Naringal Church

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Hi and welcome to the first edition of “Bartsch Territory” where we hope to keep you all up to date with what we’re up  to. Firstly, a big thankyou to all who have been praying for us.  We have now been up here for  a month with  challenges along the way already, but God has seen us through.  Our journey to the territory started at 3:00am on  18th  January as we drove both cars to Melbourne with all aboard including the cat and dog.  We then offloaded the pets and cars before catching our flight.

This was the first time we have flown up to Darwin in daylight hours.  Flying over the Flinders, Lake Eyre and central Australia was just spectacular.  On arriving in Darwin we stayed in a cabin for a couple of days before moving into our house (No, the picture on the right is not our new home).  We were able to move  in before settlement and ever since Janice has been busy making it into our home.  Unfortunately[?]  I have missed out on most of the unpacking as I needed to go into school almost straight away.

We were fortunate to borrow a car from  the  Australian Society for Indigenous Languages (AusSIL) while our cars journeyed up.  Due to heavy rains the train track north of Alice Springs was washed out so our cars didn’t arrive until two weeks later but AusSIL were able to loan us their car for the entire time.  Once our cars arrived  it was like a final settlement that we have really moved to Darwin.

Annaliese, Caleb and Dyllan have settled into their school  and life in general.  They attend Sacred Heart Catholic School which is within walking distance from home  (enjoyed by Mum and kids). The day we shifted into our house we met one of our neighbours.  As Janice and the kids were introducing themselves we soon discovered that the neighbours had a daughter called Annaliese, spelt the same way and only five months older!  Our court is a great place for the kids, most nights, once it cools down a bit,  all the kids are  out and about riding bikes,  playing cricket  or  swimming  in  someone’s pool/spa (pretty much a standard feature up here for obvious reasons). The families all look out for each other and we’re enjoying getting to know them.

Janice has been busy setting up our home, tidying up the garden,  changing details/memberships/insurances etc,  settling the kids into school as well as helping out in class and attending school functions/activities. She is also  staying in contact with friends and volunteering  with the Riding for the Disabled ***ociation of Australia, something she is passionate about. Living in Darwin has its own challenges such as  the constant heat and humidity,  frogs outside the bedroom window determined to keep us awake all night, bity things you can’t see but leave you covered  with  red, itchy  whelts  and the gheckos  deciding  to move indoors.   Gavin the Ghecko lives in our loungeroom and Gwendolen in the laundry.  It is a completely different way of life (We quickly learnt NT stands for “Not Today, Not Tomorrow, Not Tuesday, Not Thursday, maybe Next Time”) so it will take time to settle in.  Knowing that others are praying for us and that God is there to guide and strengthen us means so much.

I have been working at Litchfield Christian School  and it is already week 5.  I  am enjoying working with students in the middle school  teaching Art, Environmental Science, IT, Scripture and Design and Technology.  I have the Year 7’s for Scripture and during my first lesson quickly discovered that here also was an  important mission field.  Most of the students know little about the Bible or salvation and it is exciting to have the class eagerly asking questions.  Some of their questions have been really challenging but really shows that these are things they take seriously and have thought about a lot.  I have  also begun my work at AusSIL, which I am excited about.  My first project is to paint illustrations for a Timorese Bible that will go online once finished.  I am starting in Genesis with another artist  in Alice Springs  doing some illustrations too.  The goal is to have the Bible illustrated and  online in a couple of years.   The challenge is to illustrate what is in the text accurately as well as be culturally sensitive too.  It will mean a lot of negotiation with those in the field to ensure the work is suitable.  My goal at the moment is to complete one painting a week.   Again, thankyou for your prayers and financial support and we look forward to continuing to share how God is working here in the Territory.

Please pray for:
Give thanks for our safe move to Darwin
Strength and endurance  as we adjust to life in Darwin and  the continued heat  and culture shock
Creativity as Brenton begins illustrations at AusSIL
For students (and staff) at Litchfield Christian School, that they may quickly settle into class routines and cope with the heat