This past weekend I enjoyed a ladies night out at the beach with four of the women from our little Clandon community. On Friday afternoon Helen, Janine, Giselle, Hannah and I all drove out to Waihi  beach. It was drizzling litely most of the weekend so we got lots of time indoors to talk and watch movies and enjoy delightful platters of food. I was really blessed by one on one talks about marriage and worship as well as group sharing of testimonies.

It’s so neat to hear how God has worked and is working in the lives of these women. I love to see God’s hand holding and guiding each of us into His truth through all sorts of lessons in the midst of such diverse circumstances and stages of the journey. I didn't make it down to the ocean until Saturday morning while the house was still quiet. The crashing waves beneath rolling clouds was a loud reminder of our Lord’s great holiness and wonder.

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise

his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his

benefits-

who forgives all your sins

and heals all your diseases

who redeems your life from 

the pit

and crowns you with love

and compassion

who satisfies you desires

with good things

so that your youth is 

renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord works 

righteousness

and justice for all the 

oppressed.

He made known his ways to 

Moses, 

his deeds to the people of 

Israel:

The Lord is compassionate

and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in 

love. 

He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger 

forever;

he does not treat us as our 

sins deserve

or repay us according to our 

iniquities.

For as high as the heavens 

are above the earth, 

so great is his love for those

 who fear him; 

as far as the east is from the 

west, 

so far has he removed are 

transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion

on his children,

so the Lord has compassion

on those who fear him;

for he knows how we are 

formed, 

he remembers that we are 

dust.

As for man, his days are like

grass,

he flourishes like a flower of 

the field;

the wind blows over it and it

is gone,

and its place remembers it

no more.

But from everlasting to 

everlasting

the Lord's love is with those 

who fear him, 

and his righteousness with 

their children's children-

with those who keep his 

covenant

and remember to obey

his precepts.

The Lord has established his 

throne in heaven,

and his kingdom rules over

all. 

Praise the Lord, you his

angels,

you mighty ones who do his 

bidding,

who obey his word. 

Praise the Lord, all his 

heavenly hosts,

you his servants who do his

will.

Praise the Lord, all his works

everywhere in his dominion.

Praise the Lord, O my soul.

Ps 103

Psalm 20

Psalm 20

May the Lord answer you

when you are in distress;

may the name of the God of

Jacob protect you.

May he send you help from 

the sanctuary 

and grant you support from 

Zion.

May he remember all your 

sacrifices and accept your burnt 

offerings.     Selah

May he give you the desire

of your heart 

and make all your plans 

succeed.

We will shout for joy when

you are victorious 

and we will lift up our banners 

in the name of our God.

May the Lord grant all your 

requests.

Now I know that the Lord

saves his anointed; 

he answers him from his 

holy heaven

with the saving power of his 

right hand.

Some trust in chariots and 

some in horses,

but we trust in the name of 

the Lord our God.

They are brought to their

knees and fall,

but we rise up and stand firm.

O Lord, save the king! 

Answer us when we call!  

My husband began praying this psalm over me the day I left Uganda and continues to do so. On my 20th birthday he told me of this prayer and committed to praying his own version of it over me every day for a year. At the time we were on a communication fast. With Andrew in Uganda, me heading off to school in America and no speaking or writing going between us, the possibility of seeing one another again looked bleak. However this was a year packed full with spiritual and emotional growth and God had it worked out that before the year was out Andrew and I would be betrothed to be married. 

A Thursday afternoon in March

Autumn’s tip-toeing in with crisp mornings and taking the sun to bed early. Today I canned (or 'preserved' as is better known here) feijoa’s with Mum Dickson. The Dickson’s tree is overflowing with this tasty fruit, one of Andrew’s favorites. ;) My nesting instincts are finding splendid fulfillment in filling jars with delicious fruits to stick away for a winter with my wonderful Honey and baby.  

Trip Northland

Counting down 24 weeks until we welcome baby into our home and with summer quickly giving way to Autumn, Andrew and I decided to up and take a spontaneous trip North. We set out fresh and early on Friday morning, trunk loaded with sleeping bags, tent, a cooler (chilly bin as they say)packed with food, and plenty of music for the drive.

Our first stop took us to the Waipoua forests. Famous for their magnificent Kauri trees. Kauri trees can live for over 2000 years and grow to more than 50 meters tall. The Maori's used to use the Kauri timber for building boats, carving and building houses. They would also use the gum from the trees as a fire starter and for chewing. When the Europeans began settling in New Zealand they took advantage of the large amounts of quality timber in order to make ships and other quality building. Most of the ancient Kauri trees that have been preserved are in the Waipoua forest. Andrew and I ate our lunch shaded by the second largest Kauri tree and exclaimed at God's majesty displayed through His creations.

By late afternoon we reached Ninety Mile Beach and went for a spin on the sand. Andrew loves testing out the power of our four wheel drive Honda, Orthia and getting it to do what other others would say is impossible. ;) When tide is out 90 mile beach serves virtually as a highway for adventurous drivers, mini bus tours, fisherman, and beauty-seekers zooming up and down the long stretch of sand at the edge of water and sky. Before the 1980's ninety mile beach (closer to 60 miles in actual distance) was seldom used by motor vehicles and occasionally used for droving large herds of cattle from the 40,000 acre Te Paki Station near North Cape. As town life started settling down and barely any life was seen on the beach Andrew and I found a hidden spot in the dunes to park for the night and set up tent. It was so fun to be able to sleep with ocean waves crashing in our ears, stars gleaming above, and to peek out and see the ocean. It was a quiet night and not many cars roamed the shore in the morning. Unbenounced to us there were Tsunami warnings for a wave to hit around 6:30am after the Earthquake in Japan. Thankfully nothing came of it and we woke up dry, safe and oblivious to the worries and woe's of the world around us. After a morning swim we headed for a much anticipated drive down the beach. I even took a turn at the wheel for a bit though I didn't manage to make as many marks in the sand or dunes as my adventurous husband. ;p Andrew and I both took a deep breathe of ocean air as How Great Thou Art filled the car. Cruising along between tumbling waves, mountains, and sun speckled dunes. Nearing the end of the beach the sand dunes pile high and wide. With boogie boards in hand and sun high in the sky we trudged up the towering dunes for an exhilarating sleigh ride.

At the other end of Ninety mile beach Te Paki quicksand stream serves as a road out. We landed at a junction just 16kl from Cape Reinga, the Northern tip of New Zealand. As the windy road took us higher the scene was absolutely beautiful- a clear blue sky, glistening water, and at the top a well layed path along the cliffs to a small light house at the edge. At the base of the Lighthouse there's a traffic-like sign telling how many miles from various places across the ocean. Los Angeles --------miles.Family feels so much closer in my heart. xo

Driving a ways further we found a place to stay for the night at Coopers Beach. On Sunday we drove to Waitangi, a town holding much New Zealand history. In 1840 New Zealand was founded as the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the English and the Maori. There are many activities for tourists and beautiful spots to be explored near Waitangi but I think both Andrew and my favorite activity is finding a comfortable shady spot on a beach and reading, sleeping, swimming and munching as the hours of daylight fly by..

With the help of some friendly nudges I’ve decided to start a blog to record some of the musings, adventures, and lessons of this story the Lord is creating...

Andrew was a man I happened to come across in Uganda who loves the Lord with all His heart and enjoys the same expressions of God’s love as I do (..enthralled by the dawn, hungry for God’s word, enchanted by African sunsets, fascinated by people and how the Lord’s image is reflected through them in various shades and facets… ). As I gradually learned of Andrew’s heart and we encouraged and challenged one another in our first love ‘God’ I found that the place my heart felt most at home was with Andrew.