New Zealand- Mt. Cook/Lake Tekapo

This is a trip I have been praying about taking for two years.  I had a the wonderful opportunity to visit my friend, Liz Goodgame, when she and her family lived in Rotarua.  While I was there, I started praying that my family would be able to experience the New Zealand beauty for themselves. Well,  He opened doors and made it happen!

The trip started for us on Tuesday December 13th.  I picked up the kids from school at noon, and we were off to the airport. Because we were able to use our miles for airfare, we were at the airline's mercy, so our first leg was to Bangkok, then to Sydney (for a day-long layover) and then on two separate flights to Auckland.  Again...a bit challenging, but it saved us a lot of money.

We met Ron and Rebecca in Auckland. Andy, Sarah and Abby got in about 9pm and me and the olders got in around 12am.  Then it was back to the airport for our domestic flight to Christchurch. Our flight arrived around 11am, we then hooked up with the camper vans and lunch...and we were on the road by 2pm.

Because Andy and I were used to driving on the left side of the road, we were the designated drivers. Yes, this was slightly intimidating...my Hong Kong van is big, but not that big!! It took about 24hrs to get used to it, but soon we both were driving at ease.  One thing about NZ...the roads are narrow and windy, but there aren't many other people on the them. I was glad that Andy took the lead, much less stressful for me. I had heard that driving could be dangerous...hearing about drivers not used to driving on the left, or others not paying attention because of the scenery, so I was constantly praying for protection. And after only being there one day, I understood the concerns.  Within the first couple hours, we turned a corner and our jaws dropped...we could not believe the scenery.  It was our first glimpse of Mt. Cook.  We immediately got our of the car to take pictures.  What we didn't know then, is that this would be a common practice on our trip.

Loved all the lupins!!!

Ron went to check out the sheep

One of my favorite pics... early in the trip and they were still cooperative:)

A short time after stopping to see the lupin, sheep and mountains, Rebecca had heard about the Church of the Good Shepherd, which is by a lake, with Mt. Cook as the background. While it had gotten a "bit" colder and more windy, we stopped, ran around, and tried to take as many pictures as we could before the clouds rolled in, dodging a large group of Asian tourists.

Sarah liked running after the rabbits

Ahhh...fresh air and exercise

Trying to keep warm

We got to our first campsite just before dark.  After a quick dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, some of us got beds ready and other put a fire together (that we realized later was illegal).  This was great fun for Andy and the kids, who had a blast collecting firewood.  It was great watching them run and enjoy the wide open space, taking it all in. After being in the campers for over three hours, we all needed it.

It was finally about 10pm when the beds were made and they had gotten the fire started.  Of course, the adults were exhausted, but fire making only got the kids more excited.  We enjoyed the fire for about 45 minutes, and then it was time for bed.  Some of us realized that the sun sets late (9:30pm), but rises early (5am) and when you camp, you get up with the sun.

Fortunately for me, I was the only one in my camper who got up with the sun and thoroughly enjoyed the stillness of the morning, soaking in the scenery.  It was truly one of those "thin-place" moments when you feel so close to heaven you can taste it.

After a quick breakfast, we were on the road again...checking out Mt. Cook a little closer.  On the road, we found that the camper van that Andy was driving had a flap that wasn't secure.  So when we got to the Mt. Cook village, Ron was able to borrow some duck tape. Somehow, Rebecca and I got away for some coffee, and ended up with a great breakfast at a cute mountain cafe, while Andy led the troops.  Then we made it to the parking for the hiking trails, bundled up, and made the 45 minute hike towards the base of Mt. Cook.  It was spectacular and one of my favorite hikes we did during the entire trip. When we started, it was kind of cloudy...but by the time we hit the end, the sky was blue.

Mt. Cook/Aoraki is 12,349 feet high...the tallest mountain in New Zealand

Getting a little windy, but the sun got us warmer

Obviously something was funny

Such dear friends

Amazing

Andy and Josh crossed the gorge

The memorial was powerful

We had such a wonderful time hiking in this national park and were so thankful and blessed by the weather.  Our minds were blown by the beauty of the Lord...it was a theme for our entire trip. When we were finished with the hike, it was time to get on the road again.  We were on our way to Queenstown...stay tuned:)

Puff 2016 Year in Review

It was a very full year, with lots of travel and visitors highlighting our year.  We are grateful for the extension of Andy's contract, allowing us to stay a little longer in Hong Kong...and we wanted to make the most of the opportunity.  Looking back at the year, I think we did just that.

We started off the year Down Under...on the end of our amazing trip to Australia.  It truly was an answer to prayer to be in Sydney for the fireworks, with our traveling saints, Ron and Rebecca, and my parents. Words cannot express how grateful I am that we got to share that experience with them. My parents were then able to come to Hong Kong and spend two weeks with us here...such a gift!!

From there, it was a steady stream of travel and guests.  The Sweetmans, Geshays, Cannelongos and Gehrmann Family all came before we traveled home to the US in the summer.  We are so incredibly blessed to have dear friends who have made the effort, and have had the resources and time, to see our Hong Kong life. Then this past fall, the Marletts traveled from Japan, Anne Isabella made her second trip to see us, a group of young missionaries from the US serving in Xian came to stay twice, and Andy's sister, Christy, and her daughter, Brittany, were able to come for about 10 days.  If you are still interested, you have about 6 months to plan...flights are the cheapest they have been since we moved here and we have a guest room open:)

As far as travel, we have certainly been blessed to have taken advantage of being in an Asian hub, so accessible to some amazing places.  In 2016, one or all of us have been to Cambodia, Korea, China, Guam, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Japan, Australia and finishing the year in New Zealand. Of course, there are a few places in Asia that are still on our list, but we are incredibly grateful for the opportunities to stretch our perspectives and behold some of God's incredible creation.

The kids have done "some" changing...here is a snapshot of their year:

Grace, 15yrs, is now a sophomore in high school.  She is maturing into a beautiful young woman, inside and out.  Her list of activities is lengthy, but highlighted would be show choir, worship team, and soccer.  Also, this past summer, she was able to go to Young Life's Malibu Club in British Columbia with a group of 70 students and adults from Hong Kong.

Grace and Marina before her freshman banquet

Emma, 13yrs, is in 7th grade, and has been affectionately given the nickname "the Asian Caucasian" by her siblings because of her self-discipline and borderline perfectionism.  She has also enjoyed basketball and soccer, and came to the realization that the Lord has given her a heart for the Cambodian people, serving their on two different occasions.

Emma after her MS show "Beauty and the Beast"

Joshua, 10yrs, is in 5th grade.  He is compassionate, energetic and active...enjoying basketball, tennis and soccer.  He is also known to use his skill of relating to and getting along with girls...having four sisters is serving him.

Josh and Andy after hiking part of the Wilson Trail

Abigail, 8yrs, is loving 2nd grade.  She is quite social, reads up a storm, and has been very self-disciplined in getting homework done.  Her niche is gymnastics, as the Lord has given her a lot of flexibility...she does front and back walkovers wherever there is room.

Abby having fun on Sports Day

Sarah, 4yrs, is quite the personality.  She started school in the fall, and apparently, makes sure she is heard:) We laugh a lot at Sarah who loves riding the train, eats everything, and loves to get into her siblings stuff...like a good baby sister.

Sarah and her "bus stop buddies"

Andy has done his own fair share of traveling for work, mostly in the region, but went back to the US once in the fall.  He also part-times as "travel agent" for the family, and still chairs the Hong Kong Young Life committee.

I continue to take advantage of help in the home by our wonderful Marina, and get involved with things I normally wouldn't have the opportunity to do.  Playing on a tennis team, coaching soccer and basketball at the school, and being a Young Life leader are some of my commitments

As far as family in the States, who are never far from our thoughts and prayers, we are grateful for how the Lord has covered them.  Andy's parents have both had cancer in the last few years.  His Dad's cancer is still in remission, and after a very long summer of chemo, Andy's mom is fighting her cancer, battling through the surgery and recently, last radiation.  All praise be to God, all of my Dad's MRI's have been stable, showing no change in his brain tumor.  And just last week, after a two year wait, my sister received a new kidney from my sister-in-law, Amy.  Both of them are recovering nicely, Kathy getting home today.

As many of you know, we are in our last year of living in Hong Kong and will be transitioning back to Pennsylvania this summer.  We can't believe that we will have been here almost five years, as we look at all the changes that have taken place...both at home, as well as in us.  It certainly has been an adventure that God has used to shape us and prepare us for whatever comes next.  While we will miss Hong Kong, it will remain a part of us that will never be forgotten, we look forward to our next adventure.  We believe that while we are headed back to our "old home," that God, in His goodness, has NEW things planned for each of us.

November Hike to Sai Wan

Early November is usually close to perfect weather in Hong Kong.  The humidity has gone and the temps are still high that you can be outside hiking or swimming.  This is probably the time of year I love the most, and the time of year I will miss.  We have been wanting to hike to Sai Wan Beach for over a year, and I was grateful when our friends, the Powell Family, said they wanted to go, too!  We had also heard that there were waterfalls nearby, so we were going to do our best to check those out, as well.

We started out by driving to Sai Kung and parking.  Then the wild card is finding a taxi to take us to Sai Wan Pagoda.  You never know how long it will be to find a taxi, and we were very blessed that one went out of his way to come and get us (apparently we were in an area they weren't supposed to come) and then he "overlooked" that we crammed six of us in a five passenger taxi (Grace couldn't join us today) We had a great driver who knew exactly what we were talking about, and by the time we got there we had to wait about 5 minutes for the Powells.  As the men looked at the map, we got our sunscreen and bug spray on...then we were off!

The hike itself wasn't too strenuous and pretty well marked...two good things when you are hiking with young kids. It probably took about 45minutes until we got to the beach...not bad for four adults, seven kids and a dog:) When I first saw the beach, I honestly was disappointed that we hadn't done this earlier!!  It was beautiful and the closest thing I had seen to a beach I was accustomed to in Hong Kong  And the kids had a blast...jumping waves, swimming, putting poor Buddy in the water, and playing in the sand.  We just enjoyed ourselves, ate our lunches, and took advantage of a wide open, crowd-less beach.  We really didn't want to leave.  But as the time flew by, we realized that if we were going to find the waterfalls, we better leave.

Poor Buddy

 My favorite part of the hike came as we were headed to the waterfalls.  There was some boards that we were directed on, but all around us looked like a grassy area where the kids wanted to run. Bre told them to have a fun time and enjoy, not realizing that it was a wet, muddy marsh!  As soon as the girls jumped in, they were muddy up to their ankles...and Abby came out of the marsh with only one shoe...it was hilarious!

Abby rescued her shoe

After getting some direction, we headed to find the waterfalls.  There was also cliff jumping, but we were pretty sure that wasn't on the list of must-do's.  As we got closer, Bre and I were getting a little nervous as things got rockier and more challenging.  Did I mention, she is pregnant and carrying their dog in a bag?? While the men were helping the kids??  Yes, started to think it was a little crazy, but the men were determined and we followed along in support.

Yes, it's as steep as it looks

View from the waterfalls of Sai Wan Beach

When we got there it was absolutely gorgeous. There were a number of people already there, but we made our way by the water and the kids started jumping in...followed by Josh and Andy.  And yes, the water was VERY cold.  But it was so fun to watch them swim out to the waterfalls and enjoy the beautiful creation that the Lord had made.  We swam for some time, watched some others jump off cliffs, then needed to get back to the beach because we had booked a boat to take us back to Sai Kung, and we didn't want to miss it!!

Emma was the first one in

Josh's reaction to the water temperature

Emmy is getting a ride

Crazy guys jumping

We were back in plenty of time, jumped in the boat, and thoroughly enjoyed a nice leisurely 30 minute boat ride back to Sai Kung, reflecting on how fun the day was and how blessed we were to have enjoyed this beautiful nature!!