December hit and with it the reality that our we were in the month of 'lasts'-our last month full-time with MMM, our last project, our last days of homeschooling among many others.
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| Mobile McLeans family photo |
Our last two weeks at the Gloriavale Leavers Trust project were full on. There were a lot of volunteers who came from Christchurch, Timaru and surrounds, Waimate and even some family and friends from Dunedin. With lots of volunteers came the need for Chris to stay ahead, planning who could do what job and keeping all the hands busy. There were lots of mouths to feed which keep me busy in the kitchen with some help from another volunteer’s wife. I was glad to see the end of the school year, meaning the kids could have more free time and less pressure to be doing school work. It was great to have my dad back at a project again, this time with two of my teenage nephews. The kids loved having their big cousins around and it made pool time even more fun!
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| One of our morning tea breaks with the crew |
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| More fun in the pool (see offices behind) |
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| The young lads helping to put together a new playground for the property |
There were teams of people doing different jobs- some finishing off the roof and soffits, other doing decking and piles, some working inside on the framing and walls and still others working on a boundary fence.
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| Learning how to build a deck with Chris |
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| Many hands make light work |
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| The Men getting the soffit up "No retirement for me!" |
The work raced on with framing, wiring and foam insulation all required to be done before the inspection. Once the inspection was done it was onto gibbing and getting joinery in. The hope with the project was to be able to get it up to gib stopping stage which we did, also completing one of the small decks and helped with the back fence.
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| Pete and Caleb Finishing of the deck |
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| The team outside the mostly renovated container |
We mostly keep ourselves entertained on the well-set-up property outside of work hours, but also had a few trips to parks and the new playground at Caroline Bay. The Gregorys put on a progress/ farewell party for the MMM team before we all headed away which was lots of fun. It was good to see some of the earlier volunteers again, share food with our new friends and have some music, laughs and ‘smores’ around the fire pit.
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| At the Caroline Bay Christmas Event |
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| Enjoying the bonfire at the end of project celebration |
Before we knew it we were packing up the caravan for the last time, ready to head to Christchurch to drop the kids at the grandparents. We were fortunate to be able to say our final farewell to the wider MMM team in person, at the MMM end of year barbecue in Pirongia. It was a good chance to have a debrief about our time with the MMM Board and Director and for feedback and encouragement to be shared. We also were grateful to see many of our friends again, especially Robyn and Marty who we had spent so many months travelling with. The barbecue was a great time of fun with plenty of stories and uplifting moments shared and plenty of laughs too. There was some sadness that we would be leaving this amazing community of people but joy in having so many new friends who we hope we will see again, whether through projects or in travels.
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| End of year MMM BBQ |
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| We managed to climb (part way) up Mt Pirongia while we were visiting |
We rounded out the year with Christmas with Chris’ family in Christchurch, with lots of fun with his family before heading back to Dunedin just before New Years.
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| Family silly Christmas photo at Christmas Eve service |
Chris was able to help his dad with a outdoor table project which we got to enjoy over Christmas week
It’s a bit surreal being back in our old house, seeing old friends and family, going to places so familiar but that we haven’t seen in so long. This coming year Chris will be returning to building, in a slightly reduced capacity (school hours), allowing me to start my GP training. The kids will be back to Liberton Christian School, with Abbey starting in May after a few months at kindy. In some ways it feels like we have never left, but in others it feels like we have been away for longer, having been filled with so much more than a years worth of experiences, challenges, joys and relationships. We have found so much joy in seeing the Church of God- in it’s various forms, denominations and ministries finding ways to share God’s love and Gospel to those around them. We have seen many give up time and money, putting others needs first, following the example of Jesus- these are the people we want to be like.
We want to thank all of you who have journeyed long with us this year, who have prayed for us, supported us, sent us encouraging messages and blessed us in other ways. The body of Christ is a beautiful thing and when we see the different parts working together with a common purpose- for the Glory of God- amazing things can happen. We not only got to see buildings be transformed this year, but got to see how people are being transformed through the ministries we serve.
Our chapter serving full-time with MMM is over for now, but our ethos for living life in Dunedin is still the same:
To God be the Glory
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