These are a few of my Favorite Things...

New Zealand starry nights, waterfalls, sunrises, sunsets, chocolate, coffee, ice cream, mountains, hiking, mafia, beautiful flowers, worship on the beach under the stars, Euchre, feeling clean, reading, journaling, heart to heart conversations… I had the privilege of experiencing all of these things and more over the last several days. My heart is feeling so refreshed and renewed... we had such a good trip!

Joy in the Journey...
Sunday evening, we arrived at a Holiday Park in Whangarei (after much delay). It ended up being a beautiful place to stay at. After we made dinner, we played two games of mafia (one of my favorites) and had a sweet time of prayer and worship together as a group.

Early Monday morning, while it was still dark, I got up and hiked up a small mountain (with Kari, Rachel, Sara, Josie, and Tim Matteson - he came from Bethel to film our group for some videos). As we walked up the trail and the sun creeped up, I was amazed by the beauty surrounding us. When we got to the top of the mountain, we were somewhat disappointed. The view wasn't all that great and the sun had already risen. However, I wasn't too bothered by it. the journey was worth it. I've been praying throughout this trip that the Lord would give me joy in the journey... and He's totally answering that prayer. There is such joy along the way (even when things can be challenging and overwhelming).

Waitangi Treaty House
On Monday, we visited the Waitangi Treaty House, which is probably comparable to our Liberty Bell in Pennsylvania... or Washington D.C. At the Treaty House, we learned about the founding of New Zealand as a country and the struggles the Mauri tribe (natives of NZ) went through. The treaty was signed on February 6, 1840. [I was wishing my little sister, Emma could be there to hear the story since her birthday is Feb. 6.] It was cool to be near Waitangi on Feb. 6.

After visiting the Treaty House, we had the afternoon free to hang out in Paihia. A bunch of people went to watch the superbowl. I didn't feel like watching football or shopping... so I found a lovely little cafe overlooking the ocean and had some sweet time alone - reading and journaling. It reminded me a lot of times we had in VA Beach last summer. It was lovely.

Overnight Cruise on "The Rock"
It didn't take me very long to figure out why they named the ship "The Rock." All of the swaying and rocking back and forth made me a little seasick, much to my surprise. We had a good time, though.

Skip, the female crew member on board, informed us that the sunset we saw was one of the best ones she’s seen in a long time. I can hardly begin to describe how beautiful it was - the vibrant blue contrasted against the shocks of pink and orange, illuminated by the whispering clouds. As the sun sank further, the colors deepened and filled the sky… reflecting off the water gorgeously.

I had the opportunity to go night kayaking and got to see phosphorescence for the first time. It was so sweet (probably the highlight of the entire cruise)! I had never been kayaking before, but really enjoyed it, especially at night. When I put my hand in the water, I saw tons of tiny bright, shimmering neon algae. The stars were incredible too. I could kind of see a haze around them – like you normally see in space movies.

I also went snorkeling for the first time on Tuesday morning. I almost didn’t go… it was definitely a stretching experience. I’m pretty sure the snorkeling gear wasn’t washed after the last person used it. I was really grossed out by the salt water and having to put my mouth entirely around the mouthpiece. So disgusting (I can hear my mom's reaction right now...)! We didn’t really get to see a whole lot of coral or fish… so I’m not sure if it was worth it besides actually being able to say I did it. But at least I was somewhat adventurous, right?

Our cruise toured the Bay of Islands and stopped at one island where we hiked to the top within about 20 minutes. (Most of the islands were not your stereotypical beach with palm trees... there were beaches, but the rest of the islands were more mountainous, which made me happy). When we arrived at the island, it was really rainy and we (along with our towels) got drenched. The rest of the cruise was kind of choppy, but was still good. I was happy because I found some lovely seashells on the beach.

That evening after dinner at the hostel, we had Tim Tams and mochas and sweet conversations about dreams and the future... it was good.

Sunrise, Sunrise...
I have to admit, it was all I could do to drag myself out of bed to watch the sunrise on Wednesday morning. It was so early... and dark. We got to the site an hour and a half before the sunrise because Brent and Tim were doing some filming and wanted to get the whole thing. As we watched the sunrise, Brent was kind of disappointed and said something like, "Well, it's not really all that spectacular." God totally has a sense of humor because right after that, it turned out absolutely gorgeous. I think I got a taste of what David was referring to when he wrote Psalm 19:
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day the pour forth speech; night after night they disply knowledge... Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world..."
On our way back from the sunset, we did our best to convince Brent to take us out for breakfast, but unfortunately our attempts of manipulation and selling failed. Instead, we went back to bed for a few hours.

Shopping, Ice Cream, and the Beach
The rest of Wednesday was pretty low-key. We didn't have anything planned except for relaxation. Katie Cline and I walked through downtown Paihia and did some shopping. Things in New Zealand are so ridiculously expensive! Fortunately, we found some good deals and I took care of my sister's birthday present.

Katie and I decided to have an ice cream date and had a mini-adventure. The lady at the counter gave me an extra scoop because she ran out of cappuccino (which was the second scoop that I ordered). So, she gave me some delicious cookies and cream. Unfortunately, I did not get to enjoy it. As Katie and I were walking to find a place to sit, an older man that was apparently in a hurry and not looking where he was going plowed right through me, sending my cookies and cream tumbling to the ground, only to melt on the sidewalk. I wasn't quite sure what to do as he kept right on walking. I think I just stood there for a few moments in disbelief. It didn't make me very happy. But... at the same time, I guess I probably didn't need that extra scoop of ice cream. Katie and I were trying to come up with some kind of descriptive alliterated title for him... but have been unsuccessful thus far. The ice cream that I had remaining was delicious. We sat by the ocean and had a lovely time.

It was kind of chilly while we were in Paihia so we didn't spend a whole lot of time on the beach. After dinner though, we all bundled up in our blankets and sweatshirts and walked to the beach to have a time of worship and sharing under the stars. We sang one of my new favorite songs:
I will worship... you, only you, Lord.
It's just you and me here, now.
Only you and me here, now...
I don't remember the rest, but it's a good song. Our group spent some time sharing being authentic with one another and sharing what God's been doing in our hearts. It was good. I see God working, which is sweet.

Kawakawa Toilets, Whangarei Falls, and Piha Beach

So, on our way back to the Bible College on Thursday morning, we stopped in Kawakawa just to see the toilets. (In NZ, they refer to bathrooms as the "toilet.") They were ornately decorated with bottles and tiles. It was fun and random to stop just to look at them.

We stopped for lunch at Whangarei Falls. It was one of the best lunches I've had in a long time - NZ Beauty Apples, peanut butter and jelly (yes I actually had peanut butter AND jelly together), and an incredible view. (I think the view was what made it incredible). I've been learning through this trip that I'm definitely more of a woods/mountain-beauty-appreciating-type of girl than a beach-loving girl (even though I still enjoy the beaches for sure). The falls were gorgeous and I enjoyed hiking down to see them.

When we got back to the Bible College, we had just enough time to do some laundry and get ready to head to Piha Beach. I wasn’t looking forward to it at first, but it ended up being SO worth it! I walked along the beach, doing a little bit of exploring and mostly just praying. It was SO perfect. Then, I was able to spend a little bit of time talking with one of the girls, which was just a sweet conversation.

Summing up the Weekend...
Kudos and many thanks to those of you who have stuck with the update this long. My apologies for the lengthiness... there's just SO much to share! God is doing great things and is answering many prayers. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement. I miss you all, but am really enjoying this journey. This past week was so refreshing to my spirit. It's amazing how God's creation can be SO refreshing to my heart. I will post pictures when I get them from Katie...

We have five study days left here at the Bible College... then a whirlwind of travel.