God Takes Care of the Details

I have been meaning to write this post for a while and I just wanted to show you that I have finally got around to it! hehe

And you might be wondering why I've changed the background of my blog again, but someone was having trouble reading it and I hope this will be better :)

Anyway, God really blew me away with the amount of little details that He took care of for my trip to Rarotonga and the wedding and I have wanted to write it all down so that I have a record of it before I forget! I'm sure that other people (like my sister & new bro-in-law) could talk about the details he took care of for them too, but I can only write about the ones I know about...

At the end of October/beginning of November last year I took my new car for a drive up to visit my sister near Christchurch and did some shopping while I was up there. The 2 main items I bought were some new summer sandals and a new summer skirt. At this stage I had absolutely no idea I was going to Rarotonga. I could see that my sister and her boyfriend were probably going to get married, but I was expecting that they would get married here at home and I also wasn't expecting it to happen as soon as it did :)

So when they got engaged on the Sunday before Christmas I was pleasantly surprised, but when they told me the wedding was going to be in Rarotonga and that they wanted me to be there, I think I probably went into a state of shock and to be honest was quite overwhelmed at the thought of travelling to a beautiful tropical hot paradise with a chronic illness that leaves me with very little energy. I only had a couple of days to decide if I was going or not because they wanted to book the tickets so that they got them at a special price. I felt that God wanted me to be there (and of course I didn't want to miss my sister's wedding!) so I said I'd go. At this stage I had people telling me to get a wheelchair at the airports and I thought I'd probably be ok without one (little Miss Independent strikes again). I thought my sister would have already booked the tickets the day before, but I woke up on Christmas Eve remembering standing in long queues at Auckland airport years ago, and decided a wheelchair would be a good idea to save me lots of walking and standing in queues, which can be even more tired than the walking! I contacted her and it turned out that she hadn't booked the tickets yet - praise God! It meant she had to spend ages on the phone booking the tickets instead of doing it online (thank you!), but she managed to get the wheelchair booked for me and it turned out to be the best thing, because if I had had to do all that walking I most likely would have been in pain long before I got to Rarotonga and might not have recovered in time for the wedding. You can read more about the wheelchair and the special treatment we received in my post "The Wheelchair made all the Difference" here http://debbiesdoodlings.blogspot.com/2009/04/wheelchair-made-all-difference.html

Ok, so the tickets were booked on Christmas Eve and then we had Christmas. Some time in January we found out that our holiday house was booked and that I would be sleeping in the lounge, most likely on a mattress on the floor. I knew that this would mean not getting enough sleep and started to freak out a bit about travelling over there, being exhausted and having to cope with a lack of sleep for the week. Around this time, while I was freaking out ;) God gave me Isaiah 41:10 which says "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". He also said that He would take care of the details and I hung onto these promises from Him, trusting that He would do what He said. When we arrived at the house we found that there was actually a bed set up in the lounge and that my sister and her fiance hadn't needed to get a mattress from the other house for me as they thought they might have to.

Another detail about the house was that it was so close to the beach. We just had to cross a rugby field to get to the beach. And the best man's sister lives in Rarotonga and she had booked the house and got it much cheaper than what they usually charge because she was a local :)

Ok, so back to me in NZ getting ready for the trip & wedding. Once I knew about the wedding, I soon realised that the gold strappy sandals I had bought up in Christchurch were perfect for a wedding on the beach. I was a bit concerned about a dress to wear for the wedding. I wasn't expecting to find anything here in town that would be suitable and was thinking that I might have to pay someone to make me a dress. One day I walked into a shop to buy the wedding present (which I got for half price) and there was the dress! And it was in the after Christmas sale! It even fit me without me having to shorten it, which if you have ever seen me in person you would know is a miracle! I was so shocked at finding something so suitable that I asked the sales assistant if I could return it if I changed my mind! LOL! And then I realised that the necklace and earrings my sister had given me for my birthday that year went perfectly with the dress! God is amazing! My other sister (not the one getting married) walked into another shop in town and got herself a dress for the wedding for $20!

So that was my outfit for the wedding taken care of. Before we went to Rarotonga, Dad had been planning to hire a scooter (which is what most people do over there) so that they could go right around the island and see everything. But when we arrived and he saw how hot and humid it was, he decided an air-conditioned car would be much better, so he went and hired one. While I could have gone on up to town on a bus with my sister to do some shopping, it was much better for me that Dad could take me shopping in the car. It saved me a lot of walking in the heat which would have been quite tiring for me. Thank you Dad! And thank you to God for providing this mode of transport for us! It also meant we had the car for the morning of the wedding, so we didn't have to walk from where we were staying to the restaurant which was down the beach, but quite a bit further from where we went swimming. It would have been a hot walk!

It is very obvious that God has brought my sister & new brother-in-law together. It is also very obvious that He was arranging everything for the wedding and for those of us attending it. Someone said that it stopped raining 5 minutes before the wedding and I can tell you that it didn't start again until we were sitting at the table in the restaurant for the reception and it was heavy! We had sunny weather for the wedding ceremony (I felt like I was melting while we were waiting on the island for the bride to arrive!) and then it clouded over and cooled down a bit.

Something else that happened involved 3 couples who were my sister's friends who also went to the wedding. They all booked their own accommodation, not knowing where anyone else was staying, although they probably knew the wedding was on Muri Beach. It turned out they were all staying at the same place which was right at one corner of the rugby field, i.e. the rugby field between our house and the beach!

One couple had a beach front room. Another couple had a problem with their booking and they were upgraded to a beach front room. The other couple mentioned that they had stayed there 4 years ago for their honeymoon and that this was their 4th anniversary and they were upgraded to a beach front room too! Wow, God was really treating all of us!

Oh, I forgot to tell you about the skirt I bought in Christchurch. Well, I was sitting here thinking what am I going to wear while I'm over there? I had a couple of singlet tops but they really only went with a pair of shorts that I took with me. Maybe I was being blond or something, but one day when I was shortening my new summer skirt it clicked! It was perfect for Rarotonga, even looking a bit Rarotongan (I have named it my Raro skirt), and it's 100% cotton, including the lining!

It has always been a dream of mine to go to a tropical paradise like Raro, and I saw this trip as God giving me a desire of my heart. Of course, it wasn't just about me, it was more about my sister & new brother-in-law, but I just wanted to write about what I saw God doing for me and others regarding the trip. He is a faithful God and He will provide all that you need to accomplish anything He is calling you to do. Praise Him!!!

Some Souvenirs

Raro Photos

Rarotonga Trip

Well, it's nearly a year since I posted something on my blog, but I knew when I started it that that would probably happen. You would think that I had nothing to write about and that the last year must have been boring, but when I look back it has actually been quite exciting.

My new little niece, Faith, was born in March last year, but I've already mentioned that! At the beginning of June, my sister brought her new boyfriend down to meet the family. I think we were all very pleased for her that she had met someone who was such a lovely Christian guy.

At the end of August I got a new car! See photo above :)

At the end of October I took my little red car for a trip up to stay with my sister for a few days near Christchurch. I did some shopping while I was up there (more about that later!) and sat in the sun!

Then, on the Sunday before Christmas, my sister's boyfriend proposed to her in front of all the people at their church. They contacted their families in the afternoon via webcam to show us the ring and to tell us that they were getting married in March in Rarotonga and that they wanted us to be there!

For someone like me, living with a chronic illness that leaves me with very little energy (my trip up to Chch had been exhausting!) the idea of travelling to the Cook Islands seemed a bit overwhelming.

But God is good and thanks to Him and my doctor, by the time the trip came around I was fine. God had given me Isaiah 41:10 as a promise which says: "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand". So, it was pretty obvious that God wanted me to go and that was a huge relief because I wouldn't have wanted to miss my sister's wedding! And I have always wanted to go to a tropical island for a holiday!

Also God had been getting me ready for the trip before I even knew about it! When I was up near Chch visiting my sister I went shopping. The 2 main things I bought were a new pair of gold strappy sandals and a new summer skirt. When I found out about the wedding, I was quite blown away, because the sandals were perfect for a wedding on the beach and the skirt was perfect for wearing in Rarotonga. I was thinking that I probably wouldn't find a dress in town here to wear to the wedding, especially one that would fit me, and that I might have to get someone to make me one. Well, I walked into a shop in the week between Christmas & New Year (when the shops had their sales on) and there it was! I couldn't quite believe it. It fit me perfectly without even needing to be shortened. I was so stunned that I asked the shop assistant if I could bring it back if I changed my mind! Then after I got it home and was thinking about what jewellery I could wear with it, I realised that the necklace and earrings that my sister had given me for my birthday last year went with it really really well! Thank you soooo much God!!!!

So, about 3 months later I was about as ready to go as I could be. I had no trouble going to sleep the night before the trip, but I woke up about 2.30am and never really went back to sleep - I was just too excited!

My other sister & bro-in-law & 1 yr-old niece picked me up about 8am and off we went! It was about a 3 hour drive to the airport, but we allowed plenty of time in case there were road works (which there were) and in case we needed to stop for Faith (which we did). We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare and met my Dad and his wife there. We had time to have some lunch after we checked in for our flight to Auckland.

It had been at least 12 years since I was last in a plane and I was sooo pleased to be flying again. The weather over NZ was perfect that day without any clouds and so we had wonderful views all the way to Auckland.

When we arrived in Auckland, the stroller for the baby was nowhere to be seen and so my sister went to sort that out. It took them a while to find it, but eventually we had it and were on our way over to the international terminal. The family decided to take the 10 minute walk, following the blue line, over to international. I was in a wheelchair to save my energy that day, so I didn't mind, although there was quite a cold wind.

At the international terminal I met up with my boss and his family who came all the way out to the airport to meet me. I have been working for him for over a year, and although we have communicated by email and phone calls, we had never met in person. So that was good!

Then we grabbed some Subway for dinner, before going through the security checks. Being in a wheelchair and carrying an infant, we got special treatment. We didn't have to queue with everyone else - we went through with the pilot and flight crew. My brother-in-law had metal in his shoes, so he set off the beeper everytime! On the way home, he put them in his luggage, but that still set the thing off when they scanned his bag!

We eventually got on the plane for our flight to Raro. The flight attendants were very friendly and had a great sense of humour. The one in charge told us things like "smoking is not permitted in the terminal or anywhere else in the Cook Islands" - all with a straight face! And she got us all to say "Kia Orana!" before we left the plane. As we walked into the terminal we were greeted with a man singing songs and playing his guitar. The customs lady wasn't very happy when we couldn't tell her where we were staying! My sister had booked the holiday houses and had not given us any details except that they were near Muri Beach. Anyway, we explained to her that our sister would be meeting us and she would know! So it all worked out okay.

We arrived just after midnight Cook Island time. They are 23 hours behind NZ which really means they are a day behind and an hour ahead! We had another Tuesday when we arrived and lost nearly all of Sunday on the way home! I don't think I've ever had a week without a Sunday in it before! It would have actually been nice to have been there on a Sunday and attended a church service on the island.

Anyway, it was hot and very humid when we arrived and that didn't change much the whole time we were there. It rained on and off every day too.

We arrived at the house where we were staying to find that there was only a rugby field between the house and the beach. So, not too far for me to go for a dip! The water in the lagoon was clear and there were lots of little fish swimming around you.

And my sister's friends who had booked their own accommodation and who didn't know where any of the others were staying, were all at the Muri Beach Club Hotel which was just at the opposite corner of the rugby field!

I was a bit of a write-off the first day there so I didn't go anywhere. My sister came around though and we saw quite a bit of her that day and the next. Everyone else went around to the house where her fiance's family were staying that night for a barbeque, but I stayed put because I was so tired and wanted to have some energy for the wedding.

The next day was Wednesday and I was feeling much better and Dad (who had decided to hire a car instead of a scooter) took me to have a look in some gift shops nearby. I bought myself some plastic tumblers with fish all over them and Rarotonga written on them. That afternoon we all went down to the lagoon for a swim/dip/paddle. My 2 sisters and Dad were snorkelling, but there wasn't very much to see there. Apparently the snorkelling was much better around near the other house.

The next day was the wedding! We spent the morning getting ready and went down to the restaurant from where the glass-bottomed boat was taking us across to a little island called Motu Koromiri for the wedding. (If you google the name of the island you will find some videos of weddings on the island.) The boat was going too fast to see any fish! Someone said the rain stopped 5 minutes before the wedding. It didn't start again until we were back inside the restaurant for the reception. My niece enjoyed playing in the puddles during the speeches!

On Motu Koromiri it was very hot and sunny! I felt like the makeup was running off my face! We were greeted by the wedding co-ordinator and the music trio playing and singing Cook Island songs. The guys - groom, best man, groomsman, father & brothers were dancing to the music while we were waiting for the bride to arrive. We could see across the lagoon to the Muri Beach Club Hotel where my sister & her bridesmaids were getting ready. They came over on a boat manned by a couple of Rarotongans who carried the bridesmaids and brides off the boat onto the sand. I don't think they carried Dad!

The bridesmaids came first, walking up a path of petals, followed by Dad and my sister. They all looked absolutely beautiful. An AOG pastor from the other side of Rarotonga (the musicians were from there too) took the ceremony. He was quite funny saying "so far, so good" after each question. After they were married, the groom's father prayed for them and blessed them.

The wedding party went further down the beach to have photos taken (because there were tourists hanging around) while we were taken back to the restaurant, where we were served fruit punch and nibbles which consisted of papaya, banana, star fruit, water melon and other things.

We all sat at a long table (I think there were 22 of us) and the speeches took place and they opened it up for anyone who wanted to say anything which was nice. The meal was nice - I had a yummy chocolate almond parfait for dessert :)

When it was all over the bride and groom took off on a motorbike to a resort on the other side of the island and we returned to the house where we were staying to get changed. I put my togs on and my other sister and I went down to the lagoon a bit later and sat in the water and talked for a while. The water in the lagoon was warm, and it was the best way to cool down!

I really liked the wedding. I liked that we felt that we were more a part of it than we would have if it had been held in a church. And I liked that it didn't drag on all day like some weddings do.

The day after the wedding Dad took me up to Avarua, the main town on the island, to get a sarong and some souvenirs for myself and Mum (who couldn't go to Raro because she is housebound). I was planning to get a sarong like one of the ones my sister had bought for her girls, but when I got to the shop I saw some up on the wall that I thought were even nicer. They had Cook Islands written on them and also had glitter which made them look nicer. I didn't think anything of it, but both my sisters said they would have thought twice about the glitter. I found out that it was quite difficult to wear the sarong without the glitter rubbing against my skin. After wearing it for a while I was covered in glitter and so was everyone else because it was all over the house! I also bought a matching mug and tea-towel for my Mum, a skirt thingy with tassles on it that I could wear to the beach over my togs, a necklace and fridge magnet and a postcard to send to a friend.

I wore the sarong (like a skirt) and the necklace to the Island Night we went to that night. We got a meal and the show for $30. Most of us ordered the Island Meal which was huge but yummy. I think I probably only ate about half of mine! The show began with a man singing old songs like "After the Loving, I'm still in love with you", followed by a dance group doing a range of Cook Island dances, including a demonstration of pulling a coconut apart with your teeth!

The Saturday was spent very quietly, although we had netball and rugby games being played all day nearby. We were planning to go down to the lagoon for another dip before having a shower and getting changed to leave that night, but the rugby went on for quite some time and there was a huge amount of spectators around the field. In the end I decided it might be better to save my energy since we had a whole night of travelling ahead of us, so I just settled for the shower instead and it was finally hot for me! Thanks heavens I had plenty of time to cool down afterwards before we had to leave for the airport.

The hot water where we were staying wasn't constant! It seemed to like Dad - he seemed to always have hot water for his shower and I didn't! We didn't really mind the cool showers though. If you had a hot or warm shower it just made you hotter! We also shared the house with some geckos and ants. I couldn't quite believe my eyes on the last night there when I saw a gecko eat a little one! They must be cannibals!

We flew out of Raro at 1.20am, arriving in Auckland at 4.45am. By time we went through customs and immigration and got over to the domestic terminal, we didn't have any time to spare before our flight at 6.45am. So when we finally arrived in Chch at 9am we were pretty hungry and tired. I had managed to get some sleep on the flight from Raro, but not on the 2 domestic flights in NZ. So after collecting our vehicle, we stopped for breakfast before heading home. My sister and I managed to get some sleep on the way home. She & my bro-in-law kept swapping the driving because they were feeling so sleepy. After arriving home I was asleep by 7pm that night!

The next morning when I woke up there were no palm trees outside my window, no roosters crowing and no sound of the fans that had been going constantly in the house we stayed in.

I loved spending time with my little niece while we were away and getting to know her better. I didn't see a lot of her in her first year because she was sick a lot of the time.
She is a real character and had me cracking up laughing at her dancing!

We felt like we had been away for more than a week and that we'd had a really good break. It was a wonderful relaxing holiday and the wedding was lovely. I didn't want to come home in spite of the humidity and the mozzies that nearly ate me alive at the Island Night! I could have stayed there. I think the lady who did my sister's hair for the wedding was a kiwi who had gone over there for a holiday and literally stayed there. It would be a really relaxing place to live and I would love to go back there some day!