Keeping Up With the Andersons

I have been thinking about 2011. My dear friends here in Sydney have come up with many reasons for us to stay in Sydney. And I love them. And want to stay. I really enjoy their company, the opportunities to share life at a deeper level and I love my family, mother's group, bookclub, college, church, my Ashfield friends, old friends. I've always lived in Sydney.

So, why are we probably not living in Sydney in 2011?
It's clear it is not because we want to get away from you all.

But it is clear to us that the world is bigger than Sydney. And it all belongs to God. Psalm 8 in the Bible picks up on this. It describes the far end of the galaxy and wonders that God cares for insy winsy people. And even gives them responsibility to care for this tiny planet. I love the beginning and ending (they repeat each other) "LORD, our Lord, your name is the most wonderful name in all the earth". LORD (with the capitals) is a way English Bibles try to capture God's special name (it sounds like Yahweh in Hebrew). It's the name of the creator and carer of the world. He isn't just a distant God who is to be found behind all the religious deities of the world. He is powerful but really loving. Of course then, his name is the most wonderful in all the earth. So that was a long way of saying that lots of people know that in Sydney - and even those who don't can find out. They can read the Bible, meet people who know this God, come to church. But I keep hearing of people who have no opportunity to know and thank the God who made them. They might be thanking another god with another name, or maybe they don't know who to thank, or thank themselves. And they have no Bible in their language, or friends who know this God. Or they want to thank him but don't know much about him. That's why we want to move out of Sydney, and out of the English speaking world. And the most beautiful name in the world is even more beautiful than sunny days, good friends and family. Because he's the source of all beauty.

What's the plan at the moment?
Toby's hoping to help people hear and read the Bible in their own language. I'm hoping to chat with and love people lots. Which people? Don't know the specifics, but as Caleb's story book says: "People are just like you, wherever they are, all over the world". ie. Other people who just live differently but need to hear about their beautiful saviour.
So, we're hoping to do more study in 2011. What?!? More study! Yep - more study. Praise God we enjoy studying (mostly!). Linguistics (not a particular language, but how to learn and pull apart language). If that's what works out best we'll be enjoying Melbourne (where the college is) next year and we'll keep you up to date with plans beyond that.

Love you all heaps
MG

Hi. It's MG here!
Sunny days give me an opportunity to be extra thankful. There's something about the vitamins and endorphins that can't help everyone feeling good. So here's a list of things I'm thankful for today. See if you can add to it.
a) God - thanks for sun to dry my washing
b) thanks God that we can play outside
c) isn't it good that when we rang our friend Jane she spontaneously invited us to a music time at summer hill
d) thanks God for lunch in the sun with grammy (toby's mum).
e) praise God for thongs. They are the best shoes ever! And it's warm enough to wear them.
f) we're thanking God he always provides everything we need - and it's so peaceful when we can trust him and not worry
g) I'm thanking God for hats and tissues and nappies and teddy bears and books to read and yummy toast.
What variety and beauty.

Your turn:
Please comment by adding what you're thankful for today...

It's a very exciting time for us. We've decided to bite the bullet and apply to Wycliffe to be Bible Translators. This is something we've been thinking and praying about for a long time. Another option for us has been to focus on my IT skills and use them for ministry in some way - something that I would love, but we've seen that Bible translation is more strategic, since I also have ability in that, and there are much less people who are both willing and able to commit to doing it. Also there are so many language groups in the world that do not have the scriptures available to them, even groups that have an existing church. It is vitally important to place the Bible into the hands of people who need it. God's Word is extremely powerful and can accomplish lots. We're excited to be able to contribute to unleashing it.