Today is a day to reflect on the life of Norene Bond and celebrate the 72 years she has been associated with the missionary organisation called SIM, or Sudan Interior Mission, as it was previously known.  Norene meant so much to all of us in SIM, and many have expressed to me on hearing of Norene’s passing how beautiful she was both inside and out.

To Norene’s family, we share in your loss and extend our heartfelt condolences.  We are grateful to God for her, and she is missed by us all.

At the age of 22, Norene and her fiancé, Bruce, stood before the SIM Council and heard that they had been accepted for missionary service in Ethiopia.  With a step of faith, the engaged couple set about learning all they could about Ethiopia, and it became clearer what their ministry there would be.  They had been accepted to help run a leprosarium 240 kilometres south of the capital, Addis Ababa.  Norene, with her teaching background, was to start a school for the leprosy patients, and Bruce was to establish an agriculture and rehabilitation programme.

Bruce left New Zealand alone by ship in 1954, and Norene followed a year later in February 1955.  This was the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with the people of Ethiopia, people who came from all walks of life.  Bruce and Norene were equally at ease with the destitute outside the SIM office gates in Addis Ababa as they were with the highest of dignitaries. They were loved, honoured and appreciated by all who came in contact with them.

In the late 1980s, Bruce and Norene were involved in a big project at Kuriftu.  The Ethiopian government had remarkably given the Kale Heywet Church a unique piece of undeveloped land.  The purpose was to build a facility for children who were victims of war.  The Bonds’ years of experience in Ethiopia, together with their ability to envision the future, produced amazing results. Bruce and Norene had faith to believe and worked hard to achieve the goal of establishing the Kuriftu Children’s Centre. I remember Norene talking about living in a container home, and I could only imagine the innovation she would have implemented to make it work for them.

In an End-of-term review from June 1991, Norene described her main ministry during the past term as being involved in hospitality and that she had cared for over 1000 guests in the first year at Kuriftu.  She also looked after the general health care of the workers and supervised the handwork for the girls.  Norene definitely had the gift of hospitality and accepted it willingly as part of her ministry.  She rose to every occasion and knock on the door, with a genuine love and care for people.

1991 brought a big change to Norene and Bruce’s ministry when they were called into SIM leadership in Addis Ababa.  Bruce assumed responsibilities as the acting Director for two years and then accepted another two years as Director.  This also involved Norene, as she was called on to do administrative work in the office.  She was amazing in the way she handled the stressful job of administration in challenging conditions.

We need to remember that these were the days of faxes; e-mails had not been heard of yet.  The faxes Norene would try to send would often not be successful on the first attempt to put through, and she would have to try again later.  All faxes had to be noted and charged to the right person’s account, and there were hundreds of phone and fax charges that were made.  Norene was most thankful when Sylvia Yandal, a fellow Kiwi, arrived in Ethiopia to relieve her in the office. She wanted to have more time to use her gift of hospitality.

Norene was an amazing help to Bruce during the years he was in leadership in Ethiopia.  Working into the evening became the norm for them, and there were many stressful situations to deal with.  It was Norene who provided the encouragement and stability that Bruce needed so he could focus on his tasks.  The Lord blessed those leadership years in Addis Ababa, and many advancements were made, both in SIM and in the Kale Heywet church relationships.

Returning to NZ in 1994 didn’t mean the end of Bruce and Norene’s involvement with SIM. They remained connected to their adopted land of Ethiopia and were faithful in their prayer support for the mission and for SIM missionaries.  Bruce and Norene, in turn, are remembered by SIM workers around the world.  I regularly run into someone who has either worked with them or who tells me how effective they were in Ethiopia.

I will close with a few personal reflections.  Norene was a great encourager to the SIM missionaries during the 15 years that Bruce was SIM Director in NZ.  She would have us for meals, offer us a bed in their home and genuinely want to know how we were doing.  Thank you to Steve, David, Becky and Phil, who graciously accepted the many guests that were hosted in the Bond home on Minerva terrace in Howick.  We felt cared for and loved by all that Norene did for us.

Something that has left a lasting impression on me was Norene’s abiding faith.  She had a deep, enduring conviction and trust in God despite any challenges that came her way.  I enjoyed the prayer times we had together and knew her to be a woman of faith and a great role model.

We are grateful for Norene’s life and celebrate her lasting influence in SIM.  Thank you, Norene, for your passion for missions and your love for people.