Here are some recent pics of Matthew (Aug/Sept): Enjoy!

Hi everyone... here's some new stuff for you to look at!!

Kathy's trip to Singapore



... its been nearly a month since i was in Singapore - but it was a very worthwhile "business" trip... I went for a conference which brought almost all of our leaders and missionaries from our "sister churches" from Thailand, the Philippines, the Sudan, Australia (SCF), India and other countries together. It was an amazing opportunity for me to meet people (many who Phil knew already) and to hear what's going on all over our Asia Pacific region; as well as our new ventures in the Sudan, in Northern Africa. It was also really interesting to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities that each country faces. We are so blessed in Australia to have the resources and freedom to worship however we choose. There are some incredible people out there doing the work for God and I feel very honoured to be a part of it in a small way.

It was also great to catch up with my good friend Shara, who lives in Singapore - they were so hospitable and showed me around the city a bit - and we had a great time (thanks guys!)... I did feel a bit funny being away from "my boys" for nearly a week - I missed them heaps - but they did great on their own, and I found a few cool bargains for them over there to bring home!

The shopping was crazy... not that cheap in some spots - but there was this crazy department store in Little India called Mustafa (i think!) and you could buy ANYTHING there - and it was so cramped and just overwhelming!!


Sari Heaven in Mustafa (little India)




Singapore Markets





The view from Fairy Point near our accomodation:














We also had a chance to go to the Singapore Zoo - which was the best Zoo I have seen. We hardly saw any cages - just natural habitat... and they had white tigers which were so incredible...

Macaws at the entrance!

Our bike ride in North NSW

Hi everyone, here are some pics from our trip up the coast with the bike ride!!


Matthew wanting to be a part of it all!
The bus loaded up with air mattresses!

The team after finishing the 500km

... so far we have raised about $20,000 which is excellent - we are still hoping for a bit more, but it has been awesome the support we have received thus far. IT was a great trip - the weather was fantastic, although a little cool in the mornings - no rain!! We had a bit of problem with a stomach bug that went through the group (thankfully after the ride for most of the riders) but myself and Matthew were very ill so we had to fly up to join them later... phil got it a bit during the ride, and then EVERYONE got sick after the ride... it was a little crazy -but we made it through! The churches we stayed at were wonderful and everyone was so helpful. We travelled through some gorgeous spots and ended up in a place called Yamba which was beautiful and had amazing surf! Everyone finished the 500 km so it was a real success although i think there were a few bruises and sore muscles afterwards!

THanks so much to everyone who helped and supported in so many ways!

Hello there,

Well it is strange to say - but we are COLD here in Sydney - in fact -we got snow only an hour and a half away from our house! I don't think i will ever get used to the fact that we don't have central heating - because you never warm up!! Of course some houses have it- but ours is old and doesn't -so i am typing this - feeling very cold! It was 5 degrees last week (doesn't sound too cold for Canadians) but think about 5 degrees without heat, and you might understand how i feel!! you do get sort of used to it - but boy do i miss the gas furnace sometimes...and the clothes dryer... :)

Anyhow - it is very damp and wet in Sydney too - which is great because we need the rain so badly - some of the drought affected areas have received lots of rain to the point of flooding - but its a blessing because we have had nothing for so long! It does make it hard to do laundry sometimes though! But one can hardly complain when at the moment we are focusing on Sudan and what we can do there!

We are gearing up for a busy 2 weeks... Next week is Hillsong Conference - which is always busy and crazy - Phil is taking some youth there, so it will be early mornings every day for a week.

The week after, the Sudan Bike Challenge is on - and we are all going up which will be fun. So far we have 8 riders (maybe 9) and each one is trying to raise $5000.00 for building an orphanage there. Please check out the website - http://www.aama.org.au/ - you can even donate online (its tax deductible in Australia)!

We are staying in churches along the way and it will be great. We're really looking forward to it and meeting people on the way. Please pray for the safety of everyone on the trip - and pray especially for good weather too!!

INFO ON OUR RIDE/SUDAN:

THe situation in Sudan is critical - after 21 years of civil war, the devastation wreaked upon the people of Sudan is horrendous. Over 2 million people have been killed and over 5 million displaced. And now 1.3 million children are left orphaned.

SALAM, a ministry of AAMA, is working in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, where they have procured land which is being developed into a children's respite centre and education centre, called Juba City of Hope. The centre will house and care for displaced and orphaned children, working in conjunction with local agencies to re-unite children with lost parents, and place them in families. To assist in funding the children's respite centre, we are conducting a fund-raising bike-ride, and we would love you to be involved!

Our riders will ride approximately 500 kilometres, from Coffs Harbour, to Tweed Heads and back to Yamba over 5 days, from 8th to 12th July 2007. Please support our participants as they ride and in doing so, you will join in relieving the suffering of the most innocent. And you may give not only the gift of hope, but the gift of life. Visit our website or contact us (kathlander@yahoo.ca) to donate to the cause!

A Day at the Taronga Zoo

Last Tuesday we got the chance to go the Sydney Zoo - for free! It normally costs a bomb - so it was an excellent day! Our friend Josh is a firefighter, and they sponsor the zoo, which means they get free entry! For those of you who don't know Sydney - the Zoo is on the opposite side of the Harbour as the Opera House and the Bridge, so the views are amazing of the city. The giraffes seriously have the best property in Sydney!




























So off we went with 3 kids in tow (7 in one LandCruiser)!, Josh, Kath, Phil and I... Noah is 2, Benjamin 8 months, and Matty - 14 months! They did amazing. They loved all the animals - and there was so much to keep them occupied and the zoo staff were great.

Their favourite was definitely the seal show - they loved it! I think they liked the water splashing more than the animals though...





Highlights:

• the amazing tiger that came right up to the window and stared us down

• the giraffe up close and personal and great city views

the python that Matthew got to pet (except he squeezed it a bit and i think the snake was a little annoyed!)

• petting a blue tongue lizard, and a guinea pig




• the parrots and colourful birds




• the alligators and turtles swimming




• the Komodo dragon

Needless to say - the boys crashed in the car immediately after we got in to go home. A great day -especially since it was free!

On another note -we are getting ready for Phil's ride for Sudan in July. The route goes from Coffs Harbour (North NSW) to Tweed Heads (on the border of Queensland) and back down on the coast to Yamba NSW. It should be good - we have 13 riders so far (not me - i am staying home with Matty - unfortunately i can't ride this time); but it is a bit of a family affair as 2 of phil's sisters (Lauren and Allyson) are both riding too. It should hopefully raise a lot of money for an orphanage - check out www.aama.org.au - if you want to see more!

by the way - matty wants to ride -but maybe not this year!

we've been away for awhile!

Hi everyone,

sorry i haven't blogged for a while - its tough trying to get computer time - Matthew really likes the computer so when I'm on it - he's on it too!! Anyhow - there hasn't been too much happening lately - just the everyday stuff! Matthew has been running around like crazy, and I am always chasing after him! He particularly likes to open doors and run out the door if they aren't latched! I have to be very careful!

here's a pic of my 30th birthday party (surprise!)... there are a lot of candles there!

Matty's favourite thing at the moment is taking everything out of bags, the toybox, any box, shelves, cupboards - you name it - and putting it on the floor! So i spend a lot of time picking things up! I can't wait till he learns to put it all back one day :)

His newest word is STAR - he loves getting the star stickers i have for my students (the little kids) and trying to put them on my nose, or on his hand. It's very cute. He can also say car, duck, mum, dad, and a few other things... i think he says "what's that?" too but i can't quite decipher it!!

He is also a bit obsessed with planes and can spot and hear them well before I can!!

Hope you are all having a great day!

Matthew's dancing video

hi everyone,

well here it is - matty's dancing video... just follow the link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQdaghGs6Uo

p.s. thanks to brian for the advice!!! :)

For my 30th birthday we drove up to Newcastle (about 2 hours) to Stockton Beach in 2 4WD's for an amazing gourmet picnic on the beach.

There was so much sand - it went on for miles - you actually feel like you are in the desert!! The water was beautiful (a bit cold but it looked nice)!


Matthew came with us and laughed the entire time he was bumping around in the car seat. I think he had the best day of his life really - he was so excited about crawling around in the sand, and the fact that it went for miles and miles made it all the more fun... He also loved sliding down the sand dunes. This kid has no fear!

It was awesome to get out of Sydney for the day and see something new. Australia has so many amazing beaches - this is just one, and there was hardly anyone on it. Hopefully we will be getting a 4WD soon, and we'll be able to do this a bit more often. I Love AUSTRALIA!! There are so many amazing things to see and do.

THe funniest part of the day was when Doug drove up over a huge hill and came over the top - only to come to a dead stop as there was a rather LARGE drop off on the other side. This of course made him get bogged down in the sand, and they weren't going anywhere without a tow... So Phil came to the rescue - but while attempting the rescue, got into a similar situation - so now we were 2 for 2... luckily some kind strangers (who weren't quite the weekend warrior type) bailed us out with a shovel, a tow rope and some rescue experience!!

After driving back through the sand dunes, we were just about to leave, when we saw a rather LARGE (ok HUGE) lizard foraging in the garbage... it must have been nearly 1.5 meters long, and looked like it had come out of the Jurassic era! A very cool sight to see... keep in mind that white box is an eske (or cooler for the Canadians!)