Did God provide for us this week or what?! If I wrote down all of the amazing things that He did in story form, you would be reading a very lengthy essay, so I'm not going to do that. Instead, I'll give you brief examples of some of the things that God did over the past 7 days.
1. Our team (A team) along with Shanan, Reuben, and Dan (3 Kiwis that are flippin awesome) took a week long trip to the South Island to do ministry down there. We left last Monday morning with no accommodations set up whatsoever. We knew that this trip was going to be all about walking by faith, and that's exactly what we did. The night before we left, we spent a long time in prayer seeking God's will for the trip, and it completely set the tone for what was going to happen…
2. The first day we got there, we had no idea where we were going to sleep for the night. We brought tents just in case we had to camp out somewhere. We drove to Reuben's family friend's house, and they proceeded to offer us their garage to sleep in, so we accepted their offer! I will tell you that the first night was freezing, smelled of tire and farts, and consisted of many, many moments of sheer laughter throughout the wee hours of the morning. I know that God has an amazing sense of humor simply because He created people to talk in their sleep.
3. The next day, we went treasure hunting! Basically, treasure hunting is when a group of people sit down and pray about who God wants to bless or speak to. We pray that God would give us clues of people that He would like for us to speak with and pray over, and then we go out and track em down! The best story from that experience was when Shanan had the opportunity to pray over a guy who had recently had ankle surgery. The guy's ankle was still extremely stiff, so Shanan prayed for his ankle to be healed, and it was completely loosened up. The guy's face along with his friends' faces were priceless and they were in shock and awe. Powerful healing in Jesus' name right thur! That night we were able to sleep in a youth center which was warmer than the first night, but still smelt of farts thanks to the guys…haha.
4. The third day was probably one of my favorite days. We hadn't showered since we left El Rancho, so we were in dire need of some tender lovin care. Thankfully, we didn't smell too bad, so we decided to go to the nearest indoor pool to swim for a bit and then use their showers afterward. After we swam, we were having a lunch picnic in the park and singing some acoustic worship when a girl walked up to us and asked if she could join. Of course we told her that we'd love to have her join, so she did. We ended up talking to her and one thing led to another. We ended up staying at her flat that had been a Christian house for the past twenty years near the university. God provided our accommodations once again!
There are several stories that I could put here, but I've already written quite a bit, so I'll stop. Our team was showered with blessing after blessing this past week, and our faith grew all the more. At the moment, I still can't imagine leaving this place. It's going to break my heart to have to leave these people that I have come to love so much. This country will have such a special place in my heart for the rest of my life, and I know that God has placed me here for two months according to His perfect will. God's provision is astounding, and I am so grateful to Him for the good gifts that He gives to His children along with the freedom that comes from walking in complete faith and seeking His face constantly.
One more week. One more week to spend with these beautiful, hilarious, passionate people whom God has placed in my path. I know that everything I have experienced here will come home with me to the USA, and God is the same there as He is here. I am praying that it would only increase all the more and that God would be glorified all the more.
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17
The South Island crew!
Primo view of the mountains and ocean. God makes beautiful things.
