Miracles...

In the course of life there are events which are explainable, rational, logical, and blatantly obvious. And, then, there are such events which fulfill not one of those adjectives but remain common sensical, rather unexplainable, undeserved, and very real...

In the course of ten weeks (going on eleven soon) here in Oxford, New Zealand, the students and staff have experienced such personal and corporate things and have heard stories of such things from visiting speakers and friends. We call them miracles and they remain nothing short of such. I don't share such a story to brag, rather I share to encourage and to testify to you of a life of abundance (this not at all referring to financial anything).

The most recent for which I would like to share occurred just two days ago, however, the story of which begins weeks ago. I suppose that it was nearing three weeks ago - or was it two, or was it four? - in the course of one of our twice weekly prayer hours we were enlightened upon the financial need for the entire school. At that time the entire school required an additional $120,000 NZD, or so, to complete payment for fees needed to go on the outreach phase. Over the course of that day and the following number of weeks an additional $50,000 NZD was raised. Understand that for the 50 students and staff it is somewhere in the upwards of $750,000 NZD (give or take) to complete a DTS such as this.

Thus, as of this past Sunday (24 Mar) we were counseled as a school that $70,000 NZD was needed ASAP to meet the bare minimum for the upcoming outreach phase. The six different teams will leave next Saturday and Sunday (1 & 2 April) for our nearly 3-month outreach phase. As a school we committed to fasting, beginning first thing this past Monday morning, until such a time as the funds were received. Now our purpose was not simply to beg God for such funds (not at all) but rather seeking to be obedient to God and to seek His will and purpose for our upcoming next steps and in doing so pray for funds that we may be enabled to carry out the next steps for which we felt that we were brought here to do (that is my summary of the corporate purpose for fasting).

We were given the option of either drinking just water or also fruit and juice depending upon what we felt led to do. We were also encouraged to pray for outreach teams fasting purposes and personal fasting purposes as well as lengths of fasting. I begin a fruit and juice fast this past Monday, whereas others chose different approaches to their fasting.

Now, I suppose one could jump into a complete discourse upon the methods, reasons, benefits, disbenefits, Biblical principles, the discipline of, the spiritual concerns, or the rational of fasting - so much more discussion could be had on the topic, and has been had within a Biblical context as well as popular media of the day. There are of course both spiritual and physical benefits and possible disbenefits of fasting to itemize as well. I am not here to even desire to begin a lengthy discussion of such - one must develop their own views and beliefs of fasting based on the principles of life for which they have chosen to believe. This is simply a testimony to what God has done and an encouragement to those who may read this who wonder if miracles do occur.

And, so, back to the story at hand. Monday and Tuesday were tough days for many. Some had not fasted previously and, as those who are experienced would say, the first two days can be the hardest of any fasting. Some begin to feel fairly week initially and hunger pains abounded. By Wednesday, however, we were encourage with news in the morning that since the weekend nearly $20,000 NZD had come in. This was a bit faster than I expected and meant that only around $50,000 NZD were needed.

There were varying opinions and guesses upon how long the fast would last. Some thought just a few days and some believed over a week. People were prepared to fast for more than 10 days if felt led to. Discussion of anything related to food was cut short quickly - we learned to quite enjoy the fruit that New Zealand can provide, and that imported from neighboring nations.

Wednesday afternoon people begin to receive things that were unexpected or answers to prayers. A number of people recieved unexpected financial gifts or unexpected packages from home. I received a package which held prescription medications that was an answer to prayer (there was some definite uncertainty as to if the package would make it through customs). Students also begin to have spiritual breakthroughs or just experience a closer proximity with God. The dam was seemingly leaking and little did we know was nearing a breaking point.

Later in the evening, after meeting in a our outreach teams for prayer (this during our normal meal times) and also following some chill time we were summoned to the main Base house dining area for a mandatory meeting. Paul, Jong Kyu, and myself were running a bit late and taking our time walking with some anticipation and knowledge of the news we were about to receive, and as we walked up the gravel driveway to the Base house the cheers and shouts of joy confirmed our suscipitions and rumors we had heard just minutes before.

The financial needs were paid for! Unexpected in such a short time, unreal in our minds, and completely an answer to prayer and our fasting. Our corporate fasting had come to an end! One couple from a church in the US had heard of our need somehow and committed to paying the balance of our need for the remaining funds. This will likely amount to a bit over $41,000 NZD! Nothing short of a miracle.

Tell me, why do you not believe in miracles?

Faith Week Pics and a bit of Outreach

Okay, finally, there are a few pictures from Faith Week posted on the photo albums website. You can click here, copy and paste the address below, or click the thumbnail photo next to the words New Zealand in the right-hand sidebar:
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=9145948&uid=3614333

The newly added pictures start about midway down with the recent bouldering competition that took place at Castle Hill - those pictures are titled with a "Bouldering Competition" title. The new pictures include those and the pictures which follow. Please note that the pictures assembled are not a terribly good summary of the overall trip as Sara and Keia and I have yet to mass assemble all of the pictures that we have between us...

In other news it is now 3 weeks or so from our departure for outreach. Things are beginning to get a bit more busy and time flies by. We are looking forward to outreach and the aspect of learning for which that will bring (or at least I am).

As a first notice of sorts I would like to pass on the following: the specific locations to which we will be visiting on outreach will not be posted on this blog site, suffice to say we will all meet up in Israel in June after 10 weeks or so of outreach amongst the nations of the world. This is done for safety reasons to which I may be able to communicate later on. Furthermore, during the outreach period of April 2 - June 29 I will not be posting anything to this blog site nor will I be checking my email accounts. Again, this is done for safety reasons for both the team and the people we are visiting in the numerous locations - it is nothing more than a precautionary measure that shouldn't freak anyone out (including you Mom!). I may be able to post updates to the blog site when we arrive in Israel, but I can't guarantee anything.

Oh, on another note, if you get a chance to view the movie "The World's Fastest Indian" then do so - its a grand movie about Burt Munro who set some speed records back in the 1960's. Munro was from Invercargill near the southern most tip of the South Island of New Zealand - it's a story of perseverance and a dream and successfully captures some of the New Zealand spirit that is occasionally found throughout the South Island (unfortunately, the ridiculous aspects of the western world are creeping into the South Island..). Go see the movie even if motorcycles are not an interest for you.

Faith Week!

We've returned! Our team arrived back at the Base around 2:30 this afternoon. The last team (out of eleven?) trickled in just before afternoon tea (dinner) this evening. Upon arriving back teams (including mine) have been swamped with hugs and questions of how things have gone.

I have yet to fully process the week in my mind - I am not sure that many have yet. The week was short for some and long for others - yet there was little time in either case for complete processing of the events. I've attempted to summarize my team's story as much as possible below while including all the relevant aspects of the week, however, that summary is a bit lengthy and may be a bit broken as mentally I haven't grasped the whole picture yet. Pictures should be posted later this week.

All the teams have amazing stories to tell - as does ours. We get to share our team stories tomorrow (Sunday) evening with the entire group in short presentations. Of course, by that point, all the groups will have had a glimpse of the numerous faith week team stories.

When we set out from the Base a week ago we didn't quite know what to expect - not that we should - nor did many realize just how big God's provision would be. Many fellow students blogs are linked on the right sidebar of this page - check some of them out for their stories. Many teams have some pretty awesome things to share - certainly there were high points and low points for each team during the week. In fact, there are a handful of stories that weren't such pleasant experiences.

Faith Week was a week to step out in faith and witness God's provision and faithfulness. It was a week for following God's leading and looking for such as a team. It was a week for knowing that God is out there and that He cares deeply for our people. It was not a week to test Him or to beg resources from people. It was not a week to become a burden for anyone - it was a week for blessing others.

We departed the Base last Saturday (25 Feb) in teams (generally of 3 people) with $20 NZD per person. The vans were loaded with teams and set out in various directions dropping teams along the side of the road around a 1/2 hour drive from Base. Hitch hiking was to be our mode of transportation and as for accomodation and food, well, aside from our $20/person there wasn't much we could provide within our personal means.

So, Keia, Sara, and I were the first out of the van a week ago and as we watched the van depart the reality of the situation really set in - we were free! Of course "free" is a relative term here, regardless, we sat about applying sunscreen, strapping into our packs and writing the words "Ashburton" on a piece of cardboard. We begun walking in the direction that we needed the ride and within, literally, five minutes, we had our first ride (in a gold Mercedes none the less!) all the way to the city of Ashburton.

This is how the day continued after we had spent a number of hours in a park at Ashburton - that is, we were provided a ride within 5 minutes or so each time we began to hitch. Now, this isn't to say that we ended up in a location where we thought we might earlier in the day. We had set out from Ashburton hitching to Lake Takepo with intentions of eventually finding our way down the west coast to Milford Sound. That first evening (Saturday) we ended up in Timaru.

The first night proved trying and certainly was the low point of the week. We had attempted to find a place to stay at a hotel and backpackers hostel, however, that evening there was a rugby match in town and thus "No Vacancy" became a common sight as we traversed the main avenue of town. We nearly thought we were going to have a place to stay at a hostel/hotel, however, the manager turned out to be quite sketchy and so we left there breathing a sigh of relief.

At that point in the night it was getting quite late, an hour or so after dark, and the team was at it's wits end. We didn't understand what was going on and certainly were questioning the actions of the day - however, we spent some time praying and discussing our situation at a seaside park and came to the conclusion that this was a night we were going to spend on the beach. And that's what we did - found a spot on the beach with our backs to an overhang and got some sleep. Of any night during the week that was probably the best night for resting underneath the stars and listening to the ocean.

I don't know all the reasons why we were out under the stars. I tend to think, from my point of view at least, that I was trying to rely too much on my ability to provide and plan for the day as opposed to stepping out in greater faith. There is also an element of attitude and presumption that likely factors in here as well. I am not sure if Keia and Sara would completely agree but I believe they would partially and probably have a bit more insight into our circumstances of the day. Regardless, we spent a very pretty night under the stars. Perhaps the day was such to purely bring us to Timaru, a location for which our first hitch of the day had been headed, and a location that God clearly had his hand with us.

Speaking with a friend last night about the week's events it became clear that each decision and step which our team took individually and as a group has its own implications. I could sit here and question, debate, and rehash each decision's outcome, implications, and reasoning for why such a decision may have been made. I won't do that now, and I don't know if I will ever get through such for the entire week. Listening to others speak of their experiences, and telling our stories from the week (believe me, the Base was a-buzz with chatter for afternoon and evening today) it is clear that God was purposeful with the experiences each team has gone through - ours is no exception. God desired our faithfulness and obedience when asked and came through for each team in various ways. Another reason for being out there, and perhaps more of a reason then anything else, was to touch the lives of other people - to bless as we could. Every team has stories of such events, some teams with more dramatic stories than others and these stories all comprise a testimony for each team - a testimony that has become a blessing for others in sharing such.

And so, carrying on with our story, we set out from our starry night on the beach to find a church on Sunday morning. Our attitudes (attitude is a huge element in the week as well I believe, though I won't say much more about it) had changed from the previous day and we had shifted more of our faith and trust to God for our provision even though the night under the stars was being replayed inside our heads (at least in mine). Around the corner from our breakfast location at McDonald's (not our first breakfast hope, but our only as nothing else was open!) we found Chalmers Presbyterian Church and arrived just in time for the 10 am service. The breakfast meal we split at McDonald's that morning was to be the first and last of our money we spent on food.

Following the service at this large, old cathedral style church, we shared tea with many of the congregation - an elderly and smaller congragation. I should mention that the message that morning really spoke to each of us - many of the things throughout the week that provided evidence for God's hand in our lives. By the end of the tea time we had at least four invites for places to stay that evening in addition to a number of invites for lunch! We were slowly being blown away by the generosity and hospitality of these people whom God had brought us into contact with.

We shared lunch with the pastor and his wife at their home along with another couple from church. It was a lovely lunch within their shaded front lawn and we quite enjoyed our time chatting with them and spending the afternoon at their home. During the midst of the afternoon, prior to afternoon tea (dinner), we ventured back into town to visit a contact we had received through a member of the congregation that morning - the contact was a youth coordinator for the Anglican churches in the area and we were thinking that maybe he would be aware of a youth group or church for which we could help out with. Unfortunately he was not able to provide much in the way of contacts, although we did have a nice chat with him.

While, on the walk back from town, returning to the pastor's home, we were wondering what the other teams were up to and remarking how cool it would be to run into another team during the week. It was just seconds after we made such comments, that, on the back streets of Timaru, a car pulled out of a side street with a arm hanging out the window and a voice yelling "Hey, I know those guys!" Erin and Josh, a married couple team, were driving through the sidestreets with a couple they had met at church that morning and God had designed our paths to cross! This was a huge encouragement for our team, and them as well I believe. Not that our team was down and out having been provided for that day - rather this encounter just continued to boost our spirits and a clear indication that God was indeed at work within our midst.

Our evening was comprised of a great afternoon tea, another church service where we met up with Erin and Josh as well as a speaker we had a couple weeks ago (and at which we heard another message that really spoke to each us of living on faith - and where Sara got to speak with missionaries to Thailand - not her last encounter with missions to the countries for which she will be traveling to). That evening we spent the night at the couples house with whom we shared lunch with earlier in the day - a beautiful older home and a place for which we felt at home.

Our plans by Monday morning were still a bit liquid and we were debating where next to go as we turned in for the night Sunday. Destination and, moreso, the motivation for a particular location now reflects in my mind as another important aspect of the week. There was some thought to visit a local retirement/care home on Monday and just attempt to visit with the residents - we attempted but God closed that door and opened another. Though, I get ahead of myself now.

Monday morning we received a call at the house we were staying at from a person who offered us accommodation, food, and maybe even a van for local use the remainder of the week! We were absolutely blown away. Keia and Sara weren't actually up for a bit after we received that call and so it was fun to reveal such news to them after they had their breakfast in front of them. Certainly the news was met with a bit of anticipation as in some ways it was too good to be true! Such a opportunity presented an option to get involved with a youth group as well - another option that we had talked about the previous week and were hoping for as well, that is, just to get involved and help out in some way - to try and be a blessing to others. So, after praying a bit about it we accepted the offer and were able to meet up with Nyree (a youth pastor at a local church) after the door was closed at the retirement home.

We were completely blown away and just felt so blessed. We were taken in by Nyree and her husband Lindsay, and the rest of their family, without question and without having even met them. This was such a high from the low point of Saturday night! The week just continued to get better.

Monday afternoon we shared a wonderful afternoon with Nyree and Lindsay (who is an awesome cook) and were just able to relax. They made it clear to us that their home was open to us to just relax and we were just feeling so at home there. We very much enjoyed Monday getting to know them and being a bit spoiled - I think we all had a nap that afternoon as well.

Tuesday was awesome. We had decided to go into work with Nyree to see about what we could do to help out at the church. Basically, we were told that we would be doing youth group that evening - two hours for which we had to fill and be responsible for. That was a challenge that we certainly weren't expecting on faith week and none of us had any depth of experience in working with youth! Again, our anticipation was back, but, as we sat outside in the sun and shade and worked through a rough plan for the night our excitement grew and our anticipation dissipated completely. We were all for this challenge and excited to have such an opportunity.

The youth group event of Tuesday night was just grand! The kids were so interested in our story and just had so many questions. It was very much a learning experience for us as well, but one which I think it is safe to say that we all relished very much. However, the youth group Tuesday evening was one of two highlights for the day - the other was truly a God moment.

The week before we left on Faith Week our team (Sara, Keia, and I) had gone out to dinner one night at the local Oxford cafe. We had just ordered and were waiting for our fish and chips (why they don't serve more fish and chips in the States I don't know - I'm ready to open a takeaway fish and chips spot though!) the other couple sitted in the seating area was departing. On their way out they stopped by our table to say hello and just chat for a minute. This was an elderly couple on holiday from a location we didn't recall later - it was just a nice, quick visit and off they went from this small town of Oxford to their B&B outside of town. After they had left Sara made a comment that such is going to be the way we meet people during Faith Week and continued on with our meal and conversation.

Well, back to Tuesday on Faith Week. In addition to the youth group meeting in the evening for which we were preparing for the senior pastor had asked us to speak, or rather to be interviewed, at the Community Service - a 2 pm service held monthly focused towards the seniors in the area. We walked into this meeting and we're met nearly immediately by the same couple we had met nearly a week ago in a small-town Oxford cafe! A God moment for which we were blown away! Clearly an indication that God had us in a spot where He had intended us to be.

The remainder of the week went grand and similarly indeed (though not with such overwhelming God moments) - a number of times we were asked to participate in activities for which we had an 1/2 hour notice. Every time God came through and used us to encourage others and to be a blessing I believe. It was strange in a sense - here we were in Timaru, New Zealand, staying with a lovely family, eating awesome food (Thurs night we had the best meal I have eaten here - homegrown beef steak with homegrown eggs, chips [fries done the right way] and homegrown coleslaw), relaxing when we weren't involved with activities (I had the best sleep Tuesday evening - never slept as good in NZ), and just experiencing opportunities that we would have never expected during Faith Week!

In addition to the youth group and Community Service events of Tuesday we had the opportunity to be involved on Wednesday with a Kids Club and then a Home Group Bible Study that evening. On Tuesday we also committed to doing a Friday night cafe with the youth and so Friday night we had heaps of fun hanging out with youth and doing a short program.

Saturday (the day this post is dated) Lindsay and Nyree gave us a ride back up to just outside Christchruch and we had two great hitches from there to Oxford - we only waited 10-15 minutes for both and shared a much different attitude than the attitude for which we had a week ago - we had complete faith that God would provide. The second and last hitch was a woman from Sheffield, just down the road, who invited us over for tea with her family. She had previously had boarded a Faith Week team and was just so hospitable and happy to share a meal with us. It was encouraging as well in that we were pretty excited during this morning to get back to Base and see everyone - to be "home" - however, this Christian family just seemed to be so encouraged by our visit with them - the husband even gave us a ride back to Oxford. It was a lesson for me in being willing to adapt to God's plan and just being available.

Faith Week has now come to a close. It is an experience that will not soon be forgotten. If asked to do it again I would say yes, with a bit different approach and attitude. There are other aspects of the week that were special which are not mentioned here - I could refer you to the nearly 30 handwritten pages that I have filled in the Faith Week journal should you care to read more of our experiences. I have tried to share the highlights of the week as a testimony to what God can and will do with people. I am not saying that we are shining examples of such, but present this testimony for what you, the reader, may take away with you.

And, so, you see that God is real, that He does care for each person, and that faith is putting one foot out in front of another in a direction that may not be known or along a path that may not be seen, but He is there, even through the dark, encouraging, providing, and guiding. Such an adventure only begins with a simple choice - will you, or will you not Believe? It is simply a choice and nothing more - you can easily find and contrive arguments to support either position of such a choice, however, it is the choice that is yours, and yours alone.