Christmas 1998 News

“The time has come,” the walrus said, to write a Christmas letter to all our friends and family around the world. “A Christmas letter?” I hear you saying, “What is the man talking about? Christmas is long gone. Perhaps it’s a little like my 50^th birthday party, which we hope to hold before I reach the age of 55. Perhaps we’ll hold a joint one when Janet gets there.

The fact is, that Christmas came, and Christmas went, and we were busy. Too busy to add to the list tasks that could be done at some quieter time. I think that we are learning (i.e. I am learning) not to take on so much. Life is given to be lived, and enjoyed where possible, not to be spent chasing the ‘next thing’. We ignored the January sales. It was very nice. Perhaps our time in Africa has done us a bit of good in reinforcing real values, that “people matter more than things”, and “Who told you that you needed this or that?”

Anyway, in a Christmas letter, one traditionally goes through the events of the past year, highlighting achievements, explaining respectfully that our children are child prodigies scaling the giddy heights of human achievement with a humility that leaves us speechless. However it’s not exactly like that; they are grossly normal, and any parent living in our culture will not need to consult a textbook to discover what that means. Let me add that we rejoice that they are normal, because, we have reason then to believe that they will grow up to be an asset to the people around them.

So, what has been going on since we last wrote to you? Mike (the guy pressing the buttons, and pouring out his eloquence via this ‘ere letta’) has given up teaching. Following an unpleasant year at university studying for a PGCE (postgrad. cert. in education), which occupied every hour he was not actually sleeping, eating, washing or dressing and culminating in the reception of a sheet of paper from the university carrying the one-liner “M.Cross – PGCE – failed”, you will remember that, putting the course behind him, he plunged into a part-time job teaching Maths at a private school, Bearwood College, near Wokingham.

The year went well, he enjoyed it, got on well with the other staff, students and parents, and received a good reference from the headmaster. 

Notwithstanding he was re-examined and failed again by the same implacable female guru from the education department of the university who had decided to fail him before. Obviously he had failed to attain the astral plane required. 

[You may be aware that there's a lot more to this story than that which meets the eye, but I will not write it here.]

A letter to the Vice-Chancellor received the anticipated reply “I don’t believe there is anything you can get us on” (paraphrase). So, with the universities' credibility seriously holed, Mike decided that the other 400,000 or so teachers in the UK would just have to struggle on as best they could without him, and he made another change in direction.

He rewrote his CV, emphasising programming skills, visited a couple of employment agencies, rewrote his CV twice more, and then, using email, circulated it to 30 agencies within 10 miles, following up with phone calls. 

At the end of two weeks of intense activity, he had two interviews, one of which was at Hogg Robinson where he had worked 10 years before. They sell travel and healthcare services, plus a lot more, and following the interview by staff who remembered him positively, he was offered a job. Quite amazing. 

There’s a great skills shortage in programming, and he’s been taken on in a humble role, but the people are pleasant and respectful, and there’s very little pressure. HR is year 2000 compliant, and almost year 1999 compliant too, so no surprises there.

Janet continues to be her excellent self, continuing with her part-time job as a nurse at a local Christian practise, which we have discovered is the second largest group practice in the UK. Last year she stopped doing travel immunisations which were becoming too stressful, a typical 10-minute appointment beginning with the words: “Nurse, I am going to Tasmania and Penang, stopping off at Lusaka and Sao Paulo, and I’m leaving tomorrow. Can you tell me what injections I need?” 

In exchange for avoiding some of the more stressful parts of the job, she also took a cut in salary. Janet now does four mornings a week, with plans to reduce to three or less to give her more “free” time to do housework, the shopping, cooking, cleaning, ironing, gardening, buy petrol, and talk to the neighbours. Time hangs heavy on her hands as you can see.

Tim has now moved into the 6th form at school and has become involved in a Young Enterprise group, making videos of school dramatic productions and printing T-shirts, all at great profit – he hopes. Football and computer games still rank very highly in his consciousness, though the need to work for A-levels is beginning to knock on the door with more insistence. He is studying Economics and English, with Biology to make up the load. He attends a couple of school youth clubs in the area and delights in coming home covered in mud after matches with friends two days a week. You would say that he is socially adjusted. Over this last year he has worked Friday evenings and all Saturday at KwikSlave (Oh dear! Have I spelt that wrong?) a grocery store in town, rubbing shoulders with little old ladies and half-honest store managers, one of whom went on extended leave after they had to retrieve his keys from the local police station one morning before they could open the store. So Tim’s education moves ahead on all fronts.

Ben is a completely different character, now almost as tall as Tim, with the promise eventually to be well over 6 feet. He enjoys French and German at school, but half hopes they will clamber on board with not too much effort on his part. Very affectionate and amazingly independent at times, he has just decided to join the local Air Training Corps. Although we would not want him to be channelled into the armed forces, we are aware that the ATC provides opportunities for adventure and experiences that are woefully lacking here in an over-ordered UK. He continues with the keyboard and also has his own circle of friends.

During August, we went Eurocamping in France and Germany, covering too many miles in the car. The weather was disappointing, and, at times half of France seemed to be where we were. The boys seemed unimpressed by the cross-cultural experience although they have waxed lyrical about it since. But we were very glad of the opportunity to visit Mike’s Aunt Mabel living in retirement in Villingen in the Black Forest.

We are now committed members of a small house church that meets together on a Sunday morning, meets to pray midweek, and opens the door wide to overseas students on a Sunday evening. Presently we’re running an Alpha initiative, which is stimulating and enjoyable, and numbers are slowly growing. The sector of the Christian church that is currently growing the fastest is apparently those who do not go to church. We understand that many are fed up with being told what to do and how to do it, and are opting out. So it is good to be part of a caring fellowship with no controlling influence except the love of God.

We continue to remain outward-looking, particularly towards Africa, where we follow events in what was British East Africa and South Africa with great interest. However the Lord has put us here for the time being, and we have to get on with whatever comes to hand. That doesn’t stop the heart being almost continually exercised about involvement overseas, and the hope that one we shall return to where we know there are wide-open doors for the gospel.

We have received very many newsletters bringing us up to date on the exploits of friends and family, and have read them with great interest. One contained a brief book review, and we should like follow their example and recommend a book to you. “Adventures in Reconciliation” (ISBN 0-86347-215-X at £4-99 pub. Eagle) tells the stories of twenty-nine Catholic believers. Some came from active membership of the IRA, and some from crushing personal tragedy, to a personal experience of the indwelling Christ and new meaning in their lives. We seek oneness with all who confess the Lord Jesus, from whatever church group they come, and consequently found this book very interesting.

We appreciate your love and friendship over the years. We are grateful for genuine friends who do not fluctuate or change, and send you our loving greetings.