Fresh beginnings Day 29

So it is the 1st September 2009, day 29 since I arrived in NZ.

I have moved into a home with Mel and Bev, daughter and mother, co-landlords and girls that are becoming great friends. They have welcomed me, oozed generosity and just generally been amazing. I was put in touch with them through a girl called Clare, who worked here at the hospital 2 years ago and lived with them. The radical part is (yes, radical is a word I realised today I have started using - Mel uses it in a shortened version 'rad') that Clare and her husband have just moved to KwaZulu Natal, South Africa to work there. When she emailed me and Mel each other's details all the way from SA, Mel was in Thailand with work and I was in Christchurch. The previous week Mel had put an advert in a local cafe for the room. Initially she had specified she was looking for a 'Christian' housemate and then decided to cross it out despite her possible real hopes for a fellow crispy for her and Bev to live with.

Initially although totally over the moon to move in I hadn't quite had the vision that I have now for quite how in control of that situation God was. He is sovereign and demonstrating it clearly in his ability to link up 4 people in 3 different continents within 24 hours.

The second thing I am excited about is that I may possibly (still not sure and waiting on God for this one) have found community at this church. Although I have been going to Grace Vineyard since I arrived in Christchurch, about 20 minutes from where I live I decided to try visiting a church that Dan Wilt recently visited called Life Church. It is part of New Life Churches, New Zealand. I literally only went on Sunday night and its going to be slow to settle in and yep... finding community takes time but I have a really good feeling about this one which I am trusting is not random.

One of the cool things about the Christchurch plant (its actually a plant from a larger one in the city called Majestic) is that it raised hundred's of thousands of pounds for its 2 year old building called The Vida Centre which is a warm, fuzzy place that reminded me of Bristol Vineyard. It is a multipurpose building not built purely for the purpose of church gatherings and is used by different groups within the community, including an Operatic society and various conferences. It has a newcomers's lounge and a cafe for hanging out before and after church services. The coffee's not free but church is not a charity so I think that is a good thing. Anyway it's a new thing, so i am gonna update on how it goes.

Wow - 6 links in 1 post - that's a record I am sure.