November 18-24

Marla's in New Zealand! She arrived in Wellington on Wednesday and is staying with us until next Friday! It has been a really fun week having one of my best friends from university around again!

So Monday and Tuesday Ken and I spent a lot of time in the office getting things done so we could take Wednesday off and enjoy Wellington with Marla. Tuesday evening I played music with the Tuesday team (they are playing on the 30th which is a big Christmas/Advent kick-off outreach event and their keyboardist isn't available so I am playing for her). It was really fun to play with a different group. Then right after practice, Ken set up the church for the "round table discussion" Adult Education study on secularism. We had a lower turnout with just under 20 attendees, but the discussions were very lively and I think everyone walked away with a better understanding of New Zealand's second most popular belief (secularism, which comprises atheism, agnosticism, humanism...).

Wednesday was a busy day - we left early and took a different route to Wellington, going through Upper and Lower Hutts. We also stopped at a really yum chocolate shop...wow. However, because of our longer drive, we were a few minutes (well, almost an hour!!) late to pick up Marla! But it didn't matter - we had a great afternoon wandering around Wellington. We went to our favorite brew spot (Mac's), took the trolley up to rose gardens, and had a nice look at the Bee Hive. On the drive home, we stopped at the beach at sunset to look for Paua shells and found quite a few!

Welcome to NZ Marla!

Taking the trolley up to the gardens

Sweet Love

Marla and I hanging out in Narnia

The Bee Hive

Enjoying some good food and beer to end the day in Welly

Finding Paua shells

Sunset over the Tasman

Thursday we went in to work and let Marla get some jet lag rest. That afternoon I took her on the grand tour of Palmerston North! It was nice to have the whole afternoon and evening hanging out with Marla as Ken was busy with work (and a PLT/Directors meeting). I haven't had some good one on one time with another chick for a while, so it was much needed. :)

Friday we went to the beach and enjoyed a sunny afternoon...although leaving proved difficult as our car got stuck in the sand!!! That's the first time that has happened to us! But thankfully, two beach bum guys came over to help us push the car out! Thanks! That evening we helped Ken at youth night (they were studying one of the Flight of the Concords songs which was appropriate for Marla as she got to study a New Zealand song). After youth we went home and watched Eagle Vs Shark to give her an appreciation of New Zealand movies. It was super fun and we painted our nails too. Ken made us yummy snacks and we had some fejoia liquor. Good times.

Enjoying the beach

Saturday morning we slept in and then made chocolate chip pancakes before heading over to the Islamic Centre for an adult education field trip. It was an opportunity to learn first-hand about the Islamic religion. There was a great turnout of about 20 adults from our church and one down the road. That evening was the Thanksgiving dinner at the church (had nothing to do with American thanksgiving) to celebrate all the different ministries going on in the Manawatu Parish. Marla helped lead the songs with me singing which was really fun (someone asked if all my friends sing! haha...)

Ken introducing the Thanksgiving Service

Marla and I leading music

Thanking God for His abundant Love and Gifts was the theme

Sunday Marla sang with my team again and then we went to the Speights Ale House with Jen and Sam for lunch. Then we went on a hike to show Marla some New Zealand bush. On the way back, we stopped at the turbine wind farms. Then we had some of my pizza before calling it a night.

A Minnesota Sandwich (with Arizona in the middle)

The whole gang - Sam, Jen, Ken, Marla, Pepper and myself

The turbines

Monday we lounged a bit and did some souvenir shopping.It's been a super busy week so far so we though it was important to have a much needed relax day!

November 11-17

Well, this was the last week Pastor Rob Strelan was here in the Manawatu. We enjoyed a nice cuppa in the Esplanade on Tuesday afternoon together as our final "get-to-gether." Although as sad as everyone is to say goodbye and be pastor-less for the Advent season, spirits are high as we anticipate the coming of Pastor Lee in January! Yeay, a full time "real" pastor for the parish! Ken and I laugh about our time here as we have never worked with so many pastors before coming here (seeing as how we had 3 interim pastors, Pastor Greg, and Pastor Rob Erickson the national president/pastor)! But it's been good experience.

Tuesday was a fun but busy day - it began in the morning with Ken leading the devotion for our office. Then we went to a bbq with other youth workers in the city and then headed over to the park to have tea with Pastor Rob. After that we took Pepper to her first vet visit since we've had her - she did really well and seems to be all healthy! That evening we learned about Buddhism from a Christian who finished up a PhD in Buddhist studies. It was really neat to learn about the religion from a uniquely Christian vantage point (especially learning how John 3.16 means little to nothing to Buddhists...but that's a whole other blog!)

The bbq

The feast!

Gardens in full bloom at the Esplanade

Pastor Rob and Irene Strelan

Pepper's vet visit


Wednesday I visited Daina and had a nice cup of coffee with her. It was good to catch up as she has been super busy lately and unable to be a part of much at church. This was Ken's first Wednesday being done teaching - it was a bit odd, as we only went to the college to drop off his grading!

Friday night youth went really well - they studied the "gummy bear" song and played lots of gummy bear games (I think some of the youth went home sick because of how many gummy bears they ate! haha...) I spent the evening helping Jen pick out different things for her new house that her and Sam are renting out.

Saturday morning Ken and I went over bright and early to help Jen and Sam move their stuff - their new house is awesome! I love the wood floors. We enjoyed a bit of lunch at a garden cafe next door to their home. That afternoon Ken and I got a lot of Christmas shopping done - woohoo! Now we just have to get them in the mail...

Ken helping move Jen and Sam's stuff

Their new home

I love the kitchen

Enjoying some lunch after all that moving

Sunday we went to the early 9am service and met another American who is visiting her kids who now live here. It's amazing how many Americans we've met who have kids who have permanently moved to New Zealand! Although I see the perks - the nice working hours, the holiday breaks, the relaxed atmosphere...all things that Ken and I will really miss! The rest of Sunday was absolutely gorgeous - Ken went on a 13 mile run (basically a half-marathon) and I went sunbathing for a bit in the backyard while the clothes dried. We enjoyed a yummy bbq of kebabs that night for dinner.

Some pretty flowers Ken surprised me with

Pepper enjoying her day off too

The view from my kitchen

Our yummy kebabs

Ken the master griller

Monday was a work day - our friend Marla from the states comes to visit on Wednesday so we are taking that day off to hang out in Wellington (that's where she flies in). So we worked on Monday instead.

We've been super busy this week with our fundraising letters! We've mailed off well over 100...please keep us in prayer as we seek to raise $6100 for our 16 months in South Africa where we will be volunteering with the Themba Trust. It is a huge leap of faith, but we believe God will provide. But your prayers are very much welcomed!

November 4 - 10

This week it really dawned on us that we've been in New Zealand for over a year - as we prepared for the activities of this week, we remembered doing them last year and felt very much at ease as we got everything together. For example, the youth celebrated Guy Fawkes at Rick and Kerri's on Friday night, just like we did last year. As Ken got the food together and organized rides for the kids, he remembered how it all went last year and felt very comfortable planning it again this year. For me, I created invitations for members in the church to hand out to friends for the November 30th Pre-Christmas service (it will kick off the advent service as we prepare for Christmas) - since I helped plan and prepare for this event last year, it was a breeze making the invitations and planning the service again for this year. Just as we are beginning to get comfortable in our roles, we're going to be leaving!

Because of all the changes in the office with staff there hasn't been a weekly Bible study/prayer time with everyone for a few months. However, Pastor Rob encouraged us to begin meeting again, so this past Tuesday morning I led the devotion. It's a great way to start the week off with Vicki, Ken, Pastor, and myself in the Word. Then Ken and I ran to get a new Starbucks coffee (and we got one for Vicki) - the Christmas season kinds have come out! Yum! (although I do miss the Thanksgiving pumpkin pie spice - they don't have that one in New Zealand).

Tuesday evening a PhD student came from Massey to teach the adult education study about Maori pre-contact religion. It was fascinating to learn about the Maori creation account and how their religion ties in to their everyday lives. Ken and I really hit it off with the presenter and he asked if we would like to go get a beer sometime next weekend and talk some more! He was very impressed with the church and it's members, opening their doors to a non-Christian to learn more about their religion. So it not only was a great way for the people of St. Luke's to learn more about a common religion in New Zealand, but it also was a great witness to the presenter on Christian love and willingness to learn about others instead of just condemning others.

Wednesday Ken taught his last BCNZ course and now is officially done as a "professor." It was a great two semesters, but Ken will enjoy having his mondays free again instead of always having to prep for class. Wednesday evening we had music practice - the team is pretty much just a mini-youth team now. It's been neat to watch and hear them grow over the past year - I believe Jude Nelson is going to step in to lead the team next year. That will be good for the youth that are involved in this team that desire to learn to play music together as a team to continue in that endeavor.

Friday was Guy Fawkes which went really well! 30 people attended the event (including youth and families) and the evening was clear and crisp, great for the bonfire and fireworks! Saturday was another beautiful sunny day, so Ken and I went to the A&P show in Feilding - sooo much fun! (as can be attested to by the pictures below). We had Trinity music practice that afternoon and some musicians from St. Luke's came over to help out which will be really great as we transition out, hopefully some other musicians will transition in to continue having "live" music there once a month. I know our new pastor coming in January plays guitar, so maybe he would like to help out for that service too! That night Ken hung out with Johnny and Morgan, two other youth workers in the city he met through the youth workers network meetings. They had a great time playing video games and being guys!

Ken with some of the youth who didn't want to play soccer:

Ken with the other youth who did want to play soccer!

Guy Fawkes bonfire before:

After:

Fireworks!

And sparklers!

A&P Show Animals

A&P Shows:

Yes, that is a small dog on the back of a small horse!

A&P Food!

Sunday was a busy day with church in the morning and evening (for Trinity). In between these services though we went for a 1.5 hour long walk at the river with Jen and Sam (they brought Anna for the walk too, which Pepper loved). It was good to catch up with them, enjoy the sunshine, and watch the dogs play in the river.

Today we're just busy cleaning house, trimming bushes, and just chillin' on our day off.

October 28-November 3

We're in a new month again! This past week flew by as it was filled with preparation for confirmation and All Saints Sunday (both of which took place on Sunday the 2nd November). But before we go into details about the busy, festive weekend, let's take a quick peek at what else we were up to this week.

Tuesday Ken was busy getting things ready for the adult Bible study - this month we will be studying the most common religions in New Zealand. So Tuesday night we took a look at why it's important to study religions, and then how exactly to study religions. We used Christianity as an example of how to study religions since it also proved to be a great review of our own faith. Then we looked at some Christian variants (ie Mormons, Jehovah's Witness, etc...) It should be a great few weeks of study as we are purely looking at these religions to learn more about them, not to create apologetics against them. It is important as these other religions grow in New Zealand that Christians learn more about them not to attack them, but instead to be able to understand them as well as interact with them as friends and neighbors (because isn't that what Jesus asks us to do when he says to love your neighbors - there is no stipulation as to what kind of neighbors they have to be to be loved). So over the next few weeks there will be guest speakers coming in to teach on Islam, Buddhism, Maori pre-contact religions, and secularism (which will be a round table discussion as to if this is even a religion). Should be good stuff! Close to thirty folks came Tuesday night, which is the best turn-out for the Adult studies yet.

Wednesday Ken taught his second to last BNZ class! As much as he loves the course and teaching, it will be nice after next week when it's over so we can have more time on saturdays and mondays to go tramping now that the weather is getting nicer. That afternoon we enjoyed a nice lunch with the seniors of the congregation. There were quite a few more this year than last, so that's a good thing (I think!) That evening I led our music team - we learned a few news songs together (which is always good fun as well as a challenge). And Jen is back from her world travels, so it's good to have her voice in our group again. In fact, our group is finally it's full size after two months of people traveling/missing. So that feels great. I also spent most of Wenesday making final preparations for the Advent Sunday services coming up next month - I am really excited to see how the monologues for the Advent wreath go as well as the new song that the congregation will learn by Parachute called One Day.

Friday (Happy Halloween!) I met with one of the lay preachers to discuss the 30th November "outreach" service. It is going to be a "pre-Christmas" kick-off (as it is the first Sunday in Advent) and we planned out the readings and what he would be preaching on. Our interim pastor will be gone by then, but the service outline looks great! Jen and I are going to teach the Sonshine kids the song "This Little Light of Mine" with flashlights to click on and off for that service for them to sing for everyone (fits great with the Advent theme of Light). That evening Ken led the youth in their first of five Remix studies (where they take a modern song and study it from a Christian/Biblical perspective). The youth all seemed to enjoy it and they had a good time on their candy hunt - there was candy hidden all over the church for them to find. I stayed home to give out candy, but only five kids walked by...on the other side of the road!!!! So I ended up eating the candy (not all of it!)

Saturday was spent buying food and preparing for the confirmation evening - all the confirmands were coming at 6pm for a special family dinner (that I was cooking! yikes!) and then at 7pm they were to share with their families and anyone else who wanted to come from the congregation their statements of faith. About 30 people came to support them in their statements of faith and stayed to enjoy a cuppa. We ended up getting home a little after 9pm just to turn around and head to the local watering hole to relax and watch the Bledisloe Cup (All Blacks vs Australian Wallabies and we won!!!) Good times.

The food for Sat evening's dinner

Chef Ellie busy at work

Ken set up/decorated the tables

Ken introducing the evening

Catherine wrote a song for her statement of faith

Sam gave a speech and answered questions

Amanda and Rachel used this picture of falling backwards blindfolded to explain faith

Fabian gave a speech about his faith

Mitchel added in a new verse to Psalm 23 and played it with his Uncle from Christchurch

All the confirmands receiving a Bible from the parish chairman Paul Argyle

Enjoying a cuppa after the celebration of faith

Sunday morning was All Saints Sunday as well as Confirmation Sunday. The two events fit perfectly together as we remembered those who have passed away in the faith, and celebrated those who were today confirming their faith. The service went wonderfully and then we headed out to the Nelson's for lunch. The sunshine was out so we enjoyed it all afternoon on their porch before heading home at 5pm. Then we took Pepper on a nice long walk by the river to enjoy the late afternoon sunshine as well. Ah, springtime! That night we watched the movie Hotel Rwanda...wow, what a shocking film! I highly recommend you watch it if you haven't. It's important that this story be told.

Confirmation Sunday

Enjoying the sunshine that afternoon

Pepper and Ken getting ready to race...on your marks, get set...

...Go!

Pepper and I in a tree

Today, Monday, Ken took some time to read and relax as well as prepare for his last BNZ class. Plus he had a 12 mile run. I cooked up some yummy chocolate chip pancakes with boysenberries for breakfast and we made some surf n turf for dinner (shrimpies and steak - yum!) So it's been a great day of relaxation, especially after the busy weekend we had.

Some good news - Ken and I learned that Ken's Uncle Rick has offered to purchase our round-trip tickets to South Africa! What a blessing! So we are moving forward with that planning. We are also beginning our visa process - lots of paperwork and medical stuff we have to get moving on. At church we found out that we have a pastor coming in January! He has just graduated from seminary and will be moving here with his wife, son and a baby-to-come in April! The church is just ecstatic about it. We are glad that there will be someone to shepherd the place once we leave in early Feb.

So thanks for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. We are incredibly thankful for your support!