A Brief History of our Time in Australia! (3/3)
By Sylvia Penny

	1. A Brief History of our Time in Australia!
	2. Annual Conference of the Berean Bible Fellowship of Australia at Camp Toukley
	3. Our Fortnight in New Zealand

3. Our Fortnight in New Zealand

After completing our time in Australia, we then flew on to New Zealand for two final weeks to complete our trip ‘down under’.  We were met by Graeme Abbott and Steve Griffiths at the airport just as the sun was setting, so the journey from Auckland to Hamilton was a bit of a mystery tour in the dark!

Our first week

We spent the first week at Graeme and Maree Abbott’s home in Hamilton and were expertly cared for and pampered the whole time! 

During our time there Mike took 9 sessions, including 2 question and answer sessions, and I led a devotional time for the ladies’ fellowship one morning. 

Apart from the question and answer sessions, all the bible studies and services were held at Fairfield Baptist Church in Hamilton, which provided excellent and comfortable facilities for all who came.

The meetings

Mike’s first study was on Friday night on the subject of “Approaching the Bible”, using the examples of circumcision and the Sabbath again, showing how important it is that we consider when a passage is written, and who it is addressed to.  On Saturday there were three meetings. 

In the first, Mike spoke on prayer in the gospels and Acts period showing how many of the prayers included the word “will”.  In the second meeting he spoke on prayer after the end of Acts 28, where the word “may” is predominantly used, and based this on six prayers, three of which are in Ephesians, and three in Philippians.  His third meeting was on the meaning of miracles to Jews a compared with Gentiles, and how they differ before and after Acts 28.  After this we relaxed at a barbeque evening held at Steve and Rosalie Griffith’s house where we met a talking bird and a tame rabbit on a lead!

On Sunday Mike led the worship service in the morning based on the passage in Ephesians 2:1-10, and also encouraged all the children to join in the chorus “Jesus gives us L-I-F-E”, while getting some specially selected adults to participate in some “Christian aerobics”!  Following this, on Sunday evening, he led the “Search and See” Bible study group on a session on “Immortality”, showing that God alone has immortality, and that He gives us the gift of eternal life and immortality on the day of resurrection.  Tuesday evening was set aside for a question and answer session held at Valerie Griffith’s home, and on Wednesday morning I led a devotional at a ladies fellowship group at Rosalie Griffith’s home on how we can put the will of God into practise in our lives, based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18.  On Wednesday evening Mike gave a final study at the church entitled “A Prophecy Update”, after which there were many questions raised, and answered.  Our final evening, on the Thursday, was again spent with questions and answers at Valerie Griffith’s home, and we had a number of interesting topics raised and discussed.

Our leisure time

We were totally spoiled while we were with Graeme and Maree, and were treated to several meals out at different cafes, several other wonderful home-cooked meals and desserts, and were taken on a two night trip to their place at Mount Maunganui.  The beach there was spectacular, and the views from the Mount were well worth the effort of climbing up to the top!

We also spent a lovely day at Rotarua with Steve and Rosalie Griffiths, and their daughter Emma.  The bubbling mud pools were memorable, and the Maori village and cultural experience was educational and enjoyable.  It was also good to spend some time chatting together outside the setting of a meeting, and just enjoying their friendship and fellowship. 

Our first week just flew by, and before we knew it, it was time to move on to our hosts for the second week in Hamilton, Brian and Janet Cooney.

Our second week

We spent the second week in Hamilton with Brian and Janet Cooney, and again, we were treated like royalty.  Our every need was catered for, and all the meals were delicious, and came around very frequently! (especially the cakes, biscuits and ice-creams!)  Mike took four meetings while we were there, and I was asked to speak at the ladies fellowship meeting one evening.  They were all held at the Church of Christ, Mardon Road in Hamilton.

The Meetings

Mike’s first talk was a little unusual, as it finished up a musical concert on Saturday evening at the church.  So first he sang a couple of blues songs and accompanied himself on a guitar lent to him for the occasion, and followed this up with a short devotional on how God is the “lifter of our head” when we feel down, or “blue”.

At the Sunday worship service he spoke on how we should “shine like stars in the universe”, and let our witness be known by the way we live our lives.  His final two talks were on Sunday evening and Wednesday evening, when he gave talks on “Paul’s Predicaments” early on in the Acts period, before the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.

On Tuesday evening I spent time at the ladies’ fellowship evening and we had a discussion on “Women, wives and marriage” looking at such words a obedience, submission, headship, respect and love, as used in the Scriptures.  Meanwhile, Mike had an informal evening with a few of the men, who took the opportunity to ask a few more questions of a variety of subjects.

Our leisure time

Brian and Janet Cooney had a non-stop programme of activities to entertain us in our spare time and gave us quite an extensive tour of the coast east of Hamilton, and up around the Coromandel peninsula.  We spent a delightful night at Tairua with them at Brian and Betty Moss’ home, which faces out over the Pacific Ocean.  The views throughout this tour were spectacular, and Brian and Janet made excellent tour guides, pointing out many places of interest along the way! 
           
We also joined a number of the church folk on a Saturday morning walk and picnic along the banks of the Waikato River which flows through the centre of Hamilton, and we also visited Hamilton Gardens.

Finally

Altogether we had a wonderful two weeks in New Zealand.  It was great to meet many of those we met before, 22 years ago, and also to meet many new people. 

It was especially good to spend time with Valerie Griffiths again, as I have fond memories of spending a lot of time with her and Val, who asked many, many questions all those years ago.
           
We are thankful to everyone who put so much time, thought, and effort into preparing for and arranging our visit, and particularly those who opened their homes so willingly for us to stay with, and share meals with.  Once again, it has been a wonderful privilege to spend time with, and share our faith with like-minded believers in Christ.