Thank you for your encouragement. It was good to hear you are making such progress and doing so many exciting things for the Lord. Thanks for your blog which we found so encouraging. Just maybe we will visit you in the near future as we are keen to see some of the UK, though Ruth's mum at 97 does provide some constraints on the length of time we can be away. Ruth and I pray you have a blessed WHITE Christmas. With love and prayers, Don and Ruth Johnston.
Brian and I wish you all the best for Christmas and 2017 May the Lord and Dame Fortune smile on you both for your Christian work. Lots of love Val & Brian xxx
THANK YOU Great to here from you. We hope you have a great christmas and New Year as well and we will keep in touch via Facebook - Love Evelyn and Jess XXXXX
You certainly are goers. It's great to hear of your Quiet Days and the different themes you have. I guess they are becoming known around the diocese. Do you get lots of people coming ? You mention a couple of Pam's. Is one Pam Packett ?
Phyllis has had a recurrence of breast cancer. She had to have major surgery and she is doing well. She still gets very tired. It was a success as there is no talk of radiation or chemo.
Keep up you great work there.
Our love to you both,
Bob and Phyllis.
Welcome home Glad to hear you are safely home. It was lovely to see you both again, in sunny OZ, and looking so well. Just saw your Main Street in Albrighton and possibly you house, on the latest English TV program 'Escape to the Country'. And WE SAW SNOW on the hills round about. (Of course the program may be several years old). Your area of Shropshire looks very beautiful, but cold. I'd love to draw pictures where you are. Maybe I will one day. We head for Perth, West Australia on Wednesday few a few weeks with Andrew Julianne William and Xanthe. It will be lovely to see them again. BHP is cutting several thousand!! more!! jobs, and though Andrew has survived a number of recent, huge culls, it looks ominous this time for him. Please pray Andrew finds some work. All well here. Very busy drying pears and prunes for winter. Stay warm. Hope there is some late snow for you to make into snowballs. Blessings. Don and Ruth.
Thanks Don Hi Don & Ruth thanks for the comment on the Blog. We will certainly pray that Andrew finds work. Enjoy WA and it's warm weather. It's been very cold here but no sign of snow, in fact tomorrow Saturday its going to be 11 degrees so I guess the snow has past us by again. After getting home we have been very busy with church and our involvement with the Wolverhampton Homeless Outreach and things look as though they will stay busy for the next few weeks especially with our first quiet day on 19th March. Love to all Evelyn & Jess x
Welcome back to your home in England. So glad you had a good time catching up with all your friends in Hastings. Thanks for your goodness in coming to see us at Nunawading. You inspire us greatly. Love you both.
A couple of weeks ago I went to my podiatrist and my left lower leg and foot became infected. It became very swollen and I still can't walk. I'm on my second course of antibiotics which has helped a lot. Would you please pray for my recovery as my leg muscles have wasted badly. Thanks again for your visit. Grace and peace, Bob and Phyllis.
Christmas blessings. Thanks for your best wishes for Christmas. We are well, and excitedly wait for Boxing Day when the 4 West Aussies arrive and all the family will be together again. Very hot and very dry, and several more scorching days lie ahead of us...40+ degrees. Busy preserving cherries, apricots and raspberries. Blueberries almost ready plus plums and peaches. Yum. Stay warm and cosy out of the snow. Think of you often. Look forward to your coming visit to Holy Trinity. All ready for a 'Kids Christmas' with our grandchildren singing, playing music etc. at 6pm Christmas Eve. Love and prayers. Don and Ruth.
Vice Versa So pleased to know you are very happy with your decision to move to the UK, and it is just the same for me having moved to Australia, so long may it all continue.xx
G'day Hi Jess and Evelyn. Love 2 Tim 14. Straight talk is usually the best. Love the snowy photo of your church you sent to Holy Trinity. I still like the warm, better than the cold, but agree it looks fantastic. Great to hear you are well and content. All goes well here. 3 of the grandchildren are staying over tonight, which will be wonderful. Love and prayers, Don and Ruth Johnston. Hastings
Great Work Hi Jess and Evelyn,
You seem to be very organised with the Calaid. What a great idea and service to the refugees. I fear that the success of people heading for Germany will trigger even greater numbers seeking a better life. The numbers of people drowning at sea is sickening and Europe eventually won't be able to cope with housing and feeding so many.
How are the Quiet Days doing ? Another great idea. Fancy catching up with Pam too.
We are well and enjoying our home. We have a regular monthly get together with all the family which we really enjoy.
Love to you both, Bob and Phyllis.
We've been to Coventry Cathedral Thanks again for your blog. Good to know that your Quiet Days are going well. Keep up the good work.
Now you are involved with the refugees. What a calamity this is. So many people on the move across Europe looking for a place to live. In Australia we are taking 13,000 Syrian refugees.
Love to you both,
Bob and Phyllis.
I remember Saundersfoot and the air show. We would sit on the grass at the banks (behind houses opposite us) and watch the planes. Not that we saw very much. We heard them more than saw them.
Airshow What a great holiday you have had. How special to have witnessed the final flight of the Avro Vulcan (also sad) - I well remember seeing the very early Vulcans at the Farnborough air show in the early 60's. It was always a beautiful sight flying high in the sky with it's characteristic delta shape. Like the Concorde though (also built on a delta wing shape), for everything there is a season. Blessings to you both.
Hi Evelyn and Jess, We pray your holidays are safe and a lovely break for you both. Keep the bells ringing. We are ok, but Ruth's mum Betty had last week in hospital with pneumonia and very low blood pressure. Has returned to her hostel but is very weak. She turns 96 next weak. Love , and prayers. Don and Ruth
You have really settled in. Thanks for you latest blog. We too have settled into Nunawading after 8 months. We are well into winter even in May. Fortunately we have ducted heating which heats the whole unit and is reasonably efficient.
We go to a Bible study here in the Seventh Day Adventist village. A very bright and lively woman chaplain leads the group. We are going through a DVD dramatization of Matthews Gospel. All the cast are Christians and the whole take was saturated in prayer. It is very powerful to watch and moves us greatly. It takes 4 hours and you can search by event and chapter. It is word for word NIV version. It is sold by the International Bible Society and Pathway Media. If you have a digital projector, it is a great and powerful way to present the Gospel in Church. We have been blown away by its impact. It cost $10.
We are both well although a bit forgetful.
Love to you both,
Bob and Phyllis.
G'day, and note changed email address. Lovely to hear you are diving into spring with lots of gusto and exciting activities. The weather is a bit cooler here now, and we are still harvesting fruit and vegies etc winter. I can only imagine a 1000 year old church. The 'vibe' must be wonderful. Like you, we've had a wonderful Easter at church, did the usual 'Walk of Witmess' and Benjamin Woods was baptised this morning. Our grandchildren slept over last night, came with us to church then helped Ruth celebrate her birthday today. All great tuff. Love and prayers. Don and Ruth
Rev Mary Sounds like Rev Mary is a great choice. I loved her list of 'things to give up' for Lent. Chocolate might be easier, but her suggestions are much better, and no doubt, for some, more difficult. Just returned from a wonderful few weeks with the grandchildren and family in Perth. Enjoy spring. Blessings Don and Ruth
The steps of a good man or woman are ordered by the Lord Great news about Rev Mary. It amazing how God removed all opposition so that the job was hers. Glad the renovations are going well and you will all soon be back in your home. Dont forget to send photos when you all move back in. Would love to see you actually ringing the bell. Maybe one day ! Love to you both will talk soon
Lovely photos and thank you Hi Evelyn and Jess. Lovely photos you shared, nice to see how the church is coming on too. Thank you also for putting my book on your blog page. I pray God will encourage and use us all through your blog pages and my book. xx
Strange bed fellows Dear Sadie and Quasimodo, Sorry you missed the snow. A long wait till next try I suppose. Good to hear you are well and content. We're busy with grandchildren, drying prunes, apples, pears, tomatoes, robbing the bee hive, and watching the grand kids settle into school/secondary college. How quickly they grow. Also heading to West Oz on Thursday for a few weeks to be with Andrew, Julie ann, William and Xanthe, in Perth. All goes well at Holy Trinity. Keep ringing! Blessings, Don and Ruth.
GOD LOVES US BECAUSE OF WHO GOD IS, NOT BECAUSE OF WHO WE ARE
Our first Blog www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Harpers-in-Tanzania detailed our time in Tanzania with Alex, Pam & Matika at Msalato Theological College.
Our second Blog www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Journey-of-Faith detailed our amazing journey from April 2013 to October 2014 as we followed the itinerary from God that took us to our caravan, retirement, our 6 months in the UK, our time as Bush Church Aide (BCA) Nomads and finally to the start of God's plan to return us to the UK and plant us at St Chads Boningale.
This is part 2 ... full info
Don Johnston
non-member comment
Thank you for your encouragement.
It was good to hear you are making such progress and doing so many exciting things for the Lord. Thanks for your blog which we found so encouraging. Just maybe we will visit you in the near future as we are keen to see some of the UK, though Ruth's mum at 97 does provide some constraints on the length of time we can be away. Ruth and I pray you have a blessed WHITE Christmas. With love and prayers, Don and Ruth Johnston.