New Zealand at first glance

We arrived in New Zealand yesterday, which is actually today for all of you reading this!  Our flight went without a glitch.  The flight part.  The part before the flight was horrendous and included Justin's record-breaking passport acquisition time (3 hours!), 7 borderline overweight boxes to be checked, being caught with overweight carry-ons, passing through the pain of security twice, and the typical long walks through airport terminals carrying way too much and feeling the pressure of making it on time.  That said, we did make it on time to all our flights (Justin missed the first leg, but caught up with us in L.A.--also just in time!) and finally settled in to our overnight accommodations: Air New Zealand flight 5 with reclining seats and complimentary pillows and blankets.  We actually slept okay!

 Sun rising over the pacific ocean.

Soon after we and our fellow travelers began stirring, breakfast was served, and before we knew it, this came into view:

 Almost there!

 Doesn't it just look magnificent?

We deplaned and headed toward customs.  It felt like afternoon, but it was only 8 am in New Zealand.  They're really playing up the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit stuff.  The safety video before the flight included characters and jokes from the stories and even Peter Jackson was featured as one of the passengers.  Auckland airport was decorated to look like you were passing into Middle Earth.

 May the road rise up to meet you...

After getting through customs, visas, car rental, and cell phone stuff, we left the airport and headed south.  Next stop: supplies.  Where did we end up? 

 New Zealand's version of Home Depot.

Not exactly the first place I would have visited if I'd had the choice.  But, I met some great Kiwis and we got everything we needed (hopefully!) without too much hassle.  

 Checking things off the list.

 Two carts full should do it!

We had quite a drive down to Te Awamutu where we met up with the farmer Precision has worked with for several years.  As I type this, in fact, Jonathan and Justin are installing the harvest system on one of his combines before it continues on in the canola harvest.

 We'll be back in a few months for this!

New Zealand is absolutely breath-takingly beautiful!  After meeting up with the grower and his team, we drove another few hours south to where his combine is actually harvesting.  The drive revealed some of the most spectacular scenery!  

It started off looking a lot like central California, rolling hills with taller mountains in the background, but just gentle grassy slopes much of the time covered with fields of grazing cattle and sheep or grain.  Scattered throughout the landscape were these beautiful rock formations or boulders looking like they'd just been tossed there!

We didn't stop to make many pictures, and the ones I did attempt don't do it justice.  I've never seen so much diversity.  One minute you're in farmland, then the next it's a forest of tall pine trees, then it's rocky cliffs covered will such an incredible variety of foliage--pines, palms, ferns--around a deep blue lake, then it's more grazing land with little rolling hills and at any moment you expect Frodo and Sam to come running over to greet you.

Suddenly, you round a corner and mountains loom ahead, volcanoes actually, and one is smoking.  As we drove through these gorgeous vistas, the sun sunk in the west.  It felt like one in the morning, but was only dusk.  

At some point we stopped in a small town for some cultural dining.  In very British-like fashion, this takeaway fish and chips hole in the wall caught our eye.

It was delicious, and incredibly greasy!  But it was an experience!  Everything in New Zealand has been an experience!  From walking out of the airport into the humid 80 degree weather of sudden summer, to the adorable kiwi accents of the friends we've made along the way.  

We're thanking God for the safe trip here, His faithfulness along the way, perfect timing and provision, and the beauty of His creation in all it's breathtaking splendor!  Thank you for praying us safely here!  More to come!

Ready! Set! G--Stop! Er, actually, Go!--no...Wait!

Planned Launch Date.  February 5th.

7:00 am  Jonathan departs Goodfield toward Tremont for last minute packing of equipment.  Supposed meeting with Justin K. after passport retrieval at local post office.

Kali: Text me when you're on your way.

7:36 am  Kali finishes up final packing of personal items except for a few things still at Sauders' house.  She makes a mad dash over to Roanoke and races back, just in time to get everything ready to go by the door, awaiting the text.

8:42 am  Email received: 

"Passport had not arrived...we should plan to postpone our flights..."

10:02 am  Jonathan calls Kali.

Jonathan:  Check into how much it costs to change our flight.  If it's a lot, maybe we should go on ahead and let Justin catch up.

10:27 am  Kali looks into the cost of changing flights.  Expensive.  

10:37 am  Email received:

"sounds like it might make financial sense to send you two overnight"

10:53 am  Email received:

"Based on this information, I am going to encourage us to launch.  There will be some time pressure, but 6 hrs should be sufficient.  Jonathan is going to meet me in Morton in 23-30 minutes.  We'll head your way..."

Kali responds:

"I'm in!  I'll be ready."

11:09 am  Jonathan calls Kali.

J:  Hi, I'm on my way to Morton.
K:  Yeah, so much for no stress.
J:  Yup, ready?
K:  I'll be ready and waiting.
J:  Actually, it'll be nice.  Maybe we'll get a few hours to experience New Zealand waiting for Justin to get in.
K:  Yeah, we'll be hanging around Auckland or Hamilton?
J:  We'll figure that out.
K:  Ok, see you soon.

11:27 am  Jonathan texts Kali.

J:  No, nvm.  what is your booking ref for air NZ
J:  need your credit card # ???  Justin is trying to change tickets, so never mind.

11:34 am  Jonathan texts Kali.

J:  Be careful of even short term expectations.

11:42 am  Jonathan texts Kali.

J:  Change was much less than we thought, so we will all go together tomorrow
K:  Same times?
J:  Yes

11:54 am  Jonathan calls Kali.

J:  So, never mind, we're not going today.
K:  What a ride!
J:  Yeah.  Maybe we'll at least call it a day a little earlier today at least.
K:  Ok, see ya later.

Still catching my breath!

The Last Crazy Week

It seems so crazy to think we've been in Illinois for almost four weeks!  Jonathan and I haven't spent so much time here since we lived here!  The days have flown by as we soaked up time with family, dove into new learning experiences at work, and somehow squeezed in a little of a social life!  

As for my day at work last Friday...I know you're all dying to know how it went.  Yes, I survived my combine orientation.  Although I don't think I could handle harvesting in the beast, I suppose I am rather oriented now.  

Here it is, the green giant beast-like monster

 That little toy-size person up there is Jonathan.  Seriously, you can't believe how huge this thing is!

For the record, I did grow up in central Illinois and, as a native, I have seen combines before and actually, I've seen one up close.  I have even ridden one.  A few times.  As a child.  This, however, was my first interaction with one as far as trying to understand the engineering behind one of these enormous harvesters.  Jonathan walked me around the combine (which he described sort of like a space ship--a pretty good description when you consider how massive it is and how oddly shaped) and introduced me to the various augers, threshers, and sieves.  And then, we climbed inside.

 Look how happy I am to be having my first combine driving lesson!

I didn't back it up (rear steering, reverse, and me behind the wheel just isn't a good combination).  I didn't pull it into the shed (which would have required some tight maneuvering).  But, I did drive it.  I drove in every gear, went through the motions of harvesting (lowering the head and turning on the machinery that smashes, whacks, and blows the grain off the stalks), and I even turned it around.  I know, I know, you're all so impressed.  

 Please note that my feet do not touch the ground.

Anyway, that was my combine driving lesson.  Beyond that, the work week was full of preparations for our upcoming trips: boxing and shipping the equipment, teleconferences with contacts, designing,  testing, building...all kinds.  Are we ready?  I hope so!  My calendar says tomorrow is the big day!  After a few hours of last minute packing, we should be on our way to O'hare before noon and on our way to New Zealand by late afternoon.  

Thank you so much for your prayers regarding our preparations!  It has been so meaningful!  I'm sure it was prayer that delivered our passports (and brazilian visas!) just in time this afternoon!  Now, we'd ask you to please cover us in prayer as we begin traveling--remember it's not just a journey around the world, it's a journey toward the heart of God!

No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.  Luke 8:16

Make Us Ready

The busyness of Winter Conference is over. Check. Visas applications delivered. Check. (Keep praying they arrive in time!) It's too rainy for the combine-driving lesson, that will have to wait. And considering I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to engineering, design, or import laws, it seems my useful tasks are becoming fewer and fewer, at least for awhile. Which is why I've had several quite relaxing days, unlike Jonathan. It's been nice, especially since I've been recovering from a cold contracted over the weekend.  

Speaking of the weekend, we've been enjoying all the family time while in the area! Friday night we celebrated Jonathan's birthday with the Sauder clan who gifted him this:

A lego set of Big Ben. This kept him occupied for awhile! All in all, it was a fun time! Saturday we repeated the celebration, but with my family, by taking him to Flat Top and then Sweet Cece's frozen yogurt (see the trend, he likes to choose places that encourage you to build your own masterpiece). Sunday was spent at Congerville church which is going through a rough time, so please keep praying for God's healing power and unchanging love to surpass all the hurt and transform the pain to glory!

As the weekend wound down, there were definite themes God was starting to highlight. And over the past few days, as I've had some extra time on my hands, He's continued to reveal the same.  

Preparation. In one week, the crazy travel schedule begins. So many unknowns, so many arrangements to be made. And yet more than all that, my prayer has been for God to prepare our hearts. From the beginning, we wanted this job to be more than occupational experience. We wanted to discover new depths of knowing God both personally, and as a couple, and also allow that transforming experience to open our eyes to how God wants to utilize our time abroad to glorify His Name in the nations we're given opportunity to visit. Please join in praying for God's anointing on us during the next week as we approach launch date.  

Make Us Ready

Harvest Bashta

Let there be oil in my lamp,

Let the fire not go out, 

When I hear the Bridegroom comes.

Make us ready.  

So take my lamp set it on a hill,

Set it on a lamp stand,

I won't be hidden.

I'll be dripping with the oils of Love.

So take my lamp set it on a hill,

Set it on a lamp stand,

I won't be hidden.

Make us ready.

Flexibility--which inherently means some stretching

We're learning to respond with an attitude of flexibility.  Why is that so hard?  Does anyone else find the ability to react to unexpected changes or new assignments with an air of easy adjustment extremely difficult to master?  What is it about us as humans that draws us to the comfortable and easy?

That said, in the last week, our travel plans have changed often along with our daily activities.  In that way, every day is a new adventure.  Take yesterday, for example.  I never would have thought I would ever have to sit through an all-day conference featuring speakers on different aspects of farming--from the best equipment available to cover seeds once they're planted, to the latest developing technology for measuring crop yield, to the advantages of planting beans in giant checkerboard fashion rather than more traditional rows.  Fascinating stuff.  Some of it.  Okay, a little bit of it.  Most of it was over my head.  But I did manage to pick up on a few things (Like the fact that a stalk of corn only has one ear when ready for harvest.  Which makes me wonder, why do we always draw it with a bunch of ears?).  Anyway, Jonathan loved it.  On the way home he said, "I could learn about anything in that amount of detail!"  Well, for me, it still falls under the new-experiences-expanding-my-horizons category, and there's only so much farm talk I can take.  There was a steak lunch included, so it wasn't all bad.

At one point during the speakers, I sneaked out for a change of scenery and went to the post office.  (Yes, that speaks volumes about my interest level considering going to visit the local post master was exciting.)  Actually, I needed to mail our applications for a Brazilian visa.  So, we can all pray that the process goes smoothly and we get those without much hassle.

Regarding travel plans, our launch date is now February 6 (more flexibility!).  We're pleased to have another week here in the temperatures plunging dangerously close to zero!  No really!  In spite of the cold, extra time with family and friends, not to mention more time to prepare for take off, is much appreciated!  The plan is still New Zealand first, followed by South America, and the schedule still allows for a few days here and there in California since our trips will be in 10-day to 2-week chunks.  Talk about flexibility!  I guess it's good to be getting practice.

It's funny, another word for flexible, is yielding.  I've heard that word several times this last week--especially last weekend as dear Hannah publicly committed her life to Christ.  In our spiritual journey, yielding to the Spirit is how we learn to know God.  As hard as it is to surrender because it breaks us, it always leads to revelation!  And there is nothing greater than experiencing God as He reveals His character!

Venturing into New Territory

New territory meaning not so much exotic locations, but rather bitter cold and gray cubicles.

Arriving in Illinois last week, we spent the weekend catching up with family and friends, despite the icy weather.  Yes, I said icy.  We're not in southern California anymore.  Brrr!

This frigid morning we found ourselves at work for the first official day of our new job.  Jonathan fit right in with all the engineer-speak and is already having fun hashing out ideas and working on exciting projects.  This is all so new to me--an eight to five job, with meetings and conference calls, cubicles and coffee, and a great majority of the workday spent staring at a computer screen.  I'm still working on finding my footing and figuring out exactly what it is I'm supposed to be doing.  We've been able to talk with a few contacts in South America which has helped us firm up our travel schedule, at least for the first round of sojourning.  I've started to look at travel details and as a result am slightly cross-eyed as I type this!  Dates, timezones, airports, layovers, arrival and departure times have succeeded in tying my brain up in knots and also turning it into oatmeal (points for recognizing the Adventures in Oddessy quote--it's Jason, also an adventurer!)  Something about sitting in a cubicle and staring at the same screen for hours on end has numbed me.  I'd almost forgotten we're on an adventure!  It doesn't take much to remind me as the screen comes back into focus and words like Auckland, Córdoba, and Sao Paulo jump out at me.  New experiences up ahead!

Our launch date is January 29th, less than 2 and a half weeks away.  The first round begins with a week in New Zealand, followed by a night at the beach cottage in dear old Manhattan Beach.  Yes, you read that right!  Cheers erupt from the Californians!  It looks like we'll be traveling through that giant airport just up the road from us, LAX, now and then, which means a few days home here and there!  And trust me, we won't be taking that lovely 70 degree weather for granted anymore!

The Adventure

Frodo, an adventurer if there ever was one, from the allegory The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, quoted his also adventuring uncle,

"Remember what Bilbo used to say: 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door.  You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'"

Amid the whirlwind of the past few weeks, we've come to catch the spirit of adventure Frodo and Bilbo refer to.  What seemed a routine email to a former employer, turned into a crazy idea, which suddenly loomed as an actual possibility, which then, before we could even catch our breath, became a reality.  When Jonathan was first pitched the idea of spending this Spring traveling the southern hemisphere, he thought I'd never agree to it.  When I did, rather excitedly, we decided not to let our hopes rise, since it was still just a fanciful theory and facing great odds.  We agreed to let the doors open or close... and just be willing.  Soon Jonathan had a leave of absence from USC allowing him to postpone his thesis defense and graduation until the fall semester, I was quitting my jobs, and we faced a very real adventure.  

Throughout those days of doors opening and things falling into place, God kept speaking to us about seasons.  "For everything there is a season..." said the wisest man who ever lived.  That resonated.  Our God, the one who first called us to lives of adventure--and trust me, any life fully dedicated to Him is an adventure--was now opening the way for us to, in faith, leave the comfortable, predictable, "make-sense" life we lived in our little beach cottage in southern California, at least for a season.  

So, here we are.  Tomorrow we embark on our sojourn.  The thing about sojourning is that it's temporary.  And there's nothing like leaving your comfort zone to realize that this entire life we get so caught up in is really only temporary.  We hope to learn that lesson--and by learn, I mean experience, this isn't book-learning anymore--and so many more.