Unpacking
I worked all day yesterday, unpacking boxes, organizing, putting things away, etc. etc. etc.....but the scary thing is that most of our house doesn't look any different than it did 24 hours ago. There are still boxes everywhere! Now to my credit, there are now more empty ones than full ones - but to the casusl observer, it is hard to differentiate between the two. Also to my credit, Taylor's room is almost done - I even got out some of the "pretty things" last night to add the finishing touches. Our bathroom also looks way better - it's amazing what a few red towels and a candle can do! Pictures to follow.....
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
In case you're wondering, it can be done....
I packed, well, quite a few Yankee Candles in our container. I love Yankee Candles - in fact, they were one of the things in our container that I was looking forward to unpacking the most. Imagine my dismay when we unpacked them and saw that they had melted; and because they were packed on their side, not right-side-up, the wax was in the lid of the candle and the wick no where to be seen. Hence the beginning of my science experiment - can you melt Yankee Candles in the microwave? (And because I know you've all spent hours pondering whether this is possible, I'll let you in on my results, just so you won't have to take up your own valuable time repeating the said experiment)......yes, you can melt a Yankee Candle in the microwave until it's just soft and pliable enough to smoosh the wax down and dig out the wick. And yes, the candle still did light.
To give credit where credit is due, this was my husband's idea. Score one for Kiwi inginuity!
I packed, well, quite a few Yankee Candles in our container. I love Yankee Candles - in fact, they were one of the things in our container that I was looking forward to unpacking the most. Imagine my dismay when we unpacked them and saw that they had melted; and because they were packed on their side, not right-side-up, the wax was in the lid of the candle and the wick no where to be seen. Hence the beginning of my science experiment - can you melt Yankee Candles in the microwave? (And because I know you've all spent hours pondering whether this is possible, I'll let you in on my results, just so you won't have to take up your own valuable time repeating the said experiment)......yes, you can melt a Yankee Candle in the microwave until it's just soft and pliable enough to smoosh the wax down and dig out the wick. And yes, the candle still did light.
To give credit where credit is due, this was my husband's idea. Score one for Kiwi inginuity!
Monday, April 24, 2006
It's finally here!
The arrival of the container was just a good as - no, actually better than - I ever expected it to be. It's just so nice to look around our home and see familar things. In a strange way, it almost feels as though we've gone home. I know we haven't, but that's almost how it feels.
We've spent all afternoon unpacking, and so far, I haven't found one thing broken. Our packers were incredible - they did such a great job packing not only the boxes, but also the container.
It was like Christmas all over again for Taylor when we unpacked the boxes with her toys and books! She was so excited to see everything again - especially the slide, the kitchen, and all her books. We still have a couple boxes of toys that we didn't get to today, so the fun will definitely continue tomorrow.
Now comes the fun (and overwhelming) part of figuring out where we're going to put everything. One thing I know for sure....I'm certainly not looking forward to our next move, even if it's just across town!
The arrival of the container was just a good as - no, actually better than - I ever expected it to be. It's just so nice to look around our home and see familar things. In a strange way, it almost feels as though we've gone home. I know we haven't, but that's almost how it feels.
We've spent all afternoon unpacking, and so far, I haven't found one thing broken. Our packers were incredible - they did such a great job packing not only the boxes, but also the container.
It was like Christmas all over again for Taylor when we unpacked the boxes with her toys and books! She was so excited to see everything again - especially the slide, the kitchen, and all her books. We still have a couple boxes of toys that we didn't get to today, so the fun will definitely continue tomorrow.
Now comes the fun (and overwhelming) part of figuring out where we're going to put everything. One thing I know for sure....I'm certainly not looking forward to our next move, even if it's just across town!
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Reflections
It's funny how when we pray those 'dangerous prayers', we don't really think about the Lord actually holding us to them. "I'll go anywhere You call me to go." "I am Yours alone." "I'll leave it all behind." "I'll waste my life on You." What happens when He actually comes to us and reminds us of those? There is no question that our "yes" is accompanied by definite pain. It looks different in each of our lives, but as believers in Jesus, it's what we signed up for. After all, this is the essence of the Gospel. At the end of the day, it really is about losing our life for His sake, that we may find it. It really is about taking up our cross to follow Him. Without suffering, yea, death, there is no life. Isn't this the truth that Jesus came to the earth to proclaim?
I'm convinced that this pain we feel when we say yes to Him is in a strange way, a gift to us - it forces us to lean into Him. Otherwise, this weak human heart would grow over-confident and proud in its own ability to stand. I'm also convinced that it can be a gift to Him - an extravagant offering of a life poured out before Him.
Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit. So may my pain be counted in Your eyes as a form of death, that life may be the result. May the pain of a life lost somehow be turned into the beauty of an extravagant offering poured out at your feet. Pain is too costly to be wasted on bitterness that bears no good fruit.
It's funny how when we pray those 'dangerous prayers', we don't really think about the Lord actually holding us to them. "I'll go anywhere You call me to go." "I am Yours alone." "I'll leave it all behind." "I'll waste my life on You." What happens when He actually comes to us and reminds us of those? There is no question that our "yes" is accompanied by definite pain. It looks different in each of our lives, but as believers in Jesus, it's what we signed up for. After all, this is the essence of the Gospel. At the end of the day, it really is about losing our life for His sake, that we may find it. It really is about taking up our cross to follow Him. Without suffering, yea, death, there is no life. Isn't this the truth that Jesus came to the earth to proclaim?
I'm convinced that this pain we feel when we say yes to Him is in a strange way, a gift to us - it forces us to lean into Him. Otherwise, this weak human heart would grow over-confident and proud in its own ability to stand. I'm also convinced that it can be a gift to Him - an extravagant offering of a life poured out before Him.
Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies, it cannot bear fruit. So may my pain be counted in Your eyes as a form of death, that life may be the result. May the pain of a life lost somehow be turned into the beauty of an extravagant offering poured out at your feet. Pain is too costly to be wasted on bitterness that bears no good fruit.
Friday, April 21, 2006
Our good news for the day...
We found out this morning that our container has finally arrived! Aaron is down at the port right now to sort out all the paperwork necessary for it to be released, and if all goes well, it might be delivered to our house this afternoon. I'm so excited to be able to unpack and get settled here. Yeah!
We found out this morning that our container has finally arrived! Aaron is down at the port right now to sort out all the paperwork necessary for it to be released, and if all goes well, it might be delivered to our house this afternoon. I'm so excited to be able to unpack and get settled here. Yeah!
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
I've never heard of this happening before....
Maybe in America, but definitely not in New Zealand (which, by the way, is not known for it's customer service).
It's a long story, but to make it really short, we had a bit of a mix-up with the electric/gas company when we moved in. So, after a few phone calls, a visit from the technician to turn off our power, and a few more phone calls, we have just received our first bill - for over $400. This includes two months worth of gas and electricity, and various miscellaneous fees, most of which would have been avoided had our little "mix-up" not occured. Definitely not a welcome addition to the missionary budget, but such is life. So today - out of the blue - we get a phone call from the lady at the electric company who begins apologizing profusely to us for how they treated us when we moved in (between you and me, they didn't treat us that badly; at least they were polite to us through it all). She then proceeds to ask us if we'd like a written letter of apology, etc. etc. etc. - and then she tells us that as a token of their apology, they would like to reduce our bill from $425 to $143! How cool is that?
Maybe in America, but definitely not in New Zealand (which, by the way, is not known for it's customer service).
It's a long story, but to make it really short, we had a bit of a mix-up with the electric/gas company when we moved in. So, after a few phone calls, a visit from the technician to turn off our power, and a few more phone calls, we have just received our first bill - for over $400. This includes two months worth of gas and electricity, and various miscellaneous fees, most of which would have been avoided had our little "mix-up" not occured. Definitely not a welcome addition to the missionary budget, but such is life. So today - out of the blue - we get a phone call from the lady at the electric company who begins apologizing profusely to us for how they treated us when we moved in (between you and me, they didn't treat us that badly; at least they were polite to us through it all). She then proceeds to ask us if we'd like a written letter of apology, etc. etc. etc. - and then she tells us that as a token of their apology, they would like to reduce our bill from $425 to $143! How cool is that?
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
These are serious days we're living in.
Plans to rebuild Babylon.
The situation with Israel and Palestine heating up.
Not to mention all the issues surrounding Iran.
Hmmm.....things are heating up, friends. I think it's time for some serious watching and praying.
Plans to rebuild Babylon.
The situation with Israel and Palestine heating up.
Not to mention all the issues surrounding Iran.
Hmmm.....things are heating up, friends. I think it's time for some serious watching and praying.
Good to be back
After a weekend away with no phone, internet, TV, or radio - we're back to the land of the living! We had a wonderful weekend away - visiting friends, and also spending much time sleeping, reading, and having lots of down-time. We feel rested and glad to be back in Tauranga, with one more day remaining on our break before we resume with our normal schedule on Thursday.
After a weekend away with no phone, internet, TV, or radio - we're back to the land of the living! We had a wonderful weekend away - visiting friends, and also spending much time sleeping, reading, and having lots of down-time. We feel rested and glad to be back in Tauranga, with one more day remaining on our break before we resume with our normal schedule on Thursday.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Off to Wellington today!
It's a perfect day for flying today! And since the plane from here to Wellington is a small one (and therefore doesn't fly very high), we'll have incredible views between here and there. Taylor is soooo excited about the airplane! She'll have the shock of her life when we get off the plane after only an hour - I wonder if she thinks that we'll be on the plane as long as we were last time?
It's a perfect day for flying today! And since the plane from here to Wellington is a small one (and therefore doesn't fly very high), we'll have incredible views between here and there. Taylor is soooo excited about the airplane! She'll have the shock of her life when we get off the plane after only an hour - I wonder if she thinks that we'll be on the plane as long as we were last time?
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
A Day to Feast
One of the core values amid our emerging community is that we not only fast well, but we also feast well, too. In light of that, we had a feast night tonight with the intern class (and some others from the community, as well). We're just about halfway through the internship, and tomorrow starts our week-long Easter break. So we decided it would be a great time to spend the evening together having fun, and eating lots of really good food. So we had a mere 35 people over tonight - and I loved every minute of it. (I'm already putting my request in before the Father that in that in our next house, we will have a dishwasher and a larger kitchen and a larger dining room and a larger living room - to make nights such as these a wee bit easier). I think everyone else loved it, too. Sometimes we just have to get out of the prayer room, out of the classroom, and out of the intensity of life and simply have fun together.
One of the core values amid our emerging community is that we not only fast well, but we also feast well, too. In light of that, we had a feast night tonight with the intern class (and some others from the community, as well). We're just about halfway through the internship, and tomorrow starts our week-long Easter break. So we decided it would be a great time to spend the evening together having fun, and eating lots of really good food. So we had a mere 35 people over tonight - and I loved every minute of it. (I'm already putting my request in before the Father that in that in our next house, we will have a dishwasher and a larger kitchen and a larger dining room and a larger living room - to make nights such as these a wee bit easier). I think everyone else loved it, too. Sometimes we just have to get out of the prayer room, out of the classroom, and out of the intensity of life and simply have fun together.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Silence and Solitude
It's 10:15pm and the house is quiet. These are rare and precious moments in the life of a mother of an almost-two-year-old. There's no doubt that I'm an introvert. I really do get re-charged by spending time alone, which unfortunately can be quite a challenging thing to make time for in the midst of life. And it's not just time alone that's necessary for my heart - it's time alone before the Father. In silence and solitude. In quiet devotion. In the place of beholding the One who lives on the inside. Without this, life becomes a steady stream of coming and going, doing and performing, maintaining and organizing, but neglecting the one thing that is needed. The question is how to reconcile the tension between maintaing the life within and the life without, so that neither of them suffer. This, my friends, is a tension that will always keep us leaning. Hmmmm. Perhaps that's the point.
It's 10:15pm and the house is quiet. These are rare and precious moments in the life of a mother of an almost-two-year-old. There's no doubt that I'm an introvert. I really do get re-charged by spending time alone, which unfortunately can be quite a challenging thing to make time for in the midst of life. And it's not just time alone that's necessary for my heart - it's time alone before the Father. In silence and solitude. In quiet devotion. In the place of beholding the One who lives on the inside. Without this, life becomes a steady stream of coming and going, doing and performing, maintaining and organizing, but neglecting the one thing that is needed. The question is how to reconcile the tension between maintaing the life within and the life without, so that neither of them suffer. This, my friends, is a tension that will always keep us leaning. Hmmmm. Perhaps that's the point.
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Dress Up Fun
This is Taylor, (almost) two, going on sixteen - car keys in hand! She was having a little bit of fun tonight, "dressing up". (Now, it's imperative that you understand that I never dress Taylor in those shoes and socks with those capris. Taylor begged to wear them....and since we weren't leaving the house.....well......)
And a few more trophies from our photo shoot.....
Here is Taylor with one of her favorite "dog-dogs" that looks like Bailey!
This is Taylor, (almost) two, going on sixteen - car keys in hand! She was having a little bit of fun tonight, "dressing up". (Now, it's imperative that you understand that I never dress Taylor in those shoes and socks with those capris. Taylor begged to wear them....and since we weren't leaving the house.....well......)
And a few more trophies from our photo shoot.....
Here is Taylor with one of her favorite "dog-dogs" that looks like Bailey!
Went to town today
Went into town today with Nic and Taylor. We had lots of fun walking around and checking out the shops - at least, the ones that were open. Found a great kids' clothes store that has good clothes and reasonable prices - and a very helpful employee who told me that the whole store was going on sale tomorrow. I think I know what we'll be doing tomorrow morning - good thing it's our day off! We also went to the library, and I now have a library card. Kinda makes me feel a bit more like I live here. I was very impressed with the library - way better than any of the ones I found in Kansas City.
This week promises to be fun. We have a guest speaker coming to teach class on Tuesday and Wednesday - a friend of ours who we met in Auckland several years ago who used to be a Trappist monk before he met his present wife! He is a deep well, especially when it comes to the topics of contemplative prayer and church history. I'm really looking forward to hearing him teach. It seems that the Lord has been emphasizing the subject of contemplative prayer recently......
Thursday begins our first day of a week-long break for Easter. We'll be flying down to Wellington to spend a few days with some very good friends of ours. It will be so much fun to see them again, as well as to get out of town for a bit and have a bit of a 'holiday'.
Went into town today with Nic and Taylor. We had lots of fun walking around and checking out the shops - at least, the ones that were open. Found a great kids' clothes store that has good clothes and reasonable prices - and a very helpful employee who told me that the whole store was going on sale tomorrow. I think I know what we'll be doing tomorrow morning - good thing it's our day off! We also went to the library, and I now have a library card. Kinda makes me feel a bit more like I live here. I was very impressed with the library - way better than any of the ones I found in Kansas City.
This week promises to be fun. We have a guest speaker coming to teach class on Tuesday and Wednesday - a friend of ours who we met in Auckland several years ago who used to be a Trappist monk before he met his present wife! He is a deep well, especially when it comes to the topics of contemplative prayer and church history. I'm really looking forward to hearing him teach. It seems that the Lord has been emphasizing the subject of contemplative prayer recently......
Thursday begins our first day of a week-long break for Easter. We'll be flying down to Wellington to spend a few days with some very good friends of ours. It will be so much fun to see them again, as well as to get out of town for a bit and have a bit of a 'holiday'.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
The day today
Not bad, not bad. Lead intercession at 10am this morning. I'm actually starting to enjoy leading intercession - it was really fun.
Class this afternoon was with Mr. Dawson. It's been great to have him in town this week. He has encouraged us, taught us, motivated us, and blessed us.....I think one of the biggest things we carry with us from this week is the encouragement to pursue a multi-cultural prayer room. We have no idea how to do this, or what it looks like....but we know that it must carry elements from so many different cutures - especially the Maori (the native people). We're really venturing into uncharted territory now. Good thing the Lord is building His house, not us!
Tomorrow, Aaron is having Taylor for the morning so I can go to the prayer room and then go have 'morning tea' with our pastor's wife, Julie Dawson, and some other ladies from our community. Really looking forward to that - and grateful that Aaron offered to have Taylor so I'm able to!
Not bad, not bad. Lead intercession at 10am this morning. I'm actually starting to enjoy leading intercession - it was really fun.
Class this afternoon was with Mr. Dawson. It's been great to have him in town this week. He has encouraged us, taught us, motivated us, and blessed us.....I think one of the biggest things we carry with us from this week is the encouragement to pursue a multi-cultural prayer room. We have no idea how to do this, or what it looks like....but we know that it must carry elements from so many different cutures - especially the Maori (the native people). We're really venturing into uncharted territory now. Good thing the Lord is building His house, not us!
Tomorrow, Aaron is having Taylor for the morning so I can go to the prayer room and then go have 'morning tea' with our pastor's wife, Julie Dawson, and some other ladies from our community. Really looking forward to that - and grateful that Aaron offered to have Taylor so I'm able to!
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
What this week has in store
John Dawson is here in Tauranaga this week. He is speaking today to the pastors/leaders of the city, and tomorrow night is doing a public meeting. He'll also be teaching class for the internship on Thursday. Promises to be a good week. It's not every day that John Dawson comes into town - for a whole week!
John and Julie and their daughter and Dave and Sue and family are coming for dinner tonight. One thing I have learned so far while being here - it is possible (albeit difficult) to throw a dinner party while one's possessions - namely, kitchen and entertaining gear - are in a container in Korea.
The menu for tonight? Grilled snapper with a mango-red pepper salsa, sausages, mashed potatoes, salad, corn, and bread rolls. For dessert? Pavlova, fruit salad, choc. chip cookies and ice cream. Now there's a kiwi meal for you!!
John Dawson is here in Tauranaga this week. He is speaking today to the pastors/leaders of the city, and tomorrow night is doing a public meeting. He'll also be teaching class for the internship on Thursday. Promises to be a good week. It's not every day that John Dawson comes into town - for a whole week!
John and Julie and their daughter and Dave and Sue and family are coming for dinner tonight. One thing I have learned so far while being here - it is possible (albeit difficult) to throw a dinner party while one's possessions - namely, kitchen and entertaining gear - are in a container in Korea.
The menu for tonight? Grilled snapper with a mango-red pepper salsa, sausages, mashed potatoes, salad, corn, and bread rolls. For dessert? Pavlova, fruit salad, choc. chip cookies and ice cream. Now there's a kiwi meal for you!!
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