Psalms 18:30-36

This morning, during Lorri and my scripture reading, I came across a word of encouragement and thought it would be nice to share it. Lorri liked it as well, because she sat still through the whole chapter:)

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the hights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your sheild of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden my path beneath me, so that my ankels do not turn."

God is good!

Dear Friends and Family,

We are grateful to the Lord for his care and leading in our lives here in New Zealand. It is a scary thing to start a life in a place unknown to us and a way of life that is different than what we are used to. God has truly taken care of our needs and given us supportive friends. We could find things to complain about and dislike, but there is so much more to be thankful for. I don’t think we realized how big of a step we were taking by leaving all that we knew and were comfortable with. It’s a great experience and we are amazed with how things have turned out.

The Samoan family we are living with have been so gracious and wonderful to us. We weren’t sure if we would adjust well with the living situation, but it has worked out great so far. We are getting to know them better and have come to love them. Their kindness is a blessing and we enjoy their fellowship. Dale and I were talking a few nights ago about how amazing and cool it is to have so many friends of different nationalities. We wouldn’t trade anything for what God is teaching and leading us through.

The car we are borrowing was due back at the end of this week and we were starting to search out the possibilities we had for buying a car of our own. Sunday night we found out that we have the care for an extra two weeks longer. Also we found out that a reimbursement check from Dales job in Arkansas is coming to us. It is enough to cover the cost of buying a car. We are amazed at the timing of it all and we praise God for his continual care.

Dale is doing great at his job and he’s liking it more and more. It has been a rough start, but things are getting better now that he has a feel of it. He’s starting to feel like he’s making a difference in the lives of some of the kids. Not just in teaching them math, but in showing them that he really cares and that he‘s there for them. He plays basketball with them after school sometimes and he shows up at their rugby games, which most of the parents don’t even do that. Some of the other teachers advice to him was to think of the students as brats and himself as the boss. I don’t think Dale took their advice because he really is investing time into his kids.

A two week break is coming up soon, so everyone is looking forward to that. We are going up to the tip of the North Island for a week of fun at the beach. The Lamanus have a family beach house up there and they are letting us use it. We are taking Michel Walter and Merlynne with us. The Lamanus are the people we are living with. Michel Walter and Merlynne are the two oldest of the family.

I have finally made an appointment for a check up at the medical clinic. I don’t know the date yet because they have to mail me a letter telling me when it is. I called in today and gave all our information. They aren’t sure if a midwife is available and that’s why I have to wait for their response. I will get a personal midwife who will come to my house to do all the check ups. When I go into labor she will be there during the process but a doctor will deliver the baby. At least that is what I have understood it to be. They also are scheduling a scan (ultrasound) for me, which I am excited for. Everything has been going fine, just these past four days have been a bummer because I’ve been sick.

Lorri is learning all her animal sounds, which is so adorable. We want to start teaching her the sounds of the alphabet, but I don’t think she finds it as interesting as the animal sounds. We are excited for her first birthday coming up in a month. She will be a one year old! Crazy. Dale and I will have our three year anniversary too. Life is going by so fast.

Thank you for all your prayers and we hope you all are well!

Long week!

Dear friends and family,
I hope you all are doing well. Dale and I haven't gone on any exciting treks this week mostly because we've been busy with moving in with a family of six. They have been very helpful and gracious to us, but it has been quite a big adjustment. Their plumbing was chewed up by some rats, so we had to make due without hot water for a couple of days. Then Lorri caught the Chicken Pox. Dale has had a rough spell at the school and getting immigration papers sorted. We are looking forward to a weekend and the start of a fresh new week.
It's amazing how God works in our lives. It seems that when we go through hard times we are even more grateful for God's hand guiding us and his strength to help us through. The harder things are the more in love we become with him. This has been the hardest week yet away from family. I talked to my dad on the phone yesterday and I was all choked up and teary eyed. When he prayed for me over the phone I just let the tears run down my cheeks. I made my voice sound all cheery and happy, but it felt good to cry. I love it here, but I miss my family. Through it all I'm strengthened in my relationship with the Lord. I feel down, but when I pray I praise God.
Dale and I laugh at ourselves this week because we've been sleeping in separate rooms because I've been with Lorri. We haven't had a meal together either because there are always people around to talk to. We laugh because we need to go back dating again to get to know each other. ha ha ha. Okay maybe it's not that bad, but it will be nice to have things back to normal.
We love you all!!