Summer is here!

The above photos are of me and my friend Liv this past weekend, atempting to walk round some rocks when the tide was in. It resulted in having to walk in the water with our clothes on!

Summer is for sure here! It has been very hot this past weekend and its not even December yet! I have been for...5 swims thus far and the water is not even cold :)

So I am done with study for the year, and am soo happy to be done! Yet to get exams results back...

This summer is sure to bring a lot of fun adventures which I am excited about! Milking cows over the christmas period (fun?!), new years at hot water beach, cousins wedding in new plymouth, then Nina comes (!!!) and then the Americans come and ROAD TRIP!!!

Went to a student leadership conference a couple of weeks ago and was reminded of how short life is, and that I am only a very very small part of God's bigger picture. My life is to glorify God in all aspects. A truth that is obvious, but good to be reminded of.

God does listen!

Before I get into this post, I think it is pretty funny that soon I will have written more on my blog since being back in NZ than when I was in the states. Yip Im crazy!
Just a short one today. God is in the business of answering prayers! He really does! The last few days I had been praying a bit about something, nothing huge, or life-changing, yet something I wanted to talk to God about and for Him to lead me in. And He answered! In some ways it was not the answer I wanted. I was not immediately thrilled at the answer in fact. But I know it was God's answer and God knows best.
Its funny really...so I was praying about the matter, wanting God to answer it, but in a way I guess I wanted God to answer it the way I thought it should be. What kind of prayer life would that be? If I prayed about something, wanted God to answer but answer the way I want it?! I may as well not pray and seek God's wisdom!
But God is faithful and true and good and yes, knows best!

First bbq of "summer"

Haha so I realise that in my last post the picture from my porch doesnt look fantastic, but in real life it does, I promise!

Summer is on its way and that makes me very happy! Its funny how the weather can alter ones mood, I wonder why that is. Had the first bbq of the season last night at my flat, had a few friends over - twas fun. Good food, good company :) Then my sweet friend Nicola came up for the night from Hamliton. I love that girl! She is just so real, it was really fun to talk with her into the early hours of the morning. I have always admired her spiritual fervousness (?!) in other words her relationship with God and her heart for others to be saved.

Though I am paying for the late night today - tired!

Photos are amazing! I love looking back at old pictures. Just played round with this photo of Matty and I and have cropped it so thought I would post that too. I miss those kids unbelieveably like crazy! Its hard to describe it really.

Where I live

View from my porch!

A year ago I could never have dreamed I would be living where I am right now. I am supposedly living the student life right now...ya know the kind with the grotty flats.

But not me, I am soo lucky, well not lucky I don't like that word, but blessed to live in a big 5 bedroom home a couple of houses from the beach.

It is a beyond beautiful area and there are soo many great running routes round here that I can run. One I discovered last week goes right alongside the ocean, so when I am keen and run in the morning I have an amazing view of the ocean, whilst the sea is calm and the sun is coming up. God is soo amazing with his artwork, seriously, what an amazing God we have.

Family

One thing in life that you don't get to choose is your family. You can choose your spouse but you can't choose your parents or siblings. In saying this, I am glad that God choose the parents for me he did. They raised me with good Christian morals, love, and many happy memories. Family is often the hardest people to live with, they know the good and ugly side of you - they see the real me. Yet they still love me (yay!) and accept me. I am thankful for my wonderful siblings. Hans, Dan, Tim, Miri and Ben. Each one of you means so much to me, we may not always agree on everything but I love you soo very much and thank you for loving me! And of course baby Jacob :) Of course there are those times we don't want to remember, times we have hurt each other, but God gives us grace and forgiveness. I love you guys!

Meredith Johnson

There are many words that describe Meredith Johnson: funny, beautiful, caring, thoughtful, active, faithful, loving, kind...and the list goes on!

She is one of the most amazing people I know and am soo thankful that she was my host mom while in the USA.



Heres a pink pic for you Mer!

Weekend Fun!

I am thankful for all my amazing friends that God has placed in my life.

Here in particular I am thankful for Liv, that is Olivia Burt.

I ventured over the harbour bridge to the suburb of Bucklands Beach to have a slumber party at Liv's house in the weekend just past and what a fun time it was!

Sooo much fun packed into one weekend :)

We kayaked, walked, made pizza, grocery shopped, roller blade, made a trip to the airport, churched it up (yea I just invented that saying, cool huh?) and enjoyed good company (well I did!!).

Liv is an amazing woman of God who inspires me in my walk with God! Love you girl!

Ontop of Pigeon Mountain.

Aoteaora

Basically I get easily distracted. Right now I have been sitting at my desk for a about 2 hours (well I hung out my washing at some stage) supposedly studying for a human development quiz I need to do at some stage this weekend but I have not gotten far. I have banned myself from facebook until I go to bed (and have got a decent amount of work done!).
Soo I was just looking round the net, looking at old emails, and decieded to go to my old blog...yes it is very old. I did such an awful job of keeping it updated, I know a shocking job really! I thought to myself, why not start writing in it again when I get bored. So that is what I am going to attempt to do cos I have so much time for it (I could be going for a run now, writing emails, writing letters, homework)!
I guess I have been living on the north shore of Auckland for a month now and things are going well. Well into the swing of classes and everything at uni, can't say I am ontop of everything though.
It does not seem like 4 months since I left the states, its sureal. I love being back home and love NZ, but Minnesota will forever be apart of me now and I REALLY miss it!! In particular my family and friends, and also the city and state itself, what a beautiful place, its my mission in life to convince people to go visit Minnesota, definitely one of the places you should go to before you die!
Well that is all for now, lest I get too distracted....
My theme for 2010 is "My God is so Big"! For sure he is!! Yet waay to often I forget this "O thee of little faith" is probably what God is constantly thinking about me.
The creator of the universe, of life, of my life; nothing is too big for him! May I never forget this! I really want this to be a part of my life this year. A part of my thinking and daily walk with my Lord.
Here is a picture of downtown Auckland taken from a ferry that Miri and I caught from devonport one day.