I can’t
believe it has only been a week. It
seems like I have been here for so long.
This has been a week mostly about preparation and adjusting to this new
way of life. Wednesday we got the chance
to go out and spend time with each other by experiencing one of New Zealand’s
best natural resources…the beach! We
were near Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty, and I spent the day swimming, cliff
jumping, and hiking up Mount Maunganui.
Believe everything anyone has ever told you about how beautiful this
country is – it is amazing; which is good when you live in a tent.
So many
people have asked what kind of work I will be doing this year. I had a loose idea based on what other people
have done before, but mostly the answer was that I had no idea. Not only is that a scary idea, but it is also
a bit embarrassing. It shouldn’t be, but
it can be. Anyway, I’m glad to say that
I can finally clear up (at least some of) that mystery. Today (Saturday) we will leave our camp in
Matamata. I will miss the rolling green
hills, clear night sky, and the other teams who are going off somewhere
else. I will not miss the peacocks
warbling at 5am. Peacocks…who knew that
they could be so annoying?
For the
remaining three weeks that I am in New Zealand my team and I will be working
with three other teams to help prepare for and put on two Christian conferences
in Tauranga. The first is the YWAM
Jubiliee which celebrates the work the Lord has done through another missions
organization, Youth With a Mission, over the past 50 years. The second is the Call 2 All event, which is,
“not a conference or gathering, but a movement…” to empower generations around
the globe into profound discipleship. I
am incredibly excited about the opportunity to meet with people from all over
who have felt that same whisper, and that same calling to live out the Great
Commission – to go and make disciples of all the nations. I am excited to learn about how the Lord has
been working in their lives, and to share what He has taught me so far in my
journey to this place in my life.
“All the
believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they
gave to anyone as he had need. Every day
they continued to meet together. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising
God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”
– acts 2:44-47
This is how this week has felt for me. It
has been an amazing time of fellowship and community that most people don’t get
to experience. But we cannot live this
way forever. Eventually we have to go
out into the world. Eventually we have
to spread, and grow, and create movement.
For me and my team, today is that day.
“Then the disciples
went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His
word by the signs that accompanied it.”
– mark 16:20
