We’re five days into our trip and T-minus 1 day from the wedding. It has been a busy, though not crazy time. We’ve been to the beach once, to Cambridge multiple times, and to the next bigger town, Hamilton, twice. John is the designated driver (when Anne isn’t at the wheel) and communicator (his phone works, not mine) plus we have been sharing a car with Anne, so my wings feel clipped in comparison to home. Plus, it is still a struggle to converse in Kiwi English, especially in a group (which is almost all the time.) I miss at least a third (if not half) of everything that is said and have to decide whether to fake understanding or ask for a repeat.

Peter and Glenys Bichan have warmly shared their home with Anne for the last 2 months and us more recently. They’ve made us feel welcome and comfortable. Colin and Lynette Bruce, James’ parents, have also been kind and welcoming. Anne’s Canadian bridesmaid has kept us on track with her organization skills and is also warm and friendly.

Still, this is all harder than I expected. Some of it has to do with exactly that–my expectations–and I am working hard at letting go of those. But a lot of it has to do with being busy in foreign territory. Even a trip to the equivalent of Bed, Bath and Beyond is challenging. And prices here are always a bit of a shock. (Sorry Dave Ramsey, there goes the budget.)

Today (the rehearsal and dinner) was quite pleasant. The wedding site (which I saw today for the first time is beautiful in a pastoral sense. They are getting married under a big old tree with sheep grazing in the background. The weather has been amazing except for rain yesterday and we are looking forward to a beautiful day tomorrow. Nearly everything is ready, a million details finally in place.

Please do pray for us all day tomorrow. We’ll start our preparations by 9 or 9:30 and be busy most of the day. So if you are awake, as I post this it is 4:30/5:30 in Chicago and Detroit, so if you’re reading early, please pray for good sleep. By the time we get up, it will be 12/1 pm and you can pray for our morning activities. Around 4/5, you can pray for the ceremony and tea reception. And if you are up late, 7-10/8-11, you can pray for us while we party 🙂 And for Anne and James as they make their getaway in a rowboat (James’ idea) Anne is going to be climbing into a boat in her wedding dress! If you’re up really late, you can pray for their hour trip to “the Mount” and the beginning of their lives together as Mr. and Mrs. Bruce.

And pray for me, a fish out of water.