Determined Audrey

Every month that has 5 Sundays, we have a "combined service", instead of the usual 3 church services at the 3 different chapels.  Dear Audrey Joshua (85 yrs) is very deaf, and lives with her son, and can only get to church on these combined services.  She really looks forward to them.  On this Sunday, however, her son went to work, and completely forgot that he had to be back in time to take her to the service at 2.30pm.

At 9pm we had a knock on the door of the manse.  Guess what?  Audrey made her other son bring her to visit with us, and explain why she was not in church!!  We visited for about an hour.  The dogs and cats also made her welcome.

What a treasure to have people like her in our church.

Boxing day

Arthur and Danny had to work, and instead of sending Hannah to her Nanny Brenda, who usually looks after her, I offered to spend the day with Hannah.  My, but she is exhausting.  Never still for a moment.  Wanting me to "read book" with her, or "play blocks", or sing with the tambourine, or "play outside", or "drink milk", or eat, or go to the toilet....

From 3 pm onwards on boxing day, the Saints usually meet in the middle of Jamestown.  The street is blocked off, and races and dancing and eating and drinking takes place.

  I took Hannah there (while clever Graeme stayed at home visiting with his friend, John Reid).  After eating some ice cream, Hannah just sat staring at all the people around her.

  But as soon as the music started, she was up and dancing and enjoying being part of the activities.

At 5pm, I staggered up the hill with Hannah walking next to me, and dropped her off at her Nanny and Pappa's home (one street away from the manse).

5th Christmas on St Helena

While Graeme rushed off on Christmas morning, to hold services in Sandy Bay, and at Head O'Wain, I started preparing the turkey (yes, I actually found one this year) for the oven.  Graeme read from Isa 9, and brought home how the area around Galilee was considered a land of God's judgement and darkness.  It was in that area that Christ came to live and bring light.  The story of Jesus is ever one of bringing light and joy into places of darkness and sorrow.

At the Jamestown service, there was a man from the Christian motor bikers in SA.  Graeme asked him where he was spending the day.  He had nowhere to go, so he joined us - Arthur, Danny, Hannah, Brenda, Clarence, Graeme, Hazel, and Mike the motorbike guy.

Danny's parents brought the Saint traditional Christmas food - curry.  Usually it is goat meat curry, but they made a pork curry.  As usual, there was more than enough good, tasty food.

We all received lovely gifts, but Hannah received so many gifts from friends and family, it was almost embarrassing.  Here she is, wearing her beads, and with her "dinosaurs" and other gifts nearby, playing with her "computer", while Arthur tries out her magnetic drawing slate.

Garden growing

Graeme is putting a lot of effort into the back garden, and bits of green are starting to appear.  In the back, radishes are sprouting; a chilly bush in the front; and a tiny watermelon plant has sprouted behind a stick marking it's place right in the corner, near the chilly bush.

Summer has finally hit Jamestown, and it has become very hot and dry.  Dash, the cat, loves lying on the cool soil after Graeme has watered the beds.

I have a few days off work, starting tomorrow, and hope to get some extra cleaning and tidying done around the manse.

Hannah's birthday party

Although Hannah's real birthday is only in 4 days' time, her play group met today, and celebrated her birthday with her.  They had a bouncy castle,

games, lots of goodies to eat (including birthday cake),

Father Christmas visiting with gifts, and ice cream cones.
















 Hannah thoroughly enjoys interacting with other children.

Barren soil

The soil in Jamestown is dead.  Even weeds struggle to grow.

BUT a bug has bitten Graeme, and he has decided to try and start a vegetable garden at the back of the manse.  He is going about it in the very thorough way that he usually tackles new projects.  He started with preparing the soil, and has already done a great job of moving the heavy rocks from the rockfall, and sifting out the heavier stones in one of the beds.

Every Thursday, on his way to the Sandy Bay Bible study, he stops at the Baptist property at Knollcombes and collects 2 buckets of top soil, that even has earth worms in it.  This is placed in a zinc bath and watered and fertilized.  We have a friend that keeps chickens and others that have goats and sheep and the odd cow.  We hope to get manure from them, and to bring new life to the desert like sand.

After that, Graeme hopes to be able to actually grow veggies for the kitchen.

It will take a lot of effort, and water and soil and plant feeding, and insect killing etc, but who knows - we might end up having the best kitchen garden in Main Street.

Our one cat, Clawd, loves to supervise while Graeme works in the garden.

Hannah enjoys playing in the dirt 

Funeral

Graeme preached a good gospel message at Charles' funeral.  I was impressed that the only thing that everyone spoke of, was Charles' commitment to Christ - a life well spent.

I felt rather silly about fussing to make our 3 wreaths

- there were so many flowers from various folk.

Charles had obviously left an impression on a good number of people.

Wreaths

Because Charles had no family left to mourn him, I asked Edyta to help me make a wreath or 2 from the church.  We went looking for flowers on the roadside after work, and came home with (literally) a bucket full of arum lilies, as well as other lilies.  We also raided the bougainvillea at the front of the manse.

Edyta did an amazing job with the flowers.

A few days later, Hannah had fun playing in the bucket that was used to carry the flowers.

Charles Thomas

Tonight, at about 9 pm, our dear brother, Charles Thomas died in hospital.  He had been becoming gradually more frail over the past few months, and had been spending more frequent bouts in hospital.  He will be sorely missed.

This is the 2nd death inside of a month of an active member in the Head O'Wain congregation - first Enid Bowers, and now Charles.

.  Considering that the congregation is made up of only 10 members, and a few adherents, it is a great loss to the church, as well as to the families concerned.

HALLELUJAH! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!

Today was Remembrance Sunday.  It started off with the usual St Helenian enthusiasm with which they celebrate the day.

Bishop Richard Fenwick, who led the remembrance service

BUT

This afternoon was the highlight of my 4 years on St Helena!  Graeme gave a simple but powerful message on what it means to be saved. Then it was the baptism of the Mary, Mildred and Vida.  Their testimonies (mother and 2 sisters) reminded me of the Scripture that says "not by might, not by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord". Quiet, unassuming people; but who spoke openly and clearly of God's working in their lives.
                                                                                 

                                         91 yr old Mildred                                              

                                                                                   

        Mary

      Vida

        The 3 happy ladies

      Tea and chatting

Hannah enjoying the baptistry while the grown ups had tea 

Arthur and Danny

Guy Fawkes, and 

Arthur and Danny's 2nd wedding anniversary

Christ the King

Gareth Drabble and his friends have been practicing every Friday evening for some time now, in preparation for the first "Music Event" in our Jamestown chapel.  The main purpose of the event was to present the gospel through song, in music that younger people can relate to.

I was very impressed.  The lyrics of the songs that they chose were excellent, and the singing and music were of a high standard.  Unfortunately, not many young people attended.  But I enjoyed it.  They played my kind of music.

                                                   The drum kit and drummer were on loan

                                           The "sound desk operator" working from the gallery

Hannah

Almost every week I get to spend a few hours with my favourite grandchild.  I cannot help it if I think that she is just the cutest little girl on the whole island.  Here are some photos that captured some of her latest activities while at the manse.

                                                                               Watching a DVD  

When told to "smile for the camera", she knew she had to do something with her face... this was the result

 We heard Hannah chatting to someone, and found her sitting on one of the dogs' beds, showing Abi her little yellow plastic harmonica that she had just learnt to blow on.

  

                                                                     She then proceeded to "play music" for the dog.

Trick or Treat

I had a particularly difficult day at work, and came home in the mood to "vent".  The problem was how to do this without upsetting someone else.  Luckily it was "trick or treat" night.  Soooooo, when I heard little voices outside the dark front door, I put on a big white hat, switched on the light, flung the door open, and SCREAMED!!   Our 2 little pugs also rushed out barking, and joining in the mayhem.  Well.... the darling little children got what they wanted (hee,  hee, hee) and I got to "vent".

Enid's Funeral

The church was packed for Enid's funeral.  Graeme was free to challenge the folk to remember the testimony of her life, and check whether they knew the Lord that she lived for.

 It is still difficult to think that she was at Bible study on Thursday evening, and dead on Saturday morning.

Enid Bowers

Today, at about 2.15pm our dear sister, Enid Bowers, went to be with her Lord.  It was most unexpected.

Yesterday, she went to see the doctor with what appeared to be bad flu symptoms, and was sent home with the usual flu medication.  But this morning she had the shakes, was running a temperature and was strangely lethargic; so her husband Harold phoned their daughter, Wendy, who is a nurse.  Wendy rushed over and found her mom very short of breath, and looking very ill.  Within a very short time, Enid simply fell back on the bed, and had passed away.  Wendy did CPR for about 15 minutes, but was unable to resuscitate her mom.

Enid was one of those people who was very good at "background work."  She cleaned the church each week; grew flowers and arranged them for the Sunday services at Head O'Wain; prepared the communion table each month.

Our heartfelt prayers go out to her husband, Harold, and the rest of her grieving children, grandchildren, and brothers and sisters.

Praise the Lord!

Tonight, before Bible study started, Mary told Graeme that her mother wanted to ask him something.  91 year old Mildred asked "Will you baptise me?"  Mary then said that she also wanted to be baptised!  Hallelujah!!  

Hannah

Every 2nd or 3rd weekend, Arthur and Danny sleep over at the manse, and we get to spend some time with Hannah.  Each week she does and says new things.  She LOVES the telephone.  Here is a sequence of photos, with my added captions.
                                                         " Hullo, Hannah speaking..."

                                                             "Ooh, tasty bit of gossip...."

                                                                     "How terrible!"

                                                               "Must tell Mary"

One of our church folk (Wendy Henry) told me that she saw Hannah outside her Nana's flat the other day.  She was passing wet clothes to her Nana (Danny's mom) to hang on the clothes line.  She said "Hullo" to Wendy, and then informed her "I working."