Mt. Holdsworth

I finally got to go backpacking in NZ!!! Those of you who know me know that it is a hobby of mine to go into the woods for days on end and climb up mountains, and NZ is a backpacking destination that many only dream of chartering. I still can't believe I've been here 8 months and haven't taken advantage of the "Great Walks" of NZ.

But a few of us from church strapped on our packs and our hiking boots this weekend for a 4,000ft ascent up Mt. Holdsworth. It rained the entire time, and the second half was actual hands and feet climbing up root systems and rocks to get to the top. Once we arrived at our Hut we could barely see the tips of smaller mountains above the clouds. The evening was filled with a warm fire, clothes drying, and texas hold'em poker (two of the guys were training for harder treks and filled their packs excessively to prepare). We woke up to a breathtaking sunrise and a little bit of cloud clearing before it started to snow. The hike downhill was brutal on the knees and every bit as tricky as maneuvering uphill, but overall the trip was amazing.

It was such a blessing to be able to take a weekend and enjoy some mountain views, good company, and time with the Lord enjoying His creation.

"The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing — to reach the Mountain, to find the place where all the beauty came from — my country, the place where I ought to have been born. Do you think it all meant nothing, all the longing? The longing for home? For indeed it now feels not like going, but like going back." (C.S. Lewis Till We Have Faces)

Te Reo Maori

The government puts on free language classes for Te Reo Maori (the indigenous language of New Zealand) and I met some students who go on Tuesday nights, so I’ve been taking language class with them and learning more about Maori culture, history, and how to speak te reo! I love languages and I’ve found it to be really helpful in pronouncing NZ place names and learning cultural conventions.

The thing I love most about it, though is meeting people that I normally wouldn't have the chance to meet. We are one big happy whanau (that's maori for family) and the food is always bountiful! It feels like I am stepping onto the set of a sitcom every time I enter the classroom. There are the archetypal characters and then there are the quirky comedians, and everyone seems to have a different perspective and a different history. I've decided that I fit in as the quirky foreign kid who pronounces everything oddly, and I love it!

I'm going to go see if I can make more money

On Friday nights a few of us from church have been serving the community by having a free bbq on the streets of Wellington. We park our bbq in front of one of the brothels in town and hand out sausages to the homeless, the prostitutes, and the usual crowd of Friday night party-goers.

The conversations that come out of a simple gesture are amazing. First, people are shocked that you are handing them free food, no strings attached. So typically they ask why and we simply reply that we are a group of Christians that want to show God’s love to them because of His great love for us. That is when the conversations, the questions, sometime the tears or the accusations begin pouring out. I’ve been asked the hardest questions by people and have prayed with prostitutes and bantered with drunk businessmen.

The hardest moment I had was while talking to one of the regular prostitutes that comes by. She was telling me of her difficulties, we talked about the Lord, about prayer, about hope, but when she had finished eating she turned and said, "Well I guess I'm going to go see if I can make some more money".

What do I do? I asked her to stay, told her we can find a place to help her, but the reality is that you can't force people to turn their lives around. She graciously declined my offer and walked away.

It was a profound moment for me, realizing that while poverty and desperation are part of a physical lifestyle for her, it is very much a spiritual reality for countless people in the world. How often are the answers to true joy, and meaning in our lives right there in front of us and we turn away, prostituting ourselves out to whatever will give us instant results?

What are the things you think you need? Where do you go to find instant gratification? I know for me many of the things I turn to for satisfaction are worthless in comparison to true satisfaction in the Lord.

The rain is settling

From atop the hill with fog settled low the skyscrapers looked as if they are floating---a city in the sky. We are plummeting through the city, a free fall on wheels, navigating the slopes with reckless agility. With each turn the exit doors clamor open and shut, teasing those seated next to it. How the brick sidewalks shine in the rain! Drenched from head to toe, the halo of streetlights warms my face. Winter in May.

Where Did May Go?

Do you ever find blogging intimidating? You have so much to say, but don't know where to begin? Every time I stare at this blank screen the wheels begin turning; I start thinking too much. So this entry is going to be more or less a laundry list of the craziness that has happened during the past few weeks.

1. When I first arrived I noticed that the worship music was unfamiliar. We sang heaps of music from bands such as Hillsong and other obscure bands mainly made popular by a large-scale music festival in New Zealand called Parachute. At church last Sunday it occurred to me that these songs were now becoming familiar, and that I had made some step over an invisible culture barrier.

Me and some of my Bible Study Girls at Spa Night

2. We had our women's retreat, which was a spa night focused on purity. It was beautiful watching the symbolic act of cleansing speak to the spiritual needs of the girls there. Each spa treatment was accompanied by verses from the Bible that explained the freedom that comes from walking in purity, the power of God to work in us and sanctify us, and how holiness invades every moment of our lives.

3. Love, Actually? is an "Artreach" some of our student leaders put together, partnering with other Christian groups on campus. We set up a canvas inside the quad and let students paint their responses to the prompt: What is Love? The results were encouraging and the conversations we got to have with students who we would otherwise not normally meet were fascinating. It was amazing to see the diversity of thoughts, languages, and opinions. It was also sobering to see that, for many, the unconditional, unshakable, sacrificial love of God is not something they experience. Our work here has only begun.

Painting at the Artreach!

the national anthem

In honor of ANZAC day, a national holiday to honor the Australia and NZ Army Corps, we sang the national anthem of NZ at church today. As I fumbled along, out of tune, I felt a sense of love for this nation and a strong desire to, as the last verse says: "preach love and truth to man, working out God's glorious plan. Striking that such a secular country had such faithful roots!

God of Nations at thy feet

In the bonds of love we meet;

Hear our voices we entreat;

God defend our free land;

Guard Pacific’s triple star;

From the shafts of strife and war;

Make her praises heard afar

God defend New Zealand.

E Ihoā Atua,

O ngā iwi mātou rā;

Āta whakarongona,

Me aroha noa;

Kia hua ko te pai

Kia tau to ata whai;

Manaakitia mai

Aotearoa

May our mountains ever be

Freedom's ramparts on the sea

Make us faithful unto Thee

God defend our free land

Guide her in the nations' van

Preaching love and truth to man

Working out Thy Glorious plan

God defend New Zealand

(I've omitted a few verses for the sake of space, but do look it up and listen to it!)

Australia

I recently returned from a brief trip to Australia with one of our students, Adele. We were welcomed to Melbourne with open arms by the Student Life Staff Team and stayed in a student flat for free. It was an amazing display of biblical hospitality, and for that I am so grateful!

Some highlights of the trip: seeing how the students in Melbourne take so much ownership of the ministry, spending quality time with Adele, seeing all of the cool buildings and alleyways in the city, but especially driving along the Great Ocean Road.

In my journal I wrote:

" I feel God here, under the lush canopy of the eucalyptus leaves, their scent magnified by the freshly fallen rain, the golden rays of sunlight peering through, and then round the corner the ocean roars as it rolls and breaks at the shore. There is a peace and a joy here that I only feel on such rare occasions, and it wouldn't be enough for me to look at the ocean and cry out 'what a great ocean you are!'. No, my reverence is deeper because that ocean was created by a personal God who knows me and loves me. That mighty, terrible ocean is at the will of an even mightier and lovelier God. My God, who cares for me.

Psalm 93:3-4
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!