Time Flies

It's been a whole month since updating you all!! - how bad is that??! I guess it's just that time flies when you're having so much... fun?

Actually, I've had all the extremes this month from the stress of exams to the relaxation of holidays, from the cold of Christchurch to the tropics of Auckland, from the high of being with family and old friends to the low of having to say goodbyes all over again and, inevitably for me (!!), the high of actually managing to save a holiday budget followed by the low of totally and utterly blowing the holiday budget!! ... who needs food anyway?! The short term goal is to live from morning teas and our weekly College community meals!

Truth be told, I'm in a really good space. The first 6months of training is completed and coming back onto the campus really was like coming home. First of all I actually knew which unit was mine!!. I knew that I would have memos for Africa to sort through so I was prepared with my *big fat* folder in advance and it was wonderful to stop living out of a suitcase *one of many - some might like me to add!*.

I have three rolls of film waiting to be developed so standby for the photo update. Being able to be back at the Factory for a weekend was just like old times and it blessed me hugely. Actually, in hind sight, I think God managed to meet all my needs - even the ones I hadn't realised I needed! I saw old friends and made new ones, lived like an Aucklander briefly and spent hours in cafes with GREAT coffee and in superb, relaxed company. I know I didn't get to see you all but know that you were thought of as I drove around.

Well, in as good a space as I am, I have still come back to the reality of College life with a jolt - rostered duties are back on and so I must away as Special Duties will be calling at 2pm this avo.

Let me leave you with a challenging little something from today's lecturer:

An employee applies themself by choice - officers are appointed.
Officers just need to apply themselves to their appointment.

Ciao!
K.

Photo #6

Someone stopped me the other day and asked me: "How Maori are you?" ... I'm still not quite sure what to answer to that - other than: "This much!"
Perhaps this answers it for them - these are my great grandparents.
I'll let y'all play 'match the features'!! - The comfy 'hongi' nose doesn't count- it's standard issue!

Life Goes On

I would love to report that it's been another 'balmy day in windy Wellington' and that I've just got in from a brisk walk that blew out the cobwebs ... but that would be lying!!
I can however, report that it was cold enough to snow in the Wellington region today (snow all over the mountains) and that it was just too cold to be more than 5 feet away from the heater in my cosy little unit on the block!

Life just seems to be passing me by at the rate of knots! The up side to that is it'll be the holidays in no time and I can kiss goodbye to 7am duties for two whole weeks (what a treat!) and get off campus!! - (no offence fellow cadets!) There are just some days when life feels like Ground Hog Day I tell you!

• Get up
• Shower (anyone who has seen me before 9am will understand why this has to happen before my duties!! - soooo not in my body before this event!)
• Duties
• On with the uniform
• Class
• Study
• Off with the uniform
• Bed

...2 weeks of choosing what to do everyday is beginning to cause excitement beyond words!

My course is going well. We're at the tail end of the first semester so we are snowed under (haha! - where is David White when you need him?!) with assignments and an exam on the way. Most of us live in the library at the moment - not only is it warmer (saving our student budgets precious money!), but we're able to spread out without actually having to rent a desk and come and go as we please. Half the books we need to actually do the work are reference ones so it works well all round really - you only feel like you have no life when you realise that it's 9pm on a Saturday night, the rugby is on and you're just leaving the library!! ... I managed a few cries of "Come on boys!" from the couch shortly after so as not to disappoint my father ... just don't tell him it was in between watching a movie on DVD! - I know the score what more do I need!

Today's service was great. It was the Salvation Army's worldwide Self Denial Appeal where we are challenged to give One Week's Salary On Missionary Service (OWSOMS - or as some English cadets would like to write in their Meeting Lead transcript 'OSSUMS' ...hmmm!). We've had several weeks of watching DVD snippets of some of the work that is going on internationally and then this morning we got the chance to bring a separate offering forward - the amount of families that came forward, prayed and then gave an offering was pretty moving to say the least. If you're not called to missionary service, it's a great way to support it.

Well, this was just to let you know that I haven't suffocated under a pile of books - despite popular opinion! I'm living through life's usual ups and downs, studying all the while. I'm enjoying what most days bring and working at how to cope a little better with the rest! ... and I think of you all often and am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible while I'm in Auckland.

Let me leave you with some encouragement someone left me a few weeks back:
(Be still those thoughts of 'Context! Context! Context!')

Isaiah 45: 2-3
I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.

Ciao!
K.

Oh Man!

After Saturday night in the library *geek!* it's official - I have no life!

...and that's all I have time for.

Salut mes amis!

Yes I'm still alive and incredibly sorry for all of you who check so regularly for news! Life has been... busy, shall we say!

Somewhere in the last 2 weeks I managed to add another year to my life officially and a HUGE thank you to all who came out for dinner on the night and to those who sent wee packages - you all made me feel special amidst the chaos. My mantelpiece is currently covered almost from end to end with cards and makes for a nice view in the evenings.

I've had a million and one little things to do and the checklist just seems to be growing as opposed to shrinking... it's like a flashback to my teaching days - just the thought at how that list grows faster than mould is enough to make one shudder! I'm sure that just made all my teaching friends out there think about how long their own list currently is... a thousand apologies! Somehow we get there don't we?!

The highlight of my week would have to have been a message left on my phone by a sweet lady from Telecom NZ who had the closest thing I've ever heard to a real life Lyn of Tawa/full-on Kiwi slang accent in a long time! There's a thought to ponder in itself! We all know how badly we can say 'Fish 'n' Chips' if we're tired! All of a sudden it turns into 'Fosh 'n' chops' complete with high squeak on 'chops'! I was in fits of giggles by the end of the message because at the end of every sentence, the lady's voice went up and did the high squeak thing! - Just try it and you'll see what kept me on the floor for a good while!
*Note - the pitch and squeak are only added on the last syllable of the last word in any given sentence!*
Apparently it's what they think our language will sound like in another 10 years according to a documentary on TV (Monday night a few weeks ago).

For those of you wanting the update on the catwalk, the big day is fast approaching - only 2 weeks away. I chose my outfits this afternoon and don't all die of shock but there are 2 skirts in there somewhere! Other than a few funky accessories and a very cool winter jacket (dusty pink, to the knees, textured and dead cool!) I can't say it was all right up my alley but I've never had 3 shop assitants wait on me hand and foot let alone do all the running around for me! Comes a close second to having your make-up, hair and nails done all in the same day by someone else!

Well, if you're nice and no more tongue-in-cheek comments appear on my blog... yeah on second thoughts, no promises! The big day might just come and go!

Must fly... the rest of the checklist just won't tick itself off! Don't forget me... I love hearing from you all even just the emails from time-to-time.

Á bientôt! ... around July!
(See you soon!)

Catwalk Queen

I had no idea that the thought of me walking the catwalk would stir you all up so much!! … if I had a digital camera I’d stick it in front of my face and blow you all a big fat raspberry!!

NO – there will not be any video available hence no possible way for you to view this catwalk queen!
NO – I didn’t sleep in (this time!)… I just enjoyed a rather long lunch!! (all-be-it with a funny feeling of, "I think I'm supposed to be somewhere right now!")
NO – I will not perform ‘Blue Steel’… except in the green room (if we get one) in preparation!!
…And can you all just let me forget that I’m supposed to be an organised person when I forget where I’m supposed to be, when and why! – twice only… EVER!! Not bad for very nearly 29 years!

PS – Sisters who squeal on secret home videos (or at least attempt to bribe!) need to beware of photographically inclined siblings with photoshop and a website at their fingertips!!... “h-h-h-h-h-h-a!”

Photo #5

Home Sweet Home... I miss my little bit of paradise - don't you Andi? The Hutt River (beautiful as it is - don't stone me yet Wellingtonians!) just doesn't cut it some days!

Oh how I long for Summer and the West Coast all over again! - just a little almost-mid-winter blues I suppose...!

http://captkaren.blogspot.com/2005/01/secret-of-west.html

Sun, Sand and Surf

Burning-hot-sun, iron-sand and killer-surf... ah! Anyone care to join my reminiscing of a Summer that seems so long ago already?

An Amateur at Best

Man has it been a long week! Most of us are walking around needing match sticks to hold our eyes open yet we’ve only just started a new term.

We’ve ‘Tripped the Light Fantastic’ with the second years and almost everyone has found their new place in the pecking order on campus… I’ve landed somewhere between 1st year pleb and table tennis amateur! My catch cry is, “Am I getting closer to the edge of the table?” to which the inevitable, yet surprisingly gracious reply from the second years is … “Nope!” – that in itself I have learnt is a cross between no and hope leaving me unable to return a serve unless they play nice!

Don’t all die of shock but I’m rather at a loss for words! My head is thick with readings… how to read an old testament narrative correctly, the convictions of a preacher, the moral attributes of God (theology schmeology!) and the old testament timeline – who are the patriarchs, the judges, the prophets and the kings! As my theology lecturer would say: “Stimulating isn’t it?!” … to which I continue thus far to reply, “Hahahahahahahahaha…” – with a most sarcastic lilt I might add!

But seriously, I’m no more than a poor amateur at best and this amateur is currently on yet another incredibly steep learning curve. The skill base is growing slowly as is the knowledge, chunk by ever-increasing chunk and who knows – by the end of the year, I'll either be buried under my chunks of knowledge with a white flag on a stick poking out, or I will have survived the onslaught and discovered how to keep the ping-pong ball on the table along the way (ie – the second years will have to stop catching my returns and actually hit back!). Then, and only then, I might just be able to transition over and fill their rather soon-to-be-empty shoes!

P.S. – true to form (check out the archives for February and you’ll know what I mean!), I managed to be late yet again this year – actually, I was so late, I missed my meeting altogether… much to the shock and horror of the other 12 or so cadets in the room who made it to the planning meeting… oops! My punishment – I have to model on the catwalk for our Mission Weekend in Kilbirnie! Standby for that blog! Mental note to self: DO NOT MISS ANY MORE MEETINGS!

Seriously

I know, I know! I’ve been kind of serious of late but just one more thing before I find my sense of humour again!

I was reading this for devotions and thought y’all might find a bit of encouragement from it especially as we’re all coming into this heavy season of nearly-but-not-quite-winter… you know, grey skies, no more holidays (at least not for another 10 weeks!), the power bill starts to climb, the chill sets in and there just never seems to be enough daylight hours for anything!

Take heart:

**Warning – not to be consumed by the biblical theologians amongst us!! This is a mixture of the New Living and Message translations – no-one has declared it illegal… yet!

Colossians 1:9-12
Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven't stopped praying for you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom. We pray that you'll live well for the Master, making him proud of you as you work hard in his orchard. As you learn more and more how God works, you will learn how to do your work. We pray that you'll have the strength to stick it out over the long haul—not the grim strength of gritting your teeth but the glory-strength God gives. It is strength that endures the unendurable and spills over into joy, thanking the Father who makes us strong enough to take part in everything bright and beautiful that he has for us.

My life application notes also said:

Paul’s prayers teach us how to pray for others, whether we know them or not. We can request that they:
- understand what God wants them to do
- gain spiritual wisdom
- honour and please God
- continually do good kind things for others
- learn to know God better and better
- be strengthened with God’s glorious power
- have great patience and endurance
- stay full of Christ’s joy and
- give thanks always

I don’t know about you but I just stopped and prayed for all of that for me! ... and then of course I thought of all of you! (I'm still learning that the order of that alone should be the exact opposite!) Who can ever do without anything in that list! Personally, I need a little extra of numbers 8 and 9…!

Take courage, pray hard, winter will come and go and we’ll be sneezing in Spring before we know it!