One Frustration and Relationships

(my frustration after my first bowl)

The one frustration has been internet and a home line. It has taken FOREVER to get signed up and have it connected at our flat. I can use the internet and phone at the office, but i only have a limited time, so i have not been able to keep up with personal friends, the blog, and emails as much as i would like.

How the internet is different: you don't just sign up for a flat monthly rate... you choose the usage and pay for that like you will upload and download 5GB of info/month.... still getting used to how much that means exactly?

Outside of that, i have been meeting with tons of people:

When you are in relatively smaller church, there is a business side of things, but the ministry seems to still be much more about relationships and people than extra paperwork and programs at this point.... i like that.

Young adults is a big target of my personal ministry...

This last weekend i was able to help coordinate a dinner and bowling outing to get about 17 of us together. Bringing this group together was awesome and everyone got a well.

I meet with different youth groups, leaders of cell groups, and ministries this week.
(I don't know exactly what was happening at the moment of this picture!?) but Rhett and Sarah are two i will work with since Rhett and I meet once a week for accountability and Sarah has been overseeing first contact (welcoming visitors).

Video of the Week 1: Whatup Auckland

This was me keeping a past tradition alive the first time i drove over the Auckland bridge. When Dan and I lived in Auckland the first time, Dan started a tradition of yelling, "Whatup Auckland!" every time we went over the bridge. The view of the city and landscape is just so majestic.... there is just something about it.

I think you can also probably just tell by the excitement that this was my second day back in New Zealand.

The Cession Staff and First month Plan

The Second night in NZ, me and Rachel Nigro (in the green) received a welcome dinner from the cession staff and their spouses. The staff includes from left to right: Rhett(brown), Melissa(teal), Katie(pink), me, Kristen(white/red) and Brett(stripes)
I am excited to be here and to see all of the potential God has in store for the people and the church and my "ACTIVATOR" side wants to commit and jump into everything, but this is what i have decided the first months focus is for:

1st Month Focus:
-PREPARE
I am visiting people, asking questions, making observations, hopefully attending a few different churches, and avoiding committing. This first month is for forming a schedule and formulating a plan without jumping into and overcommitting to early. I get to look and dream by myself and with people, but feel no obligation to fix or activate. Trying to think longterm here.

-PRAY
This is not an attack on any one person or church, both times i have been here God has laid on me the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY for a CULTURE of PRAYER. I am Studying Daniel & Elijah who i see as men of prayer. I fear that too often prayer means to guys either boring, too much talking and care for other people borderline gossip, just sitting around and not accomplishing anything, or an awkward place of intimacy that we don’t honestly know how to handle or want to deal with.

-PRESS ON
I already have enough commitments between catching up with past friends in New Zealand, getting settled and keeping up with my online Master's classes, so pressing on in excellence in what i am already doing instead of adding is the focus for the beginning.

So this is what i will be reminding myself daily for the next few weeks.

Some Early Observations

Kiwi guys cook?
Maybe it is the resourceful/creating side of the culture, but I have found a lot more males who like to do the cooking at home here so far than i knew in the states.
Young Adults go out- This is the first day so far that I have actually been at home at night and I was thinking that things will change some and life will get more settled at home, but deep down inside I realized, young adults are just going to go out more and do things at night. Our friends are our family since we don't have one to come home to at night and most of them don’t live together, so most likely we are going to go out to meet up with our friend/family or else we are going to try and add more friends to their family by socializing.
Need for Prayer-
I will repeat this over and over, but an underlying theme since the first time I came to NZ has been the serious need for prayer. For things to change and hearts to be warmed in New Zealand and especially cession|community, there is a HUGE call to prayer warriors around the world and to begin to call up new prayer warriors already here in New Zealand.

Saying "eh"
You know it is bad when I am righting a paper for my online classes and every time I make a point I am tempted to write “eh” because I keep saying it in my head every time i make a point. Scary.

First week pictures

I don't have church pictures yet, but here are some of the first week pictures and adventures.

I unpacked, worked, and was able to take two days with friends out on a lake before i get into a full time schedule and have everything settled.

The boys getting ready for our first paddle... where the orange kayak sunk below the water!
Geoff showing his birthday present with the hat and glasses
"Batches"(lake houses) down on Lake Rotoiti
The Davies family and Rachel and Sara

My revisit to my first NZ jump off the pier wasn't quite what i expected

Dinner the first night i arrived with Graeme my roommate(to my right), the fussners(sitting to my left minus Jeff), Sara Dekker (renting from the Fussners) and the Jones' family:  Brett(my boss), Kristen holding Reagan, and Reese
My bed and room
The car i am currently using outside the stairs to the flat i am sharing with Graeme
Downtown auckland from the Auckland Bridge.

No Pictures?

The internet is having trouble uploading pictures and i have limited internet so you just get words for the next week or so until i figure this out. sorry.

I won't blog for a few days but here is my schedule
6pm Dinner with the Cession staff
Fri-Sat trip with a few young adults that i will work with in the future (Sara, Rachel, Geoff and Geoff's relative Rachel and Duncan)
Sun- First Sunday with the church
Mon- Start of a more regular schedule

4 seasons in a day

that is the saying to describe the weather her.
Yesterday (Wednesday) the weather went like this:
Sunny- woke up and drove to work
Rainy to hailing- at work
Cloudy- driving to Bowlins
Sunny to Rainy- during prayer at the Bowlins
Cloudy to Clear skies- that night

Get it Done Day

Tuesday was my get it done day.
I got a cell phone connected
Got my bank set up
Vacuumed and dusted the house
Unpacked
Saw the Mackays and was offered a bike for close visits

Disconnected

When I first got here I had
-no landline
-no cellphone
-no internet at the house

talk about not feeling able to communicate with people!
I was trying to meet Brett at church the second morning and I turned the wrong way on a road. As I was driving I looked down for the first time and realized the car I had picked up yesterday was below empty! I realized as I was driving that if I ran out of gas I didn’t know where I was going and I had no phone numbers to call anybody and no way anyone could contact me. As soon as I realized that I started to pull into a gas station as my car started to jolt. Then I realized the gas station wouldn’t take my credit card so I was stuck there! Luckily a nice 50 year old lady declined my offer of ten American Dollars and gave me directions to where I needed to go and $5 of gas(called petrol here).

Now I have a cell phone and a full tank of gas so I am good to go! All I need now is internet and a landline!

I made it!

I don't have pictures downloaded yet and i don't have internet at the house, so pictures are to come as soon as i have sometime on the internet with my computer, but i just wanted to write and let people know i got here at 11:55am today and was greeted by about 15 familiar church faces. We went out to McDonalds, then i unpacked in my room and had dinner with the Jones' and Fussners. Thanks for the prayers! more to come.

Traveling

i am on my way. thanks for your prayers in this time of transition.

the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:8