on jersey cows, missing home, and the will of God.

the first two-and-a-half weeks in New Zealand have flown by.

aside from the sightseeing and picture-taking, i have been learning a lot.

being on Jersey cow dairy farms has been quite interesting for me.

my family milks Holstein cows.

not Jerseys.

and if you know anything about Jerseys and Holsteins,

they may both be cows, but that's about they only way they are similar.

Amy keeps trying to tell me that "Jersey's are better"...

...but i still like my family's Holsteins more.

because hello. 

at home i don't have to squat down to be able to attach the milker. 

enough said.

haha. ;)

(to you non-cow-people, Jerseys are BABY-sized in comparison to Holsteins.)

but it's been pretty good so far.

although i am counting down the days until i get to go home.

i'm not quite sure why i am so "homesick" this trip,

but i really feel like i should be at home right now. 

i feel like i'm missing out on so much and i want to be back home.

but despite my feelings, i've been reminded (several times...) to "be all here". 

in the words of Jim Elliot, "Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

and boy, i have been placed in several situations and encounters that seem to be the will of God. 

from the stewardess on the airplane who struck up a faith-building conversation with us because she saw Amy reading the book of Isaiah,

to the opportunity to talk religion with a Mormon lady and her non-religious husband,

to going to church and meeting a girl from Wisconsin,

i can see God working.

it's been neat. 

i am excited to see the other ways God will use us during our time "Down Under". :)

photos coming later...