The First 3 (and a Half) Weeks

Sorry I know it's slack, I haven't posted in ages, so for those of you who've been waiting I apologise :-)

This is only a quick update as I have no idea where to start! An incredible amount has happened in my life in the last 3 and a half weeks! No-one and nothing can ever prepare you for university and the changes that come with moving out of home (except for holidays), starting tertiary education and becoming completely independent (well, almost). If we only had to do 2 of those 3, it wouldn't be such a big deal but the 3 of them combined just has so much more... impact? It s crazy, challenging, scary, exciting, sad, happy, all at the same time. Still is, to be honest. You forget how long everything takes, that its a journey because for the last however many years, you've had all your close friends and the routine of school. Then you come here and it takes forever (seems like it anyway) to make even just 1 friend and you wonder why you aren't settling in quicker and why sometimes (or a lot of the time in my case) you feel alone in a room full of people.

However, now that the hardest part is over (I hope, at least for a little while), I have adjusted to that fact that this is the way it is. It is a process that now is mostly good and positive and happy-filled, but still challenging. I am however now loving the fact that I am growing sooo much and have grown unbelievably int eh last 3 weeks, in God and in myself, in strength and courage, and that later on life (even just after uni) I will look back and be so grateful for planting my roots so deeply that I can be giant Kauri Tree I want to be.

Anyway, what I've done is heaps - I went to Lets Get Going programme which is a great way to meet people, O Week stuff (awesome!), hostel O Weekend (AmAzing), and now 3 different churches, the Ferg faith group, one Thrive life group, am now in my 3rd week of lectures and classes, 2nd week of my job (cleaning here at the hostel 2 days a week), got to know Palmy better, officially gained the status of poor uni student (broke might be more appropriate!), went to Knox Church Camp on the weekend and saw everyone again, and become quite comfortable with the 168 steps that I must climb to get up to my hostel (after going down 168 and walking 5 or 10 minutes around campus) multiple times a day. And there is still so much more to do! It's actually quite exciting! I know God has BIG plans...!

That's it for now. Feel free to email me, visit me, call me, or just post a comment on here :-) Lastly, a prayer request. Thank you to all those of you who have been praying for me (I know you have because I have felt the difference), may God bless you right back. This one is in my battle of spiritual warfare. The warfare (with myself and with Satan) stepped up a big notch since camp on the weekend where I was empowered further by the gift of Parakleos (that might not quite be right but hey) - the gift of exhortation/encouragement. Just pray, please, that I stay strong and keep fighting, with God's help. Thank you so much. Love, God bless, Jenny xox

:-O

Wow so I had this realisation yesterday as I was lying on the beach at Wai Iti with Alana (and her sibs and Rochelle): OK so firstly - I've always known it was real and I'm going but now I'm really going. Like its tangible, its so close I can touch it, I'm actually going. In a weeks time I'm moving out of home to start the next step of my life and education in a city where I can count the people I know on one hand (easily) and I guess, finally growing up?! Experiencing true financial independence anyway! Its still exciting but now there are tinges of fear and trepidation, like its going to be one big adventure... little old me and my very very big God cruising/co-inhabiting/slowly transforming with His love (if that's His plan) the city of Palmerston North for the next 3 or more years. Which really, shouldn't be too bad at all...

Secondly - of all the cities in NZ, WHY did I choose the one with no beaches! I don't even know if they have swimming pools! I'm sure they do but I've never seen one. All my life, as in ALL my life, I've lived within 5 or 10 minutes drive to the beach, tops. I even lived a year on the beachfront in England. Now I'm going to a city where when its hot (mostly in the afternoons) I can't escape to the beach and frolic and swim! Why am I doing this to myself? I guess I'll appreciate the 'Naki even more when I'm back in the summer. And all these beaauuutiful beaches. And I'll have to become more dependant on God to fill the beach sized hole inside me :-) Which can only be a good thing...

Thoughts and Ramblings

So... Christmas is over, New Years is tomorrow... Christmas was a big family affair with all our NZ family over in Papamoa. Christmas Day and often Boxing Day always seem to end up being days of compulsory doing nothing. Dunno why but you just can't plan anything or go anywhere or do things with people. It's family, food and little kids with presents! It actually wasn't all that bad despite being laid up on the couch all day 'coz I tore the ligaments in my ankle last Sunday and have been on crutches for over a week. Although I can hobble quite well. I spent most of the day wishing Jesus Happy Birthday - for some reason that made me quite happy - maybe the thought of wishing God in human form a Happy Birthday when God is beyond time seems a little silly but I know he appreciates the thought! I love how God limits himself when we talk to Him so it's fresh and exciting for Him too! God's amazing :-)

I spent two days at my friends house at Lake Tarawera with her family and Alana. It was sooo good. So relaxing and just amazing company and beautiful views! We took the boats out on the Lake and the others went water skiing and wake boarding (due to afore mentioned injury I didn't) but I just love water and being on or in it and have decided to buy a boat when I'm older and have money :-) I think it would be amazing to be able to go flying across the water and up and down or even just cruising leisurely- its just so nice and it is rather fun when the waves are under you and your going up and down like an amusement park ride or something! Despite the fact it was raining quite hard yesterday, we ventured across the Lake in Mirante to the hot water beach and a secluded hot water pool in the middle of the bush which was also very nice and such a good space to be close to God and friends and just chill (while being very warm). Nature just makes me feel so in awe and yet so close to God I can't help it. Even just looking at views and being on the lake or walking through the bush or walking the foreshore or taking a moment to appreciate the beauty of God's creation fills me with such a happy, loved feeling, like He made it all for me and He's there. He gifts me the sunrise every morning and made the birds sing for me to have a song and its like He's reaching out to me in the beautiful sunsets. I feel close to God with my friends too in a group sort of way but also like He's gifts me such amazing friends I can't stop thanking Him. In nature I tune out everything and it's literally just me and God. No one else, its our own private world, me and Him in our passionate love affair! So I got both group and personal amazing God time at the Lake.

Sometimes it feels like although God never wants to hurt me, He let me hurt my ankle to use it for good; to avoid the impending burn out which was round about due and to force me to relax and to spend more time with Him and to remind me not to take everything for granted. Believe me, it worked. Sometimes I think God knows what He's doing, don't you?

So in closing, I really can't complain - I have been very blessed this Christmas period and I know God loves me definitely and infinitely. Pain makes us stronger and so does increased personal time with God. May your New Years celebrations be safe and fun, and may 2009 be the most God filled year of your life yet. I certainly hope it will be for me. Any questions - just ask.
Love and blessings,

Jenny xox

Worship

For sure I love our beautiful foreshore. I can't help but be in love with God and feel close to and at peace with Him when I am amongst such beauty and nature.

This is my Fathers world

I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees

Of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought.

*****

Your love, O Lord, reaches to the Heavens, Your faithfullness to the skies. (Ps 36:5)

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. (Prov 16:9 NIV)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thes 5:16-18)

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. (Zeph 3:17 NIV)

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress. I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2 NIV)

Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. (Ps 95:6)

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. (Ps 145:3 NIV)

Looking Forward!

Yay I'm excited! I'm looking forward to so many things.

I'm looking forward to having Andy and Amanda back, I'm looking forward to study leave and then summer and beautiful weather. I'm looking forward to next year (and rather scared). I'm looking forward to tonight and the bonfire and fireworks and all the church being there and all the youth and leaders and playing rugby with the boys before we have dinner then lighting the giant bonfire then setting off fireworks and laughing as boys like A & S & P & T all go running on the fire/edge embers at the end to see who can get in the closest/last the longest and laughing more as me and the other youth do amusing things too. I'm looking forward to taking lots of photos and to one day having a relationship like Christina and Jesse do (only better!)!

Today was such a great day and I hope tonight will top it off. God is so good to me it seems unfair but I'm not going to complain! I will try to work for what I can and to live for God and to have God as my goal at all times so His desires are in my heart. I love the feeling of being loved. Soon today will be a memory but God is a God of the now and will be with me in tomorrow, just like He's with me now. I'm looking forward. With God in my future I have nothing to fear.

Keep smiling, it suits you :) (Only 5 minutes then I can leave lol!)

Haircut

Well while everyone seems so taken with change, i've taken it physically and had a haircut (and am slowly changing body shape for good). I'll admit I haven't spent a huge amount of time with God lately (since Sunday) but we're still tight. It's a comfortable companionship at the moment, wouldn't mind getting back into my passionate love relationship though! Work is very busy and tiring but that's no excuse. God is and should be number one in my life and no haircut will ever change that (it is a lovely haircut though, not sure about the practicalities of fringe for summer admittedly). I'm so tired i have nothing else on my mind except that i'm looking forward to seeing my beautiful girls (A,C & E) again - asap preferably, pay day (next week) and Captain T's hol club.
Oh and I watched Bridget Jones 1 & 2 the last couple of nights and after the 1st one had a very definite feeling of being very much like Bridget Jones - was quite bizarre but funny how happy I was to feel like her: i didn't/don't mind at all! Also, (yes I took the quiz) it would appear I am the Mr Darcy type, though I think actually I'd be very happy with a cross between the two combining the best qualities of the (fictional) Daniel Cleaver and the (fictional) Mr Mark Darcy.
:-D xox

What a week!

Wow what a week and it's not even over! Sunday was powerful and exhausting - 5 baptisms in 1 day! God is so totally moving in my/our town it's incredible.

Got all my mock results back, been planning for our ball all week and now it's tomorrow- so excited!

Tonight we had a youth service at the church round the corner. People from Stratty, CityLife and a whole actual bus load from Oaks came. It was packed out and really gd! All about how when we get our acts together God gives us a fresh start, every day if we need it. So relevant! Get your act together! Now!

That's it from me. That's the main stuff anyway :-D Praise God, He's awesome! And very very Crazy!