20 Week Anniversary

These last few weeks have been pretty sweet. I have been surfing a lot with Ben and Pete and also got to surf with Will Anderson at a place I had never been before called, Allens Beach. Work has been going pretty well, it has however been difficult to get the hours I need because the company is trying save money by reducing the length of employee shifts. Me and my boss, Paul, and many other employees have been hanging out upstairs in the function room after work and having massive jam sessions where we take turns singing and playing guitar. Often these jam sessions don't end till really late, like 2am in the morning, but everyone seems to have a good time and so we make it happen a couple times a week. These late night jam sessions have also allowed me to get to know many of the employees I work with on more of a friendship level, which is really cool. I also get to share God's love with them in the form of music with some of the songs I sing, like Amazing Grace.

On Wednesday this week Zac and I spontaneously decided to take a road trip to visit his parents in Timaru, which is about two and a half hours away. Neither of us have any money so we decided to hitchhike. I was kind of hesitant at first but then I thought what a cool and exciting adventure it would be I was keen, especially since I have not traveled more than twenty minutes north outside of Dunedin. After getting dropped off by Marlies, Zac's sister, we waited about twenty minutes before the first, which would eventually be four, good Samaritan picked us up and drove us closer to our destination. We arrived safe and sound in Timaru around four hours later. Zac's mom was going to pick us up and drive us the last leg when we were about 45 minutes away but we ended up getting a lift. Unfortunately Zac's mom had already left and was not far away, when she turned around to head back home she was hit by another car. Aside from getting a few stitches in the back of her head and a finger that was out of joint, Zac's mom seamed to be doing okay. Zac's dad Herman is taking a year off of teaching students that our hearing impaired and deaf, to do an extensive study on lizards in the area. Early the next morning I tagged along with Herman to do some field study and collect data. We found only a few skinks and a few geckos after a full morning of checking traps that Herman had set up weeks before and by also overturning and checking inside rocks and crevices. All in all it was a lot of fun and a great learning experience, it's the closest I've ever been to being a biologist. Later that day, right before we hopped on a buss to come back home, I got to be a shepherd for an hour on Zac's parents farm. This was my favorite part of the trip! I was running around like a maniac trying to get these sheep to go through a certain gate, ha ha , you should have seen me, it wasn't pretty but I finally managed to get them going the right direction! Zac and I ended up taking a buss home because we initially were going to get a ride home with Zac's mom, but the van she was going to take us in was now out of commission.

Well I only have several more weeks here before I come home for Christmas. Although I am really enjoying myself over here in NZ I am looking forward to seeing my friends and family back home in Fresno. I am praying that God will allow me to come back to NZ in January and stay till May which is when my year working holiday Visa is up and also when my brother Joel is getting married but as of right now there is no way that can happen financially. When I come back to Fresno in December it will be another faith walk to see where God leads me. Please continue to keep me in your prayers and ask God to give me vision and direction during this time of uncertainty.