The latest edition to the Hodge family!

The other week, I had the opportunity of heading south to meet little Gideon Richard Hodge. My amazing friend Lizzy gave birth to him on 8th January and her and Tim are getting used to the new life of being parents!

It was great to be able to meet Gideon. He is gorgeous and I had a lovely few days with them all.

The New Flat

Shortly after Sally, Craig and Oakley left, it was time to move flats! With James in our flat and Viv from next door getting married we either needed 2 new flatmates or a new four bedroom house to move to. The second option was the one we went for in the end. We found a brand new 4 bedroom, 3 storey town house to rent. When we looked round, we loved it, applied and got it! We moved in on 19th Feb and after some plumbing issues we are settling in well. I thought i would put on a few pics on here for you all to see.

The Tocknells in Wellington

February saw a visit to Wellington from my little sister, Craig and Oakley! It was lovely seeing them all. Oakley was just over 3 months old when I left so it was lovely to see him now he's 16 months!

We had lots of fun together exploring Wellington. We also made a trip to the south island for a day. It was a long day but lots and lots of fun!

I looked after Oakley for a day and we had lots of fun chasing birds at the beach which seems to be one of his favorite things to do.

It was great catching up with Sally and Craig and having lots of fun together.

Christmas Festivities

I felt as christmassy as.... I'm too confused even to explain how un christmassy I was! The sun was out, everyone was having bbq's and eating strawberries! Yet the bbq's were christmas bbq's! I was very disorganised at buying my christmas presents as in my brain I had months and months to get it all done, it can only be June afterall!

The festivities continued despite my denial though and I got swept along very confused by it all. For lifegroup we got together with the group we split from at the beginning of the year and had a bbq (of course - it's christmas!!!) and did secret santa. It was a really fun evening and during secret santa you got to swap presents (well steal), it was a new and fun way of swapping $5 presents which were never going to be something you always wanted! I had a chocolate fondu set for a while - brilliant, but it got taken in the last few rounds so I ended up with a water gun - still pretty good! :-) I've really enjoyed lifegroup this year and I look forward to the year ahead.

My flat and the flat next door got together for our christmas get together, where we did secret santa, had a lovely meal and then went out for Carols by Candlelight in the basin reserve cricket ground. It was definitely an experience to remember, sat in the middle of the cricket pitch, in summer, singing carols, with santa circling in a helicopter overhead! Crazy!
It was a lovely time with flatmates and friends though.

We also had a work bbq and an office trip out for lunch which were both fun times with collegues. The bbq was also time to say goodbye to James who's off to Canada to study for a year and Karen who's moving on from TSCF.

For christmas itself I have headed down south to spend Christmas with Tim and Lizzy Hodge in Lincoln. I used to work with Lizzy in Gloucester and I have known them for about 5 years and so it has been lovely spending Christmas with them as they are the closest thing to family I have in NZ. Christmas day itself, felt more christmassy then I thought it would as it was overcast and pretty chilly at a cool 19 degrees! I did a full english roast although I forgot the cocktail sausages wrapped in bacon. We watched the queens speech and the vicar of dibley and we even had the fire going for a while!

I got up at 6am on Boxing day to have a webchat with the family in the UK. It was true chaos but lovely to be part of their day. I got to see Jessica walking around and Oakley looking so smart and handsome and Gracie getting to that age of being really excited by what is going on. They are all growing up so fast.

The weather has been fantastic since christmas day and so we have spent a couple of days at the beach. Today is a chill out day at home although I am currently melting in the garden.

My Poor left foot!

Firstly, I broke my left big toe a month ago on my return from Hong Kong and endured a very swollen foot for a few days which was a bit of a pain as I had to wear my jandals (flip flops) in the rain! It has slowly been healing but is still a bit sore on occasion but I thought the drama was over until going away to SLC conference and getting bitten on my left ankle. At first it was just very itchy like any old mosquito bite but it became more and more swollen, hard, hot and itchy! Once back in Wellington I decided to visit the pharmacy (my first port of all nowadays as the doctor costs $58) who informed me that it was quite likely to be a spider bite and probably from a white tail! The biggest thing to look out for was throbbing pain as that indicated a deep rooted infection which would kill all the flesh! Yuck!!!! I was back in my jandals with a very swollen foot. I am back to normal now and did not get an infection - phew! It was all quite exciting really! I'm quite proud of my spider bite which mum didn't quite understand! :o)

The pictures are not from the most swollen day but give you a pretty good idea of what my foot looked like! If you don't like feet then look away now!

SLC 2008

Here are the motley crew from SLC 2008 (most of them anyway!). From the 17th - 23rd November I was at my second student conference of the year with TSCF. I am still learning my way with being involved in organising these events but by God's grace things ran smoothly!

It was a great opportunity for me to build on relationships I had made with students at mid year conference in June and also to meet lots of new students. It was a very tiring week full of har work but also lots of fun as I worked with collegues I don't often get to work with and students who I rarely get to mix with.

I tried to do my work while students were in their sessions and seminars which enabled me to spend some of the free time in the afternoons with students, playing sport, dancing and generally getting to know them better. It was an exciting end to the week when one of the students gave his life to Christ. What a privilage it was to witness the power of God in his life.

I had been told that historically SLC has always had bad weather so I was prepared with lots of warm clothes but as it turned out, we had amazing weather every day and I now know that sun block is an essential addition to the first aid kit!

I am enjoying some time off this week, recovering from the hours put in during the conference but I am very thankful of the job I have.

Hong Kong

After a really good deal on some flights, I took the opportunity to go and see one of my best friends Abi in Hong Kong. Abi moved to HK a couple of months to volunteer for an organisation called Mothers Choice. She works in the nursery of the orphanage looking after 24 babies.

I had such a fantastic time and really enjoyed the chance to chill out and see another new country! It was also fantastic catching up with Abi and spending some quality time with her and her friends.

Hong Kong is a stunning place to visit with so much to see. I was really struck by the smog when I first arrived, it is certainly a contrast to New Zealand air! The humidity was also a big part of being in HK, but to the locals, compared to the summer it was actually quite a dry heat! There were also some interesting smells as I explored HK.

We have such a lot of internation al students in New Zealand, the majority of which are Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian etc) so it was great for me to visit an Asian country and understand more of the Asian culture.

The public transport in HK is fantastic and makes it very easy to get around whether by MTR (underground trains), bus, taxi, tram or walking - I did sooooo much walking.

Hong Kong has so many beautiful beaches, vibrant street markets, great shopping, and fantastic people. It was good fun being around so many people, coming from NZ with a total population of 4 million, I think I shared an MTR ride with about 4 million people during rush hour!!!!! ;o)

Another Tiki Tour

I have recently had lots of comments of the amount of holiday I have been taking lately but I can assure everyone that I am only taking my 20 days of annual leave it just happens to be all together.

I have had Mum and Dad here for the last few weeks which has been lovely and last week we had the chance to go on a bit of a tiki tour round the top of the south island. It was my first time on the Interislander ferry from Wellington to Picton. Thankfully it was a nice calm crossing so it was nice and enjoyable!

Once we arrived in Picton, we went for lunch at a lovely Marlborough vineyard, went to a chocolate factory and enjoyed a lovely scenic lookout.

On Sunday we travelled to Nelson and while Mum and Dad explored the town, I went to the beach and read my book - it was lovely!

Other highlights included an eco tour on Farewell spit, where we saw seals, birds, big sand dunes and the lighthouse at the end. It was amazing

We also enjoyed a boat ride around the Abel Tasman National Reserve and got to see split apple rock.

Dad and I wend Quadbiking in Hanmer Springs which although was very wet, it was brilliant fun power sliding round the muddy corners!

I think the highlight of the week was Whale watching in Kaikoura where we saw 4 whales, 2 pods of dusky dolphins, a seal and lots of different birds including albatross.

Mum and Dad leave in two days, and it has been great seeing them and I have loved showing them my new home, friends and church. I have also enjoyed exploring the country with them.

I feel such a responsibility to show New Zealand off at its best and feel very loyal to it which is strange after such a short amount of time. It is reassuring for me to feel this way and I hope I have done NZ justice in the recent family visits.

Not an Englishmen in New York but an English family in New Zealand!

Apologies for the lack of posts for the last month! I have been pretty busy! My big sister Jenny, her husband Simon and my two nieces Gracie and Jessica arrived in Wellington on the 1st September. I have been anticipating their arrival for most of the year and it's been great having them here. Unsurprisingly they were very tired when they arrived but they all coped amazingly well!

They spent their first week in Wellington enjoying its sights and attractions. I then took a week off work and we travelled around the central north island. We did a lot of driving and covered a lot of miles but we also had loads of fun! A few of the highlights were a rope swing over the river in Wanganui - free and lots of fun! The Gloworm caves in Waitomo - definitley worth seeing even with Jessica screaming for the first few minutes after the instruction for silence, Staying with the wonderful Goolds in Petaruru. A day trip to Rotorua and seeing the boiling mud, hot waterfall and hot spring spa pools! Also sledging on Mt Ruhapehu and watching Jenny and Simon doing a bungee jump.

I am currently sat having gotten the girls bathed and in bed. I am looking after them while Jenny and Simon are away for the weekend skiing. Man, I'm tired. I'm having loads of fun with them and really enjoy having the time with them but it's exhausting!

I can't believe they will be leaving this Friday! It has gone so quickly! I'm dreading the airport but just one week later I will be there meeting Mum and Dad. Yay!

26 or 1?

I got lots of wishes of "Happy first Birthday" on Sunday, meaning my first NZ birthday but much more water has gone under the bridge and I turned 26 on Sunday! I had a lovely birthday weekend with a facial and dinner on the Saturday. On the Sunday I had church where some very good friends of mine were being commissioned before moving to Nepal. I then went back to the flat for a pot luck lunch with lots of people from my church. The girls next door had baked me a birthday cake and I had a lovely afternoon with them. Then in the evening Nyree, Viv, Olivia and myself went out to the ballet to see Romeo and Juliet. It was my first time seeing a ballet and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite not feeling well! I am very glad that i knew the story though, I'm not sure I would have known what was going on if I hadn't! It was another excuse to get dressed up and we had a really great time!
Everyone here made it so special! I couldn't believe how many lovely presents and cards I got from people, it was amazing!

A Black Tie Affair

Nyree invited me out for a fundraising meal on Saturday night. She would pay most of the cost as a birthday present to me. It was a black tie, 4 course dinner! After being so good with food and going to the gym for 3 months now, it was nice to have a bit of a splurge and not worry! It was really fun getting all dressed up. It was lots of fun getting to know people that I don't know that well and the food was really good!

Shane from church was playing guitar and even took requests and then i was very embarrassed when everyone sang happy birthday to me!

Olympics - Scripture Union vs TSCF

Not wanting to miss out on the fun of the Olympics, our office were challenged by SU (who we share a building with) to an epic battle! The events included:

straw javelin - where Liz was our absolute star player thrashing the rest of the field.

sock hockey - the key was knowing the rugby ball behaviour of the rolled up socks.

egg and spoon relay race down and up the stairs - where despite dropping the (hard boiled) egg twice we still managed to finish 1st.

rubber band archery - Ouch! Some of us weren't very well practised at this.

balloon volleyball - It was quite difficult smashing a balloon to the ground as it definitely wanted to float!

Frisbee discus - SU were victorious at this highly skilled event.

table top soccer - which involved blowing a ping pong ball off the other side of the board room table. Fortunately no-one fainted from lack of oxygen.

It was such fun! We even had an independent referee. After a hard slog, TSCF were victorious by just 2 points and we were very pleased to receive our medals and trophy!

Part 1 of a social and cultured week.

On Tuesday night, I had the privelage of being invited to watch Craig Pollock (our national directors son) sing with 700 other school children and an orchestra 80 strong. Craig was brilliant as were all of the children. It was a really fun evening and I spent half the night wanting to learn to play the cello and join an orchestra! I think i'm a bit old for that though! I went with Ailsa (Craig's Mum), Luke and Jamie (Craig's brothers) and Jeni. Unfortunately Nigel couldn't make it as he is in Beijing at the Olympic games.

A Sunday afternoon stroll!

(me with Island Bay behind me)

Saturday was an awful day weather wise but on Sunday it was beautiful. I was sat in the lounge with the front door wide open, sun streaming through, reading the Sunday paper and Raewyn called me and asked if I fancied taking a walk! I had enough time before night church and thought it would be great! Raewyn and I walked through the suburb where I live and walked to the top of a nearby hill which overlooks the coast and the suburb. We walked down a different way and then round the coast back home. It was a really lovely walk and i'm glad raewyn suggested it.

A new member of the TSCF family as another leaves!

Emily used to work in the TSCF office as an administrator. She just recently gave birth to Hamish Ryan Johnston. Huge Congratulations to Mark and Emily! We now have one member of our TSCF office creche although i'm not sure who will supply the next....

On a much sadder note. Liz Watson has now left TSCF as her and her husband Matt move to Nepal in early September! Liz has become a very dear friend over the last 8 months and I will be very sad to see her go! Matt and Liz are an amazing couple and I look forward to hearing their news as they head off on their big adventure!
On Monday, we had a farewell lunch for Liz and little Hamish even made an appearence. We will really miss her at TSCF and I will really miss her as a friend and as a car pooling buddy!

MV Doulos

Constructed in 1914, MV Doulos is the world's oldest active ocean-going passenger ship (same age as The Titanic). During her lengthy career, she has sailed under four distinct names: Medina, Roma, Franca C and Doulos. The ship has been utilised for four very different purposes: freighting goods, transporting emigrants, for cruises, and most recently in her present role as a vessel to bring knowledge, help and hope to the people of the world.

Doulos visits port cities throughout the world, supplying vital literature resources, encouraging inter-cultural understanding, training young people for more effective life and service, promoting greater global awareness, providing practical aid and sharing a message of hope in God wherever there is opportunity.
It is due to be decommissioned and so is undertaking a farewell world tour and was in Wellington for a week earlier in the month! After talking to Dad and finding out that he had been on board the Doulos back in the day (when he was a young(er) person), I was keen to go and have a look. It also has a very cheap book store so decided it was definitely worth a look!

The office decided to go together on a beautiful sunny Wellington winter day!

Lives That Count

The TSCF conference entitled 'Lives that Count: Mission from McDonald's to Mongolia' took place in Auckland from 27th June - 2nd July. It went really well and it was fantastic for me to meet so many students.

The students seemed to really enjoy the mixed program of meetings, seminars, destination world, resource centre, Sunday morning at different churches, a day trip to a temple, islamic centre and mall, lots of recreation and the final night concert!

I was kept busy all week working long days but loved watching the students enjoy themselves and get excited about mission.

One of the highlights of the week was the trip to the three place of worship - A Buddhist Temple, An Islamic centre and A Mall. It was a great chance to see how other people worship, understand them better and therefore sharing the Gospel with them more effectively. It was very obvious at all three places the lack of hope or certainty in there futures wheras I can be certain of my salvation in Jesus Christ! The students seemed to find it beneficial and asked some excellent questions to the staff in each of the centres.

I was ready for home though by the time I got back and enjoyed a couple of days off!

A small Tiki tour to Auckland!

The TSCF mid year conference started in Auckland on 27th June. As there was A LOT of stuff that needed to be transported up there, I decided that it would be a good idea to drive. It also gave me a chance to see some more of the country. So last Thursday, Val and I set off with a heavey laden car for our long drive north. The previous day the desert road (main road north) had been closed for a short while due to snow so we were pleased to find it was open when we needed to drive along it. Normally from the desert road you get fantastic views of Mt Ruapehu but there was too much cloud! I did get to see some snow though!

The remnants of a snowman - most of the snow had melted!

Val and what we could see of the mountain through my car window!

The base of Mt Ruapehu! It is very high - I promise!

We kept driving and made a stop at the Huka falls! Very beautiful rapids which are illegal to Kayak down. They are an amazing colour! Can't wait to take Jenny, Simon and the girls to go and see them.

We then carried on our journey - stopped off at Vals parents for the night and then carried onto to Auckland on Friday morning. Next installment will be about conference!

Completed at Last!

So, at the beginning of March, I decided to start a jigsaw. I fancied a bit of brain activity and thought it would be good to do as the weather got colder and had lazy afternoons in the house. It was much more difficult then I expected, but just before leaving for conference (post to follow) I completed it after nearly 4 months! I had lots of little short bursts and then long breaks as I got frustrated and bored with it but perseverance came through in the end and here it is:

Breakfast in Parliament!

On Thursday Morning, I attended a prayer breakfast in the banquet hall in Parliament. It was organised by the council of Wellington city churches and the chair of the TSCF board, Judge Andrew Becroft was speaking about Jesus affecting how we are in our workplace. He spoke excellently and even mentioned TSCF. About 8 of us from work attended to support Andrew. It was an early start but certainly not anything I ever would have had the chance to do in the UK!

Apparently it's winter!?!

After church this morning, Trudy, Katie and myself went out for lunch at Maranui Cafe in Lyall bay. It has a bay window overlooking the beach and we managed to get a table by the window! It's 16 degrees today, the sun is out and the wind is light - what a stunning Wellington day! I will be very happy if winter stays like this! After a very delicious lunch of avacado, tomato and bacon on 5 grain toast we decided to go for a walk along the beach! Whoever comes to visit me will definitely be taking a trip to Maranui!

Time flying by!

OK, so I apologise for the lack of posts for a couple of weeks. I can't believe I'm already in my sixth month of being here, time is just flying by! I'm trying to think what I've been up to since my last post and I can't say that's it's anything very exciting! Work is very busy at the moment as conference starts in 2 weeks! I'm driving up to Auckland (8 hours) on 26th June and I'm looking forward to the chance of seeing some more of the North Island. We already have 90 odd registrants for conference which is great and it looks like it's going to be a fantastic week!

Winter is slowly going by, I still have the urge to go Christmas shopping. Today has been a stunning day though. My friend Trudy came round and we went out for a lovely walk along the coast. I didn't even need my coat it has been a beautiful day!!! If winter stays like this then I will be very happy!

I have joined the gym!!! I have put on so much weight that I decided enough was enough and I've joined the local council gym! I go 5 times a week and am absolutely loving it. I go straight from work so that I don't get comfy on the sofa. I'm feeling a real difference in myself and I'm looking forward to seeing the results in my clothes!

On Tuesday I went to a public lecture with Dr William Lane Craig - The title of the lecture was 'She'll be right: Do we need God in a self sufficient age?' It was partly organised by TSCF and there was a great turn out. Dr Craig is one of today's leading philosophers and it was a great opportunity to be able to listen to him. It took me back to my sociology days at 6th form which I used to love. It was great to see the turn out and hear the questions at the end. Dr Craig shared some of his testimony of how he came to Christ at the end which just framed the whole lecture. I also felt semi-intelligent attending a public lecture!!!

So I think that is pretty much all my news for the last couple of weeks!

Day Trip to Auckland

Sounds a bit strange doesn't it? Day trip to Auckland!!! but it is actually quite common here! This year's TSCF Student conference is happening at Willow Park Conference Centre on Eastern Beach in Auckland so I headed up there this morning to do a site visit. I am coming down with a cold and very annoying cough so the prospect of getting up at 6.30 this morning was not an attractive one! It is about 1 hours flight up to Auckland from Wellington. It was a stunning day in Auckland and I was picked up by a collegue and taken via another collegues house to Willow Park. The visit was really helpful in my preperations for conference. We then stopped for lunch at a lovely cafe overlooking Eastern Beach:

I was then whizzed back to the airport ready for my 2.45 flight back to Wellington. Whew what an exhausting day!

Autumn in May!!!!!

So it's coming to the end of May and Autumn is definitely here. It feels very strange to see trees looking like this in May! With the dark cold evenings setting in I keep getting the urge to go Christmas shopping! I find it quite confusing to realise that it would be very early! It got me thinking about how much our brains rely on visual signs to determine where we are and what time of year it is. If there is a bank holiday for instance, it confuses me about what day of the week it is! My friend Lizzy, for the first three years of living here started thinking about her birthday as soon as the weather turned colder beacuse it is in September! I don't think I will ever get used to May meaning cold autumn weather and September meaning Spring! I am really glad I live in a place with clear seasons though even if they are the opposite way round.

Which way is North?

I had an interesting conversation the other day. We were talking about what could be causing the headaches I have been having. Somebody suggested that it was because I was upside down. It was then suggested that maybe I was the right way up. We then had a discussion on the fact that space has no top or bottom. Who says North is up and South is down? Maps were initially drawn by Europeans! I found this very confusing! I still do I think! If there is a scientific reason that suggests that the Northern hemisphere is at the top and the southern is at the bottom then please let me know, I would be very interested to hear. Otherwise it is a good reminder to consider a different perspective! Especially of those in the southern hemisphere constantly being told they are upside down! :o) The conversation did put my brain into a bit of a spin though and that definitely didn't help my headache!

Personal Reflections

(left: me 2005, right: me 2008)
I suddenly realised at church this morning that today is exactly 3 years since my world started to unravel and fall apart! When I say 3 years, it hardly feels like anything and yet so much has happened. I started to reflect on where I was then and where God has brought me to now and the two are miles apart not just in terms of physical distance but spiritually and emotionally aswell! I have such a testimony of God's faithfulness and sovereignty.
While I was thinking about this journy that God has taken me on over the last 3 years I was overwhelmed with such a feeling of God bringing me to this city, to this church, to this work and at this time. I am so sure that I am in the right place for this time and involved in the right things and that is so exciting!!!!
In Romans 8 it says:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is my testimony, nothing has or will ever seperate me from the love of God. I'm so excited about what God will do with me here in New Zealand for the time he has brought me here!

A visitor from Cheltenham

It was a lovely surprise a couple of weeks ago to get a message from my friend Beth saying that she would be in NZ and more specifically Wellington for a couple of days!

I used to work with Beth, back in the day of my SHS working life!

We arranged to meet for lunch on Friday. It was so lovely catching up with her! It was quite surreal seeing someone from home though! I got a bit confused about where I was! It was really great to catch up though!

New Staff Training

I decided that it has been a very long time since I blogged about work, so I thought I would tell you about New Staff Traing which we had a couple of weeks ago in a place called Raumati, staying in a house almost on the beach. It was a good chance to get to know people on the team much better and also to learn more about TSCF, the ministry and get some training and input from experienced and wise people. It was good for me as Events manager to get to know possible venues to use and get an idea for catering needs for different amounts of people.

Below is a picture of Andy teaching us a Maori song (with actions):

It was a fantastic week!

Anzac Day

I have just arrived back from the Anzac day dawn parade and I wanted to capture my thoughts and reflections on it before the impact fades.

Anzac day is the New Zealand remembrance day for all who fought in the 2 great wars and other wars since. I have never attended any official remembrance thing before, but with both of my Grandad's passing away this past few months, I decided it would be good to go. I got picked up at 5am this morning to make sure we were there in time for the start. I was amazed at how many people got up at this time to attend the service!

I wasn't prepared for the impact and emotion that this service would have on me. It was extremely moving.

The noise of the canon firing and later the rifles was deafening and was a definite reminder of the horrific scenes faced by our Grandparents generation and service men since.

It was moving to see veterans who played such a huge role ensuring the free society we live in today! It was also striking the amount of effort that goes in every year to make sure we don't forget the sacrifice made for us.

In devotions at work on Wednesday, Raewyn prayed that as we remember the sacrifice made by soldiers for our freedom that we would remember the sacrifice of God's son for the freedom of all mankind. Lest we ever forget that sacrifice - the greatest sacrifice of all!

I don't say this to take away from the memory of people who gave themselves for their nations but to make it all the more poignant by recognising the greatest sacrifice of all!

I think it is very well summed up in the Anzac Statement, particularly the second half:

'At this hour, on this day, Anzac received its baptism of fire and became one of the immortal names in history. We who are gathered here think of the comrades who went out with us to battle but did not return. It is fitting that we should keep this dawn vigil together in remembrance and gratitude. We feel them still near us in spirit. We wish to be worthy of their (/Jesus') great sacrifice. Let us, therefore, once again dedicate ourselves to the service of the ideals for which they (/he) died. As the dawn is even now about to pierce the night, so let their (/his) memory inspire us to work for the coming of the new light in the dark places of the world.'

Lest we forget!

A sailor went to sea sea sea......

...and it turns out, she couldn't see very much at all! I was booked on a whale watching tour from Kaikora in the south Island on Saturday and I was going with Lizzy - my friend who lives in Lincoln which is near Christchurch. So, I decided to fly down and spend the weekend with Lizzy and her husband Tim who are old friends from the UK. I arrived quite late on Friday night due to a pilots strike causing delays. We rang ahead before setting off and we were told that there would be no boat trip out that day due to the severe weather conditions out at sea (summer isn't back anymore). Instead we had a lovely day, out for lunch and then we visited a vineyard, stopped off at a gallery and went for a walk along the beach! I got a bit wetter and colder than anticipated!

Oh dear!!!! I got very wet and very cold - but also laughed a LOT!

This is a picture of Lizzy's favourite road - The southern Alps can be seen.

A Social Weekend

Last weekend was lovely, the summer weather was back (see previous post) and Nyree, James, Viv and I decided to go out for a drink on Saturday night. We went to a really nice bar in town which is a converted boxing gym. There was an open fire with marshmallows to toast, it was a really nice evening.

Then after lunch on the Sunday, Nyree and I went for a great long walk around the coast from where we live. It was a beautiful clear day where we could see the South Island. It was great!

It was one of those moments where I felt very blessed to be living somewhere this beautiful!

Summers Back...............

....Well kind of! It has been a lovely warm super sunny day, but the air did still have a little bit of an autumnal feel as the day went on! It was lovely to be back in a vest top for the day! After a shopping trip with Nyree and Viv to buy a winter coat which I didn't have, I decided to go to the beach to take a few pictures and read my book. It was good fun and was a good opportunity to relax before a busy week next week!

Jandals in the sand - an iconic Kiwi image. I was playing around with my camera, I have put it on here to educate you all in all things Kiwi and Jandals are very Kiwi!

And then here is a picture of me enjoying the sunshine!

I Baked!

Work collegues and neighbours have finally rubbed off on me! The girls next door bake all the time and I felt lots of shame that I couldn't. They regularly bake bread as well! I don't think I will ever be good enough to bake bread but I did manage to make 2 chocolate tarts - my favorite pudding. One for morning coffee at work and one for my flat!I need to work on the presentation, but it tasted pretty good!

Mike Pilavachi in Wellington

I had a bit of a shock at church a couple of weeks ago when they announced that Mike Pilavachi was going to be speaking there on 6th April! Mike from Watford whom I haven't heard speak since I was about 15!!!! Nobody knew who he was or how to say his name, it was very strange!
So he spoke last night and was excellent and extremely funny. He was speaking about how Jesus went to find the one as opposed to the crowds. How it ws usually the one that was an outcast from society that other people didn't want to know. It was very challenging in how we show people how God loves them and how we reach them with the amazing good news of Jesus! It was quite a strange feeling as the only context I had previously heard him in was a UK one so for a moment I was quite confused about what country I was in!
Following on from the Godcast camp it just finished my weekend off and I now have to work out how all of the stuff that was said applies to me!

Godcast 2008

So this last weekend was Godcast 2008 - a young people's camp for 18-30 year olds that my church ran. Nigel Pollock (my boss) was speaking throughout the weekend from the story of Joseph and was very challenging throughout all that he said, in recognising God's sovereignty, his grace and the hope we have in God for the future and how these things should impact on our lives here and now. It was very challenging, and the times of worship were excellent and it was great to have the opportunity of silence and quiet time with God.

We also had a lot of fun with funky chicken dances galore, an afternoon of challenges, quiz's, singstar and lots of fun together. The food was also fantastic all weekend. I met heaps of new people. The weather on Saturday was pretty miserable and so I took a picture of the low cloud covering the hills.

I'm afraid I wasn't very good at taking more pictures than that. It was a great weekend though and I'm really glad I went.

Photography

I had my last photography class last Thursday and we reviewed the images we had taken on our field trip. I decided that I need a lot of practice in manual mode before i'm going to be any good. My tutor said that his friend says that you are only as good as your next photo, so I figure as long as I don't take any, then I will be great! Slightly flawed thory I think. The tutor is a documentary photographer of faith and religious groups and he showed us some of his shots. It lead into some very interesting conversations after the class. He even said that he might be interested in coming along to my church!
I'm so glad I did the course and now I have the basis to build on and get better and better having met some really lovely people at the same time.

Flat trip out for Dinner

On Saturday night, our two flats of 5 girls and a boy got invited to a flat nearby, by 3 blokes from church. I had a bit of a blonde moment as at the bottom of the email inviting us round it said 'bring a plate'. Now being a fairly new blokes flat, i thought they meant bring a plate as they don't have enough crockery for all of us! What it actually meant was bring some food! Oops!!!!!!! I'm just glad I checked with someone before I turned up on the doorstep carrying my empty plate! So Nyree and I decided to make a quiche (it doesn't carry the same Christian stereotype as it does in the UK!) I say Nyree and I made it but I just grated the cheese and courgette and chopped the onion. Nyree made the mix and put it together so a kind of joint effort but all the skill came from Nyree! Anyway, here is our finished product:It tasted yummy. It nearly ended up all over the road as it was carried to the flat but Nyree managed to catch it (which meant putting her hand in the quiche)! Nobody seemed to notice it too much though! It was a fun evening with lots of yummy food and plenty of plates!

Photography Field Trip

Things are finally starting to get clearer. I had my third class last Thursday and we had a look at some images and how they were taken which gave me some visual illustrations of the theory we had learnt.

On Saturday, we met up in civic square (town) for our field trip where we had a list of photo's we needed to take. I still found it quite confusing and don't ask me to take a picture in manual mode in a rush - it just aint gonna happen!

After we finished taking our shots, we met back up to the sound of some Harry Krishna singers which led into some interesting discussions over coffee afterwards!

It was great to get to know some of the people on the course better and I'm feeling a bit sad about this Thursday being the last class!

Easter Sunday on the Beach!

After church on Sunday, Nyree and I decided to go down to the beach for a bit! I think this is the first time I have spent my Easter Sunday afternoon on a beach apart from possibly at Spring Harvest but you wouldn't have sat sunbathing then!

We decided to lay in the sun until we were hot enough to get in the sea! The sea was freezing, but we did both go in and even had a swim around, doing a bit of excercise!

I then cooked the flat a roast for our dinner, I demostrated Dad's speciality of crispy roast poptatoes and Mum's speciality of honey roasted parsnips and carrots. It was a great day!

Proof! Nyree and me!

Wellington Zoo

I decided to go to Wellington Zoo today and have a look around! It is pretty close to my house so I thought I would take a look. I had been told that I probably wouldn't see any Kiwi birds as they are nochturnal but I was told on arrival that they were due to start a talk about Tahi, the one legged kiwi! He was caught in a trap that was left to get possums and as a result had to have his leg amputated. He has had so many procedures and operations done to him, he is quite used to being up in the day so they bring him out very day. He was pretty cool!

I then saw Shaun, the Sun Bear, he was pretty impressive. The keeper had just put some food around his enclose and then let him out. He was very striking and enjoyed a good feed.

It was a very pleasant wander round seeing lions, tigers, cheetah, zebra, ostrich, wallaby, kangaroo, baboon, giraffe, wild dog (and their half eaten lunch!)

This is all good research of things to do when people come to visit me!

Skippy and co.

Easter

This weekend is Easter weekend and I wanted to take a moment to recognise why we celebrate easter and to remember that God sent his only son to die on the cross and then rise again so that we don't have to live under the judgement of our own sin.
Matthew 27 vs 45-54:

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

Matthew 28 vs 1-11:

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

Happy Easter everyone!

Photography

I have enrolled on a photography course! I have a digital SLR camera and I have absolutely no idea how to use it! So, last Thursday at 5.30pm I attended my first of 5 sessions. Last week we learnt about shutter speeds - what they do and why, apeture settings, what they do and why and how apeture and shutter speeds work together. We also learnt about ISO/ASA settings and we did a bit on exposure. It was really interesting and a lot of it made sense when you look at the different aspects in isolation. When you have to put them all together, it becomes a bit more confusing! At 7.30pm, I left with some serious brain ache!
I decided to take my new found knowledge and practice at the cricket, I didn't last very long in manual mode! I got what I needed to do, just didn't do it very well! Automatic was much easier to make sure I caught the action shots that I wanted.
Last night I attended week two! We had a quick re-cap from last week and then spent the 2 hours looking at metering. Apparently my camera has 3 different settings for metering which made sense to me, it also made sense to me that the camera works out the exposure on a grey scale but when putting it together and trying to work out when I come to take a photo: what kind of photo I want to achieve, what part of the scene do I want the camera to use to metre from, are there any strong areas of black or white which I will need to compenste for? What is the lighting like and therefore what ISO setting do I need to use? what depth of field am I trying to get in the shot and therefore what apeture setting do I use and finally what shutter speed do I need after all of that to achieve the correct exposure, is not so easy to get. To add to that, the order in which these things are thought about can be swapped around depending on what kind of photo i'm trying to achieve.
Again, I left with serious brain ache! Practice will make perfect though and I'm sure I will get to the point where I can think about all of the above in about 5 seconds rather than 5 hours!

Test Cricket at The Basin - part 2

I apologise for the two part post but it was getting late and the pictures take ages to upload! I'm afraid I can't really remember what cricket happened on what day! I do know that England won despite some very bad fielding mistakes. I also know that I loved every minute of being at the basin even if the cricket wasn't the most exciting in the world! I will leave you with some of my photo's!

The Slips! KP himself!

The crowd at the basin. It was absolutely packed on the Saturday! We arrived at the ground at about 9.30 to save our space on the bank which is not very Kiwi and felt very strange not to just think 'she'll be right' (which is a fairly common kiw thought) and turn up at 10.30 for start of play!
The barmy army were at the far end of this picture and they definitely made themselves heard! They had some good chants and songs and probably made England feel like they were playing at home.

At lunch they let people onto the outfield which you would never see happen in England! I went down a took a picture of the wicket!

Monty bowling, we had a few wicket maidens, sidebottom himself, and some batting action.

Below is the winning moment on Monday morning!

Test Cricket at The Basin! - Part 1

The English cricket team have been in town and it has been great watching them. The TSCF office is literally just down the road from the Basin Reserve! From Thursday to Monday, every spare moment was spent watching the cricket! Lunch times were spent at the ground, after work. On Friday, my supervisor said I could go down in the morning and watch Ambrose get his century! Saturday and Sunday were spent with Tim and Lizzy and other friends watching the cricket. The weather was fantastic on Saturday and it stayed dry on the Sunday (I went to night church instead of morning church). The five day ticket cost less than 25 pounds! What a fantastic way to spend your weekend. It was a strange feeling getting to work todayand not plugging my headphones into the radio!

A Little Taste of Home

My lovely flatmates clubbed together and Nyree went to a shop called 'Cool Britannia' which imports and sells lots of English goodies that you can't get over here. The picture is of the things they got me. They also got me a Thorntons bar of chocolate but i've eaten that! Thanks guys! It was really thoughtful and meant heaps!
You wouldn't really think that PG tips would taste that different to tea here but I made myself a mug of tea and it was familiar, it tasted of home. It doesn't even start to make up for not having all of my friends and family around, but it was lovely to have a little taste of home!

Staglands Reserve

After a pretty rough week, Jen and I decided to head out for the day and spent the morning at Staglands nature reserve which is in Upper Hutt about 50 minuites out of Wellington. It is home to a wide variety of ducks, birds, parrots, pigs, donkeys, goat, deer, a horse and some guinea pigs! It also had an Old Bush Settlement. We both had a bag of feed to ensure our popularity with the animals. The ducks are certainly well rehearsed and know that the people wandering round are extremely likely to have food! I think next time I will go, I will not wear jandals so that i'm not so paranoid about my feet getting pecked.
After making our way through all the ducks, we arrived at the Kune Kune Kainga which is a unique NZ breed of pig! There must be a funny caption to go with this pic of the very ugly pig. He was quite a bully of the other smaller pig in the pen!

We made our way round the track passing through the Kea Gully(A Kea being a rare mountain parrot), the donkey stables, a trout pond, the toe toe avery and accros the river on a swing bridge.









We had a bit of a laugh at the recreation of an abandoned Akatarawa settlement, as we had a drink in the bar and ended up in jail.

















Then of course were the goats, horse and deer! After enjoying lunch in the cafe we made our way to the shopping mall and had an afternoon of retail therapy - I didn't buy any shoes though!!!!!!!

Ana vs Anna

People keep mistaking me for someone else. They keep thinking that i'm someone called Ana (long a at the beginning). I have no idea who she is! Seriously, I don't know how to say my name in an English accent without people thinking I am called Ana. I can't say it in a Kiwi accent without sounding like i'm taking the micky. I might resort to wearing a name badge, I have once introduced myself: 'Hi, I'm Anna, A-N-N-A.' Any suggestions are welcome!

Flatties!

Here they are! My new Flatties, Nyree and James! I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and sharing lots of fun times together.

Aqua Jogging

Today, Val and I discovered the joy of aqua jogging. Apparently it is as good a work out as a jog but not so stressful on your body. We collapsed into fits of giggles on several occasions as we felt quite silly but we soon discovered that it was actually quite hard work! I can thoroughly recommend it as a fun work out. The pictures are not of me!!!!

The Office Crew

This picture was taken last week at morning coffee which we have every wednesday for devotions and prayer time.

From the left and round the table is: Raewyn, James, me, Gina, Jen, Ben, Emily, Karen, Liz and Val! Nigel, our National Director was unfortunately missing for this photo! We now have a bigger table as this one is too small for so many people!

Beautiful, Beautiful Wellington

1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Psalm 19 vs 1

Last night, I decided to head to the top of Mt Vic in Wellington with my new camera to take some pics of Wellington and the sunset. I don't think I was expecting quite such a beautiful sunset. I feel very blessed to be living in such a beautiful city with very clear evidence of the above verse. Isn't God spectacular!

New Staff Orientation

Ok, So this week has been a pretty tiring, helpful and busy week with new staff orientation traning. I have worked 12 hour days from Monday to Thursday. Monday to wednesday was for the new staff from overseas where we had a lot of cultural training. We looked at the treaty of Waitangi (when the Maori's signed a treaty with the Brits) and all the cultural ramifications from that. We learnt some Maori and also a bit about some of their history and beliefs. On Tuesday lunch time, we went out for Yum Cha which is kind of a chinese version of Tapas. I feel I was very adventorous trying chicken feet! All I can say is NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!!

Wednesday mornign started with Val (head of student ministries) winding up the cultural section before we had a time of prayer. She played us a song called 'Welcome Home' by Dave Dobbyn - a famous Kiwi singer who became a Christian a few years ago. The words to the song were as follows:

tonight I am feeling for you

under the state of a strange land

you have sacrificed much to be here

'there but for grace...' as I offer my hand

welcome home, i bid you welcome, i bid you welcome

welcome home from the bottom of my heart

out here on the edge

the empire is fading by the day

and the world is so weary in war

maybe we'll find that new way

so welcome home, see i made a space for you now

welcome home from the bottom of our heart

welcome home from the bottom of our hearts

keep it coming now - keep it coming now

you'll find most of us here with our hearts wide open

keep it coming now - keep it coming now

keep it coming now - keep it coming now

There's a woman with her hands trembling - haere mai

and she sings with a mountain's memory - haere mai

there's a cloud the full length of these isles

just playing chase with the sun

and it's black and it's white and it's wild

all the colours are one

so welcome home, i bid you welcome, i bid you welcome

welcome home from the bottom of our hearts

welcome home, see i made a space for you now

welcome home from the bottom of our hearts

from the bottom of our hearts

It was quite a big moment for me, recognising that i was genuinely welcome here and accepted. I look forward to embracing some of the differences in culture and enjoying some similarities. Missing family and friends whilst knowing I am in the place God has called me for now.

The rest of the week we were joined by the new staff who were either kiwi or had lived here a long time. We looked at fundraising which was helpful and our roles together with TSCF. It was such a helpful week and with Monday and Tuesday off work I have time to recover physically, reflect and relax.

My New Place

So today - Sat 9th Feb was my moving day from Keith and Raewyns house (see earlier post from June for a picture), into my new house just down the road. In true Anna style, I have managed to shif all my stuff, unpack and go to a wedding all in one day! I'm so grateful to Keith and Raewyn for their hospitality but am also looking forward to settling into a more permanent living arrangement. My new House

My room - still a few bits to sort!

Another part of my room.

Pictures of my new housemates will follow as long as they let me take a picture!!! ;o)

Visa at last

I have my work visa in my passport!!!! It's such a relief to have this! It has meant that having returned from conference I was able to have my first week in the office! This also means that I have a job title - Personnel Officer and Events Manager! This week I have a new staff orientation conference in Wellington and then after that I will be busy learning about what my new role will involve in more detail and really get stuck in with the office and supporting the field staff of TSCF.

Me at my desk in the TSCF office!

Grandad Seaton

I would like to take this opportunity to say goodbye to my Grandad Seaton who passed away yesterday.
It has been really nice to have him close in Milton Keynes and have the chance to spend some quality time with him.
This picture is of him with his newest great grandaughter jessica at Christmas.
I am so pleased that he made a commitment to Jesus just over a week ago. I pray that he enjoys eternity getting to know his maker.
Goodbye Grandad, you were very much loved.

NZI Sevens World series

The sevens is a truly unique experience which I was very fortunate to get to see. The tournament sold out within 25 minutes of the tickets being released. James and I were very kindly invited along by the Pollock family and so were right at the front in the family area which meant we got to meet most of the players from most of the teams on their way round. England won the bowl which is the third competition (cup, plate, bowl and shield) which means we weren't great but at least we won something.









The atmosphere was amazing, it seems to be tradition that everyone dresses up and I think it is fair to say that some of the costumes were truly inspired and some people just didn't look in the mirror before leaving. Unfortunately as I was away at conference, I didn't plan an outfit very well and my England shirt is somewhere on a boat on the way to NZ so I had to where my all blacks shirt.













New Zealand won the cup and the noise was incredible when they
won, it makes me wonder what it would be like to be at the final of the world cup in 2011 in NZ if they won! I think the following picture would go towards explaining some of the crowds excitement!

Journey home from conference

We took a fairly long winded way back to Wellington from Nelson and drove 8 hours down to Christchurch airport from which we flew back to Wellington. It was a good chance to spend some time with Tim and Lizzy. We had lunch by one of the Nelson lakes which was beautiful although we got surrounded by ducks. We aslo stopped at the hot pools for a quick soak and then visited the oldest liscensed pub in NZ for some tea.

Staff and families conference

So, from Monday to Friday this week, I have been down in the south island near Nelson for the TSCF staff and Families conference. It's a great time with all off the TSCF staff nationally and their wives and children. The week was fairly structured with meetings all morning, the afternoons were free and tehn we met again in the evenings. It was a great chance for me to get to know other staff members and their families. The afternoons were good fun with lots of activities to have a go at. I went swimming in the pool and the lake, kayacking in the lake, went down the large water slide into the lake, across the lake on a flying fox and finally on a high ropes course up in the trees - I think I can honestly say that I have never been so scared in all my life!!! I'm not really sure why I agreed to do it, I think it was a weakness in the area of peer pressure but when I know that i'm scared of heights, it probably wasn't a very sensible choice. Although I do have a sense of achievement from finishing it, I did not enjoy a single moment and never want to do anything like it again.

Grandad Cook

I would like to pay tribute to my Grandad Cook who passed away this week. He was a wonderful man who served God faithfully through his life as a Baptist minister and he will be missed very much, especially by his family. This picture was taken just a couple of weeks before I left the UK. I'm very sad that I can't make the funeral and wish I could be with family at this time, but I would like to pay my respects to my Grandad who has now gone to be with his saviour! May he be very much at peace.

Fun

As you can tell from my previous post, I have been very busy getting things set up, but I have had some time for some fun aswell. James and I went to see some of the NZ Vs Bangledesh test match in Wellinton the other weekend. It was a bit one sided but good fun none the less!

I have also had the chance to take some nice evening walks round the bay where I live and have seen some nice sunsets:

Then on Monday here it was a bank holiday so James and I took quite a long drive round the coast and then walked for about an hour to see a seal colony, we didn't expect to see any seals but managed to get very close to one which was pretty cool! My legs ached the next day but it was a lovely walk.

Getting Started

So, I've been here two and a half weeks now and I have started to get myself sorted out with practicle things. One of the first things on my list to buy was a car! You definately need one living round here. Trade me (NZ equivalent to ebay) sells everthing and I mean everything - people sell their houses on trade me and this is where I got my car. For those who are interested its a 1996 Toyota Rav 4, 2ltr, 3dr, 4wd in a burgendy colour. For those just interested in how it looks, here's a picture:

The picture was taken just a couple of minutes round the coast from where I live!

I have also submitted my visa application which I should here about soon and I have also found a place to rent! (Pictures and more details to follow soon).

I move into the new place on 9/10th Feb and so have had to get a few bits to go in there like a computer which I'm typing on now (from trade me), a desk to put my computer on (from trade me), and a bed to sleep in (bet you can't guess where I got it from!) ;o)

I have Kiwi bank accounts set up ready for my salary to go in to. So as you can tell, I'm pretty much set up fpr the next little while.

The Beginning of a New Chapter

And so, here it begins! I have arrived in Wellington for my next adventure in life! I can't believe time has gone so quickly and I am here!
It has been a while since my last post and lots has happened what with my house going through, leaving parties, new family members arriving, Christmas, finishing work and another visit from James, it has been pretty busy and I won't bore you with the details. Now, after a very tearful couple of days in MK saying goodbye to people, I am here!
The journey here went pretty smoothly after a slight issue at check in where I was told I had to buy a return ticket to be allowed on the flight! I will be able to get it refunded but it was a bit traumatic at the time as I was trying to deal with saying goodbye. I got on the flight though and had no other problems and arrived in Wellington at 9am on Saturday 5th January!
It was a lovely sunny day! I am now on day 3 and am having to start on practicalities like buying a car which I am having fun looking for! I have my medical for my visa on Wednesday so all my forms need to be filled in for that!
I thought it would feel like I was on holiday for the first few weeks and so i'd have a bit of a buffer before I started missing people but it doesn't feel like holiday at all, it feels like this is it for now and I am missing everyone a lot.
The weather is not so good today and should only get up to about 22 degrees! ;o) It is very windy and I am very quickly learning that my hair is going to be knotty all the time!
I am looking forward to seeing what happens next and I will keep you all posted!

Another overdue update

What would I do without the Hodges' prompts? Sorry about the large gap between posts again!!! Time is moving on extremely quickly and things aren't as sorted as I thought they would be! My house still hasn't gone through which is frustrating as it eats up all my money which I need to be saving!!! Support raising is definately a challenge and an excercise in faith where God is constantly reminding me that he is in control.
My visa is also an ongoing project of waiting at the moment to see what immigration have to say about TSCF employing me!
Things are moving forward. I swing between extreme excitement and then fear and sadness at leaving my friends and family. It is definately an emotional rollercoaster!
I am looking forward to the future and seeing what God has for me round the corner.

Overdue Update

I have been very kindly prompted that I promised updates on my continuing journey and have not kept that promise. So I apologise and hope this update makes up for the lack of blogs for the last month or so.
I have been busy since my return from Wellington. I have sold my house and am waiting for contracts to exchange in the next couple of weeks. Once that goes through, I will be back living with Mum and Dad while I save.
Visa's have been quite a complicated process but I am trying to engage some kiwi attitude and remain relaxed and calm about it. :o) (some days this works and others it doesn't)
Time seems to be passing extremely quickly which is very scary and I feel like I have so much to do.
I promise to try and do another post soon!

Home

I can't believe i'm home already! What an amazing month I've had! It was a bit strange to arrive in L.A before i'd even left Wellington but other than that the journey went well. Oh and apart from the whole 1 hour of sitting on the runway at heathrow because there was no space for the plane! It was really hard saying goodbye to the people I have gotton to know this month and if you're reading this then thank you for making my month so awesome! (as you guys would say).
If you're thinking that you are sad because you won't be able to read my blog anymore then fear not! I am going to continue with this blog so that you can all keep informed on this journey of mine.

Winding Down

I found myself with some free time on Friday afternoon so Liz and I (Liz works for TSCF) decided to take a walk to the beach. It was a really good chance to get to know each other some more and also look and some more great scenerary!

Conference

I'm at conference this week which is extremely cold!!! I have met a lot of James'students which has been good. It has been an adjustment to be around students. It has been non-stop all week helping out with registration and general stuff, It is great fun though. The theme of the week is Eternity and in the morning sessions we are studying 1 Thessalonians and in the evenings we are looking at Theology for life: Engaging secular institutions. Although i'm not able to sit through all the sessions, what I have been in has been really good. Today (Thursday) has been an interesting day as we had a 3rd world lunch today. There were 20 specially selected people who enjoyed a table with as much food as they wanted with bread and fruit and the staff were serving them, while the other 100ish students were sat on the floor with rice and cabbage. It was interesting to see their reactions!
I am slowly winding down now ready to leave tomorrow!

Mid Winter Christmas

On Sunday (24th June) we had a mid-winter Christmas celebration as it was the equivalent of Christmas eve or so we decided! There were 9 of us there and although we didn't have a Christmas dinner, we had crackers and christmas music and games. It was great fun!

A visit from the south!

Tim and Lizzy came to visit for the weekend! They flew up from Christchurch on Friday evening and it was great to see them. We had a very nice, relaxed evening on Friday. I cooked lamb chops with roast potatoes, honey roasted parsnip and carrots and broccoli. It was really yummy! On Saturday,we went for coffee in town. As you can see from the photo, the boys were feeling very sociable:

We then wandered into town and did a bit of shopping including buying me some thermals ready for camp this week - Yes! I now own two pairs of long johns!!!!

We stopped off for lunch at an Irish pub which wasn't very Irish!

and then went for a lovely drive round the coast!

I then subjected everyone to 'The Holiday' but they didn't seem to mind! ;o)

It was great to spend time with them.

Week 3!

I can't believe I'm in my third week already!

On Monday I attended my second week of Christianity explored - the discussion group that James' church is doing for non-Christians to come and find out more about God and Christianity. It went really well and it was great to be part of the prayer group. It was a really encouraging evening.

Last night we went to my last home group before coming home. It was a really great night. It is so great as a Christian that you can go anywhere in the world and just be accepted in as family. James' church have really made me feel accepted and a part of what's going on.

Things are getting a lot chillier now, I was sat at my desk this morning with my scarf and gloves on!

I forgot to include a picture on my last post demonstrating the extent of the rugby mania in NZ so thought I would include it on this one :o)

YES!!! It is actually counting down the hours to the world cup! There are also 3 other boards for days, minutes and seconds!!! I think I would definitely fit in living here!

Auckland

This weekend James and I went to Auckland to visit some of James' friends. We flew up on Friday afternoon and spent a bit of time with the family.

On Saturday, we took the ferry into town which took about 40 mins. There were some great views of the city as we got closer.

Auckland is the only city in the world to be built on a volcano fault line so from the top of the sky tower you are able to see 48 volcanoes!!!!!

Once in Auckland, we went straight to the sky tower which you can go to 220m to look at views of the city. It was a beautiful sunny day so we knew the views would be good! They were stunning!

There was a walkway with glass panels in the floor so that you could see down to the street below you which was slightly unnerving! We then decided to have lunch in 'The Orbit' restaurent in the tower which rotates as you eat so that you can see 360 degree views of Auckland. I had pan fried snapper with sauteed potatoes, chorizo and a tomato relish/sauce thing. It was amazing!!!!! I then hand a selection of handcrafted chocolates. mmmm mmm mmm! It was a great treat!

We then did a bit of shopping and met up with a friend of James before going back to where we were staying. Once back, the 8 of us went out for a chinese which was freezing(not the food) but good!

The Shudall's (who we were staying with) go to a Baptist church and we attended their morning meeting on Sunday. They were having a baptism during the service which was great! It was quite different to a UK Baptist church but denominations here are generally less defined than they are in the UK.

We flew back to Wellington in the afternoon and went to the evening service at 'The Street' - James' church. It was good to see the difference between their morning and evening service. The night service is much more studenty.

It was a great weekend and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Time passing quickly

I can't believe it is Thursday on my second week! As I look ahead to my plans over the next two weeks, time just seems to be passing too quickly!
The days in the office are really helping me to understand TSCF better which is really helpful. Tuesday night was James homegroup again whuch was really good as it was the second time i'd been so it wasn't all new people, I had met most of them before.
Last night James and I went to dinner at James and Nicky's - a couple who are leaders in James church. It was a really enjoyable evening and great to get to know people better.

Christianity Explored

I have now started into a more solid routine now that I am helping out in the TSCF office which is going well although probably not as exciting for you all to read about!
Last night, I went to Christianity Explored at James' church which he is helping to lead. It is a little bit like alpha/Y course and basically goes through the gospel of Mark in about 10 weeks with discussion groups and DVD clips etc... It went really well and it was great to be involved in.

An All Blacks Birthday!

James got me tickets to go and watch the All Blacks play France on Saturday night!!! What a great present!!!!! The atmosphere was brilliant! The game was a bit one sided but I thoroughly enjoyed it none the less.

Went to church on Sunday morning which was really great. I felt so welcomed. The service was great and after not having a Sunday last week, it was good to be back in church. It was pretty similar to Kings church really only on a much larger scale.

Making New Friends

James had the day off work yesterday (Friday) which was nice as we could do some fun things together. We decided to go to the cinema and watch 'Shrek the Third' which we both really enjoyed. The cinema we went to was brilliant. It's very small(3 screens). You buy your coffee and go into the screen and it is basically rows of sofas, so it's really comfortable and cosy. There was just James and I, two mums and their kids in the cinema so it wasn't really very crowded!
In the evening we went for a lovely meal with some very close friends of James - Bryce and Olivia. Bryce is responsible for the Pentecostal Shimmy as mentioned in an earlier post. It was a really enjoyable evening and it's great to be making new friends.
It has taken me a bit longer to get over my jet lag this time. Thursday evening I was struggling to stay awake thinking it was 10pm ish but when i looked at the clock is was only 7.45!!!!!!! I am much better now though!

Moving House

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, it has been a quiet couple of days. As the title might suggest, I moved yesterday from Nigel and Ailsa's to Raewyn and Keith's. I have put a picture on of their house so that you can all see where i'm staying.

Pentecostal Shimmy

I had a really good day on Tueday, with quite a lazy morning. I then did a bit of exploring, getting the train into Wellington and then walking around and I got a bus! It was good to get into the heart of the city, using public transport. You might be wondering about the title of this blog, I was initiated into James church home group last night with the pentecostal shimmy (just a bit of fun), it was all very entertaining! They put on a Kiwi pudding evening for we and it was a really great evening where I met lots of great people.
I didn't sleep so well last night waking up at 2.30am but am feeling ok!

I've arrived!

Welcome to my first blog from New Zealand! The travelling went very smoothly overall and I arrived safe and well yesterday morning with all my luggage in my posession! I don't feel too jet lagged today having gone to bed at 8.40pm last night and sleeping solidly for 11 hours!
The weather yesterday was beautiful, sunny and warm and James and I spent the day walking round a small town visiting a couple of vinyards. It was a lovely day even though I was tired beyond tired!!!
It's 11am here and the weather isn't looking so good today. It is going to take some time to get used to no central heating!
I apologise for not putting any pictures on this post and will endeavor to put some up soon but I am still sorting myself out!

Welcome to my blog!

I have decided to keep a blog as I head off to New Zealand for a month. It is my way of keeping in touch with everyone and let you all know what's happening. So keep reading and enjoy!