Today we have just had our end of year reviews with our Training Principal. Which has been interesting but worthwhile in that we have some goals to work on for the new year.

Next week is commissioning for the Friends of Christ session. It has come so fast that we now have to say goodbye to some great friends we have made this year. They are going to be very much missed by many, but we also know that God has so much for them in their new appointments, and just think - it will be us leaving at the end of next year!

After the commissioning day on Saturday, we also get to say hello to a new stripe on our soldier epaulettes, which means we are just one step closer to be in full time ministry for the rest of our lives. 

It is scary to think that in just a year's time we will be doing what God has been leading us to and we will be doing what God has laid on our hearts to do! 

I (Suz) never in a million years ever thought I would get a point in my life where I could say I have achieved so much in one year! I am about to complete my first and biggest achievement - and it has nothing to do with cooking or childcare!! I am so proud of myself making it through the year and making through assignments but also juggling the family and other things we have had thrown our way. Yes, there have been many struggles and the family is still in chaos but we have made it. We can look forward to a new year with new goals and new attitudes.

This week we have also been involved in the Meyer's Briggs personality testing, which has now bought to light why people do what they do, and for ourselves things make a whole lot more sense! If you ever have the opportunity to do the test, do it! It's worth it!

Well, if you are reading this and have been praying for us this year, we want to thank you. We haven't been able to do this without those prayers and support from the people who have been there for us. 

PLEASE PRAY:

Please continue to pray for us as a family.

Please continue to pray for Malachi and his health - we are at wit ends concerning his epilepsy/medication/behaviour.

Please continue to pray for our studies as we enter into our second year.

Please pray for unity - within our family and within our session group.

We really appreciate any other prayers the God may lay on your heart for us. We can;t do College without the prayer! It is a huge lesson we have learned this year. 

Many Blessings

xo

We are looking forward to ending our first year at BCM College. We have survived a year full of new learnings, full time study, learning to write and preach sermons in ways we never knew existed. We have been a part of a great Corps (church) for the year and have made some good friends. 

We look forward to the year ending but also have a sad but very exciting end to the year, saying goodbye to our 2nd year Cadets who will be commissioned in December and we will see them off to their new home towns with new journeys in front of them. 

The new beginnings for us is we will be the "big kids" and look forward to our Diploma in Salvation Army Mission and Ministry. This will give us a whole new insight to The Salvation Army and how it works. 

We have about 4 assignments left for the year and in three weeks time we will be completely finished! We will then look forward to a three week summer holiday over Christmas. 

We have been kindly given a few days family holiday paid. So as a family we look forward to just being together for those days. We are heading to Waitarere Beach to relax and enjoy the sun and the beach. This is a first for the Bathurst household - a few days together, in a different place to enjoy each others company and not have to worry about work. 

We have never actually had a holiday by ourselves in a different place so it will be an exciting time for us. The boys can't wait to go to the beach! 

After that we will spend about a week with the Palmerston North families before we come back home to get ready for the new year!

Bring on Summer! We're excited for God has for us this next season on our lives. 

College life has been INTERESTING! Many many upsides but also some downsides. 

January - As you will all know we moved down in January 2011. It was challenging as Suz learnt what it was like to be a solo Mum for 3 weeks while Logan continued working. It was a huge learning thing and Suz now realises in a small way what is like for Mums and Dads who do it full time with more than one child. Not to mention half the challenges were also settling the boys into their new home, and their new surroundings. 

February - February saw us sending our baby (Elias) off to preschool for the first time in his life and that was hard! He enjoyed going and now every day he asks if it preschool day even in the holidays!

February also saw us sending our second school boy to school! We took him for the first four days and each of those days he cried but the Friday we talked him into trying the walking school bus and from that day on he was fine! There were no more problems. He is an intelligent boy and loves learning! Our parent interview in September told us he has a spelling level of a 9 year old!! He has a great imagination and an incredible memory! He loves different languages specifically Maori and he also learnt Spanish off watching Dora the Explorer and Handy Manny. 

On Febrary 16th we officially started at college, we were called on to the campus with a powhiri by the second year session. Then we were into two days of team building stuff through BMAC (Blue Mountain Adventure Centre) and then we were into the courses!

March - In March, The Proclaimers were welcomed into the Central Division. We had a wonderful meeting and we were pretty much the centre of attention. (Pretty much = sitting on the stage in front of a huge amount of people!)

April/May - Are pretty much a blur with what seemed like a thousand assignments and preaching sermons etc etc

June/July - We celebrated Elias' 3rd birthday with a few of his friends from college. 

In July we had 2 weeks of holiday. We stayed in Palmerston North for 1 week with family and caught up with a few people - it's a shame we didn't have longer because there were many more people we wanted to catch up with. We do get another 2 weeks in December/January. The second week, not so good! Suz caught the flu, something she had never had in her life before and everyone at college had it a few months previously but The Bathursts didn't catch it! Time to take up the free flu sots now!!