Saturday morning we packed up the car and started heading south.  On our last trip to New Zealand we didn’t see a lot of the South Island and this time we want to see more of it.  Our destination – Waikanae, where friends from our days in Papua New Guinea live.

We enjoyed driving past steep hillsides dotted with white sheep and cows grazing in lush green pastures.  It’s obvious to see that small family-owned farms are still surviving in New Zealand.  Once we got off the main high way, windy two lane roads took us through the countryside and through small towns.

The small towns are quaint.  Each town has a bakery, petrol station, book/stationery store, grocer and restaurants.  They remind me of how small towns in the USA would have been back in the 1960’s.

Toward the end of the trip we began to see snow covered mountains in the distance.  A light rain began to fall as night began to fall.  The Petterson’s house was warm with a fire burning and soup and scones fresh out of the oven.  It was great to catch up with them and hear about the projects in which they are working in Papua New Guinea.

Friday morning we woke feeling pretty good in spite of having only 5-6 hours of sleep.  The director of Wycliffe New Zealand and his wife picked us up to take us to the home of Mary and Kevin Salisbury.  We met Mary last November in Australia.  Mary and her husband are members of Wycliffe.

As we got to the house, a bucket of fish were sitting by the door.  The Salisbury’s live a short walk from the sea and Mary has fish nets that she sets.  That morning she was surprised to find 12 fish waiting in the net.  God provided a delicious breakfast.  We enjoyed a delightful breakfast sitting around the table in their sunny dining room while we chatted about various things.  After breakfast we took a walk to a park nearby along the waterfront.

Mary brought out some winter clothes for us to borrow – it is winter in New Zealand.  Then Mary and her mother took us on a driving tour of Auckland – an unexpected pleasure.  What a beautiful city.  We were blessed with clear blue skies and sunshine.

As it is winter, darkness fell quickly and we drove back to the flat in the dark.  We were glad to fall into bed after a full, but wonderful first day.

As dawn rose on our last day in the USA, we had a long list of tasks to accomplish.  First on the agenda was Sarah taking her driver’s test.  She and Tim headed to the Department of Public Safety at 6:30 and were the first in line outside the door at 7:05.  The early start paid off and Sarah had her license in hand by 8:15.  Whew! and well done, Sarah!

We were blessed to stay with our long time friends, Tom and Lynn, the last few days before we left.  Lynn was our chauffeur and helped us run errands.  We took over their living room with our suitcases and carefully filled each bag and weighed them with a 50 pounds as the target weight.

On Tuesday afternoon, we loaded the cars and headed to the airport. We checked in and didn’t have any problems with the weight of the bags.  I noticed the weight of the last one – 22.8 kg.  The limit is 23 kg.  Tim’s careful weighing paid off.

Two families met us at the airport as well as Emily, her roommate and Sarah’s friend, Jordan. They gathered around us for a prayer before we headed through security.

As we entered the boarding lounge, we noticed a large video camera.  Once we got on board the pilot said that the camera was there because someone was doing a documentary on this flight from Dallas to Brisbane because it is the longest commercial flight in the world at 16 hours.  Not the most encouraging thing to be told as we started the journey.

Being exhausted from all the running around we did the last few days was a blessing in a way – we slept on and off through the long flight and were in reasonable shape when we arrived in Brisbane.  We got off the plane, went through security and reboarded the plane for the trip to Sydney.

We expected to have a couple of hours in Sydney, but after sitting in the departure lounge for a while, we overhead passengers talking about the flight being cancelled.  Sure enough it was cancelled and we were told to wait and see what Qantas would do about getting us to Auckland.  After a while they gave us each a $30 food voucher for the airport restaurants.  We went and bought lunch and went back to find out what was happening.

We were told that we would be on a Jetstar flight that evening. We headed to the departure lounge only to hearing an announcement that we were to go to the Qantas transit desk.  At the transit desk they gave us our boarding passes and thrust another three $30 food vouchers.  We weren’t at all hungry, but headed back upstairs to see where we might spend the vouchers.

As we left elevator, what was in front of us but a Godiva Chocolate shop.  We asked if we could use our vouchers there, and were told enthusiastically that they were happy to take our vouchers.  We carefully calculated our best values, found some half price specials and even got a free box of biscuits.  It was satisfying to score some deals and we headed out to see what we could score with the last $30.  A trip to the Lonely Planet store found us picking up some fun items that we never would have bought with ‘real’ money and off we went to the departure lounge.

By the time we got on the flight to Auckland we were really feeling the jetlag.  Jetstar is similar to Spirit Airlines in the USA – NO frills and NO space.  Our seats were in the last row of the plane and we felt like sardines.  The bag of chocolates felt like a small compensation for low budget seats to Auckland, but at least we were getting there.

Our friend, John, met us a the airport – by then it was 1 am on Friday morning.  It took two trips to get us and our gear to the flat where we stayed.

We are thankful for the cozy flat where we could stay for a couple of nights and leave most of our gear while we make our road trip in New Zealand.  The adventure begins!

This needs to shrink to 6 pieces of luggage of no more than 300 pounds.

This needs to shrink to 6 pieces of luggage, each weighing no more than 50 pounds.

We are back from our trip to Michigan and Minnesota where we said our hard good-byes to our families.  One thing that makes it easier this time is our plan to be gone 2 years instead of the usual 4 years.

This morning we start tackling our long ‘to-do’ list of things that have to be completed before our departure Tuesday night.  Our focus this morning will be to reduce the pile above to fit into 6 pieces of luggage – each one weighing no more than 50 pounds.  At this point it seems like it will be a miracle if we hit the goal, so we may have to make some hard choices of what can/can not go.  We appreciate prayers for this process.  Decision-making at this point can be exhausting!

At 2 pm this afternoon, Sarah goes to take her driver’s test. It would be a real blessing if she got her license before we leave the country.  Please pray for calmness of spirit as she takes the test.

Thanks for standing with us in this journey!

This morning we attended a church service at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Courtland, MN, where  Tim’s maternal grandmother attended as a child.  The graves of Tim’s great-grandparents are in the cemetery next door to the church

The church was started by German immigrant farmers to Minnesota and services were held in German into the 1920’s.  As a child Tim remembers special church services in German were held at the church. 

The founders of this church understood the need to hear God’s Word and worship in their mother tongue.  So it there was something special about seeing Tim up front in this morning sharing about the ministry of Wycliffe and our desire to see everyone be able to have access to God’s Word in their own language.

We are thankful for the rich Christian heritage of Tim’s family and the support of Immanuel Lutheran of our ministry.

Yesterday as I sat at my computer, a Skype chat message popped up from our friend Peter.  We know Peter from the village where we lived 15 years ago in the Solomon Islands.  Today, Peter is in Virginia finishing up special training with the US Coast Guard before returning home where he serves in the Solomon Islands Search and Rescue office.

Earlier this week when tornadoes touched down about an hour south of Dallas and Peter saw it on the news.

Here is the chat conversation with Peter:

Peter : Hello..heard about the storm,are you ok?

Martha: We are fine.  Thanks.

Peter: Oh..thank God, i tried to call today when i saw it on the TV early 4 am this morning and there was no reply, so i thought you might be hurt.

Martha: You are sweet to worry about us.  No, the place where people lost their lives was about an hour southwest of us.

Peter: Ok..now am happy back again, i was worried,i told my brother in Kirakira that there was a storm strikes in Dallas,but when i called there was no reply..so i can tell them now that you are fine..we know you very well and if some thing terrible happen to you, you can imagine how we feel, so thank you for reply..May God keep you well.

Tears came to my eyes as I read his message.  Our family was a part of that community for a couple of years, but we are forever connected with them.  In the same way we worry about them when we hear of  cyclone bearing down on their island.

It’s amazing  to have friends and family around the world.  It really is true when Scripture says,

And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property, for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. Matthew 29:19 (NLT)

We are truly blessed.

Boxes. They are everywhere in our house.  Post-it notes mark the final deistination; ship, store and ’boutique’ (the donation spot at our offices).

On Saturday Tim finished packing our crate and screwed it shut hours before he flew to Australia and on to the Solomon Islands.  He built the crate in our second garage (an extra garage in our backyard) and placed it on a small trailer we have. He intended to pull it the 2 miles to our center before he left.  But we found out that a truck could come pick up the crate if we could find a way to get the crate on the truck.

Last week we were driving home and noticed inside our neighbor’s yard, what looked to be a forklift.  Next time I saw the neighbor, I asked about it. Sure enough it is forklift and he was happy to help us out.  He said, ‘I have no idea why I brought the forklift home from the shop.’  I think I know why…

The cut off for this shipment was May 1st so today I scheduled the truck to come.  Some colleagues wanted some boxes shipped too, so this became the shipment that grew and grew.  Aaron and his two kids brought their boxes to our house and helped me finish up my last packing.  I made a last minute trip to Lowes and Walmart just this morning for a few last hard-to-find-in-the-Solomons items.

We stacked up the boxes and cargo by sending family unit and measured the piles.  The cost of the shipment is based on cubic space so we will have to sort all that out later. The truck came, the forklift rolled out of the neighbors and we filled the truck.  First the boxes went in and last of all the crate.  It had to be taken out of the second garage, through the first garage and out to the street where it was loaded in the truck.  There was a bit of sweating, but in the end, the job was done!  Yeah.

The next stop was the shipping office where the boxes and other cargo was put on pallets and covered in black plastic.  We then marked all the pallets with the destination address.  From here the cargo will be trucked to Houston where the shipper will put it with other cargo headed to the west coast by train or truck.

From the west coast of the USA it will ship to Singapore. It will then be put on a ship headed to the Pacific and we will see when it arrives in the Solomons.  The shipping office is predicting an arrival of June 26th.  We think that is doubtful, but time will tell.

Now the ‘to ship’ piles have gone, we are mostly down to things that we will store or take with us in our suitcases. The house is looking more empty as we push toward our time of departure.

Carefully getting the crate out of the garage. The forklift JUST fit in the garage.

The kids working on measuring the calculating. (REAL homeschooling today!)

Paper products are expensive in the Solomons. I found a way to wrap my plates and get a roll of paper towels there!

So thankful for our neighbor!

This is all the marking needed to get to the shipment to the Solomons; HOU (Houston) HON (Honiara) and the booking number.

The crate being removed from the truck at the warehouse

loading the crate on the truck at our house

Plastic boxes full of cargo

The warehouse crew wrapped everything in black plastic to help insure everything stays together

The elliptical and treadmill made for some strange shaped cargo!

Aaron and his two kids who helped with the cargo. Their family returns to the Solomons in August

After writing the blog post this morning about needing a home for Cali, God has already answered.  A friend in Kentucky has agreed to provide a loving home for  Cali.  She has even promised Sarah Skype sessions with Cali!  It doesn’t get better than that!  We are driving to Michigan in early June and were already planning on stopping in Kentucky, so this is a perfect solution.

Thank you, God.  Thank you, Alana!

PS And yet another offer has been made.  Cali is covered and another item ticked off our ‘to do’ list.

In 2009, when we moved from the Solomon Islands to Dallas, we left behind two dogs and two cats.  Naturally, it was a painful experience for our kids to leave pets behind.  Sarah loves cats and began praying that we would be able to get a cat when we got to Dallas.

About a month after we arrived in Dallas, I saw a notice on a bulletin board for a cat who needed a new home.  The cat had started hanging around the home of a retired couple who lived nearby.  They began putting out food for her and eventually coaxed her into their home.  ‘Cali’ settled in and they took her to the SPCA and got her shots and spayed.

It soon became apparent that the couple’s own cat was not happy with Cali in the house. With a heavy heart, the woman started to pray for a good home for Cali. They made a flyer and brought it to our center where I saw it on a bulletin board.  I placed a phone call and we went to meet Cali.  Sarah’s heart had a place for this shy cat and we agreed to take her.  The couple even kept her another week until we moved into our new home.  It was neat to see God answer the prayers of Sarah and this woman we didn’t even know.

We kept in contact wit this couple who were interested in seeing Cali settle into our home well.  When they heard we had gotten a dog, the woman worried about shy Cali.  Cali and rambunctious Duke learned to get along.  One day when Tim found Cali curled up with Duke, we knew they had become good friends.

Now as we get ready to move back to the Pacific, Duke will stay with Emily, but we are looking for a new home for Cali.  While Sarah is not looking forward to saying good-bye to Cali, but it needs to happen.  Sarah said the other day that she wants Cali to go to a nice home and she would enjoy having Cali go to someone who could occasionally give her updates on how she is doing.

God answered Sarah’s prayers for a cat and now we are trusting Him to answer prayers for a new home. If you have a place in your heart for a Cat and a missionary kid who loves her, please let us know.

Sarah will spend the next two years largely living in PNG (Papua New Guinea) where she will attend school.  This morning we finished packing a suitcase and bag with clothing, toiletries and other things that will help make her feel at home in the youth hostel where she will live.  The two pieces were delivered to the warehouse at our offices today where a truck picked them up for delivery to our shipping office in North Carolina.  A shipment is being readied for a shipment to PNG.  The shipment is due to be sent in May and will take about 3 months to reach the capital city and then will travel by truck up to the highlands where our center is located.

We are thankful for this opportunity to get clothing and other things Sarah will need.  In the meantime, we are working on preparing a shipment of household goods for the Solomon Islands.