Living the life of a student

Well another few days down and we have more to be thankful for (isn't that always the way?). :)

It seems that God has provided a car for us, and although we are still having trouble getting our funds over here people are being amazingly generous and helping us out in trust. So Lord willing we will have a car on Saturday! Which will be huge. :)

On Wednesday I was feeling quite unwell, so we didn't leave the house and I just took it easy. Josh did some more Greek study, he has got the alphabet down pat, and has been working on some translation and pronunciation. 

Thursday we needed to go and get some groceries, so in the morning we walked to the nearest supermarket which was just over 2km away - so not tooooo bad, but made a bit more tricky with the heat (it was 89F, so about 31 degrees celsius) and also having to carry bags. But we like a challenge, and we don't mind walking at all, so made it fine. :)

We had a lovely simple dinner in the evening and spent quite a bit of time gazing out the window at the fireflies. It was the first time that we had ever seen any in real life and it was really cool! What amazing creation right! This little bit of video was the best I managed to get of them, and I'm not sure if you can see much in this, but at the end you see one flash across the screen. :) Also there was another lightening storm that night, so you can spot a very quick flash in the sky at the start of the video. 

I have to confess, I like fashion a wee bit (possibly more than I should)(I did warn you it was a confession), so have decided to make it my personal mission to try and create a comfortable wardrobe on a teeny budget. We came over with only 3 bags, and mostly summer clothes. We didn't want to have to pack a lot of clothes because we needed space for other things. So we don't have anything for winter apart from a few hoodies and a couple of pairs of jeans each. So up the road is a Goodwill store (like a big op-shop) which I haven't been in yet, but I think that there will have to be some recycling of clothing going on and I am going to have to crack out the needle and thread and get some ideas off Pinterest! :D We'll see how we go. 

This afternoon we were able to meet up with another student who will be starting study this year and his wife. They were a lovely Dutch couple, so it was really nice to meet them and compare stories about our experiences so far in the US! 

I have been trying to do a bit of baking, so have made some cookies mostly as thank you offerings for all the people who have been so kind to us so far. When words aren't enough, say it with cookies (I think that's how the saying goes). :) However the batch of chocolate chip cookies that I made this morning were a little bit of a fail - it was so warm here that the chocolate all melted into the dough. So they are pretty much just chocolate cookies now. :P Oh well, once I bake them hopefully they will taste ok - that's the main thing!

My supposed 'chocolate-chip' cookie dough - hmm or not.

I also made some home-made lemonade (non-fizzy) with just a couple of lemons, a bit of sugar and water which has been very tasty and upped our vitamin-C intake a bit hopefully! It's great to be able to make a cool, cheap and tasty alternative to just having water. :)

So despite frustrations over not having easy access to our funds, and therefore having to be dependent on other people's kindness (testing our humility) we have a huge amount to be thankful for. A very kind lady from church on Sunday gave me a daily devotional book by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and the devotional from the 27th was talking about dealing with difficult situations (referencing Romans 8:37), and said the following:

"But true, Christ-centered, grace-motivated gratitude fits everywhere, even in life's most desperate moments and difficult situations. Even when there are no "answers", it gives hope. Gratitude is what transforms overwhelmed strugglers into triumphant conquerors, even if their circumstances remain, for the present, unchanged."

Although our situation really is not very difficult at all - there are some things that we are experiencing that we could too easily get frustrated and stressed about, and sin in doing so. So it was great to have a reminder to take stock of all we have to be thankful for! And just to prove that it is still us writing, we thought we'd throw in a selfie. :)

Word for the day - 'Derecho'

Well we have been here for over a week now and it has been a huge learning experience as well as a lot of fun. Josh has just the weekend to go before he starts intensive Greek, so in the meantime is making the most of recuperating from the jet lag and getting started with some study. I have managed to score myself a pretty nasty cold which isn't ideal, however the new experiences we are having is making up for it. :)

We got to go to Redeemer church last Sunday which was really great! The service and worship was very similar to home (even used the blue Psalter Hymnal) and the preaching was very good. It was convicting, encouraging, and thought provoking. The people were also really welcoming and friendly - not to mention generous! What a blessing to be far away from home and yet still find like-minded brothers and sisters. So Sunday was a fun day - it was nice to get out of the house as well, and have an opportunity to meet other people. We are hoping to go again this weekend and Lord willing make it our home church while we are here in the US.

Monday we spent most of the day at home catching up on some email writing and reading. On the weekend I was loaned the book 'Respectable Sins' by Jerry Bridges (author of 'The Pursuit of Holiness') and so far have been finding it really good to read - although it's very challenging! Which I suppose is part of the reason why it is so good. 

It's really cool to see all the American flags flying down the streets and on people's houses. 

Then we went and looked at cars. We are still trying to sort out getting our funds transferred from NZ which is turning out to be quite a process! It's pretty different to home that's for sure, and I guess just makes us really thankful for how straight forward some things are back home. 

Anyway, we went and had a look at cars which was quite fun. We saw one that could be a possibility, and I got to test drive it. :D It was a manual, which I was quite excited about, because I like driving manual, and I have been wanting to drive a new model of manual for a while just to give it a go. I think that the salesman was a bit shocked when we asked for the keys for a test drive - he raised his eyebrows and said 'It is a manual you realise?' - I just grinned my head off (most people over here drive autos). I just stuck to the sales yard rather than braving going out on the roads - haha not quite ready for that yet especially in a car that's not ours! So that could be an option, it will be great once we have a car and a way of getting ourselves around!

After trying out the car we then went to the seminary (we had someone from the seminary who was very graciously driving us around) - Josh and I waited in the car because it was just a visit to check in. So while we were waiting in the car I noticed that the sky to the west of us was looking dark. Really dark. Up to that point it had been  hot sunny weather with blue skies and a bit of cloud. 

Then BAM! - seriously it was practically that sudden there were massive black clouds over us and these crazy winds that were buffeting the car. I have to confess, it was quite freaky. A tree came down outside the seminary (just a medium sized one - but I was impressed). At first I was sure it was a small tornado, it really did feel like one - but apparently they get short burst storms like this quite often.

The ill fated tree outside the Seminary

As we drove back home there were quite a few branches off trees and scattered across the roads. I looked up the weather reports and as it turns out it was a 'derecho'. I had to look this one up:

"Derechoes are large clusters of thunderstorms that produce widespread wind damage, usually as a result of one or more curved lines of thunderstorms known as bow echoes. The word in the Spanish language means "straight" and these windstorms leave wide, long swaths of straight-line wind damage. These winds can be as strong as 50 to 100 mph or higher." 

So there you go, learn something new everyday. :) All up we are so thankful for how God is providing for us in our time over here so far. He has given us food to eat each day, a very comfortable place to stay, and much more. Plus we survived our first summer storm. :D 

We're there!

So we made it! 12 hours flying from Auckland to San Francisco, 4 hours in transit there, then another 4 hour flight to Chicago and everything was smooth. I was praying like crazy throughout - that our bags would be safe and we wouldn't get held up at customs, that our plane would stay in the air (it was a really bumpy flight across the Pacific, but we got used to it after a while). 

We made sure to fill Josh up with a coffee at San Francisco. ;)

The medium sized coffee was easily the size of an extra-large in NZ, so I was glad I didn't pop to the full-size.

And now we are here in Lansing, Illinois. Our first impressions...
- Lansing is a really pretty area. The neighbourhoods are tree-lined and the houses are very cute and well maintained. And they pretty much all have beatiful lawns. There are also quite a few parks around. There were a couple of houses that had letter boxes that were made as little model replicas of the house they belonged to. :)

- We walked around for 2 hours this afternoon to the grocery store which was really nice (although its hot here at the moment being the start of summer) and it is going to take some getting used to crossing the road and making sure we look the right way!

- A minor thing, but having come from winter it's strange for it to be currently 7.30pm and its still light and sunny outside.
- Money. They have a lot of it. In so far as there are just so many coins and notes! Plus they all pretty much look the same. We handed over a big bunch of $1 bills at a grocery store this afternoon and I was compelled to apologise for all the change (like you would in NZ), but the cashier just took it in his stride, they must be used to it. :)

- Just thought I'd throw this in there; we woke up today (at 2pm hehehe) ready to have some breakfast, and our super amazing NZ friends whose house we are staying us left us a very fun bag of goodies to keep us going. In which were some breakfast cereals the likes of which you can only find here in the States ( they definitely didn't have them in the UK that's for sure. So we got to have Cheerios and Peanut Butter Toast Crunch cereal for brekkie! Here it is pictured with the humongous gallon bottle of milk. :) I'm always up for trying new things, so I had a bowl of each. :D

- Yes the cheese is orange (more orange than we are used to anyway). Some very generous people supplied us with some milk and bread, blocks of cheese (and some exciting US candy :D), and there is this very cool block of marbled cheese. 

We used it on our dinner tonight. ;)

- Also the drivers seem to be very polite. We were waiting to cross a road at the head of a 'T' junction, and a guy had just driven up to turn out of it. He saw us and then went so far as to reverse back to let us cross! Then we came up to a driveway where a guy in a truck had pulled up to leave from, and he apologised to us out of the window for not giving way to us. Seems really nice that way (unless its just a road rule that I don't know about). :) I don't think you find it as much in NZ.

All in all we are loving experiencing different things. It's a great adventure, and we are so thankful to have the opportunity! Tomorrow hopefully we will get to go and visit the seminary, so we are looking forward to that. :) In summary, a great first day in the States.

And then there was one...

One more night left in NZ! Crazy but true. We have been finishing off the last minute packing, and saying goodbye to friends and family (that's the hardest part), and sorting out last minute details - like International licenses, the sourcing of NZ flags as per special request of the Couperus family :D (only $6 at the Look Sharp store in Albany - woot!), meeting up with Grandma for a coffee and saying goodbye :'( and juggling our luggage so that our bags aren't overweight! 

Our brains are a little teensy bit mushy at the moment, and 20 or so hours in transit probably won't help that too much - but we are very willing and ready to go, and looking forward to discovering what God has planned for us! :)

Very excited about meeting everyone over in the States as well, we have heard so much about the welcoming nature of Americans, and having met a few of the faculty from MARS already we look forward to seeing them again soon! Plus it is exciting to anticipate meeting others who are passionate about the ministry and getting to learn alongside them, as well as join a new church family. Exciting times ahead!

We had an amazing church lunch yesterday (North Shore always does fantastic church lunches :D), and were so encouraged and thankful for the support of our home congregation. We will miss everyone very much. We are so thankful for our deacons who have taken very good care of us (particularly David Bilton), and for the ministry and guidance that we have received from John Rogers over the years - what an amazing example he and Sheryl are for us. As well as the rest of the Session who have been very encouraging especially to Josh as he has worked alongside them over the past year or so. 

Having such a church family supporting us is amazing - not to mention all the other congregations throughout NZ who have been doing the same from a distance! 

Earlier this year I was challenged to think about something in particular that I wanted to work on in regards to my spiritual walk - and I thought that I really would love to learn more about humility. And God really has been teaching us in a positive way about humility. That we can trust in Him, and that He will provide through our church family is very humbling in the best kind of way. What an incredible way to learn it! (And I'm sure there will be more lessons over the rest of our lives).

Anyway, I (that is, Hannah) am going to pull out my stars and stripes outfit and enjoy this adventure in the USA (hopefully they like it through customs).

Next time we write - we will probably be Stateside!

A new chapter (you gotta love those!)

Well, we have only 6 more days left in New Zealand. And although it is the second time we have left home to embark on a new adventure, this time has a distinctly different feel to it. 

Byee byee NZ we will miss you!

For one thing, we leave for a different purpose. Josh is looking forward very much to starting study at MARS (although I think there are a few nerves in regards to Intensive Greek over the summer, but he is very stoic in his preparation for it). :) Last time we were headed to the UK for a 'working-holiday', whereas this time it's more about the 'work' less about the holiday (well, more so for Josh anyway ;)).

Heading into the ministry is a very daunting albeit exciting prospect. Speaking for myself, there are times when doubtful and disparaging thoughts pop into my head. And I confess, it's a massive blessing to remember that we are not going in our own strength! (Praise God for that!)

And this has already been illustrated to us in a huge number of ways. We are crazy overwhelmed by the generosity of the people in the RCNZ (Reformed Churches of New Zealand). Without this support, we wouldn't be going. It's as simple as that! 

And we are so thankful for the prayers and encouraging words that people have given us. Again, without these - it would be too easy to fall victim to those doubt thoughts that threaten to sneak in all the time. 

So, with great thankfulness to God, for all He has already given us (even though we haven't even left yet!) we embark on a journey that really does start a new chapter in our lives. 

As as much as we are leaving for a different purpose this time (maybe a bit more on our last trip in another post ;)), we have the same ultimate goals:

To best serve our Saviour wherever He sends us; 

trusting in Him for strength and guidance; 

acknowledging that everything good we receive is from Him; 

and being willing, in humility, to learn to be more like Jesus. 

So! Here we go! 
~Hannah

P.S. We would love your prayer support in the lead up to us leaving - particularly in regards to having all our documentation sorted, trying to sell our car, and making sure our bags aren't overweight (which sounds kind of silly, but if we are overweight we have to pay an extra $200! :p). And most importantly, that we will keep calm, trusting and not stress (ok, yup I'm mostly talking about me - Josh already is very good at these things, I'm so thankful for him!)

Allo!

We thought that starting up a blog just before our journey over to study at Mid-America Reformed Seminary (MARS) would be a great way to keep everyone up to date. So here we go! (Plus we were inspired by the Kiwi's who are already over there and have their own blog - you should check it out HERE, it's a goodie :)).

So here it is. A place where we will (hopefully) keep you up-to-date with our adventures in the USA, as we face new cultures, and different climates. A new living situation, and a reverse way of driving. A place where the way we say 'tomato' is altogether wrong. Intensive Greek, being back to full-time student life and Christmas in the snow! Dun dun DUN!!! (I hope that sounded as dramatic and exciting in your mind as it did in mine :D)

Maybe a little bit about us for those of you who may not know us so well. :) We are both born and bred Kiwis. Both raised attending church - Hannah at the Reformed Church of the North Shore. Josh moving around a bit because his Dad is a minister, so he was at Pukekohe Reformed Church, in Christchurch at Bishopdale and then Dovedale as it was instituted. 

We were married 8 1/2 years ago, and can gratefully say we are even happier now then we were when first married. :) Josh has been a high-school teacher for the past 6 years, Hannah has been pursuing book illustration. So far, the Lord has not blessed us with a family, but He has blessed us in a huge number of other ways. We spent some time living in the UK after living in Christchurch for the first 3 years of our marriage, then came back to settle in Auckland where we have loved being members of the North Shore church once again. Now we are heading off to the USA so that Josh can study for the next three years working towards a Masters in Divinity. After which, Lord willing we will return home to NZ! 

This is us, and we hope that you will see us grow spiritually as this blog grows literally over the next three years. :)