Back to colder shores...

Well a few things are official...

Firstly, I am a terrible blogger. I haven't kept up with this nearly as much as I'd like to. I'd like to be able to transport everyone over here to Tanzania so you can get a glimpse of the richness of life over here. Sometimes I feel like words couldn't do it justice.

Secondly, I'm going to be moving back to New Zealand at the end of May, in just under 2 months now.

Thirdly, I won't be settling back in Auckland this time, but will be making the shift down South to Christchurch. I've never lived in Christchurch but with people down there that I need to spend some long-overdue quality time with, I feel that it's the right time to make the shift.

So it is with very mixed feelings that I'm starting the process of making the shift back. Its not just a physical shift but a mind and emotional shift too. I've discovered that even though I'm not a highly structured person, I very much need to plan the next step in order to make a smooth transition from one place to another. For this reason, I've already spent at least a couple of months researching jobs, looking for a car to buy, house to rent etc...all things which are logically much better left until closer to the time, but which make me feel like I'm doing something to help along the transition process. Does it mean I have a job, car or flat yet? Not at all, but at least I feel like I'm doing something!

To say I'm going to miss Tanzania is an understatement. I love this place more than I ever imagined I would. Every morning these days when I sit on my stairs with my coffee I am so thankful for being here. It's the peacefulness of the dawn, and the way that solitude and noise mix together. Its the dirt road with all of the people just doing life. Hard to explain and even harder to leave behind. How do I explain how at home I feel here? How do I explain what it's like to wake up and know that this is 100% where God wants me to be except to say that being here in Tanzania reminds me everyday of the grace of God. I can do nothing but give Him glory for the way He brings things together.

I am encouraged though that it is not a place itself that makes it the right place to be. If God has called me to Tanzania and has shown Himself faithful here, and He has time and time again, then surely the same will be true in Christchurch. Can I feel just at home in a freezing cold Christchurch winter as in this endless summer over here? I'm sure of it. Though it may require a few more clothes.

Anyway, enough forward planning for now. I still have two months here and I plan to make the most of it! Corinne and I are heading off for some road tripping on buses in the next week or so- yet to decide exactly where we'll go but I figure that while I'm here I really should see a bit more a the country. As well as that, my very good friends Dan and Kirstie are coming over at the end of April so I get to spend my last month sharing Tz with them! They're going to be doing some working in the Joshua Schools here, especially down in Magugu and I can't wait to have them here.

That's all for now...more later.