God’s Got a Crazy Way of Working Things Out

As I find myself once again in the airport waiting on an airplane to take me far away across the Pacific Ocean, passing through several different time zones, I can’t help reflecting on all the circumstances in life that have brought me to this place. For those of you who care to read on about what in the world brought me to New Zealand and ultimately find the love of my life, my story begins now. Many people have asked me, “Why did you choose New Zealand?” It was always a bit of a tricky question to answer because honestly I always just knew that was the place I was meant to go. It may sound a bit fruity, but after meeting and falling in love with Jack, I know that that feeling was exactly right. About 4 years ago during my sophomore year in college, I was sitting in my dorm room miserable and wondering why in the world I was doing this college thing. I had no idea if I wanted to be a teacher or what in the world I wanted to do with the rest of my life. All I knew was that I wanted to travel. Traveling has been my passion from the first moment I stepped out of this country (when I was 15 - thanks to my amazing parents). I grabbed my laptop and made a few google searches. To this day I have no idea what I searched, but I remember stumbling upon a website advertising “New Zealand Holiday Working VISA” which immediately got my attention. I always thought New Zealand seemed like a pretty rocking country, with its towering mountains, glaciers, endless beaches, volcanoes (God bless the families who lost loved ones during the recent White Island Volcano eruption ❤️), and magnificent diversity. The thing I can’t really explain is that after making that google search I just had this feeling of peace and certainty that this was the place I needed to travel to. There are so many amazing places out there in the world, and God willing I would love to see more, but at this time, there was nothing persuading me from going anywhere else. 

I made up my mind to get through the next 2 years of college, save up, and travel to New Zealand the summer after I graduated. And that was exactly what I did. 

When I got on the plane from Honolulu to Auckland August 2018, I started freaking out. What in the world am I doing?!? I have no idea where I’m going to live, where I’m going to work; I’m going completely alone and have no connections! And right then a lovely Hawaiian lady took her seat next to mine, and after chatting for a while, she said, “Wow this experience is going to completely change you... in the best way!” I’ve never forgotten her words. It’s crazy how one little interaction with a random stranger can have such an effect on you. Immediately when I stepped onto New Zealand soil I felt at peace again. “Ah yes this is where I’m meant to be.” 

I met some pretty amazing people the first day in Auckland, who were doing the exact same thing as me. Two of them Claire and Leon (love ya guys!) really helped me talk through making the big decisions of where to work, where to live, and how to start life in a new country. It’s crazy how close you can get to someone who is going through the same exact thing as you. We were there for each other, helped each other, and when it was time, went our separate ways. 

Fast forward a month and I was WWOOFing with an amazing family that taught me how to live the permaculture lifestyle. God placed them in my life right when I needed a family. It was there that I started looking for a job to work in New Zealand. With no where to begin, I kept coming back to this place called Kaikoura in the South Island. I love the mountains and the ocean and this place had both. I love whales and this place was known for their marine life. And finally it was a pretty small town, which I definitely wanted. And again I felt like this place was where I was meant to be. I found a barista job working at Encounter Kaikoura, and sure enough it was meant to be and I got hired! 

Now the crazy thing about meeting Jack, is that he was supposed to be done in the cafe and move up to be a full time Dolphin Guide on the boats, but they asked him to train one last person in the cafe before he moved up, and that person was me!! So we met and I immediately really liked him. You know that thing they call “Love at first sight”? Yup that definitely happened. We immediately became good friends and he really made me feel welcomed and loved in the Kaikoura community. He took me on our first date, diving in the ocean. Which was seriously a dream date for me. He showed me how and where to find crayfish, I caught my first fish spearfishing, I got to hold a huge starfish, and the highlight: Jack handed me an octopus that I got to hold. 

After that we started hanging out almost non stop. We were pretty much inseparable and talked about anything and everything under the sun. 

Two days before I left to go back home for Christmas, we hiked Mt. Fyffe (a nearby mountain) and told each other we liked each other on top of the mountain, under a meteor shower (I know, dream right?) We hiked down that mountain with joy in our hearts and holding hands. 

The rest is history. And now we are engaged!! I cannot wait to marry the love of my life and best friend.

My point in telling you all of this is that we never know the amazing things God has in store for us. I had no idea I would find the love of my life all the way in New Zealand! He came into my life when I really did not expect him. And let me tell you he is better than my craziest dream man I conjured up in my mind😆. 

Before Jack, I was single for a very long time. I dated in college, but nothing was ever too serious. I got hurt again and again. There were so many times I cried and thought, “What is wrong with me? Why doesn’t he want to be with me?” I made stupid mistakes. I had lots of heartbreaks. 

But you know what’s amazing? None of that matters now. 

All those heart breaks, stupid mistakes, failed relationships, led me to someone better than I could have imagined. And we met in the craziest of circumstances. If it happened to me, it can most definitely happen to you. Don’t give up hope! I know how hard it can be when you really long to be with someone, but once it happens the time spent waiting is worth it. God knows what’s best for us. And whether it makes sense to us or not, sometimes waiting is what is best. I am constantly comforted by the passage, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” - Jeremiah 29:11

And all of these things have led me to yet another airport awaiting a plane to take me to the love of my life in a country that I love yet didn’t think I would get to go back to this soon. God really has a crazy way of working things out.

Keep following your dreams and stay close to Him because he has some crazy cool plans in store for you.