Mim 1996 - 2008

We would like to tell to you a special story about an eleven year old girl called Mim. We have never met her. She is a friend of one of last year's Children's Church kids. She told us about her friend Mim who had terminal cancer and could we pray for her. We did that Sunday. At Christmas time we got a card and a little journal from Mim. The card read: "Thank you for your love and prayers. The doctor used to say I had seven months. Over the last week that you have prayed for me, he has extended it to fourteen months! God bless you! Love, Mim."

In the journal we found a collection of meaningful quotes that Mim had obviously found and recorded. They represented a huge range of thought including personal statements by her such as: "I hope that when I pass I will be remembered, not as the girl who had cancer, but as the girl who left her imprint on the world." We were blown away by this gift from someone who we had never met and by the maturity of one so young. Just because our Children's Church prayed for her one Sunday back in November we were given this link with her. After about thirty pages of the journal she had written: "Fill your own phrases and sayings in the next pages." This we have done, drawing from our own sources from stuff we have read ourselves. There are still many more pages to go.

After Christmas we were told that Mim was recovering from being hit by a car. Her recovery was more dicey because of her chemotherapy but she was recovering. We wanted to build an increased awareness of Mim and increase her prayer cover, to include the rest of our Children's Church every Sunday. We felt challenged by this whole event and felt called to respond as best we could. Mim had become a special prayer project for this year.

Then we were told she had died during the week. It came as a surprise and an enormous disappointment for us, especially the children who had remembered to pray for her. There are hazards in praying for healing. We wear our faith on our shoulder and hope for a miracle. Now have to move on and somehow try to make sense of it all, and of course to pray for Mim's family in their loss and sorrow.

Now all we have is Mim's most precious journal of her thoughts and findings and her Christmas card. We remember her words: "I hope that when I pass I will be remembered, not as the girl who had cancer, but as the girl who left her imprint on the world." We hope that we can help that imprint to be realised.

January Walk in Canada

In Melbourne suburbs there are mothers' groups called 'walking groups'. Mothers and their babies come together for a morning, and they walk about their suburb pushing their prams. As they exercise they are able to chat, and their babies see their new world go by.

But Canadian mothers have taken this idea to new extremes. In minus forty plus, they are undaunted and out they go out onto the streets to break the bonds of 'cabin fever' (which is a real problem if you are bound to your house for months on end).

When Bec (Barb and Peter's daughter) sent these pictures, we were amazed at seeing a mothers' walking group in such extreme conditions. Bec told us that their babies had to learn to be more patient in Canada, as they were dressed in triple layers with the resulting lack of movement. This social event must rate among one of the twenty wonders of the unusual things people do for enjoyment.

Opening for Archaeology

The Institute of Archaeology had its opening in its new location at La Trobe University today. This is the beginning of a new chapter in its contribution to research and learning, especially in its mission to promote interest amongst young people who might one day become archaeologists.

The Vice Chancellor opened the renovated site. The building was originally built for WW1 veterans who needed continual care after their return. It later became a psychiatric hospital. It has taken a lot of volunteer work to bring the building back to a usable state. Peter joined up with another member in our church, to front up one day every second week, for the last half year, to help to repair, sand, and paint the place to get it ready. A lot of volunteers were involved! There is still much work to be done even after the opening.


The place is huge with very high ceilings, so a trestle trolley was always needed (see in picture). There are many large exhibition size rooms and one of these has become an extensive library with a large range of archaeology journals. It has the largest collection, in the southern hemisphere, of "real stuff from the diggings" of Ancient Middle East places. A lot of these bits and pieces still have to be catalogued. It is amazing that Melbourne has this collection and amazing that it is so close to were we live. Peter has enjoyed being part of that scene.

Fifty-Five

A landmark day arrived for Peter. It was celebrated together with a morning bike ride and a coffee. Peter's brother John joined us and we went for lunch at the Azurea Cafe at the University Hill Complex. The food was great! At this stage the shopping centre is in the early stages of development so we had the place almost to ourselves. That is extreme low-key-ness when it comes to landmark birthdays. Peter never minds a low-key event so this was all good in his view of the scheme of things.

Class of 2008

Childrens Church has begun again for another year. We two are leaders of the grade one's this year. Peter is taking their pictures and Steve, another leader, is making really nice ID cards for them to wear with their name prominent. One of our great challenges as leaders is to put names to faces. Without knowing their names we will hardly be able to develop a meaningful relationship with which to help them grow in the Christian faith and to share the challenges they will all face along their way.

They are a great group of kids. Most of them already have an amazingly strong faith. We are humbled by the trust their parents have for us to do our best in this important church ministry. We miss out on the adult church sermon on those Sundays but learn from the Bible a different way - through having to reduce the content and extract what is finally important and in ways for a child to understand. That is very fulfilling.

New Out of Old

Peter was really encouraged when he last visited Gembrook. The stairs and veranda he spent a total of ten days working on had been painted by the Gembrook Working Group over the weekend. It has been such a good result from how it was at the start of last December till now at the end of January. The old stairs were completely dismantled, as was all the railings and banisters. The veranda decking was partly removed and the bearers were left (sort of) hanging off the wall for a time. A lot of good timber was reused. It is moot point as to whether it should have been totally demolished or not. Keeping some of it helped to maintain some of the building's history, and since the decking 'section width' was now not commercially available it did seem better not to disturb it and work around it if possible. The amount of serendipity involved in the project gave the impression that God had a keen interest as well.

Two Bikes Now

We finally have two bikes to complete our 30th anniversary plan to go riding together. Just recently we rode to Greensborough and back. The gearing selection and smooth changing meant that we were able to ride up any incline we faced. And there were quite a number of steep inclines because the Plenty Gorge was between us the our destination and the bike track followed the terrane more often. It was an enjoyable workout and something that we would like to repeat. While at Greensborough Barb bought a few things so there was a purpose over just going for a ride. And on the way there we stopped for a coffee. The simple pleasures of life are found along the way together.

Gembrook Echidna

When Peter was up at Gembrook Retreat last week the neighbourhood echidna paid a visit. This was special because it only passed through about once a month. It does not run away when seen but will become a ball of spines if we came too close to it. It also preferred to poke its snout into the base of a tree for extra protection, so as we came closer it made a line for the nearest tree to do just that.

The echidna (spiny ant-eater) is a unique native Australian mammal that lays eggs to give birth to its offspring. Its spines are particularly sharp and once it has braced itself into a ball of spines no aggressive animal has a chance to get to it. It is even hard to roll it over because it has taken a vice-like grip of the ground with its clawers.