Silsbee Family in New Zealand

The first of August will mark exactly two years since our personal belongings were removed from a lengthy storage in a Napier warehouse.  When our things were deposited there, we had no idea so much time would pass before we saw them again.  It wasn't too hard to leave them.  We had been well taught. 

In the late 1980s a missionary wife wrote a prayer letter that told about losing most of their family possessions due to an island hurricane.  That letter was read aloud during the mid-week prayer service in the church Lori attended.  The missionary wife wrote that her response to the damage was, "Lord, we just lost a lot of your stuff."  Bobby Finch, the staff member reading the letters that night, took time to pause and point out this godly attitude toward personal possessions.  Lori has never forgotten the thoughts shared that night during her high school years.

We did have some reservation leaving equipment in a warehouse without any form of climate control.  We had heard horror stories of other missionaries leaving things in storage, only to return and find there had been a water leak, much mould growth, items stolen, etc.  Each time we were tempted to worry about such consequences, we stopped and prayed that God would protect the items he wanted us to continue using in service for Him.

Twenty-eight months later, we were overjoyed to welcome the truck that delivered our family heirlooms, toys Heidi had missed, ministry equipment, library, piano, and all the other things that make up a functioning household.  To our utter astonishment, not one item was damaged due to the lack of climate control.  Everything was in top notch order, as if we had packed up two weeks earlier.  Apparently, God was happy for us to continue using everything!

On this anniversary, as we have again rejoiced in these events, it is fitting that we recently came across the following quote from David Livingstone.  It is our prayer that we will always remember that everything we have is on loan from God for the purpose of serving Him.

"I will place no value on anything I possess save in its relation to the kingdom of Christ. If anything will advance the kingdom of God, it shall be given away or kept only as by the giving of it or the keeping of it, I shall promote the glory of Him to Whom I owe all my hopes in time and eternity."     David Livingstone

The whole of New Zealand bragged about being the first country to usher in the new millennium.  "They" (whoever that is) offered prizes for the first baby of the millennium.  We couldn't deliver, and our baby didn't arrive until the eighth of June.  We celebrated her 8th birthday on the 8th of June 2008. 

We offered a birthday party this year. (Most years it is just a family affair).  We had to limit the number of children to twelve.  Our socialite would have preferred to invite every child she knows.  The group of twelve wasn't easy to manage at a large local park, our birthday girl's choice of location.

The best activity was her idea, too.  Scott dressed up in his camouflage and hid in a small bush walk (forest of trees) at the edge of the park.  The kids were supposed to walk through and find him.  It was much more difficult than they expected.  The kids searched 20 minutes without success, so Scott put out his bright white tennis shoes as a clue.  The kids found him laying on the ground nearby.  We should have had the video going!

She requested a Tigger cake.  "Tigger?  For an 8 year-old?" we asked.  "I like him," she said.  Yes, we thought, there is a personality similarity.  So we made and ate Tigger.

Heidi's favourite birthday gift was a digital camera.  Heidi's aunt and uncle upgraded and gave their old one to Heidi.  Facebook users can see the classic moment here.

The 27th of May was a significant day.  It passed without much ado beyond our normal routine, but in an office building somewhere in Hamilton a clerk put stickers in our passports.  These weren't just any stickers.  We have waited 13 years for these stickers. 

When we were married in June 1995, we began our endeavour to obtain New Zealand permanent residence visas.  Our Christian university degrees weren't recognized by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority, and we began a long search to find another source of the needed "points" to qualify for the system.  In April 2003, through the wisdom of a friendly lawyer, by the grace of God, and an obvious case of "God turning the heart of Pharoah" a short-term law reprieve saw us slide in with the proper points due to the fact that our daughter, Heidi, was born in New Zealand during a very specific window of time.

However, our permanent visas weren't really permanent.  We were restricted to remain in New Zealand.  If we left New Zealand, we would lose our permanent visas if we didn't return within two years.  Several trips back to the States reset this clock on more than one occasion.

We have now lived in New Zealand, with our permanent visas, long enough to demonstrate our commitment to the country.  The stickers on 27 May award us the freedom to come and go from New Zealand with no time restrictions.  New Zealand is home for us, and we would be happy to die here, if God so wills it.  However, we are pleased that the New Zealand government has given us the passport freedom to obey God's travel directions.

Kiwis are well-known for their adventurous spirits and extreme sports.  Bungy jumping was invented here.  One town advertises a vacation of skydiving, bungy jumping, high-speed jet boat ride and a helicopter ride...all in one day.  We shouldn't have been surprised when a friend at church told us they were going to pet lion cubs.  We didn't think we had heard them right.  When Heidi, our animal lover who wants to be a vet, got wind of the activity, she put it on her list of things to do.  When her marble reward jar was full, she requested this activity as her reward, of course.

We did a bit of research and learned that the "lion cubs" were actually now a year-old and we had one week to get there and pet them before they were to be released from this boring life and allowed to live with the mature lions.  Although the event would surely have been more exciting with very young active cubs, their sheer size made petting them an awesome privilege.  In these photos they are about half the size of a full-grown lion.  They were impressive.

Heidi would want you to know that there were clear instructions not to pet the cubs on the head.  When we returned to their enclosure for a second visit late in the day, Heidi forgot the warning and was very impressed with the speed of both the lion cub and the keeper.  The keeper grabbed Heidi's hand away, but not before Heidi saw the lion cub turn his head.  (The photos posted here are earlier in the day.)

This is an encounter our children will never forget.  Would this even be possible in sue-happy USA?

We are continually awed by the incredible creatures that make up God's creation.

My [Lori's] sister Hollie publishes a monthly newsletter for seminary wives.  She asked me to keep a journal for a day so that she could publish it along with a similar journal kept by a 50-something pastor's wife.  Hollie's thoughts were that our seasons of life, and therefore ministry contributions, are so different, it would be reflected in just one day of activity.  I agreed to keep such a journal and then found it very entertaining.  Perhaps you will, too.  I publish it here with several disclaimers:

1. Revealing this to the world is dangerous.  We are opening ourselves to criticism.  You might read it and think, "This lady needs help!  She hasn't got a clue how to organize a day!"  If you read it and find areas where we need to improve...please pray for us...and feel free to send us constructive criticism.
2. Every homeschool is different.  How we do school may be completely different than how you do school.  For us, our system works because it is flexible, and it works well...on most days.  Some days we finish school early in the day.  Some days we don't.  We are continually tweaking our system as we find better ways to use our time wisely, productively, and enthusiastically.
3. Every day in our house is different from the previous day.  Some days we are hardly at home.  Some days we have people in and out all day long.  The day I chose to journal was a stay-at-home day with little outside contact.  No matter what the schedule, every day I try to focus on the care and training of our children and squeeze in as much other ministry activity as possible.

It is our hope that this journal may amuse you (Proverbs 17:22), encourage you (Proverbs 25:25), or inspire you to pray for us (James 5:16).  For clarification, on this particular Tuesday in January, Heidi is seven and Daniel has just turned four.

6 a.m.  Scott’s alarm clock awakens me, so I get up and have my devotions, then join Scott for breakfast and we chat over our cereal bowls.

7 a.m.  With Scott gone and the kids still sleeping, I take advantage of the quiet time to get some work done in the office.  I make a Skype call to Illinois to verify some details on our absentee ballot papers, answer some emails, and complete other miscellaneous office tasks.

8:30 a.m.  The kids are ready for breakfast after having an unusually late sleep-in…I enjoyed the extra time in the office.  I clean out the refrigerator while the kids are eating their cereal and toast.  Breakfast is leisurely with lots of chattering and laughing.

9:10 a.m.  The kids pick a DVD to watch while I shower then make a couple beds and put away yesterday’s ironing.

9:45 a.m.  Kids and I work together to sort laundry that is waiting to be washed and empty all the rubbish bins and put the garbage out for pickup.  I have to stop a fight between the kids and spend a few moments marvelling as to how an argument over riding bikes comes out of sorting laundry.  I also severely bang my hip on the corner of the chest freezer and realize I’m in too high a gear and need to slow down a bit.

10:00 a.m. Heidi does her morning bedroom chores while Daniel and I water the garden and pull a few weeds.

10:25 a.m.  We all move to the kitchen.  Heidi empties the dishwasher while I clean up the breakfast mess.  Daniel tries to set up a tea party and decides mid-way through set up that this is a bad time to set up a tea party on the kitchen floor.  He decides to change the blanket from a tea party tablecloth to a cape and I help him get it attached to his body.  I also take time to inspect Heidi’s room and discuss the shortcomings, while simultaneously de-cluttering a bit as I walk through the house.

10:45 a.m.  Heidi begins her schoolwork and starts with reading aloud to me.  Daniel is set up to make applesauce popsicles while I’m mixing up our favourite granola (muesli) cereal recipe.  The kids ask for a snack, so they munch on nuts, too.

10:55 a.m.  We interrupt the reading to solve another sibling issue with character training.  Everyone was busy, why is there another argument??!

11 a.m.  The phone rings and one of the other ladies from church has called to find a listening ear.  The kids run off to play while I’m on the phone.

11:25 a.m. I call the kids back to the kitchen and we carry on with the reading, popsicle making and cereal concoction.

11:40 a.m.  We switch tasks as Heidi does her reading worksheets. Daniel runs off to play, and I prepare lunch while the cereal is in the oven.

11:50 a.m.  I serve the kids leftover spaghetti and a choice of fruit.  While they eat I clean up the applesauce popsicle mess.

12:00 p.m.  I realize I’m sitting down for the first time since 8:30 this morning.  I enjoy the chair while eating my lunch.  In between bites I spell out words for Heidi, who is back to her reading worksheets.

12:10 p.m.  I clean up the lunch dishes, clean spaghetti off the floor, and put away the cereal making dishes and supplies.  I stop a few times to help Heidi with instructions on the paper airplane she and Daniel are trying to make.  I also make a quick dash out to the garage to swap laundry loads between appliances.

12:30 p.m.  Since the kids are playing so nicely together, I take advantage of my solitude to pray for the friend who called earlier.  I also put a frozen roast in the oven to thaw at a low temperature, take another phone call, and feed a few houseplants.  The peaceful moments are ended with the realization that there has been an unsuccessful visit to the bathroom, so we go clean up that mess.

1:00 p.m.  I switch the laundry again and do a bit of paperwork while waiting for a Skype call.

1:15 p.m.  The kids and I talk on the webcam with my sister and niece in Pennsylvania.

1:45 p.m.  I send Heidi to do her devotions while Daniel and I clean up his bed (the kids played there earlier) and get him settled down for a nap.

2:00 p.m.  I get Heidi started on her spelling assignment, and then I make up a grammar review page to supplement yesterday’s grammar lesson.  I also field a couple more phone calls and familiarize myself with the next grammar and math lessons.  We also address a few character issues which surface during the spelling and grammar work.

2:45 p.m.  We watch the math lesson demonstrated on DVD and begin the math lesson. I take the opportunity to have a cup of tea and put my feet up.

3:30 p.m.  My piano student arrives for his lesson.  I send Heidi off to take a bath.  Before the lesson is done, Heidi comes to sit and listen.  After the lesson I agree to let the piano student stay and play for a while, and we wake up Daniel.

4:30 p.m.  I supervise the children playing a game and help solve rule disagreements while I’m folding and putting away the clean laundry and do a bit more de-clutter.  I’m struck by the increase in noise level with the extra child around.

5:30 p.m.  I ask Heidi to set the table for dinner as I’m preparing dinner and cleaning up several mysterious spills in the kitchen.  I stop to solve the occasional play dispute between Daniel and the piano student.

5:45 p.m.  Heidi’s table set-up passes inspection and I dismiss her to go play, and then I spend a few minutes chatting with the piano student’s parent who has come to pick him up.

6:00 p.m.  As I’m putting the food on the table, Scott calls to say he will be home late.  The kids and I sit down to eat.

6:25 p.m.  I give one child permission to get up and play. The other child chooses to sit at the table and look at the sole piece of broccoli still sitting on their dinner plate.  I call a church family to arrange inviting them to join us for lunch in our home on Sunday, clean up dinner, and address an obedience issue with one of the children.

6:45 p.m.  Help Daniel get in the bathtub and remind him of proper bath etiquette (i.e. no spraying water on the walls, one boy needs one washcloth, and other such things).  Then I go help Heidi finish her math assignment.

7:00 p.m.  Scott homes home, so I take time to welcome him and talk a few minutes.

7:10 p.m.  Daniel needs help washing up, and I get Heidi going on her handwriting copy work.  She decides to do it while cuddling up next to Scott on the couch while he eats and catches a bit of the evening news.

7:20 p.m.  I put away the rest of the dinner dishes, pack tomorrow’s lunch for Scott and chat with him a bit more.

7:45 p.m.  We all go on a walk together.

8:15 p.m.  Scott sits down to have family devotions with the kids.  I see a fly on the kitchen blind and spend a few minutes catching it to feed to the two praying mantises Heidi is keeping in her bug house.

8:45 p.m.  We get the kids teeth brushed and send them off to bed with a few books before we turn their lights out at 9 p.m.  I go back to the office and sit down to do some administrative work for the church.  I spend the rest of the evening working on some purchases for the church, loading up Scott’s mp3 player with sermons for him to listen to, and take care of some ministry correspondence.  Scott and I also spend a bit more time together discussing some of these things and enjoying one another’s company.

11:30 p.m.  I crash in bed much later than I would like to admit.

We've been blessed to have both sets of our parents/grandparents visit us this summer...almost back to back.  We had a four week lull..reality check, really...between their visits.  The time was anticipated for months..in fact, we barged through many months on the calendar without taking a break, knowing that we had five weeks of family time coming.  There has been no shortage of ideas for activities.  We have been to the beach, to the mountains, to the gardens, to Sky Tower, visiting friends, picking blueberries, bottling pickles and more.  And we aren't done.  Next week, Lord willing, we will dust off our lonely canoe and take it down the river as well as making a visit to pet "lion cubs" which are now a year-old and deemed too old to pet effective 31 March!  Watch for the pictures of that one. :)

We haven't been playing all the time because ministry work never takes a holiday.  But, we've managed to make family fun a priority for a few weeks, and we've all enjoyed the R & R...to a degree.  This week Scott and his parents did the one-day hike through the Tongariro Crossing.  All three of them found it gruelling and, upon arriving home, Scott admitted he is "too old to be doing that "because he is "not in his 20s anymore."  Well, what about the other people in his hiking party?!  Apparently, the photos they took are more enjoyable than the hike they did in order to take said photos.  You can find some of those photos in the "Where We Are" album. 

There are lots more new photos in the other albums, and more to come...we're still on "holiday", so posting on the blog is legal activity.

Here is a quote we have recently discovered and added to our list of favourites:

I am not what I ought to be.  I am not what I wish to be.  I am not what I hope to be.  Yet I can truly say, 'I am not what I once was.'  By the grace of God, I am what I am.

John Newton, with similar thoughts to the Apostle Paul in Romans 7:15-25