Another Grand Adventure

It’s hard to know where one should start when writing a post about embarking on a new adventure in life.  For me, the process was painstakingly slow.  I can still be an extremely slow decision maker, despite my best efforts to become better at making decisions.  My return to Australia in March of 2017 was probably the beginning of my thoughts on New Zealand.  In my original, big-picture plans I would have returned to Australia for a visit and then headed straight to NZ for a year.  The opportunity for a promotion and a pay-raise at work changed that exact plan, leaving me to contemplate if I even wanted to move to NZ in 2018.  As I’m sure you’ve now surmised, I am moving to New Zealand, but it took me about 7 months to decide.  Turning 29 and realizing that if I did not go in 2018 that I would forever lose my chance at the Working Holiday Visa certainly played a factor in getting me motivated to bite the bullet and buy that one-way ticket (cue the LeAnn Rimes lyrics).  Unsurprisingly, a lot of turmoil at work in the weeks following my decision to leave did not help me feel as if I had made the right choice.  Lots of prayers from friends and family have helped with the anxiety of such a big move, but I still have my moments.

So what, you may be thinking, is my plan exactly?  Who buys a one-way ticket and heads into the unknown, just because they can?  In my head this all sounds so reasonable, but when I see the reactions on the faces of others as they hear me say it out loud I sometimes wonder…  New Zealand is made up of two main islands (the North Isalnd, Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, Te Waka-a-Māui), so I’m flying into Auckland (the largest city in NZ) and then taking a 10 day tour of the North Island.  For the month of April I’ve taken a home and pet-sitting assignment in Christchurch, which is on the South Island.  The “plan” is to be able to find some sort of employment while I have a roof over my head.  If I can’t find a job, I’ll then need to decide if I stick around Christchurch and keep searching, or move on to another city and try again.  I've got 6 whole weeks planned out; not much when you think of an entire year, but it's more than I had when I moved to Australia.  I’ve applied with some temp agencies in Christchurch and I still receive notices of potential house sitting assignments, so I have some opportunities.  I ultimately have no idea how it all will pan out.  Trusting God to take care of me when I don’t have a plan is certainly not easy for a type-A personality like myself – I prefer to have everything planned out, my ducks in a row so to speak – but He showed me time, and time again, while in Australia, that He is far better at planning than I am.

♫♪ Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey ♪♫