Travelling Maggie

WAY Late: Last week in NZ

2008-05-04T13:42:00.000-07:00

My life in the past week/weeks has been a whirlwind. It has all bled into one big puddle combining just about every emotion that one person can feel. The last few days in Wanaka were amazing and just about as perfect as they could possibly be. I had amazing time with friends and the perfect amount of time between finishing work and heading out of town. While it was soo sad leaving all my friends, the time that I had with them was wonderfully joyful and lighthearted at the same time as being vulnerable and real. I was also so blessed to be able to have one last big adventure before I left the country. It was great to have this to look forward to and have that excitement take my mind off leaving Wanaka.

After leaving Wanaka I made my way up to the north island to a place called Tutukaka. There I met up with a guiding company and had a 2 day scuba diving cruise! I got to take 6 dives through the Poor Knights Islands. The reef there is the best in NZ and some of the top diving in the world. The beauty was absolutely mind blowing; it was almost incomprehensible. The islands were about an hour boat ride off of shore; it was a reserve area so the beauty was completely untainted. I would have given any thing to be able to trek around the islands, camp and climb. There were several different archways and caves, my palms sweat at the thought of being able to free climb them and go plunging in to the perfect water. And all of that beauty is just above the water! Once we got in and under it was a whole different world of splendor! There were several archways and caves underwater as well. The colors were incredible, deep blues, bright yellows, neon purple and orange. All the dives were amazing but the last two dives that were my favorite. The first was in this Huge cave with 3 different entrances. This cave must have been at least 50 feet tall. Floating in the center of this cave looking at the light shine through two different entrances in the brilliant blue water, with all this magnificent different life swimming around me, made me realize just how insignificant I am, and just how extraordinary our God is too create all of it. The other dive that was my favorite was the last one of the trip. There was a old battle ship that was striped and sunk on purpose for the marine life. It was really eerie to see this thing at the bottom of the ocean that clearly didn’t belong. The dive itself wasn’t as beautiful as some of the others but it was incredible to see two different worlds collide. There was less clarity and it was a bit more difficult to dive it just because I was slightly disoriented. Swimming around and through this enormous ship my mind wandered like crazy. At one point I was swimming by a port hole, I looked over to see light shining through and fish swimming by. It was as if the fish and I looked at each other and I just imagine us thinking the exact same thing. “That’s strange, you don’t normally see a fish (in their case a human) swimming by when you look through a window.” So on the whole the trip was spectacular.

After that trip I made my way back to Auckland and took some time to repack and get ready for going back to the states. I was blessed enough to be able to visit friends on the west coast before returning to Texas. My flight back was entertaining only because I got to watch 3 different movies, but at the same time it wasn’t wonderful. I only was able to sleep for a little over an hour but I recovered from the jet lag relatively fast. The reverse culture shock arriving in LA was not fun. After being in the most beautiful place in the world, and living in a town that is sooo mellow with no traffic lights; busy, crowded, loud, and smoggy LA was a bit of a slap in the face. My time with my friend Jamie was however wonderful. I was also blessed to be able to spend a week with one of my very closest friends ever in the wonderful city of Seattle. My time there was perfect. I was able to have amazing conversations that were both challenging and encouraging, also I had great time to rest and reflect. And on top of all of that Natalie was the perfect person to transition with. She is not only an amazing encouraging friend, but she also knew exactly what I was going through with my transaction since she moved back from Australia not to long ago.

It was so great to be blessed to have time to go see Jamie and Natalie. I am really looking forward to seeing friends up in Denton as well. I know that being back visiting may be a bit strange seeing how things have changed and evolved. I am just looking forward to catching up and having more great conversations.

February : Month of Fun!

2008-03-02T01:48:00.001-08:00

Wow I cant believe that this month has gone by so fast. There has been so much excitement and change in one short month that I don’t know where to begin.
There have been a few festivals that I have been blessed to be able to go to in the past month. The first of which was Jose Gonzales in Queenstown! For those of you who don’t know who he is, get to know him! His music is Amazing and the concert was great. It was a day festival with about 4 other acts that played before him. Such a fun and relaxing day to spend with friends. The second was an all day event in Wanaka at the local vineyard. They have the Rippon Festival every other year and it is huge (by Wanaka standards) this was a bit more of a full on day. The first band went on at 11am and the last band hit the stage at 11:30pm. This again was an amazing day with friends and great music; something I will never forget. I feel so blessed to have been able to expierance things like this in my time here.
On top of the amazing concerts there have been a few other Wonderful things I have been able to do lately. I was recently SO blessed by my parents being able to come over for a visit. We had such an amazing time together and created some incredible memories that I will hold with me forever. After taking a road trip and having a wonderful nights sleep on a beautiful sail boat in Nelson (complements of my boss) I meet up with my parents. We were able to take a kayak tour through the Able Tasman National Park one day! It was one of the most amazing trips ever. Then we took a road trip down the west coast together. I think the most exciting part for me was having them come back to Wanaka and showing them this Amazing place I have been blessed to call home for a while. It was so great to have them meet my friends here and have them see first hand all that I have been talking about.
Another Huge blessing was a day trip my friend Tara and I got to take. Tara set us up on a Siberia Expierance trip, which is close to $300 and somehow she managed to get it for free through work. This trip was absolutely the most incredible day! The trip starts with a helicopter ride through the mountains and lasts about 15 min. After that they land in the midst of mind-blowing beauty and drop you off with a walky-talky and tell you to follow the markers. So you’re out on your own, in the middle of God’s greatest piece of art. They give you about 4 or 5 hours to soak it up and do the trek back to a hut. Once you reach the hut they come out by jet boat and pick you up!!! The jet boat was so freaking fun. The scenery is once again out of this world and your taking it all in while, doing 360s and practically flying over only 4 inches of water in a boat! Its hard to believe all that God has blessed me with in my time here.
As for the changes that have happened. The first big change was getting my hair dreaded. I had been thinking of getting it done for quite a while and I finally committed. I decided that if I were ever to do it, now would be the time. I have had them in for over a month now and am still very happy. Just to ease some of your worry let me dispel some common rumors that you may have heard:
-I do NOT have to shave my head to get them out. Since I have pretty fine hair I will be able to let it grow out for a bit then cut it a little above my shoulders and comb out the rest.
-I can also regularly wash my hair, so you don’t need to worry about it smelling horrible or me getting bugs.
-And finally I do not have Any intention to start selling weed.
The other big change that has happened recently, as you know from my last post, is that I have decided to move home. With all of these great things happening it does make it hard to remember why exactly I am coming back. But I do know that it is the right timing, and I just have to be thankful that I got this time. The upside of leaving now is that I am leaving on a high. I will Always remember these sweet incredible times, and Constantly be reminded of God’s provision for me. After this trip I can so clearly see that He doesn’t merely want me to get by but He wants to over flow my cup with His provision.
Since I made the decision I have gotten such peace but at the same time I have been So torn. God has really been increasing my relationships with both my friends here and my personal relationship with Him. I have seen prayers answered in Huge ways recently. Its as if God is saying ok this is what happens when you open your ears and listen to Me instead of telling me what you want to hear. I have grown to love the church here so much. God has taught me some amazing lessons through my time there. And he showed me things in such a neat way, I would have never guessed that He would use the Church in the way He did, but I am thankful for it. Recently I have been a bit stressed because I have been getting hardly any hours at work and I still have rent to pay and all sorts of flights and such to pay for. My friend at church have been so encouraging though this transition with incredible prayer and words of encouragement. This morning I woke up to find a letter on my coffee table with my name on it. I open it up and all it said was “Maggie we love you.” And enclosed was $85. Since it wasn’t signed I cant say for sure who did it, but I don’t know who other that them would have done it. It has been amazing how they have loved me; I have grown closer to my friends here than I ever imagined I could have. It makes me really sad to think I wont be near them much longer. BUT I am still terribly excited to be back home and to be near all of you back there. I also cant wait to figure out how and where God will direct me.
See you soon!

waving good bye on a high

2008-02-22T10:59:00.000-08:00

There’s some big news on this side of the world; I won’t be living here for much longer. Crazy enough, I have decided to come back home. I know what your all thinking “ What the heck, her last update was about everything that she loved there I didn’t think she was ever coming back.” Well despite the love that I have for this place, God has showed me that the time has come to move on. There has been lots of thought and even more prayer over this and it is pretty evident that leaving is the right thing. I would love to share with yall all the reasons why but it’s a bit hard to explain, but I’ll do my best.

a) Job- I love my job but its not equipping me in any way. There are certain things that I want to pursue in life and up to this point my job has been fun but its not helping me get any closer to those dreams.

b) Seasons- the winter season is coming up and I just don’t have much of an interest in staying here for it. This town turns into one huge non-stop party and it’s really cold. And unless I got another job at one of the ski fields it wouldn’t be worth staying.

c) Spiritual- I love my church! But I feel like I am not growing at all and all the church is doing is doing is giving me little lifts to get through. I am defiantly not flourishing at all here.

There are many other things but that’s the summary. As for what I am going to do when I get back. I am still sorting it out. The only thing I know right now is that I will be spending a week in Seattle with Natalie and then coming back to Texas. I am most likely going to be spending the first week in April in Denton. Beyond that I don’t know too much. I have a few different options that I am thinking through.

SO there it is. I would love to talk to yall more about it but sadly enough I couldn’t call each of you. Please please call me if you want a chat though (281-940-1564) or just send me an e-mail! I miss yall but I will get to see you soon!!!!!!!!!!!! Love you!

A few of my favorite things

2008-01-21T12:18:00.001-08:00

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about why I love it here so much. Its easy to know that its great here, but there are so many simple pleasures that get drowned out by the big picture. So with that being the case I have decided to start taking note of all the things that make Wanaka so wonderful for me so I could share them with you.

Here are a few of my favorite things:

- Laying out and swimming in the lake

- The local walks

- Driving on gravel roads

- Seeing Gods INCREDIBLE creation everywhere around me

- Picking fresh raspberries in my back yard

- Spending all day in the sun

- Driving in my car or being out anywhere and suddenly realizing “Holy crap this is where I live!”

- The long days (5:30am till 10pm its light)

- Worship at church

- Cutting fresh lavender for my room from my backyard

- Attaching beautiful memories to great music

- The concerts

- My co-workers and work in general

- Camping in what seems to be completely secret places

- Having picnics

- The trust within the community (i.e. can leave car unlocked with keys in it and not really worry)

- My boss taking us out on his boat (this Saturday he closed the gym early and took us wakeboarding!)

- Making coffee at work, my favorite part is pouring the steamed milk in and trying to make it look pretty

- The amazing local wines

- Swimming in the lake by moon light

- Working on the wall!

- Bouldering by the lake

- Walking barefoot

- The view of the lake from my house

- The slow pace of life

SO those are just a few of the simple joys in my life. I wish I could paint you a better picture and you all could expierance it first hand. There are so so many more, and I will be sure to keep track of them. In all honesty there are not too many things that I don’t like about this place. I was wracking my brain trying to think of the things I don’t like and this is what I came up with:

- It being such a transient town (but now I have some good friendship with some locals!)

- Knowing how laid back the culture is and not always adapting. i.e. I show up to places relatively on time or 5 min late, and still to wait because everyone else functions on the "kiwi clock." (not always the case but most the time its true)

- Having the one day in two weeks that it isn’t sunny fall on my day off.

- The fact that the F word is so common that they don’t even censor it on TV

- AND most importantly the fact that the people I love the most aren’t here with me.

Really that’s all I could think of at the time. So there you have it, now you can sorta see the reason I am having a hard time sorting out when to leave. Its like paradise here! Mom and Dad I cant wait to have you here!!!!!

Here is the link to my most recent pictures:

http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2167483&l=6eb52&id=23902206

http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2172080&l=f50d8&id=23902206

A glimpes into the mind of Maggie

2008-01-13T16:45:00.000-08:00

Recently I have had lots and lots of questions about what I am doing with my life and what do I thing is next. So I am going to do my best to give you a glimpse into my mind. I cant promise it will make sense to you, because it doesn’t even really make sense to me yet.
I have been really back and forth about what to do with my life. Stay here, go back to the states, stay here, go to the UK, and on and on and on. I think I have been a bit confused because I have had a lack of ambition or aspiration. I have recently realized that the reason for that may be the fact that I am actually living my dream right now; which is a really cool thing. SO now that I have that cleared up I have just been trying to focus on living in each day. I have always struggled with that, but I figure, there is no better time than now get past that struggle. There are 4 things that I know for sure and I am trusting that God will sort out it out for the best.
1) I would like to be home next Christmas
2) I would like to live in the UK for some period of time
3) I would like to go to Africa when my sister and her family go in March of 09
4) The thought of leaving NZ is gutting to me.

I really have no idea what will happen with these desires and thoughts. But I do know that as of right now I love life and if God has provided this for me than I can trust that whatever is in my future (these 4 things or something else) will be great.
Right now there is so much exciting and fun stuff going on that I constantly wonder when real life will start. I am assuming that after my parents come, and I have less fun stuff to look forward to, my rose colored glasses will come off. But who knows?!
SO that’s a little picture of what I have been thinking lately. Oh and there is one other thing I know!
5) I miss you guys like crazy and SOOOOO badly wish that you could come visit me so I could share this paradise with you. Really Really Really want you all to come here!

A not so White Christmas

2008-01-06T23:19:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks have for sure been interesting and new. The things that have been most fascinating to me have been:
- Christmas and the festivities surrounding it
- Learning how to push start my car and having to do that every time I wanted to drive for 3 days
- Having work be sooo busy
- Getting my car fixed and the service of the technician
- Spending New Years eve at a Reggae concert

SO Christmas was pretty wonderful. Because it was such a different way to spend the holidays, I wasn’t nearly as homesick as I had expected to be. I started the morning by having a skype Christmas with my family. We got to open presents together over the web cam, so that was an interesting twist. Then I went over to a friend’s and we sorta hopped around houses together. The first stop was to have an egg and champagne brunch with a group of fun people. It was fantastic there. We had a bit of a Christmas dance party in the sun and I taught them the College Life classic game of Big Booty. They LOVED it! After all of that we were pretty tired so we took a nap and then had a wonderful Christmas dinner that Rich and Nicky prepared. After the little wind down we went over to another friend’s for a few drink and just a good hang out. Later on that night I did try my hand on fire baton twirling, which is Definitely a Christmas first, and I do have to say it was pretty fantastic
My steady Strider has not been so steady lately, which is a shame. But I did take him in for his safety inspection and Merry Christmas to me, he passed. I was pretty excited that nothing had to be fixed for the time being; but to the dismay of my excitement, the next day he wouldn’t start. So I spent 3 days push starting him every time I needed to go somewhere. Haha I finally got into a shop and it turns out that nothing really serious was wrong. I just needed a new connector bit. But the thing that really blew my mind was the service and the “kiwi culture.” I took it in on New Years Eve and for one reason or another I couldn’t get up to the shop to pick it up. Anyways I got a call from the shop at about 5 saying, “Hi Maggie, just wanted to let you know your car is ready. We’re closing up shop now so I’m just going to put your key on your back tire. Happy New Years.” And I hadn’t paid anything. I mean they have my plate numbers and my name, but still it was pretty cool.
Work has been going well but we have been off our face busy. The café has been sooooo full on that we had to take down the menu and only do coffee and baked goods. And even then we couldn’t cook fast enough to keep the cabinet full. But on the up side the days have been going by really fast.
New Years was Wonderful! I hadn’t had plans for the longest time, but last minute I decided to go to a Reggae concert with some friends. We went to see the Black Seeds (there kinda a big deal here) and it was great. It was for sure a fun way to bring in the new year.
As for upcoming events there are some really exciting things happening soon. I have two fesivles coming up in the next few weeks. Base Camp is having a big party with 4 or 5 different DJ’s lined up. AND my parents will be here soon!!!!!!!!!!! Also on a side note, my high school friends Brenna and Patrick just got married!! YAHOOO Its about time! So congrats to yall (Brenna, I know your checking this compulsively so I thought it only appropriate. I hope the honeymoon was great!)

2007-12-14T00:30:00.000-08:00

Since the last time I wrote not too much has change but little things have happen here and there.

I told you last time that basecamp was having a speed dating night and my co-workers signed me up for it. Well it went on last Friday and it ended up being a great time. I definitely was not looking to really date some random person, but it was nice to meet 15 new people in Wanaka.

Work is still going good. It’s really nice there because all the staff are friends and hang out all the time. The only bad thing it that we never have days off together but we do manage to do things after work together. This Monday a few of the girls went horseback riding and it was so lovely. And last night there was a “famous dress” going away party/ I went as India Arie. This should be interesting because I am not skinny, tall, or black BUT… I do have soul and boogie in my bones!

This weekend my best friend here is going home for 5 weeks, so that stinks. But I have been getting to be good friends with one of the new girls at basecamp and the girls from my church. I also have got some plans for Christmas now, which is nice. I will go over to one of my friends place and do a small bar-b-que with them then have a skype Christmas with my family.

Church is still going really well. It’s been so nice once I committed and started going regularly. Like I said before, I am beginning to get closer with the girls. I am starting to feel more like myself around them. I walk with a few of them at least once a week and God has really blessed that time in just developing relationships. I was also able to spend some time with them this weekend. There are a few that are in a band and they were playing a gig at the most AMAZING spot I have seen. It was on someone’s property and they had a stage set up in the HUGE back yard; it was on a river that had a canopy of trees and all of it was breathtaking. There are little places like that everywhere here and I know that if I leave here that is what I will miss the most.

Time continues to fly by here and I am Amazed that Christmas is only 2 weeks away. I am looking forward to things a lot more now with the Holidays. I do have some fun things lined up after the holidays as well, since it is summertime there are heaps of festivals and concerts. Hopefully time will fly by right up to when my parents get here in Feb! I cant wait to show them around this Incredible place I call home. I wish that each of you could come out here and see it.

I think that’s about it. Please please please let me know how life is going for you. I miss you all dearly!

2007-12-04T01:38:00.000-08:00

Right now I am sitting by the lake sun bathing in the most beautiful place in the world! (here is a picture of what I was looking at while writing)

Since my last post I have been all over they place, literally, mentally and emotionally. I have been blessed beyond belief by this town (as usual) but it hasn’t been easy at all times. With the holidays coming up I have gotten pretty home sick and often look online at flights just to see if Maybe I could make a trip home; but it is more than impractical. The thing that makes it easier to bare is the fact that a) it is Crazy beautiful here and b) that it is summer time, so it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas. There continues to be amazing things happening all the time that hold me over. One of the many things I love the most is that there are Always opportunities to have picnics with amazing surroundings. (I have about 4 or 5 picnics a week and it is marvelous)
I am continuing to make new friends and develop relationships with people here. I have gotten to be really great friends with one of my co-workers. It has been lovely doing things with her. She is a planner, like me, and we are always up to something. We have made a few plans for camping trips and always manage to get a good girls night out about once a week or so. She is even thinking about joining me for a trip to Fiji!
I have also committed to a church (a different one than I had mentioned in my last post) and I am starting to build friendships with some of the girls from there. We had a fun movie night last weekend and today I had a great sushi picnic with one of the girls on the lake. While I didn’t think initially that this was the right church for me, God has now really affirmed that it is. The congregation is young and they meet at night so I am always able to make it.

My two really close guy friends left this week so that was a bit sad, but I am sure that I will be able to see them again at some point. Right before Pete left we were able to take a wonderful day trip to Milford Sounds. It was a long day (about 5 hours each way) but it was so worth it. The drive was absolutely breath taking. I was absolutely astounded by Gods creation. We had booked boat cruise through the sounds. We got there we checked in and were talking to the receptionist and she asked how we heard about them; we told her we worked for Basecamp, so she let us on for free!!! It was such a huge blessing because the cruises are normally about $60. Since we got on for free we were able to have a nice dinner on the way home.

Work continues to go well. I had started to get pretty board and I was dreading the idea of working without Joey and Pete. (they always made things interesting and fun) But I finally got put on some Café shifts and it has been AMAZING! I was able to do some cooking and I loved it. I didn’t realize that I missed cooking and to be honest I didn’t even know that I love to do it; but it turns out that I do! Anyways the café supervisor really liked having me back there and was impressed by my work, so she told the manager that from now on she wants me to do all the cooking! I think the change is just what I needed. This week should also be fun at work because we have an event this Friday and it’s Speed Dating. My co-workes made sure that I was not working and they took the liberty to sign me up, which I was initially Totally against, but now I think it will be a good laugh. I have actually managed to get 3 girls from church to come and do it with me! (I told them it would be a good outreach, haha)

And now for the warm fuzzy feeling of the week:
God’s provision was incredible that past week. As I told you I chose a church to commit to; well last week they made an announcement that they were doing a big donation pull for their base church’s building fund. When they said this I had a really strong feeling that I was suppose to give them my next paycheck. I wasn’t to thrilled about this feeling, but I decided to pray about it. So I prayed and told God that I didn’t really want to give it and that I wanted to save it for other things. But that since he asked me to I would commit and do it. The next day I was talking to my parents and they told me that both my Aunt and Grandma had sent me checks that totaled Well over the amount of my paycheck! God is good. It just really shows that you cant receive His gifts with a closed hand!

Prayers:
Everything here is really wonderful but please pray for me over the holidays. And that I would find comfort in this time. Please also pray for clarity and guidance on the “future.” Thanks so much! I love you and miss you!

PICTURES!
http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2162003&l=610a0&id=23902206

lovely lovely Wanaka

2007-11-13T01:04:00.000-08:00

I have been horrible about updates and I am sorry. The time flies by like crazy here and I having more and more to do with each passing day. It is starting to feel like home here and I have found some wonderfully fun friends to spend my time with. Since it has been a long time since my last update I am going to try to break it down as best as I can. (link to pictures below!)

Halloween: Kids party at work and an amazing bottle of wine for being there.
We had our first event at work and it went really well. We had over 50 kids come for a pumpkin hunt, face painting, costume contest, apple bobbing and a movie. It was a bit full on, but it was a nice way to spend the night. My boss bought each the staff a fabulous bottle of wine for our help (I am starting to Really enjoy these staff benefits)

Guy Fawkes night: Fireworks, friends and fun!
The 5th was Guy Fawkes Night. (Guy was the one that tried to blow up the British parliament with gunpowder, so now everyone just has bonfires and fireworks) I went over to 2 of my friends’ house and we had a great night. Its always a little bit dangerous playing with fire and blowing things up with boys but we all got out alive and un-injured.

Life lessons: Grown up expenses, (aka: the break pads in my 1985 barina were no good) and living in a transients town is hard.
A few things have given me a bit of a kick lately. Good ol’ Strider needed some work done. (I am sure that it needs a Lot more but for now it was just the one thing) I was a bit nervous about taking it in and figuring out how much it all would be, but it turned out not so bad ($130 NZD.) Also I have realized the reality of my lifestyle and where I live. Wanaka is a HUGE transients town and people come and go like mad. I didn’t really have a problem with this until I started to make friends. A few of my co-workers and good friends here are leaving soon and it kinda stinks. I have thought a lot about staying around here for a while but it’s a bit hard knowing that the friends I will make are pretty temporary.

Social life: People are leaving but they go out with a bang.
Since people are leaving around here there are lots of going away parties. Its been really fun having all these little get together and such. There have been little things here and there but the most fun was my trip to Queenstown. There are 3 people I work with that I have gotten really close with (Tara, Joey and Pete) Since Joey was about to leave we all arranged to get off of work and go to Queenstown for a day. Tara and I went up early via Hitchhiking! (it was wonderful fun) Then the boys took my car and meet up with us later. It was such a beautiful day! Tara and I booked a hostel room and then went for a perfect picnic and relaxed in the sun. Once the guys got there we made dinner and then went out for drinks and dancing. It was so much fun and I am so happy that I have met some people that really make me laugh. It was a little bitter sweet because Joey was about to leave (more on that later) but still a blast.

Work: Café training, staff coming and going and another event.
Work is still going so well, I love it and love the staff. Its been a bit crazy with so much staff leaving so soon. With all that going on I have been doing a lot of café training and am going to start picking up shifts here and there. Joey left on Friday and got to Auckland to find out that his dream employer had offered him a job in Feb. So he decided that he should just come back to Wanaka and save up money until then. So that was a bit of an ordeal but it was all very exciting and a huge blessing (even if he doesn’t see it as that, hehe)
We also had another big event at basecamp on Saturday. It was a fundraiser for a youth snowboard team. There was an auction and tailgate sale during the day then that night the bar was open and there was a DJ. It was a really long day, I worked from 9am-11:30am then came back in from 3pm-3:45am! Even though it was a super long day it was really fun. I ended up dancing for the last 1-2 hours of my shift and got paid to be there! CRAZY FUN!

Church: Think I have settled on one.
I have visited just about every church in Wanaka and think I have found one that I like. It’s a Presbyterian church and I really enjoyed the service but the congregation is much older. My work schedule is not idea (I only have every other Sunday morning off) but its better than nothing. I would still like more fellowship with people my age, but I am sure that God can make that happen if He desires it for me.

That’s pretty much the wrap up. I have pictures from all that I have told you about here:
http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2150715&l=524d9&id=23902206
and here:
http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2158872&l=daa41&id=23902206

2007-10-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

This past week has been terrific, so much fun stuff has happened. Its been really fun meeting people and starting to feel at home. Little things like going to the grocery store and seeing people I know is wonderful.

Last Friday was when things really started getting fun. I went over to a friends place and we met up with a few of her friends that were having a dinner picnic. Their “picnic” was actually a few people making sushi, in their hippy van down by the river. Haha It was Fantastic! I made my first sushi roll and it was given a 9 1/2 out of 10 stars by the expert judge named Si. The next day I worked (which is still loving so much) but after work I me up with all the hippies again. They were camping out at the most beautiful place. It was complete with wonderful wine and cheese, an amazing soup (made in the back of a hippy van) and Fire dancing haha. (I took pictures: http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2150715&l=524d9&id=23902206) It was such a great night and we actually had some really great conversation. Si saw my cross ring and asked me if I was a Christian, and that lead into a wonderful long conversation. He is an atheist but was really interested to know what I thought and really open to my point of view.

I was able to test out another church this past Sunday. Unfortunately I didn’t feel that comfortable there. I was pretty discouraged by it to be honest. But there is one more church in the area that I am going to test out on Sunday. Prayer for that would be really appreciated.

Work has been going really well still. I finished my 3rd week (time has flown by) so its not as new and exciting as it was, but I still love it so much. I have been able to hang out with a few people that have come into the wall, so that has been fun. I am really trying to be intentional in putting myself out there. I know that if I don’t make the effort in building friendships then they wont happen. It has been really nice in my house too. My flatmates ad I started cooking dinner for each other once a week, so its been fun getting to eat with them and getting to know them better.

But the most exciting thing about my week was yesterday. I was able to go white water sledging yesterday for free! (Benefits of the job… it’s such a ruff life.) Sledging is basically going down rapids in your own personal flotation device. We went down twice the first time in the sledge and the second time I went down on a boogie board! And I got to cliff jump! It was SO incredible. This is the website of the company I went with if you want to see what it’s like: http://www.frogz.co.nz/

I am, as you can tell, still loving it here. I do wish that I was closer to you all and was able to expierance this with you. But I can let those thoughts get me down to much. As far as prayers go, please pray for a church here, I am really in need of fellowship. Also please pray that I would love the people I am surrounded by now well. Lastly, that I would really put myself out there even when it is uncomfortable.

I love you guys!

2007-10-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh updates. These things are getting harder and harder because God is doing so much. There is no way I can fully communicate all that my life is, but I will do my best. So this is another long one, if you want to skim through it I have put the main ideas in bold. I love you all.

Home:
Love it and I am getting along great with my flatmates.
My house is freaking awesome and I have fantastic flatmates. I live in the most beautiful place I have ever see and the community is so fantastic. It was interesting adapting to the cultural norm of co-ed flatting here. I live with to older guys (28 & 35) which sounds a bit scandalous, but it truly isn’t. They are really respectful of me and my space, (I don’t think they have even seen my room,) they are really friendly and they keep the house really tidy! I have gone out with them a few times and really enjoy their company. So that its great. I have been able to get my room in order a bit. There is a recycle center here and it is superb. I got a dresser, mattress, bed frame, sheets, comforter, space heater, a vanity mirror and a hair dryer all for about $80 NZD ($60 US) CRAZY!

Work:
Love love love it. Doing reception but I get to cross train in both café and the wall!
My goodness I love working here. I am working reception right now, which can be slow at times and a lot of cleaning and trying to find little jobs here and there. They have asked me to do some brainstorming for events that they could have there. But the thing that is most exciting is that they are letting me cross train in both the café and the wall. So I get to learn how to make drinks and how to intro people into the wall. I am really hoping to learn how to set routs at some point too. I was climbing with one of my co-workers yesterday and she said that I should make some routs for the “short-asses” (I didn’t even care that she called me that. I was just excited that they wanted me to set a rout!) And I am really enjoying all the people I work with. Also since we are and adventure activity company we will sometimes get these quid-pro-quo deals with other companies. Sometime this month we are taking a staff day and going to do white water sledging (basically boogey boarding down rapids!) and we get to do this for free! Ahhhh so blessed.

Friends:
Starting to make some!!! Haha.
I am starting to meet some people and build friendships here, which is great. I went over too a friends the other night and we cooked dinner had great wine watched a movie and had a slumber party. It was wonderful just to have some fun and much needed girl time. Its really nice working up at the wall because I get to meet climbers that come through. The only bad part is that since I work on Saturdays I haven’t had a chance to go outdoor climbing with anyone yet. But now I have Sundays off so hopefully that will change.

Church:
Still trying to find one.
I tested out one church and really liked the Sunday service but I went to the mid-week prayer and it was full on charismatic. I wasn’t super comfortable there, so I don’t really want to go to a church that I can be fully involved in. Loved the people and again Sunday night was good, but not totally for me. The good news is that work just hired on a new girl so I have Sundays completely off now. And they just added some night hours to my schedule so I will still manage to get 30+ hours!!! God is good!

Side note:
I feel the earth, move, under my feet! Two earthquakes.
I expieranced my first earthquake. On Tuesday early morning (2:30am) we got tremors here from an earthquake in Miford. Apparently it was the biggest one here in a long time. I think it was something like a 2.2. Then later that afternoon there was a second one that wasn’t as strong. I don’t think there was any damage, but it was pretty wicked.

SO this is just barely scratching the surface of what is going on in my life, but you get the idea. I really wish that I could just bring everyone here so that yall could experience all of this first hand and really see how wonderful it is here. I am pretty positive I will stay here the majority of my time here and maybe just take a month or so at the end to tour everything else. And I am sure even with that plan it will be hard to leave. Trying not to think about it too much, its so far off and I need to just enjoy it for what it is right now.

Questions, Comments, Concerns? E-mail me! Mags_02@msn.com

Wanna Know Wanaka?

2007-10-06T18:33:00.000-07:00

Let me first say the life has been way way beyond Amazing lately. So much has happened in these past few days that it is frustrating thinking about trying to put it into words. I have decided that I will break it down in to short outline and a long explanation for those of you who want to read on.

I) Leaving Methven (pictures of Methven and such: http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2146539&l=73c93&id=23902206)
a. Took a long road trip on my way to Wanaka. Stayed in Oamaru. (pictures http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2150462&l=6df9e&id=23902206)
b. Saw the Moeraki boulders; they were increadible.
II) Got to Wanaka: It’s the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my life. (pictures: http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2150715&l=524d9&id=23902206)
a. Got called for an interview at Base Camp Wanaka, a climbing wall
b. Looked for a flat to move into. Through that, talked to a guy living here that use to work at NASA for 3 years. (10 minutes away from my parents home)
c. Got a job as reception at the wall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
d. Moved into a flat that is freaking Incredible.
e. Now I am living in a complete state of euphoria.

Long Version:

I left Methven on Tuesday and was really excited to start something new. I took a long way around things so that I could see some of NZ on my way down to Wanaka. I stopped in a town called Oamaru, its an old historic coast town, sort of like Galveston but more colonial and more beautiful. They are known for their penguin colonies, and I was able to see a little blue penguin. The weather was a bit crummy on the first day and some of my drive the second day as well, but I still got to see so much beauty.

On the second day I drove down the coast some before going inland and it was the most beautiful day of my life. I saw the Moeraki boulders, they are these huge natural boulders that sorta just grow out of the cliffs, (I didn’t take the guided tour so I don’t know all the scientific facts, but I still appreciated them) Seeing things like that just make me love Gods creativity more and more. It was amazing taking this drive because the more I drove the more beautiful it got. I was absolutely blown away the whole time.

Day one Wanaka:
When I got into Wanaka I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty (this feeling hasn’t stopped since the time I drove in.) I was pretty tired from the long drive so I got to my hostel and laid down. About 10 min. into my nap I got a call from Base Camp (BC) asking me if I could come in for an interview. So I got that set up and of course couldn’t sleep at all after that.

Day 2 Wananka:
I started looking for a flat. The first one I looked at was amazing and it was actually right around the corner from BC. (It was funny because as I drove by BC for the first time I thought wow it would be really cool if I got this job then found a flat in that neighborhood.) I looked at a few other houses, none of them were quite as cool as the first one, but I did talk to a guy that lived in Clear Lake for 3 years through the searching process, it’s a small world. I also had my interview this day and it went really well. They asked me if I could come in a few hours the next day for a trial.

Day 3 Wanaka: big day
I went in for my trial and it went so well. I got along really well with the other 2 receptionist and really enjoyed working there. After about 3 hours I had a debrief with the supervisor and she offered me the job! Apparently there were 2 other people that came in for trails, but she said I had the most enthusiasm and clicked the best. (I think the enthusiasm may come from the fact that I have wanted to work at a wall for over a year now, or maybe because I am just a spaz.) Since I was officially staff now they invited me to the staff night that was going to happen that evening. It was so fun being able to meet everyone and to hang out with people that shared the same passion as me.
Today I decided on the first house and moved in. The house is incredible, it was built by an artist ad is totally eccentric and completely unique. Its hard to explain everything but I have posted pictures so you can take a look. The selling point for me was the fact that there is a mini climbing wall in the stairwell!!!!!!!!! Living overseas is a bit different in the fact that everyone lives wherever there is a room, you don’t come across too many same sex houses. So I am living with two guys and another girl right now. They are all really kind and so helpful and clean! I have been getting along with them so well. An added bonus is the fact that they are pretty stinkin funny, it has been really nice to be able to laugh really hard once in a while.

Days Following:
Everything has been so good I cant get over all the blessing that have been poured out on me. Its crazy to think about it all and how the timing of everything was perfect. I just found out that BC had just changed ownership and had been closed for a transition month. When I had called to ask about jobs they were at the end of the hiring process. And this past Monday was their grand re-opening. So if I would have waited any longer to call or come out here there would have been no positions open. Its also perfect timing because the ski season is ending this weekend so, people are moving and that’s how I got hooked up with such a sweet flat. Who knew that a month in Methven would have set me up in such a sweet way?!
In the past few days I have really enjoyed getting to know my flatmates and co-workers. I truly love this place and will have no problem staying here for a while; I think the problem will come in leaving. Right now I am really looking forward to testing out this church tonight. I seems like it will be a great fit so I am interested to see how it all goes.

I have put the links to all my pictures above. You can get a little glimpse of what life is like for me here. Its had because pictures hardly capture everything, but it can be a starting place for you imagination!

I miss you all and love you. Thank you so much for your prayers, I know they are the reason for all of this!

Here I Go Again on My Own

2007-09-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

This past week in Methven was great. It was the start of school holiday and the church I go to does a program for the kids, (just like our Vacation Bible School.) I have been able to help out with that by leading a group of 7year old girls and doing the drama each day. It was great to feel connected and get involved. By the end of it all I was pretty wiped out, but was so glad I got to be a part of it.

I have gotten pretty close to one family here. Debbie is one of the women that is a part of the women’s lunch group. She is married and has to young girls. They have been such a blessing to me. I had a chance to go have “tea” (dinner) one night with all of them and it was just the comfort I needed. I have been blown away by the way people have loved me in such a short amount of time. I am going to have tea with another family on Monday and one of my co-workers is having a going away party for me as well! It will be strange saying goodbye, but exciting to see what God does.

Now the plan is to leave Methven on Tuesday. I will get on the road and take a bit of time to see what I can. I am planning on visiting Oamaru and see the Moeraki boulders and the other things in that area. Then I will head down to Wanaka. This is where I hope to settle down for the next few months. This is really close to Queenstown (adventure capital of the world. Bungee Jumping was invented there!!!) and it is close to Milford Sounds. So I will be right in the center of what is arguably the most beautiful part on NZ and there is some of the best climbing in all of NZ here!!!

I am really looking forward to finding out what God will do with me here. I have applied for a job as a barista at a café that is in a rock climbing gym, and am praying very hard that this works out. It would use my passion perfectly and I would have the chance to meet people within the climbing community.

I have also found a church that I plan on going to. Some YWAMers started it a few years ago after an outreach trip there. It is still quite small and is made up largely of 20 something’s. So I am really looking forward to being a part of a young congregation. I think this move will be great but I am of course a bit nervous (as anyone moving somewhere with no job or place to live would be!) But I know God will provide!

PRAYERS:
Please pray for God’s provision in Wanaka, job, church, relationships, a flat and so on. Also for my drive and travel there, as well as my preparation in leaving here.

Also please pray for my parents friend Steve. He is going through an intense battle with cancer.

2007-09-20T21:45:00.000-07:00

Ive been here in Methven for 3 weeks now, and things have really gotten comfortable. But at the same time I have started feeling a bit restless. The only explanation I have is that this is the longest I have been in one place since Mid July. Up till now I have been so all over the place and "unsettled" that I haven't really had time to think about home that much. Now that I have time I think about it quite often and miss so much.

Its strange to think that this is what life is for me now, its not just a long vacation. There have been little glimpses of "normalcy" that have made this more and more evident. Most recently, I got a car. This really set in the fact that I am here for a while and no longer just a tourist. It has been a huge blessing to have already. I have also been able to get more involved with the church I have been going to. Next week I will be helping out with their holiday program (the equivalent to vacation bible school.) This will go on all next week and I will be doing the drama and leading a small group. It all works out perfectly with my work schedule which is wonderful.

Speaking of work it is still going really well. They have just hired on another receptionist, so now I get 3 days off a week. I actually would per fer less time off but I definitely wont complain. This week, since I got a car, I was able to take a day trip up to Mt Hutt and try snow boarding. I signed up for a group lesson, but no one else was there, so I ended up getting a 2 hour private lesson! I'm not so sure how much good it did, I was still on my butt about the entire time and am still sore 3 days later (I think I will stick to climbing.) I was also able to take a trip to the Rakaia Gorge. It was so incredibly beautiful, I was blown away. Its only about 20 min away so I hope to go back a few more times before I leave Methven. I was able to post some pictures. Here is the link:

More Pictures!
http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=1246539&l=73c93&id=23902206

I love you all and miss you!

Living and loving life

2007-09-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

Hey Yall! Life in Methven has been wonderful and I still love it. Since my last post I have been able to get even more settled in here. I work every day for either 7 or 8 hours and I really enjoy it. I haven’t had a day off yet but I haven’t really wanted one either. Since Methven is such a small town I would have a hard time filling up my day with stuff to do here, or I would have to spend quite a bit of money getting to the next town.

All that being said, I do have my first day off this coming Saturday. I may go up to the mountain to try snow boarding. I am also looking for a car, so depending on that I may use my day off to get into the city and pick one up. Cars here are pretty inexpensive (I can find a decent one for under $1000 NZD and insurance is only about $30 NZD a month) So buying one will end up being a lot cheaper than renting one or taking trains for travelling. It will also be nice to have when my parents come to visit.

God's provision is still blowing me away! The church I found has been great. I feel so welcome there and they have completely opened their arms to me. I have been able to go to a Women's lunch/ bible study on Mondays, which is wonderful. It’s a small group of 3 women that get together to fellowship for a few hours. Yesterday they asked me if I would be willing to teach the lesson. So today I taught over Psalms 23 and I feel like it went really well. It has been really refreshing and comforting to have fellowship with older women.

On Saturday night I was able to hang out with the YWAMers and that was fantastic. There is about to be a backpackers YWAM starting in 3 weeks. That school will be doing pretty much everything I had hopped to do in moving here (backpack, rock climb and reach out to that culture) and they have the resources and connections to do it. I got the number of the base and when this job ends I am going to go spend a few days there meeting with the leaders and start to get some connections and direction hopefully. I was able to talk to one of the girls that will be staffing that school for a while, it was wonderfully encouraging to talk to someone with my same passion and vision.

Between the church, my job and the YWAMers I have really felt much more at home than I ever expected to. It doesn’t feel like home at all, but I feel such peace and a great comfort here. I really love the culture and have been able to partake in a few of the culture norms (aka, watching rugby.) The rugby world cup started on Saturday and that will be going on over the next 6 weeks. The All Blacks had their first game and of course they DEMOLISHED Italy. The ending score was 77 to 14. I am pretty confident that this is the year for the All Blacks. It should be really fun to be here while that is going on.

Prayers: I am praying for Gods continually provision. To continually be at rest in where He has me right now, and clarity in where He wants me in the future. My biggest prayer is that I will be able to be settled in somewhere before the holidays. My hope is that I can be somewhere for at least a month before Christmas so that I can meet people to share that time with. I love you all! Please let me know how I can pray for you. (I know there is a TON going on in your lives, don’t hold back on me!) I miss you!

Workin for a livin

2007-09-01T23:05:00.000-07:00

Hey Y'all! I wanted to let everyone know that things are ideal right now. This job has been more of a blessing than I could have ever imagined. The town is a beautiful Extremely small town (a little over 1/2 mile from one end to another) right near Mt. Hutt. I have been able to go running each morning and see God's glorious creation each day.
The hotel is going through management changes right now so its a little bit all over the place. It is a strange transition working here; everyone is soooo layed back that the slightest effort impresses them. They have really been treating me So well. Not only are they providing a room for me but they are having their chef cook my meals as well. The property is so nice and has a beautiful lay out. So needless to say that between the room, the meals, the hot tub and sauna, I feel like royalty. I know that this job is because of all your prayers, so thank you!
I was able to go to church this morning (they are going to give me off each Sunday morning for church as well!) and the people were so nice. Its fathers day here today and the service was run by the children, so I dont really know what it will be like yet. But it was nice to be around Christians even if it wasn't great teaching. Also this church works with the Oxford YWAM each Saturday night in providing a free dinner to the ski bums in the area. I will be able to get off work a little early for this, so I am looking forward to being around YWAMers again.
Since I wont be here for long, if you want to write me something you can send it to the work exchange program I am with and they will either have it forwarded (if there is enough time) or hold on to it till I get to the next place. So this will be an address that you can always send stuff too.

Maggie Fitzgerald
C/O IEP- Work NZ, PO Box 1786
Shortland Street, Auckland
New Zealand

Also I have a cell phone here so if you want to get an international phone card and call me you can reach me at any time on it!

+64 021 889 003

I would Really love to hear from you all. Please keep me updated on your lives. I love you all very much.

Another move

2007-08-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,
Just a quick update. I got a job!!! I will be working at a hotel in a little ski town called Methven. The hotel is called Methven Resort (so origional, I know)
Things are moving along fast. I pack up my stuff and move out there on Friday. It seems like it will be a great fit for a while. They are going to pay me pretty well ($3 above minumum wage, which is great for the hospitality industry) And they are going to provide accomidation at the hotel for free.
I will write more and add pictures once I get there. Thanks for your prayers!

Settling in

2007-08-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since the last post and a lot has happened. Natalie and I got in to Christchurch fine and my friends cousin picked us up from the airport. It has been a Huge blessing to have a contact over here. Dennis has been more than gracious and has gone above and beyond the call of hospitality to strangers. In my few days with Natalie here we were able to do a bit here and there. It was mostly exploring the city, having a little birthday celebration and getting me settled into my place. We were however able to take a day trip to Hamner Springs, because of Dennis' generosity in letting us use his car. There we were able to take a trek then relax in the natural sulfur springs. It was fabulous! It was really nice to have a friend here as I started to get settled in.

As of right now I am living in a house that is a bit worn, but completely livable for the time being. I live with about 10 other people, but I have my own room and that is wonderful. I will be looking for a different place soon, just because this isn't really an ideal long term living environment.
As far as jobs go, I am on the search. I don't think working at a rock gym is going to work, just because there are not any steady full time positions open. But the YMCA wall is looking for volunteers, so I am going to try to do that in my free time. That way I can get free climbing, meet cool people and get experience at a wall. Now I am looking for a job at a hotel or a cafe. I have an interview with a Hospitality placement agency tomorrow morning and I have dropped off my resume to a few places. There is a really cute cafe that is interested in me coming in part time, and I think it would be a fun place to try out. I may end up getting 2 part time jobs, that way I can get experience in a few different areas. As you can tell things are still really up in the air, but starting to take shape.
It has been a bit hard since Natalie left. I am trying to find my place here, and missing home terribly. But I was able to go to 2 different churches yesterday, and that was really refreshing. Both were wonderful and so welcoming. I am going to try them out again next week before I make a choice on which to be a part of. The first church I went to was wonderful. The service was really nice and much different than I am use to. I met some people after the service and they took me along to a potluck lunch and also invited me to an afternoon trek. (I went to this in the morning, so I am very interested to see what the younger evening service is like.) The second church I went to was much younger and much higher energy. I really enjoyed it and the people were once again so friendly. I think I could settle in to either one, its just a matter finding my niche.
So prayers: Please pray for a job in a place that I will fit well and be able to love the people. Pray for opportunity to volunteer at YMCA. A new flat with people that I will get along well with. And finally that next week it will be clear which church I should be a part of.

I love you all and miss you. Please let me know how I can be praying for you as well.

All things Oz

2007-08-18T23:49:00.000-07:00

The first few days of our adventure have been wonderful and eventful. It all started on Saturday evening when we went to go pick up our rental car. We got to thrifty cars on time but when we got there the lady informed us that our car was booked for pick up in Adelaide City… that’s about 7 hours away from Melbourne. The company botched up and not of the pick up city they were going to give to us is only made standard when I requested an automatic. Anyways, the woman there hooked us up big time. She gave us an upgraded car and more insurance coverage, for the same price as the other car and she didn’t charge us the under 25 or the one-way fee! God is good.
Nattie and I got on the road in our kickin Lancer at about 7 am the next morning. Both of us have adapted very well and quickly to driving on the other side of the road. The state of Victoria was really big on driving tired awareness. They had so many funny signs warning us that is we drive while tried we will die! But the road was beautiful and we made pretty good time. Once we got to the city we though we were going to stop in, it was still pretty early so we decided to drive on. This is when the evening started getting amusing.
We didn’t really know the area and it was a Sunday night so every town we stopped at was closed up and dead. We drove for about 3 or 4 more hours to a little coast town outside of Wollongong (about 50 miles south of Sidney) We knew nothing of the town other than the fact that it was on the coast and it probably would be cute. Like all the other towns was completely dead, but we followed signs to surfside beach keeping our fingers crossed for some kind of camp ground or even just a rest area. We had no such luck. We did however find a surfing school and an inlet to a little cove. So we decided to park and go walk on the beach. Even though it was dark we figured that this was probably an extremely beautiful area. So after some thought and deliberation we determined that since it was beautiful, in a safe looking little town, on a Sunday night and in a empty parking lot next to a cove we could just sleep in our car. We also assumed that if a cop had happened to stop by we could politely explain to him that we had been driving since 7am and sorta got lost and couldn’t find a hostel, and he might cut us some slack.
After a good 7 hours of sleep we woke up in time to walk the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. It was a small cove surrounded by mountains. We were able to see the sun come out and dig our toes in the sand for a while. Its winter here and the sand leading to the water was cold, but the water itself was Warm! It was a wonderful start to our day. We got re-organized and on the road pretty quickly to start our next adventure.

Nattie and I have had a wonderful few days on the Sunshine coast. We made our way up to a beautiful costal surfing town called Byron Bay and stayed at a hostel there that use to be a great old hotel. Since we made such a far drive (another 15 hour day) we had enough time to spend in the town the next day. After a little lunch and a walk around to see the beautiful beach we got in the car to make our way to Brisbane. We got to Brisbane and caught a 2-hour train ride to Maroochadore to meet up with Natties friends from the YWAM base up here. It was quite difficult to get all our luggage around and on the train but we made it in one piece.
The house that we are staying at is Beautiful, it looks like we are in the middle of the jungle and it has the most beautiful porch out back. Its just a short walk to the beach and that of course is beautiful. We were able to spend the day walking around and laying out on the beach. Its pretty amazing that it is the middle of winter here and we were able to get some sun. By the end of the day we were pretty tired but were able to make a good dinner and watch a movie.
Jermey (the connection here in Maroochadore) let Nattie and I use his Amazing van for the day on Thursday. So we took a scenic route through some cute towns. First we went and saw the world’s biggest ginger factory. Across the street there was a really cute coffee shop so of course we popped in. The owner was wonderfully friendly and gave the most wonderful coffee I have ever had for free. After that little adventure we made our way to a hiking trail through the most beautiful Australian Rain forest with Amazing trees that we could climb all over. Then to end our little tour we stopped at a vineyard and did a tasting. It had a great view of the land and again friendly people.
After getting back in town we just hung out with Jeremy and one of the guys in his group. They do a skater ministry, so we went out with them to the park. This week is their prayer week, so they have a group of people that pray for 2-hour slots at all times. Nattie and I went with them to their slot and it was wonderfully refreshing.
God has been so good to me in this trip. Not only have I had great adventures and met so many amazing people but also I have been able to share it with Nattie. God has also been continuing to open doors in NZ. I found a place to live, so I know have my very own room in a house on Barbados St!!!!! AND on top of that amazing provision, I met a guy here from Christchurch and he told me about the church he went to. It sounds like it would be a Great fit AND…it’s only a block away from my house!!!! I am completely Blown away by Gods provision and his blessings that he continues to pour out on me!

Here are links to all my pictures!
http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2140198&l=0f9e1&id=23902206

http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2140211&l=d9cbf&id=23902206

Adventure begins and Pictures

2007-08-10T19:52:00.000-07:00

Last night Nat had her graduation and it was wonderful! Some Aus friends came in and we had a blast. We when out to a little bar in Melbourne and hung out for the night.

Nattie and I are going to pick up our car soon and then we'll get on the road 5am!
Here is a link to all my pictures so far. Not any beautiful landscape yet, but those will be on the way.

http://unt.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2138368&l=43eb0&id=23902206

Also, I e-mailed the rock gym yesterday telling them I was interested in working for them. I got a response today saying great and to come in with my resume when I get in town!!!! Please still be in prayer about that. I love you guys!

In the land of Oz

2007-08-07T18:04:00.000-07:00

After being in NZ for 4 days I have made it to Melbourne. I am here with Natalie, one of my very closest friends from Denton. My flight was the most incredible flights of my life! It was an Emirates flight, which I had never heard of; I just picked it because it was the least expensive! I assumed that it wouldn’t be that great of a flight because it was a short one (about 4 hours) but I was wrong. I started to figure this out when the flight attendants handed out hot towels and gave all the children stuffed animals before we took off. They also had an absolutely amazing 4 course meal and free wine and spirits. The Plane was amazing, each seat had a foot rest and the ceiling had light up stars on it when the cabin lights went down. They also had over 500 movie and TV channels AND if you wanted to pay just a little bit you could have wireless internet. I voted on watching Becoming Jane (great movie) and an episode of Arrested Development! Maybe I am just a little over excited about this plane ride but I Totally wasn’t expecting such a great flight. I Absolutely 100% recommend flying Emirates if you Ever get a chance!

Right now I am at the YWAM (youth with a mission) base in Melbourne. It’s in an old orphanage and is so beautiful! Will stay here for Natalie’s graduation then we will start our Great Adventure on Sunday. We are getting a rental car and driving on the other side of the road all the way up to Brisbane! We are both extremely excited to see how God will bless us through this time. I am sure that this will be a trip I will Always remember. Once there, we will stay with a friend of Natalie’s at the YWAM base up there and explore the land for a few days. Then on the 19th Nattie will come back to Christchurch with me for about 5 days and help me get all settled in. Please be in prayer for a place to live and a job at a rock climbing gym there. I will be sure to keep you all updated on my adventures in Oz!

Auckland and ready to leave

2007-08-04T00:29:00.000-07:00

I have been here in Auckland for about 3 days now. Things are going well but I am Very ready to leave. I feel as though I am in any US city and a bit stuck. I have meet a few nice girls and we were able to go out tonight. Most my time has been spent wondering around the city.
Tomorrow night I will meet up with a random contact and go to church then dinner with a few people. I am really looking forward to meeting locals and spending some time with them. Maybe I will get a few insider tips on the city and have something exciting to do on Monday afternoon!The church that I will be going to is one that I looked up while in the U.S. There is a branch in Christchurch so it will be wonderful to get a sneak peek!
My plans for here on out are pretty exciting. I get on a plane to Melbourne, Aus. to visit one of my closest friends on Monday!! Nattie is doing YWAM (youth with a mission) and I will have a chance to meet the people that she has spent the last 6 months with. Then we will rent a car and drive up the east coast and stay with a friend of hers there. I am SO looking forward to this time.
We will get back to Christchurch on the 19th (a day before my birthday!) and Nattie will stay with me a few days there. Please be in prayer for a job at the Roxx rock climbing gym there. I have a huge desire to work there and meet other people that share my passion for climbing. I will also probably look for another part time job at a hotel to make ends meet.
I miss all of you and hope all is well. Please keep in touch. I am checking my e-mail and facebook often so you can shoot me a message if you would like.

One long day

2007-08-01T15:08:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,
I am here safe in Auckland. My plain got in at about 6am and i made my way to my hostel. I met a nice girl and the hostel from the States and she gave me some pointers but other than that and the fact that I am now on the other side of the world, nothing too exciting.
I left from Phil at 9:30 am on the 31st and got in to LA at 12:30. That flight was long and no fun. My lay over was 10 hours long so my friend Jamie picked me up. We walked around and got some lunch. It was so great to get out of the Airport for awhile.
Getting back to the Airport and checking in was strange. I talked to a few Kiwi's and it started to sink in. The past few days were really emotional with goodbyes and such so I was a bit numb, but still excited. The plane was of course huge and my seat was the Very last row there were only 2 seat and the toilet right behind me. I wasn't very excited at first but then i realized that no one was sitting next to me! So I got to lay down and i was able to sleep for over 5 hours straight. The food was incredible and the service was beyond excellent. The only bad part about the flight was that it was too hard to pick what movie I wanted to watch. We got in a little after 6am on the 2nd and I got through customs pretty easy.
I will have my orientation at 10am tomorrow, then figure out what I will do with my time here. The girl i talked to recommended I make a day trip to a local beach. Its a bit expensive but she said it was completely worth it.
Since I am not using my computer I cant put up any pictures for a while. But know that I will as soon as I can.

Life up till now

2007-07-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

A short run down for all of you who thought I left the country 5 weeks ago. What my life has been since Denton has been a lot of preparing, packing and traveling. First I moved home to League City for a month and spent time with my parents and packed my life into one large backpack, one small roller bag and my small backpack. (out of the whole New Zealand process this was the hardest part)

After my time in League City I picked up Sally in Denton and we got on the road to Delaware. After 23 hours of driving and one stop in Nashville and one at a haunted monster museum we made it to see my sister and her family (including my brand new niece Maggie!)

I spent 5 days with my family and then met up with Sally and Katie Lyche in NYC. It was really nice to see Katie and spend some time seeing the "normal" side of the city.

Now I am back Delware spending time with sister and the babies! Andrew got here on Friday and we going to see his Dad in D.C. Then after that (on the 31st) I get on my plane and leave the U.S.