Flying across the world
Well we managed to make it all aboard Air New Zealand for a safe flight to Auckland, and then following that a 14 hour flight into Los Angeles (California, USA). It is no surprise that we were STILL tired after the flight despite the few hours that we managed to sleep.
Auckland Airport
We were fortunate enough to run into a couple from Denver, CO in the transit lounge before we boarded the flight to LA and got all the tips on living in Colorado, some really nice places to go camping, driving and buying cars. It always really helps to talk to someone who knows the area way better than we do ourselves.
Customs
Well it seems like a married couple, planning on living in the United States for a Year, studying the Bible and being supported financially by God (through family, friends and others) requires quite a bit more questioning.
Luckily we know that our God has not only CALLED us on this adventure, but has the strength and resources to KEEP us on this adventure until he says so.
Right off, God showed me the customs officer who we needed to go and talk to, so in agreement with what he was saying, I prayed that the line would be split in such a way that we were called up to her… and it did.
On looking at our passports, acceptance letter and hearing that we wanted to stay for 12 months (and longer) she really started asking a lot more questions. We were happy to answer, and she ended up leaving us to go and ask the higher authority. Referred to the Secondary Interview room we were questioned further about the course, and about Chrissy’s organized university placement in an American school. At that point in the interview it seemed like the customs officer was ready to just give us 6 months (and in fact initially stamped our form with 6 months expiry). As always though, God had a plan, and the officer at the next desk came over after overhearing some of the conversation and encouraged him to let us stay and that everything was just “fine”. Without looking at all the forms that I had in my folder, they changed the date on the visa form and granted us 12 months entry with advice on how to extend date of departure should it be required.
Praise God! We were able to walk out and collect our baggage and walk through to the bag security check section of the airport. The officer there was wondering if we would leave anything behind in the US, and explaining that we were here to live for a year he exclaimed “Hang on, they granted you 12 months??? Let me see that Passport again”.
Los Angeles
We were so happy that we took the advise of the hotel and boarded the super shuttle (a little like a maxi taxi for those Aussies following) which transported our 3 large suitcases, 2 snow jackets, 1 guitar, 1 camera bag and 1 overnight bag (a lot of luggage to otherwise carry around) along with 8 other people to the various hotels / motels. This was a great opportunity to see downtown LA as we were the second last stop on his itinerary. Winding through the streets of LA, passing through Skid Row (a notorious part of downtown LA – large homeless population, drugs and violence), past the flower market region, fashion region and china town gave us an appreciation for the city we were briefly visiting.
If ever there was a destination that we were happy to arrive at… it was “Stay on Main Hotel”. With a contemporary orange and white décor, we were welcomed and given the key to our room where we promptly fell on the bed exhausted. Refreshing ourselves with a nice hot shower, we hit the town in search of a feed and found our match at the “LA Café” – a 24 hour bakery / restaurant / café who even delivered 24 hours a day 364 days a year.
Greyhound
I know that LA is meant to provide one of those amazing experiences in culture, diversity and the rest of it, but quite frankly it was a relief by the time we could actually catch the bus out of there. Through our wait at the various Greyhound transit centres we have learnt much about the country, its’ people and the economy. We area really glad that despite the many hours of driving cooped up between small chairs which incapacitate legs and make it hard to sleep we have caught the greyhound from LA to Ft. Collins.
A full 26 hours of busing it across the US has provided us a unique perspective on the country that we would have otherwise totally missed were we to just fly into Denver.
California
The rough desert with the sporadic cluster of houses every couple of miles (yes still getting used to miles, feet, inches, gallons etc.) and the winding mountain highways cutting through the hills transforming into heavily populated areas seen by the brilliant lights, shop fronts and signage all adds to the adventure, the awe of discovery and our Ellerslie Journey.
As we are writing this post (initially) we are travelling through the night on the leg from Las Vegas to Denver. We have just entered into Utah and are making our way up Route 15 towards Grand Junction. There have been reports of snow up ahead and we have witnessed some interesting situations involving passengers on the bus, but onwards we travel by moonlight glistening against the backdrop of a grey sky and blackened mountain ranges.
A few hours into Utah we looked out the window to see the hillsides covered spectacularly with snow. The snow glistened under the full moon and brought awe and wonder to the new surroundings.
Our Greyhound Bus
After a number of “situations” arising on the bus we finally arrived in Grand Junction, CO and were taken off the bus for an hour so that they could clean it and fix the “mechanical problem” that they were experiencing. We made a couple more friends during this time including a man who delivered RV’s around the country and had been trucking for 30+ years. Everyone was complaining about the wait as we continued to run behind schedule further and didn’t even have the bus in sight. The connecting coaches for nearly everyone was due only half an hour after our scheduled arrival into Denver and so with good reason everyone was a little agitated.
Story
Well, we finally boarded. New bus driver, new seats (ours had been rather rudely taken by the secondary bus driver) and we were now sitting next to Tim, a friend we had made throughout the trip. At around 3:30am in the morning Tim wanted to know what kind of music I was listening to on my IPOD. It was a sermon of course, so that introduced us into a lengthy conversation about real Christianity and the effects of such conversion. Tim had grown up in the catholic church and understandably had become bitter towards “organized religion”. With the passing of many of his close family early on in life, he had questions of God that he wanted to ask, and believed that he was better than those around him so he should be going to heaven or at least purgatory for a couple of years beforehand.
When he tried to say that he was trying to be “good” and live a better life, I just plainly told him that he couldn’t and never would be able to stand up to the real standard that God expected. You see Tim had always compared his goodness to others around him as opposed to Gods standards and at the top of the list, he was in total rebellion to God.
Tim wanted to know more and more about what the bible said, and what he had never heard before, so we were able to explain that even though his goodness could never put him in right standing before god, and that the consequence for his sin and rebellion deserved death – God made a way for him to be saved.
The whole reason for Jesus dying and being raised from the dead in HIS place and for HIS sins now made sense, and the concept that God would send his only son to take the penalty for his sins actually seemed “unfair on god” according to Tim. Wonderfully we were able to explain the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life, give testimony to what God had been and was doing in our life and leave Tim with a decision to make (before death) on what he believed, and for whom he was going to live.
I guess one of the main things that we have seen in Christianity is that many believe in Jesus, many confess to be saved and on their way to heaven, many would say that they are Christians… but most have not made Jesus the Lord (master) of their life, and they still live with themselves on the thrown in a life of rebellion to God.
In terms of the bus trip… we made our connections (just), and slowly found ourselves journeying through all the small towns on the back roads as we made our way north of Denver to Fort Collins. We were practically ecstatic as we finally got off the bus and knew that this is the area we were going to be living in for the next year.
Sunrise at Frisco, CO
Last stop before Denver
We continued in amazement of the diversity, beauty foreignness of our surrounds as we were taken to our new home and given a wonderful little room downstairs (slightly below ground level) with a bathroom, closet, chest of drawers, bed and a fridge. It was wonderful to be at home!
Needless to say, we were even more exhausted by this trip than you probably are reading about it (sorry I know it was long, but the stories were worth telling) so we had a really good night’s sleep.
This week I have been asked many questions about how we came to be studying at Ellerslie, spending a year in the states and what we mean by “God told us to go study at Ellerslie”, so in a couple of posts time, we hope to give you some more of an insight into the journey and provision that we have experienced so far.
“If we once get above our Bibles, and cease making the written Word of
God sole rule both as to faith and practice, we shall soon lie open to
all manner of delusion, and be in great danger of making shipwreck of
faith and a good conscience. Our blessed Lord, though He had the
Spirit of God without measure, yet always was governed by, and fought
the devil with, ‘It is written.’”
–George Whitefield
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