BUILD ON THE ROCK _{(Eph 2.20)}
E vangelisation S upport & R esources M inistry

NEWS UPDATE

THE FAMILY MOVES INTO 2006. The family living at home is now reduced to three, the yougest daughter, Susannah, who will turn 16 this year, is now in Year 11 and commencing her run to the NSW Higher School Certificate, choosing to carry the challenging subjects of Chemistry, Physics and Advanced Maths a formidable combination. Johannah-Maria, heading for 21, is living at the University of New England where she is hoping to get a solid grounging in Journalism and the media. Peter-Emmanuel, now 19, decided that the school environment for Years 11 and 12 was much too disciplined for him and so, left to take his chances in the 'rough and tumble' of the world of free enterprise. After several brief employments in on-the-street canvassing, waitering and clothing retail, he has settled, for now, on expanding his experiences in hospitality/food service industry and lives his life with his older brother, Paul John, now 23, in a 2-bedroom unit at Croydon Park. Paul-John is between jobs at the moment after being let down by his employers at the end of the first year's apprenticeship as an Electrician. He was successfully completing the requirements of TAFE by night study and the employer just decided he didn't want to continue with having an apprentice, so, without lining P-J up with another employer, he just gave him notice of termination and that was it!!! Sarah, our eldest daughter of 22, is happily working as an receptionist with an accounting firm and sharing a flat with a friend in Leichhardt. She hopes to marry in the next year or so when more financial security is achieved. This brings us to Joshua, 25 this year, who is currently living in community in France & Belgium in a structured exercise of self-discernment of what he feels may be a call to the priesthood or other service ministry in the Catholic Church. He successfully completed his Arts degree in Social Services at Sydney University last year (2005) as well as related work experience and therefore is in a sound position to determine his future course.

Meantime, the Lord continues to look after us and drawing us together by slowly dissolving the barriers set up by the conflict between the strengthening desires for independance by the maturing of the children and the difficulty of us, the parents, in 'letting go' of responsibility to protect and care for the offrpring in the ways that WE feel are best. The chidren do stay in contact, especially when it comes to invitations to join us for one of mum's home-cooked meals or celebrate those family birthdays or special occasions- Christmas, Easter, Mother's Day, etc. As we get older, we are no quite as able to do the heavy work of ministry by ourselves, but when we need them, the kids do come to help out lugging the audio gear and boxes of books to the ministry venues and even spend prolonged periods of time helping out behind the counter. And that, of course, is a further opportunity to share their adventures and seek our counsel.

By necessity, Frances and I are continuing with our income-earning jobs to supplement the meagre returns from this ministry. I continue to drive Sydney Buses 5 days per week although the wear and tear on my body is beginning to show by the need for me to have undergone (i) back strengthening program 3 years ago, (ii) right-knee arthroscopy to remove 60% of the meniscus last year and (iii) last week (19/04/06) neurosurgery on my spine to remove a broken-off fragment of a lumbar disc which was jammed up against the nerves controlling my left leg/foot movements. I'm now forcing myself to take things easier. Frances, very happy working full-time as a Library Assistant, is now in her second-last year of completing her diploma in this discipline. It is a five-year course and she rarely misses out on getting distinctions for her efforts which stuns the kids, yet, is a great motivator for them. The Lord is good and is not forgotten, esp. in Night Prayers.

Sometimes in our 'busy-ness', the Lord might seem to be far from our minds, but when a 'hiccup' occurs that forces one to re-evaluate a situation, especially with a view to major reconstruction, its good to know that with just a the silent call/prayer for assistance, He will come forward to dissolve the murk that has enveloped the situation, and with that clearer perspective and HIS inspiration, it now becomes possible for us to achieve what seemed impossible.

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THE ACTIVITIES & VISION OF THIS MINISTRY. We continue to experience the ongoing drought of calls on our ministry. We do not believe it will ever again rise the levels of 15-20 years ago, for which we are thankful as we no longer have that energy nor the ready support of our capable children. Of course, the sad side is that, perhaps, it also reflects the downturn of outreach activity of, and associated attendance at, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal since those heyday times. But it is not due to a lack of effort by those tireless faithful few who persist, undaunted, against the tsunami of materialistic forces at work today. Aside from the ongoing calls on our mailorder service, which operates Australia- and world-wide, our regular commitments nowadays, comprise the following-

***the Annual National Charismatic Priests' & Religious Retreat (January),

*** the Annual State Charismatic Retreat Weekend for Laypersons at Baulkham Hills (Jan/Feb),

***the Outdoor Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday at Macquarie Park's 'Gethsemane',

***Pentecoast Celebrations at Greystanes,

***Outdoor Mass for the Faithful Departed at Macquarie Park Cemetary,

***Outdoor Christmas Liturgy at Holy Spirit School, North Ryde.

PLEASE CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THIS MINISTRY & ITS PRODUCTS AND NOT FORGETTING TO PRAY FOR US.