I had a look what was in the letter we sent last year and it said,
"Next year will bring change how much and where were not sure"
It has been, as Karen said the other day,' a year of two halves' with big changes of retiring from being Pastor at the Church in Reeton and Karen leaving her job as Nurse after a year at Whakatu Marae.
It was difficult leaving so many of our family and friends we love in Reefton and Nelson who are very much of our lives.Especially Joel as he settled into Auckland.
Karen was accepted to work in Remote Health in the Barkly region which covers a very big area of of the Northern Territory based at Tennant Creek.
Karen has coverd many many miles each month flying with a Doctor to the cattle stations to hold clincs .
Other time she has worked at clinic’s in rural communities of Ali Curung, Elliot, and up among the Barrumundi Mob at Borroloola at the Top end in the Gulf of Carpenteria.
It is great having Tuiana and Robert here, Robert has gently mentored us in Territory ways. Tuiana has made many friends and is 'who's who' directory of Tennant Creek.
We live with constant reminders we are not at home, heat, frogs, flies, birds, insects’, dust, distance and languages, the rain is tropcial, and the thunder and lightening have no mountains to bounce off here on the Barkly tablelands.
The broken bottles on the streets each morning ,the blood on the footpaths the smashed windows of the hotel the Two oclock shuffle of takeaways at 2pm each day from liquor outlets.Prisoners working around town in their green and yellow t shirts and in the afternoon calling home from the phoneboxes before going back to prison for the night.
All those things have lost their uniqueness a little and are just part of life here, as one of the nurses said to Karen ' You deal with what is in front you, “It is what it is”, and “you do what you can”.
September saw us have a flying visit home to celebrate my 70th.birthday.
I still have warm feelings of the acknowledgment of this and the effort that many people put in to make this such a memorable celebration.
At Christmas our hearts and minds turn to home,
We have been singing the carols and worshipping the babe of Bethlehem here, listening again the powerful words of 'Peace on earth and good will to others'
We are part of a Maori Waiata group who joined with the Aboriginal Inland Mission Indgenous choir and the Tennant Creek Choir( Karen is their accompianst) we sang Caorls at Peko Park in the middle of town.
There was a thundrstorm threatening, the school hall was the back up option but it only rained a little bit which cooled things down, for a large number which gathered .
I wish there had been a video of Karen playing the keyboard as a little aboriginal boy ran past us all while singing followed by his dog. Karen like the piano player in a western pub fight scene just kept on playing. They dog came thorugh a couple of times enjoying the lights the music and people.
We are thankful for the love shown and the interest in our life adventure .Face book , email and letters keeps you close as we hear of your adventures as well.
We look foward to Joel arriving in Darwin for Christmas and trust 2012 will continue to be adventurous and Blessed.
God bless and keep you in his love,
Ka kite ano
Arohanui , Ian, Karen , Joel and Tuiana x x x x x
