The Montifiore Manse

2011-12-27T22:02:00.005-05:00

Sermons on the Website

After a lot of ups and downs, we have started to upload some of my sermons to the Southern Presbyterian Church website (www.spc.org.au). Currently, the first series I preached here in Launceston has been loaded up. We have limited room on our website, so we hope to rotate sermons on and off the website from time to time. If there is enough interest, we may consider a larger site that can hold more sermons and we may even be able to convince Rev. Iain Smith (from the SPC Hobart) to put some of his sermons on the site!

Please keep our little denomination in prayer as we take this step in outreach with our limited manpower and resources.

terry

2011-11-29T22:12:00.023-05:00

The 2011 SPC Weekend Getaway, November 18-20

Every couple of years, we have a couple of days getting away as a church family. It isn't limited to our congregation, or even to our denomination. It is called a "Weekend Getaway" because it is not as structured as the annual "Church Camp" our sister congregation holds down south. We get together and just kind of hang out. It is a laid back time, but there are still 4 topics and 1 review session.

Above, and below, are a few pics from the weekend.

Driving out to the Liffey Falls walk.

The fabulous Ruth Taylor!

Liffey Falls

Getting ready to see who has come up with the best way to launch a "Fan Tail" (a wrapped chocolate coated caramel candy)

Huon, Nathaniel, and Julia reading

Lunch!

The theme of the camp was The Essence and Importance of Doctrine. The theme was suggested by one of the people who helps organize the camp. I developed the theme through 4 topics. I do my best to have the topics take the form of discussion and Question & Answer with a lot of interaction. As we work through the material together, I reconstruct my outline on big sheets of white paper we hang on the walls. At the end of the camp, we review the topics and make more applications. Here are the basic outlines (edited from what I used and slightly different from what we put together at the camp).

I. Doctrine is Teaching

A. Why should our camp have this theme? "The Essence and Importance of Doctrine"

1. Mistakes of other Christians

a. Doctrine is not important

b. Doctrine is damaging

1) Causes division

2) Replaces the Word of man for the Word of God

(a.) Catechisms

(b.) Confessions

(c.) Books

2. Necessity of doctrine for the Christian life

a. Commanded to teach our families

b. Necessary to hold one another accountable

c. How we know how to serve God

B. What is doctrine? Doctrine is teaching

1. Old Testament

a. The general context of teaching and instruction in the Old Testament

1) Duties of teaching and learning

2) Types of Literature

3) Variety of vocabulary

b. Specific examples

1) Teaching: Deuteronomy 32:2, Proverbs 4:2

2) Instruction: Proverbs 16:21-23

3) Insight: Isaiah 29:24, Proverbs 1:5, Proverbs 9:9

2. New Testament

a. The general context of teaching and instruction in the New Testament

b. Specific examples

1) John 7:16, 17

2) 1 Timothy 4:6

C. Importance of doctrine

1. Scripture makes doctrine necessary

2. Doctrine strengthens the church

a. Acts 2:42

b. Romans 6:17

c. 1 Timothy 4:13

d. 1 Timothy 4:16

e. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17

f. 2 Timothy 4:1-4

3. Ignoring doctrine is dangerous

a. Romans 16:17, 18

b. Ephesians 4:14-16

c. 1 Timothy 1:9-11

d. 1 Timothy 6:3-5

4. Doctrine keeps the Word of God central

a. Catechisms

b. Confessions

c. Books

II. The Subject of Doctrine is Christ or the Bible Primarily Teaches Christ

A. All of the Bible is about the Lord Jesus Christ

1. Jesus taught the Old Testament was about Him

a. Luke 24:27

b. Luke 24:44

c. John 1:45

d. John 5:39

e. John 5:45-47

2. The New Testament further explains the significance of Christ and His Work

a. 1 Corinthians 15:21-28

b. Ephesians 1:17-23

c. Colossians 1:15-20

d. Hebrews 1:1-4

B. The whole Bible teaches Christ in 3 distinguishable, but inseparable, ways

1. Historically

a. Creation

b. Covenant of Works

c. Covenant of Grace

1) Old Covenant

a) Adam to Noah

(1) The "mother" promise

(2) The rainbow

b) Abraham to Moses

(1) Circumcision

(2) Salvation by faith alone

c) Moses to Christ

(1) The Law

(a) Moral

(b) Civil

(2) The kings

(3) The prophets

2) New Covenant

(a) Baptism

(b) Lord's Supper

2. Theologically

a. Typology

b. Promise and Fulfillment

c. Analogy

d. Major Themes

3. Practically

a. Salvation is knowledge of God by Christ: John 17:3

b. Set free from the power of sin by Christ

1) Romans 6

2) Galatians 3:27

c. Live by putting on Christ: Romans 13:14

C. Do your feelings about doctrine fit its subject?

1. The absurdity of dismissing doctrine

2. The danger of neglecting doctrine

3. The blessedness of learning doctrine

III. Living Doctrine: Practice or Doctrine in Action

A. Why practice doctrine? The reasons for practicing doctrine

1. The nature of doctrine

2. Commanded

B. What is necessary to practice doctrine? Requirements to practice doctrine

1. Requires knowledge

a. Our need for knowledge

1) Creaturly limitations

2) Our sin

(a) Mentally

(b) Physically

b. Sources of doctrinal knowledge

1) Word and Spirit

2) Good books

c. How we attain knowledge

1) Read/Hear

2) Meditation

2. Requires self-denial

a. Luke 9:23

b. Luke 14:27

3. Requires self-discipline

a. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

b. 2 Timothy 2:3

4. Requires evaluation: Luke 14:28-33

5. Requires diligence

a. Luke 9:62

b. Hebrews 10:38

c. Revelation 2:5

C. How do we practice doctrine? Romans 12:1, 2

1. Purposefully "present" and "reasonable"

2. Completely "sacrifice"

3. Consistently "transformed" and "prove"

IIII. Living Doctrine: Motive or the Motive to Live Doctrine is Love to Christ

A. True motive: Love to Christ

1. Clear Biblical principle

a. John 14:15

b. John 14:21

c. John 14:23

d. John 14:24

e. John 15:10

f. John 15:14

g. 1 John 2:3

h. 1 John 2:5

2. What is love? - in this context: avga,ph

a. Definition

1). "To feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person, to prize and delight in

a thing"

2). "Commonly understood properly to denote love based on esteem"

3). "The spiritual affection which follows the direction of the will, and which

therefore, unlike that feeling which is instinctive and unreasoned, can be

commanded as a duty."

-Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament

b. Love involves:

1) Understanding

2) Affections

3) Will

3. Do you love Christ?

a. Is He an actual person to you?

b. Do you esteem Him for:

1) Who He is?

2) What He has done?

c. Has this moved you to:

1) Repent?

2) Believe?

B. False motives

1. Self satisfaction

2. To be seen of men

a. To stand out

b. To NOT stand out

C. Warnings about motive

1. Love to Christ is the only lasting motive

2. Love to Christ is the only effectual motive

3. Love to Christ is the only acceptable motive

2011-10-20T03:35:00.003-04:00

A Long Time

Well it certainly has been a while since we posted (to state the very obvious). A few things that have been going on follow.

The Klaver family took a visit to the U.S.- sorry if you did not get a visit. We tried to make it a priority to spend the bulk of our time with family, which was made easier by the marriage of Martha's oldest brother Dan, and visit the people we snubbed last time.

For weeks Martha's family and my family lived at the same place or in close proximity. It got a little busy, with only minor wear and tear on my mom and step father's home, but a very good time was had by all.

We greatly enjoyed a warm Michigan summer too. I usually do not enjoy the summer but a Michigan summer is a rare opportunity these days. I realize now how much I did not appreciate the natural beauty of Michigan.

I also had a chance to take a youth day and service at the Chilliwack HRC. It was tremendous blessing to be back in Chilliwack and visit some of the folk I had the privilege to minister too several years ago. I was only there for a weekend but it was a real blessing for me. I was encouraged to see how the Lord has worked in the life of several individuals and the congregation as a whole.

There were certainly other things going on lately besides vacation but the vacations stands out most in my mind.

Julia turned 3 May 5th and Job turned 1 August 15th. Martha has been doing phonics with Julia and Julia seems to enjoy the talking, writing, and even reading a few words. Job has discovered the superior speed advantage of walking but occasionally reverts to crawling, his own version, if he needs greater stability.

Things continue to develop in our congregation here in Launceston and in our sister church in Hobart. In fact one of the hardest things about blogging is how much to include information about what is going on in church life. Many aspects of work of the ministry requires strict confidence, discretion, and are just really hard to write about. I have been praying about this for a while and continue too until I come to a greater sense of clarity.

I have continued to read James Henley Thornwell with great personal profit. As I have been challenged by him, and some other reading and research, I am reformulating some of my views of religious epistemology and apologetics. If you are interested in apologetics or Old Princeton pick up "Right Reason" and the Princeton Mind: An Unorthodox Proposal by Paul Kjoss Helseth.

The latest bit of news is that we have a house guest living with us for a while. One of the families connected with our church has been having some problems of late and their daughter has moved in with us for a while. Please pray that the Lord would grant, guidance, wisdom, and healing for this family and for us.

Well that is it for now. I have once again purposed to blog more but about what I do not entirely know.

The Lord be with you all,

terry

2011-03-29T21:24:00.018-04:00

Old Pictures! At least old compared to 6 months ago!

Julia and her beloved Peanut Butter!

Our friends the Serrafinis gave us a very nice Brazilian hammock as a wedding gift and we have finally got a hammock stand for it. It is very comfortable and we enjoy it regularly. Julia even took her nap in the hammock this afternoon.

A few cute pictures of the kids follow.

We visited a place called "Tazmazia." Tazmazia is a maze, cafe, and a little village called, "The Village of Lower Crackpot."

Lower Crackpot even has a jail ("gaol" as they spell it here).

A few pics of some of the buildings in Lower Crackpot.

In the middle of the maze is "The Three Bears Cottage"

The cottage was completely furnished and even had Goldilocks and the three bears. You can look through the windows and go in the cottage (though it is walled off with glass).

Julia had to build up some courage but she did go in the cottage.

2011-03-27T16:39:00.020-04:00

Visit From Julia Short & A Get Together a the Stedman's

The first part of this post are a few pics of a visit from our friend Julia Short. She is from Melbourne and she kindly came down to Tassie for a visit before she headed out to Britain for a while.

Daddy and Job outside Anvers Chocolate factory

The following pictures were taken in the lawn/garden at Anvers

Mommy & Aunty Julia

Julia & Julia

Julia, Julia, Job, and John Patrick at the home of the Patricks

The cute Evelyn Patrick

A bit later, after Julia had returned to Melbourne to prepare for her big tip, some of the church folk got together at the home of Richard and Robin Stedman.

Deborah Dinsmore with Mt. Roland in the background

Nathan and Jaslyn Patrick having a discussion

They always come to a happy conclusion

Robin & Richard Stedman

Mavis Connor's and the cake she made for Robin Stedman's birthday!

2011-03-26T03:14:00.032-04:00

At the Beach

Part of life in Tasmania, especially in summer, is going to the Ocean- especially the beach.

The pictures on this post were taken as we met different people from church at the beach and a not so beach related trip to Hobart.

Nathan Patrick and I catching up while we keep an eye on the kids.

Life guard on duty!

Having a walking talk with Ruth Taylor as Job takes a nap in dad's arms.

Still sleeping

The Amazing Ruth Taylor !

I filled in one Sabbath for Iain Smith while he was away to Scotland. We went down to Hobart a couple of days early to see a bit more of the city and visit some folk from our Hobart congregation.

Above, Job relaxing at the Smith's home

Julia ad Job hanging out on the floor

Father and son

The youngest Klaver (Job) and the youngest Bosveld (Cameron)

Cameron and his mom, Ruth Bosveld

Relaxing with Julia in the Smith's backyard

We had a church beach day too. Not a lot of the church folk could come but those who did seemed to have a good time.

Above is Steve Kingston, one of our Deacons, and his daughter Emma.

Alister Coles catching up on local news.

Linda Coles, Alister's older sister, was ready for any beach activity.

Sand tasting! Job could not convince anyone else to try it.

The mighty Bradley Coles, Linda and Alister's cousin, emerges from the sea!

Josiah Taylor, Ruth Taylor's older brother, ready to go under!

Deborah Dinsmore and Jaslyn Patrick: Moms chill'n at the beach

The great minds of Nathan Patrick and Steve Kingston working on great challenges.

Kalua Taylor, the mother of Ruth and Josiah

Thomas Coles, Bradley's brother, is a true man of action.

Hang'n wd da guys

Linda with Jasmine Coles (her baby cousin)

Discussing Biblical Theology with Alan Dinsmore

Chenai and her daughter Blessing with John Patrick

Tendai just before he hit the waves

Jaslyn Patrick with Emma and Julie Kingston

Nathan and Job

Steven and Kalua Taylor

Julia at home with a play-dough lollipop

Job likes stories too!

2011-01-17T04:05:00.038-05:00

Around Christmas Time
(that's summer here)

Julia enjoying the clamshell kiddie pool. Sadly, the kiddie pool has gone the way of all cheap plastic in high-UV sunlight. However, some friends who were in the midst of moving (Tas and Emily Stacey) gave us their old kiddie pool, which is made of much sterner stuff.

We usually spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Iain and Mary Smith but Mary was away in Scotland and it did not work out this year. We stayed in Launceston and had the Patricks over for Christmas Day instead.

Above and below are a couple of pictures of the hot Monopoly action on Christmas Day. Nathan and his John slaughtered me, but I went down like a man.

We were playing a special version of Monopoly: The Grand Rapids Edition! The only thing it was really missing was a square for each Christian publisher in Grand Rapids.

John is really into his Monopoly. Watch out, Donald Trump!

Our budding artist! Julia absolutely loves to paint, though her mom doesn't actually bring the paint out very often.

Job!

More Job!!

After Christmas, we went to Kmart to check out the sales. Martha (yes, it was Martha) saw these Tonka trucks on special and thought we had to have them. The trucks were a good deal, and Job has been making lots of truck noises lately, so we got them. (He blows raspberries.) You can see how thrilled he is about his new toys.

A day or two after we got the trucks, Martha drew a small series of roads and roundabouts (traffic circles used to direct traffic instead of traffic lights or "robots"- as some call them) on our barbie (patio). Great fun.

My mother and stepfather sent us a Christmas package (more pics below). My mom made a beautiful quilt for Job. He is laying on the quilt in the pictures above and below.

I'm not sure what my wife is planning with that sticker on our son's head, but I am sure the friends and family in North America will make Job feel right at home. (Actually, it was Julia who stuck it on her brother. She loves stickers and often puts them on her or our hands, arms, legs, or foreheads.)

Job and Julia having breakfast. (No, he's not actually eating table food yet.)

"Hey, Mom! Where's mine?!"

Julia joyously opening the Christmas package (they often call them parcels here).

Job loves the taste of Michigan!

The second greatest thing in the world: stickers! (Lollipops come first.)

Job getting a little help with one of his presents.

Some friends from the Hobart congregation, Ian and Jen Ashby and their four children, visited us on a Saturday afternoon before they moved over to the main land. The Patrick family came over as well and we had a nice time of fellowship.

Hannah Ashby zooming across the barbie.

Julia's scooter is probably the most popular outdoor toy with other kids who come over to visit.
Above, John Patrick is enjoying the scooter.

Evelyn Patrick, Julia, and Andrew Ashby make good use of the chalk!

Jaslyn Patrick is always happy and full of smiles!

Always!! :P

Julia enjoying a banana in the Chewbacca t-shirt her Aunt Tristan gave her.

By the way, in case you did not know, stuffed Chewbacca toys are the evidence that Santa is not real. (This was one of my deductions when I was about 6 years old and "Santa" did not know what a stuffed Chewbacca was. We now have a stuffed Chewbacca... and no Santa visits.)

Andrew Ashby on the scooter!

Job and Daddy chillin'

Julia has not yet mastered the difference between sunscreen and toothpaste. She loves to use them both. This is toothpaste.

Job taking it all in. Someday he may sail over the seas and visit our good friends in BC who gave him this outfit. (Thanks, Jill!)

We had a great time New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, but I forgot the camera. New Year's Eve we continued our tradition of getting together with the Kingston family. This year, we went to their place and had a BBQ, played games, and brought in the New Year with Scripture and prayer. The Kerrison family, members of our church living on the mainland, were staying with the Kingstons as well. It was a great opportunity to catch up with them, too.

New Year's Day we had a church BBQ at the Trevallyn Dam. We had a beautiful day and enjoyed great food, fellowship, and backyard cricket (the sport).

2010-12-09T17:31:00.000-05:00

Melbourne Trip Part 3

David Stewart and Job hanging out after dinner.

We went into Melbourne another day. Julia Short and the daughter of a family friend went ice skating with Martha. While they were chilling, Julia, Job, and I went into downtown Melbourne and hit the streets.

After exploring a bit, we picked up the ladies at the rink and went to Chokolait, a chocolate cafe in a little "arcade" (mini mall) in Little Collins Street.

Even Job is amazed at the stunning quality of the treats.

Julia Short, the one to thank for directing us to this superbly indulgent place

Good thing Terry doesn't like strawberries... more for the rest of us. :D

Eating with children generally requires flexibility and determination.

Job: Should I give in to temptation? (No, we didn't really give him any.)

Yes, it tasted as good as it looked.

It was amazing!

One evening we got together with Rev. John Nelson, his wife Elizabeth, and their whole family.
Before we all got together for a marvelous meal and great Christian fellowship, John took us out to an older section of Melbourne for a little sightseeing.

One of the many things we saw on our quick trip was a great view of downtown Melbourne.

Another evening, we had tea with the Withers family. Martha met the Withers through the Ladies Bible study at the Presbyterian Church of Australia (P.C.A.) in Launceston. Stuart Withers was an elder at the P.C.A. and a sheep farmer until the Lord called him to study for the ministry. Stuart now attends the Presbyterian Theological College in Melbourne. It was very good to get together and catch up on how they are, how he is handling seminary, and the overall state of Christianity in Victoria and Tasmania.

In the above picture is Stuart's wife Adele and one of their children. Adele is a true mother in Israel and has been an encouragement and help to many P.C.A. ladies in Launceston.

Chatting about theology, family, and seminary studies with Stuart

Job is always keen on guy time

Back at the Stewarts' home: the serious Klaver men :)

Julia finishing breakfast being supervised by the Stewarts' dog Sophie. Sophie had surgery while we were staying with the Stewarts and that is why she has the cone on her neck. Occasionally Julia would grab Sophie by the edges of the cone and say, "Hello Sophie," and have a little conversation with her. Until Sophie got the cone, Julia was a little intimidated by her; but once Julia had control by grabbing the cone, everything was fine.

We visited the largest shopping center in the Southern Hemisphere in Chadstone, Victoria. We only saw about a third of it but what we did see of it was amazing. The variety of things available in Melbourne as opposed to Launceston is huge.

Martha really liked the T2 Tea Shop.

There were three food courts on the bottom floor of the Chadstone shopping center alone. We had lunch at a kind of all natural curry place. I got spicy beef curry and fresh coconut juice. Mmmm...tasty...

Julia really likes coconut juice too!

Our last little excursion before we returned to Launceston was a pancake house. Martha saw an advertisement for a real deal pancake house. We had not found a place that serves real North American style pancakes in Oz until we came to Melbourne. They have crepes and pikelets (tiny pancakes) in Tasmania but we have not come across what we would consider proper pancakes.

I am having some of Martha's chocolate malt and Julia is enjoying her sparkling apple juice. They called it apple cider but it's not at all like what Americans call apple cider. Although Tasmania is called "The Apple Isle," real apple cider seems to be something unknown here as well.

Job chilling out waiting for pancakes.

Perfect for those really lazy weekends... (what are those like again?)

The decoration and theme of the restaurant was eccentric and included some Alice in Wonderland characters.

An explanatory sign that left me still wondering why

The menu

We had a blessed time in Melbourne and an uneventful trip back home to Tassie.

Here we are waiting for our ride back home.

2010-12-09T17:30:00.000-05:00

Melbourne Trip Part 2

One day we took the train into Melbourne.

For $5 you can get an unlimited public transport ticket for in and around Melbourne, whether you ride the bus, tram, or train.

Julia always thinks train ride are pretty cool.

The Klaver men on the train.

One of the train stations in downtown Melbourne

Downtown Melbourne from the train station

We walked from the train station to the Melbourne Aquarium.

Julia and I are in the mouth of a small Megalodon shark.

In addition to the variety of fish big aquariums have, the Melbourne Aquarium had special exhibits of sharks and rays and penguins (not all together!). Julia enjoyed the whole museum, with just a little bit of crabbiness and tiredness here and there, but she loved the penguins.

We took the tram from the Aquarium back to the train station. Outside the station was a little cafe specializing in American food. Strangely enough, it was Martha's idea to indulge in the sugary and greasy goodness.

They also had nice big doughnuts.

It truly was a family size doughnut.

Rejoicing in the beefy goodness!

Another day we went to the Melbourne zoo. It is a very large zoo and we saw less then half of it. Zoo food is always expensive but the Melbourne Zoo food was certainly better than any we'd had before at a zoo.

Martha had curry.

Julia and I shared chips, a burger, and chicken schnitzel.

Grrrrr...

Elephant rider!

There was a nice exhibit of butterflies you could walk through.

Momma and baby elephant

Julia can out-climb any monkey or orangutan.

Julia seemed to enjoy the zoo's playground more than the animals!

One evening Julia Short, a member of the Australian Free Church, came over for tea (dinner) at David and Robin's home.

Julia took this cute family picture for us.

Catching up on electronic work.

One afternoon, we went to the Rhododendron Gardens outside Melbourne.

We walked through the garden and found a nice place, Serenity Point, to have our packed lunch.

Serenity Point had a little man-made pond with tadpoles.
Julia could have spent the whole afternoon watching them and playing in the water.

The garden was beautiful and relaxing.

2010-12-09T17:29:00.000-05:00

Melbourne Trip Part 1

We have been back from Melbourne for a bit now. Getting settled back in Tassie, catching up on things, and keeping up with work has kept us busy.

We arrived in Melbourne, the second biggest city in Oz, on October 18 and made it back to Tassie on November 4 (if memory serves). The trip was a bit of a working holiday; we had basically three things going on.

First was the U.S. side of Job's government paperwork. Before we left, we had scheduled an appointment with the U.S. consulate in Melbourne. At the appointment, we got Job's birth registered (basically creating an official birth certificate for U.S. citizens born abroad), obtained his Social Security Number, and arranged to acquire his passport.

The second thing was a minister's fraternal with the brothers from the Australian Free Church. The Australian Free Church is a denomination very similar to the Southern Presbyterian Church. Both fully subscribe to the Westminster Standards, use the King James Version in worship, sing the Psalms exclusively in worship without accompaniment. The fraternal was a real blessing to all the ministers who could come. It was a small gathering with four ministers (the Southern Presbyterian Churches have two ministers actively serving and the Australian Free Church have four ministers but only two could attend). The fraternal was informal and we had a lot of brotherly fellowship - spending time in prayer together, sharing about the struggles and blessings of the work of the ministry, discussing approaches to evangelism in the Australian context, going out for lunch, and hearing and presenting three theological topics. I presented a topic on how the children of believers are viewed in the Covenant of Grace. Rev. John Nelson, the pastor of the Australian Free Church in Chadstone, Victoria, presented a topic on the relationship between circumcision and baptism. (Victoria is the state Melbourne is capitol of and Chadstone is a suburb of Melbourne.) Rev. Iain Smith presented a topic on the Kennedy view of baptism concerning the baptism of adherents in the Scottish Highlands. We all found the topics helpful, encouraging, and thought-provoking.

The last scheduled thing to do while we were in Melbourne was the "Communion Season" at the Australian Free Church in Chadstone. The Communion Season consisted of a preparatory service on Saturday, morning worship on the Sabbath with the Lord's Supper, and a reflection service in the afternoon. The Lord gave strength and we had a blessed time remembering the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ and the strength and encouragement we have in Him for our lives of service.

The rest of our time in Melbourne was spent visiting folk from the Australian Free Church, the Presbyterian Church of Australia, and even some of our own Southern Presbyterian folk who had moved to Victoria. The rest of the time we relaxed a bit and saw some of Melbourne.

The following pics below, and in a couple more posts to come, are a few of the photos we took.

Here is Julia ready to go to an amazing store: USA Foods!!

USA Foods is a shop that imports American foods (especially candy) to Australia.
As you can see from the pic above, we were there around the end of October.

To the left of the warehouse is the walk-in shop. The rest of the building is for storage, shipping (to other stores in Australia), receiving, and the business office.

Here is the bounty of good things we left with.
A1 Steak Sauce, Triscuits, Twinkies, Country Time Lemonade, and Jet-Puffed Marshmallows are items we have not been able to find anywhere else we have been in Oz.

Having fun on the swings at a park not far from where we stayed

Job found his first ride on a swing slightly unsettling. You may notice that his eyebrows are especially expressive.

Julia had lots of fun sliding until she fell (or was pushed by other kids playing?) off the platform to the left of the slide. I saw her fall, but could not make it to catch her in time. As soon as she fell, all the other kids on the play equipment took off. The fall was over 6.5 feet, but she was fine and left without even a scratch. We are very thankful. Of course, she was a bit shocked and shaky, and insisted repeatedly, "I go to bed."

Julia and I enjoyed coloring and snacking in the late morning sun in the back yard. We stayed at the home of David and Robin Stewart. David is one of the elders of the Australian Free Church of Chadstone (a suburb of Melbourne). I met the Stewarts the first time I came to Australia to visit Bert Pohl and his family. David and Robin's two children now live in Launceston not far from us.

Job having fun with Mommy

Robin Stewart and Julia go and get the mail (or should we say post?).

They got something!!

Julia playing in the front yard

The front of the Stewarts' home

Robin and Julia having fun in the front yard

We decided to head to the pool for the afternoon.
Job was ready for all the water action in his swimsuit.

Julia liked the kickboards that were available at this pool.

Job had fun during his first time in a pool.

One of the visits we made was to Ben Nelson and his family. Ben is the son of Rev. John Nelson and a Latin teacher at a Christian School. He is also an elder in the Presbyterian Church of Australia. In the above photo, Ben's wife Jen puts the finishing touches on the salad.

We always enjoy getting together with Ben, Jen, and their children. Ben and I can freely range and roam in discussion through theology, church history, our own walks with the Lord, and how it all relates to serving the Lord in Australia. But it is not as if Ben and I talk while Martha and Jen are left in the dust. Our wives can hold their own. They join in with us on theological topics, assuming we aren't holed up in Ben's study, but Martha and Jen also discuss literature, history, family matters, and making a home in a new country as well. Jen is originally from England.

Ben and Jen's daughters (starting from the left) Tessie, Hepsibah, and our Julia

Robin made Julia some play dough and they enjoyed playing with it together.

Julia loves play-dough! She learned to roll sausages.

One thing we could do in Melbourne that we cannot do in Launceston is go to the mall. Launceston has a CBD (Central Buisness District) with shops, and it does have some strip malls, but Launceston does not have any big shopping centres. It is fun to look around and see the variety of things available, and it feels a bit like being in North America again.

In the above picture, Julia is sitting on one of the little merry-go-round kids' rides. She loves to sit on them and have little pretend adventures. We are too cheap to pay the $2 for a ride (there are no Meijer penny horses in Oz), but occasionally another child will jump on and their parent or grandparent will pay and Julia gets a free ride. (There are three seats on the ride, so no point wasting the extra space!)

We got kebabs and chips (fries) for lunch and we sat right next to the ride she liked to sit on.

2010-10-18T02:35:00.003-04:00

We Made it to the Big Smoke!
(well kind of Big Smoke, only 4 million people)

We made it to Melbourne safely.

2010-10-15T21:46:00.008-04:00

A Few of Job Before We Go to Melbourne

2010-10-13T00:25:00.023-04:00

More Pictures of Job, Family, and Friends

Job and Mommy about to go for a walk

Jaslyn, John, and Evelyn Patrick came for a visit

The joys of play-dough! Animals made by Martha and Julia

Julia enjoying a play-dough ice cream cone (holding, not eating)

Daddy and Julia

Our big little man
He is up over 13lbs. now

A little tummy time

Julia enjoying a swing at the home of our friends David and Mandie Kerridge and their children William and Grace

Our friend from church Edwin Salmon dropped by for a cuttle with Job while we were visiting David and Mandie

Mandie, holding Job, and William

Julia and Grace playing on the floor

Julia and Mary Smith (Pastor Iain Smith's wife from out Hobart congregation)

Fun in the study

We hope to be visiting Melbourne from October 18 to November 4 for some time off, some US government stuff for Job, a joint Pastor's Conference between the Australian Free Church and the Southern Presbyterian Church, and taking communion services for the Australian Free Church Congregation in Melbourne.

Next post we hope to have some pics from our trip and a lot more pics of Job
(we know you want more)

2010-09-23T20:07:00.003-04:00

Quite A Week

We have been having quite a week here at the manse. Monday is always a tough day, especially after a 3 service Sabbath. The Lord, faithful as He ever is, brought us through the Sabbath and the beginning of Monday. The grace of the Lord continued of course but we had a surprise Monday afternoon.

Job had been a little grisly Monday morning. We thought he was very tired from the busyness and stress of the Sabbath but some things did seem strange. He had not done a pooh since 4:30pm Sabbath evening and he threw up his whole 11:00am Monday feed (something very out of the ordinary for him). At 2pm in the afternoon Martha found a large bulge in his groin. She thought it might be a hernia.

I called the parent support hot line. They told me he would likely be fine for 72 hours and that I just contact our GP (General Practitioner). They then asked if I wanted to wait to speak to one of their nurses. I declined and immediately called our GP. We got an appointment in a couple hours (the wait is often much longer) and saw the GP around 4-4:30pm.

The GP took a quick look at Job and quickly called the hospital. She spoke to the head Urologist and they agreed we should go right into the hospital. The Urologist contacted the Emergency Room to expect our arrival and to send us through. Our GP gave us a note to give the receptionist. When we arrived in the Hospital we only had to wait 10-15 minutes and they sent us through to Emergency.

While waiting in Emergency the Urologist and a surgeon in training saw Job first. The the Pediatrician and one of his colleagues came to see him. Then the Urologist and his colleague returned with the Bowel specialist. The the Anesthesiologist came and saw him.

Job was in surgery/theater by 6pm. The surgery was over by about 7:30. The surgeon called me and explained all went well. We met Job in the Children's Ward around 8:30pm. A friend of ours, Linda Coles, generously stayed with Julia while Martha and I were both at the hospital. Job was a little groggy, soar, and tired, but seemed quite well over all. Once he was awake he had a feed and went down for a nap. Only one of us was supposed to spend the night at the hospital so I went home.

Julia and I went back to the hospital at 8am Tuesday morning. The surgeon came and met us and explained what had happened (he had done so to me over the phone but he explained in more depth to both of us). Job had a testicle that had not descended, which we knew and had told them about. Turns out the testicles come through a whole in the muscle. A bit of bowel had pushed its way through the opening in the muscle where they testicle was to descend. They were able to put the bowel back in place and descend the testicle. There is the possibility that the testicle maybe non-functional but we have to wait and see. The surgeon also said that we got him there in time but if things had been any later "things would not have been very good."

We came home from the hospital 9:30am Tuesday morning. First order of business was a nap for Job and Martha. While they slept Julia and I went shopping and then worked in the study and watch some Play School DVD's. Around 2pm it was Julia's and my turn for a nap.

Since Tuesday Job has been doing well. He has been a little more grumpy but that is entirely to be expected. He seems to have settled into things again fine. The rest of us have been a little sick though. Julia has not been sleeping well, has a cough, and runny nose. Martha has a soar throat and I am having a bit of bowel trouble.

Despite the challenges this week the Lord has continued to be faithful granting strength and bringing us through. Several folks are remembering us in prayer, a couple showed up at the door with meals, and many others have offered to help us with whatever we might need.

Please continue to keep us in prayer and I hope to have a few more pics up in a bit.

Love through Christ,

terry

2010-08-22T20:55:00.012-04:00

The Doctor is in

Sister & Brother together (and peacefully too)

"All Right, Enough Already...."

2010-08-18T03:04:00.000-04:00

More Pictures

Anna, our midwife, visiting us at home the day after the birth.

2010-08-17T02:12:00.003-04:00

Update

Thank you very much for your prayers, thoughts, and messages.

Martha, Julia, and Job are well. Martha has been getting sleep and been eating well, especially plenty of green vegetables (often in shake form), natural electrolyte drinks (home made mixtures), and plenty of red meant (primarily beef & kangaroo). Julia has begun acting out a bit, particularly being a little more demanding and defiant, but nothing extreme. Job is breast feeding well and he seems to sleep well. He likes to be swaddled tight, kept warm, held, and often walked. A combination of the previous with diaper changes and feeding seem to keep him reasonably content.

Several friends have dropped off pre-made meals so there is plenty of food. Martha had a couple things ready and I have doing some cooking as well. And Ron and Ava Stronach have come over for a visit. Ava can help out in the house so I have a little time to update the blog.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and hopefully we will be able to update again in a couple more days.

The Lord be with you,

terry

2010-08-16T06:20:00.005-04:00

Some Photos

I had hoped to have a few more photos to post and a bit more detail of how the birth went and how we all are but for some reason the internet or blogger are very slow tonight.

Hopefully these will tide you over for a little while.

P.S. Do not let the pink outfits fool you. Job is a big strapping lad but we have not picked up some boys clothes yet. He will not be wearing his sister's hand me downs for long!

2010-08-14T21:34:00.000-04:00

Our son Job Tedson Klaver was born Sunday at 6:55 am, 11lbs. 1 oz. and 57 cm.

Martha is resting well. Baby and mother are fine.

The Lord be with you.

2010-07-31T03:29:00.012-04:00

Since We Got Back

Here are some pics from various things.

More general picture-less information will be available below.

All 3 pictures above are from Julia's 2nd Birthday party. Several friends came to join us at a park. A good time was had by all.

While in the study Julia found the flexible bars to her old Baby Gym. She decided she wanted to spar and joust with daddy. As she did so she quoted lines from "Fox in Sox" by Dr. Seuss regarding Bim's and Ben's bands that go bang and boom. The connection seems to be that Bim and Ben lead their bands with broken broom sticks, which seem to resemble Baby Gym bars.

Daddy and Julia playing in bed while the sheets and pillow cases are being washed.

On the way to the park.

Fun with pot holders!

The greatest wife a man could have: Martha Klaver

Now for the picture-less information.

One of the first things was Julia's birthday. Our amazing little girl turned two. She continues to be an amazing blessing to us.

Martha returned to teaching a writing workshop at a local Christian School. Her preparations for the workshop took several hours out of our already busy Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. In order for Martha to have time for preparation, I had one on one time with Julia. It has been a very special opportunity for me to spend exclusive time with my little girl. This age only comes around once and she will not be the only child for very long.

Martha finished her teaching this past Wednesday. She has enjoyed the teaching but the preparation has been difficult. Having finished the work shop she is looking forward to being home more and having more time with Julia and the baby when he/she arrives August 13, Lord willing.

Martha's tummy has continued to get bigger and bigger as baby grows. Her health has been very good. She has been tired and gotten the occasional cold but these things can expected considering the pregnancy, the work she has been doing, and that it is winter over here in Oz. Our mid wife has been pleased with how the baby is developing and we hope to have the birth in the Launceston Brith Centre again.

In addition to spending extra time with my daughter, I have taken up a new hobby and form of exercise: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu or BJJ. I came across BJJ here in Tasmania when I found out some of our friends from another local church were taking it. They invited me along and I decided to go along with them for some of the free classes.

Upon attending the first few classes I was very encouraged by the fact that the way they practice it there are no connections to Eastern religions. They do not even bow. The atmosphere is positive and friendly and no one is out to thump people or pump their ego. I also have found it good exercise and a good change and challenge. I hope to give it a try for a year and see how things go.

In our Sabbath worship services we are going through Philippians in the morning and Hebrews in the afternoon. The twice a month outreach services in George Town continue to go well. We still have small core group of interested people who come along but not as many visitors of late. One of the great difficulties in reaching out is a lack of man/woman power. Please continue to remember our Launceston congregation and the outreach in George Town in your prayers.

2010-06-09T08:38:00.000-04:00

Into New York!

We had half a day free while we in New Jersey. So the Klavers went into New York with Martha's oldest brother Dan the Man.

After getting off the train and Subway we got some Gyros from a street vendor.
Fresh! Hot! Great!

Julia avoiding a bit of the drizzle and scoping out the town.

For several years now I have wanted to take a carriage ride through Central Park.
It was raining but their were plenty of covered carriages. We had a great time.
Above, Dan and I.

My amazing wife Martha and our Julia

After the ride through Central Park we pulled out into the street.

Dan works at Goldman Sachs and he took us for lunch in the Sky Lobby and then we went up to the top floor. Here we are in the reception area on the top floor.

One of the many great views from the top of Goldman Sachs

Julia brought her paint brush into New York. She had been painting at Goldman and here she is putting some needed touches on the train during the ride back to New Jersey.

After we got back from New York we had some family time.
Dan just chill'n

Pete and Amanda

Curtis and Amanda's Mom and dad with Adriel

Here we are the next day, on the way back home to Tassie!

2010-05-28T00:30:00.001-04:00

After Michigan, we went to New Jersey. Martha's side of the family is now split up between New Jersey, Arkansas, and Kentucky but they were all in New Jersey together for her sister Joanna's wedding.

We did not get any pics of the wedding, as we were both in the wedding, but we did get some nice pics of family. Above are Martha's youngest sisters Esther (on the left) and Elisabeth (on the right).

Here is the lovely, and now married, couple Curtis and Joanna. (Joanna is Martha's older sister.) The little baby (Adrielle) is the child of Joanna and Martha's older brother Pete and his wife Amanda. She is currently Julia's only first cousin. Interestingly, Amanda is Curtis' older sister. Curtis actually met Joanna as Pete and Amanda's relationship developed.

Dad Lipsy is hard at work on either wedding details or bulletin preparations for the church in Arkansas.

Laptop wedding planning session.
From left to right: Martha's youngest brother Nathanael (aka Buddy), Elisabeth, Joanna, Curtis, and my dear wife Martha in pink.

Our only wedding pic, taken as we left the reception.
In the car are Martha's Grandmother (on her father's side), who Julia is named after, with Martha and Julia. And no, we did not ride home this way - we did have a carseat!

Sunday afternoon with some of the family.
Left to right: Curtis' sister Kim, Curtis, Amanda, and Pete.

Martha's younger sister Lydia playing on her bed with Julia.

The original cute couple, Mom and Dad Lipsy.

2010-05-10T00:48:00.045-04:00

Here they finally are: VACATION PICS

Sorry about the delay in actually posting some pictures from our vacation. We had a little internet problem, but it should be right now. Below are some pictures from our time in Michigan.

We left for the Great Lakes State March 29 and arrived (a lot) later that day. I was in Michigan until April 15 and Martha and Julia were there until the 19th. We were quite busy with visits, appointments, get togethers, and a trip or two. Despite the busyness, we could not get together with everyone we wanted to. We were not able to get in touch with some family members and several friends had no idea we were even in the US.

Below are some pics from our time in Grand Rapids.

Grandpa Knaut and Julia having some reading time together. Julia did not appreciate having the story interrupted for pictures.

One of the first things we did, besides sleeping, was taking a trip to Meijers. My mom, in the upper left corner, kindly took us.

Meijers is a large store with just about everything.
I took a shot of the check outs to give a sense of the size.

Julia liked to hold some of the things we picked up.

Something I have missed in Australia was cheese in a can.
"Easy Cheese" is brought to you by the owners of "Vegemite" and "Cadbury."

We spent a couple days visiting with my Dad, Grandpa Klaver.

A little snack at Burger King (otherwise known as Hungry Jack's in Oz). Julia picked out those pink sunglasses in Meijers. :D

We took a trip to the zoo.

The Bald Eagle came out just before we left.

Martha and Julia with the statue of John Ball. The zoo is named after him.

Julia with Linda Lanning during a visit to their home.

Tedson Klaver, my Dad.

We took a trip with my sister, Aunty Tristan, to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park. The picture above is of the little hotel where we stayed overnight.

A view from one of the smaller dunes. This picture looks back at a smaller lake. Forward, through miles of sand dune, is the coast of Lake Michigan.

Aunty Tristan with Martha and Julia on the dunes.

Here we go!

Whee!!

We left the dunes and went to a small inlet into Lake Michigan to look for Petoskey stones.
We had to make sure Julia did not wade out too far. She was meant to splash along the edges with her gumboots, but once she stepped out too deep and filled them with water, we decided to let her enjoy her time in the water for a few minutes before getting on dry things. She loved picking up stones in the water and then throwing them back.

View of a small bay on the Lake with some dunes in the distance.

my sister Tristan Klaver

We had a nice visit with Pastor Foppe and Elina VanderZwaag.
Julia enjoyed playing with their dog Sheba.

Julia had a nap at the Vander Zwaag's.
Here is a cute picture from when she woke up in Leah VanderZwaag's bed.

We were also blessed to catch up with our friends Drs. Arthur and Sonja Miskin. They have three children: Gordon, Scarlett, and Morgan.
Sonja, above, works with her husband and family in South Africa. She responsible for a quite a bit of medical missionary work. She oversees work with those ready to die, orphans, as well as those with general medical concerns.

Dr. Arthur Miskin is a medical doctor, but most of his time is spent teaching at Mukhanyo Theological College, church planting, and doing pastoral work. He and I were in seminary together and we became good friends. I spent many hours with their family.
We miss all the Miskins very much.

We were also blessed to be able to attend the wedding of our friend Dr. Brian DeVries as well. He and his new wife Lanae (both native Michiganders) will be going back to South Africa and continuing to work at Mukhanyo Theological College and in the local churches. Lanae once went to primary school with Martha when her family lived in Michigan.

We also went to one of my favorite spots on Lake Michigan.
Julia enjoyed playing on the playground.

Lake Michigan.

Here is my friend Jay Collier. Jay is a great guy and a good friend. He is supplementing his two Masters Degrees with A PhD in Post Reformation studies from Calvin Seminary. He also works in publishing for Reformation Heritage Books. If there is indeed an actual "Reformed" Baptist, it is Jay.

Here is a picture of his wife, Sarah, and their daughter.

Their son, Jayden, and Julia had a great time playing and marching through the house.

The witty, intelligent, handsome, and humble James Lanning.

My friend and former housemate, Brian Anderson, otherwise known as the infamous "B."

Martha and the marvelous Evangeline Lanning.

The legendary Rev. Ray Lanning: mentor, friend, and the best expository preacher in Grand Rapids.

My friend Todd Munson and his fiancee.

The closest thing to fish & chips in Grand Rapids is Long John Silvers.
They have the best deep fried chicken I have had yet anywhere.

Grandpa Andy Knaut and Aunty Tristan were digging in too.

Julia heading down the slide.

Hanging out with Aunty Tristan.

Martha and Lenelle Moerdyk at Frederick Meijer Gardens.

Here endeth the pics of the Michigan part of our vacation.

Stay tuned for more pictures of more of our vacation.

2010-04-29T18:39:00.001-04:00

Arrived back in Tas safely last night.

More vacation info. to come.

2010-03-30T01:46:00.001-04:00

We have arrived safely in Grand Rapids!

Thank you for your thoguhts and prayers.

2010-03-25T02:05:00.002-04:00

Celebrancy Status Granted!

The Australian Government has now granted me the position of Marriage Celebrant so I can now marry people in Australia.

Please thank the Lord with me that, after taking the proper course and filling out the needed forms, I can now fulfill this part of my calling.

2010-03-11T19:00:00.008-05:00

A Few More Pictures

Julia with a friend Devina (?)

Walking to the park

Almost to the park.

Ride the froggy!

The most beautiful part of the park.

Julia and Mommy playing store.

Chill'n

2010-02-26T05:13:00.002-05:00

What has been go'n on with us?

In short: a lot. I have been meaning to post for a while. At least once a day, usually as I have begin to get in bed, I think, "I should've blogged about ____."

Well what has been going on then?

GEORGE TOWN

We have once relocated services in George Town to a big in an air field. The building was nice and had good seating. The air field is owned by a family that comes almost with out fail to the out reach services. The regulars from George Town found their way to the air field and we had a good time worshiping the Lord together. March 7 we are unable to use the george Town Hall, where we normally hold our out reach service, so we hope to meet in the air field again.

TERRY'S CHANGE

I have changed my mind about an important, and very visible, theological question. I no longer believe the baptism of the Roman Catholic church is valid. This change is significant on several levels.

First, it means that I have departed with the majority of my Reformed and Presbyterian brothers. In some ways this is not such a big deal. One example is that I am a strong Supralapsarian, and that is by far a minority position. However on some levels it is a big deal. One example would be the care one should taken when disagreeing with the majority of men you believe have a proper understanding of God's Word and its teachings for past 500 years or so. However one must follow God's Word no matter what other men may say regardless of who they be or how many.

Second, it means that I believe some one that was baptized in a Roman Catholic church should be re-baptized.

Third, it brings to completion an ongoing search and prayer commitment I had with another friend. A good friend and brother from seminary and I had a discussions about baptism. I was attempting to convince him of Paedo Baptism (Infant Baptism) and he was trying to convince me of the invalidity of Rome's Baptism. He became a Paedo Baptists months ago, or longer- and most likely not because of our discussions, but had continued to think and pray about Rome's baptism. Now, after getting some help from a new friend, I have come deny the validity of Rome's baptism. It appears the Lord has blessed those initial discussions and the prayers my brother and I have made for one another. Lord willing we'll continue to pray for one another and find something new to discuss.

Fourth, I have made a new theological friend, perhaps even a theological best friend.

The man who convinced that Rome's baptism was invalid was James Henley Thornwell. James was a pastor, theologian, and professor, from South Carolina. He was born in 1812 and dies in 1862. A friend from church late me borrow Thornwell's works. I read through his The Validity of the Baptism of the Church of Rome attempting to argue with him and found all my points answered and overwhelmed by arguments I had no answers for.

I then read selectively through his works and found his style clear, concise, and convincing. He also had many interesting insights into various theological questions. I offered to buy the works of Thornwell from my friend. He would not sell them but he very generously gave them to me.

Since them I have read The Life and Letters of James Henley Thornwell by B.M. Palmer. I have found it helpful personally and spiritually, as well enlightening about the man, and the Civil War. Having gotten good sense of who Thornwell was I now intend to read through his works.

Not since reading through substantial amounts of Herman Hoeksema have I felt so compelled, challenged, and blessed.

Lord willing I'll share some things from Thornwell's life and letters in future posts.

HERE COME THE KLAVERS

We hope to be heading back to the US for April. Lord willing we will arrive in Grand Rapids March 29. While in Grand Rapids we hope to visit with friends and family as well as attend a friends wedding. I hope to address the Heritage Reformed Congregations on behalf of the Southern Presbyterian Churches at their Synod in New Jersey April 16. Martha and Julia will come to New Jersey on April 19. Martha's sister Joanna will be getting married April 24 and we will be flying back to Tasmania on April 29.

JULIA

Julia continues to grow. Just in the past couple of days she has begun to sing a little bit.

About 3 weeks ago we transitioned her out of her crib/cot into her "big girl bed." She is now sleeping on a single mattress on the floor.

She surprised us earlier this week by counting to 10. She can continues to do it on her own from time to time but she does it more regularly if you do it with her. I'll take odds and she'll do evens or I'll do the first few and she'll go from from 4 up to 10.

CHURCH

We continue to go through Exodus in our morning service and Isaiah in our afternoon service. At our Tuesday night Bible study we are going through the life of Christ and our now considering the Sermon on the Mount.

We had a missionary from Tanzania with us as well. His name is John Rowse and he has a burden for "Evangelizing the Evangelists." He travels through Tanzania and parts of Zambia teaching and preaching. His focus is on making sure those preachers and ministers in East Africa truly understand the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone. It is a very important ministry. Many of the church leaders and preachers he speaks with still have great problems with syncratism and animism. He helps them understand the forgiveness of sin (past, present, and future), how the substitutionary sacrifice turns away the wrath of God, and how we are sinless before the Lord for Christ's sake but are still sinful in ourselves. He attempts to challenge their anti-grace and cultural filters (as he calls them) by asking questions and expository preaching (in English and Swahili) and teaching expository preaching. As you can imagine his ministry has a large impact by bringing the true peace of the gospel to people who have never understood the gospel and by teaching preachers and teachers so they can teach others.

John's website has not been updated latley but gives you an insight tot he type of work he does:
http://www.genesis.net.au/~rowse/uhakika/

THAT IS ALL FOR NOW- PICTURES NEXT TIME

2010-02-01T23:23:00.026-05:00

Summer Holidays !

We had the privilege of once again spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Pastor Iaian Smith, his wife Mary, and some other friends in Hobart.

The Klaver Klan headed down to visit the Smith family in Hobart on Christmas Eve. Most of the day we had good fellowship.

On Christmas Day we had a large lunch at Ian and Mary's with friends from the Hobart congregation. In the above photo you can see us all (minus Terry). From bottom right, moving left: Julia Klaver, Martha Klaver, Bev Connors, Terry Connors, Iain Smith, Patricia Ashworth, and Mary Smith.

We had an abundance of food.

Patricia and Julia reading together after lunch while "pudding" (the general word in Oz encompassing all deserts) was being made ready.

Pastor Iain Smith is ready for pudding.

Terry Connors engaged in pre-pudding conversation about his latest readings in Francis Turretin. Terry is a retired Elder. He still preaches, is quite well schooled in Theology, and is marvelous to speak to about all aspects of the Christian life.

Mary Smith and Bev Connors finishing off the last of the lunch dishes. Too Iain's credit he often does them but his wife is giving him a break so he can chat with the boys and entertain the guests.

Conservative Presbyterians do not celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday and do not have worship services. Many do not celebrate it in anyway, but Pastor Iain allows his wife a "wee" Christmas tree.

Mary and Julia beginning gift distribution.
We had to clarify that Julia was not allowed to "be Santa" as Mary hoped.

Gifts were distributed and enjoyed with many laughs.

The gift that seemed to fascinate the Hobartians was a calender with pictures of Native Americans in traditional dress with a brief explanation of their dress and tribe.

Once the get together was over Julia sat down in her own little chair to draw (with Mom's help of course).

New Years Eve we had the Kingston family (from left to right: Steve, Julie, and their daughter Emma- Robert could not make it) over to our home. Getting together with the Kingstons has become an almost annual tradition since I moved to Tasmania (and Martha had come along for a few days).

The above picture is of a "craker" or "cracka." A cracker is a traditional Australian (and British apparently- at least they were on Dr. Who) New Year's tradition. The cracker is opened by pulling on both ends of the package. When pulled properly it pops open with a "Crack." Inside the cracker is a little gift or candy, and a joke and paper crown/hat. The more expensive the cracker the better the gifts, jokes, and hats.

Here Julie is modeling one of the crowns found in a cracker.
She is also pouring some punch.
As you can also see Julia is studying the punch.

Emma also modeling a crown.

After a good game of Balderdash, punch, and some cheese and crackers, we brought in the New Year with sparklers and a glow in the dark game of catch. The Kingstons brought a package of glow sticks which could be joined to form a ball. The pic above and below depict the ball hurtling through darkened space to its next receiver.

New year's Day we had a get together at our home. We ended up having to waves of visitors. The first group came over for a BBQ around lunch time.

Our friend Elva Salmon was even able to leave the hospital (she was under going some treatment) to join us.

After the BBQ we headed inside as the temperature was rising. In the left hand corner is Steve Kingston, then moving right, Pat Connors, Joan Cameron-Smith (having a little fun with Pat), and Pat's wife Mavis Connors.

Continuing to move from left to right: Emma Kingston, Pastor Raeburn Cameron-Smith, and Elva Salmon.

The lunch BBQ crew left by around 3pm or so. Martha and Julia both went down for naps while I cleaned up and sorted the left overs.

We were not sure if more folk would becoming but at 4pm Dennis Miller came by and the second stage of the BBQ began.

Dennis Julie and I doing a little reading over some tea.

Dennis helping Julia with her sandals so she can go outside.

Sometime after 5pm the Dinsmore family came over and we all had "Tea" (known as dinner to some in North AM). Pictured above from right to left: Alan Dinsmore, Martha Klaver, Deborah Dinsmore, Rowena Dinsmore, and Huon Dinsmore. Clancy and Lorraine Dinsmore were there as well but not in this photo.

The second half of the New Year's BBQ was a great success. We had a good time of food and fellowship until about 9pm.

It was a tiring couple of days but a real blessing to have some of the church family over to the Montifiore Manse!

Summer holidays (which still feel strange to me because I still expect cold) can be difficult being away from family but it is a great blessing to spend the holidays with new friends and church family!

2009-12-22T05:27:00.004-05:00

Today Julia and I had a lovely morning at Emily's house. She lives on the next hill over from ours, just a few minutes' drive over the river. Julia enjoys seeing her "fens" (friends) Griff and Arch. She also thinks their big backyard, swings, kiddie pool, bird bath and books are all great fun. I always love chatting with Emily and boy, does she cook well! Today we got to sample her pumpkin pie. :D It was delicious!

Julia concentrates on shoveling in that pie, using both her spoon and her hand for stability.

Julia and Archie were both fans.

Griff thought it was great too.

Thanks so much for sharing your time and your pie with us Emily! We had a great time.

2009-12-17T06:07:00.003-05:00

Julia loves baths in the big tub and occasionally asks "Bath?" after dinner.

She likes getting the soap.

washing herself up like a big girl

She loves "waterfalls"!

pure delight

catching the last drops

getting toweled off with Mom's help

We got presents from Grandma on Wednesday morning.

The touch-to-talk book, the stuffed chipmunk, and the monkey blankets were all cause for great excitement. Hurray!

Thanks so much for the Michigan shirt and the U.S. restaurant favorite dishes recipe book as well; they are just awesome! We love you, Grandma and Grandpa Knaut!

2009-12-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures of the SPC Launceston Family Weekend described in my previous post.

Stuart and Carleen Coles did an amazing job of organizing and running the weekend!

helping organize the food (which was bountiful!)

Hannah and me enjoying a late-night discussion and the warmth of the wood stove

Rob and Martin in an intense game of balloon bashing

a giant moth that considerately visited the men's bathroom only

the Kingstons all showed... even Julie between work shifts

the camp is located on the banks of Coalmine Creek

Here's the main mess hall and meeting room.

Here's our cabin.

a game of Rummicub

a game of Monopoly

storytime for the young ones

storytime for the older ones

a fireside chat

a mother-daughter moment

Annette gives an upside-down grin.

Julia enjoyed the new selection of books there.

The crayons were admired greatly as well.

Daddy shares some creative time with his daughter.

Saturday night's entertainment for the young (and old): Shaun the Sheep

some of the rotating "voluntary" kitchen crew

Dustin: boy in bucket

How many men does it take to barbeque the meat?

Julia never tires of books, and Thomas is a good friend and reader.

Stuart, Terry, Brian and Lauren engage in lively conversation.

Hannah, Alister, Rob and Martin

2009-12-04T07:00:00.003-05:00

I'm very sorry we've not posted in so long. The best way to summarize Dad & Mom's trip here in pictures is to link you to their blog (run by my younger siblings, actually). Here's the link. Our pictures from their time here are currently being organized by Terry.

Since they've gone, we've had the usual period of feeling blue, and then gotten back to normal life. It's lovely to have summer here (some days, at least). The sweet peas are in bloom, and some raspberries are already ripe! The garden is coming along; I will eventually get a picture for you, Dad.

Last weekend, we had the very first Launceston SPC Weekend up in Liffey. It was a wonderful time of fellowship with lots of food and a warm extended family atmosphere. This was especially enhanced by the pouring rain we enjoyed on Friday evening and Saturday. Being cooped up indoors meant lots of games and conversation were enjoyed by all. The talks Terry gave about Challenging Unbelievers' Worldviews seemed to be stimulating and helpful for all present. They certainly were thought-provoking and encouraging for me. They were based on Acts 17, with some reference to 2 Corinthians 10:5 as well.

To summarize, we learned that one's worldview, or understanding of life, is either based on the Word of the Creator or the word of the creature. Thus, all unbelieving or creature-focused worldviews are in essence the same and are refuted in the same basic manner. We challenge unbelievers' worldviews from the same motive Paul had, that is, the stirring of the Spirit. Our hearts are grieved and angered as we see the idolatry and unbelief of those we work with daily. Therefore, we use the method Paul did: we verbally engage them with dialogue. Although these discussions are part of a spiritual war, the war is not to be waged out of a desire to prove ourselves right or dominate. Rather, we war after the Spirit, with weapons that are only powerful through God to pull down their strongholds of false philosophies and high things which they exalt against God. We are to seek to bring every reasoning of theirs captive to the obedience of Christ, the Word. Our message in doing so is also like Paul's: They show clearly their ignorance of the true God who created all things. We are not needed by God, but are ruled by Him and obligated to seek Him. We also must repent because God has sent the gospel command to everyone and will judge us all. The coming of judgment is sure and imminent since Christ was appointed Judge and has risen from the dead to show that all power and authority is given to Him (cf. Mt. 28:18, Acts 2:24-36, Acts 10:40-42). Thankfully, we, like Paul, are messengers whom God uses to bring some to belief, though others should mock or put off the truth.

It's rather a different emphasis than that of most modern evangelicals, isn't it? Nothing about how God is waiting to give you His love if only you will accept it. Nothing about how Jesus loves you and is ready to be your BFF (best friend forever) no matter what. Nothing about how you need the Spirit to give you joy in the Lord because that's what's missing in your life. "Ignorance? Obligation? Judgment? How can such a lot of ugly concepts draw in the people?" one might ask. Only because they are the truth of God, and His Word will convict and draw as all the smooth sales pitches in the world cannnot.

2009-12-01T22:59:00.004-05:00

(Above a suit case of things that had been waiting to come to Martha from the States)

They Arrived!!

Martha's mom and dad arrived in Tasmania after a bit of a delay.

Dad explains it best himself:

"The trip over was extraordinary in various ways.

I had been up since 12:30 am taking care of last minute must-do things before the trip including packing. Ruth got no sleep at all. Since we were facing an international journey, one is typically told to be at the airport two hours ahead of the flight. We learned the hard way with one of our children years ago that you don’t want to take the chance of not being at an airport by then! But because I wasn’t quite finished all my preparations, we ended up not leaving on time and arrived at the airport about an hour and forty minutes before the flight. I was concerned and praying. When we arrived at the airport in Springfield, MO the gate agent said we came in plenty of time. Good ole Midwestern flexibility! After our goodbyes, Esther drove off for home with Elisabeth and Nathanael. That’s when things really began to get interesting.

The check-in lady asked if we had our visas and some other document. I never gave it a thought that Australia would require a visa from US passport holders – many European countries don’t require them – I’m used to needing them for Africa or Eastern Europe but didn’t think Australia needed one. So no, we didn’t have them. Should have checked! The expression on the face of the lady at the check-in counter did not look encouraging. Ruth and I began the first of several very focused prayer times. The ticket agent said sometimes these things can be taken care of electronically and she would give it a try. She worked and worked and worked.. Ruth’s visa was approved right away but mine came up with a message that it would be pending for 12 hours! The lady explained that this sometimes happens when a person has a common first name, etc. or if one’s name is close to someone on their list of undesirable people (criminals, terrorists, etc.). A few ladies at a nearby travel agency in the airport also tried to work things out for us – almost the whole team! I was even allowed to call the Australian Consulate in the US, but the lady there explained that the visa people were off that day – Columbus’ holiday! We thought we were sunk at that point.

When the lady started looking at re-booking our flights, at first it appeared I might miss a large part of the ICRC conference as there were not clear-through connections till Friday (we were at the airport on Monday!). I mentioned I could go to Hobart instead if needs be. So another ticket counter lady started checking connections there. Meanwhile, they kept checking on the visa status – same message each time – “pending 12 hours.” The agent explained that if she sent me on without the visa getting ok’d, she could end up being fired and getting fined something like a $25,000! I forget if jail time was included in the package. Clearly, that wasn’t an option!

At almost the last second, I urged Ruth to go on ahead to Tasmania since her way was clear. I would try to catch up – especially as the Hobart connection seemed to be panning out for the next day. So we called Esther to come back to the airport for me (she was almost home – 1 ½ hrs. away!). As you can imagine, it was hard to see Ruth go off on her own. I felt terrible for not doing a better job checking things out ahead of time.

I was quite discouraged at this point and praying something like, “Lord, I really need a miracle now.” I felt especially convicted praying that because the very day before, as you all know, I mentioned in one of the sermons how we often pray earnestly when we need something from the Lord but what about other times? Ouch!

Anyway, the check-in lady started re-booking me on the next day’s flights. I thought that was as good a fall-back position as could be hoped for since I wouldn’t lose hardly any time at the ICRC conference and none of my time with Terry and Martha. I would need to re-book my flight to New Zealand (to get to the conference from Australia) but hopefully that wouldn’t be a big thing.

Then the other lady at the check-in counter, after the rebooking was almost totally complete, called her co-worker over to look at something on her screen – “Visa Cleared” (accepted)! I was amazed, especially after learning that Ruth’s flight was delayed and still at the airport! So now the other lady had to start re-booking me again back onto my original flights. Uh, oh – another problem. In the short time between the re-booking (to Hobart) and the re-re-booking back to Launceston, the long flight from LA to Sidney was now booked full. No more seats. So I couldn’t fly with Ruth on the 14 hr. flight over the ocean and the rest of the way to Tasmania. I would, however, arrive via a different route just a couple hours after her, God willing. Hey, I thought, at least I will be with her on the Springfield to Denver and Denver to LA flights and arrive the same night.

After I had my boarding passes, I quietly crept up to Ruth in her gate area (she knew nothing about the visa being cleared) and, as you can imagine, we shared a time of real rejoicing in God’s provision – and so we gave Him thanks. Little did we know that was just the beginning of what He would be doing for us on this trip.

When we finally arrived in LA, we had a bit of a wait till our long trans-pacific flight. So we enjoyed our time just sitting together in a rather out-of-the-way part of the airport. We had so enjoyed having just each other’s company for such an extended time. We love our children dearly, but as you all probably experience, when life is so busy it’s not that often we can spend extended periods of time just sitting next to each other without distraction. Anyway, since we now had to part ways, I thought we would just go together through the security check, and then I would sit with Ruth at her gate till she left, and then I would go to my gate later since my flight was later. As we came to the security check point, the agent (TSA) asked me for my boarding pass. He said to me, “You’re on Qantas airlines. They fly out of a different terminal. You can take the shuttle bus to get there. You can’t go any further with your wife here. Sorry.” He was a friendly man, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. That was hard, especially since we had heard Ruth’s flight was overbooked by 12 seats. What if she got bumped and got stuck in LA overnight? I couldn’t wait till her plane boarded because I needed to be at my terminal by then so I could catch my flight on time. So if she did get bumped, I wouldn’t know about it till I got across the ocean! More prayer.

Then, in what I can only describe as another wonder, Ruth came back to the security place where I was standing. She said she heard my name mentioned over the loudspeaker. Well, I couldn’t go through security there, so we agreed that she had better get to her gate so as to not miss her flight, and I would go to the ticket counter to see what the message was all about. So we parted again, not knowing whether we’d see each other till later or what.

When I got to the ticket agent downstairs, he inquired about the message. Apparently the agents at the gate through which Ruth would board wanted to know why I wasn’t on the flight with my wife and especially why I was re-booked in first class on Qantas airline. That was going to be expensive for United Airlines, our original carrier. Was the Lord again going to surprise us with His mercy? The gate agent then told me my seat was still held on Ruth’s flight even though it was supposed to have been cancelled back in Springfield! So the agent asked if I want to fly first class on Qantas or fly with my wife! Didn’t take a split second for that answer. At that point I was really in awe of God’s mercy. If Ruth and I hadn’t come upstairs when we did (where we were sitting on the lower level, we probably wouldn’t have heard the loudspeaker) and if she hadn’t heard the announcement at just that time (I didn’t hear a word of it even though standing somewhat nearby), etc. we would have missed the whole thing. At this point, of course, Ruth again didn’t know that I was being put back on her flight in the seat next to her, until I tiptoed up to her a second time and surprised her. My normally shy-in-public wife and I just stood there and hugged a good while right in the midst of a boarding area full of people. I think more than a few people there were smiling! We again gave abundant thanks to God in prayer. I was back on the on the original flights with the original seats all the way to Launceston, Tasmania……or so I thought..

After our long flight together from LA to Sydney and then our shorter flight from Sydney to Melbourne, we thought all was settled till we went to check in with Qantas for the one-hour trip from Melbourne to Launceston. The first sign of trouble? The do-it-yourself kiosk machine didn’t recognize the info. I typed into it – “Go see a ticket agent at counter 27,” it read. So we went. Ruth’s flight was fine, but my record was nowhere to be found. The man in LA, when canceling my Qantas flights and putting me back onto United, must have wiped me right off Qantas altogether, including this last flight! Thankfully, after a lengthy phone call (and more on the spot prayer for Ruth and me), I was re-instated on the flight. Prayers of thanksgiving followed again! End of the drama? Not quite yet….

As we sat in Melbourne, we were told our flight was to be delayed 20 minutes. No big thing, we thought. We quick emailed Terry and Martha to let them know. Then we found out that a flight from Melbourne to a town called Devonport was cancelled because the plane was inoperable. We were told our plane would take these people to Devonport and then fly us on to Launceston – only an additional ten minutes, we were told. Hey, we felt fine because these poor folk would have been stuck otherwise. So no problem.

We arrive in Devonport and those passengers disembark. Apparently one too many! The crew started scrambling as they realized they were missing someone who was supposed to be on board for the leg to Launceston. Apparently, he just got off and left! We found out later the two towns aren’t that far apart by road, and he was picked up at the Devonport airport instead of going on by plane to Launceston. So we sat and sat and sat at Devonport while the Qantas people tried to piece things together. We finally arrived around an hour and a half late! But Terry and Martha were good sports about the whole thing – we were just all so happy to finally see each other again! I think it took Julia a little while to come to terms with the reality that Grandpa and Grandma actually have faces and bodies and don’t live inside her parents’ computer screen! (We would normally see her on the computer screen through the Skype program). It didn’t long for the adjustment, thankfully.

So we had a wonderful evening – dinner, unpacking our suitcase of treasures (old papers of Martha’s, gifts from siblings, etc., etc.), and then some visiting together. I turned in a bit early as I was facing another international flight scheduled to leave at 6:30 am."

While dad got organized for the trip to New Zealand Martha, mom, and I sorted through the things they packed along for Martha in their luggage.

Dad explains what happened next:

"I thought since it was international, I needed to be at the airport at 4:30 so that meant a 3:45 wakeup (after all the other flying!!). Terry cooked my breakfast at that early hour – so sweet. Well, it turned out that the airport itself wasn’t even open when Terry and I arrived!! A security guard basically opened it for us and turned on the lights! We had a nice visit at the airport and the flight went smoothly back to the mainland where I’d catch my connecting flight to New Zealand for the conference. That’s when the next adventure started.

When I was checking in, the lady asked me if I had an electronic visa. Not even thinking about the question, I said yes (because I knew I had one for Australia – after the big debacle back in Springfield). But halfway across the sea to New Zealand I started filling out the Immigration Service card for entrance into New Zealand and it asked about what visa I had for entrance into New Zealand. You can just about imagine the horror that passed over me as it dawned on me I had done the same mistake over again! And now I was on the flight that would soon land in New Zealand. Visions of a cell with bars over the windows danced before my mind!! Well, I thought, I might as well just be up front about it with the custom’s agent before he or she asks. So as I came to the window, the lady asked how I was doing. I told her I made a big blunder, etc. She looked at me with compassion and said something like, “I’m sorry you must have worried a lot about that. But your Australian visa covers for this trip. There’s no problem at all!” I was so relieved, as you can imagine.

You would think that someone who has traveled as much as I have would be better prepared! But God had His plans of teaching me that He in fact does watch our every step, orders our steps, and does provide as a merciful Father even in the midst of our great blunders."

Much later, after having dropped dad off at the airport and getting a little more sleep, we had breakfast. Julia is a big fan of breakfast.

While dad was in New Zealand we visited different places in Tasmania. One of the places we stopped was the home of the Dinsmore's (a family from our church).

One of the places in Tassie we visited while dad was in New Zealand was Ashgrove Cheese Factory.

Not many of the folk at Ashgrove understood the irony of a couple Wisconsin "Cheese Heads" sampling cheese in Tasmania. Martha was born in Wisconsin while her father was the Principal of a small christian school.

Ashgrove has beautiful pasture lands and many painted cows.

Later we met up with a couple who attends our outreach services in George Town, Ian (the gentlemen in the sweater) and Faith (we did not manage a picture of her) Millen. Faith plays in a band that is part of the University of Tasmania's Community Music Program and they invited us to come along.

There are several bands in the Community Music Program. This is one of them and I believe it is the one Martha hopes to join, the Lord willing. Martha has been practicing her flute again in preparation and she is looking forward to joining.

Sunday evening we had our outreach service in George Town. After the service we had dinner at Ron and Ava Stronach's house. Julie and daddy enjoyed an after dinner swing.

Mom, Ava, and Ron.

Once dad came back from New Zealand we continued our trips around Tassie. Here we are going up to the top of Mt. Ben Lomand. After driving almost ot the top we took a bit of a walk to go further up.

While we were out for our little hike we came across this Tassie shaped rock in a puddle with a little waterfall above it. Cool to see.

There are shacks that are part of a little ski village at the top of Ben Lomand.

While we were hiking it alternated between rain, sleet, and a bit of hail.
Throughout all Julia was trooper but it did push her limits a bit.

Mom and dad made a very cute couple as they hiked back to the car.

One of our other excursions was a trip down to Hobart. Here is dad, the master through window photographer, getting some shots on the way down to Hobart.

Waving fields of Canola

Julia continued reading on the way down.

Grandma and Julia the cute pair!

After going to the museum in Hobart we visited Pastor Iain Smith and his wife Mary.
Mom and Mary having a good chat.

Iain and dad in deep conversation. As dad put it, "Sitting at the feet of the master."

Mom and Julia swinging in Iain and Mary's garden.

Another destination was the water falls in Lillydale (a small town about 40 minutes from Launceston). There are two falls at Lillydale. The above waterfall is the 2nd set of falls.

Here is dad, mam, and Julia at the first set of falls.
I snagged this pic as a Julia switch was being planned.

Dad about to walk out on a log for a good pic.

Precious dad and daughter!

The day before mom and dad we left we went to the beach at Bridport.
It was marvelous time relaxing, snacking, and talking in the sun, sand, and surf.
Father and son (in law).

Below are some other pics of Julia.

2009-10-15T20:59:00.002-04:00

Mom and Dad Lipsy Have Arrived!!

They arrived on time (only a hour and half late) and through a set of challenging international flight scheduling issues.

Sorry to not have more to post right now but more is on the way.