Boxing Day, New Years, and learning survival skills

These last few weeks have been quite eventful!!

 

The day after Christmas in most countries is called Boxing Day and it is also a holiday! Most people have it off of work and go to the beach or shopping here. Pretty much every day between Christmas and New Years we went to the beach! It was so nice to get to spend time at the beach and in the sun! The sun is very hot here so you have to wear extra sunscreen and stay out of the sun! The burn time is about 9 minutes.

 

 

 

 

I saw a dead penguin on the beach! My first penguin in the wild and it's dead :(

 

At the video store they have a whole wall of American candy and sweets!! It was amazing but soooo... expensive! $5 for a box of Dots :(

 

For Boxing Day I was invited over to our friend’s house to learn how to dock sheep and kill chickens.  A couple from our church, Richard and Christine, have a farm with a lot of sheep and chickens and food (well a lot of them have farms). I had told Richard early on in my NZ time that I would love to learn how to do all the farm type stuff. So he kept promising to bring me over and let me help kill a sheep. Finally on Boxing Day he called and had some chickens to kill and some sheep to dock. I went over at around 10am and got started. First we had to move the momma sheep and lambs from one paddock to the far paddock. So we got running and finally got them in the docks. Then I had to catch and pick up each lamb so we could spray them for ticks, and chop their tails. It was very exhausting work but so fun!

After we finished with the sheep, Richard informed me that they had two chickens that needed to be killed as they were not lying. So we went and caught the chickens and he taught me how to pluck and gut a chicken. This whole process is down without gloves so my hands were completely covered in chicken insides by the end.

 

Between Christmas and New Year’s we spent a lot of time at the beach. Between beach trips, I painted my room, and helped pack up the house, as well as fed the chickens and animals at the house I was house-sitting. The weeks passed as quickly as each day was a new adventure.

Best part about packing is getting to play with boxes!

This part of the view from the back yard of the house I was watching!!

Life on a farm!

One of the cute goats I was watching

The Cats brought me a dead bird one morning!

Fresh eggs from the chickens!!

New Years Eve was spent eating and watching movies. I had a great time just hanging out with my New Zealand family.  New Years day we went to the beach with the Abascal family. The Abascals are such an awesome family and everyone here will miss them so much. I especially love Claudia and am going to miss getting to talk with her. Please keep their family in prayer as they finish packing and getting ready to head back to America on the 18^th.

 

Last Friday I went back over to Richard and Christine’s and learned and helped kill, skin and gut a sheep. It was so crazy to learn how to do it. I literally had my arm shoulder deep inside a sheep J I brought my friend Amy along with me. It is amazing to have the opportunities to learn how to do all of this stuff. I really want to learn as much as I can about everything because I don’t know where the Lord has me in the future and I never know what skills I am going to need to survive where He leads me.

 

Sunday was Miguel’s last sermon in New Zealand. It was amazing to see how the people responded and how much everyone is going to miss this family. I am excited for what the Lord is going to do through this transition and what His plans are for all these people. After church Anri and Zander (the kids I live with) were baptized and Waipu cove. It was exciting to see them make a commitment to the Lord and to get to experience it. That night their dad Henri served them communion for the first time. It was such a sweet moment to get to be a part of.

Everyone gathered at the beach for the baptism!

Family picture after the kids were dunked!

On the way home we found this little hedgehog blocking our driveway! Anri picked it up with her sandels so we could drive up the driveway!

 

I learned how to make Pavlova and ate my first kiwi pav!! mmmm...