We had a fantastic weekend down in Beachlands where Steve has lived a good part of his life. It was great to see places and meet people who have been important to him for years and years. It felt like a 'his past connecting with our present' experience. Very nice to fill in some gaps! We all stayed in the little batch where he has lived for the past few years. Good experience since it was probably still larger than our living space in S.E. Asia will be! And we won't have the AMAZING view that he has (should have taken a picture) there.

We spoke at the service there on Sunday and had a wonderful time of fellowship at a potluck afterwards. The girls enjoyed attending their youth that evening before we headed back north.

(Rachel turned 14 on Friday!)

The kids up a tree with Steve's long time friend Sean (and now the kids firm 'Uncle Sean').

We have had a very memorable first week and ½ in New Zealand! It’s been a whirlwind of activity that I know we’ll look back on as very precious in the future. It’s been wonderful to finally meet Steve’s family. We’ve had a number of his close friends come up from Auckland for meals this past week, too, and have enjoyed fellowshipping, hiking, fishing, etc, with them as well.

Steve’s sister and her husband are very generously letting us stay in their batch/cabin. It’s obvious why this area is popular for holidays since there are numerous beaches around, quaint villages to explore, and trails to hike. The weather has been amazing since our arrival, too, and we have spent a lot of time outdoors.

Heather’s been homeschooling the kids and Steve’s been busy organizing things for our time here. We have quite a few places lined up already to share about our future with. The trick is going to be not to over commit ourselves! We have also heard of a retired couple just up the road who speak the language we need to learn and might be willing to teach us, so we wouldn’t have to drive to Auckland (an hour away) for lessons.

Hannah has been studying the road code/driver’s manual here in hopes of getting her driver’s license before we move, not for there but just towards the future. It’s been very cute to have her reminding us how exactly to handle the intersections here, etc. Cute for Steve, but actually helpful for Heather who is trying to learn the different driving rules anyway!

We have been overwhelmed by the hospitality offered to us since our arrival!
For example:
-The amazing corner of Creation we are staying in complete with a veggie garden already planted by Steve’s sister and her husband
-Thoughtful things like meal ideas, spices, books, and caterpillars to hatch from Steve’s niece
-Welcoming us to the area by inviting us to dinner a couple of times already, inviting our kids to fun things, even a party on Saturday night for teenage girls to meet our girls (even though what she has is teenage boys) by a wonderful lady who lives up the road that Steve grew up with.
-And more!

Heather and the kids look forward to meeting many more Kiwi friends!

We made it!

We’ve had a wonderful first few days in New Zealand! Steve’s family that we’ve met so far is fantastic. Not that I’m surprised that a man as superb as he is comes from such good stock. (He’ll hate that sentence when he reads this!) We’ll meet more of them at a gathering tomorrow.

We think this season is going to be very good for us. We are getting to practice adapting to a different culture, but not one as radically different as the one we’re going to. Good practice. We are blessed to be staying at Steve’s sister’s batch/cabin which is just a short walk from a beach (we never even got that in Fiji!). There are numerous hiking trails around, too. Basically we’ll be spending a LOT of time outside and it is still summer here. What a wonderful blessing for kids who will be living in the confines of dense urbanization later this year to be able to run free now! We ate cockles at dinner tonight that the kids dug up on the shore this morning. Neat experiences!

Other little things are good, too, like the fact that this morning I hung laundry outside to dry for the first time since Fiji. Good preparation!

We’re looking forward to a visit from good friends from Fiji who will be passing through on Monday. Then it’s back to homeschooling on Tues. We’re getting acclimated now but soon we’ll kick into gear meeting lots of Steve’s friends and visiting different Fellowships on the weekends to share about where we’re headed. It’s been great to have a few days to get over jet lag and relax after packing up house in Phoenix and sad farewells. If you're one of those people, we'll miss you and please stay in touch!

Phoenix Prostitution

Steve and I had the opportunity to attend a meeting today about forced prostitution (they called it 'rape for profit') of teenagers here in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Our fellowship here is partnering with other groups in the area to work to stop this unthinkable trade that is so prolific in the area, as well as to minister to the young girls who are the victims. Very disturbing stuff that it would be much more comfortable to ignore.

It stirred our hearts especially since these are exactly the sort of girls that we are being sent to minister to. I think it gave me just the motivation I need to finish up our packing to get ready to go!

We sat at a table with a couple of men who have started something called Chosenlist.com. Chosen List is a 'clean' alternative to Craig's List. We were horrified to learn that around 50% of the business done over Craig's List is prostitution and pornography based! You can actually solicit a teenager over Craig's List.

We are enjoying a visit from Terry's folks this week! We still have heaps to get done but we think are on target to get it all finished before we fly out on Monday afternoon.

New Family Photos

Click the title to see some new pictures of our familiy.
P.S. Thank you for taking them, Chris!!!

Last weekend a friend came by unexpectedly saying that he had a vehicle we could use until we left. Just that afternoon we had been discussing when to strategically put our van on the market so it would sell before we left, but allowing us to drive it as long as possible so we wouldn't have to rent a car. We put our van on Craig's List on Tuesday, a man called later that evening, came to look at it on Wednesday and said he wanted it. Thursday he brought us the money and we gave him title! How simple was that!

When the van was given to us when the kids and I had newly arrived in the States it was like a big hug from our Father, a reassurance that he indeed cared for us and would provide. It was several months from that point when we finally moved into our own house and since we had just left everything familiar to us we used to joke that the van was our 'home in America!' This week the way the van sold felt like a reassurance also, that we are on the right track and that He is blessing us. We also know that the prayers of many are going before us as well!

Steve has been working very hard to try to get the Harley finished. He's encountered many obstacles in the form of finding the parts necessary to get the bike running and parts not arriving after he's ordered them. Earlier this week he decided that he'd given it a good go but that he just didn't have quite enough time to finish it AND get it sold before we leave. He put it on Ebay and within hours he already had a bid on it for more money than he's put into it! He's had numerous questions from others about it as well so we're hoping it will go for a decent price at the end of the auction. Another blessing!

We've had other little blessings along the way of time with friends and family. Things are moving along well for our departure. Terry's folks arrive on Friday to spend a bit of time with us before we go.

We leave in a little over two weeks................!

Happy New Year!

2008 will always be an amazingly sweet memory for us as we've become a family and had some excellent bonding time. We look forward to 2009 with anticipation! What an adventure it is to serve the King!

We only have 4 1/2 weeks left in the States and a long 'To Do' list to get through before then. We also need to get in as much homeschooling as possible since the months ahead hold interruptions in that department. The kids had some time off of school this week but their parents still had lots to do! We took a day off and went exploring outside of town a bit this week, however.

Thank you for your love and friendship in '08! May your New Year be blessed!

Our crazy kids!