Welcome to the Spinifex Ministries Photo Album for 2009.
Remember: to see photos in full size, just click on them and then click "back" to return to this screen!
We began 2009 as we finished 08 - with Phil
taking weddings! His second one was a bit more sedate and more proper than the
last, to the point where Phil had to wear a suit - with his RM Williams tie mind
you, and watch how he spoke.
And to top it all off, Cathy was the Matron of
Honour.
Unfortunately for Phil, it was the second time he couldn't watch Cathy
come down the isle as he had to hold himself together! (from crying that is).
We spent January and February looking after the Calvary Presbyterian Church out at Brookton (150km East of Perth). This is a Westminster Presbyterian Church (which Phil is a minister of) and is also an Aboriginal church. Phil was able to preach on the Sundays and study - or at least try to, during the week. It's been a while since he has done any theological study and he struggled to keep awake most days.
While there, he put up new gutters on the
church which have been lacking for many years.
One day Phil went to the truck box and could
smell a strong odor of paint. Upon investigation, he found a full aerosol paint
can had exploded in the paint crate!
It blew the base off.
In the middle of January, we (Phil & Cathy)
celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary! So off we went camping for a couple of
nights at a secluded spot on the banks of the Blackwood river.
The middle of January was also a special time
as our family grew by 2 more little ones. Both are boys and are named Luther
(after the great reformer Martin Luther) and Smokie (after his colour, not
Smokie Dawson). Yes we, Phil & Josh (Cath gets a dishwasher instead), are now the proud owners/parents
of 2 pure Kelpie pups. Phil has been waiting to have a dog again since he met Cath, now after 18 years the time has come. When we went to see the litter, only
2 were left and we weren't all that impressed with the colours, but beggers
can't be choosy! After a bit of research, we found that they are the 2 rarest of
the Kelpie colours - some breaders have been waiting over 10 years to get these
colours and have buyers on the waiting list! Luther is Blue/tan and Smokie is
Fawn/tan.
At the end of February, it was time to say goodbye to family and friends and head back to the good country.
Our first job north was at St Mark's Anglican Church, Kalbarri, WA. Here we helped Matt & Rachael Brain with some much needed maintenance and modifications. God's timing is always perfect and this was shown by our timely arrival. The day we arrived, Rachael found she was pregnant with twins! With 3 children already, Cath was able to help her with cooking for the week.
From Kalbarri we headed for Carnarvon to help out Brian and Annie Fyffe. Brian is the pastor from the Anglican church there. Phil was able to install skylights and get some other maintenance done while there.
It was great catching up with the Brains and Fyffes again. We all went through Theological college at the same time and it will be a while before we cross paths again.
After leaving Carnarvon, we dropped into
Roebourne to catch up with friends also in ministry. From there it was off to
South Hedland Baptist to finish painting the church auditorium that we went to
paint in 2007, but was put aside due to 2.5 cyclones. While there Phil also
worked on the manse insulating the ceiling and installing whirly birds on the
roof.
Derby People's Church was our next stop to see Warrick and Fiona before heading to Fitzroy Crossing to see Phil & Gail Smith from the Junjuwa People's Church.
At Kununurra we spoke at the Baptist Church
Bible Study before moving on to Katherine for the last KCC (Katherine Christian
Convention) Committee meeting before the convention that was two weeks away. And
then it was on to Darwin for a weeks break and shopping before heading back down
to Katherine for the convention. With Phil being the program
and prayer coordinator, he was kept busy for the weekend. One of our other jobs at
the convention was the design and painting of the theme banner.
After Phil had a few days recouping from a short illness following KCC, we then moved onto Tennant Creek where Phil preached at the AIM church and then it was on to our last job with SM - Alice Springs AIM.
At Alice, we finished off what SM started a
few years ago - the house renovation. the only thing left was the replacement of
the kitchen. If you don't remember what it looked like, here is the before
shots!
During.
After.
Sorry more pics coming after Phil finishes the kitchen tiling!
While here, the hot water system was making
noises and playing up so Phil proceeded to removed the old element to replace it
and got more than he bargained for!
The element was buried in 75mm of calcium scale!
The view from the church after a storm.
The day our furniture arrived and almost the
end of our time on the road with SM.
Well that's it for now! It is really hard to know what photos to put in and what to leave out. I hope that you have enjoyed a quick trip through 2009 with Spinifex Ministries.
Stay tuned for more photos soon!
