It was raining. Shall we go ahead as planned or cancel? The leaders' instruction was clear - let's
do it!
Eleven of us met at the barn of Ambury Farm around 2pm. Tina Chen, one of the two co-leaders,
introduced the walkway, the planned walking distance, and the First Aid holder of Linda Zhang (co-leader).
After praying, we walked into the rain.
The walkway is level and easy to walk. No kids were visiting
the animals on the farm. We were privileged to occupy the walkway and met several runners only. A group
of cyclists ran towards us, collecting beach rubbish and carrying them away. Good on them on such a cold
and rainy day! The migrant birds have all gone to the northern hemisphere, but the local birds stood
quietly in the rain. They may wonder - how on earth do you guys walk in such bad weather?
We came
nearly to the intersection of the walkway and Island Road. The leaders decided to have a break and then
turn around, heading back to Ambury Farm on the same walkway. The group diverted to the side track for
bird roosts and stopped in the shelter for bird viewing.
Tina shared a devotion in which she
quoted the history of the Whakatohea tribe (their land was confiscated in 1865) and Luke 6:27-29 love
your enemies. By drawing the audience's attention to the word 'retaliation', she encouraged them to ponder
on what was shared and check if there was any retaliation in their daily lives.
The walk finished
around 4:45pm. Some of us were wet but enjoyed the walk.
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