Play group was great yesterday. Lorri didn’t know what to do with all the babies her age. Chikirah and Lorri were the only girls though among six boys. Chikirah is Lorri’s one year old friend from church. Her mother Lisa brought us to the play group. We are going shopping together today. The grocery store in Manukau is much cheaper than the store I can walk to.
On Friday night I was invited to go to a ladies gathering at Mcdonalds. They drink coffee and plan fund raisers. It sounded like fun (the drinking coffee part mostly), but Dale’s birthday is on Friday and I don’t want to leave him on his birthday. I think they meet every Friday night, so I can catch up the next week.
Tuesday Lorri and I are joining another play group, so now we have play group on Tuesdays and WednesdaysJ We are definitely getting to know the community here.
Dale is overwhelmed at this point with school. He wishes he had more time to prepare, but he is making do with the time he has in the evenings. The kids are really tough he says and it’s going to be a rough school year to get through. He’s up for the challenge though.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Today is Tuesday the 14th
We went into Manukua today to walk the mall and find a coffee shop to hook up to a wireless connection. Ha ha ha ha, yeah right. Nobody knew what we were talking about when we asked where a hot spot was. Ends up that there are special shops for printing and copying that have Internet, but you have to pay by the hour. We splurged just to check our e-mail and write our bank. We weren’t able to write much because Dale and I shared the hour. I think I had 83 messages or so. Dale says that his school will allow me to have free access to the Internet once a week. I think he starts in two weeks. If not than we will have to pay to get it to our flat. It’s not cheap here though, calling isn‘t either. It costs us 50 cents a minute to call home and to cell phones anywhere. We are planning on getting a phone card, which is the best way to go when calling long distance. You’d think that this place is on the other side of the world or something. We were definitely spoiled in America. We miss everyone already, but we are doing very well.
I’m already tired of the food, except for the fruits and vegetables, I can never tire of those. The rest of the food taste very Indian and I’m getting sick of curry smells. The noodles, pasta sauce, butter, eggs, beef, chicken, and bread all have a different taste to them. I think I’m extra sensitive to it since I’m pregnant.
I know I’m going to love to have a baby, but I wish I wasn’t pregnant at this time. I get so tired so easily and there is so much to explore. Dale and I went for a walk to several parks and I was about to throw up/pass out during the whole walk. I felt terrible, but I wanted to go out and see things. Today Dale went on a walk without me because I was dizzy and sick. It’s just to bad I have to be sick.
I’m loving the laundry chore here. I wash during the night and by morning hand it all out to dry, by afternoon I take it down and put it away. It’s a great system! I think Lorri likes it too, she plays in the grass while I hang it and take it down.
Lorri is cutting two teeth on the top left of her mouth. It’s interesting because I thought the two front came in first then the side ones. I guess the side one is coming up with the first front tooth. She loves to teeth on the carrots here. They are huge and she just chews on it forever. The family next door brought her a bag of little toys last night. Today she had fun figuring them all out.
I’m already tired of the food, except for the fruits and vegetables, I can never tire of those. The rest of the food taste very Indian and I’m getting sick of curry smells. The noodles, pasta sauce, butter, eggs, beef, chicken, and bread all have a different taste to them. I think I’m extra sensitive to it since I’m pregnant.
I know I’m going to love to have a baby, but I wish I wasn’t pregnant at this time. I get so tired so easily and there is so much to explore. Dale and I went for a walk to several parks and I was about to throw up/pass out during the whole walk. I felt terrible, but I wanted to go out and see things. Today Dale went on a walk without me because I was dizzy and sick. It’s just to bad I have to be sick.
I’m loving the laundry chore here. I wash during the night and by morning hand it all out to dry, by afternoon I take it down and put it away. It’s a great system! I think Lorri likes it too, she plays in the grass while I hang it and take it down.
Lorri is cutting two teeth on the top left of her mouth. It’s interesting because I thought the two front came in first then the side ones. I guess the side one is coming up with the first front tooth. She loves to teeth on the carrots here. They are huge and she just chews on it forever. The family next door brought her a bag of little toys last night. Today she had fun figuring them all out.
Sunday the 12th
Today is Sunday and we still haven’t gotten a chance to get internet. There is going to be a lot to read once I post everything. We have been in New Zealand for five days now. It’s been crazy getting everything settled. We haven’t adjusted to the time very well. At first we were sleeping hard anytime our heads hit the pillow, but now we are going to bed around 6 or 7pm and waking up at 4:30 or 5am. It’s very different from what we are used to, but almost everything is that way here.
We moved into our flat on Friday, which took the whole day. We bought some household essentials and a lot was given to us to borrow. That was a huge blessing because we didn’t have any towels, sheets, pillows or even a bed. They also let us borrow chairs, table, kitchenware and a fridge. God has truly taken care of us. We live close to the school, the markets, library, train station and a park. It seems the perfect place to be to get by without a car. We are renting one for just a week, which is over on Thursday.
We live in Papatoetoe which is the slums to most of Auckland. We didn’t think so when we first arrived, but when we saw the rest of Auckland and compared the two there was a big difference. There are a lot of Indians, Islanders, Samoan, and Asian that live here in Papatoetoe.
The family next door to us are the owners of the flat we are renting. The whole family have been working in our yard clearing bushes and overgrown plants. Dale went out and helped with picking up branches. It’s been a great chance to get to know them. They are very kind people and excited to have us here.
I’m very excited about the way they do laundry here, they hang it out to dry. We just hooked up the washer, so I’m excited to start hanging the laundry.
On Saturday we went to the Otara farmers market. In every booth each table was overflowing with all types of fruits and vegetables. It’s crazy how cheap and good it is. Almost everything else is very expensive. We then took a scenic drive to Karekare and went to a few overlooks. It‘s BEAUTIFUL! It has been raining every day that we’ve been here, but it rains for an hour or two and clears up.
Today we found a good fellowship of believers at a Wesley Methodist church just down the road from our flat. We enjoyed biscuits and a cup of tea after church with most of the congregation. It’s nice that we found a fellowship so close because we won’t have a car for several months. After church we caught up with an older couple that has been helping us with settling in and took a long tour of Auckland. There is so much to explore, we’ve decided to start with Auckland and work our way out. It’s a good thing we are here for two years, otherwise I don’t think we’d get the chance to discover everything that needs to be discovered.
We moved into our flat on Friday, which took the whole day. We bought some household essentials and a lot was given to us to borrow. That was a huge blessing because we didn’t have any towels, sheets, pillows or even a bed. They also let us borrow chairs, table, kitchenware and a fridge. God has truly taken care of us. We live close to the school, the markets, library, train station and a park. It seems the perfect place to be to get by without a car. We are renting one for just a week, which is over on Thursday.
We live in Papatoetoe which is the slums to most of Auckland. We didn’t think so when we first arrived, but when we saw the rest of Auckland and compared the two there was a big difference. There are a lot of Indians, Islanders, Samoan, and Asian that live here in Papatoetoe.
The family next door to us are the owners of the flat we are renting. The whole family have been working in our yard clearing bushes and overgrown plants. Dale went out and helped with picking up branches. It’s been a great chance to get to know them. They are very kind people and excited to have us here.
I’m very excited about the way they do laundry here, they hang it out to dry. We just hooked up the washer, so I’m excited to start hanging the laundry.
On Saturday we went to the Otara farmers market. In every booth each table was overflowing with all types of fruits and vegetables. It’s crazy how cheap and good it is. Almost everything else is very expensive. We then took a scenic drive to Karekare and went to a few overlooks. It‘s BEAUTIFUL! It has been raining every day that we’ve been here, but it rains for an hour or two and clears up.
Today we found a good fellowship of believers at a Wesley Methodist church just down the road from our flat. We enjoyed biscuits and a cup of tea after church with most of the congregation. It’s nice that we found a fellowship so close because we won’t have a car for several months. After church we caught up with an older couple that has been helping us with settling in and took a long tour of Auckland. There is so much to explore, we’ve decided to start with Auckland and work our way out. It’s a good thing we are here for two years, otherwise I don’t think we’d get the chance to discover everything that needs to be discovered.
We Made it!! Wednesday the 8th
We praise God for all he has done for us during this journey. There could have been so many different problems with the flights or with actually passing security in Auckland without a visa. We are so blessed to have you all praying for us. I believe it all went so smoothly because of your prayers.
We got up at 2am on Monday morning with Dale’s family and drove to the airport. It seemed like a quick goodbye, but we were able to spend all week saying goodbye. Everyone was so nice and helpful at the airport, we had no problem getting everything checked in. Our suitcases were a little to heavy, so we had to fill a box with the extra pounds. Dale took the box as his personal carry on item. I was worried about Lorri with taking off. I gave her crackers while we were taxing the runway, but she started squirming and didn’t want anything. I started praying for her and right when we lifted she fell dead asleep. It was crazy how fast she went limp. She slept the whole way and had no problems with the landing.
We arrived in LA around 8:30am and we had to wait until 1:30pm for checking in our bags. Since we had “some” hours to spare we parked ourselves on a bench with all our luggage and waited. After awhile Dale, Lorri and I were able to sleep. I never imagined that a wooden bench would feel so amazing to sleep on.
Once the line started for Air New Zealand we thought it wouldn’t hurt to wait until the crowds died down since our flight wasn‘t until 9:00pm. We were able to sit and talk with many different people as we were waiting. It’s amazing how there is an instant connection and camaraderie between you and total strangers that love the Lord. They could be any type of nationality and it‘s like you‘ve known them all along. Lorri made friends with anyone that looked at her. She was miss social the whole time. Many people helped walk her around and let her play with their colorful bags. They were all amazed at how active she was. The time seemed to go fast because their were many people to talk to and Lorri kept us very busy.
Once we boarded the airplane I felt like we were in first class. We were able to put Lorri in a bassinet that came out from the wall in front of us. We had all the leg room in the world, the bathrooms right next to us, blankets, pillows, and free food. The food was amazing, but Dale says it‘s because we were starving. We were so very tired as well. Sleeping upright isn’t very wonderful. I was dreaming of a bed where I could lay straight. It was a blessing to have Lorri sleep in her own spot for more than half the flight.
We were in pitch dark for sixteen hours. The day seemed so long on Wednesday and the night even longer. I think we are still getting used to the difference in time. Once we were in New Zealand it felt like the ground was moving hours after getting of the airplane. I was so very tired I couldn’t think straight, so it was even more difficult with the ground moving. I saw a sign and asked what it meant. The lady who picked us up asked me to describe it because she missed what I was talking about. I said it was a pole with spiral black and white lines and a red dot at the top. We kept our eye out for it so she could tell me what it meant. It ended up being a stripped pole (no spiral) with an orange dot. Ha ha ha. I guess I was still dizzy from the flight.
We were busy straight away. We toured Papatoetoe, looked at some rental homes, visited the school, set up a car rental, and walked around the main street. Once we actually laid down in bed it was the best thing in the world. We don’t have any access to the internet in our Motel or even a phone, I am just writing everything down for when we go to a hot spot. It’s terribly slow here, so it’s best that I write it separately to copy and paste later.
Today is Thursday, Wednesday for you though. We are getting our rental car this morning and sealing the deal for a flat. We have a banana tree in the back yard! We will also get unlimited grape fruit and oranges from a lady at the school! The fruit here is so cheap and incredibly good. The air is so fresh and crisp. It was raining this morning and the sun was shining. The rain is so different too. It’s like a light mist, it rains slow and soft. I know that sounds weird, but it’s the only way I can think to describe it.
I’m not sure exactly what you can put in your prayers for us, we are just so grateful to the Lord for bringing us this far safe and sound. That’s it for now.
We got up at 2am on Monday morning with Dale’s family and drove to the airport. It seemed like a quick goodbye, but we were able to spend all week saying goodbye. Everyone was so nice and helpful at the airport, we had no problem getting everything checked in. Our suitcases were a little to heavy, so we had to fill a box with the extra pounds. Dale took the box as his personal carry on item. I was worried about Lorri with taking off. I gave her crackers while we were taxing the runway, but she started squirming and didn’t want anything. I started praying for her and right when we lifted she fell dead asleep. It was crazy how fast she went limp. She slept the whole way and had no problems with the landing.
We arrived in LA around 8:30am and we had to wait until 1:30pm for checking in our bags. Since we had “some” hours to spare we parked ourselves on a bench with all our luggage and waited. After awhile Dale, Lorri and I were able to sleep. I never imagined that a wooden bench would feel so amazing to sleep on.
Once the line started for Air New Zealand we thought it wouldn’t hurt to wait until the crowds died down since our flight wasn‘t until 9:00pm. We were able to sit and talk with many different people as we were waiting. It’s amazing how there is an instant connection and camaraderie between you and total strangers that love the Lord. They could be any type of nationality and it‘s like you‘ve known them all along. Lorri made friends with anyone that looked at her. She was miss social the whole time. Many people helped walk her around and let her play with their colorful bags. They were all amazed at how active she was. The time seemed to go fast because their were many people to talk to and Lorri kept us very busy.
Once we boarded the airplane I felt like we were in first class. We were able to put Lorri in a bassinet that came out from the wall in front of us. We had all the leg room in the world, the bathrooms right next to us, blankets, pillows, and free food. The food was amazing, but Dale says it‘s because we were starving. We were so very tired as well. Sleeping upright isn’t very wonderful. I was dreaming of a bed where I could lay straight. It was a blessing to have Lorri sleep in her own spot for more than half the flight.
We were in pitch dark for sixteen hours. The day seemed so long on Wednesday and the night even longer. I think we are still getting used to the difference in time. Once we were in New Zealand it felt like the ground was moving hours after getting of the airplane. I was so very tired I couldn’t think straight, so it was even more difficult with the ground moving. I saw a sign and asked what it meant. The lady who picked us up asked me to describe it because she missed what I was talking about. I said it was a pole with spiral black and white lines and a red dot at the top. We kept our eye out for it so she could tell me what it meant. It ended up being a stripped pole (no spiral) with an orange dot. Ha ha ha. I guess I was still dizzy from the flight.
We were busy straight away. We toured Papatoetoe, looked at some rental homes, visited the school, set up a car rental, and walked around the main street. Once we actually laid down in bed it was the best thing in the world. We don’t have any access to the internet in our Motel or even a phone, I am just writing everything down for when we go to a hot spot. It’s terribly slow here, so it’s best that I write it separately to copy and paste later.
Today is Thursday, Wednesday for you though. We are getting our rental car this morning and sealing the deal for a flat. We have a banana tree in the back yard! We will also get unlimited grape fruit and oranges from a lady at the school! The fruit here is so cheap and incredibly good. The air is so fresh and crisp. It was raining this morning and the sun was shining. The rain is so different too. It’s like a light mist, it rains slow and soft. I know that sounds weird, but it’s the only way I can think to describe it.
I’m not sure exactly what you can put in your prayers for us, we are just so grateful to the Lord for bringing us this far safe and sound. That’s it for now.
Hey I'm ON!!
Wow, finally I am able to update you all. I walked to the Library in the rain with Lorri:) So this will be worth it. I also waited 45 minutes for the computers. The following posts are what I have written along the way. It's very lengthy, but hopefully you don't mind. We love you all and thank you for all your prayers!!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Hello Outside World!!
I have a lot already written out that I have been adding up since we arrived in New Zealand. We found a place that we could get internet but they already had computers and we didn't bring hookups for our computer. Maybe by next week we will have pictures and the whole update on our week here.
WE love you all and thank you for your prayers.
You will hear more later!
WE love you all and thank you for your prayers.
You will hear more later!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Everything is good to go!!
God is so good!! Everything is ready. Lorri's passport came in the mail today. That was the last thing that needed to happen that could have held us up. We are all set!!
We have really enjoyed our time here in Indiana. Four more days left in the United States. Monday morning we drive to Chicago to catch our first flight. We have to be at the air port by 4:00am. We arrive in LA at 8:45am, our next flight isn't until 9:00pm.
We are so excited that this is really happening. Thank you for all your prayers!!
We have really enjoyed our time here in Indiana. Four more days left in the United States. Monday morning we drive to Chicago to catch our first flight. We have to be at the air port by 4:00am. We arrive in LA at 8:45am, our next flight isn't until 9:00pm.
We are so excited that this is really happening. Thank you for all your prayers!!
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