Saturday at Sunset Beach with Abba and Andrew

In 'My Seventh Monsoon,' (a book Andrew and I recently finished) Naomi Reed speaks of the power of beauty. When she and her husband are choosing a house in Nepal with their three young boys, they decide on a hut along the cleft because "views are everything." Though they live with water problems, a curfew, and other consequences of the civil war raging around them, they are able to be ministered to and enjoy the inspiration of the Himalayans from their humble home.

God reveals himself through His glorious creation and allows us to enjoy beauty with Him. Even amidst a struggling, suffering, disease and sin stricken world there are untold beauties that take our breathe away. We rush about day to day and so often forget to notice the sun rising valiently each morning and faithfully drawing each day to a close at dusk.

On the few motorbike rides Andrew and I got in Uganda and on our ten day road trip through Kenya and Tanzania I saw that Andrew was a man deeply inspired by beauty. He found pleasure in taking me to and pointing out beautiful sights, views, animals and plants. Andrew and I have been able to enjoy many of God's glorious displays of beauty in the last months. It's fun to delight in these pleasures together.

We spent last Saturday at Port Waikato's Sunset beach, a bit more than an hours drive away. The car was filled with pillows and sleeping bags to keep us snug from the cold on the breezy ocean shore. Our afternoon was spent: reading and sleeping in the back of the wagon, strolling, sliding through the dunes, and watching sand yachts racing each other along the shore. Low tide was at 1.30pm. Around 3.30pm Andrew felt we better get off the beach. Thankfully our Honda Orthia struggled off the soft beach just in time with tide climbing and Andrew praying as hard as his foot pressed on the gas.

Taking a different route home we scurried along beautiful windy coastal gravel roads filled with ocean and
farmland views. The New Zealand landscape made a little carsickness well worth it ;) The sun set over the ocean at 5pm amidst an emotional sky beginning to trickle rain. I laid down in the back for part of the trip and watched New Zealand passing by through splattered panes of wet glass. We stopped for dinner and a soak in hot pools made from the Waingaro hot springs. Thankfully the water wasn't too hot for baby Dickson. Warm water along with the evenings cool air felt soothing and refreshing after a long drive and earlier traipsing through domineering dunes. Andrew and I ended the day in the best of ways- with ice cream ;) and headed for home.