Jayawardhana Christmas Letter 2010

We hope this letter finds you happy, healthy and excited about the coming Christmas season. We are thankful to God for our continued good health and the many opportunities He has given to us throughout the year to bless others.

PJ continued on with his mining consultancy work and made his yearly trip to the Philippines in February. He also continued to provide software support for our accounting package, Acclique and enjoyed his lawn bowls whenever the opportunity arose. PJ also became a director on the board of Crown Financial Ministries Australia(www.crown.org.au). 2010 also marked PJ’s 45th birthday but rather than hosting a party he instead brought together a large number of men to partake in an Honouring Manhood day to celebrate our eldest son’s passage from Primary School to Middle School and to mark Taruna’s journey from boyhood into adolescence. In total there were eight boys who were honoured by their fathers in this way. The honouring ceremony was then followed by a very enjoyable game of barefoot lawn bowls, which concluded with the men and their sons gathering at the Mega Men’s Shed Night at Bridgeman Baptist Church that evening. It was a highly memorable day for all.

The end of the year also saw PJ orchestrate a vision he had received to host a ‘no cost to the parents’ whole school RE Christmas party at Aspley East State School (where our children attend). Out of a total school population of approx. 820 students, nearly 700 received parental permission to attend a performance of JAM (Jesus and Me) followed by a McDonalds lunch kindly donated by McDonalds, Bracken Ridge. Thank you, Rod! It was a fabulous morning and one that made a positive impact not only on the children but also their parents when the children excitedly shared with them all that had happened at the concert.

Gwenda enjoyed the privilege of teaching Year 5 RE at Aspley East State School this year and she shall continue to do so next year. Rasika is very excited about this! 2010 also saw Gwenda finish her Graduate Diploma of Divinity and she is looking forward to seeing where God may lead her with regards to ministry opportunities for next year. She also had the opportunity to attend the Hillsong Conference in July which was highly enjoyable and brought much personal growth. The beginning of the year also saw Gwenda switch to a Gluten Free diet after having experienced previous sporadic health issues. She has since had to exclude egg from her diet which has meant much experimenting in the kitchen!

Taruna concluded Grade 6 at Aspley East and starts Middle School at Grace Lutheran College, Rothwell next year. He continued to enjoy his involvement in the Concert Band playing percussion. His team also won the Under 11s Indoor Soccer final at the beginning of the year.

Rasika continued playing Cello at school and enjoyed playing in her first concert at the end of the year. She had a go at Classical Ballet but she clearly enjoys Jazz Ballet much more! Rasika has just finished Grade 4 and is looking forward to singing and dancing at Bridgeman Baptist’s Carols in the Park on December 11th.

Prashan finished Grade 1 and is still a highly energetic and affectionate little boy. His energetic nature has meant some challenges for him (and us) with regards to the conformity required in a classroom setting but PJ often remarks that Prashan is just like he was as a young boy so his future is looking very bright indeed.

We pray that you have a Blessed Christmas and a wonderful New Year!

With Love and Blessings,

PJ, Gwenda, Taruna, Rasika and Prashan