It's been such a long time since I wrote anything here and so much has happened since my last post that I hardly know where to begin. Surgery went well, family issues continue to be interesting and we are currently taking a 3 month sabbatical from work which gives us some much needed space to process being back in NZ and stressors that arise because of that move. It is a rare gift to be given time off to rest, relax and refresh which should mean we are on fire to work again in November. There is a lot to work through and we are ever thankful for our Board who recognised a need and wasn't afraid to do something about it.

I still plan on giving my blog a make over and am working on little bits for it (actually I'm making my dear hubby work on it for me :-)) Hopefully we will get onto it this week although visiting family, farewelling family, painting scenery for a school production and a day out to explore Auckland might eat into our time. We'll see. Be sure to watch this space.

I've been having a wee play on a fun site I found by accident. Enjoy answering my question :-)

Things seem to go from worse to worser (is that even a word) at the moment. Life is never dull in the Webb household. Last week it was my turn for drama. On Thursday evening I had sudden and violent pain in my abdomen. I had absolutely no idea what it was. Within minutes I was curled up on the bathroom floor, writhing in pain and unable to speak. Nigel called the ambulance and prayed. When they finally arrived they doped me up on yucky gas and then whisked me off to the emergency department at the local hospital (after getting lost on the way!!!!!) All in all it was a long night. Since then I have had scans, tests and visits to specialists and the outcome is that I have lots of gall stones and need to have my gall bladder removed. Having never had surgery before this does freak me out a little but I'll do it as I don't ever want that pain again. It was worse than childbirth!!!!!!

Surgery has been set for the 10th July. That's just a week away. Panic!!!! In fact surgery is set for the day after my birthday. I'm hoping I can celebrate with the family and not feel a sense of dread hanging over the day. I know it will all go well. My dad had the same surgery last year. It's just the unknown of the anethestic, pain, cuts in my body, scars etc. I am thankful for medical insurance which means I don't have to wait years for it to be done free of charge in the public health system.

I'm also hoping that during recovery I might be able to give my blog a whole new look. It's been 2 years since I started and I think it's time for a change. At least that will be something fun to look forward to.

"Children are not colouring books.
You can not colour them your favourite colours"
(From The Kite Runner)

This past weekend we have purposefully had a very quiet one. As part of it we watched the above movie which was very touching. If you get a chance to see it then do so. You'll love it. I might even go and find myself the book upon which it is based, to read (most unlike me :-)

Since having a teenager in the house life has been turned on it's head. We have experienced things we never dreamed of and at times they have broken our hearts. They have pushed us to our emotional and physical limits. There have been many sleepless nights and many tears shed as we cry out to God to help us.

The above phrase from the movie really struck me. As a frustrated artist I love colour and see it everywhere. There are some colours that I am attracted to and others I steer away from. During my night school art classes I learnt that a painting is made up of many layers of different colours. Some dark, others light.




I have to admit to wanting my kids to be certain "colours". There are ideals, morals and values that I would like them to hold and take with them into their adult lives yet upon reflecting on this phrase I realised that the colours I like may not be the ones that they like. It is hard to see the murky, dull colours forming layers in their lives. I know, though, that some of these colours will form the foundations of the bright, lively colours that will be evident as they grow older. It's hard to sit back and watch them experiment with new colours; mixing colours to create ones that fit them. I don't always like or appreciate the hues and shades they work with. Another thing I learnt in art class is that nothing is undoable. With careful brush strokes and a thick layer of paint those dark colours can be "erased". That's my job as a parent....to guide the young artist as they colour themselves through their choices and actions to produce a beautiful piece of art that changes just as the days change.

In the movie I loved seeing the many different coloured kites as they soared through the Afghan sky. I longed to see the kites of my boys lives soaring freely through the skies of life, reflecting the Light in the colours with which they are decorated. It will come, but for now I need to hold strongly onto the string and slowly release them into the next stages of their young lives. Some days I want to hold tightly onto the string and never let it go. Some days I realise I have let it out too quickly and need to pull back. It's hard to balance the right string length with the wind. But when you get it right the graceful sight is something to behold.

A Birthday Trip to the Zoo.

There are only two things that have remained consistent in the life of my youngest son, Isaac. They are monkeys and the colour orange. Ever since he was very little these have both been his great obsessions in life. As a birthday gift this year we decided to give him the chance to get up close and personal with the primate section of the Auckland zoo. They run such things as the Zoom Tour which means you are taken backstage in the zoo to hand feed animals. The natural choice for him was to go to the monkeys. Part of the thrill for him though was probably the fact that he actually got a day off school as well :-) What more could an 11 year old want?

The day dawned bright and sunny, the perfect day for a stroll around the zoo. The plan was that he would take the tour and I would meet him afterwards as we couldn't afford for both of us to go but when we got there the tour guide said that I was to go with him, free of charge. What a great day off work for me also :-) We had a blast!!!!


Isaac feeding banana to a ring tailed lemur from Madagascar. So cute!

The lemurs were awesome. They have the most amazing tails that they wrap around themselves like a natural scarf. Their hands are human like as they grab onto your hand to get to the food. They are just like the lemur from the movie "Madagascar". You could almost hear them sing "we like to move it, move it....."


Me measuring my hand against the hand cast of an orangutan in the zoo. They are huge animals!


Hand feeding wiggly, live worms to hungry, lively, cotton topped tamarinds.



The lemurs are so gentle with such amazingly, orange eyes.


Iwani is a siamang gibbon. He loved it when we held his hand and tickled his feet and made sure that he was the centre of attention at all times. He thought my Isy was cool.


Those little worms were quite gross really but obviuosly a treat for these little fellas. The funny thing is that when they had had enough they went off to balance their diet with fruit and vegetables. If only my boys thought like that!

Our 1 1/2 hour tour was extended by an hour due to all the fun we were having. As a special treat we got to see where the rhinos slept at night. While there the keeper said she was going to feed the rhinos and did we want to help. "Of course", was the quick reply. What an awesome experience that was!


Standing that close and touching an animal that could kill you in a second was quite an experience. Their skin felt like cracked mud, was leathery, yet had little hairs all over it so it tickled as well. Amazing!



It was a fabulous day that neither Isaac nor I will ever forget. One of the most special parts was hearing the zoo keepers discover the birth of tiger cubs that they had been eagerly awaiting. Such a special event and we will be amongst the first to line up to view these wee cubs when they finally go on display in another month or so. If you ever come to NZ we will be sure to take you to the zoo and we will be encouraging you to get up close and personal with your favourite animals.

Busy, busy, busy!

Can life get any busier? I think not but then in saying that I fear it just might. I haven't blogged much of late as there really hasn't been any time but I figured I'd snatch a few minutes before the boys fight me for the computer and in between the ironing and handwashing (all of which are way overdue!)

It's been birthday month in our household. It's always a lot of fun even though it does stretch the May salary that we receive. Three boys all celebrating in 3 weeks can get a little overwhelming.

First up was the most important boy in my household.....dear hubby, Nigel. This year was a big one for him. The big 40!!!! He has spent many hours over the past years planning how he would celebrate his big day. As it came closer and closer he decided a quiet, fun, family outing would be good so we, along with some of his mates, all spent an afternoon at the Auckland luge, speeding down hills and racing each other. It was a hoot. We shared cake and relaxed together which was nice. On his actual birth date he was away leading a retreat for a christian organisation. The boys and I drove to where he was and surprised him with a fancy cake and a huge bunch of helium balloons. It was nice to be able to spend the day with him. There were several other, smaller celebraions which he enjoyed as well. His birthday seemed to go on for weeks!!!!!

Next up was youngest son, Isaac who turned 11. He spent his brithday at school however that meant i could organise his party for a few friends. We went and played laser tag and ate loads of pizza which made for a super easy cleanup for me. I decided the best thing for a bunch of rowdy boys is plenty of activity and junky food. He had asked for a cat cake that looked like our cat, Santiago. I had fun making it and eating the left over white chocolate which adorned it :-)










Finally the eldest son, Caleb, reached the teenage milestone of turning 13. I wasn't sure how I felt about having a teenager in the house. I did know for sure that I certainly didn't feel old enough to have one! He also spent the day at school and then we repeated Isaac's birthday activities with Caleb and his mates although his request was for KFC instead of pizza. I was happy to oblige. All seemed just as easy to me. Surprisingly he also asked for a decorated cake. I thought he might have grown out of that but obviously not. His request was for a basketball boot that resembled a much coveted pair of nikes. I did my best and I think it came out pretty cool. I'm not sure how parents felt when their kids came home with black teeth and lips but it was fun.

Mine is next. According to my computer at work it is just 16 days away so that will be fun. I will have to go to work though I think but that might give the family the chance to organise something in my absence. We'll see what happens.

I love celebrating!

Cute Cupcakes!



I've discovered cupcakes! It's not that I had never had them before but this weekend I found a really good, cheap and easy cupcake recipe that has no butter in it at all so that makes it super cheap (and I like a good bargain). I have had fun mixing bright coloured icing and popping yummy lollies on top. The ones above have just been finished. We are having dinner with a family that has a 2 year old so thought he might like some. If my 40 and nearly 13 year olds love them then I'm sure he will.

Now, I know you all know I am on a weight loss journey. One of the things I like about Weight Watchers is that there are no forbidden foods. Everything can be eaten as long as you count their "point" value. These cupcakes work out at just 2 points a piece including the wee lolly on top so they are good value as far as I'm concerned. I tried to convince my nearly 13 year old that he might like decorated cupcakes for his birthday but they're not that cool (apparently). He has opted for a cake in the shape of a basketball boot so I will be busy working that one out. Who knows what the nearly 11 year old will choose. Could be anything so I will mentally prepare myself for cake baking, decorating and any accidental licking of the icing bowl that may happen. Guess I'll be counting lots of points in the next couple of weeks :-)

Yo naci en este pais.....Ecuador!

A friend from Ecuador put this wee video on his face book page and I just loved it! It reminded me of "home" and put a smile on my face. The words of the song are in Spanish but it basically says "I was born in this country......" I know that for all intense and purposes I am a kiwi but my heart must have been reborn in Ecuador because, to this day, I still think like an Ecuadorian and do things like one as well. My family just laugh at me when they point it out. Most of the time I don't even recognize it as being different. Funny how life's experiences change you :-)

Enjoy a slice of my "home". I will!

Marriage!

When you've been married a while it's quite easy to forget each other in the busyness of life. We've been married 16 years, 4 months and 27 days (give or take a few hours :-) and at times we barely recognise each other. Of late I've decided that our jobs are pretty sucky. Even though we work in the same office, share the same home, attend the same activities together and share the same family there are days when we do not actually see each other or even speak to each other. It has been hard! We have taken each other for granted and have failed to put our relationship first. That has made for an often unhappy and even stressed life.

We discovered that the church we attend was offering the Marriage Course. It is a 7 marriage enrichment course so we jumped at the opportunity to put our relationship first. It runs on a Monday evening so the boys are fed and left behind with someone to care for them while we switch off our cell phones and dedicate a couple of hours to each other. It is run with a fancy 3 course dinner at a candlelit table for two. Nice and cosy. We don't have to talk to anyone else but our spouse which is just lovely. We've had one night out and are eagerly looking forward to the next 6.

I hope that this course will not only give us more tools in our marriage kit but will help us to set aside regular time together to just hang out, enjoy each other's company and not be so obsessed by ministry and kids needs.

Bring on Monday evening!!!

I LOVE lists!

I've realised something about myself of late. I LOVE lists! I guess it's nothing new to me. I have been well aware that my life functions much better when I have a list or a plan of things to do. There are lists at home and at work and unfortunately they have very different things on them. Then there is the list of things that I carry round in my head. A list of things that I'd love to do but haven't got the time to do.

I'm also a sneaky list person :-) When I'm having a bad day and feeling that I haven't achieved much on my list then I write on things that I have already done just so I can cross them off! It's a great feeling to see little black lines scribbled all over a clean piece of paper.

For the past 2 weeks we have been back in Palmerston North. It was initailly supposed to be part holiday and part catching up with family, friends and supporters. In reality it ended up as part catching up with family, friends and supporters and part work. We have come home totally exhausted! Today is my first day back in the office and as I rolled over in my sleep at 3AM the lists suddenly began to haunt my dreams. For over an hour I tried to ignore them, putting them in their own separate "list" compartment in my brain, but all to no avail. There are times when my "list" brain takes over and that's all I hear......the many, many things I need/want to do.

So, here I am at 4:30Am, up, awake, drinking tea and watching trashy tv all in the effort of trying to crowd out my to-do lists in my brain. Surely there is something seriously wrong with that! I'm off to see someone today who will hopefully help me put my lists into perspective and help me prioritse them. Then I'll have lists of lists and that sounds more manageable :-)

New Zealand mourns.

On the night of Tuesday 15th April the bodies of 6 school students (aged 16) and one teacher were pulled from the Mangatepopo River in the central North Island. They had been part of a group of 40 students who were spending the week at an outdoor pursuits centre. All attended the Elim Christian College, just down the road from our house.

To say that the country was shocked and stunned is an understatement. Each one of us have been impacted by this horrific loss. The Christian community in NZ is so small that many of us have links into the school, community or families of those that died. For us, personally, we have been supporting a close family friend of the teacher, missionaries who serve overseas who also know the family well, a teacher at the school and our eldest son who remembers the teacher from his own school last year. We have spent hours watching television coverage, reading newspaper articles, looking at photos and talking lots all trying to process our own feelings. It is hard to grieve such a huge loss. These were wonderful young people who loved life and loved God. Their loss has hit the school and associated church community hard.

I have to say that the school has been amazing! They have opened their doors to the public so that they have a place to express their pain. They have dedicated a whole room to be a place where people can write messages, house photos, bring flowers, gifts, balloons etc. The walls are completely full of messages of hope, love, care and grief. There are counsellors and pastoral care staff there round the clock to support those who visit. There is food, drink and tissues provided. Peaceful worship music plays in the background as people cry, sit quietly and reflect on the enormity of it all.

Last night we went to the school as a family. It was important for us to be a part of the community's outpouring of love and grief. We wept and smiled as we read messages from kids to their friends saying "Welcome to heaven guys! We love you". There were messages from parents of lost children, from their school friends, from complete strangers who have been touched by it all.

I am so proud to be a Christian today. This school has handled this tragedy with dignity, compassion, great wisdom and a strong, unwavering faith. On the day that the news broke the principal said the following:

If our faith means anything
it must mean everything now

They haven't taken the approach of "God has a plan for everything and it's all for good" which often becomes glib and unrealistic. They are asking the hard questions. They do wonder why. They do have questions as to how it all happened but they know that God is with them in the midst of it and that He will sustain them as they face the long days, weeks, months, even years ahead. Such godly examples to a world that has no faith.

The impact of this tragedy is far reaching. Pray that the faith of the students, staff and families will be more far reaching.

Learning new things.



A couple of years ago, as we sat in a group of missionaries in Ecuador, we were discussing things that people didn't know about us. My friend stated that when he looks around he sees/hears music. Everything he looks at is reflected by the music that he hears. I think some people had no idea what he was talking about but I have reflected on this a bit this year. I realised that in my world everything is colour and texture. I love, and I mean love, to touch fabric as I walk through clothes shops. I love to look at different colours, how they play together, how they enhance the form of something, how they just glow. I see colour everywhere. It is always the colour that is the clearest when I am lookng at something and then it is it's texture. I just adore it all!

I think that inside of me there has always been a frustrated artist wanting to escape. She has so much to express but really no idea how to do it. Ever since I was in high school I have wanted to create but never had the opportunity. I have dabbled in different craft things over the years but often felt that there was more that I needed to "say". So this year I have taken the plunge!!!! I now attend night school classes in painting with oils and acrylics. There are just 8 of us in the class, all with varying degrees of skill in this whole painting area. I think I have already decided that my painting will be abstract in nature. I'm not into fluffy details or leaves and mountains. I'd much rather create a colourful, textured painting. I'm hoping that through this whole learning process I might find my niche. I'd love to be able to express my relationship with God and the world through art.

Who knows how it will all turn out but I'm having fun in the meantime.

"Twinkle, twinkle...."



This past weekend we have finally managed to score a couple of days off. YAY! It has been a long 3 weeks where we have worked every single day. We have been hanging out for this weekend for ages.

On Friday Nige and I went to the movies. I love movies :-) I had been trying to get there for weeks so it was nice to be able to enjoy it with my hubby. We saw "The Bucket List" which was a wonderful film. It stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as two men who become unlikely friends when they are both diagnosed with terminal cancer. The bucket list is a list of all the things they want to do before they "kick the bucket". Needless to say there was a lot to giggle about and also a few tears.

One of the lines that I loved the best was when a woman that Morgan Freeman was talking to said that the stars are like "little holes in the floor of heaven". I thought that was very cool. Imagine, lots of little holes in the floor boards of heaven which allow the glory of God to sneak through and shine down upon us. How cool is that? His glory must be soooooooo bright that it shines bright this far away. I just loved the thought of it.

So how about it? Next time you look up and see the stars just think about God's glory and how amazing He truely is.

The West Coast of New Zealand has a rugged coastline but it is quite stunning. Some of you may remember the film "The Piano" which was filmed near Auckland at Karekare beach. Just beautiful! This past weekend we had a camp for people who are preparing to head off overseas and those who are currently home. We stayed at a campsite here at Piha Beach, the one next door to Karekare.

This was the first camp of this sort that we have had in a long time, in fact since we began in the office over a year ago. There were about 60 people in total, including kids. The weather played ball and even though it rained at times it was only during session times.

To be honest we wondered how this weekend was going to go. We had had a couple of extremely busy weeks leading up to it and at times we felt quite unprepared. We have been dealing with many a difficult situation including working with a long time missio who has been recently diagnosed with cancer and has weeks to live. It has been emotionally draining to say the least! We were very tired, even more so after the weekend but it was all worth it.

This morning my team debriefed from the camp. We were able to identify many a good thing that happened. God moved in the lives of those who participated and we had some really good feedback. One long time missio told us that it was the first time he had felt such a freedom to share and talk about the struggles of ministry. That was fabulous for us to hear. People really connected on a deep level and many email addresses were swapped for further contact.

The theme was "jars of clay". In one session there was a quote from Carl Jung. It challenged me. It was about recognising that Jesus calls us to "love the least of these" but what if the person that needed our love and care was ourselves? It spoke to me about how I often put others way ahead of myself and am not very good at looking after me. I learnt that it's ok to have time off, it's ok to rest, it's ok to say no. Guess it's time to practise it. I'm so not good at this stuff but I am committed to trying.

So, I began today. I left work on time, even though my list of things to do seemed to be getting bigger and not smaller. For me it was a major step to actually walk away. It will take me a while to work out what caring for me actually looks like but I have high hopes that I will eventually get it.

BOYS!

Having two boys (three if you count dear hubby) means that there is never a dull moment to be had. I have learnt over the years that boys need to play rough and tumble, need to be noisy and then need lots of food. I think I am a pretty good "boy" mum and am learning to watch them do things I would never dream of. Of late, this new found "boy" mum strength and resolve has been put to the test!

The oldest son, Caleb, has taken up BMX riding. He tootles off down the road to the local BMX track where he does unimaginable things on two wheels. I have to remind myself that this is considered an extreme sport, which I think just makes it all the more appealing to a pre teen.

The first hint of trouble came when he bailed on his bike on the downhill ride. Pretty spectacular and conveniently captured on film by dad. Here 'tis:



What follows is his face afterwards!



I am thankful he a) wasn't wearing his glasses and b) didn't knock any of his beautiful teeth out. We had a good laugh, did the appropriate amount of "You're so cool!" and told him to be careful.

5 days later he was back out on his bike, fell off, was carried home by a kind stranger and we went off to the medical clinic for an xray. All this resulting in several days on crutches and a bandaged foot for 2 weeks. He was gutted that a sprain meant mum wouldn't allow him back on the track until he was healed.

Last Friday was his first day back on the track in 2 weeks. Just 2 days later this is what happened:



After a fall from his bike, a huge gash in his leg and the calling of an ambulance, this is how he got down off the mountain. Then it was into the ambulance for a trip to hospital!



Finally, after several hours, xrays, pain relief, laughing gas, tears and broken fingers (mine that was....he squeezed them to death!) we ended up with 9 stithes in his leg......and at least another 2-3 weeks off his bike!



This morning he awoke to find the full face helmet and goggles that he had bought, on the front step. He can't wait to get back onto his bike. My "boy" mum resolve is waining but I can't wrap him in cotton wool. Guess I'll just take another deep breath and scrape up the pieces in the event of another accident :-)

Happy Valentines Day!

I'm such a softy! I love romance, pressies and days where you can just be nice to each other. It should happen everyday but the reality is that there are days when we just get grumpy with each other and forget to say how much we love and appreciate someone.Valentines is one chance in a year where we can love on each other which I think is great! This year, for me, it is more than just about me and Nige but also about showing appreciation and love to my boys and my staff. I took in a big box of chockies which we all enjoyed together and as a family we ate yummy food and special treats. It was a nice day. My darling not only bought me a rose (so sweet) but he also transferred our wedding video from VHS to DVD. How cute! He made it the day before and kept ringing me to tell me what he was watching. So sweet!

Marriage is a funny thing. There is all that hot, romantic love that happens before you get married and then as the years roll on that love matures into something beyond description. There is not a day that goes by that I would want to spend without my darling. I am grateful for his love and commitment to me and for always thinking I am beautiful, even on my ugly days :-)

Te Amo mi amor, hoy y para siempre!!

A brief holiday in Taupo.

So it's the new year and we have been at work for just 2 1/2 weeks and then took another 2 weeks off to spend time with the boys and have a bit of a break. We've spent many lovely summer days at home and then decided to go to Taupo to visit Nigel's sister and hubby and baby girl, Saskia. It was a lovely couple of days.

To keep the boys entertained we found an adventure activity called "Rock 'n Ropes". It is a high wire, climbing/confidence course. You could choose from several different activities so we paid for the boys to choose one. We could have saved money and allowed them to choose 3 different ones to do but secretly we believed that they would freak out too much and not actually do it at all. Man, did they surprise us!

Here's Caleb:



This one was called the Trapeze. He had to climb this pole, stand on top with nothing to hold and then leap to catch onto the trapeze to the left. It's a frightening thing! The woman who was holding onto him with his safety rope was amazing and instilled confidence in him. She said that he had chosen to do the most mentally challenging activity on the whole course. I watched him as he scurried up the pole then stood at the top quite confidently. He quickly counted to 3 then leapt! He missed the trapeze but floated down on his safety harness. He had another go at it and this time everything seemed to go quicker. Before I knew it he was up the top and jumping as high as he could. This time he touched it and was really pleased with himself. Man, I couldn't do it!!!

Here's Isaac:



Isaac spied this activity and convinced himself to do it. It was the most physically challenging event and there is absolutely no way I could do it. It was a series of swinging poles, ropes and tyres to climb up, through and on until you reach the top and sit on the final tyre. It was interesting to watch him work through it all. He scurried up the pole and then had a wee freak out at the height he was reaching and the movement of the poles. He was quite upset but he wasn't going to let it stop him. He pushed through his panic and carried on. As he reached the first tyre he again had a panic attack and again he took control of himself and his emotions and carried on. You could see the battle that he was having with himself and the real temptation to give into it but he wouldn't let himself give up. Near the top he had quite a severe panic attack with hyperventilating and many tears. I was sure he would jump off and float to the ground on his harness but he surprised me and moved onwards and upwards. As he climbed into the final tyre and sat on the top he had the biggest grin I have ever seen. He knew that he had pushed himself to his physical and emotional limit and not given into the fear that he has lived with for much of his life. I couldn't have been prouder!

My boys are pretty cool kids when I think about it. They are indeed a blessing from God, even in the hard days :-) They teach me new things every day and I am very proud of them.

Farewell Sir Edmund Hillary! A true kiwi.



Today the whole of New Zealand will stop to remember a truely great man. Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88 on the 11th January 2008 and this morning will be his state funeral here in Auckland. It is a massive event. State funerals are held for governing Prime Ministers and Governors general but this is such a great man that it is only fitting for him to be farewelled as a nation. His family have been gracious enough to allow a whole country to mourn his passing and celebrate his life.




He is most famous for his historic climb of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world in 1953. He and Tenzing Norgay were the first people to reach the summit. It was a massive undertaking for a humble New Zealand bee keeper. He has then spent his life helping improve the educational and medical opportunites of the Sherpa people in Nepal. This is how he wants to be remembered. He was just a kiwi bloke. extremely humble, very loving and very gentle.



He is forever immortalised on our $5 note, the only living person to ever feature on our bank notes. It is our most used note and millions of New Zeaand people now hold that very dearly. There has been talk of renaming our tallest mountain to recognise him, or to have national holiday in honour of him. However we decide to celebrate his life and achievements he will not be quickly forgotten.

We are proud to be New Zealanders today. This is an historic day that will live on in my memory and my children's memories for many, many years.

Ka kite ano Sir Ed!

He Reigns!

When I think about why I am involved in missions I always come back to this video and song from the Newsboys. "He Reigns" would have to be my heartbeat for missions. Every time I hear it I get goose bumps and a little tear in my eye. So here it is for you to share and enjoy.



Can't you see it? Every nation, tribe and tongue singing praises to God, all at the same time. What a thrill!!!! I so want to be a part of that moment in time when all fall on their knees and worship Him. Can't wait!!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2008!

It's hard to believe that 2007 has finished although if I have to be honest I'm not sad to see the back of it. It was a pretty sucky year.....crappy could be a better word. My hopes for 2008 are that it will be a more settled year for everyone in my family and that we will continue to learn how to live in NZ and what it means to be a "kiwi". Hopefully that whole learning and growing process will be less painful than last year's one :-) I feel so much more positive about all that this year holds. I'm sure it is going to be full of challenges and surprises but that sounds like fun!

Christmas and New Year were great. It was nice to be able to spend it with family and be able to host them in our own home. I cooked a wonderful turkey (if I do say so myself) and ate far too much, but that's to be expected I guess. We closed the office down from the 22nd December until the 7th Jan so we have had a good break and managed to have lots of fun with the boys who are on their summer break. We're only back in the office for a couple of weeks and then we are having our official holiday which I am looking forward to. It will be so nice to hang out with the boys and do some more fun things. We have it all planned including boat trips to islands to climb, beach visits, junk food and of course some shopping thrown in for the lady of the house!

I hope that your 2008 looks like a good one and that you will know God's richest blessings in it.