The thing about learning to hear the voice of God is that He will often ask you to do some extreme things, things that we wouldnt normally do because they require more faith and trusting in Him alone. Now, before I tell this story, I want you to know that I have been praying for a while about how much detail to share. However, God challenged me to be transparent because people in the western world need to see examples of faith in the areas of materialism and finances. So, please know that my aim is to glorify God, not myself, and hopefuly inspire others to surrender all to Jesus and trust in His provision alone. He is worth everything!
On a Wednesday night, my sister Anna (her actual name will be kept annonymous) came to me and handed me an envelope containing all of her money. She told me that God had asked her to give it away 2 weeks prior, but she had been holding on to it because she was afraid that she woulnt have what she needed. She said that God told her to give it to me and that night with tears in her eyes, she handed me the envelope and chose to be obedient no matter what the cost. I thanked her, comforted her and took the money, wanting to support her obedience to the Lord. I then prayed and asked God what He wanted me to do with it because I actually didnt need it, I have more money than most of my younger missionary sisters and brothers here because I worked for 4 years saving up. I felt like the Lord told me to hold onto it for 3 days and then double the amount and return it to her. The following day during worship night our leaders wrote on a whiteboard how much students and staff still owed for outreach funds and we were to ask God if He wanted us to support eachother financially. Anna's name was on the board needing $3,000NZD. During worship I asked God what He wanted me to give and I felt like He was telling me to pay the full amount for her. While I prayed for confirmation (silently with my eyes closed) suddenly Anna came over and held me in a big hug. She had no idea that I was praying about what to give her and at this point she didnt even know that I would be giving her the money back that she gave to me. I started weeping in her arms because I knew this was God thanking me through her for my obedience to Him. So, I silently agreed to pay for her full outreach costs. The funny thing is that in my mind $3000 seemed like so much money when I thought about what else I could do with it, but once I agreed to give it away, it felt like mere pennies (this is God's grace in sacrificial circumstances). About 20 minutes later, still in worship I asked God if that was all He wanted me to give, I didn't want to hold anything back from Him because everything I have He gave to me in the first place. You see, I confess that I had been relying on finances as my security for the sake of what I called "being responsible." The more money I had saved in the bank, the more secure my future seemed. But, God revealed to me that it had become an idol in my life because I was placing my confidence in something other than the almighty God. I have learned repeatedly on this DTS that my Heavenly Father wants to provide for me and when I am fully trusting in Him, not leaning on my own resources, He ends up getting all the glory when the provision comes. Freely I have received, so freely I should give. I would rather be rich in faith than have financial security. So, I had a thought that I should give Bob (again, his real name will be kept annonymous) $2000. The more I tried to worship and pray, this thought persisted and I finally figured it was the Lord's prompting. Again, my brain tried to reason its way out of giving this huge amount of money but the Spirit persisted with the truth that we can't outgive God and He always blesses generocity and He will provide for me in whatever His future plans are for me. There is no better investment for my savings than for my brother and sister to go spread the Gospel on outreach because this will reep eternal rewards! Besides, I told myself, I have a car at home I can sell so I can continue as a missionary next year, if God calls me back. The Lord told me again that it is a good thing to rely on the support of others because it is a blessing for them to join in His work in my life; I am blessed and they get the rewards of giving as well as attributed to the fruit of the ministry through me. So, I agreed to give the additional $2000 to Bob. This was an amazing night because I gave out of my abundance, but other students gave even though they had nothing to give, they just obeyed the voice of the Lord to them without questioning how He would provide (living example of 2 Corinthians 8:1-15). At the end of the night I had so much joy, freedom, and peace through being obedient to the Lord and the $5000 felt like pennies.
The next day it was time to give Anna her envelope of cash back. I wrote her a little note, put in the double portion, and left it on her bed. At lunch she came with tears and hugged me telling me how she felt like Abraham sacrificing Issac and God provided in the last moment for her when he saw that she had been faithful. That evening I was washing dishes and a brother (who had just returned from snowboarders DTS outreach so he didn't know me) said God gave him a word for me. The Lord told him that I worship in extravagance, like Mary in the Bible who poured out her costly perfume on Jesus feet, pouring out my inheritance to Him. He said it might look crazy to other people, but to me I am just expressing my love for the One whom I am so in love with. Now, everything I had givin was in secret, so I took his word as direct confirmation from the Lord that He was pleased with my obedience.
Anna and Bob dont know that those donations were from me. Also, the financial support I received from others before I came was enough to cover my outreach costs this year, as well as my flight home. So, thank you to those of you who partnered with me in this way.
This week's lectures are on the topic of the Holy Spirit and one point that our speaker made is that life in a Spirit-filled community is very generous and characterised by giving (Acts 4:34-no needy persons among them). God has definately confirmed this truth through my experience in the YWAM community this season. So, all glory to God for His awesome economy where the more we give away to others, the greater the blessing we receive. He is the ultimate example of this principal by giving the most costly gift of His Son Jesus in order to save humanity. I hope this testimony challenges you and results in a greater faith/trust in God.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Life at YWAM Oxford Base
There is something special about YWAM Oxford. There are YWAM bases all over the world, I could have done my DTS in a different location, but this is where my Father wanted me, and I am so glad He sent me here.
Fact: New Zealand is the furthest country from Israel; and Christchurch, NZ is the furthest city from Jerusalem. So, when Jesus told His disciples go to the ends of the earth, I am literally fulfilling that calling.
Romans 12:8 encourages those with a gift in leadership, to lead with zeal. There is a pattern of leadership all throughout my life. The Lord continues to place me in positions of leadership wherever I am at and many times He has confirmed this gift through the encouragements of other people. Therefore, not believing in coincidences, I find it interesting that the Lord sent me to a land called "new-zeal-land" to develop my character and the call He has placed on my life.
Angels and Mortals Week:
Last week was very fun because we all randomly drew a name of someone who was to be our secret "mortal" for the week and we were to bless them as their "angel" every day. On the last day we held a Love Feast (Lord of the Rings themed) where we revealed who our mortal was. I walked into the bathroom Monday morning and there was a display on the counter with my name on it which held 3 home-made head bands from my angel. I loved it! During lunch, I had someone deliver a big chocolate bar to my mortal. On Tuesday I made my mortal a jewelry tree from some branches and hung a necklace and headband on it for her and left it out for her with a note about the meaning of her name. My angel sent me on a treasure hunt throughout the base with clues for me to follow and little notes along the way speaking of my identity.
One day I received fresh backed chocolate chip cookies (my favorite) and on the last day my angel left me a bow and quiver of arrows she made (for my Love Feast costume).
I think you get the idea, but people were so creative! Some declaired "give so-and-so a hug day" or people had songs sung to them during meal times, or boquets of flowers given, or journals of encouraging notes and stories written by all of us, or a seat of honor (recliners brought in) for class, or a back rub, or chores being done by other people, etc. Every time you turned around, someone was being blessed, honored, and appreciated and all of it came from a sincere love for one another. On the last day I painted my mortals nails saying "your angel would like me to paint your nails for the Love Feast." When we all got together for the feast some were dressed for the theme, others just dressed up nicely. We ate an American Thanksgiving style feast, took turns guessing who our angels were and discovering whether we were right or if it was someone else, and ended the evening with some fun communal line-dancing. What a joyous occasion!
The following day the Lord gave me Hebrews 13 to share with everyone, which says "let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." I encourage you, reader of my blog, to do the same. Wherever you find yourself today, look for ways to bless others. Live a life of love just as Christ has loved us.
Here are some more fun photos capturing community life on base:
Yes, I am so blessed and I make sure to thank my Father every day for this awesome community and gorgeous country I find myself living in. Soon we will all be scattered throughout the world pouring out on people the love that we have received in abundance from God.
Fact: New Zealand is the furthest country from Israel; and Christchurch, NZ is the furthest city from Jerusalem. So, when Jesus told His disciples go to the ends of the earth, I am literally fulfilling that calling.
Romans 12:8 encourages those with a gift in leadership, to lead with zeal. There is a pattern of leadership all throughout my life. The Lord continues to place me in positions of leadership wherever I am at and many times He has confirmed this gift through the encouragements of other people. Therefore, not believing in coincidences, I find it interesting that the Lord sent me to a land called "new-zeal-land" to develop my character and the call He has placed on my life.
Angels and Mortals Week:
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| The clues and gifts for my treasure hunt |
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| The bow and arrows from my angel |
I think you get the idea, but people were so creative! Some declaired "give so-and-so a hug day" or people had songs sung to them during meal times, or boquets of flowers given, or journals of encouraging notes and stories written by all of us, or a seat of honor (recliners brought in) for class, or a back rub, or chores being done by other people, etc. Every time you turned around, someone was being blessed, honored, and appreciated and all of it came from a sincere love for one another. On the last day I painted my mortals nails saying "your angel would like me to paint your nails for the Love Feast." When we all got together for the feast some were dressed for the theme, others just dressed up nicely. We ate an American Thanksgiving style feast, took turns guessing who our angels were and discovering whether we were right or if it was someone else, and ended the evening with some fun communal line-dancing. What a joyous occasion!
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| Me and Nicki (backpacker school leader) |
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| Everyone who dressed up for the Love Feast theme |
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| My outreach team (Katie, Rachel, Sarah, Cate, and I) |
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| Gabe and David were Frodo and Sam |
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| Elf in New Zealand! |
The following day the Lord gave me Hebrews 13 to share with everyone, which says "let brotherly love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." I encourage you, reader of my blog, to do the same. Wherever you find yourself today, look for ways to bless others. Live a life of love just as Christ has loved us.
Here are some more fun photos capturing community life on base:
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| I'm a ninja on the slack-line! (we make up theme days and dress up for no particular reason) This is legit, I have learned how to slack-line, so this is not a staged picture, I am proud to say. |
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| "Eye" love this prank! My small-group invaded the men's house and left them some "eye-opening" surprises. |
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| Notes of encouragement and cookies we made for the guys. |
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| Kimmie, Sarah and Chloe flower arranging in the bathroom. |
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| Weekend warrior team making delicious southern style BBQ (Matt, me, Samuel, Ruby, and Jo in front) |
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| Weekend warriors secretly eating chocolate cake in the refrigerator. |
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Original Design
Wow, I don't know how to start when explaining what I learned this week. It was the kind of lesson that bridges the gap between what we read in the New Testament and what we experience today. We know that God has uniquely designed each one of us (Psalm 139, Eph 2:10) but have you ever been prayed over by strangers who ask God how He designed you? This was my experience this week. Adam and Shane came from Washington state to share with us the importance of knowing our original design and receiving freedom to be who we were made to be. When they prayed for me in front of the class (each of us had our turn) the Lord told them the following things about my design: I like to study the deep things of God, I am a servant who likes to make sure everyone is OK, they got an image of me carrying a huge backpack (remember, these men had never met me before and knew nothing about me, so when they said this, everyone in the class reacted in astonishment because they knew the accuracy of that vision), they said that I am one who guards joy and thanksgiving without complaining, I am a woman of faith who has a simple positivity with a countenance of light and there is power behind my good attitude. There were other details they stated, but those were the key principles. Those of you who know me would agree that these words describe me because you have seen this design of God in me. But coming from complete strangers who were simply asking the Father who He made me, His daughter, to be, it was so affirming to hear these words. When I am confident in knowing my identity, I can more quickly identify what is not intrinsically me (such as fear, laziness, frailty, doubt, ect.) and I can declare that those things do not define who I am and have no part in me. Adam and Shane are ordinary men who have learned to hear the voice of the Father. All people are made with an original design by God and knowing His unique design for us not only helps us as believers, but also non-believers when the Spirit reveals to us who someone is and we share it with them, it displays God's omniscience (all- knowing) and personal interest in their lives. I have always wondered at verses like 1 Cor 2:1-5 that talk about witnessing with a demonstration of God's power and not lofty words/wisdom of speech. Now I understand more of this looks like. Partnering with Jesus through the Spiritual gifts of prophecy/words of knowledge, demonstrating that He is the One true God who speaks to His people. What a platform for sharing the Gospel! "The God who revealed these truths about you to me, a perfect stranger, wants to have a relationship with you and He loves you so much that He sent His only son to die for your sins...etc." This was displayed when Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman at the well.
Some of you may still be wrestling with the fact that God speaks to you. This may help: we know the Lord speaks to us on the basis of 3 things 1) His nature- He is a speaking God (Gen 1, John 1:1) He is always communicating with His creation and God does not change. 2) Our relationship to Him as His sheep- John 10, you don't have to be a prophet to hear God's voice, you just have to be a sheep. 3) spiritual gifting 1 Cor 14:1. I hope that helps you because it helped me to have confidence when I am listening to God.
We also had a lesson about strongholds and bondages (2 Cor 10:3-5). One method for destroying these strongholds are the 4 R's: Repent (confess sin), Receive (accept God's forgiveness and that He remembers our sin no longer), Rebuke (prayer of authority over the enemy), Replace (declare the truth about who we are in Christ). This is an ongoing process, but already I have experienced freedom by following these guidelines. Words have so much power (James 3:6), even to bring life or death (Prov 18:21). This is why we declare out the truth and why we must bless instead of curse (Luke 28). Some of our bondages have come from false words spoken to us or the absent of true words. So, if you notice me speaking or emailing blessings to you, this is why. :)
Learning such powerful lessons this week was so exciting and I was eager to put it to practice. However, it was my turn as a "weekend warrior" with 4 other students who stayed at base to make meals, do laundry, and clean bathrooms rather than traveling out on an adventure. So I took a walk on Saturday morning to pray. I was alone praying and repenting and God started bringing up strongholds in my life (in the area of family and how I have been treating my family as broken and not the way God sees it) I started bawling as the Lord gently took me through repentance, receiving, rebuke, and replacement. As I left with a new found sense of freedom and thanksgiving I was walking back and met a farmer who was sawing a fallen tree by the road. We started talking and I shared about God with him (it was a long discussion and I wont get into all the details here) and I prayed for healing for his back injuries (I don't know if God healed him or not). It was so awesome being used unexpectedly by God when I came from an attitude of repentance and applying what I had learned.
Our God is so awesome!!! I hope all that made sense and if you have questions or need clarity, please email or leave a comment and I will be happy to try to explain.
Some of you may still be wrestling with the fact that God speaks to you. This may help: we know the Lord speaks to us on the basis of 3 things 1) His nature- He is a speaking God (Gen 1, John 1:1) He is always communicating with His creation and God does not change. 2) Our relationship to Him as His sheep- John 10, you don't have to be a prophet to hear God's voice, you just have to be a sheep. 3) spiritual gifting 1 Cor 14:1. I hope that helps you because it helped me to have confidence when I am listening to God.
We also had a lesson about strongholds and bondages (2 Cor 10:3-5). One method for destroying these strongholds are the 4 R's: Repent (confess sin), Receive (accept God's forgiveness and that He remembers our sin no longer), Rebuke (prayer of authority over the enemy), Replace (declare the truth about who we are in Christ). This is an ongoing process, but already I have experienced freedom by following these guidelines. Words have so much power (James 3:6), even to bring life or death (Prov 18:21). This is why we declare out the truth and why we must bless instead of curse (Luke 28). Some of our bondages have come from false words spoken to us or the absent of true words. So, if you notice me speaking or emailing blessings to you, this is why. :)
Learning such powerful lessons this week was so exciting and I was eager to put it to practice. However, it was my turn as a "weekend warrior" with 4 other students who stayed at base to make meals, do laundry, and clean bathrooms rather than traveling out on an adventure. So I took a walk on Saturday morning to pray. I was alone praying and repenting and God started bringing up strongholds in my life (in the area of family and how I have been treating my family as broken and not the way God sees it) I started bawling as the Lord gently took me through repentance, receiving, rebuke, and replacement. As I left with a new found sense of freedom and thanksgiving I was walking back and met a farmer who was sawing a fallen tree by the road. We started talking and I shared about God with him (it was a long discussion and I wont get into all the details here) and I prayed for healing for his back injuries (I don't know if God healed him or not). It was so awesome being used unexpectedly by God when I came from an attitude of repentance and applying what I had learned.
Our God is so awesome!!! I hope all that made sense and if you have questions or need clarity, please email or leave a comment and I will be happy to try to explain.
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Passover, healings, and glow worms
Our 5th week's lectures were about missions and Jewish evangelism by an amazingly loving man named Scott Brown. Scott is a Jewish believer who runs a free camp for Israeli backpackers in southern New Zealand. He taught us the goal as a disciple is to make more disciples, which is possible because all authority belongs to Jesus (Matt 28:16-20). Baptism is identification, total immersion into the person of God (in Christ). We did a little study on verses which tell of our identity "in Christ." Wow! Our union with God is astounding! It changes the way we think and live when we believe all that is spoken of our true identity, making a distinction between my flesh and my new nature in Jesus. One day Scott explained to us the 7 feasts of Israel and what each of them means. Hearing Passover described by a Jew who understands how each element is fulfilled in Jesus was amazing. The Gospels come alive in a whole new way when you read it from the eyes of Judaism.
As for my experiences outside the classroom, I have a few fun stories to tell you.
On Wednesday I got to perform 1 Corinthians 13 for our corporate devotion time. What I mean by perform is that I memorize the chapter and add feeling, emphasis, drama to the text as I speak it out. This is a gift God has given me and I love to bless people with it.
During one of our worship sessions we had a sense that there was much doubt and unbelief among us. So, practicing what we have been taught, we declared out faith in truth correlating with the areas of doubt (ie. thinking God is silent, proclaiming "I believe you speak to me!") and then we prayed for healings. Many people were healed that night from back problems, knee pain, etc.
One morning I was reading 1 Peter during my devotion time and chapter 3, verse 5-6 stood out to me which says "for this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." I thought about what it means and why it is important not to fear anything frightening. During base worship, after devos, my sister Kimmie came over to pray for me and she said "Amy, the word God is giving me for you is 'fearless'." Wow! The Lord spoke to me from His word and confirmed it through His Spirit in Kimmie. This always amazes me!
We took a trip on the weekend to the West coast. The waves were huge! We didn't see any penguins, even though we were in penguin territory, but I did get to see glow worms. This is an awesome creation of God (I think He likes impressing us with glow-in-the-dark stuff) and they look like constellations on the roof of the cave. My camera wouldn't capture them, but this photo I found online is pretty much what it looked like.
As for my experiences outside the classroom, I have a few fun stories to tell you.
On Wednesday I got to perform 1 Corinthians 13 for our corporate devotion time. What I mean by perform is that I memorize the chapter and add feeling, emphasis, drama to the text as I speak it out. This is a gift God has given me and I love to bless people with it.
During one of our worship sessions we had a sense that there was much doubt and unbelief among us. So, practicing what we have been taught, we declared out faith in truth correlating with the areas of doubt (ie. thinking God is silent, proclaiming "I believe you speak to me!") and then we prayed for healings. Many people were healed that night from back problems, knee pain, etc.
One morning I was reading 1 Peter during my devotion time and chapter 3, verse 5-6 stood out to me which says "for this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening." I thought about what it means and why it is important not to fear anything frightening. During base worship, after devos, my sister Kimmie came over to pray for me and she said "Amy, the word God is giving me for you is 'fearless'." Wow! The Lord spoke to me from His word and confirmed it through His Spirit in Kimmie. This always amazes me!
We took a trip on the weekend to the West coast. The waves were huge! We didn't see any penguins, even though we were in penguin territory, but I did get to see glow worms. This is an awesome creation of God (I think He likes impressing us with glow-in-the-dark stuff) and they look like constellations on the roof of the cave. My camera wouldn't capture them, but this photo I found online is pretty much what it looked like.
Riding on Faith
Kingdom Weekend with our DTS is based off Luke 10 where the disciples are sent out in pairs, hardly taking anything with them to pray for healing, minister to others, and spread the Kingdom of God. This is the story of my experiences on Kingdom Weekend from Thursday October 31 through Sunday November 3rd. Ryan (Canadian, 19), Cate (Swiss, 19) and I prayed asking God which direction to go and we each heard "North."
2 days before leaving for kingdom weekend, I woke up with a sore throat, but I knew that I had to participate in this faith-building opportunity. So I got heaps of prayer and went out anyways.
We were dropped off on the outskirts of town in Oxford at 2pm on Thursday with a sandwich, $10 each, sleeping bag, and our Bibles. We sat down and prayed and ate our sandwiches. We started walking with our thumbs out and about 30 minutes later a car stopped for us.
A man named Phillip picked us up and drove us about 30 minutes to Rangoria. He is a farmer in Oxford and was on his way to buy a saw because some trees blew over on his farm. We prayed for him when he dropped us off and he was blessed. We walked through town and then hitched and were picked up by a man named Max who was a math teacher and his phone kept ringing while he drove so he was very distracted. He dropped us off in Woodend, only 10 minute ride. We hitched again from Woodend and were picked up by Mike who drove us to Amberly, about 20 minutes away. We prayed for Mike and his family before he left. In Amberly we were not sure now what to do so we sat down and prayed, asking God for direction. Ryan felt like he needed to go to a coffee shop called the Spoon Cafe. I heard that I needed to follow Ryan's plan. So we went to the cafe and they were closed, but there was a teenage guy sitting out on a bench. He had just gotten off work there and was waiting for his ride home, so Ryan sat down and started talking with him while Cate and I went off to pray for them. Ryan ended up sharing the whole Gospel with Tim and right when he finished, Tim's dad came to pick him up. Ryan said Tim was very open and seemed to be receiving what he was sharing. Then we hitched again and were picked up by a man named Heiden who drove us to Amberly, about 20 minutes North. By then it was about 7pm so we walked into the town looking for a place to stay. We found a backpacker camp and we asked the owner if he would let us stay for free because we didn't have enough money but he turned us away. So we went back out to the road and tried hitching. By then it was getting dark and few cars were out and no one picked us up. So, we worshipped and walked back to a little playground we had seen in the town. We slept in a covered sand box and felt completely blessed and at peace.
The next morning we woke up at 6am, Ryan shared that the word for the day was "faithfulness" and we went out hitching. We walked for 2 hours trying to get any passing vehicle to pick us up. It started to rain and finally a van pulled over. The man was named Josh and he was headed to Picton (at the top of the island) to take a ferry to the North island. He was 18, from Guam, had just finished his year at university and packed his van with everything he owned and was heading to a dairy farm to work for the summer. Ryan shared the gospel with him as we drove the 3 hours north.
At one point we were stopped in a line of traffic and Josh saw one of his mates in a car way in front of us, so Ryan jumped out and ran to the other guy and shared the gospel with him and waited for us to catch up in the traffic. When we arrived at Picton, we weren't sure what to do and it had been 24 hours since we had eaten anything.
So, we found a grocery store and bought a loaf of bread and a jar of peanut butter, which cost $8 total. We sat in the shopping center eating our peanut butter sandwiches and a sweet old woman walked by and said hi to us. We asked her if we could pray for her and she shared that she had Parkinson's, so we prayed for healing. Then we walked around the city trying to figure out where to stay and what God wanted us to do. It started to rain, so we stayed under a gazebo in a park. We met some backpackers from Austria cooking in the gazebo and we shared with them about the Lord. When the rain let up, they left and we had a sense that we weren't supposed to leave the park so we started praying and sharing with people who came in the park. Then we decided to worship and Ryan put music on.
There was a woman with 3 kids who came to the park to play. Cate felt God leading us to pray for her. So, we asked her and she was excited because she is a believer and thought she heard our Christian music. We prayed over Marion and her kids (Jessica, 6, and Hector, 5). Cate asked her if she knew of a place we could stay and she said no because she lives on a 40 ft boat with her husband and kids, so there was no room for us. Then her daughter protested and asked if we could stay in her storage shed. She agreed and took us to her shed, which had carpet (such a blessing!) and let us on her boat and fed us a warm dinner while we played with the kids. We did her dishes and asked if there was any way we could bless her for her generosity toward us. She said that she needed to go to work the next day but had not been able to go because of the kids. So, she asked if we could babysit them for the morning. We enthusiastically agreed to help. We went to bed in the shed praising God so much that night! The next morning Marion packed us all lunch and the kids led us on a hike to Bob's Bay. At the bay we built a shell castle and played around with the kids for 2 hours.
Then we hiked back to town, sharing Jesus with them as we walked. In town we went to a free festival for the birthday of the Edwin Fox, one of the oldest ships in the world. At the festival we got to eat cake and free sandwiches and treats. The kids had fun and one of their friends, Luke (who we also met the previous evening) had a grandpa, Tim, who owned a historic yacht wanted to take us out on his boat.
When we all got to the boat, it was gorgeous and vintage and its name was Faith! This yacht was originally owned by a lord who made the case for the conscience in the Nazi Nuremberg trials.
While on Faith, Tim told Marion that it was actually against the rules for her to let us sleep in her storage unit, so she told us that we needed to move on. We felt peace about that and agreed that we needed to get to Kaikoura. We made a cardboard sign for hitching, prayed over Marion and the kids again, packed up and left. While walking out of town to the place we wanted to hitch, we held our sign out and before we even reached out spot, someone pulled over to give us a ride. His name was Jim and he was drinking and smoking and mumbling. It was a short quiet ride, I prayed silently in the back seat and got the impression that this man was a prodigal son who had been to church long ago. When we got to Blenheim, we asked if we could pray for him and he mumbled "no, I went to church as a kid, I am beyond being saved" and he drove off. We prayed hard for him. Then we held out our sign for Kaikoura and 15 minutes later a man drove by in a cool car and I watched him go by. Looking back at him, he turned around and drove back to get us.
His name was Matt and he had just bought his car and was driving it home. His wife was in Oxford helping her sister who owned a shop in town (which we were familiar with). He played fun music for us ("Cows with Guns"). and stopped 2 places to show us his "friends" who were seals on the beach. Matt was a believer and he dropped us in town in Kaikoura. We went into the washrooms and when we came out, some people were setting up sound equipment and instruments. Ryan asked them what kind of music they would be playing and they said "Christian music" and he said "we're Christians too!"So they invited us to worship with them. One woman, Dawn, asked where we were staying and we told her we didn't know and she said "you do now, you're staying with me!" We rejoiced at God's perfect timing and provision!
During worship, some young adults were drinking across the bridge behind us, so a few of us prayed for them and sang a song called "Break every Chain."At the end of the song, the young drinkers came around and stood in front of us to listen. Ryan, Kate, and I went to talk with them about the Lord and share with them. They were backpackers traveling from all over who had met at the hostel there in Kaikoura. We didn't lead anyone to Christ, but seeds were definitely planted. Dawn took us home after worship/outreach was over and she fed us lamb and cous cous with home grown vegetables. We were so blessed to have such a delicious home made meal and beds to sleep on. She was such a woman of faith sharing so many encouraging stories from what God had done in her life. We washed her dishes but there was no other way to return her abundant blessing on us. The next morning we had warm showers and she took us to church at the Vineyard in Kaikoura where her brother, Eric was the pastor. Eric offered to give us a ride back to Oxford later that day if we would share our story of Kingdom weekend and give a communion message during church.
We agreed to those incredible terms (Oxford is 3 hours drive South). During the service, Ryan shared the amazing story of God's faithfulness to us all weekend and then I gave a message about communion based off what we had learned the previous week about the Jewish Passover. Then the pastor said that God asked him to lay aside the message he prepared to wait on the Lord instead. So, we all prayed and some people shared scriptures. Then they asked us 3 YWAMers to stand in the front and if anyone had a word or prayer for us to share it. A woman came us and prophesied over each of us and the things she said perfectly aligned and were confirmations. For me she said I am a pillar in the church, strong and powerful because I rely on the Lord. She told me that I would encourage many churches throughout the world and lead people to rely on the Lord as I have throughout my life. This was confirming for me because I have always had a heart for missions, but specifically emphasizing in discipleship rather than evangelism (although I will still be obedient to share the Gospel when I can). We gave all the rest of our $22 to the tithe because none of our hitches or hosts had agreed to take our money and we didn't want to return with it. After church, pastor Eric drove us back to Oxford.
8 teams were sent out on Kingdom Weekend and when we all returned on Sunday evening we shared our stories. Every team had an incredible, unique experience full of God's provisions and divine encounters.
Some specific things God reveled to me through this Kingdom weekend experience are:
~A new perspective on the homeless. I had a sense of what homelessness was like when we had to sleep in the playground the first night and going into towns after that looking around thinking "where could we sleep outside here if we have to?" Also knowing we didn't have enough money to buy proper food or transportation or housing, we had to think very differently and hope on the generosity of others. This was new for me because all the while I was thinking about my many loved ones back home who would gladly have given me anything I needed in those moments. But this time I had to rely on my heavenly Father's provisions alone.
~The importance of thanksgiving. Although we were sleeping outside the first night, we were so thankful and worshipped God. The next night, He upgraded us to a carpeted storage container and we exploded with thanksgiving and praise. On the last night He gave us the luxury of a house couch and bed which we again thanked God for profusely! Same story with food: started with a sandwich, then 24 hour fast, then had peanut butter sandwiches followed by our first warm meal from Marion and ending with a delicious lamb and cous cous all the while thanking God for his provision of food.
~The importance of constant prayer and listening to His direction. I don't need to explain this one. I think you understand from the stories how prayer and worship were a necessity to a lifestyle of ministry.
~My sore throat developed into a cough, but God used it to keep me from speaking too much and encourage Ryan to take the lead.
~God didn't give us a picture of a yacht before we left or a gazebo or names of people we would meet. Someone did pray that we would get to play with kids before we left and Cate had a vision that we would speak at a church, but these were the only two prophetic fulfillment. So, to me He wanted us to trust Him the entire way and listen for His guidance while on the trip. Everything was a special surprise blessing from the Lord. Other teams had many words from God before they left, all of which were fulfilled on their journeys. I am still learning to be silent and hear His voice in intercession, but I know my faith is growing in this area.
2 days before leaving for kingdom weekend, I woke up with a sore throat, but I knew that I had to participate in this faith-building opportunity. So I got heaps of prayer and went out anyways.
We were dropped off on the outskirts of town in Oxford at 2pm on Thursday with a sandwich, $10 each, sleeping bag, and our Bibles. We sat down and prayed and ate our sandwiches. We started walking with our thumbs out and about 30 minutes later a car stopped for us. A man named Phillip picked us up and drove us about 30 minutes to Rangoria. He is a farmer in Oxford and was on his way to buy a saw because some trees blew over on his farm. We prayed for him when he dropped us off and he was blessed. We walked through town and then hitched and were picked up by a man named Max who was a math teacher and his phone kept ringing while he drove so he was very distracted. He dropped us off in Woodend, only 10 minute ride. We hitched again from Woodend and were picked up by Mike who drove us to Amberly, about 20 minutes away. We prayed for Mike and his family before he left. In Amberly we were not sure now what to do so we sat down and prayed, asking God for direction. Ryan felt like he needed to go to a coffee shop called the Spoon Cafe. I heard that I needed to follow Ryan's plan. So we went to the cafe and they were closed, but there was a teenage guy sitting out on a bench. He had just gotten off work there and was waiting for his ride home, so Ryan sat down and started talking with him while Cate and I went off to pray for them. Ryan ended up sharing the whole Gospel with Tim and right when he finished, Tim's dad came to pick him up. Ryan said Tim was very open and seemed to be receiving what he was sharing. Then we hitched again and were picked up by a man named Heiden who drove us to Amberly, about 20 minutes North. By then it was about 7pm so we walked into the town looking for a place to stay. We found a backpacker camp and we asked the owner if he would let us stay for free because we didn't have enough money but he turned us away. So we went back out to the road and tried hitching. By then it was getting dark and few cars were out and no one picked us up. So, we worshipped and walked back to a little playground we had seen in the town. We slept in a covered sand box and felt completely blessed and at peace.
The next morning we woke up at 6am, Ryan shared that the word for the day was "faithfulness" and we went out hitching. We walked for 2 hours trying to get any passing vehicle to pick us up. It started to rain and finally a van pulled over. The man was named Josh and he was headed to Picton (at the top of the island) to take a ferry to the North island. He was 18, from Guam, had just finished his year at university and packed his van with everything he owned and was heading to a dairy farm to work for the summer. Ryan shared the gospel with him as we drove the 3 hours north. 
There was a woman with 3 kids who came to the park to play. Cate felt God leading us to pray for her. So, we asked her and she was excited because she is a believer and thought she heard our Christian music. We prayed over Marion and her kids (Jessica, 6, and Hector, 5). Cate asked her if she knew of a place we could stay and she said no because she lives on a 40 ft boat with her husband and kids, so there was no room for us. Then her daughter protested and asked if we could stay in her storage shed. She agreed and took us to her shed, which had carpet (such a blessing!) and let us on her boat and fed us a warm dinner while we played with the kids. We did her dishes and asked if there was any way we could bless her for her generosity toward us. She said that she needed to go to work the next day but had not been able to go because of the kids. So, she asked if we could babysit them for the morning. We enthusiastically agreed to help. We went to bed in the shed praising God so much that night! The next morning Marion packed us all lunch and the kids led us on a hike to Bob's Bay. At the bay we built a shell castle and played around with the kids for 2 hours.
Then we hiked back to town, sharing Jesus with them as we walked. In town we went to a free festival for the birthday of the Edwin Fox, one of the oldest ships in the world. At the festival we got to eat cake and free sandwiches and treats. The kids had fun and one of their friends, Luke (who we also met the previous evening) had a grandpa, Tim, who owned a historic yacht wanted to take us out on his boat.
When we all got to the boat, it was gorgeous and vintage and its name was Faith! This yacht was originally owned by a lord who made the case for the conscience in the Nazi Nuremberg trials.
While on Faith, Tim told Marion that it was actually against the rules for her to let us sleep in her storage unit, so she told us that we needed to move on. We felt peace about that and agreed that we needed to get to Kaikoura. We made a cardboard sign for hitching, prayed over Marion and the kids again, packed up and left. While walking out of town to the place we wanted to hitch, we held our sign out and before we even reached out spot, someone pulled over to give us a ride. His name was Jim and he was drinking and smoking and mumbling. It was a short quiet ride, I prayed silently in the back seat and got the impression that this man was a prodigal son who had been to church long ago. When we got to Blenheim, we asked if we could pray for him and he mumbled "no, I went to church as a kid, I am beyond being saved" and he drove off. We prayed hard for him. Then we held out our sign for Kaikoura and 15 minutes later a man drove by in a cool car and I watched him go by. Looking back at him, he turned around and drove back to get us. 
His name was Matt and he had just bought his car and was driving it home. His wife was in Oxford helping her sister who owned a shop in town (which we were familiar with). He played fun music for us ("Cows with Guns"). and stopped 2 places to show us his "friends" who were seals on the beach. Matt was a believer and he dropped us in town in Kaikoura. We went into the washrooms and when we came out, some people were setting up sound equipment and instruments. Ryan asked them what kind of music they would be playing and they said "Christian music" and he said "we're Christians too!"So they invited us to worship with them. One woman, Dawn, asked where we were staying and we told her we didn't know and she said "you do now, you're staying with me!" We rejoiced at God's perfect timing and provision! 
During worship, some young adults were drinking across the bridge behind us, so a few of us prayed for them and sang a song called "Break every Chain."At the end of the song, the young drinkers came around and stood in front of us to listen. Ryan, Kate, and I went to talk with them about the Lord and share with them. They were backpackers traveling from all over who had met at the hostel there in Kaikoura. We didn't lead anyone to Christ, but seeds were definitely planted. Dawn took us home after worship/outreach was over and she fed us lamb and cous cous with home grown vegetables. We were so blessed to have such a delicious home made meal and beds to sleep on. She was such a woman of faith sharing so many encouraging stories from what God had done in her life. We washed her dishes but there was no other way to return her abundant blessing on us. The next morning we had warm showers and she took us to church at the Vineyard in Kaikoura where her brother, Eric was the pastor. Eric offered to give us a ride back to Oxford later that day if we would share our story of Kingdom weekend and give a communion message during church. 
We agreed to those incredible terms (Oxford is 3 hours drive South). During the service, Ryan shared the amazing story of God's faithfulness to us all weekend and then I gave a message about communion based off what we had learned the previous week about the Jewish Passover. Then the pastor said that God asked him to lay aside the message he prepared to wait on the Lord instead. So, we all prayed and some people shared scriptures. Then they asked us 3 YWAMers to stand in the front and if anyone had a word or prayer for us to share it. A woman came us and prophesied over each of us and the things she said perfectly aligned and were confirmations. For me she said I am a pillar in the church, strong and powerful because I rely on the Lord. She told me that I would encourage many churches throughout the world and lead people to rely on the Lord as I have throughout my life. This was confirming for me because I have always had a heart for missions, but specifically emphasizing in discipleship rather than evangelism (although I will still be obedient to share the Gospel when I can). We gave all the rest of our $22 to the tithe because none of our hitches or hosts had agreed to take our money and we didn't want to return with it. After church, pastor Eric drove us back to Oxford. |
| De (Mauri), Ryan, me, Cate, and Dawn |
8 teams were sent out on Kingdom Weekend and when we all returned on Sunday evening we shared our stories. Every team had an incredible, unique experience full of God's provisions and divine encounters.
Some specific things God reveled to me through this Kingdom weekend experience are:
~A new perspective on the homeless. I had a sense of what homelessness was like when we had to sleep in the playground the first night and going into towns after that looking around thinking "where could we sleep outside here if we have to?" Also knowing we didn't have enough money to buy proper food or transportation or housing, we had to think very differently and hope on the generosity of others. This was new for me because all the while I was thinking about my many loved ones back home who would gladly have given me anything I needed in those moments. But this time I had to rely on my heavenly Father's provisions alone.
~The importance of thanksgiving. Although we were sleeping outside the first night, we were so thankful and worshipped God. The next night, He upgraded us to a carpeted storage container and we exploded with thanksgiving and praise. On the last night He gave us the luxury of a house couch and bed which we again thanked God for profusely! Same story with food: started with a sandwich, then 24 hour fast, then had peanut butter sandwiches followed by our first warm meal from Marion and ending with a delicious lamb and cous cous all the while thanking God for his provision of food.
~The importance of constant prayer and listening to His direction. I don't need to explain this one. I think you understand from the stories how prayer and worship were a necessity to a lifestyle of ministry.
~My sore throat developed into a cough, but God used it to keep me from speaking too much and encourage Ryan to take the lead.
~God didn't give us a picture of a yacht before we left or a gazebo or names of people we would meet. Someone did pray that we would get to play with kids before we left and Cate had a vision that we would speak at a church, but these were the only two prophetic fulfillment. So, to me He wanted us to trust Him the entire way and listen for His guidance while on the trip. Everything was a special surprise blessing from the Lord. Other teams had many words from God before they left, all of which were fulfilled on their journeys. I am still learning to be silent and hear His voice in intercession, but I know my faith is growing in this area.
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