God is LOVE

Its been a bit of a down day; "being there" for children in need - children whose parents are splitting up, children whose grandparents are dying, children who are being beaten at home or who are being bullied in class - can be wearying on the soul.

And yet the job is just as uplifting. And standing as a testament to that, may I introduce "Chaplain Annie's LOVE Project."




This is my personal crusade to paper the walls of this - the Chaplain's Room - room with the word LOVE.

I pray that each person that walks into the room when this plan is complete will be assailed from every corner by the word LOVE: drawn, crayoned, pencilled and sparkly-painted by tiny hands and enormous hearts. They pile in here each morning tea and every lunch time by the dozens - tiny, perfect little creatures with sticky fingers and bright eyes, hats askew and uniforms stained with chalk, chocolate and magic marker - chattering like cockatoos nesting in an ancient gum tree. Their eyes and their hearts are focused so intently on finding just the right piece of paper and just the right marker, so that when they commit themselves to the task, their picture of LOVE is the prettiest of all.





I only wish that people could hear the musical accompaniment that goes with this celebration: dozens of sweet, high, sing-song voices packed into a room no larger than a bus shelter, all calling out at top volume:

"Chaplain Annie, can I colour with you?" "Chaplain Annie, this is my friend Amelia and she wants to play with you!" "Chaplain Annie, Renee is being mean to me and I feel sad. Can I draw a picture with you?" "Chaplain Annie, I can spell love without any help!" "Chaplain Annie, Charly helped me make this LOVE just for you!"

And the sweetest voice of all, the one that lifted me out of my doldrums today and reminded me why it is I am here:

"Chaplain Annie, my best friend is Jesus! And I am drawing this LOVE for my best friend!"



And as I blu-tacked them to the walls, glitter paint sliding off the glossy paper and onto my jeans, I caught myself humming that wonderful ditty "Praise Him Praise Him all ye little children, God is Love, God is Love", and realized that on top of everything, I now have a theme song!

Bruce has been toying with the idea of getting new sunnies.....

I don't think that's a half bad idea, do you?

Reflections on Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy really is part of the backbone of God’s front-line work, as I am told, and as I am coming to believe. This is where God’s work is really done: in the midst of people – people that know God, people that want to know God, people that only have the vaguest impression of who God might be. It is working amongst the young, the old, the troubled and the uplifted; it is being a part of the lives of a community in a way that the priesthood can’t be. Here, in the chaplaincy, there are no denominations, no complex theological or political imperatives, no ecclesial issues to cope with: there is only God, His Word and the journey that both you and your community are on.

In the priesthood, you are stationed in a church, and your drive is to get more people into that church.

In chaplaincy, your call is to bring God out to the community as it stands: to model His love, to do His work and to spread His work where the people are at. This make you a critical part of any community-based ministry team, as you are working hand in glove with the local churches without being bound by any of them.

As I move more firmly into this position, I am struck by just how deeply embedded in the community it is: I cannot go to our local supermarket, chemist or fish and chip shop without meeting up with at least a half dozen children from the community (and their parents); and I am struck by our interconnectedness, and the fact that Holy Spirit is a part of us all, a guide to us all and the foundation of our community – regardless of our “declared faith”.

What an incredible privilege this job truly is.

My Morning Commute

This is my morning walk to work:

Take the road down to the back of the paddock, and keep going straight past the dogs until you get to the pony track.....Hang a right to the meadow (watch out for the plovers as they have clutched and will take your head off if you come near their nest)...


Once you get to the meadow, keep going straight until the turnoff into the forest (just before the brown horse with the limp)

Once you're in the forest, keep going straight until you get to the mudhole. Go around the mudhole and up the hill past the gum trees. Keep going past the broken log and take the second turnoff after the puddle.

You can't miss it.

The New School Goblin

Tracey, one of our year lovely young teachers, came tumbling into my office with Lorelle, the deputy-principal (and my supervisor), grins lighting up their faces like Christmas; and what a story they had to share!

It turns out, they related with giggles of glee, two young girls had approached Tracey on the playground earlier that day and asked if she had seen "Miss Annie".

Well, we have a new teacher named Annie as well, so naturally Tracey was confused as to which "Miss Annie" the girls were looking for, so she asked who they were looking for.

"You know," said one of the girls, with more than a hint of exasperation (I am told), "Miss Annie, the new school goblin!"

*sigh*

That's the sort of thing that sticks to a person.....

Has it really been six months since I've written?

My goodness, how time flies. Australia is a beautiful place, and I suppose time gets away from you.

So much has happened in these last few months:

Bruce and I celebrated our beautiful wedding reception
in beautiful Samford with family and friends, and I spent a week in beautiful Auckland, New Zealand, obtaining my VISA.

*sigh* So much beauty.

Bruce continues to work as an engineer in the workshop at the end of the property (and in my estimation) gets handsomer by the day:

And after a brief stint (and I DO mean brief) working for a company that produces court and evidence transcripts, I was hired into my dream job - as a school chaplain at Samford State school.


I am so blessed that my walk to work (yes, I am one of the priviledged few that get to walk to work) is a 20 minute stroll through the back woods. Apart from having to beat off the blowflies, spider webs and snakes, the walk is a tranquil and peaceful beginning and end to the day.

Bruce and I live in a fairy-tale cottage

.....(front view)...........

and despite the fact that the fairy tale is actually "Shrek": .....................................................(the view we probably
.......................................................shouldn't show you)..........................................
we are very happy here.

So are the snakes in the roof and the toilet, but that's another blog.

So there you are, all caught up. I'll post more regularly now because I know you all can't get enough snake in the toilet stories....

Catch you later!