New Zealand: The Beginning. Again.

Well, this is the first "newsletter" of sorts that I sent around. It's a description, with more than a few words, of the path upon which I now travel. Read, digest, process, argue if you must, and let it soak in. Please respond to me at the email address on the right sidebar with any concerns or issues.

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December 31, 2006
Eagle River, Alaska

Dear Friends, Family, and People whom I really like but have not contacted for a very long time,

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Another year gone and another year beginning! My hope is that this note finds you all well and in the midst of a wonderful holiday season!

What have the recent months and years brought to your life since we last spoke? For some that receive this note it will have been possibly many months or over a year (years?) since our last conversation. My deepest apologies for the time, distance, and lack of communication that has separated us! It is my intention to let you in on a bit of what's going on in my life in the hopes that someday soon you may respond equally with a bit of what is going on in your own life!

The beginning of the New Year will bring with it an embarkation in my own life as I set out to serve with an organization called Youth With A Mission for a period of time in New Zealand. This recent commitment to Youth With A Mission (YWAM) will mark the third occasion of volunteering to do something that I never really figured myself ever participating in - a pattern that is becoming quite the norm.

YWAM is an international, non-centralized Christian organization that stretches to many corners of the globe seeking "to know God and make Him known". There are more than 700 international locations (or "bases" as such locations are referred to) each holding to the Biblically founded principles of YWAM and reaching out to their communities and the world at large in any number of various methods. Perhaps the most recognized ministry of YWAM is the experience offered through the Discipleship Training Schools - a training and discipleship forum focused towards young adults who desire to learn more of God and His work in their lives and in the lives of others in nations of the world.

As you may or may not be aware, I have spent the past two years in various forms of volunteer opportunities and occasions for travel within and outside of the United States. Most recently, I participated in a six month Discipleship Training School with YWAM (www.ywam.org) beginning in January 2006. The initial 3-month period (Lecture phase) of the School was spent in the town of Oxford, on the South Island of New Zealand, attending a training focused on knowing God and understanding His plan in individuals lives and the world at large. The latter 3-month portion (Outreach phase) of the School was devoted to traveling "Around the World in 80 Days", experiencing people, places, and cultures in numerous locations with an effort seeking to make God known, to understand His work in locations of the world, and to aid the longer term vision of finding His place for us in the world.

Birthed out of the recent six month experience with YWAM was a desire in my life to further participate in equipping and engaging others in their seeking of who God is and what He is doing in the world. Thus I am pursuing doing what I may to further "know God and make Him known" as I also seek His specific vision for what my life may hold. Following what I believe is the Lord's leading I will be returning to Oxford, New Zealand, just after the first of the year to begin a new season in my life.

The commitment of returning to YWAM Oxford will likely result in an 18-month period in New Zealand. The exact period of time will depend only on following God's path. Initially, my time will be devoted to aiding the construction of a new cafeteria/lecture/office facility on the existing base in a "project manager" type capacity. I envision this work to be quite similar to my previous work experience, however, I don’t really know where this path leads.

If opportunity allows, following completion of the new building, I hope to participate in one of the three different DTS experiences offered at the YWAM Oxford base as a member of the school staff team, a position of discipleship and leading.

Regardless of the exact focus of my time while serving with YWAM, I will also be participating in a training focused at developing leadership qualities in the base staff and school staff. The Basic Leadership School is a 15-month program that works alongside the specific work of an individual to provide mentoring and leadership development within the areas of responsibility and within the scope of their own life in general.

I reach out to you now in an effort to touch base with each of you, although the limitations of a mass letter are quite apparent when trying to be personable. This season of life is important to me in that I believe it is a way for others to witness what exactly it is that God is doing in the world at large. I would request your prayers and thoughts during this time and welcome emails, phone calls, or just something to say hello. My hope is that I am able to adequately keep up the communication.

My story is part of a much bigger story in this world. I can only tell my stories and the stories of those whom I come into contact with. And, these stories are not just my stories, they belong to you as well. It’s these smaller stories that can paint a picture, a much bigger picture, than just the simple corner of New Zealand where I will soon reside.

In an effort to keep you informed on the happenings with YWAM Oxford and myself, I will continue to use my blog at http://mattsdomain.blogspot.com as a place for various thoughts on life, love, and liberty. In fact, I much desire, as a "missionary", to maintain a bridge between two locations of the world - that which I came from and that to which I now go. The online web journal is one method for which I hope to sustain such communication.

Some of you have already asked about the financial side of things. It is true that my time with YWAM will is completely volunteer, and, as you may very well imagine, I am relying upon what God may provide through any of His various ways to make ends meet. Please feel no obligation to give financially (this is NOT the reason I write to you now!); however, if you do feel led to give I have included information at the end of this note that will provide a number of US tax-deductible methods.

I do look forward to communicating with any of you, though please note that my response time can be artificially slow at times; I don't intend to be tardy but it may happen. Please do let me know how you and your families are!!! I think often of those Mercy Ship friends as the Africa Mercy is now closer than ever to sailing to Africa.

Prayer Requests (Team & Personal):

• There are many new, but familiar faces, currently or soon-to-be residing at YWAM Oxford serving in any number of capacities. It's an exciting time as God builds personal foundations at this place in New Zealand. Pray that the focus will remain on the Lord and His purposes for the Base and the individuals serving there.
• Students for the Backpackers DTS (http://www.ywambackpackers.org/) will be leaving any day to begin their 2-3 month Outreach phase. Prayers for safety and health, and for mind-blowing God experiences to take place in locations around the world and in the greater reaches of New Zealand.
• Students for the January Around the World in 80 Days DTS (http://www.ywamaw80.org/) will be traveling to and arriving in New Zealand in mid-January. Prayers for smooth travels and prepared hearts are appreciated.
• The building program at YWAM Oxford is in the early stages with many steps and days yet to live. Prayer for vision and understanding the Lord's plan for the new additions are key.
• This is a personal step of faith in many aspects. I am confident as to the Lord's leading, however, that doesn't mean it will be easy to follow. I wish to continue growing in many aspects, and I pray that this experience would continue to stretch me. Prayers against apathy, reclusiveness, discouragement, and financial concerns would be much appreciated.

Thank you for your prayers and support in these initial steps! This, as the initial ministry update email, is a work in progress. Please stay tuned for additional updates that are a bit more ministerial focused.

Life - it's a work in progress, you know?

It's a crazy adventure this life we live. I hope that your adventures continue as well!

Much love and blessings,

Matt Wood

Prayer Requests

Current Prayer Requests! Thanks so much for your support and encouragement!

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Prayer Requests (Team & Personal):

• There are many new, but familiar faces, currently or soon-to-be residing at YWAM Oxford serving in any number of capacities. It's an exciting time as God builds personal foundations at this place in New Zealand. Pray that the focus will remain on the Lord and His purposes for the Base and the individuals serving there.
• Students for the Backpackers DTS (http://www.ywambackpackers.org/) will be leaving any day to begin their 2-3 month Outreach phase. Prayers for safety and health, and for mind-blowing God experiences to take place in locations around the world and in the greater reaches of New Zealand.
• Students for the January Around the World in 80 Days DTS (http://www.ywamaw80.org/) will be traveling to and arriving in New Zealand in mid-January. Prayers for smooth travels and prepared hearts are appreciated.
• The building program at YWAM Oxford is in the early stages with many steps and days yet to live. Prayer for vision and understanding the Lord's plan for the new additions are key.
• This is a personal step of faith in many aspects. I am confident as to the Lord's leading, however, that doesn't mean it will be easy to follow. I wish to continue growing in many aspects, and I pray that this experience would continue to stretch me. Prayers against apathy, reclusiveness, discouragement, and financial concerns would be much appreciated.

To Support With $...

I don't expect anyone to give money! However, I have made the option available to those who feel led to give. I do truly appreciate your generosity and am humbled by your donation. THANK YOU!

The budget I constructed in December 2006 is pasted below. Hopefully it makes cents.

There are two US tax-exempt methods and other "international" methods.


Preferred US Method:
Please send a check to:
YWAM
Accounting Department
PO Box 3000
Garden Valley, TX 75771-3000

The check should be made payable to YWAM, however, PLEASE DO NOT WRITE MY NAME ON THE CHECK. Include a separate piece of paper indicating the check is intended for Matthew A Wood of Eagle River, Alaska. The helpful folks at this address can also receive funds using automatic withdrawal from a bank account or with a credit card - please inquire of them if you should so wish (ph: 903.882.5591).



Secondary US Method (Anchorage, Alaska area):
Please send check to:
Skyline Family Fellowship
18239 N Eagle River Loop Rd
Eagle River, Alaska 99577

The check should be made payable to Skyline Family Fellowship. Please do write my name on the memo line of the check.



International Method(s):
A form of electronic monetary transfer may be made through www.ywamoxford.org or paper forms may be accepted at the postal address below:
YWAM Oxford
PO Box 47
Oxford, North Canterbury 7443
New Zealand

***

Matt's YWAM Staff Budget
Estimated Timeframe:		January 2007 - June 2008
Estimated Duration:		18						Months
Items								One-Time or Annual Costs	Monthly Cost
	BASE BUDGET
1	Travel
		One trip TO NZ (Jan 07)						$1,200.00	$66.67
		One trip FROM NZ (Jul 08)						$1,500.00	$83.33
2	Accommodation/Food								$200.00
		$70 NZD per week ~ $ 50 USD
3	Personal Care								$20.00
4	Health Insurance							$800.00	$44.44
5	Basic Leadership Books							$100.00	$5.56
6	Activity Expenses							$230.00	$12.78
		participation in weekend activities
7	NZ Driver's License							$55.00	$3.06
8	Miscellaneous								$40.00
	Friday night activities, school shirts
Total BASE BUDGET MONTHLY Costs:									$475.83
OPTION #1: YWAM Conference								$400.00	$22.22
		April 2007 - Airfare to Australia
OPTION #2: 1 Roundtrip Visit to US								$3,000.00	$166.67
		During 18 Month Period
OPTION #3: DTS Staff ('08)								$2,200.00	$122.22
Total OPTIONS & BASE MONTHLY Costs:									$912.78

Preacher Man

So, today I had the opportunity to speak at church. I hadn't done this before (a sermon that is) and so the experience was an eye opener. But it was good, really good. If you like, feel free to give the speaking a listen.

There are two services at Skyline Family Fellowship - same message for both, or so I thought. It's pretty amazing the differences between the services. Not that the two services were different messages, just how some things were not said in one, but they were in the other.

The digital recording of the second service can be easily accessed by clicking on the link below or cutting and pasting the address into your internet browser:
http://skylinefamily.com/~projbooth/Sermon%20Files/dec%2024%202006.mp3
You can also find this online by accessing www.skylinefamily.com and finding the link on the left-hand sidebar for Sermon Archives. You'll find a recording at the bottom with my name next to it. Enjoy.

I would recommend right-clicking on the link above and "Save Link As" - this will save the audio file to your computer and will probably allow for a better listening experience. The audio is a bit raw and it may be advisable for you to listen to it though software such as iTunes which will tone down the harsh quality of the mp3.

Maybe someday I will figure out how to post the manuscript. It's just striking how the words that come and the plans that were laid can be completely different. By God's Grace.

Departation

It's snowing outside now. A light, yet constant snow that, over time, builds into inches of fresh powder on the earthen layers outside the window.

Darn, it would be nice to break the snowmachines loose from their summer trappings. The whine of a two-stroke engine plowing through fresh snow is music to the ears. Maybe next week.

The focus of the current weeks, aside from the obvious Christmas celebration, is the preparations required for departing the Great State of Alaska to a small country known as New Zealand on the south side of the pond.

Once again I am to return there, to a place in Oxford. It's where I believe the next 15 months or more of life will be held, and not without reason or growth, quite more than that I anticipate.

So, to this end, there will be a more certain and detailed announcement of the upcoming departure. In addition this blog site will morph into something that I don't quite have grasp of, only to say that the vision is to be a more inviting place and witness as to what God is doing in my life, through my stories and the stories of those around me.

The impartation of such stories are to be a catalyst for you to "go get your own stories!"

Ah, December.

And so the travels continue.

This time it is down to the Lower 48 ('aka' America) to revel in the company of relatives and long-lost friends. It is with great pleasure that my Isuzu Trooper was found in good working order after months of loneliness while I was out and about - the Trooper has become a friend of sorts, escaping with me to the Pacific Northwest areas and providing the independent means necessary to travel this corner of the world and to visit said relatives and friends. On that note, does anyone what to buy a Trooper?

This is but a short chapter in life. A two week period in the States to catch up with family, visit friends, share a cup of coffee and talk about life and where this crazy thing is headed. It's also time to prepare for the next chapter. The chapter in which I travel to New Zealand and serve as a "missionary".

The road is narrow and the path dimly lit, and yet I trod on questioning the path through the fog ahead and continuing to wonder "what if?" Why? Why do we do the things we do in a way that may not make sense? Is our thinking out of whack or is the path mistaken for another?

On and On

Shots of Denali (Mt. McKinley) with Dad and the dog and me.

Time slows down for no one. I keep thinking that any day now I will update this thing - not that I don't want too, it's just that procrastination is too often my friend.

And, so, I sit here and compose a brief update nearly two weeks after arriving back in Alaska from New Zealand.

In amongst these near two weeks my parents and I made a trip to Fairbanks for Thanksgiving in order to spend time there with my brothers (and one sister-in-law) and family friends. This is where the pictures above came from - well, during the drive north anyway. It was quite wonderful, but a bit chilly. 25 degrees F below zero at night with a number of degrees warmer during the day.

Now, there are preparations to be made here in order for a later-this-week departure to the Lower 48. In addition there are preparations for a near-future return to New Zealand...

As of late I have read a number of insightful, humorous, and informative blogs. Maybe someday I will add some wit and lessons learned to the electronic pages of personal views, maybe...

Back to the Last Frontier

The travels in New Zealand and Australia have nearly come to an end.

None too soon I think. The travels with my sister have been good. We're both tired and ready to be done traveling. Well, I know I am.

There weren't any knock-out, drag-down fights - thankfully. Though I suppose we came close a couple of times. After six weeks of traveling together in close proximity I suppose that such things are bound to happen, though I wonder to what extreme.

We both leave New Zealand today - just in time to return to the impending winter of North America, or rather, in my case, the quite present winter in cold Alaska. I can't wait.

Oh, and we both hope to return to New Zealand in the New Year. More to follow on that as well as a few pictures from the recent travels in Australasia.

Back to NZ, Again

Not actually NZ - the coastline south of Byron Bay, Queensland, Australia


Suzanne and I arrived back in Oxford late last night. It was good to be back.

Our time in Australia was good. Australia is a huge country. We traveled 4100 km (~2400 miles) up and down the East Coast of New South Wales and Queensland. The furthest that we made it North was to Town of 1770 - many, many hours short of Cairns. It was many hours of driving, but many beutiful kilometers of country in three weeks.

There are a few adventures to tell of along the way - whale watching, zoo visiting, snorkeling in the Outer Great Barrier Reef, getting sunned at many a beach - things such as this. While there is not time to post too many stories I have had a chance to upload some new pictures - nine to be exact. Nothing fancy, just a few pics showing us and some of the places visited.

Check 'em out by clicking here or pasting this into your browser's address bar:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=13444743&uid=3614333
We are taking a few days respite before continuing onto travels into the South Island of New Zealand. There is a bit of activity here at the YWAM Oxford Base and so it has been good to visit friends and new faces here.

Suzanne and I will venture off here to maybe take a trip around the southern part of the South Island, or maybe we will go to the north of the South Island - either way, were bound to see a little bit of this country before we leave in mid-November!

Whale Hunting.

Hervey Bay, Queensland, Australia. Home of tropical temperatures, sandy beaches, and many a fine Humpback whale.

We shot a few Humpbacks today. Well, with a camera anyway. It was quite beautiful and I do hope a few picutres turn out.

They were close, very close. Amazing really. Oop, times up!

Bumming

We've become something a bit shy of beach bums but don't quite fit the hard-core backpacker style either.

Our journey up the East Coast of Australia has brought us to Byron Bay today. We will depart tomorrow, likely for a day or two in Brisbane. It's quite beautiful here - more so than the previous locations we have traveled I dare say. I can easily understand why this town has become a place so popular with many. White, sandy beaches streching the two sides of Cape Byron. The sun doesn't stop here.

Suzanne has gravitetated towards complete beach bumming, opting for streched out sun-time whenever possible. Whereas I tend to lean towards a bit less sun-time and a bit more walking the coastel paths, viewing the floral, fauna, and far-reaches of the views.

We don't yet know what the 'morrow will bring.

Down Under

Suzanne (my sister) arrived last week in New Zealand. We were able to travel New Zealand for a few days, well, actually it was more like sleep in and then get out for the afternoons... Centering our days out of the YWAM Oxford Base made an afternoon out to Christchurch just as easy as an afternoon (quite sunny and nice I might add) to Castle Hill (renowned bouldering & scenic area that just happens to be 45 minute drive from the base). It was a good couple of days.

We flew to Sydney, Australia this past Saturday and have been in the greater Sydney area ever since. Well, not quite, we did spend one day out at the Blue Mountains, to the west of town - quite a beautiful area - prior to returning to the northwest Sydney area. The past day and a half we have been hanging out with David & Candice, a couple from Alaska that I had the pleasure to get to know off and on over the past number of years. We have had a grand time here visiting with them and experiencing a bit of their lives here at the Hillsong College. Tomorrow we will set out to the north.

So, a bit too short & sweet, but, time is not slowing down for any of us. Maybe there will be pictures posted next time... Cheers, mate.

New Zealand via Fiji

The Around the World ticket is no longer.

Saturday late afternoon marked the end of the last flight of the RTW ticket with my arrival at Christchurch. It's good to be back in New Zealand.

Fiji was good as well. Warm. Beach, snorkeling, sun. What more could one ask for? But, only five nights in Fiji is a bit short for those wishing to visit more of the islands - with only >300 islands or so it's a bit difficult to cover them all in a short time. I would recommend Oarsmans Bay Lodge out on Nacula Island in the Yasawa Islands. Pictures later on...

So, now back in Oxford, New Zealand trying to pray and consider the next step in life. My sister (Suzanne) arrives tomorrow (Wed) and we will be traveling Australia and New Zealand together until mid-November or so. Should be exciting...

Fiji

This is a second try at something I had begun earlier - I can't say I am too pleased with the computer system here at Smugglers Cove Resort in Fiji - other aspects of the place are nice, but the computers are frustrating (yeah, sounds like a lot of whining for being in Fiji).

The adventure continues... Location Fiji. Five nights or so before moving on to Christchurch area in New Zealand - can't wait to get back to NZ. In fact, I have been looking more forward to arriving in NZ rather then Fiji. However, now that I am in Fiji, it is quite nice and a respite from other parts of this world. We'll see what the next days bring - hopefully sitting on a nice beach and snorkeling, although not necessarily in that order.

And so, with the slight frustration of losing the first draft still present, I'll get this posted now so as not to lose this small literal picture into this traveling that I have the opportunity to do. I had to wonder that again today - why do I have such an opportunity as this to travel and to see things and experience things - what, or how, will this play into the future?

Denali Park: The Road Lottery

Somewhere along the Denali Park Road.

OK, so just 'cause I live in Alaska doesn't mean I get out that much. In fact, I would venture to say that there are many Alaskans who just don't get out as much as we should into this state where we reside - I am at least one of these many.

Each fall the National Park Service allows four days, following the tourist season, of private vehicles to drive the Denali Park Road. During the summer only Park buses are permitted into the depths of the Park - usually loaded with camera toting tourists who sway the bus from side to side as they smudge nose to window in search of the sometimes evasive wildlife.

Only 400 vehicles per day for this four day span are permitted and permits for doing so are obtained through a lottery drawing held mid to late summer. This road lottery is perhaps a guarded secret of many Alaskans, as in fact, it is very popular with the locals, however, submission of an entry is open to anyone.

I was blessed with a friend in Fairbanks who offered the use of her pass for this past Friday. And so, around 9 am or so on Friday morning a car load of us ventured into the park flashing our special permit to the poor rangers at the 15-mile marker (Savage River) reciting the rules of the road for each vehicle going beyond this usual point of buses only.

It was a cloudy day, maybe 50 degrees F, and even lower with the blowing wind. Our hopes were high for wildlife and a nice day yet the reality of the weather and the first few miles past the 15-mile marker limited our enthusiastic perspective.

Yet, in spite of our altered sense of anticipation, we begin to note blue clouds in the road ahead and not too long into the first few miles we spotted our first auto flock - a phenomenon known to occur when wildlife is spotted within view of the road. Mind you it's rather easy to initiate such a thing - all it takes is stopping along the road, pulling out a pair of binoculars or a camera and looking off into the distance arbitrarily and, BAM!, you now have your own auto flock!

The day turned out to be quite marvelous. The clouds brought out the color in the late fall country. The sun would peek through from time to time illuminating the not-so-far-off mountains and even presenting us with a full rainbow on the ride out near Panorama Pass. The mountains were beautiful, although there was no sign of Denali amongst the clouds.

Over the course of the day we spyed upon 27 Dall sheep (a number of which were full curl or better), 10 wolf (two crossing the road in front of us), 7 Toklat grizzly bears (a sow and two cubs crossing directly in front of us - i.e. the car had to skid to a stop), maybe an osprey (pretty certain), one bull moose from quite a distance, and various ground animals and small birds.

I posted some pictures here or try the link under Photo Albums on the right sidebar. Now, I have a new camera and while at the Park I was attempting some new things with the camera, thus, some pictures have been digitally enhanced - I know, I also feel like this is cheating, but my excuse is I am still learning the camera...

I need to get out more. I would recommend the same to you.

Changes, Epiphanies & Apologies

OK, changed the blog - slightly. It's a work in progress and hopefully will be looking a bit better in due time. I figured it was time for a change and seeing how it is completely an adverse distraction to the long list of other must-do items there is no telling how far I might take it...

Also, after months of wondering it finally happened - I now know why the comments on my blog postings weren't working. It seems that there was a check box that I had checked that should not have been checked. In essence, I had prevented comments from being posted at the time of their authoring - my sincere apologies. Comments are back up and working - those comments posted in the past now appear as well.

In other news I will probably leave in nearly a week to venture down through Fiji and on to New Zealand.

Alaskana

Clouds and a picture.


Up in the clouds - the dog, Kewee, and me.


Kewee checking out the view.


Colors of the higher elevations at Mt. Baldy.


The sun, bursting through the late morning clouds.


A day on top of the hills. Maybe a day to think or just a day to browse the hill tops. It was sunny - for a portion of the hours spent on ridge. Possibly one of the few remaining sunny and warmer days for this dwindling summer season.

Clouds. They move and take shape as the winds direct. Some are small. Others are large. Many find themselves joining together, moving across the sky in solemn unity to destinations unknown. Their shapes ebb and flow, constantly changing to the environment in which they find themselves, adapting only to survive and to carry on that mission upon which they strive. Mountains prove no match as the winds push and tug the whitish shapes around the stationary mound - a shape changing only by that which stood in its path. Rarely stagnant are these elevated wisps of elegance. They lay still for none continuing their progress, their mission 'till Someone says "done".

Ore-gone

fun with gp's new camera...

Yeah, and so the blog is not well paid attention too these days. What'd say when the mind is attempting to connect with the heart but recieves little response?

Ah, the States. It has been just over three weeks since returning from the outerworld back to the States. Hard to beleive. At times I feel as if I haven't been away from the States at all - as if the last 7 months didn't exist. Thankfully, that is a breif, albeit odd, lapse of memory or sensation. Sometimes I think my brain is trying to block the past experiences for reasons unknown, or rather, not acknowledged.

The last ten days or so have been spent in the Lower 48 visiting family and friends. Ultimately the travel continues and the record for "staying in one place for more than 2 weeks" has not yet been touched since departure from New Zealand some months ago. Right now northwestern Oregon has been a place of visitation and good times. Back to Alaska by the end of this coming week.

Alaska is a grand place, but, it's diffucult to be back in the same place here. Something has changed within me and it doesn't quite fit in a place from where I once came.

To be completely honest I think I am ready to leave again.

The US of A

site of wedding, near Stanley, Idaho (Sawtooth Mts)


The return to Alaska. It has been very grand to have returned to the US of A.

It's been a week since boarding a plane in Rome and flying back to the US. It's been a rather full week, well, at least up until yesterday.

Following a nearly 24 hour plane commute to Boise, Idaho I had the opportunity to attend my brother's wedding near Stanley, Idaho (reference above picture). That was three days of driving, family, and wedding.

Then following a late return to Alaska I attended my 10 year high school graduation this past Saturday. Now, that's an interesting thing, visiting with people you have hardly seen in 10 years and who you may not have known anyway in high school... Really good, but quite awkward at moments. It's amazing how some people change, and, how some people don't change - at least they are of a legal age to drink now. Certainly it was very, very good to see some people, and sad that others did not show up - quite a good time overall.

Of course Sunday brought church and a church barbecue - both fine events in which to say hello to some people.

And, finally, when all the events were over it was time to begin the process of re-acquainting one's self with friends, going through the mail (crappy junk mail!), consolidating pictures onto the computer, writing long delayed emails, and simply catching up with the past seven months or so. I don't suppose this catching up will ever really be caught up, though.

Perhaps the most onerous thing of returning to the US, and specifically Alaska, is that it all seems so normal on some level. However, the experiences had over the past 7 months were certainly not what one may consider normal. One person's "normal" is another person's "unusual". There is a progression, long since begun, of actually "processing" the events, experiences, and emotions of the past 7 months of life. None of which were "normal" in the American sense of the word, but perfectly make sense within the context of God's plan.

And, so, let the paradigm shift continue and the paradox of the past seven months further bring about the fruit of the pains of childbirth (such would be an attempt at a metaphor, nothing else).

YWAM Summary

If you want to shake up your life a bit, do a YWAM DTS. Check out the options at www.ywam.org or at www.ywamoxford.org!

Here is a summary of my YWAM DTS blog postings! (click away to read the entries)

YWAM LECTURE PHASE:

January 2006
Departure
New Zealand!
YWAM Oxford
YWAM Oxford #2
Outreach
Finally, Pictures!

February 2006
Greymouth & Beyond
Tim Tams and Vehicle Common Sense

March 2006
Faith Week!
Faith Week Pics and a Bit of Outreach
Miracles...

YWAM OUTREACH PHASE:

April 2006
A New Zealand Departure...
Communication Blackout Likely
The Philippines
Danshuei, Taiwan
Taipei 101
Trevor Photos

May 2006
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
On the Road Again...
Kathmandu, Nepal

June 2006
Kathmandu & dysentery
Outreach Photos?!
Israel: The Old City of Jerusalem

YWAM AFTERTRAVELS
July 2006
Barcelona, Istanbul, Selcuk, & Greece...
Paros, Greece

Paros, Greece

on the ferry to Mykonos

A week in the Greek Islands. It's pretty rough. Sun. Beach. Beautiful sunset dinners from the balcony of our rental. Good friends. Time to contemplate life. Fun with modes of transportation. I would reccomend it to anyone!

Our time will end early next week and then its off to Athens as a group of six and to Italy from there.

Barcelona, Istanbul, Selcuk & Greece...

So, travels continue.

We have graduated just over a week ago from a program that gave the opprotunity to change lives, if one let God do such a thing. And, now, we are venturing out from our release in Jerusalem - some to the East, some to the West, some to the North, and just two to the South.

Travels over the past week have brought me (along with other Y'ers) to Barcelona to view the Sagrade Familia, to Istanbul to continue further planning for Greece and to view the Hagia Sophia, and on to Selcuk to witness the incredible place that was once Ephesus (the place to which Paul writes of in the book of Ephesians).

Now, tomorrow, it is time to head off to the Greek Islands - Samos to be specific. Our first venture into this place that is yet unknown to myself or my fellow traveling partners.

We shared a nice dinner after a full day of touring and a night roughly spent traveling on a bus from Istanbul. We continue to remark how blessed we are to have such an opprotunity as this - to travel, to experinece, to learn, to enjoy. God has provided us such opprotunity that we can only be humbled by the breadth and depth of what we have experinenced recently and over the past six months. It carries a responsibily as well, I would venture to say - a responsbility that is, as of yet, not fully known, but unfolding.

I write not to say how I was able to do such and such, or experinece this or that. Rather to encourage you to do such, to put yourself out there with God and see what results, to broaden your view of this small, yet geographically large, world. Why write if no one reads it or why speak if no one hears?

Israel: The Old City of Jerusalem

The journey with YWAM is nearly complete. We are now in Jerusalem for 10 days of debrief, touring the sites, and hanging out with one another. Over the past few days we have all had the chance to visit many of the historic and important sites of this city and of the area around the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Our time here has been amazing - it is an amazing place!

It's difficult to summarize things in words at this point in time. I won't try. Right now we (and I) are trying to make the most of our opportunity to visit this place. The Old City of Jerusalem is lovely, captivating, and completely confusing. Do travel here sometime if ever you have a chance. I would further recommend staying within the Old City as it adds much more to the experience.

Following our travel from Nepal and arrival in Cairo both Trevor and I became patients in hospitals within Cairo for a number of days. At this point we are both doing much better and returning to health. The hospital and sick adventures in Cairo were the focal point of our group's time there as Trevor and I relied heavily upon the grace and mercy of the Lord and others. Let's just say that the hospital experience in Cairo brought two extremes - the absolute worst even requiring jail-break like actions, and the absolute best of a highly rated facilities. Such extremes also brought about due stresses amongst the team members who were trying their absolute best in a situation that is very undesirable. Their a team of hero's.

So, the week in Cairo with all of the varied extremes really tainted the view of Egypt that I left with, and the same is true for some of the team. We found ourselves crossing the border at Tabas into Israel and plopped down in a nice hostel near the beach of the Red Sea in Eilat, Israel. These few days were set aside for our team debrief and a bit of a holiday - most welcome after Cairo. The staggering aspect of arriving in Eilat was the fact that it is nearly a completely Western place - something we had not been around for some months. And, so, there was even a bit of culture shock entering a place and a culture that is rather close to that which we come from.

The bus from Eilat to Jerusalem provided a welcome view of Israel and the area around the Dead Sea. It was a trip made on my 29th birthday - scary to think that 30 is so close... We arrived in Jerusalem and began anxiously awaiting the remaining three teams which we had not yet had contact with (out of five other teams). It was a good day.

It is now a week that we have been in the Old City. Such is hard to believe. We will complete our school with a graduation on Thursday, and Friday, we will all begin making our way in many different directions. I will stay until next Sunday and depart Tel Aviv for Barcelona.

I am not going to summarize the last 6 months into a short paragraph - in fact, I cannot. Words are not adequate in any length, nor can the real experiences ever fully be captured with simply just words. It's life changing.

Thanks for your interest, thoughts, prayers, emails, and any other support. God is much bigger than I thought and He is so much more than you may imagine. He will change you and your life if you wish, but it's your decision, your choice, your life. It will be lived and it will end. How do you want to live it? How do you want to end it?

P.S. The photos have finally been uploaded. Right now there are around 95 photos from the Outreach months. As I said in my last post many are nothing that capture the ministry, but more the sights and people of the team. You'll have to ask to see others that I will hopefully collect from my team in the next few days...

Outreach Photos?!

Out the back door of the guesthouse in UB, Mongolia

Ah, a chance to upload a few photos to the picture album - well, maybe more than a few...

Click here or copy and paste this into your web browser address bar:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=10647013&uid=3614333

If those two options don't work than just click on the Photo Album link on the right side bar - it's over there somewhere...

There were around 95 photos uploaded - yeah, don't ask. I am going to work over the next week or so to organize, name and drop into the YWAM DTS AW80 Outreach photo album. Thus, what you may view over the next few days may not be as complete.

The photos were primarily taken on my camera, with a few thrown in from Trevor's camera. I have realized after taking the chance to review my outreach photos in full, that I have not done the best job of using the camera to capture this outreach. I think that our group's photos together will certainly present a more complete photo diary of outreach, however, there is some time before we can consolidate our worthwhile photos. In any case, please be aware that my photos only represent a fraction of what our outreach has meant to us - in fact, we can never really capture how outreach has affected our lives - I only hope to give you a glimpse of outreach, a picture if you will.

It's a work in progress - we're just pressing on... Enjoy.

Kathmandu & dysentery

It would seem that the water here is not the safest to drink. Or the vegetables and fruit the safest to eat, that is, without first a bath in iodine water. To date, while here in Nepal at least five out of eight of our team (Trevor is planning to catch up with us tomorrow!) have had some sort of trouble resulting in the general diarrhea or the more problematic dysentery (not confident in the doctors conclusion however).

The sickness in the group continues to ebb and flow (uh, literally) as our time in Nepal begins to wind down. I had a couple days of my own where the bathroom was frequented more than it should have been. Much prayer has been put towards defeating the sickness within the group and such has made a marked difference. Additionally, we are very thankful that "over the counter" here extends to many drugs which would require a prescription in the states - thus I am very thankful for Ciproflauxim (sp?) and have a healthy additional supply.

Our days here have been good. Nepal has a rich cultural and people history. The people here are a blend of people types - some Indian, some Mongolian descendants, some Bhutanese - just a blend of people. And, so, to be Nepalese could mean any of many people groups. We have had a little interaction with the local people through our activities (visiting Bible schools or colleges) and those whom some of us speak to in the streets outside our accommodation. Our contacts have been especially inviting and hospitable. In any country we have visited, Kathmandu, Nepal included, the contacts have really made the experience what it was - I am thankful for that.

Today is our last full day in Kathmandu, Nepal. We depart tomorrow and will arrive in Cairo a day later. Nepal is a beautiful place to which it would be great to return some day. The current governmental status is in flux but seemingly headed towards a democratic republic (I hope - a few iterations may be required) - and such may take some time. Our experience here has been a bit impacted by the current political action, but not in any serious or harmful way. We were requested not to be out after dark (even our hosts don't appear to care to travel after dark either, unless by taxi) for safety - such appears more related to petty crime. In any case the time here has been a blessing and we are very thankful to have had this opportunity.

Trevor was able to meet up with us just a couple days ago, however, he is still on the mend and we try to talk him into taking things easy. It is grand to have him back in the group as we missed his company.

A couple of us went out to a viewpoint today. A couple more are celebrating their 2 year wedding anniversary with a flight around Everest. The rest are just chilling and packing. The Thamal area markets here are wonderful - beautiful and quality products for a price that is nothing like we would find back home. Thus, there have been a few of us who have made purchases far exceeding the available space within their personal backpacks - watching the packing today shall be entertaining... As for me I have opted out of any adventures and thankfully have room in my pack for what I now own, and am now spending HOURS at the internet attempting to make reservations for after DTS travels - it's a much more time consuming job than first thought...

At this point in our travels the team is excited to continue our travels, adventures and seeking God, however, there is a definite weariness present. Our itinerary has been a bit less hot and humid than other teams, and our accommodations have probably been a bit different as well - we all really feel blessed for the locations and accommodations in which we have stayed. That said, it would seem that this type of traveling takes a toll on one's body. We have probably all gained a bit of weight, lost muscle, many of us ravaged with sickness at times, and become weary of the adjustment to new places and new cultures. This isn't to say that the experience hasn't been absolutely amazing and enjoyable - just the honesty of where I (and others) are at. We have experienced God in many ways and been witness to much of His work and glory in the lands. We look forward to staying in one spot for more than 10 days in Jerusalem.

Kathmandu, Nepal

Nepal - a country in turmoil, a country with a changing government. We arrived here only yesterday and will be staying just over a week. The status of Kathmandu appearas, intially, to be calm and collected at the moment - the Seven Party Alliance and the Maoist groups are currently holding talks. If you should care to know more about the Nepal situation please visit www.nepalnews.com for the latest news.

Between our departure from Beijing and our arrival in Nepal we spent four days on the road with a good three and a half days of that in Delhi, India. Delhi is hot. We just sweated the whole time - morning, afternoon, evening - and tried just not to move too much. The time spent in India was grand and just the experience of being there for three short days in the culture and the people. We stayed at the International House of Prayer during our time in Delhi and were able to participate as well as observe the intercessory ministry that they have there. It was also a grand chance for our team to spend a bit of time praying as a group and individually (or as a couple). A brief, but grand, stopover that we were blessed with.

Kathmandu is lovely. We are in Kathmandu valley, elevation 4383 feet above sea level, and the view from atop our awesome accomodations (the best place we have had to stay all outreach, hands down!) is of beuaftiful, rugged, green mountains ringing the valley in every direction. There may also be a chance to view Everest, directly to the east, on a clear day with the right conditions - we hope so.

As this is now my second version of this post (the first was eaten by the evercursed Internet Explorer "Security" feature - use Mozilla Firefox as a browser, that's my view on that) I will curtail it here. We will begin ministry tomorrow and continue for a week afterwhich we will shortly be flying out. We would appreciate prayers for a safe and God-focused time while here. Hopefully, with an internet place right next door and only $0.33 USD per hour, further updates will follow...

On the road again...

And so Mongolia has now become a part of our traveling history as we now venture off to another country. A lengthy update is warranted for the experiences over the last two weeks, however, time and the government in this country are preventing an update from occurring - it seems that access to my blog site has been restricted by someone other than blogger.com as I am still (obviously) able to update the blog site...

The last number of days, including the travel down from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing have been quite full and completly blessed. It is quite clear that the care of this team is in the hands of One much greater than any. The short story is that we are leaving Trevor behind. He is in the hospital, in good hands and in excellent care after experiencing some serious lows of pneumonia complicated by asthma.

Please keep him in prayer as he stays behind to recover and for the rest of the team as we move on without one of our leaders and friends. It's pretty amazing how life can take a turn - even one day - but it is even more amazing how we have been watched after from above...

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The air is crisp and cool here with sunshine - heaps of sunshine. We are in downtown Ulaanbaatar at an internet cafe using the day to adjust to the city, to the culture, to just being in Ulaanbaatar.

I would like to post more on the previous country in which we spent a chunk of time, however, I will not yet do that as we still have to pass back through the country on the way to our next destination...

For those of you familiar with Alaska, namely Fairbanks, the climate here and the hills around remind me of Fairbanks. The temperature at night dips to ten degrees (F) or so above freezing and in the day will warm up to at least 50 degrees F or more - but it's the sun that makes all the difference - it feels so much warmer with the sun raining down from above. Oh, and clear blue sky - don't ask me when the the last time we saw more than a glimpse of clear, blue sky... Maybe a month ago - ah?!!!

Spring is still in the making here. June, July and part of August are the summer months - very similar to Fairbanks. This isn't quite Alaska though - something about the different language and the different people...

Ulaanbaatar reportedly has around 1 million people - I don't know if that is right, but it sounds ok. The point is this is a city unlike many others that I have been to previously, not that I would expect otherwise. It's unique in itself and as Christina and I walked into the city from our accommodation (nearly an hour to where we were headed) I couldn't help but think that maybe this is a city similar to what a person would find in Russia. It seems that the Mongolian language is itself not exactly related to Russian, however it appears the written script is at least. Ok, instead of further rambling it is just safe to say that Ulaanbaatar is a city unlike any other and Mongolia a place like not other. Visit if you should every have the chance - oh, and take the train from the country to the south.

We will be in country for maybe two weeks - the back end of the schedule is a bit rough at this point in time... Our ministry will begin either today or tomorrow and should be grand. We are excited to be here and are looking forward to the experiences for that God has in His plan for our team. We'll let you know how it goes...

Trevor Photos

Trevor has added a few pictures on his website of our time in the Philippines and Taiwan. Visit http://www.ywamconnect.com/sites/TrevorElste/Phillippines for the Philippine photos and http://www.ywamconnect.com/sites/TrevorElste/Taiwan%20Photos. Or you can visit his website at www.ywamconnect.com/sites/TrevorElste/ and browse for yourself.

Maybe, someday, I too will have photos to post as well. Trevor takes some very good photos though.

Taipei 101

Added a few more people to the right-hand sidebar under "Fellow YWAMers". The top five people are part of this Far East Asia Team, whereas the others are members of other teams. Do check out their web pages if you have time - I enjoy reading others updates anyway. Some folks are posting pictures as well. For those people whose sites are on TravelJournals.net you may have go a couple clicks in under the "Journal" heading to find the most recent journal posting...

And, so, it just so happens that Taipei is home to the world's tallest building - Taipei 101 (the world's tallest at this point in time anyway...). Thus, on the occasion that a person happens to be in in Taipei it would seem appropriate to visit the world's tallest building and marvel at the view. Today, as a free day for those touristy activities while in Taiwan, it seemed appropriate to complete such a visit to Taipei 101.

It is a pretty amazing structure. Perhaps the most beautiful skyscraper which mine eyes have seen. The structural engineering would have sucked. This is a prime example of why architects and engineers share a love/hate relationship - they both need one another yet never want to face the reality that each requires. In any case, Taipei 101 is a cool building with the world's fastest elevator - 30 seconds to ascend nearly 90 floors. What more could a person ask for - the world's tallest building and the world's fastest elevator - all in one place. Uh, well, after about an hour the novelty wore off and the hunger pains set in, and so we ventured on...

Here in Danshuei (hey, I can't find a reliably correct spelling, and so I go with what sounds ok - uh, not that I can actually pronounce it correctly...) we have just returned from visiting a team of YWAM church planters in Maoli (couple hour train/bus trip from here). They are doing awesome work among minority group of Hakka people. It was grand to spend a few days with them and minister where we could be it in English classes, children's classes, or grilling them with questions about the work and life they have in serving God in this way.

We will continue on here in Danshuei for another week doing a variety of ministry works, most of which I don't know of off the top of my head. I hope somebody on our team is aware of our schedule...

Not much else to say right now as the night is well on its way to morning and my brain is shutting off (not that it ever really turns on). We are learning about each other as we work in a team, learning relationships, learning culture, learning travel, learning life, learning Christ.

Danshuei, Taiwan

Asia - well, an island off the coast anyway. It's been a grand three days since our arrival. We are definintly in a different part of the world then the Philippines - culturally, environmentally, & mentally. The contrast is sharp in many respects and I believe that all of us have enjoyed the new surroundings - it has been refreshing after some hot and challenging days in Tondo, Manila. Interesting that geographically the two locations arn't so far apart.

We are located in Danshuei, Taiwan - nearly an hour northeast of Taipai by train or auto (check out the map here) We speak no Manderin Chinese (they just call it Chinese - well the other people who aren't actually Taiwanese call it such) and have no clue as to how to read the thousands of possible characters (what we think of as letters).

As I sit here and write the entire internet browser as well as computer language is in Chinese. We can only function based on clicking on what look to be familiar icons or buttons... There have been some interesting stories already related to that. It's not that I am complaining - it's just rather amuzing. There is also Taiwanese techno music playing in the background of this mainly gaming interet cafe...

Our residence for most of the two weeks that we are in Taiwan is an aparement or large flat directly opposite the campus of Tamkang University. The University has a student population of somewhere between 22,000 - 26,000 students, thus we are essentially located in a college town, or at least this part. Many students, as well as Taiwanese in general, we have been told, know some English, but may be hesitant to use it. We have been able to manage fine with English and poor attempts at learning some simple Chinese. However, we have also been helped a great deal by a few of the fellow YWAMer's here to find places to eat (i.e. decipher the Chinese menus) and become somewhat adjusted.

Our schedule thus far has not been busy. We have been taking opprotunities to check out Danshuei and adjusting to where we now find ourselves - trying to get a feel for what it may be like to live here long term. Over the course of the next few days we will be visiting some church planting YWAMer's 2 hours south by train and then coming back here to do some youth ministry, evangelism, hanging out at the YWAM sponsered coffee house/English classes, and some other various activities to which I am not aware since I tend to not remember our schedule...

And, seeing as how I don't recall what time exactly we signed into this internet cafe for an hour (nearly $1USD for that hour) I had better post this so that I know it makes it to the blogsite and is not lost in a heap of Chinese chracters.

The Philippines

We have arrived! Actually, it was over a week ago now (after a night in Sydney - Opera House and all!). Our time to departure is now just two days away.

The expereince is something that words and images will never adequetly describe. Any expectations that we did have (I don't know of many really) were blown away. If we ended our journey after just this first stop than that would be enough I think to transform how we look at the world through the eyse that we arrived here with. I will share a few things now, but hopefully the experiences will not leave my brain and stories of these times will last for years (or at least months) to come.

We have spent the time here in the Philippines in the northern part of Manila at a place called Paradise Heights in the area of Tondo. It is a site of a former trash dump for the city of Manila. The trash dump currently in use is just across the street. The residents of this Paradise Heights (an ironic name in so many ways if ever there was one!) formally had resided in either/both shanties surrounding the dumpsite or temporory house provided by the government.

The residents of the Heights are living in permanent housing - a compound of 28 buildings (not all buildings are apartment structures) houses an estimated population of 15,000 (my estimate, high I think, but residents say 20,000). The flats are simple, maybe 8 feet wide by 16 deep , two story with simple comfort room (toilet with shower nozzle). Rarely would you find a flat that houses less then three people, many have large families. This is a culture removed from that which any Western society would know or be comfortable with.

Many residents still subsist off of scavenging, that is, finding what they can at the nearby dumpsite. Others have small street or flat stores, and still others have been able to find work doing something else, usually service oriented. And then, there are those who are able to attend school (not a high percentage of children do) and some even go onto university through sponsered programs. It strikes me as an environment and life of survival.

In the midst of what we may think of as less than desirable conditions there thirves community and family relationships. Our time here has been absolutley blessed. Our hosts are amazing people, local Filipinos, and have treated us with hospitatity, care, and love that blows us away. We are well fed, looked after with a careful eye, and treated with respect that we certainly don't feel we deserve. Our hosts exemplify the Christ's love and the love that Christians should show towards one another. In the midst of a rugged and raw environment we have been blessed with so much more than we ever could have expected.

My time at this internet cafe is ending! Thus spell check will not be employed and I will sign off hurridely. Our time here doing ministry has involved children's activities, youth recreation, Sunday service, home visitation, vistation to the dumpsite, children feeding program, open-air evangelism, small group bible study, and a prayer meeting. The time has been full, much of it ministry but also days of rest. Today we visited a missionary kids school in another part of Manila - quite a tour of a blessed facitily.

We have one full day and then a day of packing and travel. I don't know when I will post again, but trust that all is well out there in the rest of the world. Hit up some of the fellow friends on the right sidebar to read about other experiences. God is good. Love m

Communication Blackout Likely

Over the course of the next 11 weeks it is likely that this blog and my email will go without updates or checking due to the sensitivity of the countries in which we are visiting as well as the likely non-availability of internet access.

At minimum I expect to be out of touch with the electronic world for around 5 weeks beginning by the end of April. It is rather likely that for the entirety of the next 11 weeks I will not be much in the electronic world. This may change, but we'll see...

A New Zealand Departure...

(not my picture...)

The time has come for the once far-off departure from New Zealand into the greater world abroad. It is a sad farewell from this beautiful country, however, it is not the last that I hope to see of this place, or the people here. The past eleven weeks have been full of adventure, relationships, amazing country, God, and ice cream. The next three months will be ripe with many of those same aspects, except, perhaps and sadly, ice cream.

Early this morning (Saturday here) the first team departed the Oxford Base. The Africa Team left at 4:30 am in order to catch their flight - they will eventually end up in South Africa. There were a number of us up, making much noise, in an effort to say our goodbyes and blessings upon this first departure. Over the next two days (Sun and Mon) the remaining 5 teams will depart for the ends of the earth.

Of the six teams originating here at Oxford we will reach out to over 30 countries on all but 3 of the continents (no teams to North America, Australia, or Antarctica - bummer on the Antarctica bit). That's a hard reality to envision right now and really quite staggering when considered.

We're setting out as traveler's - not tourists. Sure, we are planning on seeing some of the sites along the way and enjoying the many cultures we are enveloped by. However, our intent while out in the world over the next 11 weeks, or so, is to serve, to minister, to work, to experience joy and hardships, to develop our teamwork and our personal skills, to live life to the fullest, and, finally, to love.

The stars were out this morning (in fact, are still out as it remains dark for a bit longer). Not that they are ever really not out, just that they were visible, actually, they are visibly brilliant. They are beautiful - I have never seen the sky painted with such glorious stars, never. Have you ever seen the pictures taken from the cosmic telescopes - those pictures that display a panorama of stars almost as if a wet paint brush was flicked across a black canvas many times? Well, the stars in the sky this morning are such a picture.

The morning will soon dawn. As I type the morning sun will rise for what I hope to be a gloriously sunny day. Sadly, the weather here is turning towards fall and so it is quite chilly now outside, approaching freezing. This will certainly mean that even a sunny day will be a bit chilly - a nice, brisk fall day.

Just as the seasons change on the South Island of New Zealand, so change the seasons in our lives. If one was to ask the students (and staff) here I think you would discover a sadness in departing from this place and from these friends, however, we recognize the change that is approaching and now upon us. The outreach phase of this experience shall grow each of us beyond that which we have grown into during the now-ending lecture phase.

We expect to change, we want to change, we desire to see the world - to see the people of the world. We have asked for this season in our lives, we have come so that we might experience and many have come in an effort to change. It is not so much the desired change that brought us here - I doubt that many would have though 11 weeks ago that their lives would be so impacted. What brought us here was, and still is, the desire to experience God.

That which we desired we have found. That which we have found is just the cusp of a great vein of wealth. We intend to continue mining this vein, striving for the greater wealth that it leads us onto and into. The seam into which we now strike is that of spiritual wealth - the wealth that comes with knowing and being a part of the Kingdom of God.

This is a wealth that will not decay - there is no other wealth that will satisfy. Those who strive after this course are rich and rich in so much more then any monetary abundance could provide. To find this Kingdom one only needs to seek it with an honest heart.

+++
There are choices in life
Decisions to make
Some cause strife
Others are easy to take
All lead nowhere, and one leads everywhere

Never would I have thought
Nor would I have imagined
A trip such as this
A chance for such experience

An opportunity to change
A chance to live fully
A time to find what the heart seeks

Not just moments to live life fully
Moments quilted into life eternally

Where are you? How do you live? What do you seek? Are you alive?
+++

We have completed much of the base cleanup duties over the past day. There will be a couple hours to do today, however, much of the day will be last minute preparations such as emailing or blogging (like I am doing). Most importantly we will be spending the last moments with friends, with our family that has been created within the past 11 weeks or so.

The Far East Asia Team (including me) departs Sunday morning at 11:30 am from the Base and on into the Christchurch airport. Our itinerary will take us to seven individual countries in order to serve and to learn. We will arrive in Israel in mid-June, reuniting with the other five teams as we gather one last time prior to departing individually out to the ends of the world.

It is interesting to note that New Zealand is literally, geographically speaking, nearly the earthly opposite of Jerusalem. That is, if you were to take the earth, using a globe model of course, putting one index finger on Jerusalem and your other index finger in the middle-south of the South Island of New Zealand you would easily discover that your fingers create an axis through the center of the earth. Standing in Jerusalem, New Zealand is quite literally the end of the earth. Likewise, the reverse would be true, sitting here at a computer in New Zealand, Jerusalem is the end of the earth.

So, it is with greater significance that we set out across this earth - to the ends of the earth - finding our way to Jerusalem over the course of next 11 weeks.

Words will never adequately describe life or the experiences since arriving here.

I should hope that we meet again. If we do not, may God's presence be made known to you and His peace be upon you. Know that I go out into the world with peace in my heart, pursuing that which means everything. Blessings.

In the words of one of our speakers "GO GET YOUR OWN STORIES!!"

***
Our class verse/mission/commission:
Isaiah 61:1-4

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,

to comfort all who mourn,
and provide for those who grieve in Zion

to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;

they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations."

"...and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8b