AGM and more beautiful scenery

We left at 1.30 for Sandy Bay (church started at 2.30), after a quiet morning at home. The service was very good, and the little chapel was packed. Nick preached on John 3:17->, on “Those who love Sin”, “Those who love Man” and “Those who love Jesus”. Very challenging message about the three responses to Christ - those who make excuses, those who have other loyalties and those who truly are serving God. It was quite hot in church. Aaron kept nodding off. Nick kept the service quite short because of the heat and the AGM to follow. The church didn’t have an AGM last year, so this was the first big meeting in two years. Nick chaired it and did very well. Five new members were welcomed into membership (Steve and Maureen included), and deacons were elected. One deacon, who had been so for fifty years, had stepped down, and the six remaining deacons (and deaconesses) were re-elected, with one new one. The AGM finished at about 4.50, after which we left the church, and took a scenic drive home through Greenhill (you’ve heard of Bluehill…there is a Greenhill too, which is green, and it’s a hill). It was a new part of the island for us and we were amazed at the scenery. Photos can’t really capture it, but we did try. The depth of canyons, the heights of mountains, the greenness of the plant life, the amount of vegetation…it was spectacular. The drive to Sandy Bay itself is also extremely beautiful. There are loads of Potato Bushes (I think they are Potato Bushes – they have a purple flower) intertwined with other vegetation, and growing abundantly on their own as well, so you have this incredible greenery punctuated with purple flowers. Wow. We continued our long drive home, and went past Redhill (which was a little red sand hill), and also saw a sign pointing to Silverhill. I don’t know how many other colour hills there are, but wouldn’t be surprised if there is a Brownhill too. We encountered a ruin and a HUGE tree. We arrived home at 6 pm, and then the boys had a bath while Nick and I made tuna snackwiches for supper. Aaron was practicing his winking, which he can do quite well, and chatting away, so Caleb told him he’s full of nonsense. “Noooo”, he said, “I’m full of food.”