Starting off as a wedding harpist at the age of 14, which is now over 45 years ago, I have experienced the anxieties of many a young bride, and their mothers, planning the music for the big day.
This in return has grown my repertoire of music to a room full of books and yet, every bride has a different “special song”. This led to opportunities to play at many varied occasions in the circle of life…
This year Rosemary Winderlich again visited Debora in North Sumatra, Indonesia. Jo Veerhuis and Chris Stott joined Rosemary on the visit to the home supported by the Lutheran women across Australia.
In spending even a few minutes with Rosemary, it becomes clear she has a passion and a heart for Debora but now readily suggests: “I’m not as indestructible as I was”.
The following extracts from her journal include Rosemary’s reflections and offer great insights into Debora and the Indonesian culture. Her travels begin with the bus trip to Debora.
Years ago, a friend was introducing me to someone, and she said, “This is Dorothy Mann – you know, Mrs Father Welcomes”. Robin and I started “going together” in Year 12 at Immanuel College, Adelaide, although we had known each other since we were seven…
It’s hard to believe it is Robin Mann’s “50 years of songs”! My husband and I were part of a “Sing Out” group back when his songs first started to filter into our church services. There were around 20 of us ranging in age from mid-teens to mid-twenties, who enthusiastically learned these “new” songs and took them to congregations across Adelaide. We even spent a weekend travelling to other parts of South Australia: the Barossa, …
What Agnes Abab suffered in South Sudan is more than any person should survive. A refugee for 20 years, life started again when Agnes was welcomed into a Tailoring Group at Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya, supported by the Lutheran family in Australia. Here you see how love comes to life for refugees like Agnes …
Perhaps the biggest challenge for any author is to bring their story to full life, making the characters real and the scenes tangible. Most books do a decent job of this, expressing their story in a way that allows readers to sufficiently understand the story. Anthony Doerr, however, brings this to a new level as All the Light We Cannot See develops a surreal sense of empathy within you as the reader. All the Light …
Theme: Life is Like a Box of Chocolates – Hosts: Bethania A beautiful day – plenty of sunshine – much fellowship. (The floral displays incorporated chocolates in amongst the flowers.) After morning tea in the foyer of Bethania Lutheran Church, we moved into the church with seating around tables. President of Bethania Ladies Fellowship, Chris McDermott, welcomed everyone. Fifty ladies from the BS&GC Zone and ladies from LWQ plus 4 gentlemen gathered. Zone President, Naomi …
… meets regularly and would love to welcome new members – not so easy these days. I thought I would tell you about a couple of interesting things, one a ‘one-off’ and the other is ongoing. Recently, a long-time member, Ros Hartwig and her daughter, Karla, participated in the “Walk My Way” April project for ALWS. Ros began training earlier, doing many walks around Temora to get her body ready for the 26km walk in …
Elaine Pfitzner, a lifetime servant of her Lord, passed away on 20 July 2019 after a ten-year-long illness which baffled doctors for many years. It was eventually diagnosed as Sezary Syndrome, a T Cell Lymphoma. This full body, itchy skin condition was an ongoing challenge which she dealt with stoically and, in typical fashion, without complaint. Elaine and Peter, her husband of 52 years, spent much of those ten years travelling to and staying in …
By E. Jane Mall I purchased this wonderful book some 50 years ago from the Lutheran Bookshop in Pirie Street, Adelaide. I read it with my fifteen-year-old eyes and felt such sympathy for the young child of nine who had been placed in the Nimbschen Convent. Even though her father’s sister, Magdalene, was a nun there and her mother’s sister was the Abbess, it still seemed to me that it was a cold way to …
I had often heard the stories of the early German settlers (mostly women) walking all the way from Hahndorf to Adelaide (26 kms) to sell their produce. “Wow”, I thought. If they could do it loaded with potatoes, corn, cream etc. surely it couldn’t be too difficult. And since I love walking and really admire the work of Australian Lutheran World Service (ALWS), I was keen to give “Walk My Way” a go. I canvassed …
And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 NRSV This opening text reminds us that God created us for partnership and community with himself and with each other (Genesis 2:18). The relationship that Australian Lutheran College (ALC) shares with Lutheran Women of Australia (LWA) is a wonderful and praiseworthy expression of that. Over the years LWA has actively supported our college’s students with …