Monday, March 16, 2015

Week 9: Relationships

      I am currently on hold with Air New Zealand so forgive me if I am short. This week was taught by Catherine who is our base director's wife and she is lovely. Personally, I was excited for this week because I think the topic of guy/girl relationships and how they should look and all that is fun to talk about so going into it I was excited. That topic was only discussed for one of the days. The beginning of it was focused relationships in general and the building blocks for healthy ones. It was a really good time for me to reflect on my relationships and for God to show me how He plays into them. Some of the building blocks for relationships are love, honor, trust, transparency, honesty, and patience. My relationship with Air New Zealand right now is not very strong because my patience is running thin. Anyway, this week was really solid teaching. On the last day we had just a huge ministry time for God to just show us and heal us of any scars from past relationships. The timing of this week was interesting because of what was going on at home with my family. Let's just say it was good timing. Most of the week my intimacy with God was pretty bad, but the massive ministry time on Friday was really needed and was the start of a really good weekend. It is really comforting to know that we have a God who is at work in me even when I don't know it.

      I don't know if any of you have heard about was happening with Cyclone Pam but she was a category 5 cyclone that went through Vanuatu and caused severe damage to the island (which is where 3 of our outreach teams are going to). Pam was supposed to be heading our way here in Tauranga and never being in a cyclone before I was expecting something fairly bad considering I wasn't allowed to sleep in my room for fear of a tree falling and harming me. Prior to it coming, we prayed that Pam would go away and not come to us and amazingly, she listened. Pam went off the coast of NZ and barely touched us. Yet another example of God's goodness. It's been 25 minutes and I am still on hold. Thanks for reading everyone. Bless you all.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Week 7/8: Worship and Intercession/Submission and Authority

      Soooo..Sorry everyone for missing a post last week. We were in Auckland and I was very busy. Right now I am also typing this on my Swiss friend's computer and the z and y keys are switched so from now on, ignore any mistakes and switch the z for the y. Its been a couple sentences and I am sick of correcting mzself. Anzwaz here we go.

     Last week in Auckland was so cool! Our speakers name was Taumata (not Tomato!). He was such a cool guz and such a guz who pursued Gods heart. The message he brought was so freeing about living a life of worship and intercession. His main point throughout the entire week was that it is God who does the cool stuff in us and its not our responsibilz to work for anz of it. For me it was so freeing that in mz quiet times with Him, I don't have to stress about putting mzself in these situations to make Him speak or act in mz life. He has me! Seriouslz everz single week I am relearning the same things and its fantastic. Mz future at this point is verz up in the air which when I first think about it is kind of scarz but when I acknowledge who God is, I have a peace that He will handle it. I want mz future to be great and I want to do great things but I give that up for God because I know that He will lead me into something amaying and something that He has made and prepared me to do. He is good.

    The base was in South Auckland and it was called Te Au Matama which means the sending out of light. It was so good for me to get out of mz regular schedule. We had a lot more free time too which was sweet. We also had another Powhiri (traditional Maori welcoming ceremonz), leaned how to count in Maori (with awesome hand motions), we learned a song in Maori, and how to do the Haka! When the Maori do it, it is so much more intimidating but I just close mz ezes and imagine I am threatening...it still doesn't work but oh well! We also went to One Tree Hill and Mount Eden and thez were so cool!! Check out pictures on instagram cause thez are sweet.

    The weekend was sweet and well deserved and then this week started which was submission and authoritz taught mz Captain Jessie Missa (I think I butchered the spelling) who works for the ship here. It was a solid week. Looking back, this time is going so fast!!! Jessie is an incredible dude who is reallz funnz and actuallz reminds me of mz dad a little bit in his humor. Since coming here I have looked for one of those situations where I just get recked bz the Holz Spirit, for a crayz rediculous situation like God writing mz name across the skz with lightning or something awesome like that. I had one experience the first week when I could feel His manifest presence in me but since then it has been a lot of quiet and gentle guidance. He is teaching me that He is so much more than those experiences and that He wants to be apart of all I do and not something that I part take in for an hour or two and then continue with mz normal life. This week continued with that and also speaking more and more identitz into me. It is solid and fun what I learned last week about Him being in complete control of mz future just makes me reallz content and jozful that I don't have to stress. So zeah, good week spirituallz.

     I got a reallz sweet oportunitz for mz work dutz. A musician here, Peter Byres (I corrected mzself for his name) and the Marine Reach Ministries are wanting to produce his song so I am in charge of working with the recording studio and with Peter to produce this song!! Its so cool and after 3 hours of practice this song is legit!! I am excited for zou all to hear it. It will be available on iTunes when its done (wink wink).

Thanks for reading, sorrz for the spelling mistakes and gramatical errors (mz English gets worse and worse everz week), and go to Instagram to check out mz new facial hair cut :)

Love za

Addison