Life as an American-Kiwi

Where should I start? We have been adapting to new living arrangements, new friends, new money, new food, new customs and endless other NEW things! God is certainly blessing us here. We are thankful for all of our 'new' challenges, but are really missing our old ones. Let me catch you up on where we've been and how God has been keeping us busy.

We have been blessed in ways we were not expecting. I think the easiest way to get you caught up is by sharing a "week in the life". Here is the low down on what a week in the Sanders' House looks like.

Sunday: Church. Many times we trek up to North Shore Church of Christ in the morning, and hurry back home to have lunch and rest up before evening services at Discover Church. John and I are very blessed with all of the ways we have been able to serve at Discover. One of those most unexpected blessing has come with the family we have found here.

Monday: Mondays are usually a day that sets the week for us. John begins his work week and enjoys a scheduled lunch date with a friend, Hayden is off to school and I visit our local Market for the week's meals. Mondays are precious to me because it allows me some longed-for alone time with my little cuddle bug, Hudson. Once we complete our morning routine of shuffling Hayden out the door, we get our time. Hudson's favorite morning activity at the moment is to feed the ducks that greet us at our front window each day. He has even named them Percy and Petunia!

Tuesday: Bible in Schools! Each Tuesday morning I have the pleasure of teaching Bible to a class at Hayden's school! Yes! I get to go into a PUBLIC SCHOOL and teach Bible! I never imagined the blessings that would flow from this ministry. If you would like to find out more about Hayden's school, click here. In the afternoons, Hudson is off to Kindy! This week marks his 4th week at Hobsonville Kindy and he absolutely loves it! We are thankful for the opportunities he is surrounded with. They have their own garden, they are free to choose any activity they wish with a 30 minute mat time at the end of the day AND he can build anything he can imagine out of wood! Yes ... they actually have work benches, hammers, nails and SAWS! His first day there he built a an airplane with very little help. :-)

Wednesday: Toddler Rock. This is the day Hudson and I travel up to the Shore and make a visit to North Shore Church of Christ. A few months ago I was asked to help with this wonderful ministry and have absolutely fallen in love! Since I have been leading TR, the team has decided to transition to Mainly Music, a well known Music Ministry that will help us increase our numbers. Later in the afternoon I have the privilege of sharing a book with a wonderful group of girls. We have a bit of a book club going on and it has been so good! We are currently reading "Twelve Extraordinary Women of the Bible" by John MacArthur. If you haven't read it, you should! At night we have "Super Duper Totally Awesome Family Devo Night" (so named by the kiddos). Each week we choose a different member of the family to lead the night in a bible story and activity. The latest was on Jesus calming the storm. SO much fun! We are really getting into these precious nights together.

Thursday: Home days. Thursdays are reserved for what ever might come. This is usually the day of the week I find time to take Hudson to the park on the rare sunny day or just sit at home tying up loose ends. Thursdays are lovely!

Fridays: Bible Study. These days, Fridays hold a wonderful mix of bible study and time with my lovely kiwi friends. We are currently studying This. I love her and am so thankful for my sweet friends that explore The Word with me, through Daniel. Friday nights are " Family Movie Nights". Lately we have planned well enough to catch the movies on sale at the local video store which is $1 a video for a week instead of $5! On these cold, NZ nights you will find the Sanders' clan snuggled up in the living room, under several blankets, surrounded by pillows and bottomless popcorn and giggles.

Saturdays: Exploring. After such a full on week, we are all ready to get out and see things we haven't seen before and experience all what this wonderful, green land has to offer. Saturdays are the days for family. We rarely schedule anything that keeps us from spending the entire day together. We love going to the Farmer's market, driving up north just to see some sheep, and stopping by the nearest volcano merely for the view. These are the days we are able to reflect on the wonderful blessings He has bestowed on us and meld as a family. These are the days we savor. Family, Fun, and Our Father.

     

I hope this gives you an peek into our world and perhaps a good idea what our lives are like each week. Keep checking in and you may be surprised at what you find! We are thankful you are here and look forward to sharing our Journey with you. Pictures to come! :-)