A Beautiful Beginning

Christchurch is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. I am in no way surprised, but yet still amazed.

I am dying to post some photos of the Port Hills and the Southern Alps that are both only a few kilometers from where I am staying, (speaking in terms of kilometers as opposed to miles is the norm here- a mile is 3/5 of a kilometer), but it was very early in the morning when I was arriving into the city, and it has been somewhat overcast since I have arrived (but wonderful!!) so I have yet to take any photos of them.

Before going into any more detail as to what this first day in Christchurch has looked like, I would be amiss to not mention how exceptionally well the 24 hour trip here went! It really is hard to imagine that it could have gone much better. Firstly, I got to stay the night with the beautiful Maria Coe at her apartment in D.C. the night before catching my plane. The Spirit was in that place since He is in the hearts of each of the three beautiful women living there, and it was so wonderful to rest in Him so easily there. Maria had made a shuttle reservation for me to get a ride to the airport the following morning, Monday morning, and I made friends with a really neat Australian couple on the ride, Natalia and Paul. After some conversation of which led to my responding to Natalia's question of what I was going to be studying, she asked why I chose to study religion. She understood from my response that it is a result of my own faith and the place that it plays in my life.

I was encouraged by Natalia not to dread the 13 hour flight from L.A. to Auckland. "You can read, you can sleep, you can talk with people, you're served for goodness sake! It's really not anywhere near as bad as people make it out to be if you ask me." I nodded and told her I completely agreed and appreciated her standpoint.

After the 5 hour flight from D.C. to L.A., while I was waiting to board the plane to Auckland, I made a few last phone calls, sent a few last text messages, and came across about 30 other students who are also going to be studying abroad in Christchurch this semester. There was a really good energy and excitement for the adventure that we all know lies ahead, and a sweet sense of camaraderie that I was definitely encouraged by.

I was particularly encouraged by a newfound friend, Nicole. She and I were in line behind one another to board, and I expressed my amazement over the complete gift that it is to get to go on this trip. She enthusiastically nodded and said she absolutely agreed.
"And in the bigger picture," I went on, "in thinking of the gift of this experience, I've found myself all the more amazed over the adventure to just live this life that God has given us!"
"I know, I know!" she responded, looking up at me with excited and curious eyes.
There was a pause in conversation as she gave her ticket over to the flight attendant to be checked. We started making our way down onto the huge 747-400 Boeing Aircraft, capable of cruising at a speed of 920 km/h and holding over 375 passengers.
"So, you're a believer?" Nicole asked me, with a sense of hope in her voice that was hard to miss.
"Yes," I answered, with a huge smile spreading across my face, "Yes, I am. I love Jesus with all my heart."
"Me too!" she said with a relief that also was in no way hard to pick up on. She asked me if I had any intentions of getting involved in a church in the area or if I knew of any that we might be able to become plugged into. I assured her that there would be, (as I had been told so by Raewyn, my homestay mom), and that yes, I was planning on getting involved. She went on to share with me that her love for the Lord and His love for her is the reason she was going on this trip.
"It's going to be incredible," I said grinning ear to ear, "He has incredible things in store for us."
All of this conversation took place from where we got our tickets checked to where we stepped onto the plane. Next I met Emily.

Emily is a beautiful girl whom I had the privilege of sitting next to all the way to Auckland. I soon found out that she, too, will be studying in Christchurch this semester. After some casual conversation, I soon found us in the midst of talking about how she was really hopeful that this trip would serve to help her find her identity, particularly in regards to how she feels about the Lord.
"I've strayed away from my faith for the past few years- a lot of stuff, hard stuff, has happened in my life, and I've been especially hurt by the Church," she shared openly with me.
"Gosh," I said, thanking God for the vulnerability He had undoubtedly inspired within her, "I totally hear you. And I totally admire and am encouraged that you haven't completely shut the door on God because of those experiences."
"Yeah..." she responded, obviously reconnecting with her desire to know Him, and experiencing His work within her of rekindling that desire.
"I find it so tragic and so sad that the Church is a huge reason why so many people end up walking away from God. I think the problem rests in the fact that so many people make the Church out to be synonymous with who He is. I mean, ideally that would be true. But the reality is that it's definitely not."
Emily nodded her head in agreement.
I went on because I did not feel the Spirit holding me back. "I mean, if you look throughout the gospels, wasn't it always the religious people that Jesus got most upset with?" Again, Emily is nodding quite enthusiastically. "I think it was because they had no idea what it looked like to have a relationship with God and were instead so consumed with the ritualistic, legalistic stuff that they had made up themselves. The stuff that Jesus really doesn't care much at all about. The stuff that is not concerned with matters that He cares most about- matters of the heart."
"I totally agree," Emily responded, "I totally agree."
A moment or two passed and she and I start to get really excited about the dinner that is going to be served to us and wonder if the wine they've announced that they'll be serving is going to cost anything extra.
"I don't see anyone getting out any money, do you?" she asks me.
"No, no, I don't either. I wonder if the New Zealand drinking age (18) applies, or if it'll still be the U.S.?" I ask out loud. "I bet they'll card me."

A few minutes later, we are lifting glasses of Sauvignon Blanc to each other.
"Cheers," Emily says.
"Cheers!" I say. "Cheers to friendship." :)

The wine we agree is good, as is the dinner. Some time later we are having some Cabernet. Haha! This is a good time. Air New Zealand knows how to do it right!

I am praising Jesus for the ease in which we've been able to enter conversation, and conversation of substance. I am praising Him for this new friend, for her heart, and for exactly where she is on her journey. I am thankful that our paths have crossed.

Later, God directs me to the 15th chapter of John, where Jesus says to us, "I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you."

I find resting on my heart that the truest friendship between two people is one in which they point each other to Jesus in all that they do and are dependent on His ability to maintain and prosper the bond that they share. Prayers rise up for my truest friend. We desire to know you more Immanuel, may it be so. For this is eternal life: that we may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent. John 17;3

A few hours pass with sleeping, and I wake up to Emily telling me breakfast is getting ready to be served. A couple hours later we are getting ready to land in Auckland. It is now 5 a.m. on Wednesday. Back home it is 11 a.m. on Tuesday! (The easy way to convert the 18 hours time difference is to subtract 6 hours from U.S. Eastern Time and add a day...or add 6 hours to NZ time and subtract a day).

Coming in over Auckland for the landing, dawn in breaking. Three hours later we have landed at our destination, Christchurch. The adventure begins!!/continues!!

The first day in Christchurch was wonderful. As much as I could go into detail, it is now getting to be 11 here and this is what I imagine will be one of the longest posts I will ever make!! So I will leave the description at this: I am entirely convinced of God's orchestration in having me stay with the Bell Family, and have found myself already in love with Nathan and Isaac, the 9 and 10 year old boys. I did errands this afternoon with Raewyn, watched Nathan at his trampoline practice, ate dinner as a family, laughed so much at the boys that I was very nicely told that I might need to work on trying to suppress my laughter a bit, (as even just a little bit goes a long way in winding them up!), played Mario with the boys on the computer, was helped by Wynton, (my homestay dad), to get this wireless connection going, and was given quite a bit of information to try to keep track of in regards to how to best get around the city on the metro system.

It has been a fabulous day all around, but I would have to say that the highlight came just about an hour or so ago, when I went to tell the boys goodnight after they had already been tucked in. Isaac shared a riddle with me: "Imagine there are three rooms. One room is full of poisonous snakes, the other is full of lions who haven't eaten for a year, and the other is full of vicious crocodiles. Which room would you go in?" he asks me.
"Hmmm... the one with the crocodiles?" I responded, having absolutely no reason for believing that this was the right answer.
"No," he said grinning, "the one with the lions! They would all be dead after having not eaten for a whole year!"
"Oh, man!! Good one, good one." I smiled back at him. "Okay, okay. I have one for you guys and with this, I'll leave you to sleep." Their eyes were on me, waiting anxiously for the joke.
So I went on: "What do you call a fish without an eye?"
Nathan took a stab at answering, offering something such as 'an eyeless fish?' for his answer.
"No, but that certainly is a great guess," I responded. I turned to Isaac to make sure he wasn't wanting to guess, too. He wasn't. So I told them...
"Fsssssh!!! Get it!? Since 'fish' is spelled: f-i-s-h, without the eye, or 'i', it is just fsssssh!!!" They burst into laughter and said something that in the midst of it I couldn't quite make out.
"What?" I asked, not wanting to miss whatever had been said.
And here comes what I consider the highlight of the day....
"Boring students say 'what'," Nathan declared matter-of-factly.
I laughed out loud and said cheerfully, "'What's that' then?"
"No, no, no," Isaac shook his head with the smile of his that is so precious it just about melts your heart.
"Well, what should I say then?" I asked, genuinely curious and also genuinely amused.
"'I beg your pardon!'" he answered.
"I'll work on that, then," I told them. And work on it I will.

Oh, what a glorious day. What a glorious, glorious God.

Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O God, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as being in control of everything. 1 Chronicles 29:11