Nice to meet you!

Rich is back!!! YEAH!!! We're all so happy to be together again!

Right after Kylie woke up this morning, she wanted to see her Daddy and quickly went to our bedroom, where Rich was just about to get up. Her eyes lit up and she sweetly told him: "Nice to meet you!"

We all cracked up laughing (Nathalie and Leilani were there, too) - funny girl!

She is starting to have a few more English mannerism...
The other day when I had somebody over for "afternoon tea", with the table nicely set, candles and an apple crumble (typical NZ treat) with icecream, her comment was - as the 3 of us were sitting around the table - "This is lovely" (you HAVE TO imagine the totally English sounding way she pronounced LOVELY...) I really don't know where she's getting all this from - we don't talk like that at our house and she doesn't hang around Kiwis that much (except for kindi and church).

Before I close and get back to the family happenins' tonight, I've got to rectify a couple of things I wrote in my blog:

Rich and John did end up getting some water from the neighbours before going to church yesterday, so didn't have to go all yucky and unshaved.
And - the taxi drive I told you about actually was paid by the budget for the campaign and not by us (most other taxi/plane rides weren't, though...)
Still - we need to pray for the release of the vehicles from customs, because the money for all those taxi rides could really be better invested elsewhere!

Almost Home!

Rich is just on his way to preach at a church near Nadi, Fiji - and then he'll take that plane that'll bring him back home - YEAH!!! We're all so excited - he should be home around midnight - together with John!!!



Those past 2 weeks have gone really well for all of us - THANK YOU VERY MUCH if you have prayed!!!



For me - even having to deal with a dog that got hit by a car, a flat tyre and keys looked in the car (Jeremie), a minor car accident (me) and sick kids (mostly Jeremie), a lot of guests, too - it was a good time over-all, and I really felt God's ABUNDANT GRACE!!! Isn't he so good?!



Rich sounded cheerful on the phone and it seems like he also experienced God's grace in a very tangible way. We'll hear more in the next week - and hopefully get to see some photos! I had asked John to take LOTS of them - so that we can get a bit more of a feel for what Rich is doing when he is in Fiji. John is more of a photo person than Rich :)



Just one more bit of 'Fiji live": Rich and John had to go to church this morning without having taken showers or being able to shave for 24 hours (imagine, we're in the Tropics...). The base where they were staying at has had no water! Gotta love Fiji :)!

Please pray!

While I am freezing - sitting at my computer - Rich I'm sure is rather hot in Fiji... What different worlds we're in at the moment - in more than one way!



Rich is doing well, although he's starting to get tired from his full program. He called me today just before taking off to more meetings with Pastors (he had 6 hours with Pastors yesterday). He and John were going to take a taxi for the 1 1/2 hr ride to where the meeting was, the taxi driver was going to wait for them (hopefully not a 6-hour meeting!) and then drive them back. And all this for $100 (about US$70-80, I think) - which, by the way, needs to be paid by us, since we have to cover all of Rich's travel costs.



Now this is definitely not Plan A as far as transport is concerned.

A few months ago, 2 much needed vehicles were sent off to Fiji from New Zealand. One of them was supposed to be on the island of Vanua Levu, which is where Rich is at the moment, where it was supposed to get used for the facilitators etc.

HOWEVER - since the military coup, things have changed in Fiji and even non-profit organization are no longer excempt from horrendous import taxes for cars.

There is no way that IWT can pay what is being asked for the vehicles to get released from customs. Lots of effort - and prayer - has gone into trying to get them released, but to no avail.



Hey, could you please join us in prayer for favor and the quick release of the 2 vehicles! This is really important so that "we" can function with all the work that needs to get done in Fiji! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

All-time-favorite

Whenever I want to make sure that the kids get a good share of veggies at dinner, I make our all-time-favorite carrot/apple salad.

I thought I'd share it - in case anybody is looking for some yummy, healthy way to enjoy fresh stuff:



Finely grate 4-5 large carrots

Finely grate 2-3 apples (more or less, depending on your preference)

Mix and add some natural yoghurt (equivalent of about one small container), juice of 2 limes (or 1 1/2 lemons) and a bit of pepper.



Voila - easy as pie - actually much easier :)



We all love it and the children eat HEAPS - tonight Kylie kept helping herself again and again - probably 5 or more times...

YEAH - that makes Mommy haaaapppyyy!!!

Dinner conversations

I love our dinner times! It's the time of the day when everybody (or almost everybody) is around and gets to download stuff that happened during the day. Today, it was just Nathalie, Jeremie, Kylie and me (Leilani was at a school function and of course, Rich wasn't there) but we had some really good laughs!

Most of the time we laugh about things Kylie says (what a blessing to have a little one in the house!) and today was no exception.

Nathalie was asking her what she'd done at kindi and she said with that very important voice that she'd learned to "pray for Jesus." Now we're pretty sure that didn't happen, because that's not what they do at kindi - it's not a Christian one.

Maybe she was teaching other kids to pray?
Or she is learning to pray while she's there 'cuz she needs God's help? (She was actually singing to God again this morning and kept repeating "I need you, I need you!")

I guess we'll never quite find out what happened at kindi.

She does have an issue with making things up that aren't true.

During the Sunday School lesson last Sunday, the teacher was reminding the kids of the 10 commandments that they've been learning.

When the teacher said "Don't lie", I heard Kylie comment :"I lie"...
Same with stealing --- which is true, too --- :(
At least she is starting to realize that those things aren't good.


So anyway, tonight, she was telling us again that she was praying for a baby, but she actually said that she was praying for a "baby cub" :)(remember, she is also believing for a lion and bear cub?!)

She said this after Nathalie exclaimed that we really needed another baby in the family, 'cuz Kylie is so cute and so much fun!


Nathalie encouraged Kylie to keep praying and reminded her that she had to pray for 3+ years for Kylie to be born. Boy, was that worth it :)

OOPS

Today, our van had a little too close fellowship with a car.
I was backing out of the parking lot at "kindi" after picking up Kylie when I suddenly heard a big "bump" - and Leilani shouted, "You hit a car and it's moving".

She was right and the car that had been parked right behind us was moving... That was pretty scary - - - and it could have ended way worse than it did. I was a bit shocked at first (this has never happened to me in 26 years of driving), but then I saw God's protection in it:

The owner of the other vehicle obviously hadn't put on the handbrake, and when I hit it from behind, it "just" moved forward down a slight hill. So there was hardly any damage at all - just a little crack in the bumper.

I am so grateful - looking back - that the car stopped moving before it went too far - and - nobody got hit by the suddenly moving car (there were lots of kids/people around!)

Thank you, God, for your protection!!! I'm so grateful you're looking out for me! And please - let that new contact lens come in quickly - it'll be helpful - especially when I'm driving :) No worries, I am legally allowed to drive without them, but I do feel more secure with them!

THANKFUL

It's not that I've got nothing else to do but blog along - - -

I'm escaping the dishes that are calling me from the kitchen.

I'm really tired (didn't get a rest yesterday after all) and writing comes easier to me than doing dishes.

Here's a photo of Jeremie in his school-uniform.

Isn't that a crack-up?! Even Rich hardly ever gets dressed-up like that...

Handsome young man he is (Jeremie, I mean) - Rich is handsome, too :), and I miss him - sniff sniff

If Jeremie looks a bit "miserable" to you it's because he's been sick. He got all ready this morning to go to school and then realized he was still too weak - and ended up staying home.

I was just thinking today what a contrast our life is now compared to 2 years ago shortly after we'd arrived in NZ - lonely with no friends - - -

I remember having to exhort myself repeatedly to be patient, just patient - and that we're going to make new friends - it just takes time.

Now our social lives are so full that we don't even have the time to call and see everybody we'd like to - let alone meet new people like the new neighbours. But even that will come :)

What a change - especially for Nathalie who was so discouraged with our church youth group when hardly anybody had talked to her in her first 10 months! She now knows so many people (from school, church and work) that I can't ever walk around with her anywhere in town without meeting several people she knows - she's got a real gift at making friends and being a friend, too.

Reasons to be VERY GRATEFUL! THANK YOU, JESUS!!!

Off to the kitchen I go. Good night!

A little child

The best part of my day by far was this morning when I was trying to have some quiet moments with God.

I had already read books to Kylie for about half an hour and then told her to leave me alone while I talk to God and read my Bible.

Before I could start reading, I had to stop and listen to the most beautiful, touching, love-song from her to God - it lasted for about 10-15 minutes and was interspersed with prayers (you'd think she'd been to the prayer room - which she hasn't, since she can't stay still and quiet very well).

I bet God's ears were totally attentive to every word she sang/prayed and his heart melted away - even more than mine did :)

"Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus

WOW!!! What a revolutionary concept! I love it!

Kylie's simplicity and sincerity surely made her the "greatest" in our family today :)

Here are some of the things she kept singing over and over:

"I love you so much, God. I know you. You are my best friend.

You need to come into my heart.

Please give us a baby." (this is totally from her - not inspired by me, I don't talk about my desire to have another baby).

After a while she started praying and asking God to give us a baby - and also a guinea pig and a rabbit.

Then she got bolder and started asking for a lion and a bear cub... :)

I just wish I could have recorded all this - it was too precious! I'm sure it's recorded with God and that's what counts - I just got to enjoy listening in :)

Lord, I ask you that she would never lose that spontaneous, natural way to relate to you and that you would increase her knowledge and love for you as you reveal yourself to her more and more!

And yes, please grant her desire for a baby! A guinea pig and a rabbit are ok with me, too. Don't know about the lion and the bear... :)

Thank you for giving us Kylie - what a joy and gift she is to our family!

some silly faces

look at my big nostrils!

silly girl

Defintion of a cold

How does a 3-year old define a sore throat and a plugged up nose?
Here is Kylie's definition:

Sore throat: I think a bee stung a hole in my throat

Plugged-up nose: I can't smell!

I guess you've got to work with the familiar to describe the unfamiliar - clever :)

More feasting

Yesterday was another one of Nathalie's school balls - yes, again! - I think it's the last one!
She'd asked if we could have the "pre-ball" at our house. This started with taking photos just after 5pm and then hanging out eating until just before 8pm when the ball started. We had some really nice (looking) young folk here last night :) - and a good time meeting some parents as well.

Here is a photo of Nati with Tim, the guy she went with - along with a whole bunch of other friends.

Just had Rich on the phone. He's doing well - very busy. He's now going to a church to preach and present IWT and right after the service he will take the 4-5hour bus ride from Nadi to Suva (the capital). He really enjoys having John from Tahiti with him and not to have to do all that traveling by himself!

After a full-on day yesterday, preparing food pretty much all day and getting the house ready for guests, I am glad I can relax a bit today. No plans other than going to church twice - in the morning to serve the littlies in the creche and in the evening to actually be in the service. That is, if Kylie is kind enough to take a nap this afternon. Otherwise I will have to stay home with her. Nathalie and Jeremie also go in the evenings, since they work with the children in the mornings.