Happy Mothers Day

Beautiful words by Audrey Hepburn

Paddy lived alone in the Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company. One day the dog died, and Paddy went to the parish priest and asked , ‘Father, me dog is dead. Could ya be saying a mass for the poor creature’. Father Patrick replied : ‘I’m afraid not; we cannot have services for animals in the church. But there are some Baptists down the lane, and there’s no telli’n what they believe. Maybe they’ll do something for the creature’

Paddy said : ‘I’ll go right away Father. Do ya think $5000 is enough to donate to them for the service ‘ Father Patrick exclaimed ‘Sweet Mary and Joseph. Why didn’t ya tell me the dog was Catholic ?’

Proud Mary tour of Darwin & the Murray River via The Ghan

A number of residents enjoyed a fantastic 8 day holiday with a ride on the famous Ghan followed by

a cruise on the mighty Murray River passing through spectacular scenery. The meals were scrumptious and the service attentive. A number of interesting

excursions were enjoyed by all along the way. The group are seen enjoying a crocodile, kangaroo

and barramundi lunch on one of the excursions.

Mum & bub

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We pray for those residents who are lonely and suffering with ill health. May God’s blessings be with you.

Anita enjoying a hearty

meal !

Editors - Brian & Denise Krull

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT DAY Five of our residents have called Ebenezer Village their home for

the last 20 years. Maria de Feyter is the oldest resident in the village. Rie is in very good health and is still mobile visiting her friends in the village. Janny & Holke Dijkman. Holke who will be turning 90 soon is still very active. He and Janny showed great interest in the hall and together took a great pride in the project. Hence the term Lord and Master of the Hall. Janny Brouwer served as Secretary of the Committee of Management and is a skilled writer having had some of her poetry published Peter Bestenbreur who is 90 years old and still walks around getting the paper most days. He is a man of few words but can be relied on to collect mail and do some shopping for neighbours

The Tukkers - a Dutch Folk Dance group provided the entertainment

The Residents Committee exists to provide, promote and foster a Christ centred relaxed, stable, and peaceful atmosphere in the Ebenezer Christian Retirement Village for both Residents and Management.

April - May 2018

Ebenezer News

Autumn Splendour in our backyard

The veil of darkness Transformed to the brightest light

The most dreadful end Became the most beautiful beginning

The depths of despair Fade to reveal hope everlasting

The curse of death Defeated by eternal life

Thank you Lord, for the wonder of Easter

A HISTORY OF HOT CROSS BUNS A hot cross bun is a spiced sweet bun made with currants or raisins and marked with a cross on the top, traditionally eaten on Good Friday in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Canada, and India. As such, they mark the end of Lent and different

parts of the hot cross bun have a certain meaning, including the cross representing the crucifixion of Jesus and the spices inside reminding Christians "of the spices put on the body of Jesus." The origins of hot cross buns may go back as far as the 12th century. According to the story, an Anglican monk baked the buns and marked them with a cross in honour of Good Friday. Over time they gained popularity, and eventually became a symbol of Easter weekend. Towards the end of the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I passed a law limiting the sale of sweet buns to the Friday before Easter. The English were deeply superstitious, believed the buns carried medicinal or magical properties, and were fearful of those powers being abused. Some even believed that buns baked on Good Friday would never go stale. There are also more than a few

stories that indicate hot cross buns were baked on Good Friday for superstitious reasons. One tale states that buns baked on this day and hung from the rafters of a home would ward off evil spirits in the coming year. Another talks of these buns protecting sailors from shipwreck, while off at sea. Yet another version mentions that sharing the bun

with a loved one guarantees friendship in the coming year.

There is nothing as fine as an Autumn Day With the smell in the air of fresh mown hay Each tree is a wonder of beauty untold Each leaf brushed with colour, a sight to behold There’s a nip in the air- crisp, cool and clear To remind us that Winter soon will be here But for now we have Autumn, the ‘Show Off’’season My favourite by far and these are the reasons June Kellum October 1973

AUTUMN

Beautiful trees in our vegetable patch

Victorian Hot Cross Bun seller

Hello fellow residents

How time flies. It feels as if we put the last newsletter to

bed just the other day and it is time for another issue.

We have come to the end of another year in the life of your

Residents Committee and am happy to report that a most

successful year was had.

I wish to thank our dedicated committee for the many hours which they put into

serving our residents - Denise our secretary, Marie our treasurer, John who

integrates new residents into the village way of life, Theresia who looks after

our functions and events as well as the welfare of residents, Holke who

manages our Hall bookings and Maureen and her many helpers who cater for

our functions. They have all excelled in their specific roles.

Many happy memories were made during the year and it is these and many

others of course, that will sustain us in the years to come.

The current committee were elected unopposed to serve another term.

We take this opportunity to extend out grateful

appreciation to Wael Hanna for his part

sponsorship of our newsletter and Neale Burgess

MP for Hastings for printing our

newsletter. Best wishes

From the Chairman’s Desk

April 8 Gillian Grove 4 Jean Isaacs 4 Christine Coyle 14 Ria de Boer 21 Tim Tiemens 25 Len Abee 28 Holke Dijkman 26 Audrey Davids

May 9 Frank Bowman 13 Janny Kruiskamp 17 Agnes Simmons 27 Brian Krull

The time for longer, more everlasting contentment is in the Autumn of our lives.

Albert Emerson Unaterra

Happy

Birthday

2018 1958

60 years and we made it not because of our doing we had the Lord watching over us. He is the one that brought us this far through tough and joyful times .Our recipe is ( Trust in God always) Our wedding text was then and is still now ,Galatians 6:2 “Bear one an-other's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” We have been blessed over all those years. We started with the 2 of us and now our family has grown to 35.

Now we are 60 years married and it is still a “Work in Progress” We were brought up at the time when marriage was a sacred commitment to each other. Sure you had to work on this especially during hard times. Being patient, being forgiving and having respect and giving each other breathing space and also plan some special time together. Above all we thank the Lord for travelling with us and after 60 years we are more sure than ever that He is leading us. Recipe - Work on it Pray for it Thank God for each other

CONGRATULATIONS DIAMOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES celebrated recently

Nan Moynihan Patrick Rafferty Helen Bakker

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Nel & Roel ten Hoopen Tim & Anja Tiemens

Message - Pastor Lourens Nel

Langwarrin Christian Reformed Church\

I am blessed to write a devotion again and with Easter I want to greet you with the words Jesus is risen, Yes, He is risen indeed. In 1 Cor. 15: 14 we read: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” Of what value is Jesus’ resurrection ? I mean - what changed in the world because of it ? If there is no resurrection, we would have been without hope ! Or how would Australia today be different if Jesus did not rise from the grave 2000 years ago ? Australia would be a very different place if Jesus was still in the grave…. This would be a place without hope, a place with no future, or dreams ! It would be an Afghanistan or Liberia ! This would have been the worst place to live! If there was no hope then we would not exist, and there would have been no reason to wake up in the morning. We would have been in constant mourning about our loved ones who went with the Lord, and we would be without any hope. We live by hope, and when hope is gone, endurance and joy and energy and courage just evaporate. Life itself begins to fade. When hope goes, we start to die, and are lifeless! This was the Apostle Paul’s argument ! If there is no resurrection, and Jesus did not raise from the dead, we would have been without hope ! Paul states in our Bible reading - if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain and we would have had no hope! The resurrection of Christ is the centre of all hope ! If the Lord

wants to comfort you, He comforts you with the resurrection of Jesus ! This is how we comfort the sick and the sad and those who lost loved ones ! This is how the Lord comforts at the grave through His Spirit ! Jesus is alive ! And because of that we live and are alive in the Risen Jesus for

all eternity. Blessed Easter!

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Ebenezer Reflections by Coby Hill

Our friendship is a hidden strength A bridge from heart to heart It nourishes and builds us up And should we ever part… The memories will linger on And grateful thanks we bring

To God…who loves and cares for us And is forever King

I wrote this ‘Friendship song’ a number of years ago. It expresses – in a way – the essence of friendship. This verse is sung at the annual Ladies Day of the Christian Reformed Church Women and at their Bi-annual Conventions. Janny Brouwer and I are long time friends and residents at Ebenezer Village. We have an interest in Poetry which goes back to 1989 when we went to a creative writing course at Dandenong TAFE. This was followed by becoming members of two writing groups – ‘Fine Words’ in Dandenong and ‘Word Smiths’ in Box Hill. Our poetry appears in several anthologies and also in a coffee table book called – Reflections of Melbourne.

Living Water

When I think of living water I picture a raging sea

Or a thundering waterfall Crashing down the

mountainside. When He speaks of living

Water He hands it to me in a cup by Janny Brouwer

FLU IMMUNISATION Seasonal influenza, or ‘the flu’ as it is commonly called, is a highly contagious disease caused by A & B influenza viruses. Anyone can catch the flu. Being fit and healthy does not stop you from getting it. You can also unknowingly infect others, as

you may be contagious 1 day before and up to 5 days after symptoms appear. The flu can be spread by sneezing, coughing, and even touching contaminated objects and transferring germs to the respiratory system. Annual vaccination is considered the most effective protection against the flu by health authorities worldwide including the World Health Organisation. Medical conditions associated with increased risk of influenza disease complications include cardiac disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and other metabolic disorders, kidney disease, chronic neurological disease, immune impairment and certain blood disorders. Annual influenza vaccination under the National Immunisation Program is provided FREE for all individuals aged 65 years and over. This health message has been brought to you by Wael Hanna – Pharmacist/Proprietor,

Langwarrin Discount Drug Store, 2/117 Cranbourne-Frankston Rd

HAPPY EASTER LANGWARRIN

Brian & Denise’s granddaughter Solveigh Olsen is to be married in this church in Sydney on 21 April 2018