Outreach and Graduation news!

We are back from Outreach and have graduated from our CDTS!  It's hard to believe that it is already over...the past five months have been an amazing journey of growth, inner healing, newly found strength and freedom, and many wonderful adventures and new experiences!  

Our team had a great time of outreach while traveling through New Zealands' North Island.  We had opportunities to serve and minister to people in their communities, homes, churches, at youth groups, children's programs, and even while walking on the beach!  God provided many "divine appointments" along the way where we could bless or minister to someone in need, or in many cases, He used them to minister to us just when we needed it!  There were also struggles and challenges as I lead our team, but God is so faithful and always showed up in amazing ways to encourage and pick me up when I was down, and give wisdom and the strength to press on!


The highlight of outreach for me was the 2 weeks we spent on the Island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, working with the staff at the YWAM Base on the island, and serving in the community. We stayed in the dorms on the Base and quickly became like family as we lived in community together, sharing meals, enjoying great fellowship, worship and prayer time with the staff and a family of Mission Builders also there from NZ, who were working at the Base.  We got around the island on scooters, which was a first for me and a blast!  I now have my Cook Islands driver's license...so who knows, maybe one day I will return to the islands  :-)

The YWAM staff arranged for our team to work at a local Christian School helping the children with their reading for several days each week, which was my personal favorite...such precious children to love on with the Father's Love!  We worked with patients at a Disability Center, helping them with art, music, physical fitness, speech therapy and literacy.  I was especially blessed by at patient I worked with, called "Papa John" who told me he could see God in me!  We also had the privilege and blessing to go with the YWAM staff to a weekly local Men's Prison Ministry.  It was such a great experience to spend time singing, sharing testimonies, and even joining in on an interactive game with the amazing group of inmates who have given their lives to Christ while in prison!

         

We arrived back after 2 months of being on the road and overseas to winter weather in Oxford and snow on the mountains...very COLD, but beautiful! 

We finished our last week of school and had our Graduation ceremony July 15th.  For graduation, our school staff prepared and served us a lovely dinner and each team shared and presented a slide show of their outreach.  Afterwards we were treated to an evening of Square Dancing with a DJ, which was as Kiwi's say..."heaps of fun"!  It was a great evening and final time together as a school family! 

Over the last few days everyone has packed up and left Oxford to return to their home countries and to the new journeys God has set before them...it was hard for us all to say goodbye to such dear friends that we have journeyed together with as a family these past five months!  I will especially miss my dear friend and roommate Karen from New Zealand, who I do plan to see more of while I am here in NZ, and my friend Grace from Malaysia....who I hope to one day have the opportunity to travel to Malaysia to see again!

Thank you all who have partnered with me through your prayers and financial support!  I will be staying on as staff here with YWAM Oxford for the next 5 weeks, serving in hospitality and spending time waiting on the Lord to reveal His plans for me.  I have been warmly welcomed into the YWAM family here, and would love to stay and serve long-term (1-2yrs) if the Lord opens this door and provides for my financial needs to cover expenses while serving Him here in New Zealand.

I would greatly appreciate your continued prayers over the next few weeks, and would also be so grateful for anyone who would prayerfully consider continuing to partner with me through a One-time gift or your Monthly financial support to help make it possible to continue serving through missions!

So excited to see what God has in store next!!

Blessings to all!