Hello everyone! Long time no talk! I apologize for not updating as much as I had previously planned. Internet, and free time are hard to come by, especially at the same time, so I guess this will have to do!
It's hard to even start- I don't know where to begin! On Monday, the 17th, the team and I arrived at Dargaville, New Zealand. This was our second site for our trip. We traveled about 45 minutes from the East coast of New Zealand where Whangarei lies, and ended up at the West coast! They say that in NZ, you're at the most, only about 1 hour away from a beach no matter where you are in the whole country! That's a crazy thought because back at school, it's about 10 hours to the nearest ocean for me.
When we arrived, the team was immediately thrown into what we were going to be doing there for the next two weeks. We had lunch, and then prepped for our after school program. We provided a healthy snack: fruit salad, yummy yummy (thank you Wiggles). We also had a short devotion for the kids that was based on a chosen memory verse for each day that each of us took turns facilitating. It was a great ministry outreach to the community. We were able to touch the lives of young ones who might not hear the gospel because of the sometimes scary atmosphere a church service can have on non-believers. There were 4 girls who started coming to Sunday School as a result of the program after the first 2 days! In the end, there were about 30 kids total who came through the whole event, which is great for a community of 5,000. 15 of them were there every day they could.
The team had a set of favorites. They were two brothers who were the sweetest and most thoughtful 10 year olds anyone could meet. They would walk over from their home that was about 1 mile away, everyday, just to come to our kid's club. One of them even came over when there was only 15 minutes left, just because he wanted to be there so badly. They come from a rough home, and we heard some talk about a social worker being involved in their household, so a lot of prayer for them is still going on. We also had a new family come to both Sunday services while we were there as a result of the program. A mother and her 2 daughters seemed to have been impacted by it all, and for that, our whole team praises God!
It has been amazing to see what God has done through these past two weeks! Our team also taught Bible in schools to a total of about 450kids after going to 3 different primary schools. Once again, talking about God in public schools was an amazing opportunity, but is slowly becoming done less and less around the country as non Christians are trying to push it out of the campuses. Please pray for this, because it is a wonderful mission field that the US would be so grateful to have!
Our team also went to 2 retirement homes and sang songs to them and talked to the residents. The first home we went to was for severely handicapped persons, and that was emotionally difficult to handle, but it was a wonderful opportunity to share the love of God to them, through song and a simple smile/ conversation. I had a wonderful talk with a man who just recently sold his dairy farm. At the other retirement home, they were more abled, and that was a great time! We sang 4 hymns and then talked to the residents for about an hour. I sat down with a Gloria Warne, and by the end of the conversation, we had exchanged addresses and she told me to expect a letter when I return back home! It was a lovely time to talk about her and her faith that she is still clinging to even after all the experiences she's shared with me.
On both Sundays, Seth, Liz, and I lead worship alongside the pastor's wife who played the bass. Seth played the acoustic AND electric (on a few songs, we rocked out), Liz played the piano and sang harmony, while I sang lead. That was neat to be leading others in worship... something I've never done before!
The team mostly spent time working on the after school program, but on Sunday the 29th, Seth and Liz were able to DJ the local Christian radio station and share a lot of music they have with the surrounding area of about 45 miles. It was neat for Allison and I to listen to them back at pastor Nigel's house. We were unable to go because we have caught a head cold, so we simply laid down to rest our bodies. Please remember us in your prayers as we are still suffering from the symptoms.
We were able to do a lot of fun things too while at Dargaville, it was not all work there. We made several trips to Bayly's Beach, which was an awesome experience each time. We also went 4 wheel driving along sand dunes one Sunday afternoon with a convoy of off road vehicles driven by friends and members of the church, which we ended with a sausage BBQ on the beach. On the 23rd, we went to the tip of the North Island to the Waipua Forests to see Tane Mahuta, the largest Kauri tree in NZ. It was amazing to be there, and we walked around other Kauri tree forest up in that area. VERY NEAT.
There has been a lot that has happened over the past 2 weeks, and I haven't covered it all, but I hope that you feel as though you know more about what I am doing, but more importantly about what GOD is doing here. We have safely arrived in Auckland where we are spending the rest of our time in New Zealand. I will update as things start to unfold here! I will leave you all with some things to remember/ pray for:
The families impacted by the kid's club in Dargaville.
The congregations of Dargaville CON, Whangarei Christian Fellowship, and New Lynn CON.
Our team's safety while in Auckland as well as our ministry efforts.
Allison and my sickness.
The team's hearts, may they be stretched and molded each and every day.
The country of New Zealand and the ministry to the schools that is under attack and at risk of being pulled from some schools.
Our families back home.
Please feel free to e-mail or comment me whenever you like and I will try and respond/ tell you more about my time here!
Much love... Miss you all!
Melinda Leanne
