The Cottons have landed!
0 comments | Posted by Bruce York on 04 Sep 2010 in Missionary Support ::
Dear St Peterites,
Note that David is still looking for accommodation for Sept/Oct so please keep your eyes alert!
God Bless,
Bruce York
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From: Catherine and David Cotton
Sent: Tuesday, 31 August 2010 11:27 PM
Hi Guys,
Thank you so much for your news of late … it’s been great to connect more with you.
1. We have arrived in Australia now and thoroughly enjoyed our time with Mum last week. We went away with her to just focus on family things and give Mum some attention that we hadn’t been able to deliver first hand to her since returning to Spain in 2008, after seeing her through some of her rehab in Australia after she suffered a stroke whilst visiting us in Spain . We thoroughly enjoyed a week of winter sun at our favourite beach holiday place, that we had been going to for years as a family, until we went to Spain . It was great too, to get back to Berowra Baps, on our first Sunday back
2. Prior to arriving in Australia , the training we were part of in the US throughout July and August was fantastic. We are really priviliged to be part of OMS (One Mission Society) who have such a welath of experience for us to tap into. There were two strands to the training. They were:
a) Cross-Cultural Training – which brought nine of us together for four weeks of intense training and preparation for the years ahead, and
b) Church Planting Training – which looked at three specific methods of doing what we are on about in Spain , with some 45 others from around the world. We were delighted to be under the teaching of (among others) a guy with ten years experience of church planting in Spain, and look forward to working closely with him upon our return there next year.
It was so worthwhile. We are really appreciative for the learning that took place and just being part of an international mission group and to be much more familiar now with so much, including … the extent and depth of experience from OMSer’s around the world, and the practical, theoretical and scriptural experience that they brought to us.
3. Now here in Sydney , the Lord has blessed us with a beautiful and very well located house-sit for our first three weeks in Chatswood, and our last six in Roseville . We will be in Melbourne for most of November, which leaves only September/October which is, to date, still unclear of where precisely we will be living and the kids schooling etc. For the most part we have all been very calm in the midst of uncertainty, although today, it started to get to me more than I would like. We do have an initial plan still in place, but that housing in a converted garage is nowhere near the schooling that would otherwise be possible. Then this evening we all just chatted and prayed and I was blown away at the beautiful attitude of all of the kids who know (from experience) that the Lord does provide. I know this too, of course, but at times a father (and mother) can get this sense of needing to be the provider, when really we just need to let THE Provider do His business. Still no-one has been able to explain to me why such matters are at the last minute – (well … we still have a few days to go!) other than the very needed matter of depending soley upon Him rather than upon our own resources. Sure enough … we were all on our knees tonight, praying fervently for a suitable house-sit later in September and October.
We look forward to being able to connect more with the folk in Sydney these next two months. We will be speaking at St Mark’s Berowra this Sunday 5 September, then St Peter’s East Lindfield on Sunday 12 September and Berowra Baptist on Sunday 19 September. We will provide October venues nearer the time, but do please feel free to come visit any of these churches if you would like to hear and see first hand something of what the Lord has been doing in Spain of late and of our passion and vision for 2011 and beyond. Better still will be for us to meet up in person – we look forward to this time of reconnecting first hand with your lives here and hope to see you soon.
God bless you. With love and thankful prayers from
David & Catherine, Sophie, Laura and Joshua
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