..STOP PRESS.....STOP PRESS.....STOP PRESS..

Esther Clark moves! She has been shuffling along on her lovely little bottom for most of the afternoon and enjoying the 'freedom' that provides! So glad that we don't have to think about Esther-proofing the house until our return in September (we fly to England tomorrow)...

..STOP PRESS.....STOP PRESS.....STOP PRESS..

Update on the kids

A few words about the kids and their prayer requests. Esther first, easy—she’s doing very well, coping with the heat, and continues to be one of the world’s easiest babies! She has 7 teeth, is known as the hvsuch koritsavki 'quiet baby girl' in church, remains sedentary (just learning to spin on her bottom, so we haven't had to Esther-proof the house yet!) and has a ready smile for anyone who looks at her! We pray that she'll shine like a star in the universe as she holds out the word of life (Phil 2:15-16).

Esther has seven teeth!

Hannah is bold, lively and strong-willed (I don't know where she gets it from!). Honestly, sometimes she's so an untamed, unrestrained and ungospelled version of me. That said, she's a lovely girl! She's bright and funny and affectionate, loves running around, drawing/colouring, and playing with the other two. We pray that she will continue to grow in grace and self-control!

Joel and Hannah on their sand-vehicles!

Joel is mild with occasional outbursts, friendly and inquisitive. Like Hannah he is strong-willed (but in a more passive-aggressive way) and is a bit of a mini-Jonathan. He's really good company. He's just started to learn to read and write and is at that stage where he has a real thirst for knowledge and understanding. We're really enjoying his progress. He loves surfing the net (facebook and the cbeebies website mostly!), reading (especially his new atlas) and spelling his name (especially on an unsupervised computer!). Joel is earnest in questions about God, so we pray that this interest will grow into understanding and that the Lord will open his eyes to the truth.

Joel (and Grandad, Gran and Hannah) outside his new school.

Hannah and Joel both start ‘school’ in September. We had thought they would be at the same place, but it turns out Joel is too old! This discovery was made the DAY AFTER registration for ‘proper school’ closed. We’re disappointed that they won’t have each other as they venture into the exposure of total Greek AND school culture, but we know that God is sovereign and he cares for them. We've pretty much made a decision about which of the 2 local schools Joel should go to, and need to register him on our return. We’ve had to CUT SHORT OUR VISIT TO UK as a result (We fly back September 2 instead of 11).

Hannah outside her new school.

We enjoyed being part of the Qerinov Scoleivo (Summer School) Holiday Club at church. Over 50 kids came, including 20+ from the neighbourhood! The theme was Kovntra sto Reuvma (Against The Flow) and we learnt about different characters from the Bible who did that. It was really good for the kids to go to something that was almost completely in Greek (there was a team from the US helping with some of the activities) – good practice for school and Sunday School come September.

All the kids, be-t-shirted (?!), at the Holiday Bible School.

Please pray for the kids as we spend some quality time in the UK and then return to Greece. It might be a bigger re-adjustment for them than for us, especially as school starts. Thanks. We’ve been continually struck by God’s Sovereignty (especially in relation to domestic and family affairs) and know that His plan is perfect.

IFES Debriefing

We spent the second week of June in Calafell, just outside Barcelona. We'd never been to Spain before and Jonathan was encouraged that, although he could speak no Spanish, he would have been able to say all that he needed to (to Spanish staff etc) if we had been in Greece!

Being on any conference with 3 small children limits one’s involvement(!) but we were able to spend some quality time with our IFES colleagues and with each other.

The highlights:
For the kids

• the Hay family (Brussels), Luke is 5 and Daniel 3. Joel and Hannah spent quality time with them!
• The beach AND the swimming pool where both grew in confidence in swimming and sand-something making (a boat!)

For us

• being able to relax and enjoy great company - good chats with colleagues
• good food (in abundance!)
• a great Eurovision-style fun evening on the beach
  
• and just being witness to God’s work through faithful workers.

I was particularly encouraged to meet some Relay Homestarters (1 year with UCCF, 1 with a different IFES movement) and see that programme in reality.

The setting, a hotel near the beach, was very comfortable and relaxing, and we (from Athens) enjoyed the relatively cool temperatures (top 20s) and sea breeze! Athens felt even hotter on our return!

We will see many of these guys again at IFES Orientation in late August—Team Leaders and those staying on for a second year.