Catch up

My apologies for taking so long in between blog updates, this might be the case while we are traveling! We have been traveling every few days and meeting with many people. Often times the last thing I want to do is pull out our computer when we are with someone that we don't see enough as it is. 

(one of our partnering churches mission wall...New Zealand was on the map twice!)

We expected our time in America to go by fast, but we truly can't believe how fast it is going. We are thankful for all that we have been able to do and are trying to cherish many of the new memories that we are making with family and friends. 

 (Seeing Joe's little sister at UVA )

The past few weeks have been filled with church meetings as we have five partnering churches in New York. Joe has been preaching on Sundays and then we usually meet up with different members of the church or church leaders during the week for a more in depth talk about New Zealand. When we aren't meeting with churches, we spend time preparing for our next meeting or trying to get new meetings in the area. Part of our objective while we are here is to try to raise funds for the church plant start up costs. So if we aren't meeting with a current partnering church, chances are, we are meeting with a potential partner specifically for the church plant. 

We have also made time to catch up with our family and east coast friends. It has been refreshing and encouraging to reconnect with the people who have played such important parts in our lives. 

The last thing we have spend a lot of time doing is praying. Will you pray with us for the following things: 

 for potential partners to help with the start up costs of the church

 for the city and people of Christchurch, that God will soften their hearts 

 for our team-that God will prepare us for moving into Christchurch & diving into this new community where we know no-one

for each couple to come away from furlough refreshed, not worn down

 for each couple to be fully funded at the end of furlough

for health, energy, and good times of catching up as we travel while we are back in the States

America

We have been in the States for almost a week now and there have been so many little things to adjust to. For one thing, it is 80, sunny and humid in Auckland! We are enjoying the winter somewhat as it is different than what we have in New Zealand, but it colder than we are used to. 

It has been great to see family and visit places that used to be so familiar to us. This is us with Joe's Grandma. 

There are so many things that we had forgotten about and other things that we can't believe we ever took for granted! We get excited over the littlest things (like the price of gas- we filled our tank for $21.00 last night! Gas prices just dropped in NZ and we were excited to fill our tank for $70.00!) We must have looked hilarious at the grocery store yesterday as well...we were wandering up and down the aisles amazed at the prices, the variety (an aisle and a half just for chips) and how big things really are here (like a gallon of milk)! Though we have know these things our entire life, we haven't been around them for so long that we had forgotten what it is really like.

We have had an interesting time with driving- often finding ourselves on the wrong side of the road or driving by the New Zealand traffic laws (which have different right aways and different signals). 

Joe did a great job preaching Sunday at one of our partnering churches. We have also spent time this week meeting with staff from some partnering churches and leading youth group at one. It has been great to reconnect with so many people. 

The Last Week

We are less than 24 hours from being at the airport to fly back to the States, that just seems unreal to us! We have spent this week packing up our house and moving it into storage. We have also had time for some goodbyes with our good friends. Here is this week in pictures:

With some friends in the city for a goodbye dinner

A BBQ with friends 

Wrapping up and moving furniture.

 

Our nice neighbor let us use his work truck to move, we also received some good help from the neighbor boy! 

The next update will be coming to you from your side of the world! We look forward to seeing you soon! 

A Very Happy New Year

We had an amazing 2008! As we reflect on all that we have done, think about all of the people we have met, and remember all the places we have been and things we have learned, and think about all of the conclusions and plans that have been made, we are amazed at all that has taken place in one year! 

The last few weeks of 2008 were amazing. We were able to spend time with the entire Huette family here in New Zealand. We were able to spend time at our house in Auckland, we went to the "adventure capital of the world"- Queenstown, and we were able to show them where we will be moving to in Christchurch. Our time was packed full of sightseeing, and enjoying being together as a family.  There are many stories to share about their time here, but I will sum it up with a few pictures. 

Catching up with Mom at Muriwai Beach

Ryan made it! He traveled for over 3 days on 5 flights, but he got here on Christmas Eve! 

Here are Ryan and my dad riding the lift up to the Luge (like go-karts w/o engines) 

                   Getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner and games!  

Girls Day! Shopping in Queenstown. 

Boy's Day! Hiking in Queenstown.

 

On our way to the Milford Sound. 

The last of the family left on New Year's Eve. The airport drop-off always makes the distance seem so real. We were able to enjoy New Year's Eve with some great friends here in Auckland and now we have jumped into packing up our house! 

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year! 

Family Reunion...Almost

The Huette Family is almost all together! As you may notice, there is still one person missing in this picture, but we HOPE we will see him tomorrow. 

Andy and Abby (and their little growing baby) have arrived safely in New Zealand. While in Los Angeles getting ready to fly out with Ryan, they encountered some issues and Ryan was not allowed go. Ryan had recently went scuba diving with his passport and it was unreadable and they would not let him leave the country as the passport would not be read and he would be sent back. 

Ryan spent the night in the LA Airport and woke up to go to the consulate in order to get a new passport. We had a nerve-wracking night waiting to hear if he was going to be able to make it. Ryan got a new passport and was able to get on the flight 24 hours later to New Zealand. 

The rest of us are leaving for Queenstown first thing in the morning so Ryan will also miss that flight. There was ONE seat left on all of the flights to Queenstown and we were able to get it for Ryan.  Now we just need to pray that his flights are on time and he makes his connections as he has very little time in between his connecting flights. 

We hope that we will finally all be together tomorrow evening, which is Christmas Eve here. We will probably not post until we get back from Queenstown, but we hope that we are all together by then, we have waited long enough! 

They're Here!!

                                                
My parents are safely on the ground in Auckland! It was a long flight from Chicago to LA to Fiji to Auckland, but they made it to Auckland just around lunch time on Monday (which is Sunday evening in the States).  We definitely turned heads at the airport with our tearful reunion and many hugs. 

For now we are just hanging out trying to keep them awake to help them get on New Zealand time.  It is so great to be together again!! 

Flashback

I am having flashbacks this week! This week feels so similar to the final week we had in our house in Rochester back in May of 07. Though we don't leave for another month, Joe and I have set an early deadline for ourselves to have a lot of our belongings packed and stored, our schedule and presentations ready for furlough (starting in January), and all of those details that need to be in line to move, finished.  

The reason? Next week the first of the Huette family arrives!!! We are so excited for my parents to arrive next week and my brothers and sister-in- law the next! We will all be together for the week around and including Christmas. In hopes to maximize our time with them, we are preparing for furlough before they get here. 

In preparation to leave, this week has felt so very similar to the last few weeks we spent at our own house in Rochester. 

This week has been filled with packing and sorting, "lasts", and meeting up with friends for farewells as we may not see them again as the holidays near, the family visits and us leaving for the States approach.  We will be coming back to Christchurch, not Auckland. Today was the last day that I will be teaching as school is letting out for the summer. This Friday is the last day of youth. We were invited away for the weekend with some friends in order to spend time together before my family gets here and we leave. We have had farewell dinners with youth and their families and a farewell lunch with the staff of Shore.    

Our to-do lists are getting checked (or ticked as Kiwis would say), our closets are getting packed, goodbyes are beginning, plans for the US are made, and our house is ready for visitors!