We want you to...

On the straight and narrow

... time is ticking away, we've almost arrived at the end of the first term of the course. We are amazed at what God has done in both our lives! I'm sure Phoebe feels pretty full after 10 weeks of listening and practising Kingdom truth and principles, and it is good that a break is coming up for Phoebe just to let things sink down and be absorbed.
For me it's quite different, working in Site & Facilities here has been really enjoyable, it's a totally different ball-game to the working in Maintenance at our church in Australia. At Hillsong the buildings are not older than 15 years, and that makes a huge difference, some of the buildings here are over 100 years old! Apart from that the climate is very different too... so guess what I've been working on for the majority of time? Leaking roofs, dripping gutters and blocked drains! A nice challenge I say. Apart from that I've been trained up by an Australian Cotton Farmer called Gordon (who flew back to Queensland today) to cut the lawn with the tractor in straight lines. I always thought those farmers on their tractors had boring and easy jobs driving up and down those fields in straight lines. I found out that it takes quite some skill and concentration to keep on the staight and narrow. My respect for those farmers just went up many many notches. Gordon said that the trick was to focus on a point straight ahead of you on the horizon and aim for that, that's when you'll find it's easier to keep course. Isn't that the same for our Christian walk?

My daily schedule is as follows:
8:00am breakfast
8:30am teamprayers
9:00am morning tea
9:30am work time
1:00pm lunch
2:00pm work time
3:30pm afternoon tea
4:00pm work time
5:30pm finish work
6:00pm dinner

I really enjoy team prayers, on monday and wednesday we have prayer time with our own department, on wednesday and thursday we have praise and worship and teaching/encouragement with the whole team. And on Friday we have a communion service with the whole team and the students as well.

The atmosphere here is great, you can really sense the peace and presence of God in this place (well that is if you take time out to sense it, when busy you'll tend to miss it). Apart from that there is lots of encouragement happening, and prayer is common! Another thing about this place is the coming and going of people. There are courses, retreats, teaching days, and healing services on a regular basis so many people come and go... also on team there is a big turnover of people. People are being discipled, trained and send out, which is a good thing!

By the way... it's getting colder now!

Random photos and chats

I caught the trees changing colour before they lost all their leaves. It was magnificent for a few days then it rained really hard and the moment was gone. NB: Must take camera everywhere.
The property is a heritage site and is in the top 6% of listed properties in the UK (think thats right) and is a great example of olden style architecture...plus it looks really cool. This is just next to where we live in the Oakhurst Cottage. If you go left through that black gate you are on Paradise Row

This little path is the sneaky back and quick way to classes in the main building at the end. I'm not allowed to go that way unless im with a staff member because some staff quarters backs onto it and its their private space. i have to make a confession that when im late...(ahem) i go that way. But i ask forgiveness afterwards! he he Not far from Pierrepont is the Little Pond made famous by another blog entry, and this is the walk there...Its pretty hey? This is where we met our first squirrels, and im pretty sure i squealed with delight. Obviously this is Phoebe writing.
And this is Little Pond. The sunsets have been amazing and moved too quick for me to capture the even more radiant colours, but its not bad. There is a path all around the pond and students and staff often come on prayer walks around it. Tim was running every monday night around it but its too dark after work now. He has to settle for indoor footy in the conference hall with the guys on team.

Today we had our first demonstration ministry in the Accident & Trauma class, and Jill Southern (Pierrepont Director), taught all about the effects of an accident on the human spirit. It was amazing and it makes so much sense that you wonder how come noone ever said it before, but thats pretty much what its like here. Two classmates volunteered and were ministered to while we were the intercession team and were picking up the how to's. It was an invaluable class for both the person being ministered to, and us! They got healed, and we learned that no ministry is the same, even if the accident is similar. Because everyone is unique and responds in their own way to an accident or trauma, and believes certain lies about themselves that are unique to them, or believes certain things about God etc. it was such a beautiful time of healing...we were all a mess. i really know that i know that i know that i am called into this ministry, and so its exciting when you are thinking, do this..or i think the person needs healing here...and they do that and you know you are in sync with the way of doing things. i have actually ministered on my own to 2 people so far, with a lead counsellor on a healing retreat, as part of our deliverence workshops which we did in groups in class, and as an intercessor during a 3 day conference. So I am learning heaps. This week conming we have Restoring the Human Spirit which i am looking forward to, and Healing through Creativity where i am hoping to get my hands on some clay, and then Freedom from Fear where Tim will join me in class...that will be fun. well, you know what i mean.

Yeah, but what do you do for fun?

Eat a lot in our main dining hall called Cedars, where they feed us 3 square meals a day which is why Tim is smiling. I love meal times...every day i sit with different people and have great chats
Play ping pong in the student lounge, or the new updated version, ping pong off the wall, over the rafters and back...have to create some challenges sometimes. There's a TV/VCR in this room a whole bunch of lounges, CD player and piano as well. This is where we have our worship nights and project the words onto the wall. Its a great place to hang out and lose a few hours...
We put on and take off our coats a lot which is one form of exercise. This the entrance to Cedars. We watch chick flicks and knit and chat and talk all the way through movies we know and cry just the same because we are all learning how to release our emotions!!! We have breathing lessons for an hour with Barbro who teaches singing in Sweden, and then after that we have our worship night after we have all warmed up our voices safely!

We go to The Bridge for cake and coffee and some Tim and Phoebe time. The cafe is really nice and they are starting to light the fires. They also sell art off the walls and have magazines and brochures from Pierrepont which is over the road. Its just starting to get popular with the locals.

Waterproof sneakers...

Weather: Someone needs to invent a sneaker that is completely waterproof for long walks in the muddy countryside and then I think I can do England. It’s getting colder and trickier to know what to wear as Autumn takes the leaves off the trees and whips up the winds... It’s really taken me by surprise how fast all of my favourite trees have lost their colour. It’s making the place unrecognisable. Still pretty, but more barren and spiky than the lushness I arrived to. I was thinking, I hope no one visits while it looks like this because it’s nothing like what I’ve described! Everyone says this is really mild weather and its more like Spring, so I cant complain!

People:What can I say? Throw 19 nations together 24 hours a day including all meals, and stand back. That’s what I thought. The reality is actually very beautiful. I’ve made such nice friends, and I have been given an eye into other worlds that I would never have seen otherwise. We all get on really well, and have especially bonded after we all ministered to each other in our ministry workshops. We also meet up on Wednesday nights for a worship night that Tim and I started because we were longing for a more drawn out time of worship. Turns out lots of people were after the same thing, so that was a nice surprise. Soon after I arrived I became the birthday person, and so I make sure everyone is celebrated well and usually have 1 or 2 cards floating around the room for signatures. I also got asked to lead worship once a week with a team from the students. Maybe I was already singing so loud they decided to just give me a microphone and be done with it. Either way, I am loving it. There are about 15 people who put their names down to be involved and we rehearse as 2 teams (another girl leads as well) on Monday nights. Its great to be released into it because for years I dreamed of it but was always too fearful, too sick, too…whatever…to audition. It’s a very safe place to grow into your calling here, which I find very liberating. Everyone is so encouraging here, and we all love beginning the day with song. We had a funny time last week when I completely forgot the melody of the next song and was motioning to Tim to just ‘go back around’ until I got it! Tim has been released to join me on my team which has been so wonderful, as we worship God together a lot at home and we know one another well enough to know what’s coming. Everyone loves having Tim there and Wednesday worship night grew out of people requesting Tim to lead them in worship. I have to say that it is really great to see Tim operating in his calling and gifting again, like when I met him at College.
Anne-Thailand,Ulrika-Sweden,Me-Australia,Zena-America,Vreni-Switzerland,Bekky-England
Suzanne-England, Me-Australia, Vreni-Switzerland, Dave-England, Samuel-Ghana

Spare time: There’s not a lot of spare time, but they are really big on everyone having a Sabbath day where you lay everything down and just do what you find restful, and that was yesterday. I went for a walk and happily got off the beaten track to discover a beautiful river and meandering path that had me captivated. Cows grazing in the fields, in front of rolling hills with old sandstone churches and castle like buildings...I wondered whether id walked into the wrong century by mistake. I was completely lost but not far from home (Don’t worry mum) and followed the prettiest path until I found it led me the wrong direction. (isn’t that always the way). Eventually I guessed my way home and (obviously) made it! Maybe not everyone’s idea of relaxation, but it suited me fine, especially as I was on my own and also made it back before a massive storm hit. We do have a pretty intense time in our classes, as the subjects are quite heavy and really confronting, (or just long!) and usually they bring up things in our own lives that we are dealing with, or that are the reason we came into this ministry in the first place. When there is time off, its precious and I love to head to my room and make sense of what’s happening, or have a good chat with Tim or God. There is a great café across the way, and sometimes I go there with friends or Tim and sometimes I hang out in the Bookshop where they have lounges and let you flick through the books with a coffee. I’ve also learned how to knit, thanks to mum, and used my time to knit Tim a stripy scarf for our anniversary. I’ve started some embroidery that mum sent me, and I’ve done a painting for a friends birthday. I pretty much re-arrange my room for fun.
Daily Schedule:
8:30 Breakfast in the main dining hall (if I make it) or in my room in a rush
15 minutes of devotionals together
½ an hour of praise and worship
1 hour class
20 min break
1 ½ hour class
lunch 1pm – 2.45pm
1 hour 15 mins class
15 min break
1 hour 15 mins class
Finish day 5:30pm
Dinner 6pm
Most nights there is something on- rehearsal for worship, a healing service, a diploma meeting, a worship night, movie night or the need to see Tim!

Weekends: Unless there is a weekend course on that we also attend for class, Saturday is usually my laundry day, and believe me when I say that laundry can take hours! Because we wear so many clothes I have 2 baskets without trying, and there are only so many machines. It’s not unusual to find that someone has removed your clothes from the machine or the dryer so they can use it…there’s a good reason why there’s a sign in the laundry room that says, “Let go, and let God”. We are trying to ‘overcome evil with good’ and tonight Tim and I folded everyone’s clothes that were done in the dryer. I arrived to both my loads in wet piles, but thankfully did not need to re-wash as I have had to do. Hate wet stinky wool smell.
When I am not exercising patience in the laundry room, choosing my songs for the next week, or spending time with Tim I may decide that today is my Sabbath and get about doing nothing, especially if it’s been a big week. Saturday nights can be movie nights organised by one of the students, or pretty quiet. Sundays are pretty laid back unless there’s still a course on, and there are a few options for church. We haven’t managed to get back up to London for Hillsong Church, but we did manage to go to Holy Trinity Bromptom for a worship conference with Tim Hughes and Matt Redman which was pretty cool. I saw Emma Schuberg there which was a highlight. She is on staff, and looks very happy and fulfilled which is nice to see. It’s a really beautiful church, but there’s also a great atmosphere. We still plan on making Leatherhead our service, and will make that happen this Saturday for
sure.

One month on...

Wow. Only a month! So much has happened! Makes me sit here and shake my head!
We have much to tell...mostly things of an internal nature- God speaking to us about our future-things that we just have to wait and see about as well as continually yielding our agenda to God. One thing we know for sure, and that is that God is sovereign and had a whole other plan about us coming all this way besides the course! How do we put into words all th things that are stirring in us, and the new vision we have...? All I know is that God can raise up all the things we have lain down, and can enable us to do those way out there type dreams...This is such an environment of faith and of possibiblity, and passion for God's truth and healing to be spread all over the world. How can we not dream in this place?
Its taken a month to be able to upload photos so its hard to choose out of the gazzillion we have taken so far. this place is so gorgeous, and especially in autumn with all the trees changing colour...we are very grateful to be here.

Just a short walk from Pierrepont is the Little Pond, one of the 'areas of outstanding beauty' in Surrey. It is gorgeous. We are lucky to be able to go walking around it and its a very restful place. A little further on is the Great Pond which is bigger, and has a restaurant where you can watch the swans frolic. Squirrels is a new thing for us...we're pretty pumped with squirrels. They are the cutest things...
Here is our room for our stay at Pierrepont. Its just one room, but we are trying to make it nice. The roses were from Tim for our 4 year anniversary, and the cards are from you precious people...Thats Tims elbow in the corner. Living in community is a new thing, and so far we are doing well...Being able to take a car out to have dinner on our anniversary was nice and we had the next day off to go exploring and have a Bakker vision day with our journals out over a pub lunch. So far we have packed the next few years....we'll see where God leads...
Here we are in the beautiful city of Bath where we went for Ellel's 20th Anniversary conference. It was amazing. I have such a respect for the leaders of this ministry. Such humble people and so loving towards one another. It was a full on schedule but we managed one hour of sight seeing and ate lunch where Charles wesley preached from...no spiritual vibes... we really needed more than a few days to appreciate Bath. I felt like i was in a period film the whole time and eventually we would step out into the real world. Some of Sense and Sensibility was filmed there as well as Oliver Twist. Aside from those trivialities, Ellel spent some time looking back over what God has done over the last 20 years and launching into adulthood with new vision. It was pretty amazing to see the way each of the centres was established...all have a miracle story that is worth its own book. Ellel Netherlands was pretty exciting..to see how a centre could be acquired supernaturally, without money, but with the favour of God...I met up with the Netherlands director and he is a really great guy with a big vision for seeing Gods healing come to holland and raising up the young people who have already been through a healing retreat at the centre to be the ministry team... Exciting developments. This is the back view of the Main House at Pierrepont. Its a huge place. I havent seen it all yet, but i think tim may have. Its very green as you can see, and at the moment its getting very cold! We have to say that so far we have had exceptional weather...its been balmy and lovely, just chilly in the evenings, but today my teeth hurt. I think we skipped Autumn and went straight to Winter! They laugh at us...THIS is not cold...You wait til you see cold...yeah yeah...Im from AUSTRALIA. Its not this cold in my fridge.
Here we are on our walk by the pond on our day off. We are very happy to be here, and very happy to be experiencing this together. We have double the experiences really, because tim has one perspective being on staff, and i have the students point of view. Tim has been welcomed very much into the heart of the students though, cause we come as a set, and he is even leading them tomorrow night for a worship night. they have been asking and asking when is he going to lead and so its going to be so nice...we have never heard so many of the songs they sing here, which is kind of cool, but we miss...something. Its great to see how everyone else praises God though, and some of the songs have become precious to us.

As for my course, and what I am learning...well thats been incredible. i knew that when I came it would be a case of being ministered to, in order to effectively minister to others, and i knew that i was willingly opening up my heart for God to change it. Well, He is doing that, and at times i feel wobbly, but i know that lies are being exchanged for the truth and that is very freeing and healing. As yet i havent quite figured out how to process all this amazing teaching , but i am trusting that God is speaking spirit to spirit, and He will bring it to my mind when i need it. I am also being taught how to minister practically by observing and interceding during actual ministry situations like at Bath, and that is a steep learning curve. Its very exciting though, and humbling. I want to have a heart like the people here...and i guess thats why i came.

Here's a course overview for first term...its been changed a bit, but is essentially the same. I'll try to put in words what Im learning for the next blog, and maybe Tim can tell you about his experiences on team.

TERM ONE-

Foundations of Christian Truth

Gospel Imperatives
Foundations of Christian Truth
The power of the Blood & the Name of Jesus
The realities of living in the Kingdom
The work of the Cross
The person & work of the Holy Spirit
Receiving & using spiritual gifts
Kingdom Living

Prayer & Intercession
Spiritual Warfare & claiming the ground
Standing on God's promises
Introduction to Evangelism
Hearing the voice of God & knowing His will
The Biblical Basis for the Healing Ministry

The Father heart of God
The healing ministry of Jesus
Understanding spirit, soul and body
The spiritual realm
Foundations of acceptance
Principles & practice of deliverence ministry
Inner healing & wholeness
Right relationships & Godly boundaries
satans objectives & strategies
Domination, manipulation & intimidation
Keys to Ministering God's Healing Love

Generational iniquity
Blessings & curses
Healing through forgiveness
Bitter root judgements
Belief systems and mindsets
Understanding rejection
The sinful, wounded and Godly heart
Soul ties & ungodly links
Understanding deception & discernment
Understanding prophecy
Idolatry
Pronouncements & inner vows
Creative arts in the healing ministry
Practice of Care, Counselling and Prayer Ministry

Principles & methods of Christian counselling & prayer ministry
Listening skills
Qualities & requirements of a prayer minister
Making an assessment & developing a ministry plan

And that is just ten weeks of study! Ellel use the SEE, HEAR, DO model, so when they are teaching a subject, they will also practice it and we can watch real or role played ministry take place.


So there you go. I will post term 2 later on sometime. My hand hurts!

All Things New

Just over a week ago now we arrived at Ellel Pierrepont, after a long trip from the beautiful coast of Wales where we stayed with our friend Todd. We have to admit Wales is a beautiful part of the UK, we felt like we could have stayed in that beautiful mansion overseeing the breathtaking bay of Treardur for a bit longer... but it was time to move on.

We are settling in well, and now after a week of being here it feels like we've been here so much longer! We were welcomed with open arms, like being welcomed by your own family members, which in the spiritual sense they are. A welcoming note on the door, the bed made up and folded towels on the bed with a kit-kat on top. Behind all this there were friendly faces telling us they were so glad that we made it here, and that they were expecting us and looking forward to see us (these are always nice things to hear!). The first week was filled with conversation after conversation, meeting new people, hearing their stories, telling our story, a bit overwhelming at times, but truly a great experience. I'm sure we'll be enriched with new friendships after being here for a while.

We are very excited to be here, Phoebe has been looking forward for a long time to come here and do the NETS course, and now she's here... and of course... she is loving it. Lots of teaching, lot's of testimonies, and God doing a deep work in her heart in this first week. For me it's a privilege to be here serving this ministry practically, the team I work with is amazing, and I know God has lots in store for me too while being here, He has already started to work on my heart and giving new vision for the future.

They have a saying here that NETS means: Never Ever The Same, and I can already see why this is... we already feel the challenge from God to let go of our own agenda and follow His agenda for our lives.

This is a new season for us, and we believe God is making all things new, this is a fresh start, this is a time and a place where we will be renewed and refreshed, and from here we will be propelled into all that God has for us! ...and we know: THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Touchdown: London

Ok, so we have finally made our faith leap and jumped on the plane to London...Looking at each other and taking lots of deep breaths.....But for all of you who are following this journey...we arrived! We are safe and sound, AND God did amaaaazing things to make our first day special and significant. Say hello to Melissa, Liz and Simone...ex Sydney/Hillsong chicks who live in London now and who are involved in Hillsong London. Not only did Liz travel all the way inbto the airport to guide us safely back to stay at their place, but dinner was served and chocolate cake made, and all rumours of the social aspect of London are proving true, on our first day!

On our way to the UK

From Phoebe: Well, its time to say goodbye to our beautiful, lovely Holland family and friends, and make our way across the channel to the UK. Its a weird feeling, having just slipped into a groove with all things Dutch, and made beautiful connections with the family. Now I'm really gonna miss them!!! On Sunday night we had a big family dinner and there was...17 people, i think! I wasn't sure which conversation to follow! But I have some wonderful new brothers and sisters who have become very dear to me in such a short time.

So, Wednesday night we fly in to London in time for dinner with Ann & Jason Leitch (and Amielle) from Australia, and then on to our accomodation for conference. We'll spend the next few days smiling and ushering (sorry, hosting) a few thousand people and experiencing church London style, saying hello to old friends, and basically help make the first ever Hillsong Conference Europe amazing. Well, i'm sure it would be amazing without us, but...we'll do our bit!

Then we jump in the car with our old friend Todd to drive up to Wales Saturday night. Crazy, I know. Its about 5 hours drive to the tip of Wales and Trearrdur Bay, Holyhead, where Todd lives. Then its a quick change, off to church, Welsh style, and home for a nap and to rest our feet.
From then on...quiet. And probably some long chats into the wee hours and lots of catching up. We are there for one week and catch the train down to Ellel on Friday 6th October.

October 7 is my 31st birthday (i know!) and the intake for Ellel. New year, new season, new country, new accent, new place to live, new room, new sights, sounds and...well, you get the picture. Basically, everything NEW.

Isaiah 43:18 "Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing in your midst. Do you not perceive it?"

We will set up email and post to the blog as soon as we can, and have updated our address details (just in case you want to send us Cadburys, Promite, the ingredients for Lemon Lime Bitters, or all the clothes i should have packed!) in our profile. Keep us in your prayers...its very scary, and my tummy has been a washing machine for days from pure nerves.

Thanks for your prayers so far for my health- I am getting better after completely losing my voice and feeling generally blurgh- and i finished one painting and the other will be finished today. We have you in our prayers, and in our hearts.

Love, Phoebe

The last word is always Gods

Well. Its been a while, and it was kind of left hanging last time, on the nasty little man from the embassy. You will be pleased to hear that there is a way around him, and his power trip! My course is also registered as training, not just study, and i am able to visit the UK for the duration of the training (ten weeks for one term), which means no visa needed. At the end of the term we fly back to Holland for Christmas and then back to the Uk for term 2, done the same way. It was a pretty obvious solution, but you know what its like when you get tunnel vision?
I've (Phoebe) been painting, which has been fun and invigorating, watching it all come together. The paintings are for my mother in law and my sister in law, Anita. Will post them when they are finished, which is hopefully today. I'm pretty low on energy, still battling insomnia for the last two years. Last night i managed to get off to sleep around 6am (wait-that would make it today) and thankfully could stay in bed. Thats not possible when my course starts, so will you please pray that I get sleep breakthrough? Thank you. I also need prayer for my health in general as my throat swelled up on Saturday and hasnt really gone down and i'm also fighting another infection. Have been fighting that since we arrived 8 weeks ago, so am really over it now! If you could stand with us for healing that would be amazing. The enemy knows that he cannot stop us getting to Ellel, but he will try to wear me down so i miss it when i'm there, and i intend to get everything that God has for me at Ellel. I haven't left everything behind to stay in bed all day and be too weak to enjoy it!

Things that make you go Hmmmmmm...

On Tuesday we drove (!) to Amsterdam for an apointment with the British Embassy and plans to make a day of it.. Before we left Australia we found out that instead of a Visa for the UK I (Phoebe) qualified for a Family Permit through the European Union. We checked it out on their website and discovered that because Tim is Dutch he qualifies, and can travel, work, live etc anywhere in UK. Great, we thought! We emailled to see if we could apply for it while in Holland as we would be here for about 2 months. Yes, they said. So I went in to pick it up (i thought) and got quite a shock. Aside from the drab surroundings and high security, the British Embassy is staffed by decendents of Nazi Germany. I was treated like a criminal and told I had to go back to Australia, and that there was nothing that could be done for me and that i fell through the cracks of each different kind of visa. What?!?!? Initially he said we dont qualify because Tim is not "employed" according to their terms, even though at Ellel he'd work a 40 hour week, but then he started a rant about me, and what was I doing there, trying to use my Dutch husband to get in the country, and even said he didnt recognise my marriage certificate, so doubted if i was even married! I drew the line there. He pointed at me and said, "YOU dont qualify for anything", even laughed when he said, "Look, i've ruined your life!...bet this isnt the news you were hoping for!" "umm...no. Not really." The only thing he said i could do was visit the UK, but not to study or live or work or anything else. Of course, all this is fine, IF they had made all this clear before hand when we asked about it specifically. He said he didnt recognise my course even though its registered on their website, didnt recognise that Tim was Dutch even though he was holding Tims Passport in his hand, didnt recognise that I was married to him, despite my certificate being there, declared i was 'without country' and had no relevance to him, no right to even be there, and how had i even gotten an appointment...
One sentence he made sure he said over and over was, "There is just NO way".
Hmmmm.
Before committing to this journey we had 2 words from God about it: "I see no obstacles" and, "He will make a way where there seems to be no way".

So instead of panicking (my first reaction), we drove out of Amsterdam (I couldn't see its beauty anymore), and i briefed Tim on what had happened. We pulled into IKEA to distract ourselves from all the inner turmoil and for 2 hours did some retail therapy. Except that we didnt buy anything but lunch. Love IKEA food. They have some cool stuff which i dont think is in Australia yet, so that was fun to see.

On Wednesday I received the official acceptance letter for the course at Ellel.
Its Friday today and i still cant find it in me to panic or get stressed (or maybe thats all on some unconcious level!) because over and over God has said He will perform a new thing with us.

So there you go. Thats where we are right now.

Exploring the low lands...(part I)

August 2006 officially goes into the history books as the wettest ever recorded here in Holland, July on the other hand was one of the hottest ever recorded! Sadly enough we weren't here to experience the heat, but finally it seems like the rains have come and gone and the season of singing has arrived! So last week we headed out to the beautiful city of Leiden, the birthplace of Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the famous Dutch painters. This year they are celebrating his 400th birthday, I don't think he's still alive though. We really enjoyed exploring this place, the architecture, the rain, the canals, the pushbikes, the boats, little bridges, heaps more pushbikes, some more rain, poems on the walls of buildings, many shops, some dutch treats, more rain, a wall of books, and yes even more pushbikes! And not to forget... a bit more rain! Here are some pics we took:
Top left: The time difference between Sydney & Leiden, it's actually 8 hours difference at the moment. Sometimes it's 10 hours like on the picture depending on daylight savings.

2nd & 3rd picture: I've figured out where all the water is...Holland, which explains the amount of boats you see when traveling.
4th picture: Here you can see Phoebe before a wall of books made out of old wineboxes stacked on top of each other. This stack of books was about 30 metres long! Phoebe is in book heaven!

When God makes a way...

Just to give you a little bit of the background of our journey. Phoebe has had it on her heart for a few years now to do the training course at Ellel Pierrepont, just over a year ago we prayed about going then, but I felt it wasn't the right time for us to go, so we put our plans on the shelf for a while. Then a number of months ago we had a time of prayer together and specifically asked God: "do You want us to go to Ellel this year?" After a few moments of silence and listening to God's still small voice we both had received an impression. Phoebe felt that God said: "I see no obstacles.", and I heard Don Moen's song playing in my mind:"God will make a way, where there seems to be no way..." That was the confirmation for us!

One thing we can make up out of what God said then is that at times on our journey it is going to look like there will seem to be no way. Just the over a week ago we had a moment like that. Phoebe and I went to change our plane-ticket for the return flight to Australia, because when the tickets were booked originally we would only stay in Holland for 3 weeks. I rang KLM and found out the tickets could only be changed at the travel-agent where the tickets were originally booked. So we headed out to the travel-agent and they told us we weren't able to change our tickets and we would have to buy new ones to get back to Australia. We asked them if there wasn't a way around the conditions our tickets were under, but they said 'there is no way.' As we left the office Phoebe said to them: "maybe the rules will change between now and the time we leave." They felt sorry for not being able to do anything for us. Later that week I tried KLM again, but got the same message, that it had to be done through the travel-agent. We also found out that the lady who originally booked the tickets had told my mother they really felt sorry for us. My mum replied that the rules might change and that God would be able to change things around. The lady replied that she would start believing in that God if that would happen. Well... you can feel it coming, on Thursday night the day before the tickets would expire I called KLM again, this time to cancel the tickets. The customer service operator who took the call was very helpful, I explained the reason of my call and she replied that she would look to see if there was a way for us to change the date of our return flight... and after being put on hold several times, as she was finding out if there was a possibility, she told me that it was possible, we would have to pay some extra money, but there was a way! So we changed the date on our tickets, and we won't have to pay the additional costs until the day of our departure.

How great is our God, He is the way-maker! He works in ways we cannot see!

PS: The lady of the travel agent rang my mum, because she was surprised to receive notification from KLM that the tickets were changed. She hasn't become a believer yet, but my mum is going to follow her up on what she said and have a chat with her.

voor de Nederlanders onder ons (for the dutch among us)

Als jullie ons financieel willen ondersteunen, dan kan dat door geld over te maken naar:

Girorekening: 41 41 900
t.n.v: TJ Bakker
Patrijsstraat 63
3291 XN Strijen
o.v.v: Ellel

Dit geld zal grotendeels naar Phoebe's schoolkosten gaan.

Alvast bedankt!

MISSING EVERYONE

OK so I know that we dont see everyone all the time anyway, but there is something about NOT being able to see someone that makes you miss them even more. Today was a day to think about Church...being a Sunday...and all I could think was its not the same. Church is the people I worship next to or see week after week, its not the building or Hillsong or the music or the preaching. Its the Body. The people I love and have become connected to through meeting each week to love God and love life and love people. Thats irreplaceable. You are irreplaceable. Just thought i would say that today.

I'm also missing my family. I knew that when we left we were gong for a while, but now I know how long a week is in another country. I'm homesick, and waking up to the fact that i wont hug my mum at Christmas or her birthday. I wont get to see my sister, or be there for her birthday. I'll miss Fathers Day and seeing my dad this year was one of my highlights. And then there are the milestones I'm missing. I wont see Amielle's first walk or hear her first words. I wont see Ellie turn 2 or watch Rachaels belly grow. I wont get to see Karen off at the airport as she takes her faith step to Canada, I wont be at Melisa's exhibition of all her fabulous paintings, I wont be there for Kylie as she does a life change, I wont be there for Racquels big promotion, and I'll miss all that God does in church life with the Dramatic Arts team and the illustrated sermons...I'll miss Hillsongwomen and seeing what beautiful things God does in SAFE. I'm so pumped about being here, and I'm looking forward to Ellel (although it probably doesn't sound like it!), but I realise I didnt say my goodbyes well enough. I tried, but its not easy to say what you need to in the moment. OK so i'm going to go now because i'm tearing up. Obviously this post is from Phoebe and not Tim. All you guys can just skip it. And if you read til here, I congratulate you on your mushy heart. :)

OK so the main thing is I LOVE YOU

Our Bank Details

A few people have asked for our bank details so they can support Phoebe in doing the NETS course. That was a surprise to us that anyone would want to do that, but we are grateful. For Phoebe to do this course is a step of faith, and we really dont know how its all going to come together. We do know that it will, and that God will make a way.


BSB 112-879
ACC 067261993
St George Bank
Mr TJ & Mrs PJ Bakker


If you feel that you can help us...THANK YOU.

more dutch pictures

I think the Dutch are actually obsessed with cheese, and it is one of the many upsides to this place that a massive chunk is available on a daily basis. They are also pretty particular about it which is educational for me. I tend to go for the biggest for the least amount of money, but here its all about the quality.
Check closer and read the nameplate -is that a joke?
Holland is the largest supplier of flowers worldwide, apparently, and not just of tulips, either. Consequently, there are beautiful blooms down every street, along the road, draping over balconies, climbing over trellises, gliding by on bicycles, or enjoying a cup of tea at the cafe with you.
ok. this one makes me laugh out loud. Where else could you eat chocolate sprinkles and curls of dark chocolate on bread for breakfast without it being some childs birthday? This display is in the supermarket, and is only some of the candy they call food. Some of it is coloured candy, powdered sugar, little balls of white, dark and milk chocolate...quite amazing, really. It feels so wrong to eat it without it being a celebration, so when i do, i celebrate whatever day it is! Happy Tuesday to me....Happy Tuesday to me...
This one is right near Tims house and made me stop and go ohhhhhhhh...wow...... there was another one, also by Vermeer. Dutch window displays go up another level....

Random pics from Oud Beijerland

These are all random pics from our day out on Thursday to Oud Beijerland. It was sunny and beautiful. Couldn't have asked for a better day. We shopped (yay) and drank Ice Tea, people watched (my absolutely favourite thing) and ate Stroop Waffels sttraight from the hotplate. They should be illegal, and they are the reason why today i went for a 2 hour walk!!! Everyone here eats them all the time...and they stay tall and skinny (one of Gods jokes on us). One of the nicest things about being here is how quiet it is. Take all the cars out, and what you hear is people, birds, music. I hadn't realised how much traffic was in the background of my conversations before, until it was gone. Now, when a car comes along, its an intrusion. Its like, why does he have to drive so noisily?
Tim said he hadn't realised how "Dutch"everything was before, but after 7 years, he sees what I see- a whole other culture. They do smoke a lot though, so they have that strike against them. We are spoilt in Australia in that regard. That cafe on the left is where we had our tea, and we looked down onto the old guys...
The waffle in my hand is filled with syrup and is eaten at afternoon tea (usually a bit smaller though). It is surprisingly filling. Well thats all for now...thanks for checking!!!xx

only in the Netherlands

Look closer and you can see the little dog. Here is why the Dutch air is so clean. Bikes dont cause pollution. Who's for a car free Australia? Oh yeah. Hills District. That would be hilly, right? Here you can ride for 40 km and not notice. Today we walked for 2 hours and because it was flat (and so pretty) I only realised later on it was so long. We did the shops and market at a place called Oud Beijerland on Thursday, and more of Tims village today. Oud Beijerland is on the harbour, is chockablock full of old houses and quirky little things, and right next to it is a fantastic shopping mall similar to Strand Arcade but without the prices. I got some major bargains and so did Tims mum. Then we had Ice Tea overlooking the corso and people watched for a while. There are the cutest old guys who congregate in the centre of the town and just watch everyone go by, nattering away, and so i had to get a picture. Unfortunately Blogger has issues with pictures right now so will try again once i stop beating my head against the wall...

Going Dutch

Well here we are, safe and sound on the ground in the Netherlands. Its also called the low-lands, seeing as most of the country is below sea-level. Maybe cancel the safe part...
Its a pretty village-postcard material-with cobblestone streets lined with flowers and typical dutch style houses. Most have a large picture window with a beautiful artistic arrangement designed to outdo the neighbours. The trees are green green green and the land is flat flat flat. This canal is in the centre of Strijen, and while it looks peaceful now, this foreshore is packed with people over the weekends pulling up in their boats to go the cafes. Very cosmopolitan! We haven't had a chance to see much as yet due to torrents of rain we only wish we could get in Australia, but tomorrow we head into the town to sort out plane tickets and mobile phones. Hopefully will get a chance to take some photos near Tims house besides the one below.


This is a path nearby Tims old house that leads to a nice walk along one of the canals that has little wooden fishing platforms all along it which are great for picnics. Its very peaceful as there is hardly ever anyone around, which is crazy because its so nice.
We have spent our days indoors mostly due to weather, also at the campsite. Its great weather for drinking coffee and tea (which the Dutch are great at) and long conversations during which Phoebe zones out after her dutch quota is reached. Phoebe had the chance to see the inside of the emergency ward on Wednesday night, after riding a slippery slide of mud on her bike, right into someones tent! Everyone was okay, but she was embarrassed and has had her arm in a sling ever since. Aside from a hole from landing on a tent peg, a few bruises (and dented pride) and having to navigate spiral stairs one armed, she is fine. Have been trying to upload picture of her in her sling but not working so far.
Its been good to see family, and its like no time has passed at all. Will be spending the next few weeks catching up with my brothers and sister (and sisters in law) as well as showing Phoebe around the countryside. Pray for her Dutch as my mum has threatened to stop using english so she has to learn! Phoebe did do a Beginners Dutch course, but says, no one here speaks beginners dutch!
I was asked to sing some songs in my parents church on Sunday, which was a great opportunity to minister. I did "Fruit Salad, yummy yummy" from the Wiggles. ;-P
The campsite was great, and the caravan we stayed in was surprisingly spacious. When we arrived my mum and sister had a welcome hamper of typical dutch foods (mostly the chocolate kind) and had even done little touches like a pretty bedspread (thinking of Phoebe). We got to meet our newest nephew, Tristan who is pretty cute, and see Phillip grown up and talking! We had only seen him stand for the first time 4 years ago. We also got to meet Anita, who is my oldest brother's bride. And we got to meet my 2 new foster brothers Davy (5 years old) and Jailson (7 years old).
Our stay here in the low-lands is only our first stop on the journey to England with destination Ellel Pierrepont, it feels a bit strange to leave everything behind in Australia and being 'home-less' for a while, but we know it's part of the stepping out in faith and following what we believe is the will of God for us at this point in our lives. Please keep us in your prayers, and feel free to drop us an email timandphoebe@gmail.com or place a comment on this blog-entry (we've changed the settings so anyone can comment).

When lines fall in pleasant places...

Ok, we're one week out from our departure date, we're on the threshold of a new adventure. It's an exciting experience to step out in the unknown and discover some new horizons. At the moment we're busy packing the house and we're trying to put all those loose ends together, there are so many things you have to think of when making a big move. I'm glad Phoebe and I are in this together, I would definitely miss some of those loose ends if I would do something like this on my own. But looking at our progress now, the lines do seem to fall in pleasant places. The first line to drop in a pleasant place, was when my parents decided to fly us over to Holland for a holiday, wow, that was totaly unexpected, they are so generous! Another pleasent line was that we thought we might need a few Visas, but after a bit of research we discovered that a European Citizen doesn't need a visa to work and live in the UK, and we would only need a family permit for Phoebe, at no cost, and that gives Phoebe the same rights as me, great news! Apart from that I have been accepted after applying for a job in the Site & Facilities department at Ellel Pierrepont for the duration of our stay, which will contribute in making ends meet. We also have our extended church family within reach with Hillsong London not being to far away, we're looking forward to seeing some familiar faces from years back and getting connected in church life over there. One of the big lines falling in the right place is seeing our family in Holland, and some of my long lost friends (at least that's what it feels like), I'm so looking forward to seeing everyone!
There are still a few lines that need to land in the right spot, but we believe that they will. We are convinced in our hearts that this step in our journey is in line with God's will for us at this point in time. So, we'll be hopping on that plane next week!

Welcome to our blog

"Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom, and healed their sick. "
Luke 9:11 (Foundational scripture for Ellel Ministries)

Well here we are setting up our first blog entry so that we can stay in contact with all of our loved ones while we go overseas to pursue the next stage in our journey with God. In 3 weeks we head off to Holland for a time with Tims family. They have paid for our airfare over, and we cant wait to see everyone and hug and kiss them! First, we go to the campsite in the centre of Holland called Het Beloofde Land (The Promised Land) http://www.beloofde-land.nl where we will stay for a week and experience Dutch Summer. Then we head back to Tims village of Strijen in the south. It is a picturesque, postcard village (aside from being one of the highest drug capitals in Holland!), and we are looking forward to riding along beside the canals, and through the polders. Its a beautiful place, and you really do feel like you are in another world. Which you are. That becomes obvious when you see the size of everyone! Phoebe looks like a Hobbit in comparison, without the big feet. Tim just said, "Phoebe Baggins", which I hope wont stick. :) Family time will be wonderful-lots of long talks over coffee and Dutch treats (no, not that kind). We will get to meet new members of our family that have married in, or been fostered in. Thats one thing we look forward to. Seeing how everyone has grown up.

We also hope to see other parts of Europe while we are there, before we head over to the UK and the Ellel Ministries. Also, we thought we'd volunteer ourselves for the first ever Hillsong Conference in Europe (are we crazy?). Between us we have worked in pretty much every department for conference, so hopefully will be able to help. October 7 is the enrolment date for the NETS course, that Phoebe is attending for 6 months (2 terms). Tim will work on staff during that time, most likely in onsite facilities. We will have our food and accomodation included, and will live on the campus, which is a beautiful Old English estate, complete with Tudor house, grand hall and manicured gardens...it will be like living in a novel, and speaking of, Jane Austens house is nearby I am told. We are also going to be close to Frensham Ponds which is apparently like the Botanic Gardens, and is a lovely and peaceful place for walks. http://www.ellel.org

For those of you unfamiliar with this ministry, we encourage you to check it out. We have been inspired and helped by this ministry since 2002 and I (Phoebe) in particular has received a lot of ministry and support through the Australian base at Menangle (just outside of Campbelltown). Ellel Ministries is ministry of healing to the Body of Christ, and this course is a one of a kind. C.Peter Wagner of Global Harvest calls Ellel the Cadillac of healing ministries.
There are shorter courses that can be done in Australia through their Menangle base, but there is no substitute for a concentrated block of time soaking up the teaching and the atmosphere, seeing the ministry in practise. The course goes for 2 terms with an optional 3rd term which is a missions trip using all the skills learned, and if invited to participate, I can then do the Diploma which is a fourth term.