A Long Overdue Update!

hassellba
Nov 2, 2025
4 min read

Hello friends! It’s been a little while (okay… nearly five months!). It’s hard to believe it’s been so long since my last post. I apologise for it being so long. The semester has been full to overflowing with study, ministry, travel, and plenty of big life changes! Before sharing a quick update, I want to pause and say a heartfelt thank you to those who have prayed for me, checked in, and offered encouragement along the way. Your care and partnership in prayer have been such a gift in a full (and often stretching!) season.

JUNE/JULY

June and July brought a much-needed breather, starting with the wedding of a dear college friend, where I had the joy of singing in the band. I even got to perform a song in French, putting all my language skills to good use!

Then a girls’ trip to Orange filled with rest, reading, and coffee dates with my two beautiful bridesmaids, Lisa and Ems. It was so refreshing after a long and eventful term!

I ended the holiday period with a lovely week in the Blue Mountains with Nich. It was a very productive week of wedding planning — we booked venues, made lots of big decisions, and ticked off many boxes! Unfortunately, the week ended with me down for the count with a rough case of tonsillitis.

AUGUST

In August, our whole family had the incredible privilege of flying to Vancouver for my brother’s wedding! It was such a joyful celebration — a beautiful time of family, laughter, and worship, and a real glimpse of God’s goodness and faithfulness to our growing family.

It was also a special opportunity for the family to get to know Nich better, and for me to see Jonah thriving and enjoying life. Spending this time together was such a gift, full of connection, celebration, and shared memories that we will treasure.

On top of all that, I even managed to find a wedding dress while shopping with Mum and my sister — a very exciting (and slightly surreal!) highlight of the trip!

Our growing family (Nicholas and Jemimah were on their honeymoon for this shot!)

SEPTEMBER

September marked a big turning point in ministry life — it was a full and exciting month! It began with Word in Song in Canberra with EMU Music, where I taught seminars on Vocal Technique, Song Leading, and Song Selection for Services. I also had the joy of serving as lead vocalist for the day and MC of the event. It was a big day, but such a delight to serve in this way!

Later in the month, I shared my final Sunday at Vine Church before moving with Nich to Moorebank Hammondville Anglican Church, where he serves as a student minister. It has been a blessing to join this new community, though it was bittersweet to leave Vine after so many special years of serving and singing there.

OCTOBER

October was crunch time for college! We had major assignments due across all subjects:

Doctrine: Essay on the Doctrine of Scripture
Church History: Source study on 1 Clement
Ministry & Mission: Preaching workshop on 1 Samuel

To make things more “fun,” I came down sick again and lost about a week to recovery — not ideal timing! But, by God’s grace (and the care of great friends and a loving fiancé), I made it through.

NOVEMBER

We’re now in the final week of classes, heading into exams and assessments galore! Here’s what the next couple of weeks look like:

Nov 10 – Exegetical assignment on Ezekiel 24
Nov 12–13 – Ministry & Mission scenario interview (on managing conflict in ministry)
Nov 14 – New Testament Exam (1 Corinthians in Greek)
Nov 17 – Beginners Hebrew Exam
Nov 18–19 – Doctrine Quiz 4 (Doctrine of Man)

After that, the countdown is on — my family begins arriving on November 26, and then it’s just over a week until the wedding on December 4th! 🧡

Nich and I are feeling so thankful (and a little amazed!) as we look ahead to beginning married life together with just 31 days to go! There’s still a mountain of exams and assignments to get through first, but we’re looking forward to a wonderful summer to rest, recover, and settle into new rhythms as husband and wife.

We’d really appreciate your prayers in these final weeks, for energy, peace, and joy as we prepare. We’re so thankful that my Mum, Dad, and siblings will be coming to Australia for the wedding. Please pray that we can make the most of our time with them during what will be a short and joyfully chaotic visit, knowing it may be at least a year before we see them again.

We’re also grateful for the Marriage Prep sessions we’ve been attending with our minister over the past five weeks. They’ve been rich, grounding, and full of encouragement as we prepare for this next big step together.

We’ll finish up at Moorebank after Christmas before beginning our new ministry placement as a married couple in the new year. We’re also excited to be heading to CMS Summer School in January, a weeklong conference run by the Church Missionary Society. It’s a wonderful time of Bible teaching, global mission updates, and reconnecting with friends before the new year begins.

Please be praying for: