For the past 3 Years Tanya Tait and I have been coordinating a free kids club called Hard Hats based from St Matthews Primary School on Friday Afternoons and today our family was welcomed to St Matthews Church. It was so nice to be warmly welcomed as part of the congregation. It is fair to say that our lives are interesting and varied.but our faith is without a doubt the glue that holds things together. Which is good as there have been and still are considerable challenges to be faced in our work and ministry. But I know we are doing what we meant to be doing and it is a privilege to work in a vocation that impacts youth positively. I was incredibly proud that one of my 2011 Whakaara Boys (an Early Intervention Programme) became the North Island Boxing Champion last night. I think back to the goal setting workshop that we did and suspect that he got it. Last Year I felt called to explore becoming a vocational deacon after a situation occurred where some young people I was working experienced a great loss. There have been many times over the years where I wished I had some extra skills and insight so went before the selection panel. I was pleased to be excepted to do the training and will be doing this at St Matthews. I am also doing the Diploma of Anglican Studies through St Johns theological college which I am enjoying (though hours in the day can be limited at times). As part of my training I will find myself doing some stuff that as person with a youth focused ministry I (thankfully) dont do like visiting the sick and terminally ill. Though these experiences may be uncomfortable I am sure they will lead to important learning and development. It was great to have our parents join us this morning as Tanya, Teva and I started this next step of our journey and ministry. I often look at our lives and think that we have been blessed to be able to impact this generation and the next in a real and relevant way. Yes it has challenges but not many things of great value are easy to do. If you are one of those people who have journeyed with us, worked with us, prayed for us, supported us, thank you. I feel that our work is only just starting with so much more to be achieved over the next few years and I am incredibly excited about what the future may bring.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 10:01:45 +0000