Church isn't a building. Its a family.

It’s been quite some time since my last post and, in that time I've considered if I wanted to keep my blog live or to shut it down and not have to wonder if I've got anything worth writing about for the cyber world to read.

Well, I probably don’t have a lot to say that would keep readers interested and coming back for more but, I've always wanted to write. I want to one day call myself an author of at least one book! I don’t care if I still don’t know what my book will be about or that I might be aged 90 by the time I write it and aged 95 by the time it’s published but… I dare to dream. So I’m going to keep my blog live and I’m going to write when I feel the urge because this blog is part of the bigger picture God has planned for my life. Not sure what?

Anyway, here I am with an urge and I’m going to write about community, church community. Let’s call it a letter to my church.

Dear church,

You are my family. One of us said that there is a letter with your name on it. Then another later said that the first line of that letter reads “To my dear child, I love you”.

Now I’m going to tell you what the second line says. It says, “You are enough”.

Regards.

Building family from church is sometimes hard. Let’s be honest, it’s exactly like blood family, you can’t always pick who they are! Just like your family, church family are the people God purposed for your life for, at the very least, this season. You may not be in the same stage of life as that person or the same age as this person or from the same place as another person but God put you in the same place with those people for such a time as this. He brought you together for this time so that you could show them a kind of love that only you can give and, for you to know a love that only they can give. God aligns people’s paths for a reason and sometimes it’s just to love one another.

Photo credit Matt Fong

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

John 13:34-35

We just came back from our church camp which ran from Friday afternoon till Sunday midday. It was a great weekend but it was also very challenging for my family. Having to keep our eyes peeled for the whereabouts of our little wandering munchkins who weren’t just wandering but also crying and whining. The nights were freezing and in fact the first night was reportedly Darwin’s coldest night of the year thus far. It was so cold that it felt like I only slept for a combined total of 30 minutes for the entire night. We had learnt from previous years camps that it gets very chilling at night so we were prepared this year [or so we thought].  But alas, not prepared enough, we were freezing our butts off, the boys were waking all throughout the night and my oh my the first rays of sunshine could not rise fast enough!

Now, there’s no other remedy quite like that of a good coffee and good company to set you straight for the day so, out of the depths of a freezing and sleepless night I emerged from our igloo and set my eyes upon that first morning coffee by the camp fire. But not before the changing of nappies, dressing of wriggling and crying children and, the serving of their breakfast. All sounds relatively simple but any parent reading will know what rigmarole that all is, let alone after a cold and sleepless night! 

Let’s continue.With the warmth of a morning campfire and the sipping of hot coffee the day brightens and I’m privileged to be spending the weekend with my wonderful church family.

A lovely couple in the church had prepared an amazing race for us all to participate in and the idea was that it would be a bonding exercise that would help us get to know each other a little better. It did exactly that and was a lot of fun… and also my exercise quota for the quarter!  

About half way through the race Matt fell to the evils of an unseen log! He tripped and bustered his foot which then, had him out of action for the rest of the camp. Sigh. My husband is an incredible help to me and especially when it comes to parenting our sons. We work as a team and we only run smoothly (like a bumpy kinda smooth) when we work together. I’m a stress head and he’s too far the opposite but together we’re some kind of balanced.

So, camp was hard work! But the beauty of it all was how amazing it was to see church family rally around supporting and helping each other and, so naturally.

People helped others pitch tents, they jiggled and bounced each other’s kids, they washed each other’s dishes and at the end of each night they communed by the camp fire with marshmallows on sticks.

It’s in this moment I realize that my church isn't a building. My church is a family. My church are the people.

Church, you are enough! Being yourself and the person God wants you to be is all that needs to be and, for you to love one another. Building community isn't just about being an awesome worship leader or serving up the yummiest church supper. It’s loving each other first. Its being present and its saying "use me God".

Sure, I believe people should get involved and serve in their church where they feel called to and, I do want to be part of church growth, not on the outside just ‘watching’ it all happen. But I was reminded by a dear friend last week (on a day I was busy fulfilling roles I had committed to) about something that was said on a Colour DVD we had previously watched. The speaker had said that “you are the gift, not what you do”. It was so timely for me to be reminded of that on a day where I’m wondering if the coffees I’m serving taste okay, if the birthday cake I’m about to make will be successful and if the church talk I’m preparing (or not preparing, rather winging) will be encouraging and not a ramble. I am enough. Just being me and loving and serving others is all God requires of me…  not the world’s best coffee, or a 3 tiered chocolate ganache cake or, a talk that’ll land me a book title.

So, when church campers loved and served each other over the weekend, and were just being themselves (BO and all) they also blessed each other. I am so thankful for each one of you and the love that you bring into our church family/community. I can know that whatever my struggles or achievements that I have people that I can love and share my journey with. I pray that anyone can walk into our church building and find the love of a family, not the draping of lavish curtains but instead an example of God’s love for his children. 

Still Alive and Kicking!

Hi there readers, 

It has been quite some time since my last post but, life just seemed to progress quicker then I could document it! So I am here to update you all. 

Over the past few months I have been feeling very tired and unwell but its a good kind of sick... it's a precious new baby on the way! Whilst my Julie and Julia Challenge has been put on the back burner I have been baking a new bun in the oven, who will be gracing us with his or her presence in April 2013. Although it is very exciting news it has also been a little hard with the morning (more like all day) sickness. I don't recall feeling so sick for so long with Rupert as I am already 16 weeks and still feeling very sick. Then again my [early] pregnancy with Rupert was very different to this little one. We've had our first scan and all is doing very well. 

Rupert is also doing just fabulously at nearly 9 months old! He's a tiny little guy but sleeps beautifully, has tooth #7 on its way through, standing unassisted and even walking by himself with the assistance of his wooden wagon. He can say dad, dadda and a lot of other jibba jabba. I don't think the word mummy is going to happen anytime soon but I'm okay with that because I know that once he starts, he will surely wear it out! 

I was really hoping to breastfeed Rupert until he was 12 months old but as my pregnancy progresses I have decided now is the right time to start weaning. It may also give my body just a tad bit more energy. Oh and I will be glad to NOT being bitten by a mouth of little teeth anymore hehe. 

Rupert refused the formula in a bottle so I tried it in the sippy cup and although it took a bit of time and fussing he did eventually finish most of the milk. If you have any weaning tips I would LOVE your advice. 

Matty is doing well and working hard to bring home the bacon as usual. Nothing new here really. 

In late October we traveled to Sydney for the weekend of my mum's wedding and also her 60th birthday. It was lovely to see all the family again and to catch up with some dear friends. We will be back in Sydney over Christmas before flying home via Adelaide for the New Year. It too will be a great trip for hanging with family, chatting with friends, a visit to the zoo and other random holiday activities.

Anyway time to tend to other things. I hope to post again soon

xxx

A Very Quick Update

Now let me bring you all up to date from my last post made in November. In a very simple and straight to the point format:

• Dec - xmas spent in Darwin
• Jan - Not a whole lot
• Feb - Bridesmaid to close friend cat
• Mar - I turned 22 and flew to melb whilst Matty was on a business trip for 3 weeks
• April - 2 week holiday in Adelaide for cousin Emily's wedding
• May - We attended Matty's Graduation Ceremony
• June - Matty turned 23 and I won a 40" TV
• July - we bought a bold red lounge!

6 Months Later

So here I am again... with much shorter and darker hair... and a little slack I have been in keeping an up to date blog. So I'll give you all a little summary of the last six months as Mrs Fong, and also of the wonderful Mr Fong.

Lets start in the kitchen. As a seamstress and not a cook, things in my kitchen are not all it should be. Flopping Pavlovas, smoked apricot chicken, broken glass, frozen pies and slimy lettuce often get the better of me. It was better being single and eating rice and toast every night, being married means I have to feed a husband. My menu lists of apricot chicken, spag bol, curried snags, stir fry, and 2min noodles. Oh and of cause Matty's fav... meat pies!

So like my menu I don't really have anything exciting to write about being in the kitchen however, my spotty retro apron does brighten up my cooking experiences.

Married life is FANTASTIC and so much FUN. Matty is a wonderful friend and husband (even though his folding is a little off centre ) and we've had the best of times discovering each others weird and wonderful habits! I'm told I leave too many drinking glasses lying around and that I too often want my feet rubbed. But I can't work out why Matty has to store his daily vitamins behind the kitchen tap? And I don't like it when chairs aren't pushed in and he dislikes having old, off and mouldy food in the fridge. But we do love waking up together every morning.

In May just gone we experienced our first time apart since being married. I spent 4 days in Fiji on a work conference and 4 days was long enough.

Fiji is a lovely place with not much to see besides the beach however, its people are what make it such a friendly place to visit. Everyone is very relaxed and work on what they like to call "Fiji time" and to be honest, I'm not sure its time at all! The food is very bland and consists of manly boiled chicken. With another stamp in the passport my visit to Fiji was a pleasant one. 

Finally, June brought us to our mid year holiday together in Singapore. My eldest brother Jacob and his lovely wife Shirley live in Singapore and I suppose that would explain why it is my most visited overseas country. For the week we were there we visited museums, traditional markets, its huge shopping centres and the newly built Universal Studios. The highlight of the trip as always would be its abundance of local foods from its many different cultures. Our mid year holiday scores an 8/10.

...Married life so far.

The Honeymoon

Hey there! Here I am again with a second post, I feel like I have achieved something!

Anyway I am home alone today, that is until I start work at 4pm. I was also home yesterday and when my husband got home late in the afternoon, I told him that if he were to leave me home alone again that he should give me a baby to look after lol! NO... we are not having kids anytime soon!
On the other hand I have a beautiful black cat named Dolly. She is so precious and I really believe that she was sent by God to comfort me when I lived alone and out of home.

Dolly is about 8 months old now and she has become the baby in our new little family. The only disappointment is that when Matty moved in she formed a greater attachment to him, he was now her favorite person. It may have been the result of Matty talking cat language and the constant "meow" conversations in the kitchen. However I believe Dolly felt a strong connection with Matty because he was hairy like herself!

Anyway... the honeymoon!!

Well we spent 7 relaxing days in Bali and we did nothing but laze around the hotel and eat good food for little money! We also did some shopping, can't go to Bali and not pick up a Rolex or 2!
The weather was beautiful and the locals were hard core sales people.

And that's all I feel like writing today so I am sorry to cut the story short but I'm going to sign off here. Afternoon everyone.

The Bungalow we stayed in for a week.