to Canada. We crossed the border quickly (compared to the earlier crossing!) and joined the evening traffic back into Vancouver. Another busy day.

The next day we helped Holly to repaint her kitchen, living area and hallway (along with some other friends) in preparation for the arrival of her new housemates. We definitely earned all the cookies and yummy lunch Holly provided. We also discovered some muscles we'd forgotten we had! It was a fun day and the results looked pretty good (in our humble opinions!)

Since exams we've also had a bunch of smaller get-togethers with friends: watching the Cricket World Cup (abysmal!); a stamping workshop hosted by Bron's friend, Jodie; a fabric-hunting trek with Holly; dinner with Kev & Esther, and Fay, Bruce, Samuel & Andrew (with a visit to the gorgeous Queen Elizabeth Park); some coffee/hot chocolate drinking (with more in the next few days); and the rapid consumption of novels and magazines from the library (now that the textbooks have been put aside for a while).

On Wednesday we'll be winging our way back to New Zealand for 3 months of time with family, work, and catching up with a different set of friends! Now that the temperatures in Vancouver, Wellington and Palmerston North seem to be (on average) about the same now, the adjustment shouldn't be too bad: we don't come from blazing sun to snow drifts this time! And we think we have plenty to share about Vancouver, now that we've ventured beyond the twenty blocks!

The cakes says it all...

Yes! "Thank God!" It's over! Six reading logs, four exams, four essays, three mid-term tests, three book reviews, one poetry anthology, one position paper, one comparative book study, one picture book study, many Gobbets (ask us about these sometime!), and a lot of reading now complete... we can breathe a big sigh of relief. Yes - Praise God! - it's all over... at least for now!

Despite the work and some of the trials, we both feel the last three months at Regent have been some of the most rewarding since we've been married.

To celebrate the completion of our first term at Regent, we had a lovely lunch today with our friends Clive, Michelle, Beng and Le Wan. Le Wan brought the cake, complete with the inscription, which says it all.

Now that we're done, we have a bit of time to do some exploring, before heading back to NZ in early May.

P.S. I'm (Nathan) starting to make good on a promise to some of you to post some of my sermons on our blog. With a little bit of techie advice from Sam McGuire, I've worked out how to do this by linking our blog to another website. I've got one up already, and hope to post a few more over the coming days (I'm listening to them first, to make sure I'm not posting any 'sensitive' info). Some of the early recordings are pretty scratchy, but they get better as they go.

Here's the link http://www.orbitfiles.com/download/NICMcLellan. Password: kermit. Let me know if there's any problems. I've also put a link on the right-hand side of the blog.

All roads lead to Rome…

The semester is nearly at an end, with exams to sit in less than two weeks time, so I thought I’d reflect a little on the semester which is about to come to an end.

No doubt you’ve all heard the expression: All roads lead to Rome. This little phrase pretty much sums up my first semester living in Vancouver and studying at Regent College. Although, the expression does need to be altered slightly. It should read: All roads lead to a letter written to Rome. And, in particular, a certain portion of a letter written to Rome.

Within weeks of arriving in Vancouver, and starting at Regent, Mum called with some bad news: Dad was in hospital and he’d been diagnosed with cancer. After managing (just) to hold it together on the phone, I told Bronwyn the news, and then broke down and cried. That night lying in bed, worrying about Dad and with our plans up in the air, I started thinking about some words written to a group in Rome.

I’ve had many memorable conversations this semester. One of the great things about being at Regent is you’re surrounded by a lot of creative, thoughtful and intelligent people, so there’s never really a dull conversation! And several of these conversations have centred on a letter written to some people living in Rome.

Finally – there are other examples but I’ll stop here – I’ve been grieving a bit this semester, for a little church congregation, that I lead and poured my heart into for a couple of years but, for a variety of reasons, was closed down a couple of months ago. All that effort, was it worth it? Did I really make a difference? Where do I find answers to these questions? No surprises now: from part of a letter written to some people living in Rome.

So what is this letter written to Rome? What’s so special about it? Let me share part of it:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation [that is the whole universe] eagerly waits for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subject to frustration… in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom and glory of the children of God.

These words keep you going when your Dad is seriously sick, make for interesting conversation with your Regent friends, and provide answers to questions like: was it all worth it? These words are about a sure hope. Not that we’ll die and float off to heaven and be happy forever after. Sorry… the Christian hope is SO MUCH GREATER THAN THIS!! Rather, that God will renew all of creation! Or as Tom Wright puts it: God will put the world to right. Then there will be no more cancer…no more suffering… no more pain.

These words also motivate me because anything I do which contributes to this vision will ultimately not be lost; it will be included by God in his renewal of all creation.

In my final message to the people of that little church, which I mentioned earlier, I shared with them these words:

I think it’s important to note that God will not throw creation in the bin and start again. Rather he will liberate creation, setting it free; God will renew creation. This is important because everything that we have done which has contributed to the building of God’s Kingdom – whether that be helping those in need or taking care of our environment – will be saved and kept for the glory of God.

I’m happy to be on this road. Care to join me?

Nathan

Guinness, Jam & Grace

We have a couple more weeks before exams, so we are nearing the end of our first semester at Regent. Along with the increase in assignments has been an increase in social activities to relieve the stress levels!

St Patrick's Day was good excuse for a party so we joined our friends, Claire, April, and Holly at Claire's house (along with all her housemates) for an Irish evening. We had a lovely meal of "bangers & mash", some Guinness, and Irish tea & coffee. Then we watched "In the Name of the Father", an Irish movie about the Guilford Four and the effort to clear their names. A very good evening. Click on the Our Web Photos link on the right-hand panel to see some pictures.

We have also spent a couple of Sunday lunches, after church, at public markets on Granville Island and Lonsdale Quay. We also had a pleasant evening with a couple from church, Steve and Altaire, when they bravely invited five Regent students for dinner. We had a great meal and some intense discussions.

Nathan also made some yummy strawberry jam last week. The produce here is quite cheap so we made the equivalent volume of delicious strawberry jam for the same cost as nasty cheap raspberry jam! And here's the picture to prove that Nathan did it, not Bronwyn! Gingerbeer is his next culinary project to be completed (and consumed).

Yesterday we went with some friends to see the film, Amazing Grace. It is about William Wilberforce's campaign to abolish slavery in Britain and her colonies. It is an excellent movie and we highly recommend seeing it if it screens in NZ (or elsewhere, for that matter!) Here is a link to the North American site, where you can view the 'trailer'. http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/index.php

We are looking forward to our trip back to New Zealand over the "summer break" for work and family time. Even though we'll struggle to get a tan in the New Zealand winter we're pretty sure we'll experience less rain than in Vancouver. Plus our umbrellas are likely to be redundant in Wellington!

Spring has Sprung!

While the temperature is still fluctuating (a lot!) spring is definitely springing forth, here in Vancouver. Daylight savings has started this week so progress is underway towards summer. We've had a few truly beautiful days with clear skies and warm breezes, but generally an umbrella is required when leaving the house - spring rains to add to the winter ones!

As usual, we've been busy with schoolwork. The end of the semester is not far away so assignments are falling due with regularity! Nathan has been working on a paper about John Stott for his history course and Bronwyn is making progress on a paper about equipping laypeople for pastoral care. The research for both has been interesting, yet the excitement wanes when we need to decide exactly what we can fit into the word-limit for a piece of work. That can be frustrating! Nathan has also been wrestling with some problems in philosophical theology!!!!

The last two weeks have been A Celebration of the Arts at Regent. There have been lunchtime concerts, workshops, evening events and a display in the gallery on campus. We haven't been able to take part in much (because we're busy) but the building is looking very colourful at the moment. On Tuesdays we have a chapel service at 11am. This past week we had a special 'Offering of the Arts' in chapel involving drama, poetry, singing and a group playing Bach. It was great! Chapel is followed by a community lunch (of soup) and then people gather in community groups ( a bit like Bible study groups, but more social). It was our group's turn to help on soup duty this past week so we missed the end of chapel but helped make soup for 200 or so people and serve it. Split pea & prosciutto, with croutons and parmesan - yummmmmm!

We also had a craving for an 'olde style family dinner' so we invited our friends, Claire & April, around for a roast. In lieu of kumara we had sweet potatoes, called yams here (and very similar to orange kumara). When we explained this to April (an American) we couldn't really explain what are the things we call yams in NZ! She also hadn't tasted parsnip before so that was a new experience for her.

Bronwyn has also been filling in spare moments with some patchwork. She's started a quilt with flannel material (as a couch throw or blanket when reading) and has been making lots of lovely squares. Post-it notes have taken on a new use as templates. Nathan hopes they'll be made into something before she starts any other projects!