Sunday, December 26, 2010

Merry Christmas!

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Hey All! This is April here, and I would love to say Merry Christmas from Team Kiwi Fiji to all our families, friends, and our brothers and sisters on their outreaches! To our mothers: We are all alive, well, and healthy :)
Ok, so now where do I begin hmmm…  It’s hard to believe that our first week has already gone by and we are now here on day 10 in Queenstown having already celebrated a Kiwi Christmas. Our first week was a bit of a struggle, but none the less a growing experience. We got to see the beautiful Lake Tekapo and Mount Cook on our way to Te Anau; we spent 3 rainy nights in Te Anau, but with some sunlight during the days. Te Anau was a small tourist town, however tourist season hadn’t quite begun yet so the town was quite quiet therefore making it difficult for ministry opportunities due to the lack of people. On December 22nd we made our way out to Milford Sound to more rain! YAY! However, the drive there and at the sound was absolutely amazing with thousands of waterfalls coming down the mountains all around us.  The next day we left the beauty of Milford Sound and made our way to the hustle and bustle of Queenstown…
 Here in Queenstown we are helping out half the time at a church that runs a coffee, and charity clothing shop where people can come in from off the streets to have a place to hang out. When we are not at the church we are hanging out in the town, meeting people, talking to them, and inviting them to meals.  Sooner than we imagined along came Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day in the beginning was a bit of a struggle as we were all missing our families back at home, but with some prayer and a meeting we geared into these special days and their meanings: To share Gods Love! To share His love with a world that needs people of faith! And that’s what we did, we all went out to share the love that God has given us. Matt and I decided to use the slack line as a tool to capture people’s attention, and it did just that! We spent to day talking to different people, and through this we met our Muslim friends Mohammed and Abdul. Mohammed and Abdul joined our team for Christmas dinner that evening, and we all talked and laughed late into the night. They were genuine young men, open about their own beliefs and as well curious about our own. This was a Christmas our team will always remember, for we have grown closer together as a family and shared love and kindness to the people around us no matter what religious background they come from.
Merry Christmas! We love and miss you all, and are praying for you during this Christmas season.
Blessings,
Team Kiwi Fiji
Prayer Requests:
·         That a shaking will happen in Mohammed and Abduls lives, and they will seek for the truth from the Lord, as well as any others that we have come in contact with.
·         To keep Hebrews 11:1 in our minds and in our hearts at all times because in this ministry we won’t necessarily be able to see the seeds that are planted grown.
·         Continued unity within the team
·         That our care and love for each other would be an example for the  people around us
·         Continued health and safety
·         More opportunities

Monday, December 20, 2010

First of the First!

Hey All!
This is going to be a short update, more just a kick off blog from our team...
For those who don't know we are Team Kiwi Fiji, and we are traveling around to spread God's word and Love. We are traveling the South Island of New Zealand for 5 weeks, then heading to Fiji for 3! Our fearless leaders are Matt(SK Canada) and Katie(WY USA). Then there are my two brothers Kristoffer(Norway) and Derek(NH USA); and last but not least ME April (SK Canada)!

We are in Te Anau right now and its quite the rainy day.. and we have a leaking tent so its been quite the adventure. We are going to be heading out of here tomorrow and going to some sorta Forge? Kristoffer will tell you more about it when he blogs next. Then we will be heading to Queenstown in a couple days.

We are all doing pretty well, and are adjusting to eachother. Please keep us in your prayers!

Prayer Points:
-For our team to unite as a family
- For us to be bold and courageous to share about Gods love
- For our brothers and sisters in India, Thailand, and Australia and for ministry opertunities for them
- Health and Saftey

Blessings and Love,
April