Orientation Trip

We were told the first week of Bible school that we were going somewhere for orientation. We weren't told where we were going but we knew it would overnight and that it would be fun. We found out on Wednesday that we were going to the Adventure Bible School (ABS) Lodge just about 20 mins away.

Here's a picture of the lodge and the view you get from where we started our hike. It was so nice out. I can't believe it's winter here. It feels more like awesome fall weather. The weather is really spuratic though. If you're out in the sun it's nice and warm but as soon as the sun goes behind a cloud it gets cold.

We got there in the afternoon on Thursday and got going right away. First thing on the list was a hike to a waterfall nearby. We were told we'd get wet so it would be smart to bring 2 pairs of shoes and sure enough my boots were soaked by the end of it. We got muddy and our feet got wet because we had to walk through ice cold streams to get there. It was so much fun!

At one part we had to cross over water (not really deep at all) by going one at a time over this log. It was intense but once you crossed it, you kind of look back and think "why was I scarred of that?" I'm the second one crossing in the picture.

Once we got to the waterfall we took lots of pictures and sang a worship song. There's something different and special about singing songs about God's amazing creation while standing in the middle of it. Peter Thomas (our principal) prayed and then we headed back. As we went along we stayed with our family groups which was nice. I was just talking to Michelle today about how crazy it is that we've only known each other for a couple weeks because it feels like we've known each other for years. I really appreciate the support God has put around me here because homesickness set in a bit this week.

Here's a picture of me and Leah on a rock by the waterfall. She's from Florida but grew up in Jordan and Ethiopia because her parents are missionaries. She is so funny and always getting people to do crazy stuff. When she was back home she was a cheerleader so one the things we do in our spare time is learn how to stunt from her. It's absolutely hysterical, especially when some of the skinny guys want to do them.

Once we got back to the lodge we had some devotion time where one of the teachers shared a Bible verse and their thoughts on it. We're memorizing Ephesians 2:1-10 and it's also our semester verses so that's the passage in the Bible they spoke on. I was talking to some people in the van on the way to the lodge and was telling them verses that might help them with what they are going through. It made me really thankful that my Bible study back home memorized verses. It's not only nice to encourage others with it but it's also nice to recite them to yourself when you need to be reminded of how awesome God is. I think God has a plan for me to be able to disciple some girls here and I'm really excited about it. They are so eager to learn and grow and crack me up.

The second day at the lodge we broke up into family groups and each planned an obstacle course type thing. Then each family had to go through all the courses and see who could score the most points at each one. Our group did really well and actually won! It was a lot of fun and most of the courses had to do with team work so I feel like our family group is getting closer each week. After lunch we planned soccer for a little bit and then headed back to school. I really like playing soccer. This past week I went Monday and Wednesday night to play. People load up into vans and go to a local school's gym where we play on teams of about 4. It's a lot of running around and I haven't quite gotten use to the indoor playing but it's fun.

Thanks for all your prayers! I really appreciate them and this week I've missed home the most. Next week we start into our bible study assignments and stuff which will be good but a lot of work. The first one we're working on is 1 Timothy 2:1-7.

Prayer Request:

- Praise for God opening up doors to help mentor some girls

- Praise for the quickness of close community thats happened

- Prayer for our car. It's not the nicest thing in the world so just that it would run and that the Warranty of Fitness wouldn't be a lot of money.

- Prayer for continued safety and wellness as I go on another hike tomorrow to a different waterfall and some people are sick.

Karangahake Gorge & Waihi Beach Trip

On the Saturday after our first week at school we took at trip to the Karangahake Gorge, the Waihi Beach and Waihi Hot Pools. It was amazing.

The hike we took in the Gorge was really easy and since everyone was super excited to be on our first nature outing we stopped for pictures every 15 minutes I think. The scenery kind of reminded me of the Buffalo River trip I took last summer. It had a pretty river and green trees all around and all bluffs. As we would walk along the path we went into some caves which was really cool. Our teacher had us turn off all our headlamps and flashlights so it would be pitch black. We would hold onto the shoulders of the person in front of us but we still ran into the walls a little. We could see glow worms in the cave which was incredible. The caves were once used as mines so there were tracks on the ground and places we could see the old carts.

When we stopped for lunch Mirjam and I sat by the water and just soaked in the beauty of the water going over the rocks and listening to the birds in the distance. I'm always in awe of how creative God is. When you look at the huge nature scene it's beautiful but it's also just as amazing looking at the little details of things like flowers and glow worms. It was nice to have time to breathe.

Here's a picture of my rommmates and a guy named Carlos. Carlos wasn't supposed to be in the picture but he snuck in at the last minute. From left to right is Esther, myself, Mirjam and Carlos.

On our way to the next stop we were having fun in the vans and Frank decided to stick his head out the window. Frank is always cracking everyone up so this is pretty typical behavior. He, Michelle and myself all three now own the car Michelle and I bought.

Michelle leaves for Adventure Bible School in October so it's good that Frank and I and some other bible school friends can travel on our summer break. Here's a car owner photo of the three of us.

Our next stop was Waihi Beach. It was stunning. The beach went on and on towards one side and on the other side there was this cliff covered in trees. We decided to get in even though the water was freezing! We didn't stay in long and were ready to head to the Hot Pools just a few minutes away. They are called hot pools because the water under the ground is naturally heated due to volcanos under ground. The place we went was like a motel looking place with two pools. It was super relaxing and I think we all could have spent the rest of the day there.

We also stopped by this gold mine in Waihi. It was cool to see how the trucks go down into the giant hole in the ground. Again, it gave us a chance to take tons of pictures.

Once we got back to school we were pretty tired but all of us who went agreed it was worth it!

Bible School thoughts

Well, I officially completed my first week of Bible School. It was pretty fun meeting all the new people and joking around. The classes didn't really pick up until the very end of the week and mostly likely won't really start until next. This week was full of orientation stuff. It was hard to hear all the boundries and new rules I live under but I know God has put me in this place for my good and for his purpose. (Romans 8:28) It will just take some adjusting. The weather has been gorgeous lately. I barely believe it's winter. It feels more like our early fall.

We all have "family groups" which are our small groups and we met for the first time this week. My family leaders are Hayden (my family dad and Hermeneutics teacher) and Sheryl (my family aunt and assistant cook here). I love my group. There's 5 total students and then the 2 teachers in it. Hayden is super smart but also has a really dry sense of humor so he's fun to talk to and Sheryl is really sweet and from the south island. We went over to Hayden's house Thursday night and started the night out playing a game called Piggys. You basically just roll these tiny pig figures made out of plastic and depending on how they land you get so many points. You can have your points canceled out if you roll a certain way so the trick is knowing when to "bank" your points and when to keep rolling. I won by shear luck since I had to clue what I was doing.

When we were leaving we were all laughing about different parts of the night. One of the funny parts was when Hayden was waving to us as Sheryl was reversing out of his drive way we all of a sudden we hear this loud "THUD" and realize we hit something. When we pulled forward we see Hayden's mailbox hanging by a thread! Sheryl felt so bad and we knew Hayden was never going to let her live that one down. He was a good sport about it and we all cracked up the whole way back to school.

I've gotten to know some of the other girls here this week and I think everyone here has an amazing story. I was told by an Austrailian girl that I have an awesome accent. She said it's one of her favorites :) Apparently it's the way I say "and" that's so funny.

School's first impressions

I started Bible School yesterday. I've met lots of people from all over. There are a lot of Canadians. Also there are Kiwis, Americans, a couple Germans and a few British. My first impression is that it's like a retreat center our college group has gone to before but with a more scenic view than Iowa.

The first day was a blur. I got picked up by a shuttle at my hostel in the late morning because it was running late. We picked up a few other girls along the way and got to school around 2pm. When we arrived, we found out who we would be rooming with and in my room there is a German girl named Mirjam (pronounced Miriam) and a Kiwi named Esther. They are both really sweet and Mirjam is only one year younger than I am so I don't feel like such a geezer. I know God put us together for this semester for a reason and it's a blessing to be with such awesome girls. Normally there are 4 to a room but this semester they have really small numbers (only 33 students) we just have 3 to a room. That also means we'll most likely be a close knit group by the end of 5 months.

The second day was mostly orientation and going over the rules. Michelle and I drove into town with another guy here named Kyle to get our car registered. There were a few screams from Michelle and I as we cautiously drove on the other side of the road but made it there ok and got the name of owner changed over. It was quite an experience!

The food here is amazing. We have lots of veggies and fruit and other yummy dishes they make for us. I love having morning tea break where we get tea, coffee or hot cocoa and then usually some type of cookie or treat. We won't really get into the swing of things until next week.

I feel blessed and overwhelmed that God has let me come here. I think I'll learn a lot and it's a neat experience to take such a break in life to listen to God and see what His calling on my life is. I'm sure it will be challenging to live with everyone but in a good way. I feel like I've already learned so much. This is just the icing on the cake. I also appreciate all your prayers and support SO much! Thank you thank you thank you for praying for me!

Prayer Request:

- Pray for discernment for what insurance to get for our car

- Pray for continued motivation to get up and run with a group of girls

- Praise for our car working and great roommates!

Last day in Auckland

My last day of Auckland was Sunday so I started the day by going to Auckland Baptist Tabernacle. It was a nice service. They had 2 services going on at the same time, one for internationals and one for people who understand english easily. There were quite a variety of ethnicity which was cool to see.

Then a british friend (Aaron) that I met at the hostel and I went for a walk up to Mount Eden in Auckland. I guess Auckland has about 40 something dormant volcanos and this was one of them. It wasn't very high but the view was incredible.

Here is one of the views of the top of Mount Eden. It was so green and the sky was super clear so it was the perfect day for it.

Here's another view. This is looking toward Sky Tower in the CBD. That was the area I mostly walked around while in Auckland.

Another view and the classic "proof I was there shot".

When we walked back we went a random way and came across this duck pond. It was really pretty with the fountains. We also went by some soccer fields where people were playing soccer and rugby.

Once we got back we got some stuff at the local grocery store and Aaron made me and his roommate so yummy chili followed by tea and biscuits (cookies). I finished off the night with a movie in one of the lounges with a Aaron (British) and German girl and a Finland guy. Quite a multinational night.

Auckland day 3

Here's the front of the hostel I'm staying at. It's nice and quaint. The window on the right looks into the lounge which is where I spent most of day 2 in Auckland. It was down pouring most of the day and even though Emily (hostel roommate) and I made it out and about for a little while it was lovely to just sit with a great book and hot tea and relax for the rest of the day. But today the weather was looking more promising so I decided to explore Auckland a little more on my own.

I woke up pretty early today and had some great quite time with God this morning. I began doing a study on 1 John chapter 1. Even though it was only over the first 4 verses, it reminded me how big God is and how all things were made by Him. I love starting my day reading the Bible and praying. It gives me chance to give God my schedule and let Him lead the day.

First stop was at a coffee shop for a Flat White (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_white) and time to look at my map from a book Gabe gave me when we saw each other. It had a walking tour of Auckland so I modified it a bit and headed out.

Ok these two buildings crack me up. The top is an Asian grocery store that looks nothing like the picture on the side of the building. I do love how they use chalkboards to write the specials, a lot of grocery stores do that. The second is also funny. I'm sure Kiwis walk by and shake their heads at the stereotypical sheep, llamas and scenic landscape.

I then went to the Auckland Art Gallery. It was pretty cool. I love art galleries, especially when I go by myself. I totally lose track of time because I get absorbed in the art. I like to examine the painting to get a feel for how the artist made the art. I was also able to stop in some other smaller galleries nearby, which were cool.

Next was Albert Park. It had a variety of plants and statues. It's located by the University so I saw lots of people walking in the park and sitting on benches eating their lunch.

The center of the park had a beautiful fountain. Here is a lady sitting and feeding the birds, straight Mary Poppins style.

The park had these ENORMOUS trees. They reminded me of the trees in the Rainforest at the Henry Doorly Zoo. The branches were as thick as most tree trunks.

Then off to the Harbor. It was really nice to go by the water. It was the first time I really felt like I was in another country. With the city and all the shops, it kind of feels like I'm just on vacation (or holiday as the Kiwis say) in the states.

These clouds were amazing. The sky looked so big and then with the water it was just glorious. God is so stinking creative. I love when I get to stop and appreciate his creativity. I was so thankful that He stalled the rain while I was out by the Harbor.

My lunch at the Harbor. It consisted of water, peanut butter and bread. I know you're jealous ;)

But this was the view that I had while eating my lunch. I could see the massive rain cloud coming in and really far in the distance you could see it raining. It rained a little today on the way back to the hostel but thanks to my sweet rain jacket (thank you Nick for helping me get it) and my water proof computer bag that I used as a purse it was no big deal. I also got an umbrella yesterday at the NZ Mission store for $3 NZD.

By the time I got to this hill I walk up to get to Queens street, the skies were clear and I took this picture of the CBD, Central Business District with the Harbor off in the distance.

All in all it was a wonderful day.

Praise and Prayer Request

- Continued prayer for new roommates at my hostel since the two I had left today

- Prayer that I make great friends at Bible School

- Prayer that I would be able to have good internet to connect with people back home at Bible School

Auckland day 1

When I got to my hostel another girl is in my room and she is from North Carolina. Her name is Emily and we decided to take on Auckland together. We went to the grocery store, window shopping on Queens Street and then ended the night at a comedy club, apparently the only one in New Zealand.

When we got back from Queens Street I had a wonderful surprise waiting at my hostel for me; Gabe and Evan from CCC! Gabe's been in NZ for school for a while and Evan was here visiting him. They joined us for the comedy club and Evan basically got heckled the entire time. The comic below heckled us the most but was pretty funny so we didn't get too offended :)

Here's a fun story. Emily and I went to a vintage store on Queens Street and I found a Husker sweatshirt! The guy who owns the store is originally from Texas and most of the shirts were from the states.

I made it!

yes this is me looking super awesome after 28 hours of traveling. I had a long layover in LAX, but I found a spot in a food court area with wifi and an outlet, so I was good.

Flying from LA to NZ felt like forever. I tried to watch a few movies but always fell asleep after the first 10 mins. The biggest complaint that I have is my shoulder kills from carrying my duffel bag around. Other than that (which really isn't bad once I took some advil) everything went super smooth. I know SO many people were praying for me and it kind of overwhelmed me at times. It means the world to me that we were all joining in prayer for my safety and that things would work out. I always get nervous about my luggage getting to my destination when I travel so when I saw my bag, I almost started jumping up and down. (I didn't because of the whole exhausted from traveling thing). Jesus gets all the credit for getting me here because I'm clueless when it comes to traveling.

It's chilly here (it's their winter) but it's nice and sunny and I'm looking forward to exploring Auckland the next couple days. School starts on Monday so that's when I head to the campus in Cambridge. New Zealand accents are amazing. I could just sit and listen to them all day... but then I would look like creeper so I probably won't.

here's some reference for where I am and where I'll be.

let the adventure begin.....

Leaving tomorrow

Whoa. I can't believe it's here. I officially fly out of Omaha at 9:50 am Tuesday.

It's been an emotional roller coaster as I've said goodbye to some of my favorite people. Here are some pics of me and friends that I'll be missing the next 8 months.

My amazing family. Thanks to jordanwilliamgreen.com for making the fam look good :)

My grandpa. Yes, he is the cutest thing in the whole world. When I was a baby I wouldn't sleep unless he was holding me when my grandparents would babysit me. Ever since then, we always say we're pretty well bonded.

My bestest friends Meisha and Angie. I could write paragraphs about both of them and how much they mean to me.

The Communications Team at Christ Community Church. Here's Robert, myself and Greg. I have been super spoiled with working at CCC as the graphic designer for the last 3 years.

If you have a second check out Robert's blog at http://ramhatter.blogspot.com

Here's me and Kelly who is the receptionist at CCC. The joke at CCC was that my second office was at Kelly's desk because I stopped by and chatted with her everyday.

Hope Center staff. If you want to volunteer and make a difference in North Omaha and hang out with some pretty amazing kids, you should check out The Hope Center. www.hopecenterforkids.com

My roommates. Jenny, myself and Anna have lived together for the last year and it has been so much fun. They are the sweetest, godliest girls and I love how many amazing memories I have from living together.

Miss Kelley. When we first met I stuck my foot in my mouth and the outlook for our friendship looked pretty grim but luckily we ended up being great friends and I will miss her a lot.

Here's me and my friends from a prayer group I was lucky enough to be a part of. The top picture of Eloise, a godly woman who is the sweetest thing in the world and 100% devoted to Jesus. Linda is a friend and a mentor I've known from the very beginning of my journey with God and faith. She and her husband Jack are like my second parents. And lastly, Susie. Susie is super funny but also has with a soft heart and sincere love for people. I have learned so much from them and am so blessed to call them friends

I could keep going and going and going but it's late and I have a plane to catch.

Prayer Request:

- Safe travels

- My luggage arrives in New Zealand (on time)

- That God would go before me and direct my path all the way to my hostel in NZ