It is Well.

Today finds me almost a week since my last post. While much has happened and I still occasionally get pangs of homesickness, a certain measure of stability has provided me with joy. Last night I experienced my first purely happy moment since being in New Zealand. I was not wishing to be anywhere else. I was not worried about school, earthquakes or relationships. I began to realize how incredibly blessed I am.

My week has been full of wonderful things. I attended a rugby league game (apparently different from what we think of as rugby) and loved being part of the yelling mob of fans. Well, at least when I understood what we were getting upset about. I explored the harbor with a friend and marveled as the personal yachts and sailboats moored there. The demands of school required me to do some homework which was not to be avoided. Alas. I worshiped at church and had meaningful conversations with my host family and my friends. Skype and Facebook continued to allow me to connect with those at home.

I am looking forward to the many adventures to come this week, including a visit to my family's beach house and attempts to teach me how to surf. A barbeque with all the host families and their respective kiddies is being held tomorrow. It is going to be a great week.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan have been on my mind and are events of incomprehensible tragedy. So many lives were lost and so many continue to be missing. When I consider the events of Christchurch and my own experiences there, I can only feel lucky and a bit ashamed. The nature of the disaster Japan has undergone is more devastating than anything I can imagine and yet my gut instinct is to say, "Something like that happened to me too. Don't forget about me!" God seems to be using this awful situation as a lesson. He desires to extricate me from my selfishness and remind me of the other people in need. Yes, I was emotionally traumatized by my own experiences, but God's greatest command is to love Him and others. I need to refocus my life away from myself and towards helping those in need. God, my family and my friends have shown me incredible love in the past and continue to support me with it now.

My goal for the week: to live passing on the love I've been blessed with. There are those in more difficult situations than mine.