Time out at Bethells

I spent some time out at Bethells dunes and beach this afternoon. God and I needed some quality time to just be. Honestly, this is my place to go when I really need to seek God and just hear His voice. I did. 

Boaz and Ruth

The other day as I read through Ruth 2 and 3, I wrote down different things that stood out about each of these two individuals as they relate to each other and their surroundings. 

Boaz: his name means fleetness

Vs. 1 Boaz is a man of standing (NIV) or mighty man of wealth (KJV)- This lets me know that he was highly respected in Bethlehem and older...it would take time to acquire much wealth and his father would have likely passed on his wealth to him as well. 

Vs. 3 Boaz is a land owner. Not only does he own fields, he is wealthy enough to have servants and hired supervisors to watch over the work of his servants. 

Vs. 3 Boaz is a relative of Elimelech.

Vs. 4 Boaz is well respected by his employees and he speaks kindly to them. 

Vs. 5 Boaz knows who works for him and belongs in his fields and who is out of place...he asks, "who is that young woman, who does she belong to?" 

Vs. 8 Boaz is respectful and kind in the language he uses to out-siders. He addresses Ruth as "my daughter." 

Vs. 9 Boaz expects his fields to be safe, he protects Ruth by telling the men not to treat her harshly. 

Vs. 8-9, 14-15 Boaz is generous to Ruth, he tells her to stay in his field and gather behind his servant girls, he tells her to drink water from the jars the men have filled, he offers her a meal at dinner time, he also tells the men to pull out some extra heads of barley for her to pick up.

Ch. 3:12 Boaz reassures Ruth that he will take the steps necessary to see that she is cared for.

These are my observations of Ruth thus far...Ruth means friendship.

Ch. 1:4 Ruth is Moabite and she is a widow (vs.5).

Ch 1:6 Ruth is Naomi's daughter-in-law

Ch. 1:16-18 Ruth is loyal to Naomi at all costs-even to the point of death. 

Ch. 2:2 Ruth takes initiative to care for her mother-in-law. She asks Naomi if she my go gather food to provide for their physical needs. 

Ch. 2:5 Ruth is a young woman. 

Ch. 2:7, 15, 17-18 Ruth is a hard worker...she worked all day in the field, threshed all that she collected during the day, then had to carry it back home to Naomi. 

Ch. 2:10 Ruth is respectful of Boaz and shows her thankfulness in response to his kindness

Ch. 2:12 Ruth takes refuge under the "wings" of God by returning with Naomi to Bethlehem. 

Ch. 3:3-5 Ruth is obedient to Naomi when she tell her what to do in order to request marriage from Boaz.

Ch.3:9 Ruth proposes that Boaz fulfill the role of Kinsman Redeemer by marrying her. 

3:10 Ruth did not run after the the young men...rich or poor, she followed the custom of the Jewish law that required her to marry within her husbands family. 

3:11 Ruth was a virtuous woman and the community knew she was a woman of noble character. 

Around the Bays

"Don't come in first, second, or third, come in fourth! Just give it a go" 

This was the slogan for the makers of the Moro Bar as they cheered on most of Auckland as we ran along the harbour, around the bays of the city. They were giving away a new convertible to the person who came in fourth:) This is very typical of the Kiwi culture if you ask me, it's not about winning, it about trying your best. 

This morning I jogged my first long distance run. I feel very satisfied and very tired, though it wasn't that long, it's the furthest I've personally run. The course was 8.4 km or 5.22 miles and I took it slow and steady, I jogged it in 1 hr. and 15 min. stopping once at the 2/3rds way through to stretch out my legs. I think this run could be better described as an experience. There were thousands of people running this morning. I was down in the city by 8:15 this morning for the 9:30 start because I had to get my numbers ect...there were already many people starting to fill the streets. At about 8:50 the line up began and we all made our way to the starting line pretty much to stand there and wait for a while. It was actually hard to get going at first because I was standing around for so long that I started to get tired. Once I got going, however, it was a good run. 

The first half was actually the hardest. About 15 minutes in, I started thinking I was crazy and that there was no way I could do this...but I just kept going. Then at the halfway point, I was feeling pretty good, a bit sore , but generally in my groove and steady. When I reached Mission Bay, about 2/3rds of the way, is when I stopped to stretch and regroup my mind for about two minutes. I reminded myself that I owned the last bit because it used to be where I'd run most, I just had to keep going. I knew I could do the last section because I had done it before and today, I did it again. 

When I came home after the run this morning, I was shattered (exhausted). I still feel a bit drained, but I'm coming back to life:) I'm not sure yet if this is going to get me started on running more long distance or if I'll be satisfied with this each year. We will have to see. 

In the time of the Judges

Ruth takes place in the time of the Judges. Thinking about this made me realize that I have forgotten what "in the time of the judges" actually means. I know about the period of Judges in Israel's history, but honestly, it's not one of those books I think to read on a regular basis or think about often. So my journey begins with looking at what it would mean to live in the time of the Judges. The first two chapters in Judges give a good overview of what life would have been like and I think it's summed up well in versed 16-23 of chapter 2.

Then the Lord raised up Judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges and prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned away from the way in which their fathers walked, the way of obedience to the Lord's command. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, He was with the judge and saved them out of the hand of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died the people returned to way even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Therefore, the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant that I have laid down for their forefathers, and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see if they will keep the way of the Lord and walk as their forefathers did." The Lord had allowed those nations to remain, He did no drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

Taking this into account, I understand the time of the Judges was filled with war and bloodshed in Israel and the surrounding nations. I also see that the people of Israel were not walking with God or living in obedience to Him. To have lived in the time of the Judges and walked with God in obedience would have not been the norm and would definitely stand out to anyone, insider or outsider. This sets an interesting "stage" for events that happen in the lives of Naomi, Elimelech, Mahlon, Kilion, Ruth, Orpah, and Boaz during this time in Israel's history.

Ruth-Trust-Lent

A couple years ago God was intently speaking to me through the book of Ruth. I was in the process of moving to New Zealand, starting a new job, living in a new place, attending a new church and leaving behind most of what I knew as familiar. God was teaching me that He is trustworthy and that He was providing for all my needs(and still is). Anyway, I am needing to go back and study this again. It's been almost two years since I've moved to New Zealand and once again God is teaching me about trust, specifically trusting Him. I have realized in the past few months that I sometimes allow fear to get a grip on my heart and mind. Fear seems to clog my mind and cloud my view of God's power and sovereignty over my life. 

Instead of giving something up for lent to help me focus on Christ sacrifice, I am actually going to intently spend extra time studying this small but influential book of Ruth. I am looking forward to reading it and studying to really impress upon my heart just how much God does look after those who love Him and live by faith in Him. Although, I'm a bit out of practice at writing, I'm going to have a go at writing a reflection paper of what I am learning as God speaks into my life via the book of Ruth. 

How thankful I am that God is willing to teach and re-teach me as I need to learn lessons over and over. In this process, God is also teaching me to be teachable and learn from those around me...not just the things I want to learn, but things I need to learn...these things will reveal themselves as the month goes on. 

Cession

This year I have transitioned churches to Cession Community. I have already been attending Cession on Sunday evenings in the past, but am now committing to attending there full time and serving as my gifts allow.  

Cession Community is parts of the Wesleyan Methodist movement in New Zealand same as the previous church I was serving in. This community is located in Pakuranga about 5 minutes down the road from where I live. Cession has just celebrated it’s fifth birthday as a church, so it is a relatively new church and growing through the grace of God.

 Previously, I have posted about Christmas Town at Cession Community, which I have played a role with in the past two years. Currently, I am going to be a mentoring coordinator role in order to help people in our church connect with each other and help each other grow as the Body of Christ. I am really looking forward to this opportunity and can’t wait to see what God is going to do with this.

To learn more about Cession Community have a glance through their web site at

www.cession.org.nz

There will be more to come about what’s happening at Cession and how God is at work in the next few weeks. I’m looking forward to posting about how God is at work in this community. 

Visa Alert!!

Well, I have wonderful news at the moment. My new work to residency visa has been mailed to me yesterday! God is so amazing and just blew me away with how this all came together right now. I will post an update on life very soon, but for now I just need to shout out: The Visa is Here!!! Praise the Lord!!!

People

People are so in intriguing. This photo above is from a recent road trip down to Wellington, the capitol New Zealand. Eleven of us drove down about 9 hours to visit two friends for a long weekend. I absolutely love the combination of cultures and our differences and then how we all interacted with 13 people in a 2 bedroom flat for 3 days:) It was crazy, but amazing at the same time. We had five Aussies, four Americans, and four Kiwis. God is incredible in many ways obviously, but for some reason I am stuck on His amazing creations, people just blow my mind away. One of my favorite memories from this trip was playing mafia and just chilling at Rhett and Sarah's. That night all of our individual personalities came out in different ways and it was so interesting to see how the cultures we grew up in affected they way we act, talk, treat others, feel about issues, think, and interact. I loved it. Everybody didn't even know each other before we took off for Welly, but by the end of three days, we didn't want it to be over. During the trip God allowed for some awesome conversation that revealed who He is in our lives. It was awesome! I am so thankful for this opportunity and for the ways God worked to draw people to Him. 

Mid-Summers Ministry Adventures

As the summer sweeps by I have been up to loving creation, the Creator and teens. Recently I went camping with two girls, Bethany and Sarah Williams, whom I enjoy spending time with and sharing Christ with. We went up to the Kai Iwi Lakes which are about 3.5 hours up North from Auckland. We were up there for two nights and three days and had a total blast. We camped on the shore of Lake Taharoa, it was an absolutely beautiful fresh-water lake. There are three dune lakes all near each other which make up the Kai Iwi Lakes, lake Taharoa is the largest of the three and has a great campground on the shore.

Bethany had her first experience kayaking and had a great time, we all spent tons of time swimming and enjoying the water. Sarah and I went on a hike the first night we were there around Lake Kai Iwi, it was a beautiful hike, though I'm pretty sure we lost the trail and ended up following some type of animal trail around the lake..haha, but it was fun. 

 

The lakes are also near 90-mile beach which is the longest stretch of beach along the New Zealand coast. We didn't go for a swim, as the conditions were not very safe, but we still had fun exploring the coast a bit. Another day we went for a couple hikes to see the giant Kauri trees that I wrote about earlier in the year. It was so cool to see the girls amazed at God's creation the same way I was when I saw these giant trees. This time I found one along a path so that I could get a picture of me hugging one of these massive trees:) 

IGNITE CAMP

I had the awesome opportunity of being a cabin leader at Ignite Youth Camp. I had a great group of girls and was part of the Orange team for the weekend. We participated in tons of gross, wet, and crazy games, awesome rallies with Pastor Brent Dongell and great music led by The Ember Days. It was a weekend that met many teens right where they were at and spoke the truth of God's Word to many hearts. Decisions were made to follow Christ, to get lives back in relationship with God, and for future lives in the ministry for the Kingdom. God worked in amazing ways and showed up to impact and show love to His children.  

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everybody! Christmas morning God blessed my life with the fellowship of dear friends and Skype chats with my family back home. I couldn't have a better first Christmas away from home. I will still be thinking of my family when they wake up for their first Christmas morning without me there, I'll probably ring home again:) I do look forward to be home for Christmas again soon.

Christmas Time is Here

It's been way too long since I last updated what's happening here in New Zealand and inevitably the end of the year is right around the corner. This year has brought many challenges, blessings, and wonderful adventures that always bring me back to the feet of Jesus. 

Top Challenge of the year could include: 

Directing a musical at Tamaki Intermediate, this challenges was definitely the hardest and yet a very rewarding thing I did this year. The students here have never had the experience of putting on a drama production, so you can imagine it was a challenge to help them understand all that needs to happen to put on a show. I had a great cast of talented students who both worked hard and had a knack for making me want to pull my hair out. I had the extra blessing of having my parents come out to visit in the middle of the set preparation. I wouldn't have been able to do all that happened without their love and support.

  There were many blessings in my life this year, but God truly answered a deep prayer by allowing my parents to come to New Zealand and see the country I live in, the people I love, the ministry God is at work doing here through the Wesleyan Church, Tamaki Intermediate, the list could go on. God allowed them to come and be part of my life here and part of what He is doing. I kept them on the go and they were probably exhausted by the time they got home, but I couldn't resist making the most of the short time they were here:)

God knows I have a heart for adventure and He allowed many this year, it's hard for me to pick just one. But the one where I think I encountered God the most was in hiking the Tongariro Crossing. It was a challenge in that we encountered unexpected obstacles along the way and ended up staying the night in a hut, when we had planned to be off the track that night. Though it was challenging, I saw some of the most beautiful parts of God's creation. God also made me walk one step at time with Him out and off this trek as I sprained my knee on day one.  

Christmas in New Zealand looks a little different from Christmas in Michigan but it's still a wonderful time to celebrate the birth of Christ. One of the most beautiful flowers here this time of the year is the blossom on the Pohutukawa tree, known as NZ's Christmas tree. 

I will be spending Christmas with dear friends and plan to go to the beach on Christmas Day and celebrate in the beauty of God's creation...though I might also go ice-skating to experience a little bit of a "white Christmas."  Merry Christmas to you all and may God draw you near to Him in this season and in the year to come. 

Reminders

"That must be a really rewarding job" said a guy while I was out with some friends last weekend. 

A few nights later another reminded me that I have the opportunity to impact lives every day!  I need to get back into that mindset. I remember when I first started teaching at this school, I was all fired up and ready to go. I was praying for my students every day, I was asking God to go with me and help me in everything! It was still difficult, but I didn't get as discouraged nearly as fast. After the second person reminded me why I do what I do, without really even knowing it, I prayed that God would forgive my lack of motivation and help me to dive back into school head first, even with only three weeks left. I need God to go on ahead of me and prepare the way, I need His strength to get me through each day and I need to remember that His faithfulness is sure and steady especially when I feel like my teaching is everything but that. 

Thoughts on a walk

I went for a walk today and just sort of kept going. In all honesty I wanted to go to the park and swing for a bit but they were in use already:) So I just kept walking. It is a beautiful afternoon and a perfect day for a walk, so I enjoyed it very much. The other day I went to one of my favourite beaches for a walk and to watch the sunset it was beautiful. The picture in the last post is from the sunset that evening. As I was walking I came across this boat: 

I hope the mail on this boat isn't actually that urgent because it would be moving way too slow...haha...this made me smile:) I just hope none of my mail ends up on one of these boats....unless maybe I'm stranded on some random island, but in that case, I'd hope this boat was coming to get me not bring me mail. Ok, so that's my musing for the day:) 

Thank you Lord the beauty of Your creation and the way You speak Your endless love into my life through allowing me to gaze upon this beauty.  

Cheeky Monkey

Nathaneal Harkness...the way too cute cheeky monkey at the Saints and Angels party. 

On Sunday, he went over and strummed my guitar then came sneaking up to me to see what I would do. Of course he had the biggest cute grin on his face:) 

Saints and Angels Party

In order to help the kids of the Redoubt community stay safe, gather lollies, and dress up, we hosted a Saints and Angels party this past Friday. It was a total blast and the kids had a great time. We had about 33 kids come to the party which was an awesome turn out considering the size of our building and community we're in.  We had about an hour and a half of activities including a gospel presentation and an opportunity for the kids to be "angels" to other kids by making Christmas cards for the World Vision sponsor kids of our youth group and other members of the church. 

Another highlight of the event was the "Faith or Fear" walk. We turned the garage into an obstacle course for the kids to go through in the dark. It included a "worm pit" (cooked spaghetti) that kids had to walk through to get out..it was great:) The kids loved it...even the big kids who came for the light party disco after our Saints and Angels party, for the younger ones, thought is was awesome. 

We ended the night by smashing the pumpkin pinata and collecting heaps of lollies (candy). It was great fun. I was so pleased that so many of the church members were able to help in various ways and keep the evening moving. We all did a bit and that made a huge difference. I had a blast using my imagination and crafty side to help the kids of the Redoubt community (plus a few friends) have a safe and fun Halloween night.  

Isaiah 12

In That day you will say:

I will praise you, O Lord. 

Although you were angry with me, 

your anger has turned away and you comforted me.

Surely God is my salvation; 

I will trust and not be afraid.

The Lord, the Lord , is my strength and my song.

With joy you will draw water 

from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name;

make known among the nations what he has done,

and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;

let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion.

for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.

Labour Day Adventure

Have you ever woken up in the morning and decided that it was a good day for an adventure? I do this all the time! Well, sometimes I figure it out the night before, that's what I did this time. Last night after church, I decided that today was going to be an adventure day (It's a holiday, so I didn't just opt out of work:) I have always wanted to see the giant Kauri trees that are up north, so today I went.

Sometimes my adventures have a plan, sometimes they don't. Sometimes my adventure go as planned and sometimes they really don't! Well, today I didn't really have a plan at all, just a few goals.
1. Hug a giant Kauri tree.
2. Go to the Kauri museum.
3. Scout out places to camp, trek, and take other people on an adventure:)
4. Spend some time with God driving around this beautiful country He created.

Like I said before, I didn't really have a plan, so I could stop whenever and wherever I wanted as long as I reached my goals:) My first stop was this Dutch deli. I couldn't believe it, it was awesome. I may be in New Zealand and I may talk funny sometimes, but I still remember the quaint "Dutch" town I grew up in and I cherish it every chance I get.

You will notice I found my faviourite dutch peppermints a this shop:) If anybody ever gives me these or sends them to me, you are my best friend:)

My next stop was the Kauri Museum. It was pretty cool. I saw some big saws and some beautiful furniture. I learnt a bit about these huge trees...like the fact that they produce gum, not the chewing kind, it's more like sap but can be refined and sculpted. Very cool. I would say this museum reminded me of our pioneer or first settlers museums in the States.

With one goal accomplished, I headed on up North to the Waipoua Forrest, home of the giant Kauri trees. Unfortunately, I was not able to hug a giant Kauri, as there were signs all around saying not to leave the path and that you would damage the roots of the trees by walking on them. So I missed out on that goal, but I did see some pretty huge trees (see photo above). In fact, at the base of the trees, I couldn't see the tops through the canopy of the forest(hence no tree top in the photo). Yes, I do realize the photos around this paragraph are tree tops and that is the canopy of the forest:)

I definitely found some great places to take a group on an adventure and have some great ideas for my next trip up there. It is such a beautiful place and drive the whole way up. I only saw the tip of the hilltop:) God blessed my day away with Him abundantly. Yes, I did do a ton of driving, but the creation I was allowed to see was stunning. God definitely reminded me that this is His world, He is the Creator, and I am one very small part of it. Honestly, I cannot grasp the beauty in photos and I can't imagine how much more there is to see up there. I can't wait to go back and bring others to enjoy God's creation as well.

I will leave you with a few more photos of what I experienced today and the challenge to wake up some morning and go on an adventure. Don't worry if you don't see everything right away, enjoy each day as a gift and live it to the fullest:)

Seriously?

Alright, if I don't blog this right now, I likely wont and it's too ridiculous of a story not to blog it soo....for your amusement and at my expense....

Today, at noon my voice started cracking a bit, I thought, "well, no big deal, I'll have a glass of water." By the end of school, the voice was gone completely, nothing, nada, zilch. I guess I must laryngitis because I don't have a sore throat at all, just no voice. This hasn't happened to me since the first week and a half after moving to IWU (6yrs ago?).

Tonight, I didn't go to choir practice because of the no voice situation, but I was going to go to Devonport to take a picture of the skyline at night, which I have been wanting to do for ages! It was a random decision to go around 9:30pm. As I was driving, I was thinking of a million things(as I do) and I missed my exit. No problem, I knew how to get where I was going from the next exit...or so I thought. I got of the motorway, started out in the right direction, turned onto the right road heading south toward my destination. Now, I don't know what happened or how but that turn did not take me where I wanted to go. In fact, I drove for about 15 minutes and then realized I was lost, it took another 30 for me to get unlost (without a map) and somehow I was North of where I turned South!!! Don't ask me how this can be...all I can say is, "only in New Zealand!"

Well, eventually I did make it to my destination and I took the beautiful picture posted above and I stayed there for a bit and journaled etc before heading home.

On my way home, I was reminded of why I don't typically go over to the North Shore after 9:30pm. ROAD WORKS!!! The entrance ramp I needed to use to the motorway was closed. Again, not a big deal I thought, I know how to get up the road to the next one where I should be able to get on...and I did after sitting at Auckland's longest red light twice. Now I'm on the motorway and heading home, so I think. However, the whole southbound motorway was closed now and I had to get off right where I was stuck 15 minutes earlier. Back to the century-long red light and now just following a bunch of cars and the detour having no clue how far out of the way I was going to have to go before getting back on the motorway.

I made it home obviously, but it's been one of those days that just leaves me saying, "seriously, you've got to be kidding me!?"

Dangerous Discovery!

Oh my goodness! I've just discovered the most dangerously delicious dessert ever! This chocolate cake seriously only takes 5 minutes. I'm not sure who to attribute this delicious recipe to, however, I cannot claim it as my own. It has really moist, spongy texture to it and it's nice and chocolaty:)

4 tbs flour
4 tbs sugar
3 tbs milk
3 tbs oil
2 tbs cocoa
1 egg

Mix all ingredients well in a large mug. "Bake" in the microwave for 3 minutes. Add a bit of chocolate frosting and some sprinkles to the top and there ya go. Perfect dessert!

Note: make sure you mix the egg in really well..otherwise you will have bits of egg in your cake, yuck!