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!