Christmas letter 2020
I am in complete agreement with the word of the year “doomscrolling”. Reading too much negative news that induces fear and stress. I like the news but this year it has been relentless. Like many others I am looking forward to a new year in 2021.
Actually, the year started with some energy- my sister Catherine came to Napier and stayed with us for a few weeks after her years in Bahrain. She volunteered at our holiday program and ran some leader’s retreats, which helped us set a 2020 vision (don’t laugh) – we were energised and focused. Then life happened. Soon, we were floundering, like so many people trying to figure out how to ZOOM and video services and generally keep contact with everyone. Actually, the church did brilliantly contacting people but I found recording services stressful. I rarely listen to my own sermons so hearing all the faults meant re-recording them several times. I was so pleased when life got back to almost normal. I think I am mostly an extrovert so the idea of not seeing people or getting the feedback from conversations or Sundays left me feeling flat and tired.
It took a while for some people to come back to church and
we have lost some momentum but things have gone ok since lockdown. The youth group is seeing a new lease of life
and our bible study groups have gone well this year. We took on an intern who is st
udying theology
and doing about 20 hours in the church so that has been a bonus, especially
when we lost the international volunteer who normally works for us.
Sue’s work has also
been strange with no new international students for most of the year. Fortunately, they had had good intakes in the
early part of the year so they kept her busy.
We kept thinking, when are they going to call her into the office for a
chat and it finally happened recently.
Her intern
ational accommodation job has been dis-established and she
will finish in late Feb. Thankfully she
has taken on another role at EIT with accommodation for NZ students so she will
keep that 10 hours per week job.
On the brighter side our Son and his wife had a baby named James Alexander Walker, Born on 16th Oct. He was 9.5lbs and cute – he looks like his mother (The Cummings side). It was a long birth (well over 24 hrs) but all went well. We have made the trip to Gisborne twice so far and will go again after Christmas. It has been fun being grandparents but it does make me feel old (that and turning 60 in January). On the second trip to Gisborne you could feel the weight he had gained and we got real smiles. The best part is you get to hand them back when they cry or need their nappies changed. Paul and Mary are doing a great job, but Paul has been doing a lot of hours now the summer season has started in the restaurant.
We realised how lucky we are as Sue had been buying boxes of kids clothes and toys and other useful things (She is an avid op shopper) plus people gave us heaps of good stuff (she recently went to Nelson to see her mother and came back laden with baby/toddler clothes). We went to the Mangapapa Church in Gisborne and they were talking about a program they have where they give emergency packs to mothers who leave the maternity ward with literally nothing for their new baby. It makes you grateful.
David has loved Covid as it meant he could work from home. He has set up an office in his lounge. All his accounting stuff is online anyway so it suits an introvert like him. He has 2 good flatmates and comes for a walk with us and has a meal with us most weeks. He has been back to church and some other activities; he has even tried badminton a few times with a friend. He went with Sue to Nelson for Sue’s mothers 92nd birthday and they decided to drive and take the ferry, including a private room on the Ferry as he is still wary about catching Covid, which would be a disaster for him. The added bonus was when Sue decided to buy her uncles 2015 Prius they could drive one car back each.
Our Theme for our Christmas services has been “hope in our troubled times” and despite all the hardships and challenges we live as people of hope, or more specifically faith, hope and love. May your Christmas been filled with an abundance of these 3 things.
Brett and Sue Walker
PS. If you are in Taupo the weekend of Jan 16th (Saturday) we are having a meal somewhere for Brett's 60th so send me a txt and i can tell you where when we figure it out (Buy your own dinner) or if you are in Napier on the 23rd we will be having a BBQ at the Church at 6pm
