Living in a covenant (Part 1)
If you asked me a couple years ago or even at the beginning of January where would I be, a covenant, known as the sisters of compassion would have been some where near the bottom! Infact before I came here the thought of living in a covenant would be the last place I would even want to be, I came here by mistake originally, on a website called wwoof.co.nz where you look for people to host you and you work for your accommodation and food.
I was just emailing around in the Wellington area, when sister Margaret-Ann (who is one of the biggest lord of the rings fan in history by the way) emailed me back I still didn’t really clock on that this place was a house of nuns, until I arrived and i saw the sign. My idea of nuns and women who have taken an oath to the bible was always women in there grey full nun suit (which I’ve been told many times is a habit) and none of the sisters here have worn one for years.
At the moment I’m loving life here, being treated like a king, it’s like I’m living with my Nan and Grandad apart from i just do a little bit of work during the day! They have given me my own cottage which I was living alone in for a week or so and then a couple of Americans came and only one is still left living with me, I start work at 10am so i get a small lie in, but they have church at 9am (which i don’t go to) and then have breakfast at 9:30 which i go to, they call it morning tea! They usually just have the chefs here make like 30 scones or muffins and sometimes even pancakes! It changes everyday it’s fantastic. Then at 10am its off to work!
This is me and the sister I have worked with the most, she is called Sister Basil and unfortunately shes from Ireland! But shes a cool lady, has so many stories that she tells me when we work, its amazing the life these sisters have had. Nearly if not all of them have traveled most of the world on there duties. Basil lived in the outback of Australia with the Aborigines for afew many years.
Well all the other photos I have of here are on my laptop, when i get Internet on there I will add them all onto here for you mum and dad! I’ll write up the rest of what its been like here later when I’m not in the lazy mood :)
Here is a photo of me, the americans and 2 sisters that live here.
Here is the Sisters website http://www.compassion.org.nz/
Whoosh
- James Birnie
