Hello from beautiful New Zealand. Just wanted to let you all know we arrived safely in Auckland Tuesday morning at 5 :30 am. Upon landing our squad took a bus about two hours south to Matamata where we’ve been staying this week at the Chrystal Springs YWAM for training and worship. On Saturday our teams will be heading out to all different ministry locations across NZ. It’s certainly gorgeous and CLEAN here! Everywhere I look I see rich colors. The green is greener and the blue is bluer than I’ve ever seen before. It’s sounds like my team will be serving here with several other teams at some youth conferences. I will give more details when we actually get there and I know more about it. I’m eager to get out to our ministry sites and excited to see how we will get to serve.
Sorry for the lack of communication thus far but we don’t have internet access out here on base and I don’t have a calling card so… The internet here is bought by the amount of data transferred not the time spent online. We were each given a small amount of MB to use to post a quick blog so I wanted to let you all know that I made it here.
The staff has been so friendly and are teaching us the “Kiwi” way of doing things. I am one of the lucky ones who does not have to stay in a tent quite yet- I get a bunk bed for the week! What can I say, doing this makes you appreciated the small simple things in life (like a bunk bed!) Despite the large cockroach on the wall in our cottage last night, I’ve been very safe and sound here. 🙂 I also had the privilege of meeting my support coaches this week. Their names are Dave and Bernadette and they have come all the way from Holland. They will be my squad’s “parents” for the year. They will coach us through, come to our debriefs, and share in the tears and the laughter. I am excited to get to know them better!
This first week is called “Launch” and is basically similar to another training camp. They are getting us ready to think as a team and getting us prepared to go out and do ministry. Please keep us in your prayers as we are in this country. Only 7-10% of the population are actual practicing Christians, however as much as 50% of the population would claim to be, so they are familiar with the Gospel but not as open to it. Please pray that we would come up with creative ways to share our faith and that we would have the opportunity to spend time and build relationships with the people here.
I have a feeling that the worst is yet to come, however I am confident that God is holding me in the palm of his hand and that no matter where I go, He will protect me. In closing I wanted to leave you with the chorus from the Phil Wickham song called “Safe”, in which the Lord has been laying on my heart all week.
“You will be safe in His arms, you will be safe in His arms cause the hands that hold the world are holding your heart. This is the promise He made, He will be with you always, when everything is falling apart you will be safe in His arms.”
