The New Team...

The New Year also brought the formal beginning of my role as Team Leader of Youth Alive Trust, managing a team of 6 people (including myself). Three of our team are students who study youthwork with Praxis for part of their week. We have split our team into two groups; one working with intermediate aged young people (Years 7-8), and the other working with high school aged youth (Years 9+). It’s a real blessing to be leading a team of talented, enthusiastic, God fearing people. I do not have all the skills needed for such a role but realise it will put me outside my comfort zone and challenge me to grow in many areas of my ministry. May God give me wisdom!

The Road Trip...

In traditional youth worker fashion, we wanted to go on holiday the cheapest way possible! So with our friends Megan and Adrian (Amy’s teacher friend and husband) we hire campervans and head up through the country. Thankfully this wasn’t charged at the usual rate of $250 per day. We were re-locating them from ChCh to Auckland for $1 a day! Amazing! They gave us 4 days to make the journey, paid for the ferry crossing and threw in a full tank of petrol and we could give it back to them empty! Although it was a bit of driving, we saw some lovely places, crossing at Picton, driving through Wellington, then onto Taupo, marvelling at the geisers of Roturua before hitting Auckland. We were grateful to stay with two different lots of friends we knew from England and see the sights in a city were one quarter of the country’s population lives. One of the highlights being the Sky Tower – the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, a massive 328 metres tall (taller than the Eiffel Tower) and with a total weight of 6000 elephants! By the time we got to the top, Amy was a bit tired (hence the yawn in the photo!)

The Engagement (boy version)

The Engagement…(boy version)

I asked Amy to marry me. She said Yes. We’re getting hitched at the end of the 2006.

The Engagement (girl version)

The Engagement…(girl version)

After a late New Years Eve (2am) I woke Amy at 4am (she wasn’t too impressed) and suggested we go to watch the sun rise. I drove her to a city car park and to her complete surprise she see’s the hot air balloon (deflated) we’re about to have a ride in! We joined about 50 other people and are driven to the outskirts of the city. Everyone helps to get the 3 balloons ready for flight and we soon head off over Christchurch countryside and city. At about 3000 feet, I made a small speech to the 20 people in our balloon, proclaiming my love for Miss Amy Beker. Then got down on one knee, pulled out the ring and asked the question. She was overwhelmed (yet not completely surprised!) and eventually (after prompting from someone else in the balloon) said ‘YES’!!! Everyone clapped and congratulated us and after landing we celebrated over Champaign. Amy is the Premier League of women, and I’m so blessed to have found her. I did have to travel half way around the world to find her, but she is so worth it and I wouldn’t have been able to design a better match for me (I’m so glad that God did!) We plan on marrying just before Christmas 2006, in order to prepare properly, save up and give my family time to prepare for a big holiday! If you fancy a warm Christmas and a holiday of a lifetime, we invite anyone back in the UK to join us for our special day!

Aquiring a Wife Biblically...

The Top 12 Biblical Ways to Acquire a Wife - unknown author

For those looking to God to provide a beautiful bride for them, it’s worth checking out some Biblical examples on how to acquire a wife…

1. Find an attractive prisoner of war, bring her home, shave her head, trim her nails, and give her new clothes. Then she's yours. (Deuteronomy 21:11-13)
2. Purchase a piece of property, and get a woman as part of the deal. (Boaz -- Ruth 4:5-10)
3. Go to a party and hide. When the women come out to dance, grab one and carry her off to be your wife. (Benjaminites -- Judges 21:19-25)
4. Have God create a wife for you while you sleep. Note: this will cost you a rib. (Adam -- Genesis 2:19-24)
5. Agree to work seven years in exchange for a woman's hand in marriage. Get tricked into marrying the wrong woman. Then work another seven years for the woman you wanted to marry in the first place. That's right. Fourteen years of toil for a woman. (Jacob -- Genesis 29:15-30)
6. Become the emperor of a huge nation and hold a beauty contest. (Xerxes or Ahasuerus -- Esther 2:3-4)
7. When you see someone you like, go home and tell your parents, "I have seen a ...woman; now get her for me." If your parents question your decision, simply say, "Get her for me. She's the one for me."(Samson -- Judges 14:1-3)
8. Kill any husband and take HIS wife. Prepare to lose four sons though! (David -- 2 Samuel 11)
9. Wait for your brother to die. Take his widow. It's not just a good idea, it's the law! (Onan and Boaz -- Deuteronomy or Leviticus, example in Ruth)
10. Find a prostitute and marry her. (Hosea -- Hosea 1:1-3)
11. Find a man with seven daughters, and impress him by watering his flock. (Moses -- Exodus 2:16-21)
12. Don't be so picky. Make up for quality with quantity. (Solomon -- 1 Kings 11:1-3)