Our House in Fiji

We are still very much enjoying Fiji. Some have asked if it's strange being here as a new family but it hasn't been at all. We're used to being with Steve so it just feels normal to us. I'm sure it's a bit strange to people we know here, but they've only been delighted for our family.

Our fellowship here had their annual camp last weekend and Hannah and Rachel attended the whole thing. It was special to hear all of the comments by people who have known them their whole lives about how they've grown and matured when we took a bus out for the day on Sunday.

We are counting down until the first team's arrival on Sunday evening now. Steve's been working very hard to finish the second bathroom since the teams will be staying in our house with us. Yesterday was D-day of turning the water on to see if there were any leaks since Steve actually hasn't done much plumbing before. He was delighted when there were only 2 small ones that were easily fixed! I think the bathroom (actually a toilet room and a second shower room-normal for this part of the world) is the most attractive part of the house now. Even if 2 cans of paint that were supposed to be the same color were quite different making the rooms 2 fairly different colors!

We are asking for guidance about what do to about the house. We really, really need someone long-term to stay here if we are to keep it (we never thought we'd still have it but the door has been shut numerous times in the past on selling the place). Preferably someone with overseas connections who wouldn't mind doing maintenance themselves as part of the rent. I'm surprised at how much things that haven't been worked on have deteriorated in the time I've been gone and we can't really manage the house from where we're moving.

The other option would be to put it on the market and hope that it sells. The amount we could ask for it in the current Fiji economy is quite low, however, but at least we wouldn't be in danger of it costing us money.

Then and Now

The kids and I have loved going down to the seawall in Suva over the years. There's a bit of a park there and a walking trail along the ocean. The trail passes by the President's mansion on the other side of the street. There's always a guard at the gate that stands perfectly still and the kids' tradition was to always salute whoever was on duty while they walked passed even though he could never respond.

On our last day in Suva before we left in '06 I took a picture of the kids with the guard on duty. So, of course, one of the first things we had to do back on our arrival recently was to take another picture. Here they both are!

Then... (this guard was actually a little on the short side!)

And Now!!!

(Adam is not being 'cool' with his hand in his pocket. He had taken off his belt to pretend it was a whip earlier and had left it there. He's holding up his shorts so they don't fall off!)

Fiji!

We arrived in Suva very late Thursday evening. It was a good trip over but a bit strange to me to have the flight be shorter than the bus ride across the island since we were coming from NZ! And in true Fiji fashion one of the flight attendants and I recognized each other. She's the cousin of a good friend. Instead of the 'family tree' Steve calls the relationships here the 'family forest'!

We were greeted at our house by a long-time friend who had been watching the house and by a cat we had raised from a kitten who has been given away several times but keeps coming back. She was obviously very hungry and I waited about 24 hours saying, 'Go back home, go back home," to her yowls for food before I broke down and fed her. My rationale is that she's been fed here before so........! We'll have to find a home for her far enough away that she'll stay. The boys have absolutely loved having her here now to love on, however. Their pets were a huge part of memories here.

The water also went off about 30 minutes after our arrival. Just like old times!!!

It is really, really great to be here! Fiji still feels like home. Things have changed, though. In our neighborhood which has never been fancy to start with you can tell there hasn't been extra cash around the last few years. Things just look a little more 'tired.' A sign of the current times, I guess.

Being back in our old house is neat, too, although it looks quite different. If I had known we were still going to own it I would have just kept the old furniture and left pictures on the walls! The first night as I sat in the living room heaps and heaps of old memories of the kids growing up here flooded my mind. I can still see the little people they used to be running around the place. Very precious! It's also very special to have our present with Steve connect with our past this way.

We've seen a number of people that we know already and will go to our old fellowship tomorrow.

P.S. Just coming back to add that the first cat's mother showed up at our door as well a little while ago! The kids were thrilled to see her. I gave her a cuddle but was relieved when she seemed happy to leave later!

Our First Year

We can hardly believe that our first anniversary is fast approaching! It's made me think about all that's already happened in our lives and the good things that our Father's done for us. I have an amazing husband that it's been very sweet to get to know more and more. Since even our engagement was long distance it's good to finally be able to 'read' him some now instead of having to ask him what he thinks about everything, for example! We look forward to walking together for many years to come.

It's been a wonderful year and one of the great joys of it has been watching the kids flourish with a dad again. Sometimes a picture IS worth a thousand words................

South Island Trip

The North Island of New Zealand is really beautiful. But the South Island is totally different and in places is kind of like a pristine paradise. Because the climate is quite cold (closest populated landmass to Antarctica!) it's not as populated and especially on the western coast the roads take you pass stately mountains, crystal clear streams, and beaches that look untouched by man. Lovely!

Besides amazing scenery some of the highlights of the trip for us were seal colonies just along the highway, seeing dolphins the same way, and a couple of glaciers. It's Autumn so the trees were in gorgeous color as well. The girls got to bungee jump in Queenstown at the place where the bungee was first invented!

Steve introduced us to many fantastic people along the way! We also got to spend some time with Steve's younger brother and his wife in Christchurch, which was really special.

We loved Christchurch Easter Camp! How hundreds of adults worked together to turn a campground into a place for 4000 kids to worship, learn, have a blast, eat, sleep, etc., blew my mind. What a labor of love. And they do it every year!

We are back up north and are taking a bit of a breather before we head to Fiji for June-July. We are here mostly during the week and are speaking at various places on the weekends. We're looking forward to our time in Fiji where we will lead a number of short-term teams from New Zealand. We look forward to catching up with old friends as well! It will be the boys' first time back since we left and I think will be an important time in all of the kids' lives to reconnect with the place they lived for most of their lives before we move on.

Our family at a park in Christchurch

Fox Glacier

We are finally back from the South Island. Boy, what a trip! It was an amazing one full of beautiful scenery, neat people, and memorable experiences. I'll write more on it VERY soon!

I wanted to make a quick note about comments made on things here. I've received a couple in the past weeks that ask specific questions from people that I don't personally know. Blogger doesn't give me the email address of the person asking the question. If this is you and you want me to respond, please put your email address in the question. I'll answer you but won't publish the comment with your personal information in it. Thanks!

Old Friends

It's been wonderful in NZ to get to meet Steve's friends and family and we still have more of that to go! It's also been fun to see some old friends of mine from Fiji who are here now. We've seen a couple and still have a couple more to go.

Here's a picture today with a family who stopped in for lunch on their way through the area. Deb was one of my first friends in Fiji and the girls used to play with her kids when they were all really little.