4 wheel driving and such

Wow things get busy fast. I can’t believe how quickly things have gone the last few weeks. I have been doing a lot of homeschooling lately and playing with the kids in this house. They are crazy and so full of energy. It is exhausting! They definitely need to be outside more and working harder. I am loving getting to know them and experiencing life with a true Kiwi family.

 Jumping on the tramp with the kids

The sky has been absolutely beautiful lately!

The Lord has given me a job I guess you could say. I am working cleaning a family’s house one day a week for a few hours. It’s not much it’s something and so far the Lord has been providing for all my needs financially. Although I don’t have a car yet and that will definitely take a cut in my finances especially for insurance and fuel. I know the Lord will provide though.

 the view from the house i am cleaning!! Seriously every house here has an amazing view!

Please pray that the Lord provides a car soon. I have been realizing how necessary it is to have a car and it has been really difficult not being able to be involved in all the things I want to and could be because I don’t have a way to get there or back. I have been looking but so far there hasn’t been any that are in my price range and that will be reliable and economical for fuel. So please be praying that the Lord would show me one soon! Thanks

This week was the first week for the women’s bible study in which I am watching all the kids and the youth basketball. Basketball was fun but super trying for me. I am supposed to be teaching 4-8 year olds how to play basketball. It’s really hard especially because I don’t play basketball. Also 4 years olds don’t have near the coordination to fully play and 8 year olds really like to hog the ball. I will definitely be needing patience and wisdom for this.

In true kiwi fashion I have been walking around a lot without shoes! It is much easier to not have to take them off everytime I go in and out of the house.

We have 7 baby chicks now! They are so cute! And hopefully we will have more in the next week or so! Just waiting for them to hatch!  We also have some baby birds in the laveder bush!

 J 

This weekend we went to the four wheel driving nationals. It was about an hour away. We had a great time watching people try and do all these obstacles and things. I was shocked by some of the steep inclines they were able to climb up.  It was really fun to see all the Kiwi’s and their families there.

  

Yesterday was girls club. We were supposed to be going fishing but the weather was too rainy and we ended up watching a movie. We watched October Baby. It was a really good movie (not great acting but great story). I would recommend watching it.

Watching October Baby

My first fish and chips in NZ

And yesterday I found this gem at a used book store!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When in New Zealand...

It has been amazing getting to know this family better. I am learning so much what it is like to live in the country in New Zealand and what it is like to live with a big family. As an introvert I have to sneak off at times and take time to myself and to spend with the Lord. So far the hardest thing about being with a big family (especially with little girls that love you) is spending quality time with the Lord. There is always someone around and someone wanting to play or do something. I am learning to get up extra early and trying to make a routine. It has been really cool learning about being sheep and really seeing how sheep are and just learning about the greatness and the bigness of the Lord.

 shooting rabbits out the window

This weekend we did a bit of gardening. Lynne the mum in the house loves gardening and has an amazing garden! She broke her foot the first day I arrived in New Zealand and has been unable to do as much gardening as she would like. So this weekend we went and helped her plant potatoes and weed. It was fun and it was a nice day so that made it nicer.  The weather is starting to get nicer we get a few nice days mixed in with the rainy ones. I am starting to see glimpses of summer and excited to finally have it warming up a bit.
  

This family gets there milk from a farm down the road so Saturday we drove over and got out milk. We literally filled a bucket with milk that had just been milked from the cows. They said one day soon they will have me come over and help them milk the cows. It should be fun but definitely hard work! At the farm we walked around a bit in the paddocks. We found a few dead cows. I am so trying all sorts of new foods, most are great others (vegemite) are terrible!!!!

 Getting our milk for the week
        the cows lined up to get milked


If you get a little queasy with pictures you may not want to look at the next 2 :) fair warning!




Dead cow in the paddock





This is a dead pig. Some friends came to visit and showed us this picture of a pig their son and his friends shot. We still have no idea how they got it on the truck but this thing is massive.

Pictures from yesterday's blog

 down the road for a walk

 The girls on the bridge

 These girls constantly want to take my picture

 and want their picture taken

 The pond in our yard

 Calla Lillies are everywhere they are considered weeds

 Walked to a waterfall

 Walking the Bush

 Bivouac

 Found  a birds nest

 Dried kiwi fruit

 I got a letter from the amazing Lina! It made my day!! I love receiving mail!

Bivouac's and girls club

Pictures to come soon sorry they would not load.

The last few days have been crazy! I have had such a good time seeing the Lord in everything and getting to know this family!

The Welsh family has invited me to stay with them for as long as I would like or as long as I can handle their family They have been so nice and loving. The youngest girls are constantly asking me to do things with them and I am definitely learning what it would be like to be a part of a large family! I am so thankful for having a small one. Big families are not for introverts

Monday night I went to girls club. This is a group for at risk teen girls in the community that gets together to do activities. It was really great! The girls are so funny. This week we played games just a little softball type game and basketball and just hungout with the girls. I really loved getting to meet them and look forward to the next group when we are going fishing.

Wednesday I went to the local homeschool group hangout. Every fortnight (everyother week) they do something together. This week we did a bush walk (hiking through the trees and such) and built bivouac’s (shelters) in the bush. It was a lot of fun. It’s funny because there are no poisonous animals or insects here. In fact there is nothing besides other people that will try to kill you (even the people are few and far between). Because of this you can tramp all through the bush and play with anything you want without fear of getting bitten by a snake or a spider or eaten by a bear.

While at the homeschool group we met this girl Tina who just got saved 3 weeks ago. She really wanted to get babtized so one of the women went with her and baptized her. It was beautiful and Tina’s testimony is amazing! It is really exciting to see the Lord take hold of someone that is so far away form Him and transform their life.

My new home and missing family

Last week with the Abascal family was fun. We played more games than I can count and I enjoyed playing with the kids.
 
Most of you know I love cemeteries everywhere I go. So here is my first one in New Zealand.


Saturday was a really hard day for me though. My grandfather's memorial service was going on back home and it was really hard to be away from my family and not be a part of it. I did record the navy hymn for it as that was a song my grandpa wanted sung. So I felt like at least a little part of me was there. I also recieved a package from my mom that day so it helped to have a little piece of home.
 He was a Marine so the service was done right :)

Yesterday (Sunday) I moved in with a new family. Praise the Lord for providing another place for me to stay. We haven’t discussed how long I will be staying here with them but I know the Lord has a plan. This family is a family of 11. But only 8 live in the house (6 children and the parents). I am living their spare bedroom/attic. It is actually quite cute and I have a lot of privacy up here.

This is Amelia and Shiloh they love me

 This is my little room!

We live basically in the country surrounded by farms. We have 9 chickens (chuks as they are called here), 5 birds, a dog, and a rooster. It was quite interesting being awoken this morning at 5am by the rooster and then at 630 by the neighbors horse.

 This is the view out the window of my room
 this is the puppy Jed. He helps me not miss my pup so much :)

As part of my living here I am working around the house and helping with devotions and homeschooling their children. Their youngest daughter Amelia and Shiloh the next youngest love me. They are constantly asking to sit next to me and for me to do their hair. They think I came here just to play with them. It is quite cute.

 hanging laundry to dry

Today starts the first day of school term. So it starts craziness for me. Tonight I am going to girls club, which is a group for at risk teen girls. We are going to the beach it should be a fun time.

I am still praying about a car as it is about a 30 minute drive to town from here but I know the Lord will provide something hopefully soon! Prayerfully things workout with this family and I can live here with them for the remainder of my time in New Zealand.