A Day of Firsts

I had a few small adventures today, and I've coined it a day of firsts because, for the first time, I got to ride the mass transportation railway in Welly. It was fun, probably more because of its novelty than anything else, but the ride through the foggy mountainous hills was a blast despite the fact that it was quick, bumpy, and loud.


I also set up my New Zealand Bank account today and did laundry for the first time. Electricity is really expensive here, so it is much more cost effective to hang laundry out to dry, especially since it's summer and the weather is so nice right now! We still haven't found a flat, but we are going to viewings, sending emails, and even praying about finding another female roommate so that we can maybe afford a bigger place. Apparently flat-hunting is a professional sport here, but Sarah and I are working hard and praying harder! Thanks for all of the prayers, and I will keep you updated on our situation.

Staff Conference Highlights

Overall, I had an amazing time at staff conference, and I thought I'd point out a few highlights of the week.

1. The Community: I met the 50 staff from all over the country who are working on campuses and sharing their faith. It was such an encouragement to know that there are others who are laboring alongside me, even if we aren't in the same city. At the same time, it was so different from US conferences I have been to. "The laborers are few but the harvest is plenty". We are trusting the Lord to raise up student laborers so that we can have an even bigger impact in people's lives.It was such a small community of people from many age ranges, countries like the US, NZ, South Africa, Singapore, China, and Canada, and walks of life. It is an honour to be welcomed into this community!

2. The Message: We studied the book of Philippians, and our theme was "Joy on the Journey", with lessons about everything from being content in all circumstances, to perseverance, to really reflecting on about my joy being in Christ and not in the things of this world. It was convicting and exciting at the same time.

3. The Location: We stayed at a Christian camp on the Eastern Beach of Auckland. The curtains were pastel florals straight out of the 80's. But the real joy was being able to run along the beach every morning, or look up to the sky and see the Southern Cross constellation from atop a cliff at night. The camp we stayed at even had kayaks that we took out into the ocean towards the rockface you see in the picture. It was beautiful.

4. The Culture: It was my first time in NZ spending time with Kiwis, and I got introduced to some of the slang like "I'm keen for taking a walk on the beach" or " That movie was sweet as!" or "cheers, mate", and "good on ya!". Not only that but we had tea time twice a day, and the toilet flushers have options to flush either half (for 'wee') or full (for 'poo'). I'll give more culture updates as I get more and more acquainted with NZ!

5. The Atmosphere: Aside from being around people who are passionately seeking to serve God, the biggest highlight was probably the memories we made. I really enjoyed bonding with my teammates, playing team building games, tug-o-war, three-legged races, and making up songs about graham crackers and peanut butter during our free time. In all reality, the best part was being able to spend some intimate time with the Lord, reflecting on finding joy in Him, and having the relaxed reflection time to really pray hard for the upcoming year and the challenging adventure that lies ahead!

Off to staff conference!

Just so you all know, tomorrow morning I am headed up to Aukland for staff conference, and I won't have much internet access, but expect a full report when I get back in a week!

Bye!

My first days here!

Wow. I'm in Wellington, and I was unaware of how gorgeous this city is. When I step outside I smell and array of wildflowers, and everywhere I look I see lush green hills with houses perched precariously on the slopes. It's such a colorful, eclectic city! I spent my first day fighting jet lag, walking the city, and meeting up with some of the students who are here around during the summer. They even let me sit in on their action group (aka Bible study)! The students I have met so far are so wonderful, I am pumped to spend the year with them!

My teammates (who I am living with until we get a flat down in the city) live in a suburb called Ngaio (pronounced naye-oh). Josh and Jill Felix, their two sons Isaac (4) and Hudson (2) and then my other teammate Sarah (future flatmate) have been helping me get accustomed to NZ life. Saying things like "chippies" instead of chips, introducing me to their favorite soda, "L &P", and showing me how to get to the market (literally, we hiked through ta gorge to get there)!

Soon we will be setting up a bank account, then on Thursday we go to Auckland for a staff conference where we will plan for the year ahead. More to come later, and there are photos on facebook of my first few days!

Second leg of the Journey

This morning I left Indianapolis for Denver, arrived safely in Denver and connected to San Francisco. I am here on the west coast for my 8 hour layover and anxiously awaiting the 13 hour flight to Auckland!

Follow me across the world!

The first leg of my journey has been wonderful. I got to spend two precious hours in the car with my mother and sister. We stopped in Indianapolis where my friends threw a joint birthday celebration for Kimi and Meg and 'bon voyage' party for me. It was such an unexpected treat; we feasted, laughed, made goofy faces, hugged, and I even made a new friend.

Next stop--4:30 am, Indianapolis airport for my 6:30 flight to Denver

Then from Denver I am off to San Fransisco, to Auckland, to Wellington... getting closer every moment!

Struggle towards Joy

I have felt so loved in the past few days.I'm not just talking about all of the free food that I've been given this week, but it helps. Really, it is in all those that have pressed on while I have been unsure of when or how or where the support was going to come in. It is from all of the wonderful people who have continued to pray for this ministry and my journey to New Zealand, all of my friends and even acquaintances who continually ask me how support is going and how I am doing. I take all of you with me!

I am all packed, although I may have to rearrange some things. The only difficulty I have now is saying goodbye to the wonderful people that the Lord has literally placed in my life these past few months. I have had so many unexpected friendships and true, deep connections with people that I have only recently met. I came to Cincinnati thinking that I had failed, and I am leaving realizing that failure is exactly what I needed to feel. It forced me to rely on the Lord, to find joy even when I couldn't feel valuable by my own effort.

And now a dream is realized. I leave for the Land of the Long White Cloud at 6:30 am this Saturday. It's only beginning!

Four Days until Departure!

Thanks to your continued prayers and support, I will be departing for New Zealand this Friday, January 15th. This means that I will arrive in time for our staff conference where we will be planning and preparing for the school year ahead. Praise the Lord!

Leaving soon!

After lots of prayers, hard work, encouragement, and countless hours logged at Panera I am finally able to say with full confidence that I am leaving for New Zealand within a week! That means that I will make it in time for our staff conference! Praise the Lord!

Right now I am talking with BCD Travel to find inexpensive flights but I will let you know my departure date as soon as I find out!

The stunning group to your right is my small faith group here in Cincinnati. They have been such an encouragement and a wonderful group to get to know. I'll miss them, but I am excited to see how the Lord uses them to teach each other to walk in His ways.

To Be CONTINUED...