A Flight With Promises

Flying back from Great Barrier this afternoon was an adventure - as it always is. Instead, this adventure was an incredible adventure. The weather, which at the moment is a poor representation of what summer here is like, pushed my flight from the Okiwi airstrip to the Claris Aerodrome. Our lovely pilot whose name was Ryan, informed us that once we left Claris, we'd be flying above the rain clouds, appearing into the blissful sun that was, at that moment, hiding.

So, off we took. For a moment, flying through the grey clouds, then there we were, amongst the blue sky and shining sun. We'd left the Barrier, and were going over sea, for a wee while where the sky had parted, you could see the blue beneath you. Then, there it was. A rainbow. The perfect arch it always is, but instead of being displayed nicely in its traditional place high in the sky, it was as if this rainbow had been painted onto the canvas of ocean. I saw it front on - from above. For the wee bit of parted heavens, the rainbow followed us, until we greeted the dismal clouds again.

The thought of the weather's illustrations stuck with me. Sometimes with our lives, we're stuck on the ground, feeling the rain drench our skins. But I want to reach that place where, I hop on the wings of eagles and rise above the rain clouds. Soaring into the light. The weight of soggy clouds beneath you. Then, that off chance that you finally take a look to see whats under your feet, you see nothing but the promises that have been laid on your life. You see that rainbow, its perfect form, following you as you continue soaring higher into the heavens. What an illustration from nature.

So, with some encouragement, forget about the soggy beneath you, for we have risen above it. Embrace the moments we've been given, and do not dwell on what was. For what is, is a sky full of open potential, for where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

For the moment, that is what I hold on to. Being at Orama, is something of a dream. I come back to the mainland, drive down the Auckland motorway, and feel as if I'm on holiday. On holiday from Orama, what a contradiction. xx

Part 2, Chapter 1

Today, is my last day here in Orama. Saying goodbye to this place and the people that I will be leaving behind, is not something one looks foward to. It feels like torment at times, when you're not sure when you're going to see people you've grown to love again. Though the comfort of seeing a small few much sooner rather than later is welcomed.

Last night we had a worship/prayer meeting here with the community. I was asked to share a few things that I had written, which was completely nerve racking. Both pieces of written work for me, were parts of my experiences and bits of life. But, I was reminded, oh so softly, that my God is a big God, and its all okay. It was amazing to have that opportunity to share, especially with the Orama staff, what has been happening since the 3 month school here. How it's a continous work in progress, not just a one of experience.

Near the end of the night, I was prayed for, and once again, I had to smile. We go through our whole lives, each having different hurts, different scars, but each resulting with not experiencing love like how love should be experienced. For me it all started with being here Aug-Oct. Being surrounded for 3 months with support and the open arms of unquestionable love. Entering the hustle and bustle of life, was a hard thing to do, but as we are eased back into what was once a norm, I was able to still embrace that love that I had found while being on Great Barrier Island.

My heart has been through surgery, and I've come out of recovery. Now I seem to be able to love to a bigger capacity than what I once had. To accept genuine care from other people. To recieve love from other people. Last night was yet another reminder to how many people love and care. It is a precious gift, I'll forever carry with me.

So leaving this place yet again, is ultimately another step forward into a bigger future. Although the new year is still a few days away, its as if my very own new year starts today. A year of adventure, a year of joy, a year of laughter, and a year of spending time with the one's I love. What more of a year could we all ask for??

I plan to enjoy my stroll, as we drink nothing but good tea. xx

No Better Place To Start

Well, what better place to start my very own blog than on an island 80km of the coast of my home country, New Zealand. Great Barrier Island is where I'm currently residing, that is at least, for this past week. Orama is the community where I now type. Sitting in a very dark, very empty, very huge and beautiful lounge (dark due to the fact the generator turns all power of at 10:00pm), overlooking the array of lights provided by the sea fearing sailors that have settled in here at Karaka Bay. Everything outside is pitch black, due to it being quarter to 2 in the morning. except of course the lights from the boats and the last of the ferry lights from Christmas twinkling in one of the houses across the lawn. The boats remind me of this time a few years back, when I, like them, spent the introduction to a new year on a yacht. My grandparents yacht, somewhere up in the Bay Of Islands.

When we finally sit down and have the moment to replay the last few years that seem to have flown by, we realize how much growth and change happens. As these last few years play like a movie in my mind, I know I would never change a thing. So much loss and pain, walls being built, walls being shattered, words said, words not said. It was and is all worth it. Without those things that are put in our lives, we would never get to that place of sitting in a lounge on a beautiful island, with a view (when the sun is awake) that is breathtaking and never tiring and enjoying the relationships you've built filled with a love unlike any other.

I myself need to be reminded of this fact, constantly. But with a grace and love that I'll never comprehend, my Heavenly Father, is always there willing to lend of a hand of comfort, guidance and remembrance. So with this pearl of wisdom for myself, I end my first entry. Take a stroll with me in my journey, let us drink nothing but good tea. xx Jo