The Lipsy and Klaver families in Yellowstone

Dear friends and family,

We're getting settled now, and what a wonderful thing it is to finally be home! Due to steering problems (which were eventually fixed), our flight out of L.A. into Sydney was delayed a bit. this meant that we missed our connecting flight to Hobart and sat in the Sydney Airport most of Friday. But no worries, we made it in Friday evening at about 8pm or so. There we were warmly welcomed by Pastor Iain and Mary Smith and Mr. John Coles. We later found out that our delayed flight caused the cancellation of a surprise welcome-home barbeque. Oops!

The Smiths kindly extended their hospitality to us; it was pretty late and we were exhausted. The next day, we got up in time for brunch (long after the proposed breakfast time!) and then spent some time chatting and showing wedding pictures to the Smiths. In the end, we did not return home until early evening on Saturday. On the drive up from Hobart to Launceston we passed through a rainshower at sunset and were delighted at the sight of an inexpressably brilliant double rainbow. It was a visual reminder of how very loving and faithful our God is.

At home, we were treated to the generous gift of a "wallabee" in the fridge to ensure we would be well fed until we could run to Coles or Woolworths for groceries (actually it was regular stew and soup). On Sunday, Mr. Coles took services so that Terry and I had a quiet, relaxed day with our church family. Between services, there was a fellowship luncheon kindly prepared by the church ladies. It was truly a day of rest.

Since then, we've been settling in and taking things easy. We were strictly charged by the Smiths to not begin visiting right away so that we'd have a chance to get settled together, and we've been doing just that. I must say it's quite good advice and a pleasant way to begin new. The progress thus far: Saturday I arranged the bathroom, Monday we went grocery shopping so that the cupboards and fridge are now well stocked, and Tuesday I worked on putting away our clothes while Terry worked on the Bible study for last night. The study went quite well, and we look forward to going through Colossians together with our friends on succeeding weeks.

Yesterday was also our one-month anniversary!! It's been so wonderful already, and this is just the first month! God has truly blessed us both richly in one another.

The amount of pictures we have is really overwhelming, so for today I'll just post a selection of pictures titled "flowers of Maui." Enjoy!

P.S. In the future, look for postings on Martha's "hen party" with the ladies from church on Sept. 1st (the equivalent to Terry's "buck's party") and our second wedding reception with church family here to be held Sept. 8th in Ross, a lovely historic town midway between Launceston and Hobart.

Dear friends & family,

Just a quick note to say we are leaving Maui in a few hours. We hope to fly to Yellowstone National Park and meet family (Martha's side) for a camping trip before we head out to Tassie.

We leave Maui rested, blessed with a renewed sense of the Lord's power and faithfulness, and longing to return to Tas and continue our life together there with our church family.

Hope to be updating once we arrive back in Tassie.

Love through Christ,

Terry & Martha

Well, well, what clamor through cyberspace! I suppose we can spare a few minutes for the anxious friends who want to see and hear from the wedded couple even though we're on our honeymoon.

It's hard to put into words what all has been going on the past few weeks; everything is so novel and there has been such a whirl of experiences and emotions. One fact is abundantly clear - God has been overwhelmingly gracious to us in the details of these special days. The wedding day was perfect... and though I did put the ring on Terry's right hand, no one noticed except my sisters the bridesmaids. :D I asked him to switch during the last song before we headed out; no harm done. There were so many friends and family there to celebrate with us that we wished we could have spent more time with them all, yet at the same time we certainly missed those who because of distance or other constraints could not be with us. The reception with my brother emceeing went off wonderfully too.

And the honeymoon, what can I say so far? Being married to Terry is more wonderful than anything I could ever have imagined. God knew what He was doing in bringing us together! Our love story is another amazing testimony to the love which first found us, reconciled us to Him, transforms us into His image, and flows through us to each other and to those we strive to serve faithfully. Certainly, it's that way with all of His children's lives. But what fine attention to detail God shows in each life story! We were commenting today when we'd just been exploring some rocky shoreline how wonderful that God delights in all of the beautiful works He has made on so many levels and in so many places at once. We, on the other hand, are overwhelmed with wonder at a glimpse of one place in one time. What a God we have!

Of course, I know that the "mountaintop" experience, the "honeymoon phase," the glimpse of glory is not enduring. I know that it is but a part of the whole scope of life, of marriage, of the walk with Christ. Certainly there have been many rocky and dark moments during the stress of preparation and leave-taking, and certainly there will be many more during the adjustments and pressures to be faced ahead. But a refreshed sense of God's faithful care and a refreshed knowledge of the joy and pleasure which ultimately will await us in His presence in glory (Psalm 16:11) is a wonderful blessing of God which is now to be reveled in and given thanks for.

For the rest, let a few pictures suffice. Below are just a few of the first download we made off the camera.

We look forward to returning to our dear Tasmaniac friends and spiritual family on August 17. Until then, God's grace be with you.

our table set for tea on the lan'ai (patio) overlooking the ocean

sunlight streaming down the greenery and rocks

a marvelous place called Dragon's Teeth that was formed by an old lava flow

the man himself in a stunningly sharp shark shirt (say that five times!)

sunset over Lana'i, the island opposite West Maui

moonrise on the opposite horizon, after it rose out of the clouds

Back in the States

The picture above is one of down town (the CBD) of Newark. Martha picked me up from the Newark airport last might around 12:00am or early Tuesday morning.

After a total of about 33 hours travel I arrived at the home of the Lipsy family in Pompton Plains New Jersey.

In the last few days before our mariage there are a few details to take care of. Please continue to remember us in prayer.

Love through Christ,

terry

Tassie Send Off



Some good friends saw me off at the aiport in Launceston this morning. Pastor Iain Smith, his wife Mary, and Lorraine Ten Haaf picked me up from the Montifiore Manse at 4:45am and took to the airport. We had a nice but all to brief time of fellowship before I went through security to fly out for Melbourne (pronounced "Mel-bun" for some reason here in Oz).



This send off was truly rare. Iain called it, "once in a life time." Why? Because Mary Smith is known throughout the SPC as someone who truly appreciates a good nights rest. She is rarely seen at such early hour. Iain thought I should note such a rare moment by enshrining it on the Montifiore Manse Blog with a photo of his beloved, sleep appreciating, beauty.





This is the only picture I had of Mary on my laptop (I am taking advantage of the free internet connection in Melbourne airport). It was taken at Iain and Mary's vacation "shack" (cottage) in the later morning as breakfast was being grilled by Iain.

Flying Out

Dear friends & family,

I just a quick note to let you all know I am flying out in just a few minutes to go be with she whom I love 2nd best in this life.

The Lord be with you all.

terry

p.s. I just realized the plane in the picture I chose for this post says "Austrian" and not "Australian" as I had thought. I guess that is what happens when you post at 4am with very little sleep. I ask all my Oz friends to please take no offense.

Tasmanian Pre-Wedding Celebrations

The Cakes Shared at the Tuesday Night Puritan Bible Study Before the Bible Study on the Doctrine of God

The Last Single Night Party

My "Mates" Dressed me for the Party

1. A Wedding Veil

2. A Flower Lei for our Maui Honeymoon

3. A Genuine Ball & Chain Around my Ankle (I Truly Have Come to VanDiemen's Land!)

A Fine Amount and Variety of Tucker (Food) was Provided Generously by Ladies From the Church and the Wives of Some People From the Puritan Bible Study. It was Great!


Here is a Picture of Pastor Iain Smith (From the Hobart SPC Congregation) and I Having Coffee After Tucker.

The Big Party Game was "The America's Cup." It was a Game Test Which Minister Had the Most Hot Air. We Had to Race our Paper Boats Across a Pan of Water. Iain's Boat was "Hagus 1" and my Boat was "Yankee 2."

Here We are in Starting Position.

In the Midst of the Race One of the my Mates Slammed a Rolled Up News Paper in the Water and Shouted "Watch Out! STORM!"

Iain Caught Most of the Water From the Storm too.

The Books! The Books!

Dear friends & family,

I am happy to report to you that my books finally arrived Tuesday June 26th. With some help from a friend I was able to get them all on the shelves. The commentaries, creeds & confessions, worship, reference (Philosophy, Theology, Old Testament & Hebrew, New Testament & Greek, General Biblical Reference, English), Homiletic & Hermeneutics, Systems of Theology (including Biblical Theology), Pastoral Theology & Ethics, Sets of Works of Various Theologians, Puritans, and Terry's fun section (Prolegomena, Philosophy {mostly related to historical/epistemological/metaphysical worldview type issues}, and Neo-Calvinism) are all basically in order. Leaving history, church history, individual doctrinal issues, and miscellaneous yet to sort out.

Below are a few pics of the office with the books in place. As you can see their is still a lot of clutter to file away. I already filled one filing cabinet with College and Seminary papers and various research items I have done over the years.

Many thanks to all who helped work on the office and sacrificed time and money to give me such a tremendous work space. May the Lord fill it with His presence and bless the work done it to the furthering of His Kingdom!

Brief Catch Up

Dear friends & family,

Greetings from Tasmania. Things continue to roll along here. I have been busy with the various duties of the ministry. However there have been a few developments to pass on.

Winter is setting on here. It has not gotten down to freezing yet, although several people I have talked to in the shops say it is. At times it still gets warm enough to go without a coat or jumper (sweater or sweat shirt) but I am told that these days are running out. I have a little portable heater in my office, courtesy of one of the elders in the church, and it keeps the office quite comfortable to work in. The house has a heat pump (kind of like an air conditioner that pumps hot air) but I do not use it. I am usually just inside to eat and sleep. I eat fast and the blankets are warm anyway.

The church continues to grow. Since I arrived in Tasmania one family has joined the church here and Lord willing two more families will soon join. It has been marvelous to the see the Lord working in the lives of the people that have chosen to cast in their lot with the Southern Presbyterian Church. He was working in them, guiding His people in a more and more Reformed direction, and the Lord providential brought me into the mix in His time. It always rejoices my heart to see the Lord's plan continue to unfold for the good of His Kingdom and people with a force, a subtle one at times, none can stop.

We recently began a Bible study Tuesday nights at 7 pm. We are going through the 10 commandments together. Last Tuesday we considered the 4th commandment, focusing on the principles upon which practice is based. Several people attend (usually between 12-17) and we have a nice time of tea and biscuits (cookies) afterward. Lord willing, the Bible study will not only be away for us to study the Word together but that it will also help build community and fellowship.

We also began a Puritan Bible study about an hour or so North of the church in George Town. It is called a Puritan Bible study because we hope to consider a portion of the Scriptures together and consider it teachings, noting specifically what the Puritans thought of the passage and why they did. The focus is not so much on the Puritans but rather what the Scriptures teach, the Puritans usually being in strong agreement. First we get together for tea (evening meal) and then we sit in a friends living room and consider the Word of God together. Our first meeting considered who the Puritans were and what they were best known for: Experiential Christianity (seeking to consistently live out your faith). In that connections we considered portions of Psalm 19 and 139. There was about 10 of us (perhaps a couple more) who got together and Lord willing we will continue to once a month.

The wedding grows closer and as the days get tick by I become more and more eager to be wed to the marvelous Martha Julia Lipsy. The wedding planning is coming together with help from friends and family. The dresses, order of service, songs sung, reception, rehearsal dinner, photography schedule, and flowers are all coming together.

Until next time,
terry

Jill and Trevor just got engaged Friday evening, May 25. AWESOME!!! Wishing them God's blessings on the wedding and cross-continental move next year. I'm so, so, so happy for them! Woohooo!!!!!

Funny thing is, May 25 was also the day Terry and I got engaged - one year ago! It's hard to believe it's been a year already, but it's definitely been the happiest year yet, and the Lord willing this will be an even happier one! Wow, less than two months to go.

Well, I have to run - today is Memorial Day and after seeing my brother Nathanael march in the parade as a Cub Scout, we're going to a picnic with the pack. (Btw, from what I hear our Memorial Day is similar to the Aussie ANZAC Day.) Hope you are all well and thanks for your prayers and support for us.

Cornelius Van Til

Dear friends & family,

I have been meaning to post for a while. Here is just a short one.

As I am sitting in my study (yes it is done!) I decided I needed to return to listen to an old friend: Cornelius Van Til. I have a CD with the works of Van Til and among those works are several of his lectures and sermons. I have listened to these lectures and sermons several times; it was my habit to listen to them over breakfast while I was interning in Chilliwack British Columbia.

There are marvelously helpful thing in these lectures. It was in one of these lectures I finally found concrete evidence of how Van Til pushes the antithesis further then anyone else in the Neo-Calvinistic school of thinking (he went so far as to say the antithesis applies to numbers, and in so doing he goes at least one step beyond Abraham Kuyper). But what I truly enjoy in them is that I find him easy to understand. I know, I know, "Van Til is not easy to understand!" many say, and that is true for most. However I find his Christian philosophical techno speak soothing and familiar.

So why post about Van Til?

In the ministry you need to know how to rest, relax, feed, and refresh yourself. You must primarily do this through prayer and the reading of God's Word (and it is real temptation and danger not too), but secondarily everyone, especially pastors, should have particular authors that help relax, refresh, and feed them. Martyn Lloyd-Jones had a Puritan named Richard Sibbes. A friend of mine has Robert Murray McCheyene, another has John Owen, another has George Whitefield, and the list could go on. Each one of the Lord's people has individual struggles in their Christian walk and it is a marvelous idea to have a friend (an old dead author) who you can learn from and be once again be directed to Christ in greater depths.

My two greatest helpers, as far speaking to my soul consistently, have been Augustine and Luther. In times past it has been Thomas Boston and Thomas Shepard. Geerhardus Vos is never far from me but usually for redemptive historical testing on my exegesis and Van Til is actually further into the background testing my epistemology.

Who do you read, besides the Spirit inspired Word, for rest, relaxations, refreshment, and feeding?

Love through Christ,
terry

The following is my week in pictures. Enjoy!

5.4.07 - Here is the view out the back porch of our house in the morning - I love it in the spring when this tree is in bloom! By now, the pink blossoms are already replaced with vivid green leaves.There is a curious squirrel on the back porch. He was too cute for me to resist snapping a picture.It was also my last day of student teachers. We had a good day and I took pictures with some of my students. Here's one class - we are outside because right when we were taking the picture there was a fire drill!The other teachers I eat with at lunch threw a good-bye party for me. They even had sandwiches catered in! It was very thoughtful.5.7.07 The first thing I managed to do was bang my toe against the wall on Monday morning. It has been seriously bruised and I had to stay off of it most of this week. It is now okay to walk on, but it still looks funny!I had a ton of grading to do after I finished my student teaching - I had let it pile up a little so I paid for it with hours of work. I had three assignments and a test to grade for my 96 students. Unfortunately, I am a meticulous grader....My dear sister Joanna, however, knew how to cheer me up. Having finished her college semester, she was home and spent some time making a lovely and scrumptious lunch for us.I did dishes too. My sister Esther wanted to take a picture of me doing the dishes....5.11.07 Today was graduation day. Here I am by the landmark Arch at the Ramapo College of NJ.Dad and Mom both came, which was really nice. It was a long event, and we all got quite sunburnt.
Several of my siblings (L-R Peter, me, Joanna, Lydia) and Grandpa came too!
Even my good friend Jill managed to come! And then tonight, I sang with the Cheneniah Choir in their spring performance. I also played the flute with a little arrangement of Psalm 42 with my brothers Dan and Pete on piano and clarinet respectively, with our good friend Jeff on trumpet.That's about it. I'm exhausted, but it's been a good week. Hopefully, now that school's done I'll be posting more. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for me and Terry. It has been such a blessing. God be with you all!

The Office


Dear friends and family,

The following pictures are of my garage and office. The pictures are arranged in a before and answer sequence and they are ordered as if you walked in the back door of the garage from the barbecue (patio) in the back of our home. I neglected to take pictures of what the garage looked like before anything was done to it at all.

The garage originally was a two stall garage. The first thing that was done was the dividing of the two stalls and then putting in the bath room ("Toilet," as we say here in Oz) in the stall that will become my office.

This is the stall of the garage that will hold the car. The second stall, the office, is on the other side of the left wall. The far right wall (which is not pictured is all red brick).

Snazzy, eh? (for all the Canadians)


To get to the toilet you turn left from the back door of the garage.

After you turn left you can walk straight through the door in from of you and go into the toilet, or you can right and go through the door into my office.

The door is in the extreme left of this picture.

I also have a great window, which I hope to put my desk under.

The book shelves are absolutely marvelous.

I can actually have almost all my books with me in the same room!

You can see the garage door (the "Roller Door" as it is called here) through the sliding glass doors. Having both doors gives me the luxury of more or less light, privacy, fresh air, and double security. Plus if someone accidentally pulls too far into my drive way they bang my roller door and not my glass door.

Here is a very rough sketch of the layout of the office and the garage.

The back entrance to the garage, which I forgot to label, would be at the extreme left of the

page, in front of the car.

When I reflect on all the hard work many different people in my congregation have done I am humbled, encourage, and amazed at the faithfulness of the Lord their love and commitment to their Pastor.

Thank you all very much!