Happy Sunday morning from Wellington! After staying up late-ish last night losing two rounds of Settlers of Catan, I got up far too early for a Sunday (3:30 am) to catch a ride to the bus to the capital. Now that I’ve arrived, I’ve found a coffee shop to escape the windchill, hook to WiFi, and attempt to understand rugby as I wait for the cable car station to open in an hour. As long as the weather holds out, this evening I’ll be bouncing in a little plane over the Cook Strait to the South Island for a whirlwind tour of Golden Bay with a cousin of my host family. In the meantime, I’ll be exploring Wellington!

I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend. I often forget to allow myself rest time while traveling, choosing instead to see ALL the things as rapidly as possible so as not to “waste” time abroad. It was nice to do some laundry, repack, catch a Sabbath afternoon nap, and sleep in a bed for a couple nights. 🙂

On Friday evening, we welcomed Sabbath with pumpkin soup followed by a ukulele jam session and singing. We were rocking on soprano, concert, baritone, and bass ukes while singing 3-part harmony; not too shabby for a group of 6! 🙂 Then the accordions came out, and I just had to try my hand at playing the oompah organ. I’ve got a long way to go, but my ears stopped bleeding within a couple minutes of squawking out some notes, so it wasn’t all that bad. 😉

Feilding SDA Church held its monthly church lunch (potluck) this weekend, and it was madness. Five folding tables were set up in the fellowship hall, each laden with various dishes and dessert plates with accompanying napkins. After singing (yes!) grace, a free-for-all was unleashed, the entire congregation swarming the tables buffet style. It was GREAT. The small plates ensured we took smaller helpings, and I got to try just about every dish; no small feat. Let’s try this at home, American friends! 🍽

Pumpkin soup was on the menu again for Sabbath tea, but this time was followed by singing happy birthday for the newest 91-year-old and eating carrot cake. I like New Zealand more every day!

Well, the rugby game is over – I think. Somehow points were scored, though I still don’t know how. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 🏉