A New Year in Timor-Leste

So 2014 is done and its time to look into 2015 and think about the year ahead – what to do, who to be, how will our family grow?

Some highlights from 2014 were:

• the shifting of management of Bele Kria from Cynthia to Emmy to become a more independent Timorese entity.
• the teaching of young church leaders in a joint Bible course with our Brazilian friends
• the groups who came to visit us such as the Darwin crew preaching the good news of Jesus with the Timorese churches in Los Palos.
• the support of a number of Timorese ministries with finance, mentoring and that ambiguous term: “capacity building”
• the ramping up of water filter systems as a small business operated by Serenity.

Of course there were a bunch of other cool things that happened but I list these as the more unique highlights of 2014.  I think its important that we do things each year that stand out from other years, things you can go wow at.  Something I’ve been brewing on over the year is the sense that great deeds are accomplished beyond our day job.  The task we do each day like going to school, looking after our family or going to work is really important but I think the things that change the world around us is what is done in addition to the day to day life.

So what’s on for 2015?  Who knows? but here’s some guesses …

Given that water filters could take off and I see some other pressing needs around me like good rolls of barbed wire (go figure!?) I decided to go into international trading.  We’ve ordered a container of mixed goods from China: filters, buckets, barbed wire, chicken wire, hand grinders, hand corn shellers and star pickets.  This will be imported with a small business here in Timor to help them ramp up their current activities of meeting the needs of poor families in day to day activities.  Its about observing the menial and challenging tasks in the home such as cooking, getting clean water, growing veggies, preparing food and then trying to find appropriate solutions to these tasks.

I’ve also started on that training centre I’ve mentioned in 2014.  In fact, the first patch of concrete was poured today – the driveway to get onto the land.  I’m not exactly totally committed on this task which is sort of massive but I’m not getting any vibes to back off so its more than likely to go ahead.  You’ve gotta love my anti-“call of God” sort of approach to this sort of thing.  Its more like “yeah, maybe I will, but then maybe I wont”.  Its like a “wandering around blindly in the desert after God” sort of approach, which is what it feels like most of the time.  No offense intended to the big man upstairs.  Lets just hope he makes some sense out of our actions down here.

On that happy note, God bless you all in 2015, watch a little less telly and do something beyond your day-to-day this year and I guarantee your life will get just a little more lively.