We Are Geelong...

Well, it’s been 4 months since last updating the blog, so thought it was time for another update!

Study:
Vaughn has been officially accepted into the School of Pastoral Theology and is now in his third trimester for 2007 and his studies continue to go well. He is now studying Parish Education, Global Christianity, Pentateuch and Introduction to Parish Ministry. Having greater opportunities to read and study the Bible and the Lutheran Confessions in the Book of Concord has been a highlight for him this trimester. The Book of Concord was so significant in his coming to study at ALC, so to now study it in context and see the continued relevance for us as a church is very satisfying for Vaughn.

Vaughn has also completed his field education assignment at the Lutheran Aged Care Village and has just begun his placement with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) in military chaplaincy. This is going very well and is something he has been interested in for some time.

Church:

When I last wrote, I mentioned that we were praying for Pastor Detlev Vosgerau to accept a call to Pasadena. He did accept the call, but won’t be starting at the church until at least December. This was going to be a long vacancy, especially for an ALC student who needs to do his placement.

Instead, we have been placed at St Paul’s Lutheran Church Glenelg with Pastor David Altus. It is nice to now have a church home and we are looking forward to settling in there and meeting many new people. We feel quite comfortable there and have already met some lovely people. We have been going to Glenelg for about 4 weeks and it was announced on Sunday that Vaughn is doing his placement there, so we had many people come and make us feel welcome, which was lovely.

Being so close to the beach and all the cafes that come with that, it’s nice to go down there after church to have a coffee/hot chocolate!

My Eardrum:

I had my first hearing test after the surgery in mid August (about 3 months after the operation). The results weren’t as high as what I expected, but my doctor was really happy. He said that my ear is healing well and that the ear drum looks to have repaired itself. It’s a wonderful learning experience, finding out about how the human body works. I saw my doctor in July, just for a check up and that’s when he mentioned that the ear drum had repair itself. However, I found out that’s not all that has to happen. It was swollen after the surgery, so before it will function properly, the swelling needs to go down, so that it can vibrate properly. The scar on the outside of my ear (where they took tissue to graft to the eardrum) is a good indication of how the eardrum is healing.

When I went back in August, I found out that the next step of recovery is for the bones in my ear to get used to working again. As they haven’t been working for so long, they take on the characteristic of ‘arthritic’ bones and are stiff. So, that is a gradual process as well! My next hearing test will be in November (another 3 months from the last appointment). If the doctor is happy with the progress, I won’t have to go back to him again and my hearing should gradually come back. The human body is an amazing thing and it is quite wonderful that science can’t do everything and some things need to be left to nature/God’s Hand (as admitted by my doctor when he first saw me for my perforated eardrum)!

Holidays:

While Vaughn was on semester break, we drove to Melbourne via Hamilton for a week long break. Initially we were just travelling to Hamilton for the weekend, for the school reunion that I’d organised for the class. It was great catching up with people I hadn’t seen in so long! Here are a couple of pictures that Roger Venning took (click here) and here’s a couple I also took.

GSC 1995 School Reunion

Dad took us for a drive around Hamilton, visiting the Wannon and Nigretta falls… they were beautiful! I took these things for granted when I was growing up, but now I love visiting these places!

Hamilton Visit Aug

Once in Melbourne, it was go, go, go!

We stayed with Vaughn’s parents during our time in Melbourne. The next door neighbour’s dog, although annoying with her barking, is very cute!

Angus, getting slower in his old age, is still up for a run with the ball!

Angus

We:

had dinner with Simone (Vaughn’s sister), Rod and the kids (my, they have grown up!)

went and saw “Thank God You’re Here” filmed live (yes, I managed to be seen on camera!). Our episode aired on 19^th September. It was so much fun! There’s not a lot that’s cut between filming and airing but it was interesting seeing behind the scenes. The warm up guy, Brian Nankervis, was very funny!

visited Tess:

Tess

had dinner with some close friends at a wonderful Chinese restaurant and the next day had lunch with Liz and Tisch (who’s engagement party we had missed a month before).

went to my cousin, Dean and his fiancée, Fleur’s engagement party at the RSL club in Watsonia (literally down the road from where we used to live!).

Dean & Fleur's Engagement

Then we drove back to Adelaide, via a night in Hamilton. Whew, what a trip! We needed a holiday to recover from our holiday!

Other News:

There was a lunar eclipse in Adelaide on 28^th August, which I managed to capture on camera. It was fascinating to watch the progression over the night!

Lunar Eclipse

Vaughn and I went to the Adelaide Show in early September. It was fun to go, but now that I’ve done it, I won’t need to go again for a few years. I hadn’t been to the show since before I met Vaughn, so I was keen to check it out after so many years. I think I have come to the conclusion that although it would be more exhausting, it would be more fun to go with kids, to see them enjoying themselves.

I was very excited to be invited to go and see Philip Yancey speak live on 11^th September. My next door neighbour had acquired some free tickets and offered one to me. I’ve always loved Philip as an author, so it was great to hear him speak. Afterwards, I was able to get him to sign one of my favourite books, “What’s So Amazing About Grace” as well as the book he was promoting “Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference”. As we were 3^rd in line for the book signing, we were able to speak with him briefly as he hadn’t been sitting there for ages, and therefore getting tired, just wanting to get out the door! He’s a lovely guy and his wife is very sweet and friendly.

Later that week, Vaughn and I travelled to Cape Jervis for a games weekend with a few other sem students and their wives. On the Friday evening, the hosts organised a murder mystery dinner, set in 1959. It was lots of fun and we all dressed up for the occasion (my character was Tiara Diamond and Vaughn’s was Chubby Chedder). On Saturday night, we had a bon fire with port, marshmallows and sparklers! An enjoyable night, but our jackets still smell of the smoke!

Games Weekend

My best friend, Naomi and her husband, Michael (studying at St Louis Lutheran Seminary) gave birth to their son on 25^th September – Asher Benjamin. It really makes me miss her, reading about how she went and seeing the pictures of Asher, not being able to cuddle him!

My cousin, Melissa gave birth to their second daughter, I believe, a couple weeks ago. I don’t yet have full details of this, but congratulations!

One of my American cousins, Karin, got married a couple weeks ago. She forwarded us pictures of the wedding and similar to Naomi having her baby, I miss her heaps! With Naomi & Asher and Karin newly married, it really makes me ‘homesick’ for the USA, even though I’ve never actually lived there to be “home” sick! It just shows the strong connection I have to my family there!

Vaughn has started walking and running with our next door neighbour, which he is finding very energising, but very challenging. Jade (our neighbour) pushes him to his limit, which at the time is hard, but appreciates later on (even though he is sore)! I have started playing squash with another sem wife. Neither of us had played before, but we have improved quite a bit since we started playing a couple weeks back. I’m really enjoying the game and look forward to our regular game on Monday’ nights and whenever we can fit in a game or two during the week.

Some wonderful news… our footy (Aussie Rules) team – the Geelong Cats - finally won the Premiership after 44 years! I watched the entire game on Saturday and enjoyed every minute of it. It was obvious from early on that they had the game won, so it was a relaxed time, but very exciting watching the fantastic moves of the players. The team they were playing against were from Adelaide, so it was a very different atmosphere here, to what it would have been in Melbourne. It was a record win for Grand Finals for the Cats, which added to the thrill.

Prayer Points:

PRAISE: Studies are going well for Vaughn – now in the School of Pastoral Theology

PRAISE: Good recovery from ear surgery so far

PRAISE: My new job provides much needed finance to support Vaughn through his studies

PRAISE: For the wonderful friendships I am forging with a number of the sem wives

PRAYER: That Vaughn continues to do well in his studies

PRAYER: Continued healing of my ear