I have a lot of things I'm learning at the moment, but I think the biggest learning curve for me right now is learning how to live by myself. This is the first time in my life that I am alone. For those who know me well, know that I don't deal well with silence, being still, or just being alone. I find it difficult to fill in the 'down' times in my evenings, and I easily become bored. It's very easy to turn on the TV, scroll through my phone, or put music on, rather than reading a book or my Bible, doing some painting, or practising the piano. Technology can be great for various reasons, but it can easily become an addiction - especially because it's so easily accessible in today's world.
On a more positive note...last week I celebrated my 20th birthday. My boss and their family surprised me with a cake in the morning with two candles on it - one for each decade of my life. This was a special thing for them to do, as it was my first birthday without being surrounded by my own family.
They also let me finish work early, so I headed to the Golden Bay area for the weekend, to stay with the Marshall's - a family I've gotten to know well through camps; who are like my family away from home. These guys made me feel so much at home! Friday night we had a chill night, with Hannah and I making a massive birthday cake, and devouring it with some ice cream while watching The Greatest Showman. On the Saturday, Murray took Johnny and I on a Farewell Spit tour; where we saw seals, gannets, lots of bird life, and more of God's beautiful creation. That night, we went to the movie theatre and saw the new Avengers movie. Yes, it cracks me up how Takaka has a movie theatre of all things...and they even had an intermission halfway through the movie! Sunday morning we went to church in Takaka - which was very much like the church I grew up with. Then we went home to a nicely cooked lunch for Mother's Day, which Angie and Josh had prepared. That afternoon, Josh, Hannah, Johnny, Reuben and I went for a drive to Tata (?I think that's what it was called) Beach and explored the area. The weather was really good! After dinner, I headed home, back to Ruby Bay. It was such a cool weekend :)
Then it was back to work. My job is going really well...it's getting easier figuring out how to deal with the kids when their parents aren't home, and we also have heaps of fun - no two days are the same. Mostly I clean the house/do odd jobs while the kids are at school/pre-school, then I go pick them up and we do some after school activities, such as head to the trampoline park, go to rugby practise, play in the park, or head to the beach. There is so much to do here, it's great!
That's pretty much all to report at the moment...I feel like I've just rambled a whole heap of random stuff, but I am trying to put my thoughts into wording a bit better. Hope you enjoy this little snippet of this stage of my life :)
Some prayer points for me:
1) That the children I'm looking after will listen to and respect myself and each other (which would make my job easier)
2) That I will be able to find someone in the area to be a mentor - I feel I need someone who is able to check up on me once a week-ish to see how I'm going on a more deeper level so I don't bottle everything up and let it out on the kids I look after
Thanks for your continuous prayers,
Esther x
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