I NEVER WANT TO LEAVE THIS PLACE! From the second I looked out the plane window and saw New Zealand from 30,000 feet in the air, I was in love…seriously. I have never seen a more beautiful, breath-taking, green, exotic, splendid place in my life. God was in the best possible mood when He spoke New Zealand into being because it is absolutely gorgeous. It exceeds any expectations that I could have had coming into this trip big time. I really hope that these next two months do not fly by, but I know that they probably will.
The camp we’re staying at, El Rancho, is about 1.5 miles from the beach, and the coast is lined with mountains (it’s okay for you to be filled with jealously right now). I ran there today, and I was so filled with life and just pure joy because I still cannot fathom the fact that I am currently living in this amazing land that God created from absolute nothing. It honestly cannot get any better than this! Not only is the land beautiful, but so are the people. Their hearts are full of generosity, kindness, humor (big time), and love. My team and I feel so loved right now, and we have never been offered so much coffee and hot tea in our lives, it’s awesome! They are extremely hospitable, it’s insane. Also, we ate New Zealand’s version of pancakes (which are more like crepes) this morning smothered with…ice cream. I mean get out of town! Ice cream for breakfast?!
The camp has provided us with an adorable house to live in, comfy beds, hot showers, and three meals a day (and boy are they delicious or what). Talk about being blessed beyond measure, especially compared to what most of the other teams are having to live with, or what they have to live without, rather. God is going to work in some mighty, mighty ways to wake up and speak life into the hearts of the Kiwis. God is the same here in New Zealand as He is in the U.S., and I cannot wait to witness and be a part of His plan for this nation. His spirit is alive and moving all across this land, and I can feel it, we all can. I am excited to make relationships with the other volunteers here because several of them do not know Christ. It is so cool that we can minister to even the people whom we live right next to, not just those who live in other areas besides El Rancho.
New Zealanders’ accents are stinkin’ amazing by the way. I could seriously just listen to them speak all day long, even though they talk so fast that sometimes I can’t understand everything they’re saying. However, I don’t even care if I can’t understand it all because it is just so beautiful. I did just find out that Wes and l be sharing our testimonies tomorrow to a group of high school students, and Claudia will be giving a message on the body of Christ. Not gonna lie, I’m a tad bit nervous, but I’m fired up about it at the same time. I know that God can speak life through my story and that it can maybe help even one person realize that through some crazy struggles and rough times, God is undoubtedly faithful and unconditionally loving. His grace and redemption is astounding, even to me. If y’all could be praying that Claudia, Wes, and I, along with the rest of our team, would be totally filled with the Holy Spirit tomorrow as we speak to these students and that our words would not be our own, but that they would be God’s words and His alone, we would greatly appreciate it!
“Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth.” Jeremiah 1:9
