Kete, Finishing the Pond and more

I’m so excited by what the Lord is doing in my personal life and drawing me closer to Him and revealing things in me that I never saw before. Th(just need to add that I just killed a gigantic spider that was crawling toward me haha) Ok So…

A few weeks ago I went to a youth/young adult Bible study at a church in town. I wanted to be able to go somewhere and just blend in a be refreshed in the Lord. The study was good and on the way home I was just praying and telling the Lord how I wanted to keep going to it as I actually knew a few people there. I was excited to find somewhere that I knew people and that were my age. Then I heard the Lord saying, “no that’s not the place for you.” Naturally I thought “that’s not the Lord” but the more I kept praying the more the Lord said no. I eventually gave in and I haven’t gone back since the first time. I don’t know why the Lord said no but it’s interesting to see that when we are truly seeking the Lord and asking Him about decisions how He really does speak and answer us. We just have to be open to hearing from Him.

Last week was more of the same stuff, homeschooling the kids 2 days a week, basketball, takingcare of the children during ladies bible study, working on the yard, fellowshipping with families,  sports for the kids, teen girls Bibls Study etc. Everyone in the house except me has gotten sick now so please continue to pray that my immune system is strong and I don’t get sick.

The girls at the teen girls Bible Study this week

Before picture of the Fountain/Pond

 

After we were finished!

Team 1 doing the treasure hunt on Friday

Team 1 Block tower competition

Team 2 doing the treasure hunt

Team 2 Block tower

I was able to go over to one of the ladies from the churches house Saturday and learned how to make a Kete. A kete is a basket made out of flax. I really enjoyed it and definitely look forward to making more. (You never know what skill is going to be required in the next place the Lord takes you so I am learning everything I can.)

Getting the flax off the plant

 

My finished Kete!!

 

 

Zander's hockey game

 

Picking Tomatos out of our garden

 

My momma sent me girl scout cookies!!!!!

 

My Grandparents did their first 5K this weekend!! They got second in their catagory (which is not last)

My lovely friend Clare had a birthday and decided she would cut her cake with her new Butchers knife because it looked better!! Love her!

Time Flies

Wow this week went so fast! It’s amazing when you are busy how fast weeks go by! I can’t believe it is already Monday again! And I really am shocked to look at the calendar and realize that it has been 5 months since I left home!!! CRAZY!!

These first few pictures are from the quarry gardens! This place is beautiful and I can't believe I have been here 5 months and I now finally went there!

This week was chaka with so many things! Monday we had the first real girl’s bible study. It was great we had a few girls come over and I taught on Purity in Speech. Wow this was a convicting topic. We talked about how we speak with our siblings and parents and anyone that gets on our nerves and of course we also covered the topic of gossip. I feel like we all got a lot out of it and we are all trying to purify our speech this week! Of course Anri is at a disadvantage (or advantage depending on how you see it) as she lives with me and I am constantly asking her “what did we talk about on Monday?” when she speaks rudely to her brother or parents J

I love these girls and I am excited to see how the Lord works through this study! Please join me in praying for the girls and please pray for me as I prepare for the studies and teach them! We also decided to move the study to Thursdays as this will hopefully allow for more of the girls to join us!

Part of our bush garden

 

beautiful sunset out our front porch

Friday was the ladies bible study which I heard went really well for the ladies and I was blessed by the study as I went over it during the week. I watch the kids during the study so I am not able to fellowship with the ladies. The kids this week were fun but very exhausting! I walked away so tired and ready for a nap. There were 12 children and only 4 were over the age of 6 so it was hard work. We did a bunch of relay races and they seemed to have a lot of fun. Except that I didn’t expect so many little kids so I had to help them a lot with the harder races. And of course tired out from that I had to run off to coach basketball which starts the same time the ladies study ends.

helped anri and zander build his k'nex set

Gecko on our wall

This week at the house we started working on our pond. There is this pond in the yard that was well disgusting! It was full of slime and bugs and grossness so we decided we should clean it out to hopefully get the fountain running and looking beautiful! Little did we know that this was going to be a huge job. It took 2 days of putting our hands through gross water that we couldn’t see through just to empty the pond of rocks and sludge. Then we found out the pump was broken so we are now waiting for the pump to be fixed so we can put the rocks back. I hate working hard and stuff and not being able to finish it.

The Lord reminded me how sometimes we can share the Lord with people and think something is going to happen and then there is no change and we get disappointed but we need to just keep sharing and keeping praying and hopefully one day in the future there will be a change and they will open their hearts to the Lord. It just takes work and prayer!!!

 

 Last night I took Anri to her first real concert! I was super excited to be a part of this experience for especially knowing it was a fun band and that we could have a lot of fun together! Rapture Ruckus performed at a church here in Whangarei! I had seen Rapture ruckus a few years ago in England and then again at Parachute! There is nothing like seeing them at Parachute! In England they were fun but in New Zealand with everyone knowing there songs and such it was amazing!!!! So I was excited to take Anri. She had a great time jumping and dancing and mucking around!

 

 

I introduced the family to Hot Tamales and they didn't like them! Oh well more for me :)

This is the view from my favorite spot in the house to study and do devotions! If only a picture could show the true beauty of this sight!

 

 

School year has begun

The School year and first Term has official begun. Wow has life gotten busy fast!! I am now teaching a teen girls bible study that I am really excited about! We are learning about living a pure life, not only sexually pure but pure in all things! This week I am teaching on pure speech. I am excited to help the girls see that the Lord wants us to live pure and whole lives and that it takes more than just going to church on Sundays and saying no to sex! I am hoping they grow to have real relationship with the Lord and we all grow a lot through this term and the terms to come.

I am also now leading children's activities during the ladies bible study. Previously the children would just run around the house doing whatever they felt like and it didn’t seem safe or organized at all. Now I am planning activities and stuff for them. Last week I painted and hid rocks in the Bush and they had to find them for points! This week we are doing relay races! If you have any good ideas that kids can do please let me know! The struggle with this group is that I have a huge age range (3-16 years old) So I am trying to come up with stuff for all of them to do! It’s really difficult but I know the Lord will give the inspiration! Please keep it in prayer!

 

Apparently some of the stones I hid to well as there are still about 20 unfound :)

 

 

This is Emily she was a newborn when I first got here!! So crazy!

 

I am definitely learning that even though kids is not my strength the Lord is my strength and He fills in for where I am lacking!

I am also back to helping with basketball, and helping home school and a million other things! So please pray for strength, endurance and guidance as the weeks go on! I am learning very much to rest when I have the opportunity to rest and enjoy every day that I have!

 

Saturday was Henri's birthday so we celebrated with ice cream for breakfast and a huge cake!!

 

Last week Zander left a light on in his room with hats sitting on top of it and caught fire to his closet. Thankfully we were home and able to put it out in time! but it did burn quite a few of his toys and clothes.

 

I was helping teach the homeschool group how to play baseball

little hedgehog I found in the hedges on a walk

I am the PE teacher now so we are doing 80s workout movies and dancing to Bear Hug Band :)

Our beautiful driveway

This is baby casey! (Remember the baby shower I helped with when I first cam to New Zealand? Well the baby is no longer a new born!)

Been walking around our new house! It's beautiful!

Tinkles in the bath

 

I made the kids chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast on waitangi day! they loved them!

 View from our deck!! God is amazing!

 

 This is a typical Kiwi meal so we ate it on Waitangi Day! Sausage on a piece of buttered bread with tomato sauce and grilled onions! I have eaten countless of these since I got here!

 

Waitangi day is Feb 6 the day they celebrate the signing of the waitangi treaty which gave Maori's rights in NZ!