harikoa/joy

Ken and Dave hiking the Rees-Dart

2009-02-07T14:22:00.007+13:00

The second major trip for Dave's visit was a trip to Queenstown and then a tramp on the Rees-Dart. Sarah was taking a class during this time so she was unable to go with us. It was a shame not to have Sarah with us but it allowed for some good brotherly bonding...and more freedom with flatulence. We didn't have many quality pictures of us in Queenstown so this blog is going to focus more on our tramp. We will certainly be back to Queenstown again in the future and will be sure to give some highlights. It is a great town mixed with romance, crazy adventure, and something for everyone so it certainly deserves a posting of its own.

For our tramp we had to travel 45 minutes to Glenorchy by bus and then hop in a shuttle van that would take us to the trailhead. At first we were worried that our plans would fall through due to some recent rain fall in the area that was causing the Department of Conservation to place warnings to all trampers not to attempt to cross the streams. Our first day did include a lot of stream crossings not to mention a flooded trail. We hiked for the first 4 hours in our chacos due to the flooded trail. When we arrived at 25 mile creek we thought we would have to turn around and hike back out...the stream was high and the spot we were supposed to cross would have swept us down stream. but after poking around for a while we found a much safer place to cross and made it with little effort. From then on our trip was much dryer. We hiked up the Rees Valley on day one and crossed over to Dart Valley on the Second day. Spectacular views were everywhere and on both sides of the valley we saw and endless number of waterfalls flowing from the snow melt and Glaciers high above us.

Day 3 we climbed the Cascade Saddle. We passed Glaciers, angry birds, and plenty of side streams. It was a long and grueling hike but once we reached the top we realized we would have gone twice as far just to see the view. It was one of the most amazing views I have every seen in my life...I don't have words to describe it but anyone who has seen it can relate. the weather was perfect and offered a perfect setting to sit and enjoy. After spending 45 minutes at the top we turned around and hiked back to camp. then we made our first mistake. We decided to keep hiking on to the next hut. In total we hiked about 11 hours that day and were angry and tired near the end. We should have added a day so that we could have enjoyed ourselves. It was still a great day. the final day we followed the dart river out of the valley through forest and fields. it was relatively uneventful but a very enjoyable walk. Such a great trail!

the last 3 days of our week in queenstown we spent in the city relaxing, sight seeing, and doing some day walks. it was a great week and I look forward to going back and seeing more of the south island. I hope you all get to see it someday!

Ken is doing the traditional "Kiwi double fist pump". Dave is doing some kind of unusual double fist pump. I'm not sure where he learned that one from!

We climbed the Ben Lamond track which is overlooking Queenstown. It is an absolutely magical, panoramic view of all the surrounding mountains and lakes. The trail marker said it takes 8 hours return...we did it in 4! In your face Ben Lamond!

This picture is from the top of the Cascade Saddle. You can't tell from the picture but this side of the saddle is a huge cliff drop off. Possibly big enough to base jump off. If you ever get the chance to climb this...DO IT! it was absolutely amazing. Oh yeah! Dave was nearly pushed off the cliff by some birds that were dive bombing us!

On the left is me crossing one of the bridge crossing! On the right is a picture of me crossing 25 mile creek. Good times!

Me riding the Cascade Saddle! It was so amazing!

Dave and I near the top of Dart Valley with some Glaciers in the background.

Tongariro

2009-01-20T14:49:00.011+13:00

A lot has happened the last month or so. We spent Christmas morning housesitting in the country, and the evening with the Bradley family at their/our house eating a wide variety of barn yard animals, snapping Christmas crackers, and playing in the street. After Christmas came and went, Ken's brother Dave flew in for 2 1/2 weeks. We took off new years day to do the 4 day Tongariro northern circuit tramp. The weather was good the first day when we hiked 5 hours in, but turned a couple hours after we woke up the next morning. The next two days, when the scenery was suppose to be the best, we faced a Force 10 storm, wind, ice, rain and overall anti-fun conditions. We stayed in a hut for a night because the weather was so bad, and we were the only ones, during this peak tourist time, to do the crossing on the third day (the most popular day hike in NZ). Dave had to grab onto me a couple times to prevent me from blowing over the side, as the wind knocked us over on more than one occasion. Because we were so cold and miserable (which is the best 'hike fast!' motivation for me), we made great time those two days. The last day we woke up to clear skies and a layer of ice on our tent. Ken and Dave left at sunrise to climb Ngauruhoe (aka 'Mount Doom' from Lord of the Rings) and they got to see the view at last. I'll get my chance to cross again soon enough.

We were enthusiastic the 2nd day, less so the 3rd day (dave only could manage 1 fist pump)

End of 3rd day (wow. look at the view) and Ngauruhoe the first day

View from the top of Ngauruhoe the last day. Much better

The day after we got back I started a 2 week counseling course as part as my professional development. I also started my week of housesitting 4 different houses including, but not limited to: a flock of sheep, 3 ducks, 5 chickens, 4 cats, 2 horses, a rat, dog, parakeet, and a 15 year old. oh my. Ken and Dave left during that time for Queenstown to do another backpacking trip, but I'll let him tell you about that... - sarah

2008-12-26T10:33:00.001+13:00

In the News (part 2)

2008-12-11T21:15:00.006+13:00

An Auckland Christmas Icon, the 'Seedy Santa' may be no more. I'm not disappointed, not even a little bit sad. He is very creepy and it gives me the jibblies every time we pass! To read about his history, and uncertain future, click here

In other news, Baby Jesus' all over the world are being taken. Luckily, GPS systems are now tracking the Savior, and the odd menorah. Click here to read.

We head to Ultimate Co-ed Nationals this weekend in Christchurch. To keep a tabs on how we're doing, go here. Our unusual team name (we didn't have any input in it) is 'Who's Who.' We are hoping to do well!

Pie

2008-11-29T20:06:00.013+13:00

Happy Thanksgiving, to everyone back home. Tonight, feeling in the spirit of Thanksgiving... ok, so maybe not. It was a normal thursday, friday. busy at work, no one cares about turkey. BUT, I felt I must do something. We celebrated Thanksgiving a couple weeks ago with some American friends. I made a green bean salad. it was glorious. Anyway, it's still Thanksgiving right, so I decided to make a pie. A pumpkin pie. Which poses some difficulties. There are no cans of pumpkin pie filling here, no 'pumpkin pie seasoning' sachets, no 'pie pumpkins,' no pre-made crusts... nothing to make this task easy, and I only do easy as I don't cook (as a general rule). The hurdles I must jump through to get a pie! I don't know how the Pilgrims did it!

I ended up using butternut squash, making crust from scratch, and crushing my own cloves even. I used fresh organic eggs and cream, and measured everything in mL. The kitchen, and I, were covered in squash glop and there was nothing else made for dinner - just pie. The whole ordeal took nearly 4 hours. At 11pm this Friday night, we had our thanksgiving 'meal.' A couple pieces of squash pie and a glass of wine. How did it turn out? I will end with a quote from Mr. Ken Diekema: "This pie tastes squashy*." Miss you all.

*The 'squashiness' tends to disappear the more ice cream you add and the more wine you drink

Kiwiana

2008-11-23T16:50:00.008+13:00

Here's some pictures over the last couple of months...

a gloomy day

A 21st birthday with a 'dress as a kiwi' theme. Who likes short shorts? Me wearing flannel next to Kay in Marmite. Classic

Beth knighting Ken "an official Kiwi"

Coromandel Trip a month or so ago with Matt

Hot Water Beach. Dig a hole when the tide's out... viola! you're very own natural hot tub (and we're talking HOT... up to 160 degrees F. We had to add sea water to cool it down)

cool... American?

2008-11-09T18:13:00.003+13:00

To read an interesting article that was on the front cover of the New Zealand Herald the day after the election click here

NZ, along with the rest of the world, took great interest in the US election. And there was great excitement that rippled through the country when the results were posted. There was more publicity about it than the NZ election, held yesterday, and it is still covered on the front page nearly a week later. I haven't been patriotic... ever! But I've been holding up my chin a little higher this week and standing up a bit straighter - and it feels good. - sarah

A Shocker!

2008-11-03T11:53:00.007+13:00

For anyone who has ever played sports of some sort on a consistent basis you know full well what I'm talking about. Teams and individuals can prepare and practice and train hard out and do all they can to prepare for a game, competition, or race. But we all can all think of times when we as individuals or teams we cheer for come out on game day and are just flat. Their performance just doesn't measure up to their talent level or amount of practice they put in.

Well yesterday was one of those days for me. As the kiwi's say... It was a "shocker"!

I ran marathon # 2 yesterday. the Auckland marathon! And it didn't turn out the way I would have hoped. It started off with my ferry from the city to the start of the race being delayed by a cruise ship that was parallel parking in the harbor... not an easy or quick task. So I arrived at the beginning of the race with just 15 minutes to go the bathroom one more time, shed my extra clothes, and then find my spot in the lineup behind the start line. Needless to say i was stuck behind a couple thousand people and it took 2 and a half minutes before I even crossed the start line after the horn was blown. (I realize that that's nothing compared to marathons like the Chicago or New York but still). I spent the first 3-4km's weaving my way through the pack before I was able to run naturally...but i wasn't able to get into a good groove until much further along in the race.

Crossing the harbor bridge was a highlight once again. the Weather was perfect and beautiful and the view from the top was great. But as I finished the bridge and approached the halfway mark I knew that the race wasn't going to be a good race for me. I finished the half marathon still on pace for my 3 hour goal (1:30) but things just didn't feel right. As my lovely wife handed me my second power aid bottle of the race I could just feel that the second half was going to be painful. With 12km's to go I had my first severe leg cramps despite drinking more fluids than I could have imagined possible. For the rest of the race it went like this: run half a km, walk for a minute, run a bit...cramp and scream in pain, stretch and repeat. it was a bad race. I'm happy to say that I finished but it took every bit of mental strength I had to keep going. And as I take my second strike in my quest for a 3 hour marathon I'm left feeling disappointed and disheartened... 6 months of training and then to have just a shocking performance on race day is pretty tough!

Highlights/memorable moments of the race: My lovely wife getting up at 4:30a.m. to drop me off and then get ready to be my personal aid station (she is way too good to me and i couldn't have finished without her help). Watching a guy do the entire marathon while skipping rope. Seeing some new friends from ultimate Frisbee Cheering me on at different points of the race. Watching the 5th place guy collapse right in front of me as he ran back toward the city (don't worry lots of people went to his help immediately). Watching a husband catch his wife as she collapses into his arms with less than a km to go but yet they still finished together. and the best...two guys dressed up as Fred and Barney from the Flintstones attached together in the Flintstones car run the whole marathon.

Special thanks to the Bradley Clan, Laura, and Caro sticking around after their race to cheer me on. To ultimate Frisbee people being the loudest fans in the bunch. To an unlikely source of energy to help me finish the race (coke). Philippians 4:13. And to Sarah for putting up with this craziness!

K.A.S.S.F.D.U.P.F.T.C.

2008-10-02T11:14:00.002+13:00

Ken.And.Sarah's.Season.Four.Dress.Up.Party.For.The.Cure.

So those of you that know us well know that we love the show "The Office." Well, because New Zealand is behind on most things, and they seem to like the British version better, we have been unable to watch Season 4 (and now Season 5) of the show on TV. We were able to watch it, blurry and fuzzy, on Youtube, but it's not the same. So, when the DVDs finally arrived (thanks mom!), we were very excited. We had been passing around the first 3 season to our friends, so now they're addicted and just as excited as we were for the next season. We held a party (dress as something from your favourite episode or as a character) and unveiled season 4 this past Saturday.

Back: Caro representing diversity day (her sign reads "black"), Tim as Dwight, Kay as Andy's cell phone, Ken as sweating biker Jim, Mark as Michael's mug. Front: Naomi as Scrantonicity's favourite drummer Kevin, Jo as Dwight, Ryan as Prison Mike, Rebecca as Angela, me as Fun Run Pam, and Katie as Karen.

Best Imports

2008-10-02T10:31:00.008+13:00

It's been a bit since the last entry. I seem to only find time when I'm on holidays or sick. Turns out today I'm both. One of the joys of working for a school is that I catch all the bugs. The particular bug is in the form of bronchitis, but luckily I have two weeks to rest before the last term of the year starts. Here's some pics of the last month or so.

Ken's small group leader Roger (center) turned 40 so all the guys in the group and their partners went out for Indian food.

Ken's North Harbour VB team, and us at the BCC Grundies (soccer team) awards dinner. Ken got the "Best Import" award as goalie.

Church camp 2008. We had a talent night and my small group did a dance to the Raffi song "Bananaphone." I drew the short straw and had to be the banana.... in front of the entire congregation.

This week a friend and I headed out with her two horses to the west coast beach Muriwai. We spent the morning racing on the black sand, playing in the surf, and teasing the seals. It looked a little goofy as she was on a 16.3 Hanoverian and I was on her 13 something hand pony, but the pony and I beat her every time! Definitely a highlight so far - it was so much fun and we had the entire coastline to ourselves. And who can beat a full out gallop on the beach bareback?

the wheels on the bus go round n' round

2008-09-05T23:24:00.006+12:00

It's officially spring time here, tomorrow's NZ Father's Day, I have 3 more weeks till my next holiday, matt's in town till December, Ken and I have been married for 3 years, I got in a car accident and got my car stuck in a field in the same day (let's just say it's no longer the nicest car we've ever owned), there's a new pastor at our church, i've been sick for almost 2 weeks, I'm coaching 2 teams of volleyball for the next month, ken is still playing soccer, volleyball, ultimate and coaching boys volleyball, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of "the office" season 4 dvds from my mother, the NZ dollar is at a 2 year low which is baaad news for us, but good for any visitors (aka my brother), the sky tower is periwinkle this month, and did I mention it's spring? How glorious! - sarah

In The News (part 1)

2008-08-18T18:57:00.005+12:00

Nearly every day I open up the NZ Herald, New Zealand's national paper, or catch a bit of the news on TV. Having lived in Holland MI, we had become accustomed to local news... so-and-so planted a memorial tree in whichever garden, alcohol issues in local towns, or the latest dog show update. While I expected seeing someone I knew weekly in a Holland paper, I didn't expect to see the same in a country's national paper. Some of the many laughable news stories:

"Passenger Power could save biscuits." - Air New Zealand stopped serving a free cookie on domestic flights. There was a huge uproar and the prime minister herself commented on the issue. She has apparently "no view on the biscuit." Thank goodness.

New Zealand baby names, need I say more. These kiwi child names are making world headlines. The latest I've heard, a kid called "Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii" or other favs like "Number 16 Bus Shelter," "Fish and Chips," "Superman," "Violence" or "Sex Fruit." Internal Affairs is on it, making the parents rename their kids. Names now cannot be over 100 letters, cannot offend reasonable people, and cannot contain punctuation marks, brackets, or numbers.

"Boobs on Bikes." This is a news story making headlines every year. 100,000 people + show up every August to see a bunch of topless women riding on the back of motorcycles down the main street in Auckland. Of course, there is controversy. It's in broad daylight after all. Quotes from todays paper on the subject: "it is not against the law to ride on the back of a motorbike topless, so there is little the council can do" and "It's simply an aspect of life in the 21st Century that we have to accept there are times when women will bare their breasts."

I could go on and on. Curious? Check out www.nzherald.co.nz for daily banter. -sarah

PS. I won't even begin to go on about NZ Olympic coverage and commentators. After Michael Phelps won yesterday's gold, the NZ commentator made this comment: "Phelps swims every day, he likes to swim."

PPS. We love that there is no news. What a great country to live in

Christchurch

2008-08-11T21:57:00.003+12:00

This past week I flew to Christchurch to attend an Anglican Schools Conference - "An Arty Party in Canterbury" they called it. Phoebe, the girl I mainly work with, and I were the youngest there by about 20 years. I think the conference was just an excuse to get all NZ's vicars in one place to drink wine and talk about school budgeting. But hey, free trip to Christchurch. I loved the city, even if I was there for only a couple days. - sarah

Very artistic town. This piece was found above us in an alleyway

The beautiful Christchurch cathedral we had morning services in

Reminds me of Europe... or the pictures of it anyway

Phoebe and I in the square. It was sunny, but very cold

Preaching

2008-08-04T16:54:00.006+12:00

So its been just over two weeks since I preached my second official sermon in front of the congregation. For my whole life I have watched and listened to countless preachers get in front of the congregation to voice the work the holy spirit has been doing on their hearts. These preachers attempt to awaken the hearts and minds of the congregation so that the people will be open to God's voice. They attempt to motivate the congregation to go out and build the kingdom of God. As these preachers attempt to do these things, more often than not, they are met by deaf ears and dull hearts (I know I've been guilty of this).

Now I find myself attempting to do the same thing all these preachers before me attempted to do. And now I find myself completely vulnerable and consumed with feelings of being unworthy. I ask myself "what right do i have to be in this position?." The truth is that I'm not worthy (those who know me well know how true that statement really is). According to my life and the way that I have lived it there is nothing that I have done that makes me worthy to stand in front of a group of people and tell them what to believe and what to think. But that's the beauty of God's grace and God's calling! God will often call us to be in positions where we will have to lean on him for wisdom, guidance, and preparation to be used by him. That is the spot that I have found myself in...and its far better than staying in a position that is comfortable, a position that I am worthy to be in, and a position where what I'm doing is so easy i need no help. So... as vulnerable as I feel giving you this information I just wanted you all to know that if you want to hear the sermons that I have given then check out www.bcc.org.nz and you can hear the sermons on podcast. A final note about the sermons... please know that anything I said is truly a reflection of the stuff God has been teaching me and I'm just repeating it with the hopes that the same stuff God is teaching me will also be something he wants to teach others. so there ya go!

-Ken

New Address

2008-07-23T12:37:00.009+12:00

12 Poaka Pl

Birkdale

North Shore City, 0626

New Zealand

A couple from our church our letting us house-sit for them while they live in Australia 9 months out of the year. We love the space (so does Indy), the ocean view, hot tub, and dishwasher :) We share with the couple when they're around visiting, but we have access to 3 rooms if guests need a place to stay. While it's not 'our' space, it's definitely an upgrade and we love it.

Our living room view (we enjoy it by the fireplace)

thundery squalls

2008-07-05T19:31:00.005+12:00

I've been putting off writing the blog like I put off folding my clothes or changing the cat's litter box. The same problems arise from all of those - clothes pile up till you don't know which ones are clean or dirty, the litter box fills and the house begins to smell, and... well I guess nothing really smelly occurs when I don't write on our blog. except friends start bugging me about it, and I guess that stinks. And stuff builds up, you know?

To the states and back again. The trip was good, but fast. It was nice to hang with friends, go to Ken sister's wedding (congrats Michelle and Bryce), attend West Ottawa's graduation, see family, and eat Taco Bell. Some pics from the trip are on my facebook. Click here.

Since we've been back in NZ, and back at work -

* BCC, our church, hired a pastor! Ken isn't the only one on staff now! yay! Staff Christmas parties will now be a lot more exciting.

* I learned the "pork" rhymns with "hawk" in the NZ accent.

* Winter equals rain. We've had a lot, and hail. And squalls.

* We're moving this week, to a house with more rooms. Now people can come visit us and not sleep on our porch, with the squalls.

* Ken and I both celebrated 4th of July at work. My year 5s learned about the Declaration of Independence and ate donuts, and Ken dressed up as General Robert E. Lee and showed clips from Independence Day at youth group. No fireworks, but it's raining so it wouldn't have been fun anyway.

That's it for now, I think. Indy got spayed and then shreaded the paper towel. Not sure if there was a correlation. Happy summer to those at home. We're going to head down for some skiing while I'm on school holidays.

blessings, sarah

once a fortnight

2008-05-04T17:28:00.005+12:00

A few pictures from the past couple weeks...

God's promises

making the picture come alive

only in NZ (at a local Wendy's)

Ken speaking at a youth service. He gave his first sermon for the whole congregation last week as well

taken at a cowgirl funeral. RIP LeAnne

The view most days from outside our window. Our landlord (top) building a new house on the property. They are also modeling for us the traditional NZ dress - short shorts and rugby socks.

Puddles

2008-04-16T19:16:00.006+12:00

A Charming video I saw today at the gym by the Icelandic group Sigur Ros

The name of the song, "Hoppipolla," means "Skipping through Puddles" which is what we're doing now that fall has arrived :)

Nationals

2008-04-09T21:04:00.005+12:00

This weekend we went to wet windy Wellington for NZ frisbee nationals. I know you all must be sick of reading about our frisbee playing, but that really is all that's interesting in our lives at the moment. It was a good weekend. Ken's team, Blue Fish, came in 2nd. They lost to the Aussies in a frustrating final. I won't go into it. It was too painful. My team, Disco Mistress took 4th and the spirit award. It was the gold skirts I'm sure.

Highlights of the weekend - Ken's injury disappeared and he was able to play! very exciting. And we got to stay with this sweet couple who were some friends of friends. They were so generous and had a very nice hot shower :) The lowpoint - the weather sucked! Cold and raining. It took me hours to warm up after playing in the rain all day and my muscles were so tight (and lips oh so blue!)

Eating Hell's pizza after the games Saturday

sexy slippery and soft. perfect ultimate uniform

Blue Fish final. Go New Zealand!

A Colorado surf shop?

foolery

2008-04-01T20:32:00.005+13:00

Today is a day of tom-foolery, which was evident the second I stepped into my 5th grade classroom. They embraced this "holiday" with much more zeal than they embrace their math homework. I was impressed ... and too gullible even for them. I got a good trick more than once.

My original plan was too start this blog post off with something like "I'm pregnant!" ha ha ha. lame. so I'll just ramble like I normally do. If you do want some clever hoaxes, here's a good website. My fav is the one with the toast appearing on Jesus. Or the Taco Liberty Bell. classic.

http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/

So we've been in NZ for 6 months now. "How do you feel?" you might ask. "Full" I'll say. I just ate at burger king.

Ken pulled his butt muscle this past weekend. He's super bummed (as in he wishes he HAD a super bum) because NZ ultimate nationals are this weekend and he currently unable to run. We are excited to go to "windy" Wellington for the weekend. Ken's team name is "Blue Fish" and mine is "Disc-o Mistress." The girls on the team have names such as "Mis-fit" and "Mis-take" etc. Mine is "Mis-tyque." We're wearing gold skirts. That I am NOT excited for. Gold? really? - s

Eat the Ham

2008-03-28T22:10:00.002+13:00

"Eat the Ham" - our social league ultimate team. We came in 2nd in the championship game last night. Most of them go to BCC with us and are new to ultimate. The name comes from Napoleon Dynamite in case your wondering :) NZ ultimate nationals in 2 weeks!

The Hunt

2008-03-28T21:19:00.003+13:00

Easter in NZ! Like most holidays here, everyone tends to leave the city. Very few families tend to have big Easter meals - the kids take off to one of the many camps offered, and the parents head out on the boat or to a bach. I had 5 days off so I headed down to help out at one of the horse camps and Ken spent the weekend training for ultimate nationals and helping out at BCC's annual Easter Art Exhibit. Memorable moment from the weekend would have to be when, 0n the evening of Good Friday, the campers were informed that the camp was to go on a night Easter Bunny Hunt. As in, we took quads out with shotguns to kill the pesky rabbits. The person with the most bunnies got a chocolate egg.

But, alas, the bunnies were all too quick. So, to fill our need to shoot something (with a spirit of reflection of course, because it was Good Friday after all)... the campers shot several sleeping turkeys. I said prayers for them. And no one got chocolate eggs.

Below is a piece that I did for the art exhibit. Every piece represents one of the stations of the cross. Mine was station 11 - when Jesus talks to the women (Luke 23:28). The exhibit was really well done and they had over a thousand come through. Hope everyone had a lovely Easter as well!

my piece - "shift"

Coaching

2008-03-15T17:17:00.007+13:00

Coaching

For the past month and a half I have been coaching the senior boys volleyball team at Birkenhead College (high school). There was a high school P.E. teacher who attends our church who has moved with his wife to London for the next two years. He and the school were looking to fill the vacant spot and I jumped at the opportunity. Not because I know much of anything about coaching volleyball but I thought it would be a great ministry opportunity and

it would be a lot of fun. I was nervous at first to take up coaching the Seniors boys team but in the end it all worked out. Coaching and sports are treated a lot differently in New Zealand vs. the U.S. In the states most schools you have to work hard to get onto sports team (especially team sports like volleyball) and you also need to commit to practice and games up to 5 or 6 times a week. Not in New Zealand though.... at least at many of the schools I have seen. At Birkenhead College athletic kids are invited to come and join the team if they feel like it. Games are on Wednesdays and if you can get the team to show up to practice one time a week you are lucky... that being said they are pretty good anyway. There are 8 main boys on the team but the funny thing is that there is not a true kiwi on the team... including the coach. There are two German exchange students: Jan and Felix. The rest of the guys: Laauli, Elias, Eli, Richard, Barnabas, and Sylvester are all Tongan or Samoan. Most of practice and games consist of the boys saying "mista, mista, will you set me" or "Mista, Mista, can we go for a swim". I have had to learn that my job a

s a coach is not trying to drive them to be the best they can be and win games. Instead its more about trying to get the boys to work together, give them a healthy activity for them to participate in, and help them to have fun. Which isn't a bad coaching philosophy... and I'm sure that it is a philosophy that is a part of u.s. coaches too. its just that the fun is emphasized more than it would be in the states. Anyway, it has been a lot of fun coaching the team and it has opened the door for some good relationships with the boys and a chance for me to share a bit of my faith with them. The pictures in this post were taken at the Auckland Champs tournament which featured the best 40

teams in Auckland. My team finished 13th... not bad huh!

2008-03-03T22:04:00.015+13:00

The "Kiwi Way"

I just got back from my first Youth group camp. It was with the "transition" or high school age group. it was a trip to remember and it left me very impressed with kiwi youth. We traveled north for 3 hours to another secluded

beach/farm/camp ground. It was in a tiny town called whananaki (fananaki). So Friday afternoon we packed up a trailer of tents, food, and other equipment, filled 3 vans full of students and then went on our way with 29 of us. Friday night was a warm and beautiful night where we settled in, sat around a fire, and just relaxed. Then the storm came. Two large storm fronts came and collided over top of us and dumped tons of rain and high winds on us. by 5:00a.m. two out of the 6 tents were soaked

through with huge puddles in them. Another tent snapped a tent pole (but held out most of the water) but the other tents survived. Kids had their sleeping bags soaked through and many had their stuff pretty well saturated

.... I thought the first thing I would hear when I woke up at 7:00 was "can we go home...this sucks... why did we come!" But instead the only thing I heard was "that storm was mean (sweet).... all my stuff is wet as". Then we ate breakfast and we all started to play games in the rain. I was the only person who brought a true rain coat... most boys just ran around in their bathing suits and everyone else just sucked it up and made the most out of the day. It stopped raining around 10:00a.m. and stayed pretty dry but gloomy until after dinner. We did some devotions twice that day but also spent the day swimming in the massive waves, playing beach games, playing king of the ring (team sumo wrestling), and just hanging out. Everyone pretty much entertained themselve

s and nobody complained of board-em or of being wet. Saturday night came and brought even more rain... not wind though. It didn't stop raining again for the rest of the trip. the kids crammed into the vans and the dry tents for the night, we woke up and spent the morning at the beach swimming and hanging out, and then packed up in the rain. it was a great weekend and a great opportunity to

build relationships with kids. When we returned to the parking lot at church one of the parents asked "how was it". I told the story and she responded... well thats the kiwi way. What is the kiwi way... well my explanation can't do it justice but from what I've observed the kiwi way means that you are going to pull yourself up by your boot straps, make the most out of the simple joys in life (i.e. tenting), and stay tough and positive when obstacles come your way. Kiwi kids are hardy kids and I'm not convinced that American kids would have faired so well in such dreary conditions. Good Times - Ken

Goodnight Moon

2008-02-29T23:06:00.005+13:00

This past week I spent on a school camp with Kristin schools* - the private school where I am now newly employed as a teacher aid/chapel assistant/volleyball coach. 4 of the 5 chapel staff members had the pleasure of attending one of the many outdoor camps the high school students go on every year. I had the privilege of accompanying 60 year 11 students to Motutapu ("sacred island") where my job was to lead games, instruct in abseiling, and get to know students and staff. It was difficult at first - going on the camp without knowing anyone, but the staff were very kind and students extremely respectful. Every night before we sent the kids to their tents the students in unison said goodnight to all the staff, to the island, and to the moon that was rising over the ocean. And now I do the same to you.... - S

*more on Kristin later...

Ocean Beach Ultimate

2008-02-22T17:40:00.005+13:00

This past weekend Ken and I got to play some ultimate. on the beach. on the ocean. Hence the name - Ocean Beach Ultimate. It was a hat tournament so names and teams were drawn at random. I was placed with the blue team "Badger" and Ken was with the green "Kakariki Cowboys." Both of our teams should have made it into the finals but our lovely teammates partied a little too hard that Saturday night and we came in 3rd and 4th on Sunday out of 6. It was all good fun - swimming in the surf between games, eating tons of watermelon, playing good competitive ultimate (though really tiring in the deep sand!) and sleeping under the stars. Way to spend the middle of February if you ask me. - sarah

Summer Fun

2008-02-10T15:02:00.000+13:00

Well, it's been awhile since an update. Here's what we have been doing...

Parachute, a national Christian music conference, was held a couple of weekends ago in Hamilton. Ken and I went for one day of the 3 day event, and that was enough. Bands, as well as speakers, come from all around NZ to play various times throughout the fairgrounds. Teenagers also come from all over to camp out at the grounds for the weekend. It was dusty and terribly hot, but it was a good opportunity to see NZ youth culture at it's finest... and to see Switchfoot and Tony Campolo (the two man events), again.

The weekend after that I went on an overnight tramp with two couples from the church. Ken wasn't able to go unfortunately, because of his recovering knee. It was a fairly short tramp - through some of the Coromandel and up to the Pinnacles, but quite strenuous. Lots of very steep up and downs on slick gravel. Though I wish Ken would have been able to go, I'm glad he didn't risk further injury. Here are some pictures from that weekend....

Me, Shelley, and Vanessa (both girls from my small group) and an ocean view

Pinnacles

Mountain biking with friends on Waitangi Day

parting shots of Ken and Indy napping - and then ken trying to nap

Indy

2008-01-21T18:23:00.002+13:00

Meet Indy - the newest member of the Diekema household. We had been talking about getting a cat for some time now and when one of my co-workers said he had a stray kitten that he caught that needed a home... well, here she is. Her mom left them at a young age (she's only about 4, maybe 5 weeks old) so we've been feeding special milk to her until she gets the hang of solid food.

She's probably the friendliest, and cutest (though I'm a bit biased) kitten around and she loves snuggling, pouncing on just about everything, and doing funny kitten things.

SPF

2008-01-19T19:57:00.000+13:00

Happy summer to all our wintering friends. It's a bit weird spending our January at the beach. We do miss the snow a tiny bit though. There is something to be said about snuggling up under a blanket with some hot cocoa during a snow storm, or checking the news to see if schools have been closed for the day. Ken misses it more than I do, but he is filling his days with ultimate rather than skiing - and he'll get his chance to ski come July.

School is on holidays right now until February. Work at the moment involves a holiday program - babysitting 30-40 five to thirteen year olds during the week. It's exhausting work, and it involves being in the sun (hence my awesome chaco tan lines!) all day, but I am enjoying it for the most part.

Speaking of the sun - wow. We had heard before coming to NZ that the sun was pretty intense due to the depletion of an ozone layer over the islands. It's ridiculous. While we were able to lay out in the sun for 3 hours without getting much sun in Michigan, the burn time during a sunny day in NZ is 10 minutes. We never leave the house without sunglasses or hats and I'm constantly reapplying 30+ sunscreen and still getting burned. Skin cancer is a huge issue here, for obvious reasons. Newspaper ads, TV commercials, and billbords are all seen addressing the issue.

Ken is spending January planning for the next year. He has organized a church ultimate team which has grown to about 12 members. Our league games start next week and I think we'll do well considering Ken and I are the only ones who have experience. Everyone is excited to learn.

Enjoy the snow!

Rotorua

2008-01-08T19:14:00.000+13:00

2008 started off with another vacation. Ken and I, along with 8 other friends from church, rented a bach down in the geothermal wonderland of Rotorua. Taking Gus down with our bikes - they have some of the country's best mountain biking trails there - we knew we were getting close with our first whiff of sulfur. The town reeks of it. There's a lot of history surrounding this international backpacker's stopover, which can be found HERE if interested.

bubbling-ness. Apparently the mud has some healing properties... but I think it's just something the "others" are brewing up

geothermal pool and mountain biking

ZORBING! Because Rotorua is such a tourist town, they do touristy things, like Zorbing. What is Zorbing? you might ask. Wikipedia says it best:

"Zorbing is an activity where riders enter into large inflatable plastic balls and ride along the ground, on water or down hills."

Well, there you have it. Zorbing was started in NZ and it is rather funny to watch. We didn't do it however - they were charging $50 a go... and that's just a little too ridiculous.

Thanks for all the Christmas cards and well wishes we received over the holidays. We felt very loved, and missed, by those back home. Thank you. Work starts back up for both of us tomorrow and we join another ultimate league this week. I will continue looking for an another job and Ken will begin working on this coming year. School starts the beginning of February as do all the programs. Happy January! - Sarah

"There's a 30% chance that's it's already raining"

2008-01-01T12:33:00.000+13:00

North!

2008-01-01T11:31:00.000+13:00

Our holiday north, far north, far far north, and the end was a good one. We stayed at amazing beaches (turns out New Zealand IS beautiful after all - who knew ;), met some interesting people, and had a fun time just relaxing and seeing the countryside. We both waved in the direction of the US when we were at the Cape - it's the closest we'll be to home in the next 5 months. More pictures can be seen on our facebook site

our hike to Cape Reinga from our campsite

the oldest church in NZ and a view from the Karikari peninsula

Meri Kirihimete!

2007-12-25T14:15:00.001+13:00

Merry Christmas to friends and family. Thinking of you today! We are headed north for our beach holiday this next week. Lots of love - ken and sarah

2007-12-23T15:21:00.000+13:00

Grapple! Spring League Champions!

Thats Right Ken and Sarah's social spring league ultimate frisbee team has brought home the championship. Its exciting times here in Auckland and even more exciting times here in the Diekema household. The Phone has been ringing off the hook with calls from sponsors, agents, and news papers. Everyone wants a piece of us. Well...maybe not.

It was 11 weeks ago that we went searching for ultimate frisbee in Auckland and thankfully it didn't take long for us to find it. We joined the spring social league (beginner league...even though we are not beginners) just 2 weeks after we arrived. For the past 11 weeks we have made the trip to auckland domain to duke it out with 11 other teams for the Championship. We went 5-0 in pool play and then 3-0 in the playoffs. We were the only undefeated team in the league and we won by an average of 8 points. The championship game was the only hard fought game that we had and it offered many exciting moments and love connections between Sarah and I. It included two passes from sarah to ken for a score with the most exciting one being a layout catch in the corner of the endzone. The game also included three passes from Ken To Sarah for scores including a 3/4 length field hammer (overhead upside down throw) for the last point of the game. Grapple 10 Like a fox 7.

It should also be noted that after the championship game was over Ken was awarded the Male MVP for the league. It was a great honor and I appreciated the embroidered bathrobe that was given as the MVP prize. I'm sad to say that Sarah, although she was voted team MVP 3 times during the pool play and although she was by far the most dominant women to play in the league, was not given the female MVP. We are calling for a vote recount and we are petitioning for the judges to be questioned by the leagues governing body. Just kidding! but seriously I can't believe she didn't win it.... maybe next season. We are on a break from ultimate until January but we were able to make some connections in the ultimate scene and ken has been invited to play for the Auckland ultimate team (Team Blue Fish) and Sarah has been invited to join Auckland's Women's team (Disc-O-Mistress). We will keep you posted on our future Ultimate Adventures! -ken

2007-12-08T20:07:00.000+13:00

We're headed into mid December - Christmas is coming. Songs are playing, malls are packed full of shoppers, Christmas trees are being sold off the street. The students are really excited about their 6 week holiday coming up, and business are starting to close for the summer. The frenzy of the holidays is catching up with people all around the world. While it doesn't feel like Christmas (the temps here are hovering around 22/70 degrees), all you have to do is look at peoples' faces to tell what time of the year it is.

I put Rob Bell's "Love Wins" sticker on our car today. The sticker refers to a sermon he gave a couple years ago about the power of the cross. I got so used to seeing it all over Grand Rapids - plastered on minivans next to a JQ99 sticker, or on old beaters holding the rust together. It was a constant reminder (which I always needed, especially as I drove) to fulfill the greatest commandment. These past few months I've neglected to act and to love - I've found ways to grumble and scowl - getting caught up in the short-tempered Christmas spirit and taking everyone down with me. While my hope is that my little black and white sticker will offer a reminder to the person tailing me up the hill... it will also keep me accountable for my own actions. Kiwis can spot a fraud kilometers away - and I want to live, and to genuinely love, as Christ did.

In other news. Some of you may know of the interview I had with a wealthy private school on the Shore. I had applied to be the assistant chaplain for the middle and high school students - doing Young Life and getting paid for it. My dream job. But, it was not meant to be. At least for now. I was chosen by the students, but denied by the principal of the school. The person who got the job had a masters in Adolescent Spirituality - pretty hard to beat. Though disappointed with the outcome, I learned a lot from the process (this was my first very formal interview) and am more confident about future jobs. Thanks to all who were praying for me. I will be continuing my search after the holidays.

And because some of you asked for pictures... here is our new car "The Triple S." Driving isn't nearly as hard as we though it would be. And I LOVE roundabouts. They make everything so much easier. I still turn on my windshield wipers when I'm turning though, and often get in on the wrong side.

Riders of Rohan

2007-12-02T22:42:00.000+13:00

Well this week was my turn at horse camp. Me and 7 guys from church went to Glen Murry which is about 2 hours south west of Auckland. As you can see the the scenery was breathtaking and amazing. Everything was so green and beautiful. I've seen some similar landscape when I was in the Dominican Republic but this was on a larger scale and definitely unique to New Zealand. On top of being the furthest from Auckland since my arrival and on top of seeing some of the most beautiful landscape ever there were other great things about the weekend. It was a great weekend to hang out with some guys from church. Sarah and I are slowly getting to know people here and we are slowly building friendships. This past weekend was a great opportunity to work on that

Sonshine

2007-11-28T14:55:00.000+13:00

I headed to horse camp this past weekend. We had about 30 campers that were all 11-13 years old. It was a stressful, and the kids were a little too young for our limited staff and more experienced horses, but it was fine in the end and the kids had a great time. The property was incredible. It's a full working farm with sheep, cattle, and horses. Ken is headed out there for a men's retreat (who knows what that entails) this next weekend so he will get to do more horse riding than I. We were so occupied with the kids we had no time for exploring. I hope to go back though - what a great experience, and you can't beat the view.

www.sonrise-ranch.org.nz

thanks living

2007-11-22T21:47:00.000+13:00

Today is Thanksgiving - our first away from family. It was a sad day. We both worked all day, went and played ultimate with our league team, and now we're eating cup o' noodles and burger king. It's rather depressing. We are going to try and eat some sort of poultry in the next week or so, but stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean salad, pumpkin pie, turkey, and American football is kinda hard to come by. And really... it's just not the same without lots of family around.

On another note, we do have much to be thankful for. So as we think of home, we want to say thanks - for our friends and family who have been a constant support in our lives. It's something that we certainly don't want to take for granted.

lots of love - k&s

a day in the life

2007-11-17T23:50:00.000+13:00

This morning I got the pleasure of going on a horse ride with my new friend Beth. Her and her boyfriend Adrian both have horses and work at a local horse camp (which I am also helping out with this coming weekend)... and that makes them my new best friends. The grazing land is about 20 minutes from our flat and right near an awesome beach (like most of the country). The tide was up so we were unable to ride across, but there will be other chances. Grazing is so cheap I might end up with a horse of my own, or at least as a lease, someday in the near future. Riding is one of the things I have missed most since being here, so I was extremely grateful for the opportunity today.

After a ride, and more car shopping, Ken and I went to a friends for dinner/supper/tea and the netball finals. Curious as to what netball is? Yeah, me too. You can look it up on wikipedia. Australia went against NZ and NZ lost, of course, because NZ always looses in the finals. During the process, the girls decided to straighten kens hair. I think he now looks like a Switchfoot band member. On an unrelated note - Ken and I both have been christened with nicknames since arriving. Ken has been called "America" by a local group of high school dropouts (good one guys), Kdog, or "Special K." My nickname, or name for that matter, will forever in NZ church world be "Saz."

enthralled in netball. Note Tasha in the background straightening away. And you thought it couldn't be done.

The finished product

Kiwi slang of the day: "Good on ya mate" means "good job" or "well done." Incidently, affirmation is rarely given out compared to our standards. The lack of general encouragement has been surprising, considering how friendly and hospitable the majority of people tend to be.

I haven't quite settled on a title/blog format yet. Have you noticed? Suggestions appreciated! - saz

Small World

2007-11-13T22:27:00.000+13:00

616.499.3369

That's our new phone number. Most people have national cell phone plans so if you want to chat give us a ring. For our college and Michigan friends, it's free from your school phones too. Sweet! For our new Kiwi friends (or if you really really want to call us using your phone card, or dial more numbers... or something ), our NZ home number is 094823329.

We also have internet at our place now (finally!) so updates will be more frequent. In Diekema news...

Ken did his first baptism. 3 freshman/sophomore guys confessed their faith and Ken got the privilege of performing the baptism for them. They gave a short testimony before hand and it was meaningful for the families and the congregation.

We have not had good car luck this week - needed to jump start both Gus (2 times) and Scooter (our borrowed car that I drive). Also, when our landlords recently built our deck, they forgot to clean up all the nails... resulting in a hefty hole in Gus' tire. Not good luck for the big guy. We're looking for a new car at the moment as Scooter's going to need to return home and I need a car for work. Not enthralling news by any means.... but maybe you wanted to know? I haven't exactly figured out what to put on this blog yet.

A group of 7 year olds performed the haka for me after our school program. If you want to know what the haka is, here are the All Blacks performing it: HAKA VIDEO

The All Blacks, the NZ rugby team who has iconic status here in NZ, doing the traditional Maori war dance. Pretty intense, unless you watch 7 year olds who are trying to be scary but are giggling the whole time. It made my day.

Another New Zealandism to leave you with. A common greeting is "How are you going?" A funny mix of "How's it going" and "how are you doing" blurred together to sound more like "howyr go'in?"

Going well, thanks. -sarah

Auckland Marathon

2007-11-05T09:08:00.000+13:00

Oh, the Auckland Marathon! Its true! After 6 months of training, an average of 45-50 miles of running per week, and a move half way around the world I was finally able to run the marathon. October 28 I had to wake up at 4:20 in the morning so that I could travel with some people from BCC to downtown Auckland to catch a ferry to Davenport where the race began at 6:30a.m. Other than a lack of bathrooms at the beginning, the start of the race went pretty well. It was a perfect temperature for running. There was a light rain for the first half of the race but there was no wind (something very rare for Auckland) and it was cloudy for the entire race. The first half of the race contained all of the hills and the majority of turns. It also included a 2k(1.5 mile) run over the Harbor bridge crossing the large Auckland harbor. It was a great view from the top and it was pretty crazy crossing it. I finished the first half of the marathon (eating cookies as i crossed the halfway mark) in an hour and a half exactly. I finished the 25k (15.5 miles), the same distance as the riverbank run that I ran in may in 1 hour 48 min and still on pace for a 3 hour marathon. I finished the 32k (20miles and the longest distance I ran in training) still on pace for 3 hours. I slowed down a little at 35k but still running well. Then I hit what runners call "the wall". I hit it at about 38/39km and at the 40km mark both of my legs seized up and I could hardly move. I had to walk backwards for a long while to use different miles. It was really painful. Then just as I was approaching the crowd for the finish I was able to run again until I crossed the finish line. I finished at 3 hours and 24 minutes. The total race was 26.2 miles/42+km long and it was by far the toughest physical activity I have ever done in my life. It was a great experience though. If anyone wants to know more about the race check out aucklandmarathon.co.nz

Piha/Karekare

2007-10-31T19:45:00.000+13:00

Ken and I, feeling a bit claustrophobic in the city, took a day trip to some of Auckland's nearby surf beaches - Piha and Karekare. It was a beautiful day and it was well worth it. The black sand and huge waves and cliffs were breathtaking.

Karekare

Piha

All the National Parks have giant picture frames overlooking a viewing point

*Ken's marathon went well... but I'm going to let him tell you about it :)

2007-10-24T21:41:00.000+13:00

The Sky Tower is pink this October for breast cancer awareness. They change the lights often based on holidays - pink and green for Christmas etc. Ken has a great view of the city and the sky tower from his office, and we use it not only as an event indicator, but as a weather beacon as well. If we can't see it, it's raining - which means we can't really see it all that often. We are waiting until visitors come down to actually go visit the thing... as this is our home now, we are waiting to do touristy things until we have a legit reason. So hurry up! We're kinda anxious to go up! They do bungee jumping off it too (of course. Kiwis jump off of everything) - so if you're keen on that, I can hook you up.

Ken's marathon is in 3 days. Pray for calm skies and energy for him. The hills around here are brutal and the bridge he has to cross over the harbor can have some treacherous winds. I'll have him update sometime after the race with times and how it went.

*Kiwi factoid* Petrol (gas) runs for about $1.63 per liter. Which is roughly $6.19 a gallon NZ, $4.64 US. Diesel, which Gus runs on, is only about $3.10 a gallon US.

cheers!

2007-10-19T20:17:00.000+13:00

I was going to wait to post until we had internet at our place - which would equal a local telephone number in the states (compliments of skype) and a full-out, all-included diekema contact information piece... but next week. For the phone number that is. Cue the inspirational music. We have a place to live and to call our own, I have a full time job, another car that I get to drive (and not feel like I'm driving a tank), and espn. Thank you for all your prayers. We are doing very well.

Diekema contact info

3/77 Eskdale Rd

Birkdale, North Shore City 0626

New Zealand

Cell Phones: Ken-64.027.210.5516

Sarah- 64.027.210.8420

......

skype address: skdiekema

......

*if calling our cell phones,

use Skype or a calling card

(it can cost as low as 2 cents per minute,

and it's free for us to receive calls)

.......

As far as a job goes, I got a job at the local leisure (rec) center

teaching local school kids outdoor education. Rock-climbing, archery, kayaking, bush survival. You know, important things you need to know in New Zealand. Though, today I gave 7 year old kids real bows and arrows and I don't know if that wasnt necessarily the best idea.

Ken is getting into work and spending time getting to know kids and families in the church. We are attending a wedding tomorrow for a couple new friends of ours and looking forward to it. I've been doing most of the blogging up until this point, but Ken plans on adding his two sense. Like right now... adding to the kiwi peak word of day. Ken's newly favorite word "Knackered" which in kiwi mean "tired." When Ken finished one of his long runs, our friend Mark said, "Man, you must be pretty knackered right now." But of course, we though he said naked... and it was funny. Because Ken was definitely wearing clothes.

..........................................................................................................

And with that, I will end with another kiwi fact: New Zealand has no natural predators on the island. Except for one rare poisonous spider. And is no kangaroos. And it's not part of Australia. Thanks for asking though.

p.s. I included a pic of our bathroom bc it's sweet as (another kiwi'ism) and it has a heated towel rack.

L&P and everything Kiwi

2007-10-11T12:42:00.000+13:00

We have moved into the granny flat and our enjoying our own space. We are happy to be unpacked and are extremely grateful to the Hagans for letting us stay there. We are still flat-searching and are confident that something will come along that will suit us. God has been so faithful in this whole transition.

My birthday celebration was one to be remembered. Birthdays in NZ tend to be an all-out affair and even though my new friends had only known me for a week, they gave me presents, candy, and cards as well as numerous well-wishes. Ken took me out to a quaint Indian restaurant before the youth service. I haven't had good Indian food since I've left India and it was a real treat. Since we have been here we have eaten Chinese, Turkish, Indian, Italian... Subway and Burger King. There are Russian and Korean places right down the road that I'm keen on trying.

We are slowly adapting to Kiwi culture. Everyday we learn some new slang and are able to understand a bit more. Kiwis in general tend to talk a bit fast so we have to listen very intently. Here is some of the slang we've picked up these past two weeks:

Bach - summer home
Boot - trunk
Pinch - to steal
Ginga - red haired person
Lolly - any candy
Fizzy Drink - pop/soda
Try - goal in rugby
Kumara - sweet potato
Tea - morning break, afternoon break, and dinner
Supper - after dinner snack
Car park - parking lot
Dodgy - bad, unreliable
Hottie - hot water bottle
Mate - friend

These are just a few - more to come later. I will try to include random New Zealand facts as well at the conclusion of each blog. As far as pictures go, this blog (and facebook for those who check picture albums there) will have to wait. After taking several pictures of Ken and I tramping around, caving, and at the beach, my camera was swallowed by the sea/went swimming of it's own accord/ I dropped it in the ocean. Apparently salt water and electronics don't mix. alas.

L&P Short for Lemon and Paeroa, L&P is New Zealand’s very own iconic soft drink. Originally made using spring water from the North Island town of Paeroa, the origins of its name are obvious. Loved by Kiwis the world over – the catch phrase “World Famous in New Zealand” certainly rings true. It tastes like ginger ale with a lemony kick.

Gus VanDiesel

2007-10-06T18:24:00.000+13:00

That's right. We have wheels. 8 passenger, engine beneath seats, 1986, ice-making, diesel powered, top heavy... and one of man's most prodigious automotive creations. Meet Gus. He was given to the church/us (Ken is the only one working at the church) to be used as our primary mode of transportation. We can fit both our bikes in it, standing up. The stearing wheel is horizontal, the key works only with great effort, and it really does make ice. Excellent! All we need now is some plush curtains, mood lighting, and some fuzzy dice.

We don't have housing yet, but are close. The family we have been housesitting for is coming home today. Because we have been living out of suitcase, in a small bedroom in the back, we are anxious to find a place and become more settled. And now, with a family coming home (they have two small boys), we are even more keen on moving out. This past week we have had no luck finding accommodations... though we have looked at several. The nicest places are way out of our price range, and the flats that are within our price range are dingy, small, and in need of repair. The place we liked the most had mold growing on the walls, and that just won't do. SO, here's the plan. A family from the church has a small granny flat downstairs with a bathroom and tiny kitchen. Their 18 year old daughter has made this her home. She is moving upstairs for a bit to her old room, and we are moving down there for 6 weeks. From there we will move into a 2 bedroom that a couple we know is moving out of. So... we're not going to be settled, or have a permanent address, until December. Unfortunately. We also don't have a phone number yet, but are working on that. Feel free to contact us on Skype though. Our address is "skdiekema"

Yesterday I had the opportunity to meet up with a friend of a friend - Annie. She is friends with one of my classmates in high school, and with one of our friends in Holland. She took me to a nice place called Devonport where we watched the boats moving through and explored the area. This boat here raced in the America's Cup.

Now that we have a tramping van, we hope to go exploring. The weather is getting a bit warmer and we have the free time. There are some amazing sights only a couple hours from Auckland and we hope to explore the many beaches near here as well. Ken has been given the freedom from the church to "get acclimated" with new zealand and we are going to try and take full advantage of that. AND, we have been in NZ for a week and have not seen any sheep. A shame.

The Commission

2007-09-30T17:03:00.000+13:00

Today was our first day at church. They commissioned us into the job and it was very touching. We had a dinner with the elders last night and felt quite at home with them. They are a funny bunch. Other than that, we have been quite productive in the last couple of days. We drove, went to buy groceries, watched some rugby, and played frisbee in the park. Here is Ken and Dan watching rugby, and Ken driving in the rain.

One of the things we have been getting asked most often is "what's different?" Besides the driving thing and the differences in slang, we've noticed that everything is a bit smaller. Ok, a lot smaller. Smaller cars, smaller portions, smaller houses, smaller appliances. We come from a super-sized nation... which is what kiwis find surprising when the visit the states. "Everything is so BIG!" That, and everything is significantly more expensive.

We are currently housesitting for the nation director of Campus Crusade. Him and his family are visiting friends in Australia so we have the house for a week. We are hoping to be finding our own place shortly. It will help us feel more settled. Luckily, we have a car to get around and even a rental dog who we've dubbed "Baxter." That's not his real name though, but it should be. Here's a car-side view of the Auckland sky-tower and Bax/Pinocchio.

Kia Ora

2007-09-28T17:12:00.001+12:00

A group from BCC met us at the airport, including most of the church's girls soccer team "the grundies." They had been waiting over two hours for us (customs issues) and we never felt so welcomed when we walked into the meeting area. We are blessed to have such a group surrounding us and helping us acclimate to a new country and culture.

Our new mates Adrian and Dan spent most of the day with us driving us around the city, to the beach, the church, and around Birkenhead. It is quite a bit hillier than I imagined - which is going to be hard for Ken's marathon training. The family who's house we are staying in is currently in Australia so we've got the place to ourselves for about a week. Hopefully that will be enough time to find a place of our own. We are a little hesitant to drive yet, though the church has provided us with a sweet van.

Our other task for today was trying to understand lingo. Dan mentioned that his "guitar was pinched from his boot." I'll leave you to interpret.

We leave in 14 days!

2007-09-16T01:10:00.000+12:00

Our plane tickets are bought and the packing and good-byes have begun. We leave at 3:45 pm Wednesday the 26th from Grand Rapids. From there to Chicago, LA, and Auckland. Total in the air time - 18 hours. We arrive 2 days later (we bypass Thursday all together - and "The Office" season premier) at 4:45am which is about 12:45pm Thursday for the US. Get it? Good. We will be 16 hours ahead, and the first to see the sun rise of the new day.

To answer some of the common questions we have been getting - yes, it's going into spring there so we skip winter all together (and in Auckland the winter temps hover around 50 degrees anyway). Yes, the toilet flushes the opposite way. We will also be driving on the other side of the road and watching lots of rugby. Better get started now - go All Blacks. All we're taking with us is 2 suitcases and our bikes. yup - that's called starting over. booyah. Everything else is in storage (aka ken's dad's basement). The church has generously taken donations to furnish our new pad and might even have a car for us.

And yes, of course. Please come visit :) We might ask you to bring some stuff though.

The countdown has begun!

2007-09-05T15:50:00.000+12:00

We got our visas this afternoon... much sooner than we expected as we just sent them in a week ago. Having moved out of our apartment already, all that is left to do is pack what we are taking, buy our plane tickets, and sell our car and horse. The countdown is about 2 or 3 weeks. Has the fact that we are moving out of the country hit us yet? Well... no. I'm sure it will soon. Probably when we are on the way to the airport, or flying for the first time into Auckland.