I've got two exciting things to share with you today!  First, I got news today that my salary is increasing!  Teacher pay and salaries have been quite the story in the news here in New Zealand a couple of years ago.  It takes several weeks to establish that you are working, then to establish your pay.  Apparently a couple of years ago, teachers went two or so months without pay as the pay system was being fixed!  I went six weeks here without pay before receiving a paycheck based on a salary for  an untrained teacher.  Today I received notice that my salary will be almost double that and, with a bit of more paperwork, might go up even more!  This was great news!  I spent some time in prayer this morning asking God to work out our finances for us and to provide for us as we trust Him.  :o)  God is good!
     Second, Harrison and I moved a couple of beds and couches into our house today!  I also took pictures since several people had asked us to post pictures on our Facebook page or on here.  So here are some pictures of our new house and the back yard.  We will hopefully be moving in soon when we get a couple more beds.  Thanks to Alison Weinstock, our departing pastor, for a bed, love seat, and some household items!  Thanks also to Donna Williams, our co-pastor, for loaning us another bed!  Again, God is good!

     Well, it's safe to say that God has been working here in New Zealand.  We have been staying in a temporary house that someone has very graciously allowed us to stay in but we have been ready for a place of our own.  We have also been squeezing all six of us into a tiny car that barely can seat five people normally.  Harrison calls it our clown car!  I have been anxious about trying to get a car and a house but once again God has shown me that I need to quit worrying and fretting about things and just trust Him.  Our original plan was for our van to sell in Tennessee and we could use that money to buy a van (or "people mover" as they call them here) here in New Zealand.  However, our van in Tennessee still has not sold, but we were able to buy a van anyway after combining some money we had available in both Tennessee and here.  Now when our van sells we will have some extra money to set aside for an emergency fund if needed as well as any other necessary items.

     We were also able to go look at a house a few days ago that is very close to the church in Whangarei.  We loved the house and filled out an application.  A few hours later the owners called us and told us we could rent the house if we were interested!  So God is working out things for us in great ways.  This house is plenty big enough for us, is only about three minutes from the church, is private and has a nice yard as well!  In the back yard we have an orange tree, a grapefruit tree, a lemon tree, and a feijoa tree.  For those of you in the U.S., feijoa is a fruit that grows here in New Zealand that people rave about.  I haven't tried it yet but people here really love it.  I will post pictures of the house soon.
     Anyway, God is moving and making things happen here.  I am excited about what He is doing and the things He has planned that we don't even know about yet.  We are also excited about being closer to the church so we can be more involved in it.  By the way, Harrison played his saxophone at church on Sunday and everybody loved it!  We had a meal after church for our pastor, Alison, who is returning to the United States in just a few days!  She has been a great blessing for New Hope Church of the Nazarene.