Aotearoa - The Land of the Long White Cloud

Why hello!

After a day in Sydney, we stayed the night with a couchsurfer which was great. We explored a bit of the harbor where Nemo was, and went to a Hillsong service for Mel. Was really good!

Fine flight to New Zealand, and here we are in Christchurch, staying with more kind couchsurfers who have lively children and a gorgeous garden. We will be camping in their back yard.

What a place this is. Another land with a crazy history of struggle between First Nations peoples, and exploring settlers. It brings you to tears. We have seen some incredible paintings and artwork of the Maori...and are learning more history. They named this land 'Aotearoa' when they discovered it about 1000 years ago.

The Creator's creativity is so vast and awe-inspiring!
How we all need to know the heart of Jesus and be healed by His love.

What we've been up to?
wondering about all sorts of things, photography, lots of walking, seeing loads of art, bird-watching, baby-sitting kiddos, trying to find jobs in Alaska, doing dishes, packing and re-packing luggage, getting free food from the hostel 'free food shelf', reading, dreaming, and tonight to an outdoor Shakespeare play -'The Merry Wives of Windsor'

Tah!
J and C

All of Creation Praises the Maker!

One more day in Australia... We finally made it to the Great Barrier Reef. A dream come true... More colourful than Joseph's technicolor dream coat and much more entertaining. We had to pay for it though, with a week indoors, stuck in a tropical cyclone, wearing our bathing suits to the store as walking felt much like swimming, and no umbrella could stand a chance... but the weather started to turn around and the sky did clear so the next day we hopped a boat to the reef and went snorkelling for hours. We saw endangered giant clams that I (Joseph) could not get my arms around if I tried. We saw squid that the largest flippers could not propel me to keep up with in a chase, we saw a few Nemo's(clownfish) hanging out in their anenome, safe from predators, as they coat themselves with a mucus and are immune to the stings that would kill other fish, and we saw literally thousands of colourful fish of so many shapes and sizes, with the largest being a giant Queensland grouper - 12 feet long - that a few months back had put a diver half way down it's throat before deciding it didn't like the taste of rubber and oxygen tank, so spit him out. Seeing the Great Barrier Reef up close (you can also see it from space) is an experience hard to explain, but overwhelming in the best of ways, as I'm sure heaven is(to a much greater degree). Just when you think it can't get any better, it does.. and you just can't believe it.

The next day we caught another ride to a 6 km long pure white sand beach, which you'll see by the attached photos that we had way too much fun at. We had to wear stinger suits, as the jellyfish are bad at this time of year and there are some that can kill people within 3 minutes.

So that pretty much wraps up our time in the north east tropical region of Australia. Tomorrow we head down the east coast to Sydney, the land of the Opera House and the mega-church, as well as a cherished reunion between father clownfish and son clownfish, as seen in "Finding Nemo." And almost as soon as we arrive, we will catch our connecting flight to Christchurch, New Zealand. The next leg of the journey and the last of new countries to be seen this time around.

There's a feeling floating around us of this journey's impending end, with the knowledge that this grand adventure will soon be over. By that time, we'll almost certainly be ready for it, as all voyages in this life must start somewhere and end somewhere....the 2nd law of thermodynamics and all that jazz, I guess... But we've had a lot of fun and should go out with a bang, as New Zealand and Hawaii are not bad places to be and God is never finished with us. So keep us in prayer as we make our way, and begin wrap up this part of the journey. We look forward to seeing you all again, with hi-fives, hugs and celebrations to be had.

Great Love,

Joseph and Christy

P.S. A quick description of the photos and video:

Most of them, you can tell: fish, birds, snorkels, the Great Barrier Reef, the Coral Sea, and us splashing around on Whitehaven beach in our superhero costumes "aka" Stinger Suits. The video is self explanatory. Then theres a couple goodn's that Christy took of the journal I got her on the Isle of Skye (off the Scottish coast) and me reading a great book called "Under the Mercy" which is a sequal of sorts to a superb true story with 18 letters from C.S. Lewis, called "A Severe Mercy." I highly recommend them.. Now there are two more photos, before and after. One of Christy holding a fish over the mouth of a Barramundi, that sucks 2 litres of water into it's gut, along with the fish, making a sound like a shotgun blast. Thankfully, on the next photo, Christy still has all her fingers and a bunch of water on her face. Oh here's this sweet video.

Who goes there?!...

Rained In!

Ah, today was so refreshing, cannot tell the half... We are at the Whitsunday Islands in NE Australia...
We got a free boat trip to Daydream Island today, and snorkeled for hours in the Coral Sea
(Christy for her first time)! It was phenomenal! After hiking through a rainforest in a torrential downpour, we swam some more, and explored a bit. Now the weather has gone a bit mad and the airport is closed etc. They are calling for flash floods and things along those lines. After the rough ride back from Daydream Island, the bus didn't show up to pick up the passengers, so we ended up in a taxi with the news crew who had been out documenting the storms,...more rain then they've had in 12 years. (There is more stuff going on up North, where we are not...more rain than they've had in 100 years)

Anyway, we are just fine, staying in a house here in Aerlie Beach, and will wait the storm out.
Pray for us , but know all is ok.
Blessings to you very very much!
-Joseph and Christy R.

storms and spiders

It has been a good week..surfing lots (Joseph), hanging round in the shallows and praying.(Christy)... :)

It has been raining and raining, not the extremely hot Australia we were anticipating/dreading...heehee...
Now there's a monsoon rolling in to the NE coast, so we had to forgo our flight today (to the Great Barrier Reef). We found out 6 boats ran into the rocks up there today. We'll see what happens tomorrow. We're praying for the weather to clear up.

So, we're here in Brisbane, in thestorms ...and there are ji-normous black and yellow spideys with big webs on what seems like every other tree. But the palm-sized butterflies and rainbow parrots make up for that.

'Twas good to be in Newcastle last week visting Joseph's ywam friends. We enjoyed the fellowship, the art, the ocean.
...Have been thinking lots about the birds and how God made them so lovely, and they sing and fly and are free, and know how to make little homes from whatever is around them. This morning, I woke Joseph up by whistiling a tune that a bird woke me up with. A really creative melody!

Again and again, we remind ourselves, there is no need to worry, since we have such an incredible Creator and Friend in Jesus. May we let Him into every part of our lives to do the miraculous work of healing and love.

Have a splendid day!
*Joseph and Christy*

Australian Wonders

We are in Newcastle, where Joseph did his dts with ywam, four years ago. It has been neat to see this place and catch up with some people.

It has been stormy off & on and here, which is lovely...not too hot! and Joseph has really been enjoying surfing.

Last week was spent mostly with our friend Sparky and it was really sweet to see him. (photo) He is incredible with hospitality, and really is a blessing to us.

Very enjoyable of late, was the Great Ocean Road, on the S. coast of Australia, gorgeous landscape and all kinds of beautiful wildlife. We spent a couple days exploring God's creation there. His shells and seas and snails and trees, koalas and kangaroos. There all wild parrots all over...It is so cool!

The Wonders of His Love!

We love you guys,

Joseph and Christy

Joseph Grows a Beard...

...in response to Dave Taylor's comment, "you're looking shaggier than a scooby snack!"

the land of Oz

The few days we had in Malaysia last week were really good. Some favorites were the world's largest bird park...the amazing new fruits, and the crazy drinks like, bird's nest drink and kickapoo joy juice.


We have been in Australia the last few days and it is a very different world than where we've been the last few months.
Joseph's friend Sparky met us in Melbourne and it has been cool to catch up with him. He made us a gigantic salad, and it was the first time we've had a salad in months. We drank a glass of water from the tap with it, and marveled at all the other strange occurences, like soap and toilet paper in the bathroom, and white people speaking English. :) Sparky has taken us exploring his city, rowing boat, jumping off rope swings, playing music...We've also been being our own travel agents, which takes time.

So...we'll write soon. Have a lovely day.

Joseph and Christy R.

Tracing the Roots

I want to share the unparalleled experience we had last week of traveling to places in India where my (Christy) ancestors were for 75 years.

My Great-great-great Grandfather John Eddy Chandler (photo), was a missionary in South India. He sailed from Boston to India in the 1840's, and he lived and served in Madurai and surrounding areas for the remainder of his life, 47 years! He was part of the American Madurai Misson.




His son, John Scudder Chandler was born in Madurai, India and carried on the mission...He also wrote a book, "75 years in the Madura Mission". John S. died in Kodai Kanal, India, at the age of 85.

We had only four days to explore the area where they once worked and lived. We are so glad to have the wonderful Holy Spirit, who directed us as we explored. We are also grateful to our incredible Indian friends who helped us with connections, translating and recommended people to talk to.
We took a bus up the Palani hills to Kodai Kanal first, a hill station where lots of people go to escape from the heat. My ancestors used to travel from the city of Madurai to this hill station by ox cart during the hot season. This is the place where my Great-great Grandfather (John Scudder Chandler) is buried. We hoped to find his grave, and after a short time searching, I stumbled upon it and we got to spend a good long while their contemplating his life and thanking God for the faithfulness of these great men and their incredible wives and families. (My Great-great (great) Grandmother's must have been hardcore...they served faithfully and also lost many children on the mission field).


We also found a memorial in the place where they set up the first church in Kodai Kanal. We visited the still- thriving Kodai Kanal International School and found out that John E. Chandler had much to do with establishing the school...amazing!

Next, we took a bus to Madurai the city where their mission was based, which has of course changed much since they were there. It is vast and busy and full of rickshaws, people and many graveyards. Our hope was to find the grave of my Great-great-great Grandfather, and to find the book that my Great-great Grandfather wrote... in 2 days. We went pretty much straight from the bus to a Theological Seminary Library to inquire about the book, and lo and behold they had there an original copy of the book-so beautiful! We got to look at it for a while, and write down some names and places, but of course were not allowed to take the rare book with us. We did ask if the librarians had any ideas about where John E. could be buried, and they proceeded to call us a rickshaw to take us to a certain graveyard where they said we might have a chance of finding it. We searched for about half and hour before the rickshaw driver called us over, and there it was! The only graveyard we went to! It was amazing to stand there and imagine who must have been gathered there 114 years ago for his burial.



We journeyed on to some places we had seen mentioned in the book and found churches they had preached in, and schools they had set up, which are still in use, amazingly. Here is a photo of some of the students.



We spoke with the ministers at one church who told us that there are three villages named after the Chandlers! They also thanked us and said that it is because of the missionaries in that time that they have many of the opportunities they enjoy now.

They also brought us to a school named after John Scudder's daughter, Gertrude Ethel Chandler (photo of her and the school motto), where we were welcomed with gifts and thanks for what the Chandlers had contributed in the context of education.



Well, Joseph and I had been praying that we could get a hold of a copy of the book that John S. wrote...so we went to the American College for an evening service. A bit into the service, two people sat down next to us. Immediately Holy Spirit let me know that we should ask them about the Chandlers. So I waited until the service had finished and immediately started a conversation with the Indian woman next to me by asking if she was a teacher at the college, to which she answered affirmatively. Her name is Vermela. Next to her was an elderly man that was so kind and gentle. I inquired about the book and her eyes lit up as she said she might be able to get it for us. So the four of us set off walking on the campus, in hopes of finding the book. The elderly fellow had the key and Vermela knew where the book might be. They found it a few minutes later and gave it to us straight away! Vermela had made a copy recently, and hard bound it, knowing that it was going to go to someone it meant a lot to. We were all really glad at God's goodness and good gifts to His children. (photo) ...It turns out this wonderful elderly fellow is a man we had just written a letter to asking for anything he might know, and he ended up sitting right next to us in church an hour later!



Nothing is impossible with the King of Kings!
I am overwhelmed at the inheritance of generous love and strong devotion from those who have gone before us. There is still so much more to discover!

May we each know Jesus heart and find the treasure that He wants to uncover for us.
Because of Grace,
Christy
p.s.
(Joseph is just as excited about all this as I am!)

Out of India

Wow, i can't believe we haven't written in a week.
We are leaving soon for the airport to fly out of India, which is actually sad.
This place has a way of growing on you.
There is so much to say about our last few days here..which have been full
of discovery and adventure.

We will write from Malaysia to say more about God's goodness.
Following the Holy Spirit is the best!
Lots of love,
the R's

Don't Worry, Chicken Curry!

May your day be filled with joy and bright!

The focus of this note is the absolute goodness of Christ...in His pursuit of His people. He takes care of us, and knows what we need...so we can rest in His big-ness, and not worry!

The Arabian Sea in Kerala, SW India is really pretty. Joseph got to go surfing, so he's stoked! Here's a photo of him looking hot, catching a wave... getting ready for Australia and Hawaii.

Yesterday we ran into a Swedish physical therapist who needed patients to come to his class for free...15 Swedish doctors and P.T.s were there for a seminar, and Christy had a really good appointment with professionals who have been doctors for 25 years..they gave some great advice and exercises to incorporate.( Christy has struggled with chronic pain for a few years now, so this is a blessing)

We have found the cheapest yummiest place to eat (where Indians actually eat because the food, prices and service are just right..kind to the wallet and the tastebuds). The food of choice is called Thali, rice with 5 different tasty sauces to try, including fresh coconut goodness.

We keep running into this cool family from New Zealand..we've seen them in three different places in India, totally different parts of the country...so we had dinner with them last night again. ..., we found out their hearts have been captivated by Jesus too! God is so good!


Have a splendifirous day
and be Refreshed!

your compadres,
the Rauwolfs