Anzac Weekend

Friday morning I woke up two whispering aunties who seemed to be just waiting on my entry to consciousness. They reminded me of little girls at a sleep over. We had brought food for meals and I enjoyed a nice hot bowl of oats while I read my book. I was explained later on that this week was supposed to be a sort of debriefing time for my trip. (it sounds intimidating to me...) We sat around the lounge of the stay and read 2 Corinthians 5 and discussed our different views on the scriptures. Each of us had a different translation therefore had different things to say about it. It's rather interesting how words can take on so many meanings. Aunty Jane had a few meetings with clients to attend to and would be heading back east for awhile so, Aunty Jill and I grabbed a ride with her down to the beach. The beaches on the east side are tame, small, calm... west side beaches are surf beaches, rugged, untamed,and huge waves that splashed up on the rocks like an explosion. The weather turned from rainy to a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed every second of it. I climbed up the various rocks along the water trying to find ocean life among the rocks. Starfish clung to the undersides of rocks and clams covered the top sides. When the tide went out new rock were exposed to climbing but when the tide came back in you were in trouble. I found that out the hard way! I beach was absolutely amazing a pure and most beautiful display of God's power and love for his children. Aunty Jill and I took heaps of pictures and I must say, some of them are pretty darn good! True beauty can not be capture though, it can only be enjoyed.
A small grumble came from my tummy and I knew it was time for my favorite meal, fish and chips on the beach! A few sparrows gathered at our feet and we threw bits of chips their way. We finished up as soon as we could, the blustery wind made a relaxed lunch nearly impossible. We started walking back to the beachstay and stopped off for an ice cream and threw chips at some ducks, sparrows, and seagulls. The walk back was nice but I wasn't feeling too well and rested when we got back. I worked on some of the memory verses I was assigned and Aunty Jill built a fire. Aunty Jane and Sonia joined us for some dinner, and games later on. The Aunties has prepared a little project for me, they bought beads for me to make some prayer beads. Each one I got to pick out for the different areas I'd be praying for. One for my mom, dad, and sister, best friend.. and so on. I like it tons and keep it with me as much as I can now. At the bottom of my beads is a heart bead to let me know I'm loved. I really appreciated this!!! Aunty Jane asked me questions about how things have changed since I left the States both here and there, I hadn't thought of things changing too much, I guess I just liked thinking that, that part of the world just froze in my absense. We ate and sat around the fire enjoying each others company. Cheeky phrases being thrown from one side of the fire to the other and laughs surrounding us all. A sense of happiness filled the room and each of us were just enjoying the community. That night I slept super well knowing that all was right and good.

The next day I woke up and it was Anzac Day which is a national day of remembrance in Australia and New Zealand, and is commemorated by both countries on 25 April every year to honour members of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during World War I. It now more broadly commemorates all those who died and served in military operations for the country. We ate eggs and toast for breakfast and packed up our suitcases and packed the car. Geocahing was on their minds and I had no say in it, I tagged along and climbed with them to a lookout over Piha beach. It was amazing. A parade was held and we drove down to see it, the parade leads to Lion Rock where the ceremony is held. They sang "God Save New Zealand" their anthem and paid tribute to the soldiers. It was a nice ceremony, very laid back and casual, very unlike things in the states. After the people dispersed we began our climb up Lion Rock. The first bit of the climb is difficult and involves a rope past a certain point stairs make the climb much easier. New Zealand hold some of the most amazing sights to be seen by the human eye. This was one of them. Lunch back at the beachstay and a nice drive to the city for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called the "Mexican Cafe", New Zealand is some great distance from Mexico therefore it was nothing like good ol' Real Ha but still very enjoyable. Different friends joined us for the night, community is such a beautiful thing.
Saying I slept amazing that night would be an understatement.