GLO kids camp video

If you click on the picture or the link it will take you to the video on facebook. This is what we did during the kids camp in New Zealand. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4263066576938

New Zealand!

 

 Sunset in New Zealand

So this will be the first of many updates about the trip.This one will be specifically about New Zealand, but keep your eyes open for other posts containing pictures, videos, links, and more stories from the trip!

 

Countryside in New Zealand

We arrived in New Zealand on Monday to a very different temperature change! In contrast to the 95+ humid weather in Taiwan where we sweat through multiple shirts a day to a high of 53 and it being below freezing when we wake up in the morning. Even though it was winter, New Zealand is incredibly beautiful! We joined with Bridges Church, Pastor Murray and his wife Michelle Smith, to help them put on a GLO (Giving Life Opportunities) workshops for Cambridge neighbor kids age 6-13 years old. We were also able to work with Ray and Maxine Nelson who are good friends of the Kawases, having gone to the same church as them for many years and just moved to be missionaries to New Zealand one year ago. Although the children in the GLO camp looked very western with blonde hair and blue eyes, they were still a mission field; many of them are from broken homes. In NZ the average marriage has about 4-5 partners. Our team quickly learned how to relate to and manage the children. It was frustrating at times, but we learned patience and the heart of the Father for these children. Teaching dance from 9am to 4pm is hard work trying to maintain children's attention! At the end of the week the kids would come and just hug us, sit in our laps,and  rough house with us, loving every minute they could get our attention. It was cool to see that our goal of being Jesus with skin on to these children, affected them causing them to be drawn to us. After a week of morning and afternoon workshops, Friday evening the students performed for their parents. There was also 4 other modules in addition to our 4 dance modules so they were able to show off their singing, piano, drama, and guitar to their parents.

 

Aimee, me, Malika, Ayanna

 

Sunset one evening

 

During the week, meals were provided for us by different families from the church. Some of them in the place we were staying (Capernray-a Bible college) and some in the homes. It was so much fun to be able to meet and fellowship with these families! Saturday afternoon we were able to do a little bit of sight seeing and went to Rotaura to see the hot springs. Because New Zealand is an island made from volcanoes, the warm sulfur underneath the surface occasionally will come through and make a muddy steamy mess. It smells like rotten eggs! There is this one place where two rivers come together, one being cold and the other hot, that you can swim in. The water is hot because of the sulfur and stuff under the earth heats it. It was so much fun to spend that evening there.

Our final days in Cambridge, NZ included a Sunday morning service where the team improv worship danced during worship and then had a short dance performance. Dr. & Mrs. Kawase sharing their testimonies and then interviewed on the theme of reconciliation. On Monday we had to travel to Auckland so we would be able to catch our flight early the next morning. So Pastor Murray took us to a marina where the US cup keeps its boats, the beach, and an incredible underground sea world of New Zealand. After a 4 hr. layover at Sydney, Australia we flew to San Fransisco where we had a flight delay. So we got to go see the Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard St., Pier 39, and ride the Cable cars. It was a fun treat to having been working so hard the last 6 weeks. Then, due to flight changes, 3 of us flew home through Houston while the other 6 of us flew home through Chicago. We are home, but there are many more stories, pictures, and videos to be shared. Keep your eyes open for more to come!!!

 Sunsets were amazing here!

 This photo cracks me up.....us in the 'keep clear' area.....=)

In the next post below is a video of New Zealand's national anthem. Be sure to check it out!

New Zealand National anthem

This is New Zealand's national anthem. The first verse is in Mauri, the local Island language, but then the rest is in English. The pictures are all from New Zealand. Enjoy and pray for New Zealand!!!