Monday 20 April 2009

Ruby milestone, Mission net

Ensconced in the summer house, at home In Scotland on a fine April morning.. Brother’s family also up for the week from sunny Lymington. Iona, now four, has recruited me to bedtime story duty; and first time to see young Rose at six months. So a family affair.
The pretext: parents’ ruby (40th) wedding anniversary yesterday. A certain Kaiser Chiefs song has been running through my head. Also struck by the variety of high class cards designed specifically for this occasion, and that somehow all the senders had managed to select a different one. Well done everybody.

Mission Net, Germany: the once every three years or so European youth missions conference, held this time in Oldenburg, Lower Saxony. I was recruited from the HCJB UK office, along with one of our missionaries in Ecuador, to join German brothers Marco and Stefan to staff an exhibition stand for HCJB, in an exhibition jungle. HCJB’s slick new banner design features a yellow sofa with big black arrow pointing up from it, to the slogan ‘Be the voice and hands of Jesus’. A fellow exhibitor’s first impression was of an Ikea advert; not quite the clarion call to save the perishing we were after then. Back to the drawing board? Or maybe just a bit of tweaking.

Marco and Stefan, a priceless double act, relentlessly cheerful, both tech wizards, great fun.
A closer reflection of the spiritual impact of this event will have to wait, for now it’s just broad impressions: world mission dynamo George Verwer with his ‘world atlas jacket’ and giant inflatable globe. Spanish mime supremo Carlos Martinez, speaking an international language. Brilliant translators. Crowds. Worship. Buzz. Sourkraut. (actually, not that one). More to follow…

8 comments:

Lee said...

Hello,

Is it me are has the blogging world slowed down a bit

Lee

Billy said...

Yes, the blogshpere is slow at the moment. What we need is someone like David Robertson to turn up and kick it all off again :-)

I'm too busy with other things at the mo, but hope to get my next book club chapter up soon.

Lee said...

Hi DVD,

Careful what you wish for Billy...

I’m having a little fun over at http://apologetics315.blogspot.com but it isn’t the same.

I better start on that book again - I've got the same problem Phillip is blogging about - too many books and a start attention span

Lee

Lee said...

"Hi DVD"????

Cut and paste gone wrong, Oops - DVD is who I am about to reply to on the aforementioned blog

Lee

Bruce said...

Sshh Lee you'll wake the baby! :) You're right it's all a bit quiet on the blog front here, just trying to fit it in when I can. More scintillating insights will surely follow sometime though, just don't bate your breath too much...

Lee said...

"Sshh Lee you'll wake the baby! :)"The trick is to make a lot of noise when they are young so they get used to it :-)

You're right it's all a bit quiet on the blog front here, just trying to fit it in when I can. It quiet everywhere - it is hard to get my fix.

More scintillating insights will surely follow sometime though, just don't bate your breath too much...Look forward to it...


Lee

rob said...

poor lee !

you have my sympathies - I think its a weather thing. The summer is starting to show its forgotten face in blighty - so I for one will have to wait for the autumn before the flowers of my agreableness have faded.

hope your well

rob

Lee said...

Hi Rob,

Dark, cold and damp now here