A new challenge
Each time Ian and I have gone to Kondoa we have felt that there has been a challenge to face which was a step up from the last time. We plan to visit again in June of this year and it is no different - a challenge is coming...
We have been invited to help lead this year's Ordination Retreat. I am delighted at the prospect as it is a privilege to be invited to speak into the lives of the 14 candidates and their wives. Ian is looking forward to the gathering of a special group of lay leaders whom he will be addressing during that same time. We hope to visit several villages as well, after the ordination.
How wonderful it was recently to hear from the Akesters that Kondoa has enjoyed substantial amounts of rain this season! The crops are coming on well and the rains continue.
I have just passed the $1,500 mark since planning to raise $2,000 for retiring clergy so they can have roofs on the houses they build. They have worked for 25 years for the Diocese with no pay, so the Bishop considers they need to be supplied with retirement housing. They will make their own bricks.
I have had a surge of energy for jam making over the summer and have been given quite a bit of lovely fruit for the purpose. The latest new varieties are Apricot and Cardamom Jam, Blackberry and Apple Jelly, plus Strawberry and Gooseberry Jam. Whilst on a conference in January, we stayed in a B&B which had two lovely, more savoury items - Plum Chutney and Spicy Tomato Relish, so I begged the recipes for both and have reproduced them.
Yesterday I spent a couple of hours in my kitchen with a friend from my home group and we cut up about 6kg of quinces. These are now in the freezer waiting for an opportune time to be converted to Quince Paste and Quince Jelly.
I found out recently that fruit pectin tends to deteriorate in the freezer, so my idea of lazily leaving it all until winter is a bad one. I shall have to keep pressing on with the work...
This photo shows a local school teacher whose frozen shoulder was healed when one of our team members prayed for him in September last year. See how delighted he is! We were also pleased to see the roof of this church. St Stephens, Whangaparaoa paid for it. I had been concerned that the choice of iron for roofing was going to make the building very hot but they have used a design which permits good airflow and it was quite comfortable inside.
We have been invited to help lead this year's Ordination Retreat. I am delighted at the prospect as it is a privilege to be invited to speak into the lives of the 14 candidates and their wives. Ian is looking forward to the gathering of a special group of lay leaders whom he will be addressing during that same time. We hope to visit several villages as well, after the ordination.
How wonderful it was recently to hear from the Akesters that Kondoa has enjoyed substantial amounts of rain this season! The crops are coming on well and the rains continue.
I have just passed the $1,500 mark since planning to raise $2,000 for retiring clergy so they can have roofs on the houses they build. They have worked for 25 years for the Diocese with no pay, so the Bishop considers they need to be supplied with retirement housing. They will make their own bricks.
I have had a surge of energy for jam making over the summer and have been given quite a bit of lovely fruit for the purpose. The latest new varieties are Apricot and Cardamom Jam, Blackberry and Apple Jelly, plus Strawberry and Gooseberry Jam. Whilst on a conference in January, we stayed in a B&B which had two lovely, more savoury items - Plum Chutney and Spicy Tomato Relish, so I begged the recipes for both and have reproduced them.
Yesterday I spent a couple of hours in my kitchen with a friend from my home group and we cut up about 6kg of quinces. These are now in the freezer waiting for an opportune time to be converted to Quince Paste and Quince Jelly.
I found out recently that fruit pectin tends to deteriorate in the freezer, so my idea of lazily leaving it all until winter is a bad one. I shall have to keep pressing on with the work...
This photo shows a local school teacher whose frozen shoulder was healed when one of our team members prayed for him in September last year. See how delighted he is! We were also pleased to see the roof of this church. St Stephens, Whangaparaoa paid for it. I had been concerned that the choice of iron for roofing was going to make the building very hot but they have used a design which permits good airflow and it was quite comfortable inside.
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