Archives For Peter

The Final Stretch

Peter —  October 6, 2021

We have been in Oregon for just over a month.  It has been a special time with family (Melanie’s parents, Melanie’s sister and family, plus bonus time with Hannah who is studying an hour away) and a chance to re-connect with dear friends in the area.  We were able to take a six-day holiday/vacation with Melanie’s parents in the Columbia River Gorge, which was a real treat.  Some of us haven’t seen them for close to three years because of Covid.  Last week, Melanie and I got a couple of days away together, which was also a really special time.

As far as ministry goes, I have been busy with preaching almost every Sunday.  I was able to run a 1.5 day seminar at a church in Portland, as well as a shorter two-hour seminar at a church in Sunriver, and another report session at another church in Sunriver.

The main feature of this trip is time with people.  There is never enough time!  It has been a busy time with lots of visits.  We love the people we are seeing, so it is a joy, but it is also busy and there are challenges.  We are now in the final stretch in Oregon.  A couple of weeks and then we will be moving on to Chicago for just over a week.  Please pray for stamina in these final days.  The schedule is inevitably filling as we try to squeeze in the connections.  Melanie has had a couple of migraines, which are obviously painful, but also frustrating as it is not possible to re-schedule meetings and so she has had to miss out on a couple of them.

We are thankful to be here, but also looking forward to seeing everyone back home too.  Thanks for your prayers!

(I am sure we will get some pictures on here soon, but thought an update is better than nothing for now!)

Summertime Together

Peter —  July 30, 2021

It has been a busy summer for us.  Having Hannah home and Aliyah preparing to leave has added to the busy feeling around our house.  Then the church activities after months of restrictions – it was tempting to add lots of events together!  We tried for a church weekend away a few weeks ago but then had to reschedule to a different venue because of continuing Covid restrictions.  Sadly, we had to cancel the rearranged weekend away too.

We had no idea how many would be having to isolate in the last month or so.  Several school children were told to isolate after their classmates tested positive.  Then several families have developed symptoms and tested positive.  Right now we are in isolation, with seven out of eight of us confirmed positive for Covid-19.  Melanie is the only one so far to stay negative on her tests!  Hopefully, this will help us when we travel to the USA next month as there is some credit for having recovered from the virus.

For us, the biggest sadness has been that Hannah has had to delay her flight back to university, which has cut out a few days visiting Noah on the way.  We all feel for them.  And we are sad to have to cancel the church weekend away.  We are so grateful for a church family that is rallying around each other and offering help during isolation.

Right, now I need to lie down again and let me immune system fight this virus!  Thanks for praying for us.  Please pray for recovery from the virus, but also for travel plans to come together for Hannah, and then for the rest of us too.  Making travel plans has never felt so complicated!

Pre-Christmas Pictures

Peter —  December 24, 2020

Christmas Eve has come quickly!  We are long overdue a family post, so here are a few pictures from the past few weeks.  Everything is a bit strange this year, of course, but we are thankful that we have a busy household which is an extra blessing during various versions of lockdown.  In the past few months church has been at a village hall, in a field, just online, and in December, as guests in a big Anglican church building.  Other activities have been restricted and we are all getting used to using Zoom much more than we would prefer.

Meanwhile, family life continues.  In November our littlest turned 5 – where did that half decade go?

Here is Jessah with her Curious George cake (well done, Melanie!)

Jessah enjoying a few minutes with Joel at the dinner table.

At the beginning of December we managed to surprise all the children with Hannah arriving home early.  Everyone was genuinely shocked and thrilled to see her (including our friend Georgia – who is often at ours because of support bubble provisions!)

The three older girls back together – here enjoying a meal out with Mum and Dad (a replacement Christmas present since we couldn’t get to the theatre together in the summer . . . the gift kindly adjusted into a meal out!)

And the little two enjoying having Hannah back – here with matching hair styles!

This week we spent a few hours together as a family in Bourton-on-the-Water – a lovely Cotswold village.

Hannah and Jessah waiting patiently for their pizzas at lunch time!

Whole family selfie with the mid-river Christmas tree in the background.

Christmas Day is coming soon, and these two are especially excited.  Here is their little bedroom tree getting decorated in anticipation of the big day!

Thank you for praying for us during these months.  We don’t know what is going to happen in the next weeks, but we anticipate further restrictions.  Thankfully our God is not restricted and so we continue to trust Him for life change in the home, in the church, and across the globe!