Thought Control

No I have not developed any psi powers, but I am learning to transfer a thinking skill I learned last year in Sydney to a new situation. Remember I told you about how I had such a hard time teaching in Sydney but when I learned to praise God in all situations and that that made a huge change in my attitude and outlook on life? (Here is the link if you don't ... http://catkween.blogspot.com/2010/03/ive-been-thinking.html) What I learned then was to stop the gloomy grey thoughts of discouragement when they started to cling and replace them with praise. Now I am learning to cut doubt off at the pass when it starts to intrude into my mind and replace it with a promise from God and to affirm that I know God will stand behind His promises and provide my needs.

Today I was busy telling God that the next step in the adventure of life was scaring me and enumerating the list of things that need to be accomplished etc etc etc, spent at least 20 mins doubting His will to provide - even though I know He wants me to go to AFCOE. Then I came across this quote from Mrs White ...

"The Lord is disappointed when His people place a low estimate upon themselves. He desires His chosen heritage to value themselves according to the price He has placed upon them. God wanted them, else He would not have sent His Son on such an expensive errand to redeem them. He has a use for them, and He is well pleased when they make the very highest demands upon Him, that they may glorify His name. They may expect large things if they have faith in His promises."  {DA 668.1}

Ummmmmm ... End of doubt! I apologised to God for all my doubting thoughts and prayers, reclaimed the promises and then I went to make that quote my facebook status. (It is too long so will have to think of something else.) While there I discovered an email from a friend informing me that he has just brought a new cell phone and that I can have his old one with all its accessories. If I would like it he will post it to Weimar (where AFCOE is) and it will be waiting for me when I arrive. Now this phone he is offering is WAY better than the one I was planning to buy (a $10 job from Walmart) so of course I said yes!! But the timing blew me away!! God is very good and very great and I just have to remember that he is in control.

Then I went and re-read the quote on prayer I posted in my blog entry a few days ago and the line "If anything is causing worry or anxiety, let us stop rehearsing the difficulty and trust God for healing, love and power" bit me.

So that leads to more thought control, stop the "this is the problem" thoughts and replace them with "this is God's solution" thoughts, God's promises are the solution!

Answers so Far

Yesterday I was out for a walk and feeling somewhat discouraged and overwhelmed about everything that needs to be accomplished in the next couple of weeks and my inability to actually do very much about most of those things and I was telling God that I  needed some encouragement.

Within a minute a car drove up behind me. It was the Head of HouseKeeping here at BHHEC. A couple of days ago we had been chatting about my move out to Weimar and I had mentioned to her that I needed a hair dryer to replace the one I had borrowed when I arrived at BHHEC. Well, when she pulled up she said "do you still need a hair dryer?" She said there was a hair dryer in her office that had been left behind by a guest at some time and did I want it? Of course I said yes! So I have a hair dryer to use and can leave and pass on to some other student at Weimar when I come home.

About a minute after she drove off another car drove up behind me, and another friend said "I've had an idea..." We have been googling the internet together to try and find the best way for me to get to Weimar. Flying is cheapest but I want to go over land so I can see the views. Anyway they have a ute type vehicle (called a pick up truck here) that needs to be driven back to Montana, and there is a lady I have met this week (at the Natural Remedies and Wellness Coach class I'm taking this week) who can drive me from there to Spokane in Washington where I can catch a plane. Unless I can find someone who is driving from there to Sacramento of course :-) (If any of you know of someone driving between the Spokane WA area (or anywhere near Thompson Falls MO) and Sacramento then put me in contact with them please!) So I'm off to Montana and on from there ... the adventure continues.

The Ongoing Adventures of Goldie: Goldie Meets The Chipmunks

For Ben and Megan, Enjoy!

Goldie decided it was time to meet a Chipmunk. She laid a tempting picnic on the rock and sat down to wait for company.

She didn't have to wait long till someone spied her intruding on his favorite rock.

He came closer to find out more about the intruder.

Carefully considering the situation from several angles.

Running circles around the problem to ensure he didn't miss any hidden surprises.

And then he saw it, the Big Pile Of Seed!

Covetously he crept closer and peered over Goldie's shoulder.

As he stood to the side considering the situation he heard a little voice say, "Would you like some seed?"

"Well yes," he admited, but I can't accept the kindness of strangers, it would not be polite."

Goldie laughed. "I'm Goldie" she said.
"You smell friendly, I'm Chip."said Chip.

Chip smiled, "Now we're introduced, Yes, I'd love some seed."


(I totally missed the best shot which was where Chip bit Goldie's foot just to cheek she wasn't a giant fluffy seed.)

"So tell me about yourself" Goldie suggested, but Chip was eating too fast and his mouth was full.

Soon they settled into an amicable conversation.

Goldie told stories of her travels from China to America and of her excitement about her anticipated trip to New Zealand. Chip stared off into the distance trying to imagine rice paddies and boiling mud pools.

Chip described what it was like to live in a cave and gave tips on the Avoidance of Rattlesnakes. Talking about Rattlesnakes made him nervous and he warily looked around to check there were none in the vicinity.

Finally it was time for Chip to go. He started on his way.

But then he ran back, for just one more seed for the road.

On his way he stopped looked back over his shoulder and called "So long and thanks for all the seeds."

Beginning Of The Answers

This morning I got an email essentially saying "Our records show that you over paid your bill to us by $100 how do we pay it back to you?"

Yesterday I got an email back from the lady who is the administrator for the course saying "I am sure we will be able to find someone to lend you bedding and towels."

And, a friend gave me the card of a GOOD hairdresser. So that is one more thing ticked off the list.

Custer's Last Stand

On the way back to South Dakota from the aborted trip to the Canadian Boarder we stopped at the place where Custer had his last stand. Here is the link to the story for anyone who wants to research more, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Little_Bighorn.

This Monument has the names of all the people in Custer's Army who died that day.

I think Custer was a bit of an idiot...

When the soldiers died they were buried where they fell and their graves were marked. A few years later they were all dug up and buried together in this cemetery. The place where they fell still has a marker.

The Indians took there dead and wounded with them so most of the ones who died do not have the place where they fell marked. A few had family members who came back and marked the spots.

This is the monument that was built to mark the Indian side of the battle. I really wish I had thought to bob down and make the picture  look like the horses were running along the horizon. Hopefully one day I'll get back and be able to take that picture.

Some of the view, they did describe what happened in the battle at each part of the landscape but I am afraid it went over my head - swooosh...

Some horses that live on the battle field now. 

This plant is called Salsify and it is like a dandelion on steroids!! (The flower is different to the dandelion - but still yellow) Took this pic simply because I liked it! 

A 360 degree view of some of the battlefield - was quite a sprawling fight with bits going on all over the place behind the hills etc.

Watching God At Work

Remember how I said I had three options for the rest of this year? Well now I know which one is happening.
I'm going to the Amazing Facts College Of Evangelism in California. (aka AFCOE which is way shorter!)

Here is what happened;

I've been praying about my three options and while I had a preference I was equally happy with whichever one happened.

1. Go back to NZ and get a short term teaching contract - but prayed that I would only do that if my visa extension application was turned down.
2. Stay at BHHEC till 12th of December when I'm going home anyway.
3. Go to AFCOE and learn how to be an Evangelist. I sent the application for this option before I ran into all my immigration problems. I prayed that God would only allow me to be accepted if He wanted me to go there and that He would provide everything I needed to go - which is pretty much everything! Otherwise would He please make it that my application was turned down.

Today I received my acceptance letter by email. And immediately began to have a minor panic attack along the lines of, "Wow, God gave me the option of my preference,  Oh dear I need ..." And then  began to itemise all the things I need, or have to do, and the fact that I only have two weeks to accomplish all these things and I'm doing a short course (natural remedies) for those two weeks and have even less time to accomplish all those things in. Then I remind myself that as God answered my prayer He obviously wants me to go there, so He will provide for all those needs, as he promises in multiple places in the Bible. (e.g. Philippians 4:19)

I got down to my mail box about 5 mins after receiving and replying to this email and I find in my box this quote:

"Prayer is the answer to every problem in life. It puts us in tune with Divine wisdom that knows how to adjust everything perfectly. So often we do not pray in certain situations, because from our standpoint the outlook is hopeless. But nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is so entangled that it cannot be remedied; no human relationship is too stained for God to bring about reconciliation and understanding; no habit so deep rooted that it cannot be overcome; no one is so weak that they cannot be strong. No one is so ill that he cannot be healed. No mind is so dull that it cannot be made brilliant. What ever we need if we trust God, He will supply It. If anything is causing worry or anxiety, let us stop rehearsing the difficulty and trust God for healing, love and power."                         E. G. White

So what I am going to do is put a list of my needs here on my blog and then over the next two and a half weeks I will record how God answers those needs.

1. To make sure this is all legal in relation to my visa situation.

2. Money for fees and other course needs.

3. Clothes - I have to wear skirts or dresses for classes and church!!! Those of you who know me even a little bit know that I haven't worn a skirt in at least 10 years - in fact until about two weeks ago I didn't even own a skirt, then one of the lovely ladies here gave me a skirt that she has shrunk out of - however I have not yet shrunk into it. Now I can report that this prayer is half answered already. I rung my Mum this afternoon to tell her, and she has given me some cash and told (more like ordered) me to go and buy three nice (not from cheap shops e.g. Walmart lol) outfits and get a good hair cut! Thanks Mum!! So now for the other half of that need, God will have to actually help me find these clothes as my time is rather limited. (And, I will admit I am looking forward to getting a good haircut - the only one I have had here so far was so dreadful I decided I wasn't having another until I got back to NZ - so God will have to find me a good hairdresser too!)

4. A mobile phone - so that I can contact the people I am working with when I'm out doing Bible work stuff.

5. Bedding, linen and towels, etc - seeing as I am coming back to NZ on the 12th of December and my suitcases are already overly full I really don't want to buy this, so have been praying that someone near where I will be living will be able and willing to lend me what I need in this area for the duration.

6. Anything else I will need that I don't know about yet.

Psalm 34:8  Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.

I've Been Thinking ...

I was thinking about the fact that the Christian Church in general seems to celebrate Christs death on the cross. People wear fancy cross's on chains around their necks, put huge crosses in their churches and emboss them into the covers of their Bibles.

Now I've been thinking that this is wrong ... What I mean is, it is fantastic that Jesus died for my sins but that is not the best part. If He had only died what would that mean? Well it would mean that I can die 'pure' or sinless because He took my sins with Him. But so what? I would still be dead!

The truly great thing is that He rose again. That means that not only may I die 'pure' I will be resurrected and live eternally.

I think instead of crosses people should be wearing little ovals to represent the empty tomb...

How many children is too many?

There is a family here who home school their three children. Once a week I've been joining them and teaching a science lesson. This week we were sitting around the table chatting and the question of how many children they wanted came up - I have no idea how ... wasn't me!! 

Anyway Ben, (who reminds me of my nephew of the same name,) says "When I was younger I wanted to have eight children. But now, considering rationally, I'm not sure I could bear even five." He's eleven!!!

It took me a good five minutes to stop laughing. 

So Far This Week...

This week has seen lots of little happenings;

1. My forms are mailed to the place where they get processed, and now I am just praying that God's will is done - and of course it will be. For some people that means they get lost in a pile for a few months, for others that they get processed quickly and either accepted or denied - depending on whether they want me to stay or come home, lol. What ever happens I'm not allowed to leave the country until a decision is made. If I do leave my application will be automatically declined!

2. I bought new shoes - summer is in full swing and I finally found some nice new shoes that fit fairly well (except for being a bit lose in the heel and giving me blisters, but that will heal!) Darn feet!! One day I am totally going to find a cobbler, then I will never have to go shoe shopping again!!!!!!!! Just email a picture of the shoes I want and they can make them and post them to me.

3. Went swimming! Ever since I've been here people have been telling me how great the pools in Rapid City are, well we went on Monday. They were nice, but not as good as the Lido in PN I'm afraid. Sorry to my American friends but I got to tell the truth... It is funny I had this idea that every thing in America would be Bigger and Better than anything at home. But now that I am here I find it is often not the case. Is kind of the same feeling as I had when I moved to Australia at 18 for my teacher training and discovered that many things were not as advanced as in NZ. Australia has caught up with NZ now! May be if I get to spend time in LA I will find the Bigger and Better. So I bite my tongue and don't say anything ... most of the time. All though I did  react to the cows ... we were driving into Rapid one day and Patricia says "look at that herd of cows" I'm looking around going "where????" Turns out she was talking about a small group of maybe 20 cows (they looked more like steers to me) in a huge field, I'd been looking for something more like 300 in an ordinary sized field. One thing that is bigger is the paddocks! Way bigger than at home.

4. I went out to lunch on Monday and got to leave my first Tip. Just as well Patricia reminded me or I would have forgotten. Was kind of cool. Another thing I always forget over here is the 'gst' type tax, they call it something different and they add it on at the check out. I always forget that the total price is not actually the sum of all the things in the trolley.

Well I better stop this now and go do my work, have a great day!!!

Awesomest Awesomely Awesome Day ...

Today my friend Donna got baptised.  

She arrived at BHHEC two weeks before I did and when I meet her she was a walking dead person. The body shuffled along, but the brain was not operating. The word Zombie is appropriate - except she didn't have bits falling off and she didn't attack people. When you looked into her eyes it was as if she was dead inside - no spark. By her own admission when she came to BHHEC she wanted to die, she only came because she was desperate to get out of the nursing home her son had put her in - and she is only in her mid fifties! 

On the first day she was at the center she walked about 20m from one building to another and collapsed, they had to put her on oxygen and lots of people thought she was going to die. When she finished the program (after six weeks) she stayed on. Living with her sister, they live upstairs from me - they are noisey!!! LOL, Hi Patricia, Hi Donna! 

It has been amazing to watch her come back to life over the last six months, with the help of healthy food, exercise, people who love her and the Love of Jesus. God has worked an amazing miracle in Donna's life. I don't know what He has planned for her but it will be big! She loves him so much and she now has this bright fire burning inside her in the place that was dead before.

Here is the video of the actual baptism;

Praise God!!!!!

A Stay Of Execution...

Had a long chat with the man at the Immigration place, it was very interesting. He said both interpretations of 'maintaining a residence' and 'remuneration' (mine and the Border Guard on the US/Canada border) were correct, and he intimated that the Official on the Border had been overly pedantic - didn't say it out right but certainly gave that impression. He suggested that I apply for an extension of the visa I am currently here on, apparently it is currently taking 4 - 5 months to process these applications and I am allowed to remain in the country while this is happening. In fact I am required to stay, if I leave the country for any reason my application will be denied. Now, since 5 months is almost exactly the amount of time I want to stay for this is about as close to perfect as I can get!!! Praise God!!!!!!!!!!!!  And, this application is cheaper than the one for changing to an H3 visa and it is a MUCH shorter form to fill in. A blessing in every way!

Of course I have to be ready to leave very fast if the application is ultimately denied, so I'm going to weed through my stuff and get rid of as much as I can so that I am not over my airline limits and I'm going to get my work so I am only working on one project at a time, (currently working on 4 projects) so that if I have to leave I only have one project on the go that I can finish from NZ and email back to BHHEC.

Also going to spend a bit less time working in the next few weeks and a bit more time concentrating on the Personal Trainer practical work so that I can get that finished asap - just in case I have to leave in a hurry. Then I will catch up the work hours after, either here or from NZ.

So I am feeling very thankful and will definitely appreciate any prayers for my application to be lost in a pile in the immigration department for a few months if it's going to be denied or be processed quickly and granted. I don't mind which option happens as long as I get to stay till December 12 when I'm coming home anyway.

Wriggle Room and Immigration

I have been considering my options and it seems to me there is a decision tree to be worked through;

1.  Do I stay or do I go?

2.  If I stay I then need to decide do I try to get a new Visa to stay at BHHEC or to go to AFCOE? This is a one shot decision, can't do both either concurrently or consecutively.

3.  If I go then I need to decide what I will do once back in NZ. I am going to have to make this decision regardless of when I go back.

So lets say I decide to try to stay, I talked to the people at WildWood and then following up on what they told me I spent a large portion of today investigating the USCIS website (thats the official  'stuff about immigration' website) What I found out is:

a.  I will not qualify for a student visa for AFCOE because I run into the same 'have to maintain a residence in NZ' problem. And I have to show that I can support myself for the entire length of the course, something I can not currently do. Not discounting that God is the God of the impossible and if He wants me at AFCOE He will provide everything necessary, however those doors currently appear to be firmly closed. Therefore I will try for other doors that appear to be opening, while always being ready to backtrack.

b.  There is a kind of visa called an H3 that might just allow me to stay and be all legal. It does not have the maintain a foreign residence clause - that I could see. And, it allows you to work at certain kinds of 'non-productive' labour which just happen to be all the kinds I am already doing. (Am going to get them to define 'non-productive' tomorrow just to be doubly sure.)

c.  It takes 4 - 6 weeks to process an application for a change in visa status and you are allowed to stay in the country while the process is being completed regardless of the 'leave by' date on your entry permit. If the application is granted I will have to find out if there is anything else I will need to do, but it means I should be allowed to stay. If the application is denied then I have to be out of the country as quickly as possible.

So, the current plan is to file an application for the H3 visa and wait to see what happens. While continuing to pray of course. (All prayers appreciated!! Thanks guys, love you all!) That of course quite nicely postpones the decision about what to do when I get back to NZ by at least 4 - 6 weeks and God willing postpones it for  another 6 months, or more.

Any thoughts on this will be gratefully considered!!!!

Immigration Is Kicking Me Out ...

Since I have been in the States whenever anyone has asked me, “When are you going home?” My standard reply has been, “When I get kicked out by immigration!” And, I thought that was such a joke – 11 million illegal aliens – why would they kick out good little law abiding me???

Well as my Facebook status says; “Cat XXXXXX thinks she might need a lawyer ... and wishes she had never joked about being kicked out by immigration ...” It’s not as bad as it sounds – I might be exaggerating a wee bit for melodramatic effect!

What a day!! Let me back peddle just a little to fill in the details. On Friday morning, Janet and Richard the BHHEC Managers, and another volunteer who wanted to go to Canada for a family reunion, and I started our Journey to Canada – via Montana. We stayed at some friends of Janet and Richards who live about 50 miles from the border for the weekend. I think it’s great that I can turn up somewhere as a complete stranger and by the end of the Sabbath feel like family. We celebrated the 4^th of July at friends of the friends – a good time was had by all and I will write a blog entry on that at some later date!

So, this morning, the 5^th, a bank holiday because the 4^th was on a Sunday, we all climbed merrily into the car with the intention of spending the day in Canada and dropping the other volunteer at the bus to in Regina so he could finish his journey to his family reunion while we returned to the US. Where I would get a new entry permit and be allowed to stay legally in the states until Christmas. We stopped at a bird sanctuary on the way where we saw lots of actually very interesting birds. I will write a blog on that at some other time.

Finally we arrive at the border, the US border people waves us through and we pull up to the Canada border patrol. The officer takes our passports, “Are you all from the same place?” he asks. Which leads to a round of explanations about who is who, where we are from, and what we do. He wanders off with our passports presumably to stamp them and bring them back and we wait, and we wait, and we wait some more! Finally he comes back and says he needs to talk to the other volunteer – calls him ‘Mister.’ Not a good sign! After some more waiting and a bunch of talking and some phone calls we are given our passports back and told that the other volunteer “can’t enter Canada today” so we are all sent back to the States side of the border. It turns out that about 10 years ago the other volunteer was arrested for something and while the police decided not to press charges the arrest is still on his record and he could not enter Canada unless he could prove that he had not been convicted. Now, because it was a bank holiday in the US he could not do that – anyone who might have been able to fax him the necessary documents was out of the office and enjoying a holiday as is their patriotic duty.

So we pull up to the US border and the US officer comes out to ask us who we are, why we are there and why we didn’t get into Canada. Another round of answers and explanations results in us all being ushered into the customs reception room and the car being searched. Standard practise as it turns out, not harassing of us. I was feeling quite smug, expecting that everything would go smoothly and that I would get my entry permit extended and that I would then be able to stay till Christmas.

Then the Customs officer comes back to inform me that I am working illegally in the US of A because I am receiving remuneration in the form of room and board for my work. And apparently I am also violating the conditions of my visa because I have not maintained a residence in NZ, (neither the guy at the consulate in Auckland where I got my visa or the border officer at LAX where I first entered the country mentioned this, and I didn’t find it on the website – which I had read from top to bottom). Therefore they (the officer at the Canadian/US border) will not be extending my entry permit. But because we did not manage to actually leave the country they will allow me to remain and not stop me from ‘re-entering’ the States and they will not be doing anything about the illegal work situation, but he expects I will ‘do the right thing’ and must leave the country before the date on my entry permit – which is the 17^th of July.

So things to be thankful for;

1. 1.      Thanks to the other volunteer and his predicament I am still in the states and not stuck in Canada, with all my stuff in the US, wondering what I should do now ... because it was only a day trip I had only taken my handbag. (Thanks O. – sorry you missed your family reunion!)
2. 2.       I’m not getting in any trouble about working illegally.
3. 3.       God obviously has His hand over the situation because lots of prayers have been said about me getting to stay longer and so I just have to wait and see what the next portion of His plan is.

Next Steps;

1. 1.       Pray.
2. 2.       Tomorrow we are going to ring Wildwood – another health retreat place that has dealt with lots of visa issues and see what they suggest, is there anything they can suggest that will allow me to stay longer?
3. 3.       Pray some more.
4. 4.       See the person in the office in Rapid City who is in charge of Visa’s and see if they can help in anyway.
5. 5.       Pray again.
6. 6.       Look for other options for the rest of this year and come home before moving on to them.

Options for the rest of the year;

1. 1.       On Thursday last week I applied to go to AFCOE to do the 4 month evangelism training course. I still love teaching, and I’m good at it. I just want to teach important stuff to people who want to learn it. God and His message to man is the most important thing in the world. So I figure that doing that course would put me in a position to teach the most important thing in the world to people who, since they came to meeting about it, obviously want to learn it. I haven’t been accepted or anything yet, have prayed about it (a lot) and if God wants me to go He will work the miracles to make it possible – now He just has a few more miracles to work, i.e. like getting me back to the states, or making it possible for me to stay. Currently this seems to be an impossible dream but ‘all things are possible with God!’
2. 2.       I met a lady this weekend who was working as a recruiter for the SDA English Language Institues in Korea. Teaching English in Korea is something I have been thinking about doing for a long time so maybe this is my opportunity to go and do that. The lady is giving me the contact details of the people who do that job now and I will follow that up.
3. 3.       Come back to the ‘downunder’ part of the world and find a short term teaching position to save money and try again to go to AFCOE next year.
4. 4.       Something else that God has not yet revealed to me.
5. 5.        Or, as the people we are staying with suggested there is always the option of finding some USA man and having a quickie wedding so that I can stay – lol. I am NOT even going to THINK about that option!!!!!!

I would appreciate it if you would all pray that God’s plan is worked out in my life!!! Hugs to you all and I expect the next couple of weeks will be an exciting ride, kind of looking forward to seeing what happens next!