Life Down Under

Who would have thought.....

I don't think that I've yet blogged this story yet, but I've been thinking about it lots this weekend, so I figured now is as good a time as any to tell it. I love this story because it gives me courage. I love telling it, mostly for my own sake, rather than for the sake of those who hear it. I love this story, because it is to me the poetry of God, written in the hours and minutes of my own life. It is an undeniable reminder to me that He is real, that He is always speaking, that He knows all things, and that He really loves me.

It begins in August of 2003. Aaron and I had come to New Zealand for ministry/vacation. It was my first time to come to this country. We were driving north from his hometown to Auckland, and on a whim, we decided to go have a weekend away, just to ourselves....and of all places, Aaron decided to take me to Mt. Maunganui. Now, for those who aren't familiar with New Zealand geography, Mt. Maunganui is the 'sister city' to Tauranga, separated only by a bridge and some water. It's literally 10 minutes or less from our house.

But the story gets better. That weekend was one of those 'defining times' in our life. On many different levels. But one conversation in particular, I will never forget. We were walking along a very deserted beach (August is winter here, remember), and for the first time in our married life, we began discussing whether the Lord would ever have us move to New Zealand someday. It was scary, overwhelming, and very uncomfortable for me. It was one of those "let's finish this conversation as soon as possible" sort of talks. Neither of us knew it then, but God was speaking. Who would have known that two and a half years later, we would be calling that place home???

But the story gets even better. When we moved here in January, our house wasn't going to be ready to move in for several days, so we stayed at a friend's flat. The ironic thing is that his flat was literally a block behind the hotel we stayed at in '03, and I remember driving up that road past that house when we visited back then.....I mean, really, what are the chances?

Every time I go over to Mt. Maunganui, I always remember that weekend. And I remember the sovereignty of God. And every time, my heart finds a bit more courage when I realize that even back then, God was speaking to us.....but in His kindness, He knew that if we knew that He was speaking, it would have been way too much for us to handle. So in His wisdom, He arranged all these events so that we wouldn't realize it was Him speaking until we really needed to know. I love Him for that. It makes me feel safe in His sovereignty. That He was in this thing all along. And if I know that, I think that I can make it.