As we have been home now a little more than three and a half
weeks, we both have a yearning to be back in New Zealand. Our exploratory trip was so wonderful and we
learned so much. It was great to see how
God confirmed in both of us the desire to serve in this far away land. After visiting three ministries, God really
made it clear to our hearts where we would love to serve. We have so many questions and so many people
have questions for us. As much as we
would love to share, right now we are waiting on God’s timing. Once we have the green light, we will share
more.
God really convicted my heart about thinking too much. Proverbs 3:7 states, “Do not be wise in your
own eyes”. Another scripture that has touched
my heart is, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps”
(Proverbs 16:9). As much as we want this
to come along a specific ministry, right now we are waiting on the Lord and
seeking counsel with our pastoral leadership.
What can you share about your experience? Here are just a handful of things:
-
God showed me that my time with Reverb, our Jr.
High ministry, was done. It was time to
move forward towards what He is calling us to next and so I will be rejoining
the ladies prayer team. I look forward
to meeting new ladies and coming along side them.
-
We belong in New Zealand. While at the airport for our flights back to
the US, my stomach was in knots. I didn’t
want to leave! Andrew pointed out a sign
that put it in perspective. It stated, “This
is not goodbye”. Exactly! This couldn’t be goodbye as I knew where my
heart longed to be.
-
I love the ladies at CCBI!! Even though we were there for only a week, I
cherished getting to know some of the ladies there. Gwyn is one of the most amazing women I have
met and she blessed my heart more than she knows. Tecla is this amazing Romanian gypsy woman
that can make a feast out of just a few things.
Amazing woman, is she! The
students and interns.. they captured my attention and I can still remember the
gorgeous sunsets!
-
Calvary Wellington is a great little church that
the Lord is using mightily. Pastor Dave
and team have sent out two missionaries already and they are not even five
years old yet. I love seeing God at
work! Pastor Dave and his family are
wonderful wonderful people!! Miss you,
Becky!!
-
Calvary Whangarei is a church on the move. They are looking at a new location because they
keep growing. There is an amazing group
in Whangarei called Lions Den that is all about MMA. We visited their lair to see what the set up
looked like and I was impressed!! They
clearly state what they are about and how Jesus is a part of it all. One of the things that I loved about our
visit to the Den was seeing John 3:16 in Maori, “Koia ano te aroha o te Atua ki
te ao, homai ana e ia tana Tama kotahi, kia kahore ai e ngaro te tangata e
whakapono ana ki a ia, engari kia whiwhi ai ki te ora tonu.” No matter the language, it is so
beautiful!! You can also read an article
about the Den by a local paper: News Article.
-
We met an amazing family – The Welshes. They live a little out in the country and
live life to the fullest. They have nine
children, well the first four are already out of the house so they aren’t really
children. Any who, I was totally blessed
when Malachi made Andrew and me breakfast.
What?? He is like 10 maybe 11. Wow!
He had already made his mum and dad breakfast. That was pretty neat to see. A silly side note, I really LOVED her huge
lazy susan that was in the middle of her large round table. Makes sense to have something like that to
pass the salt. :O)
-
Mike and Kristen, plus their three lovely
children, were a pleasure to hang out with for our last days in New Zealand. We got to see some of the pretty local spots,
plus enjoy lunch at the Fat Camel, a great and yummy local spot. Let’s just say, I would eat there again. Mike and Kristen were helpful in getting a
different view from two Denverites’ perspectives. We still have so much to learn.
-
Last but not least, we enjoyed our time with
Fiona and Jack. I met Fiona on LinkedIn
when I was trying to get the pulse of life coaches in NZ. She and I clicked and so we met up and stayed
at their place a few nights. They are wonderful
people and we enjoyed our time with them!!!
I am hoping that the Lord will make it clear what He wants
us to do next as I think of New Zealand often.
It is a place I long for, even though it means a challenging road
ahead. Please pray with us, won’t you, for
wisdom, guidance, God’s perfect timing, and provision!
Thank you for joining us on this journey. We look forward to sharing more updates with
you!
Hugs and love,
Dawn
