Thanks Giving Letter (aka Christmas Letter)

Dear Family and Friends,

Here is my attempt at yet another Thanksgiving Letter. It's that time of the year where you get family updates (feel free to send me yours!). As I've said before I'm not a huge fan of listing all the achievements etc, i.e. painting a 'perfect' family picture. I can assure you that we are NOT the perfect family! 

While I don't believe in picking a 'theme' for the beginning of the year as such the following seemed to reoccur as a theme in our 2015 year. So without much further ado here is my overview/thankful letter for 2015!

The Theme that seems to reoccur throughout this year is God's faithfulness. Let me share with you some glimpses on how we have experiences God's faithfulness this year. 

• Spring Semester for Albert - Despite the heavy work load and HUGE pressure to full fill the required amount of preaching, endless papers, exams and the dreaded oral exam, God was faithful. Not only did Albert manage to 'manage' his deadlines, he aced his oral exam (after many, many, many etc hours of study), and he took out two awards (out of four) for the senior year. I kept telling him time after time that God is faithful and that HE is not going to let you down. So while I'm not wanting to boast about Albert's excellent results (I know of other students who put in HUGE efforts and yet did not 'win' any awards), the results are 'proof' that God does not let us down despite our human doubts! 
• Friends - I've spoken of this before but not having family overseas is not always easy. God showed His faithfulness through God's people around us. Our graduation pew burst to the seams with friends (some of who traveled a HUGE distance, in fact one of our friends came as a surprise!). Friends, Seminary Families, Church members, Home school Friends all played a huge part in our lives this year, from the little things to big things. I'm so grateful for these people in our lives, who invested in us despite knowing that we might never see them again. Only our great God is capable of 'stirring' the hearts of His people! We are so undeserving!
• Our Vicariate (Internship) - While our human nature doesn't always like God's timing, His timing is perfect! Again grateful for the Vicariate (I know other graduates didn't know what they were doing, whereas we as members of the RCNZ were guaranteed a Vicariate!). I have very much appreciated seeing God work through the people of Hamilton Reformed church, from getting us a house, car, organizing our container in NZ to making meals. It is such a comfort to know that we didn't have to worry about any of those things! 
• Our ladies bible study in our USA church. - We were studying a Nancy Guthrie series, "Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament". I have been so blessed by this study and have been awed by how God is faithful throughout the Old Testament. I was very sad to leave this group and the study. BUT God knows my needs and has provided two ladies (so far) to continue to study the Old Testament here in Hamilton. I highly recommend this series!
• School Jan until May 2015 - WOW where do I start? At the beginning of this year it became clear that Albert would no longer be able to help with English (Language Arts) with the older girls. No worries, God provided a teacher (a Seminary student wife, Hi Karena!) whom we bartered with and she came weekly to help the older girls with their school work. I know the time spent was mutually encouraging to all of us! I'm also indebted to Jenni Terpstra, who encouraged me, helped me and listened to my home school woes over the years! I appreciate her dedication to homeschooling! 
• School June - Dec 2015. Once we knew where we going to be for our Vicariate, schooling for the girls became our next priority. I shouldn't have been surprised that God provided a private Christian School for our girls. It happened all so fast that the decision was really taken out of our hands (in a good way!). So before we knew it the girls started school and 'small' things like the school fees (remember these are private fees), uniform (someone gave us some), testing etc were 'ironed out'. While we had some concern on how the girls academic levels were compared to their peers, no red flags turned up! In fact I posted on FB photos of the girls each receiving prizes in their year group despite the girls only being at school for half the year. This was not to boast but to show God's faithfulness to us with regard to the girls schooling. It bought me to tears to see the girls up on the platform, not because I'm proud of them (I am!!) but how God works. 
• Financially - God again has provided so much more than our needs (daily bread and water!) but also plenty of wants (Christian School for the girls). We shouldn't be surprised. It has been so nice to finally save again and not to worry about every single dollar we spend. (I treated the girls to a Mcdonalds ice cream cone with a Flake this week with our own hard earned money, it was $5 well spent!)
• Family Holiday - We had planned a family vacation after gradation to recover from all the stress and to spend some time together as a family. While we paid for our train trip from Chicago to San Francisco with our NZ funds the rest of the holiday was paid for by the gifts of generous people. We booked our accommodation in faith earlier in the year. We were so blessed to spend four nights in San Francisco and relax (we did lots of walking). What a great way to end our time in the USA. 

So there you have it - some glimpses of God's faithfulness in our life this year. I challenge you to think back to 2015 and see how God has been faithful to you. Even if you haven't had as 'good' a year as we have had I know God is faithful even during life's trials. Keep looking up and depending on HIM in all you do, God is faithful despite our unfaithfulness! (just read Genesis if you need proof!)

We are looking forward to 2016. While 2016 is going to contain lots of changes and some uncertainties I cling to the fact that our God is faithful and knows our needs even though we don't always know what we need. 

On a personal note (for those who would like a family update!)

We are all doing well. In fact the girls are thriving in their new environment, they are excelling at school, making friends and continue to be a challenge to parent (ha told you we are not perfect!). Albert is doing well, getting better at this work/life/play balance. The 'calling' is continuing to be affirmed, what a blessing! He ran a marathon early December, crazy just crazy! I'm doing well also. I'm enjoying getting 'stuck in' in the school community, the church, swimming and some running. I haven't had to apologize as much to the girls since they are now at school now. phew! We have enjoyed catching up with our families and are looking forward to a reunion with Albert's family in January 2016. 

PS I still haven't got my head around the new photo system on our computer system despite Albert showing me several time, hence lack of blog posts. I do post photo's/updates regularly to FB, so friend me if you would like to be updated in that way :). 

Home Front Update July 2015

Official Graduation Family Photo

Phew, house is finally in order, unpacked all the essential things, sorted out stacks of paperwork, filed tax returns, got vaccinations up to date, went to 'put off' doctor visits, restocked the pantry, bought some essential electrical items, got cellphones switched, visited family. I'm sure that there is much more that we have done since we landed in New Zealand! What a whirlwind couple of months it has been. I won't bore you with all the nitty gritty details, will show you lovely photo's instead :) in future posts. 

Ok, so now for the questions that everybody is asking, here are the answers!

How are you setting in?
Well in fact we are doing very well, Albert has settled into work, I'm busy looking after the girls and the house and the girls well they LOVE school!

Ok, so now how are you REALLY doing?
Oh, so sweet that you ask. I am doing REALLY well. It is like coming home, to familiar things, shops are the same, roads are even prettier then I remembered and I'm thrilled that the girls are LOVING school! On a more serious note. I am doing well and have settled in. I mean what is the point in throwing a pity party? NONE of us should really be complaining. Complaining is really a pet hate of mine. Are you not then questioning God's plan for your life? I'm VERY grateful to be here and we have been/are being looked after. From the financial provisions, car, house, excellent school to even a dishwasher in my house, what more does a girl need? 

While I believe that New Zealand is the right place for us at this stage in life for various reason, mainly the need for pastors in our denomination, I did love living in the USA. I in particular miss being part of our friends day to day life both from seminary, our USA and Canadian friends. That makes me sad just thinking about it. I'm thankful for Facebook in that respect, while I can't be part of everyday life I am able to catch a glimpse now and then! So friends keep up those FB posts! 

How do you like Hamilton and the church?
I've been surprised how pretty NZ really is. I suppose living among lots of concrete makes you appreciate the beauty of NZ. The drive to school for example is so pretty with the roundabouts, roads etc planted with flaxes, grasses and some even have art. Hamilton compared to Chicago is very small and so driving distances for me are no problem at all. It's all relative of course! I enjoy being close to the shops, church, school (about a 20 min drive) and relatively close to family compared to the USA!

The church, especially the Pastor and the Deacons, are looking after us very well which is a huge blessing. We feel so privileged in being looked after and having a Vicariate (internship) knowing that some of Albert's class mates do not know what the future holds yet. 

So how is Albert finding the transition etc?
He strongly feels the call to the ministry so working is a pleasure. He is preaching Catechism sermons at the moment which are a bit more of a challenge but a good challenge. He loves visiting the elderly and the babies (he got to hold one the other day!)

What about the girls? How are they settling into school?
They have fitted right in! Zara has never been to school and so I was slightly worried how she would go academically. The teacher tested her on reading and she is reading at a 9-10 year old level! Both Kate and Grace have settled in well also and some of the tests that they have done came in at their level! It's been funny having a girl in High School. Michaela has done extremely well in fitting in into this very new experience! She even acted in a 'Romeo and Juliet' play for which she learned quite a few lines flawlessly! (you can't make up Shakespeare on the spot!). Maths however has not been that great but it was a weak area we were aware off. The Maths teacher has given her some additional work to catch up over the school holidays! 

The girls are currently on school holidays which lasts two weeks. The girls asked me at breakfast the other day whether they could go back to school, they had enough of the holidays! Of course they have had about 6 weeks off already!

So what's it like being in NZ after being in the USA for three years?
Well, NZ is home and familiar which means we have slotted right back in. It has been very nice to know the 'systems' with regard to banking, health, government benefits etc. Unlike the USA we tried to avoid 'the system' as much as possible. Driving has not been a problem, however a new GPS has been purchased (yes complete with squirrel voice Roger and Jodi!). I do miss the very cheap groceries but again what's the point in complaining? I can't believe how good some of the food tastes here, even supermarket buns taste delicious (which I thought were pretty average before we left!), carrots, kiwi fruit, rice crackers, coconut Tim tams, and cheese (grass fed of course!).

One thing I should mention is the cold. I know, I know it's nothing compared to the USA BUT in the USA everything is heated. Here it is not! Going to the bathroom/restroom etc is cold. We might spot heat the lounge but the bathroom well no. One of the girls asked, can we please put the heater on in the bathroom. It made me laugh! Thankfully our house is well situated for the sun and so while we heat our living areas in the morning and maybe at night once the sun comes out it is toasty warm! No complaints, just stating facts for those of you outside NZ :). 

What are some of the highlights of your time in the USA? Apart from seminary life etc
I had to think on this one. The big highlight would have been our summer assignments, what an experience. I'm not talking about all the fun things we did like seeing NY, Niagara Falls etc. No I'm talking about seeing God work in his church in different cultures, difficult circumstances and rejoicing with people when miracles happened! WOW what a privilege. (nobody is paying me to say this, just my honest opinion!)

So what are you doing with your 'free' time since the girls are at school?
HA HA, you are funny! Seriously since we want to be involved with the school, there isn't much spare time between driving, cleaning, groceries, church events and cooking. :) (and looking after Albert of course)

What about swimming?
Well I've discovered that there is a pool very close to us which offers Masters swimming! Elaine, I'm proudly wearing my USA Masters cap! Upon hearing how close it was Albert strongly suggested that I should bike to the pool, I would have done my warm up already he reasoned! Well that was until he rode the same route to visit someone on his own bike! Ha he changed his opinion after that! Hamilton is quite hilly :). I have already attended some sessions which I survived. After not swimming for about 2 months, I have lost some of the edge that I had built up. Hopefully with some practice it shouldn't be too long before I'm back on top. (I'm a slow swimmer compared to other Masters Swimmers, but I enjoy it!) As far as running, well, those hills are a reason for my procrastination. I'm afraid that I might not make it up some of the hills. Oh and it's been cold (about 0C (32F)) which is so cold :). 

A couple of questions I'm not prepared to answer for obvious reasons: 
What about other seminaries? It wouldn't be wise or helpful to compare. I can only talk about our experience at MARS. 
What about homeschooling versus christian schooling? I've answered that here. Christian schooling is the option for us at this time. 

I think I answered most of the popular questions. I'm planning to post photos of where I left off in March. Mainly for the girls sake, i.e. a memory for them but also for those interested in our adventures. Bear with me, there is lots to share, tell and plenty of photos! 

Albert photobombed the girl's photo without their knowledge!

Homefront Update March 2015

Chicago March 2015

Just a quick update on our family and our plans. 

Some of you might be wondering why the avalanche of posts. Well one of the reasons I have my blog is to document all we have done for the girls to read back on in years to come. So if looking at hundreds of photos of our family isn't your thing  just skip it (no offense taken :)).  Of course another reason is to keep our supporters up todate on how we are doing. On that note I have an apology to make. Albert did write a blog post at the end of last year which I neglected to post and when I did find the e-mail most of the content wasn't relevant anymore. Hopefully Albert will give you an update from his perspective soon. 

Girls
The girls are continuing to do well. Both Grace and Kate have been unwell at various stages, and both required a doctors visit. Thankful for continued good health for the rest of us. The girls are eagerly waiting for the snow to melt so that they can put up the trampoline in the backyard. 

Homeschooling
This was set back at least a week when I got sick in February. We have been busy catching up with doing long days of just school hence the house needs a spring clean. In light of this I've been buying bread, eating simple meals and keeping shopping and outings to a minimum to get our school work done. I don't just want to 'tick' the box but to really take in what we are suppose to learn. I am having some help from one of the student's wives. This enables me to catch up on some jobs that need to be done, tidying, reconciling accounts, blog posts, shopping etc. I'm hoping to finish school early May. I would prefer a week or so earlier in order to sort, pack clean etc but we will have to see. Our weekly home school group is going great, Albert is still doing the devotions and PE and I'm 'sitting' on babies while their mothers teach. A win all around :). 

Day Trips
Since this is our last couple of months we have taken advantage of the mostly free things to do around the Chicago area. One day we went to the Brookfield Zoo on their free day. As a family we also took a day out and visited the Adler Planetarium (I did pay for the shows but got a great deal through Living Social). Albert LOVES stars and space etc and providentially the girls were studying space in science so a perfect opportunity to learn more about it. I was 'spaced' out at the end of the day. (hahahah!). We are still hoping to make several trip to the Museum of Science and Industry, the older girls are studying genes and the Museum has a great exhibition on this. 

Shopping/Couponing
I'm doing some still but have scaled back. I have stopped my subscription to the local newspaper (which had a lot of coupons) and I am mostly doing couponing for things I really need (chocolate is a need surely?) We seem to 'fly' through shampoo and conditioner with four girls and long hair! I'm trying to use up what I have in my pantry and so we are eating lots and lots and lots and lots of lentils! If anyone has a favorite lentil recipe (not Sophie Gray's -  I use plenty of hers!) please feel free to email me the link! 

Packing
Well I haven't started yet but kind of itching to, not necessarily that I'm eager to leave but just because I like to be organised. I did this also in Wanganui and I was so organised that we had a couple of days 'spare' in which we made a surprise visit to Albert's parents. We have moved all the girls into one room so that I can have one room as my packing room. 

Lasts
This is kind of a sad thought as there are so many lasts. I am trying to keep the positive in mind and focus on the future. We are planning a farewell party on the 23rd of May, please come! 

Me
I'm doing well! I did get Kate's flu for about a week which wasn't as nice but bounced back pretty quickly! I'm also on my record for swims in a row. I swim on Mon/Wed/Fri mornings and have done so for 12 sessions in a row mostly following the assigned workout (3*100 yards butterfly is pushing it!) for about 3000 yards. I'm feeling great and hopefully this will cross over into some running fitness once the weather warms up.

Albert
He has managed to stay healthy, don't know why? Must be God's grace, there is no other explanation! Since you really shouldn't boast about yourself and let others boast about you allow me to boast about Albert! Albert passed his oral exam with flying colors! This is a pretty big exam with ALL of the faculty testing you on all you have been taught over the past 2 1/2 years. He was VERY diligent and studied long hours which resulted in not just a pass but a pass with flying colors! Proud of you! We are doing much better with our study/ family balance. This is something that is always a struggle for Albert and we work together on it. Communication of course is the key in this area and it's been good for both of us to plan our week together. I for one have full confidence in Albert to finish his semester well! The pressure is on Albert to graduate because I have bought the girls new graduation dresses! (Which is a funny story in itself. Since the girls get mostly hand me downs they questioned me about the purchase of brand new dresses for all the girls all at the same time! I had to explain that graduation is a pretty big life event for our family and Albert could not have done it without the girls help and understanding. It's a celebration for all of us, hence the new dresses!)

Alder Planetarium/ Shedd Aquarium

One day in January we took advantage of being Illinois residents and went to the Adler Planetarium on one of their free days. I had only planned to go the Planetarium that day and not the Aquarium as well. Albert was unable to come with us to the Planetarium that day. Albert loves space, stars etc so I managed to find an excellent deal on Groupon for us as a family to attend the movies/shows as well on another day. We just had a quick look at the Planetarium and by lunchtime we had seen everything there was to see (not in depth though). The girls did some cool experiments which the Planetarium provided free of charge. So I did some checking at lunch to see if any other Museums had free days. It turned out that the Aquarium was free that day as well for the basic entry (shows etc cost an arm and a leg!). The Planetarium and Aquarium are very close to each other and so we walked to the Aquarium for the afternoon. A great home school day out :).

Kate and Zara experiment with a 'rocket'
(the balloon races up the string
like a rocket once the air is let out)

Grace having a go

Kate

Zara

Grace

Do I have to Mum?
(Michaela)

Grace on the space toilet

sleepy Zara?

Sleepy Kate?

One of the experiments was making slime and testing it in various stations
this one is speed

Look how long my slime stretches?
(Grace)

Zara having a go

How strong is slime?

Showing us what a 2-second delay looks like on the space station

One HUGE telescope!

Infrared family photo

Lake Michigan on our walk to the Aquarium

In front of the Aquarium

Grace

This is how much the Amazon rises
(Kate)

Pretty cool these tiger stingrays!

Pretty cool lizard

This is plain creepy
(see photo below for explanation)

Zara with a HUGE fish

Spider Crab, pretty cool I thought!

Feeding time in the tank very cool

It was cool to watch the fish being fed

Thankful for Visitors - Part 3

Grace and Zara unfortunately weren't feeling the greatest when our visitors were there. So the rest of our visitors and Albert, Michaela and Kate took them to Chicago to show them the sights. Since I didn't come most of these photos are taking by Jeremy or Sharlene! Thanks for sharing them with us! Since it was too cold the last night to sleep in the office where some of our kids had been sleeping, we moved the girls to the lounge when the adults we ready to head to bed. Some of the girls thought it was a great idea to sleep in the lazy boys and the couch. Sometimes things are a great idea at the time but practically don't always work out that way :). Also these visitors had a plastic rat in their bed of which we had nothing to do at all! (you have to believe me as it may have something to do with our visitors the weekend before them). 

Zara and Kate

Grace and I in the lazy boy

Albert with Kate and visitors
(notice the museum staff member's photobomb!)

Kate and Zara

Michaela with our visitors

Visitors and Albert, Kate and Michaela

Train trip :)

How many people does it take to decorate a gingerbread house?

The kids were very clever and decorated only some
of the house so that they could share the rest of the candy!

Thankful for Visitors - Part 2

We took the train this time as it was a Saturday and kids travel free on the weekend. 

Enjoy :)

Grace

It's a double story train, the kids had a great time sitting up on the top

Group photo

Grace 

Family photo
(What's wrong with this photo?)

Family photo take two with the correct children!

Kate

Albert (left) and visitors

New ice skating rink in Downtown Chicago

Zara looking at the Macy's windows

Museum of Science and Industry front 

VERY thankful for our membership at the Museum.
We not only skipped the line but also we're able to let our visitors skip the line also.
(as part of our membership we are able to take two guests in also)
Apparently some of the people waited for hours to get in.
(all three days we went in, it was like this, packed!)

Grace photo bombing Zara's photo

Kate

Visitors and us enjoying one of the exhibits!