Thoughts of Late

Google Voice

2010-05-23T21:13:00.001-07:00

Ok, so recently I learned about something called Google Voice. Essentially it is Google's answer to Skype. Currently it's in an invite only mode (likely beta testing), however anyone with a .edu email account can get it for free right now.

I figured why not check it out. The result, Havalah and I now have a local, AZ phone number instead of just our Chicago mobile numbers. But the number is operated by Google, and you can even apply for one that has words in it. So we could have had (555) HAV-DAHV if we really wanted... you get the idea.

What's cool about this latest deal from Google. People can call our number, and it'll forward straight to both our cells simultaneously. It's as if we have a house phone where people can reach us all the time. But what's really cool is you can personalize where the calls go. For example:

Havalah's cousin calls: it forwards only to her

My best friend calls: it forwards only to me

Work calls: it goes straight to voicemail

you get the idea. And you can customize this for a bunch of phones (home, office, mobile, etc.) Pretty cool.

It also allows you to screen calls, much like a collect call, where the person has to give their name for approval before answering. Cool, but not a hugely necessary feature. On top of that, it catalogs your text messages and voicemails (converting them to text), and stores them online for you. No matter who your phone provider, you'll always have the messages you want to save. Plus, in true Google fashion, you can search them.

The Porn Event

2010-05-23T19:21:00.003-07:00

I figured that title would get some attention. As some may know, I have a passionate heart for men and pornography addiction because of the history God has redeemed me from. One of the ministries I follow, xxxchurch, connected me to this event.

The Porn Event seems to be a live webinar type deal this week for both men and women. Different online sessions occur all week (check the site for times) and also feature a chat room and link for live prayer. It's a medium I'm not used to seeing ministry in, but certainly a valuable and challenging topic. If you or someone you know is struggling with pornography addiction this may be a good step for them.

Wayne Grudem, Grease, and Contemporary Church Liturgy

2010-05-23T19:13:00.003-07:00

"For all of you fans of Wayne Grudem, this tribute video from friends in the UK is a must-see!

He’s thematic! He’s charismatic! He’s syyyyystematic! And these guys are fan-tastic!"

-Desiring God website

From Sam via desiringgod

Another buddy sent me this

"Who says contemporary churches don't have a liturgy?"

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

And We're Back...

2010-05-23T18:24:00.002-07:00

Well friends, I am reentering blogworld. If you're still there that is. Likely the only people reading this had me on their feed and neglected to delete it after 5.5 months of inactivity.

What's there to say. I'm now done with the semester and have been back in the US for 6 months. It's been an interesting half year for my wife and I, a lot of transition and a lot ahead. In March, after being wed for 6 months, we finally got our own apartment. It was an amazing blessing to

a) have our own place
b) be near campus
c) be able to afford a cozy 2-bedroom and practice hospitality

It has been a process to adjust to Arizona weather, American culture, and no longer living on support. It's amazing to see God's provision everyday and know that we worship the same God we did across the world, and He still moves in the miraculous and the mundane.

I'm not sure what this blog will become now. Clearly it won't be about our travels in the South Pacific in missions. Likely it'll go all over the place from random videos, quips on things going on lately, and thoughts about ministry and what God is doing all over the world.

Hope you enjoy and keep reading.

Some Highlights from the Ship Tour

2010-01-10T12:02:00.004-07:00

In our travels I was blessed enough to revisit some of the people I had met on a previous outreach of New Zealand last May. It was a real blessing to continue to build relationship with people in Tawa, Napier, and other parts of the country.

Napier

In May I had hitched into Napier and through means only God could do, was connected to Pastor Bruce. For the tour I got in touch with Bruce and he was happy to have us share with their youth group. When we finally presented he was so impressed with the presentation that he invited us to take part in their Sunday service as well - which he had already planned to speak on missions at. It was great.

Hastings

That afternoon we headed to Napier's sister city, Hastings. I had contacted a Christian school there only days prior and they had agreed to have us come present. We were able to share with their older high school students Monday in two presentations. Between presentations the principal and asst. principal were asking loads of questions regarding how to set up a mission program in their school, etc. This was a huge blessing for our friends, leaders and co-tour partners, Ken and April, who had previous experience doing just that! They sat and chatted for 45 MINUTES about research, program ideas and so much more.

New Plymouth

We shared in a youth group at a Baptist church in the coastal city of New Plymouth. After our presentation we sat and talked with the youth in breakout groups. I ended up having a secondary conversation with a handful of soon to be graduated guys. They were so on fire for Christ and missions it was incredibly, they practically put me to shame. I still have yet to email one of them back, I promise I'm getting there Joshua, about way to get involved in God's ultimate plan.

Oak Ridge

When given the opportunity to share with the community of and surrounding YWAM Oak Ridge, it resulted in a very special experience. We shared heavily on the call to Turkey - ANZACs (New Zealanders and Australians) have a special acceptance in Turkey due to WWI and the battle of Gallipolli that other nations lack. Kiwis have an awesome opportunity to go in and share the Gospel and we called the community to support those who were going and seek God's call for themselves. It ended with a powerful prayer time for Turkey and all those who were Kiwis, or called NZ home came forward and led the group in singing the national anthem, God Defend New Zealand, which is, in itself, a prayer. Hear/watch it on YouTube.

All in all we had an incredible time. We spoke and shared with thousands. Sometimes planned, sometimes on the fly, sometimes creating events from nothing. It was truly a blessed experience.

Eva - A Blessing

2010-01-10T12:02:00.003-07:00

Settling back into American life has been an interesting journey so far. Although we were in a first world country in New Zealand, the cultural differences and even economical difference between the two countries is drastic.

Our first day back in the States, Dahvede and I were staying in LA with his aunt and uncle, and while they were at work we decided to venture down to the mall near where they live. Things began to quickly overwhelm me. If we were wanting to adjust slowly, I’m not sure LA/Orange County was the place to attempt to do so. We were met head on with culture shock. From the size of the cars (that carried only 1 person), to the excessive amount of places to eat, and so on, we were quickly overwhelmed. We were wandering around the shopping complex and taking everything in, and decided to grab a cheap lunch at Cosco before heading to go see Avatar (which Dahvede had been anticipating seeing for quite some time).

Now let me backtrack for just a minute. That morning I had been really struggling, and I was second guessing my decision to wear my NZ Ship Tour shirt that day. I felt like I would stick out like a sore thumb. I was feeling stubborn however, so I wore it anyway.

Well, as we were standing in line to order, I felt someone tap on my shoulder from behind. I turned around and was met by the smiling face of a 60-something woman. She beamed at us both and asked if we were still involved with the “Marine Reach thing” that she had seen on my shirt (Dahvede was actually also wearing a DTS shirt). We explained to her that we had just returned from a year and a half stint working with them, and she began to pour encouragement and thanks over us for the work we had been doing. We spoke for about 5 minutes while we stood in line, sharing about what we had been doing, and she continued to just bless us and encourage us, telling us that what we had been doing was counting, and saying that she was so blessed by our obedience to God. She blessed us by insisting on buying us lunch, and just as we were parting ways I asked her name. Eva, she said.

We don’t share this story as a way to toot our own horn. That is the last thing we are wanting. Our heart instead is to share how God knew exactly what we needed at the moment we needed it and blessed us more than we can put into words. Still, 2 weeks later, when I remember the story, tears threaten to come. Simply mentioning her name to Dahvede or I causes huge smiles to come to our faces. We are so blessed by her obedience to the Lord to speak to us.

-Havalah

The Rest of the Journey

2009-12-29T12:22:00.005-07:00

Sunday morning (20th) we packed our bags back up, and headed to the airport for the final leg of the Journey to our new home. The airport was thankfully fairly uneventful, and our flight even left mostly on time (I think... maybe. I was jet lagged, give me a break!). We had pre-arranged with some friends of Dahvede's to have them pick us up at the airport (so we could surprise the family, remember). It took two different cars to fit all our luggage, but it worked. We were met by a sign simply saying "WOOD," which made for a fun story. Apparently they looped the airport 3 or 4 times before we were finally ready!

We had a nice lunch with our friends and then headed over to the Parents house to execute our surprise. We had one of the girls who had picked us up (Meaghan) go to the door and ask for help, as 'her battery died and she needed a jump.'

Dad came out of the Garage and we were able to surprise him! It was great! He said we has a little suspicious, but was still very excited to see us! Mom was more the surprised one, which was great! Exactly the desired effect!

It's been an interesting week or so settling in and finding places to put all our things in our tiny room, but we are loving being near Dahvede's family again! Dad's birthday was great, and Christmas with the whole Wood clan was a real treat after being gone for so long.

We pray you have all had a blessed Christmas and New Years with your families

-Havalah

Headed Home

2009-12-29T12:09:00.002-07:00

Well, we've made it home. We have not broadcasted our return date, as we were intending to surprise Dahvede's Dad for his birthday, so very few people actually knew our date of return.

That being said, with 5 x 23 kilo suitcases, and 3 1/2 overweight carry-on's in tow, we made our way to Auckland to leave. After a very tearful goodbye at the airport with my parents we made our way through security and boarded what was to be our first of three different planes on our journey back to Arizona. We had a long layover in Fiji and had planned to leave the airport but discovered it was more work than it was worth so we found ways to occupy ourselves in the Transit lounge for about 7 hours. It went by amazingly quickly, Praise the Lord for that!

We finally made it onto our flight to LA and were blessed to have a whole row (1 extra seat) to ourselves. Dahvede very lovingly allowed me to lay down I got a good 6 hours or more of sleep, which was very much needed. He was even able to catch a few hours of sleep sitting up.

We planned to stop in LA for a few days to re-coup and culture shock before seeing family again, so Dahvede's aunt graciously took us in. We got several funny looks from people as we had to take a shuttle bus and commuter train to get to Dahvede's Aunt's house but thanks to some helpful strangers and a gracious conductor, we made it without losing anything!

We really enjoyed our time in LA and before we knew it, we were boarding our last flight to Phoenix, heading for home.

*Stay tuned to find out how the surprise went*

What We're Doing Now

2009-12-22T12:07:00.003-07:00

Many of you are likely wondering what Havalah and I are up to these days, now that we are back Stateside.

We are currently housesitting at my parents in the Phoenix suburbs, looking to move to an apartment in March. We've returned to my home church, and are settling in at Praxis well. Adjusting to US culture, prices and life in the desert takes time, but we're enjoying it. It's been nice to have the support of family and friends (some old, some new) in the area as we transition back.

I resume classes at ASU next week and should start work there soon as well. I have been lucky enough to get my old job back, converting textbooks to braille for disabled students.

Havalah is looking for work and also heading up our apartment search. She will likely begin at ASU once her state residency comes through.

Please be praying for us:

To find an apartment that fits our needs and budget
Employment for Havalah
To stay focused on Christ and not forget all he has brought us through
For strength in our young marriage
To be united in spirit with family across the world

Every Band in the USA - The Fold

2009-11-30T23:11:00.003-07:00

Hey guys, haven't had a chance to post lately. Finishing up the NZ Ship Tour and it's going well. In Tauranga for a few more weeks before moving to Arizona with Havalah.

In the meantime, I thought you might enjoy watching the video for "Every Band in the USA," by my friends, The Fold. It's a parody of a Miley Cyrus song created for your enjoyment. If you find it funny, please check out their music (thefoldrock.com) and or favorite the video.

Let me just clarify that the guys did make this video/song to knock Miley Cyrus, but rather to comment on what they have seen as an independent band on the road. In their own words:

"This whole thing is just a tongue-in-cheek observation, a commentary if you will, on what we see on tour in America. The truth is, a lot of times we feel a bit old fashioned, a bit left out, and we thought it might be funny to bring our own insecurities out in to the open through this song. It turns out there's been a lot of people who connected to it, and that's just cool. This song was not really meant as a stab to Miley, Glamour Kills, Fall Out Boy, All Time Low or anyone else we called out - and we're glad it hasn't been received as such - in fact, they've all endorsed the video. (except Miley, we may need to send her a fruit basket tomorrow ...)"

Updates

2009-11-06T03:45:00.002-07:00

I've added twitter to my phone, so for those of you who are on twitter, please follow me to stay updated more consistently on what we're up to! head over here (http://twitter.com/havie23)!!

All our travels

2009-11-06T03:06:00.003-07:00

It has been a long time since I've gotten around to updating this blog, for which, I apologize. It has been an intense couple of weeks, and it's hard to believe we will have been married for 9 weeks as of tomorrow!

I'll just give you a brief overview of our travels over the last few weeks.

October 16th we left for Wellington (bottom of the North Island) via Masterton. We stayed there until the 27th, when we headed up to Auckland via Tauranga. We stayed there until Oct 31st, when we then headed to the Oak Ridge YWAM base (almost the top of the North Island). We traveled around Northland for day trips and more presentations. Thursday morning, (5 November) we left Oak Ridge and drove to Auckland, picked up our leaders at the airport, and headed home to Tauranga for a night to see my family and have an early Thanksgiving dinner! It was so nice to be home for a few hours and be in our own bed for at least one night. This morning we had a presentation at a local Christian College (high school) of 1500 students, and then hit the road to Napier for an evening presentation.

All in all it has been an amazing couple of weeks, but an exhausting couple of weeks as well. We covet your prayers during this time. We are so blessed with the experience we have had recently, but it is draining to be on the road all the time!

Thank you all for your prayers and support! We love you!

~Mrs Wood

My sickly boy

2009-10-08T17:34:00.003-07:00

Saturday night before we left Australia, Dahvede began complaining of a sore throat, an earache, and having a case of "the chills". He fell asleep before dinner and turned down food when I brought it to him. We began monitoring his temperature throughout the evening but it was only slightly elevated. The next morning when we got up to head to the airport it had leaped to 102.8 (i think). We continued to check it every hour or so and had everyone who was willing, praying for him. We were unsure if we would be able to fly if he had an ear infection (which he is prone to) in case it left him with permanent damage. We got the ok to fly and made it to our flight, but Dahvede was miserable throughout the flight and there was very little we could do to keep him comfortable.

To make a very long story short, Dahvede's temp spiked to 104 while we on our way home, and my sister (who is a nurse) encouraged us to head to the hospital. I (havalah) was quite concerned and anxious but in the end it turned out that he had a case of strep throat and after a few days and some antibiotics things settled down and he began to feel better. Praise the Lord!

~ Mrs. Wood

Australia - Part 2

2009-10-06T21:07:00.004-07:00

While we in Australia, after spending a blessed few days in Sydney with our friends, we boarded the train to go make some new ones.

We caught a train from just outside Sydney, down to Oak Flats, about 25 minutes south of Wollongong. We were met by Ken and April B, who took us back to the YWAM base to settle in. We were there for 6 days, taking part in planning meetings, training sessions and just general team building times. We had the blessing of meeting and getting to know three other newlywed couples, one of which we share a wedding date with.

We both really enjoyed being in YWAM community again and spending time hearing peoples hearts and building relationship with them.

Sunday morning, very early, we left for the airport and although there were a few scares, we made our flight on time.

It was a blessing to be able to go and be sewn into for the week that we were there. God really blessed us by enabling us to go.

Thanks for reading!

Australia - Part 1

2009-10-05T17:05:00.012-07:00

10 days ago, Dahvede and I flew to Australia to take part in the Youth Connection Teams (YCT) training week. We were blessed to be able to go a few days early and spend time with Dahvede's outreach leaders and small group leader from his DTS, Robbie and Tanya. They are an awesome couple who are expecting their first baby (due yesterday). It was such a blessing to catch up with them and be influenced by them so early in our marriage. We really respect and look up to them as a young Christian couple.

We had the honor of attending a World Vision Gala in downtown Sydney with Robbie and Tanya our first day in Australia. It was raising awareness for the Global Food Crisis (to read more, visit: http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/learn/globalissues-world-hunger ). It was a great evening, raising awareness and finances for the crisis and driving home some key points. We were also able to pop down to Circular Quay (pronounced "key") to see the Sydney Opera House at night. It was absolutely beautiful, but COLD!

Sunday we were able to make it into downtown Sydney again to wander around Darling Harbour (in good Aussie fashion, it's said "dah-ling hah-bur"). We wandered around the harbour, into Chinatown, where we found a shop with my name (not so common), and I got attacked by a seagull who thought my McDonald's looked really tasty.

We also enjoyed some 7/11 slurpees (they don't have them here in NZ)....

....and were entertained by a freelance street performer.

We then wandered back over to Circular Quay again to enjoy the Opera House in daylight. It was far bigger than either of us realized and we were completely amazed at how impressive it was close up.

All in all, it was an incredible few days in Sydney. We had a great time and were so blessed to have a few days out for ourselves.

Introducing the Mrs.

2009-10-05T17:04:00.005-07:00

Hi Everybody!

Dahvede and I thought I should write and introduce myself first, since I will be contributing to the blog now.

I'm Havalah (obviously), and Dahvede and I got married a month (and 24 hours) ago. For those who are interested, I'll just tell a bit of my story and background.

I'm originally from the USA, born in the northeast. My family moved around on the East Coast until 2000 when as a family, we moved to New Zealand as missionaries. My parents pastored a church in a small town of about 3000 people, until getting involved with Marine Reach (part of YWAM) in late 2005. Early 2006 our family moved onto the Pacific Link where my parents have served ever since. 6 months later, I met Dahvede when he came to the ship to take part in a Disciplship Training School. The rest as they say, is history.

I'm looking forward to being able to contribute to this blog and help in keeping everyone updated on our events and travels. Thanks for taking a few minutes to get to know me!

Havalah

Wedding Photos

2009-09-23T17:00:00.002-07:00

Here are a few of the photos from our wedding. We're still waiting to get the professional photos back. View a whole lot more on my Picasa album at: http://picasaweb.google.com/vedewood/OurWedding

Insanity

2009-09-23T16:59:00.002-07:00

I'm a man who thrives under a busy schedule. By that I mean I can usually keep up with the pace and keep things going, though I have to have the end in site for the specific project or event. It's a bit harder now that I'm married and I have to be less selfish with my time and much more flexible. It does help having an awesome wife to help me calm down when I'm stressing.

All that to say, work for the Ship Tour is in full force. Havalah and I returned from our honeymoon ready to roll, and roll we did. Amidst answering two weeks of emails I've been trying to catch up with what is going on with our Youth Connection Teams, catch up on our finances, move house to our temporary "base of operations" until we move stateside in December, and finally get ready to leave the country for 8 days on Saturday. All of this happens amidst the meetings, runnings around and all the other day to day stuff.

That to say I haven't had much of a chance to post about our wedding, honeymoon or any other recent news. Hopefully will get a chance to do so, but no guarantees. Grace is a good thing yeah? Asking for it now. Love to you all.

The Sanctity of Human Life

2009-09-22T13:50:00.003-07:00

No, this is not a post about abortion or capital punishment. At least not directly. Rather it is a post about climate change. Allow me to explain.

I really enjoy reading the news. To relax and unwind I'll open about 15 tabs on my computer and just go over the news: global, politics, weather, most all of it. It's weird, I know. But lately I have seen a number of articles talking about climate change that note population control as a major concern.

What I have seen multiple articles state, is that rather than focusing on new technologies for energy and transportation, or dealing with animal waste from agriculture (which releases more greenhouse gases than most humans anyway) we should focus on curbing population growth to limit the number of consumers in the world to create greenhouse gases.

To be honest, I don't really care where you stand on the climate change/global warming pendulum. As a Christian, to me a human life is a human life. I'm against abortion, but more importantly believe that every pregnancy, that every child needs to be welcomed into this world as a gift from God, wanted or not. My wife and I have agreed that while we may take steps to prevent conceiving early in our marriage, we are very clear that if God sees fit to give us children sooner than we plan they will be received as a gift and blessing no matter how it shifts our plans and finances.

I understand that not everyone wants to have a big family, or can afford it. But if you are willing to have sex, then you need to accept the result that sex is the leading cause of pregnancy, all studies will show. Often unintentionally.

Big families are a gift. Children are a blessing. I know the world doesn't always see it this way, but we need to change our perspective. It breaks my heart to read something like this*:

But, they argue, smaller families also lead to greater prosperity, and this can be helped by programmes that are voluntary and inexpensive.
Some 80 million pregnancies -- nearly 40 percent of the total each year -- are unplanned. More than half of those unwanted pregnancies will result in abortion, with five million women suffering severe complications or death.
"Much more emphasis need to be given to meeting the need for family planning -- all women should be protected from unintended childbirth," they said in a collective editorial.
*Read full article at http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.506b7104e85d35fc4f8355e566ab5fad.261&show_article=1

It is a huge jump to say that all unplanned pregnancies are unwanted, which this article does. But even more so it is terribly sad to know that one of the solutions the world is turning to for unplanned pregnancy, and climate change as well it seems, is abortion, or murdering unborn children. I understand that sometimes there are special cases, and I don't envy anyone faced with the option to terminate, but 90% or more of the time we are talking about no risk to the mother, normal pregnancies. We're not "preventing more pollutants to the climate," we're murdering the generation to come. If they were able to make it out of the womb before death, it would be called genocide. What's the difference?

NZ Ship Tour Video

2009-09-21T01:04:00.001-07:00

The New Zealand Ship Tour to spread the call to missions to 30,000 young Kiwis begins next month. Havalah and I will be working on this until we leave NZ at years' end.

Check out the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwOLjVU6oSo

Hitched!

2009-09-05T17:59:00.002-07:00

I am married now. It is awesome. You won't hear from me for a while. Catch you when we're back from our honeymoon.

Sobering

2009-08-25T18:30:00.004-07:00

I listened to this and it rocked my world. It is directed to MEN, speaking from 1 Peter 3:7. I hadn't listened to a downloaded sermon in a while. Wow. Very sobering, very honest, very true.

My response was not, "Everyone needs to hear this." But rather "I need to repent."

I recommend sitting down and listening to the whole message, really taking it in. To passively listen to it would be a disservice to yourself. To only listen to part of it would be a disservice to yourself. Remember that it is directed to men. Please understand that before listening. You may likely be offended.

Listen at: http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/trial/marriage-and-men

The Need for Joy

2009-08-25T06:40:00.004-07:00

To be brutally honest, the past weeks have not been some of my fondest. In hindsight I feel like I lacked motivation, purpose and most importantly, joy.

Allow me to clarify, this was not some dark and evil hour. However, it was a season of not being where I wanted with God, of sub-par relationship and drive. It was quite disappointing. The thing that struck me so much was that I really didn't have much joy in my life during this time.

Joy, I find, carries us through life. Happiness and similar emotions will come and pass quickly. Whereas the joy of the Lord sustains us, it means us in our sorrow, pain and darkness. In those places (as well as the better ones) we find great comfort in joy.

It was a bit distressing to be 2 weeks from my wedding, busy with planning, and not feeling joy. That's just a sad place to be. Thankfully, God got a hold of my heart and my head, and the joy is returning. Havalah and I were just talking and praying last night and what a difference I felt. Let me just say, joy is essential. Please continue to keep Havalah and I, and our filling of joy, in your prayers as we approach the big day. Many thanks

A Quote

2009-08-23T18:01:00.001-07:00

There's no training for this kind of thing.

And if there is, I certainly didn't take it.

-A close friend reflecting fondly on living with two women, his wife and daughter.

Lately: Provision and Blessing

2009-08-21T15:09:00.006-07:00

I used to use this blog to inform friends around the world what I was up to. But sometimes that gets boring (or feels like work because I'm lazy) and instead just used it for random, hopefully fun, musings. Not today. I'll share some of the things that God has been doing, because I see them as worthwhile, fruitful and beneficial to be shared.

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I'm helping coordinate 4 teams going into Christian schools around the country to share about missions, the Gospel and opportunities to share. This is awesome and great, aside from the part where I don't have time to contact all these schools as I am getting married in two weeks. A week or so ago I had no one to contact schools, was stressing and asking God for help. I sat on the phone calling around the country and hoping to get some help. That day God provided two awesome people to help. The next day I got a call while working in the rain. And finally just two days ago we got our final guy and have not 4, but 5 people working on booking appointments for us! What an awesome way for God to provide.

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Yesterday Havalah and I went to a local party hire company. We're getting a giant slow cooker for the reception, as well as a few other odds and ends. Well, we decided to add a few things to our order and pay on the spot. The woman working there just starts saying, "Well I'll discount those by half.... not charge you for that.... give you some extra of those." All in all we saved over $100. She was so sweet and such a blessing for us.

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In two weeks I get to marry Havalah Moriah Faith Mears. For the rest of my life, or the rest of hers, I am committing myself to loving her, supporting her and walking through life with her. We're going to have a ceremony to make it official, have a big party, take two weeks away together, and then dive into the NZ Ship Tour. Following that we'll move to Arizona and hope to start university.

I just thought it was important to add marrying Havalah to a list of God's provision and blessing.

Sometime Fake News is More Fun Than Real News

2009-08-21T05:46:00.001-07:00

White House Reveals Obama Is Bipolar, Has Entered Depressive Phase

Becoming Childlike?

2009-08-20T13:43:00.004-07:00

I woke this morning to my 3 year-old niece dancing around to Veggie Tales and such. She then came over and informed me, "Dahvede, I have my motorcycle. So if you need to go anywhere..." Her motorcycle is a pink and white scooter that you push with your foot. Sweet child. Before I left the room she came to me again, "Just remember, it's here so if you need to go..."

BIG, BIG NEWS!!!

2009-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

You're likely impatient, and I'm likely too wordy, so I'll boil it down for you: after some time, through prayer and consideration, we will be returning to the States by the beginning of 2010. We feel that our time in NZ, at least for now, is coming to a close and we're looking to start the next season of our lives in the Phoenix area, pursuing university education. That's the super short version.

For those of you with more time, read on.

Before we were even engaged, Havalah and I had the possibility of studying in Arizona come up. But as well different opportunities here in NZ came up and we felt that we were to get married here in New Zealand.

We prayed about, considered and were planning on some very serious options in New Zealand. Taking the first practical steps to pursue it in June, we felt God closing that door. Seeking other options, "coming home" was increasingly in consideration as God brought it back up.

Continuing to pray about it, moving back developed into a realistic plan. We began sharing with family about the idea. We were feeling optimistic about it, about 80% sure we would go.

After looking at flights and praying about laying some definite plans out, we found ourselves headed to New Plymouth to share at a church. A series of convictions and opportunities led to this trip, centering on being people of integrity and sticking with our committments. It was while in New Plymouth that God brought a final confirmation to us through very unique circumstances, making the epic journey quite worthwhile.

We are now looking to book flights and have decided to complete a wedding registry with Target for a few things in the States - we felt it made things feel truly official.

-----------

So where do we go from here? Havalah and I get married in 3 weeks. From there we take a two week honeymoon and then work hard out on the NZ Ship Tour through December. From there we begin taking steps towards Arizona and education until God says otherwise.

Latest Travels

2009-08-12T01:58:00.002-07:00

Last week Havalah and I did some traveling and it was pretty full on. Let me give you the run down.

Thursday:

We left Tauranga around 11AM and drove 3 hours to Auckland airport to pick up Havalah's cousin, Dorothy*, who is here for the wedding. From there we drove 6 hours south to New Plymouth, to arrive at 9:30 PM. The three of us stayed overnight with a billet from a local church.

Friday:

We got up early in the morning to arrive at a church in New Plymouth before 8AM. There we worked a booth talking about DTS and other missions opportunities. By 2AM we were on the road again to drive another 4.5 hours back to Tauranga so Havalah could be on time for work.

Saturday:

Havalah and I get up early to leave for a conference by 8AM. 20 minutes on the road we discover the road is blocked by a mudslide and we need to take an alternate route, costing us more time on the road. We arrived at the conference a bit late, but made it on time. It was a great conference and after driving just over an hour each way, we arrived home around 10PM.

Sunday:

We rested.

All in all it was a full on few days. But God did some awesome stuff and I hope to share about it more, that is if I can find the time :)

* Dorothy drove with us right after she got off the plane from the States. I'd like to point out she had never flown before and on this trip went from the east coast of the States, to LA, to Sydney, to Auckland. All in all at least 24 hours of straight travel.

Early Marriage?

2009-08-12T01:55:00.001-07:00

My friend Nathan posted about this recently. It's an article Christianity today put out about getting married young. It's worth check out here.

Flying Past

2009-08-10T20:25:00.001-07:00

So time has been flying by lately, for a couple of reasons. Namely, the wedding is fast approaching. 3 weeks and change actually. In addition to that, there is plenty to be done with the YWAM NZ Ship Tour fast approaching.

In case I haven't explained, our vision for the tour is to reach 30,000 young New Zealanders with the need and opportunites for missions worldwide and locally. Within that, I'm one of two people (the other in Australia) working to coordinate for the Christian schools in the nation. It's going to require work, but God is doing some amazing things to pull it together. Please be praying for the tour as we move forward.

They Were Just Too Good to not do Another

2009-08-02T22:59:00.003-07:00

Rom 12:9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.

(That probably would have been me)

ReverendFun.com

2009-08-02T06:52:00.001-07:00

I was recently introduced to this website. While some of the comics are lame, I found these enjoyable.

Please Respond: What's the Deal with Seventh Day Adventists?

2009-07-30T15:58:00.002-07:00

First, let me say this post is seeking feedback. I want to find out what you know, what you've heard, what you've experienced. I don't want to stir up argument or get people on here tearing each other down. But I want more insight from people who might now.

I've noticed a stronger concentration of "Adventists" in Fiji and NZ than in the States. Maybe I'm just a bit more aware of it now that I'm in NZ, who knows. I don't know much about Seventh Day Adventists other than what I found on Wikipedia. Otherwise I've heard a little bit from people, and there seems be some tension with other Christian denominations.

That said, here is the question. What's the deal? Do you have some insight into Adventist beliefs, what are the differences in beliefs, are you one? Post a response, I'm looking to find out.

My Life According to Jars of Clay

2009-07-24T01:40:00.002-07:00

A friend posted this and I thought, what the heck, I could use a distraction. Turned out to be quite fun.

Listing only song names from ONE ARTIST, cleverly answer these questions. Pass it on to 15 people. Try not to repeat a song title. It's a lot harder than you think! Re-post as "my life according to [band name]."

Are you a male or female:
Boy on a String

Describe yourself:
Portrait of an Apology

How do you feel:
It is Well With My Soul

Describe where you currently live:
The Edge of Water

If you could go anywhere, where would you go:
Worlds Apart

Your favorite form of transportation:
Shipwrecked

Your best friends are:
Good Monsters

What's the weather like:
Fade to Grey

If your life was a TV show, what would it be called:
Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder

What is life to you:
My Heavenly

Your fear:
Sad Clown

What is the best advice you have to give:
God Will Lift Up Your Head

Thought for the Day:
Even Angels Cry

How I would like to die:
Something Beautiful

My soul's present condition:
Faith Enough

My motto:
Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet

Let's Get Moving

2009-07-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, wow. Yesterday (Havalah's 20th birthday) we attended a 3-hour meeting for the national ship tour. We had about a dozen people, including 3 attending via video conference, and plowed through a large agenda. It was the busiest, yet most productive meeting I've been in lately. We brought a great deal more definition and raised some good issues.

What this means for me? Havalah and I now have a more definite role, with an increasing amount of responsibility. This is great, as long as we can balance it with wedding planning. We will now likely have to travel to Australia for a training week shortly after the wedding. Where the funding for that comes from, only God knows. But he's got it covered. In the meantime my day consists of a lot of catch-up work, contacting people, lots of wedding planning and trying to sort out what we're doing about these schools we're going to speak at across NZ.

Persevering along, thanks for your prayers and support

Working on the Wedding

2009-07-22T07:06:00.002-07:00

I have taken on more involvement in my own wedding planning then I think is common to most guys. Havalah and I recently got the invites out and are now happily 45 days away from the wedding! To give you an example of my involvement, I made a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet is 13 columns by 193 rows. It denotes the name (first and last), location (street address, state, country, zip, etc.), email address, invite status, RSVP status and more for our guests. It's intense. I have the joy and privelage of updating and organizing it. I'm not anal, no, not at all.

Anyway, the wedding planning is going well, coming closer and closer now. If you've received an invite please, please, please RSVP to the wedding website. For my sanity, and eventually yours.

He Provides

2009-07-22T02:25:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I've been a bit concerned about financial support for Havalah and I. Overall responses have been quite minimal and we were anticipating the need to get very creative. I was challenged by a family member to continue to trust God, regardless of what happens. Days later a friend gave me an encouraging word regarding the same issue.

Within a day or two I was informed that a few individuals/families had made recent donations, the total of which could carry our financial needs for another month or so. What a blessing. God continually shows me I need to trust Him more than anybody else, especially myself. Many thanks to those who took part in this most recent blessing, as well as to those who have blessed me over the years.

Prayer Dozing

2009-07-13T17:18:00.002-07:00

While living on the ship I stumbled across what I call "Prayer Dozing." I found myself sick of watching movies and that trying to fall asleep, and reading books didn't work because then I would fall asleep with the light on and a book open or fallen on the floor.

In Joshua 1 the LORD calls Joshua to meditate on the Law day and night, so I tried to do that... sort of. Essentially when I go to bed, I lay awake and thank God for the day, pray over various things, just talk with him. I do the same thing when I wake up in the morning before I read my awesome ESV study Bible (I reccommend one to all). I find my head is clearest in the morning and it really helps me to come into the presence of God, focus and hear from Him through the Scriptures.

Some might read this and say, "Isn't that just prayer morning and evening?" To that I would say yes, it probably is. But something struck me as different about it. Perhaps it is a little less informal, perhaps it is that I get to snuggle in the warmth of my covers while I chill with Jesus (it is winter in NZ right now), I'm not sure. I don't do it everyday, but as I try to do it more often I really love it!

Have You Found Jesus

2009-07-12T19:35:00.004-07:00

My 21st birthday passed while we were on outreach here in New Zealand. While cleaning my room I came across the card two of the girls from my team got me:

Note that Jesus is hiding behind the curtains

Late Night Grocery Run...

2009-07-11T04:07:00.004-07:00

Ok, so this one goes out to everyone who asks, "How are wedding plans coming?" We were talking tonight and discussing what we're doing for food at the reception. At the same time, there was a big sale on at our local supermarket.

Tonight Havalah and I went out and bought $350 worth of meat!!! We grabbed 15 chickens and similar amounts of beef roast. The spare freezer is full and we're that much closer to having everything sorted. Hooray!

Backed into an Ethical Corner

2009-07-10T14:42:00.005-07:00

Lately I have felt very challenged in my faith a I walk through some tough ethical/moral situations. I feel as though often we our Christian faith a fairly easy thing to deal with, at least as long as it stays in theory. Once we start to open up our hearts and lives for Holy Spirit to really speak in it gets more challenging. It's one thing to say "love your neighbour;" it's another to truly examine and follow through on what that means practically.

I think this is a very common struggle for many Chrisitans, as long as we allow ourselves to be led to and through these tough places. I don't mind that it's hard to decide because it pushes me to a place to seek out God and his word. The gap between theory and practice is always a challenging one to walk. Merging theological conviction with the daily actions of life is no easy practice.

How do you believe in God for healing while accepting the reality you may lose someone? If you know your friend's job is putting him into tough situations morally, what do you do? How do you encourage the downtrodden? What do you do when you find that the enemy has trapped you in a lie you created in hope to serve the Kingdom?

Living out our faith is a messy thing... because life is messy. People are messy. But the Gospel is clear. I don't know how to deal with all the situations I'm being hit with, but that's ok. It's refreshing to feel like I need God and to feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit rather than walk in pride and self-righteousness. I'm not sure what I'll do with the things I'm facing, or how I would advise others. But I know where to start:

Repentance and prayer

Pre-marital Counseling

2009-07-06T15:39:00.001-07:00

Last night Havalah and I had our first pre-marital counseling session. We were a bit nervous, as we asked a well known couple from our church, but later realized we didn't know them terribly well. We went over and had dinner with their family (they have 3 children) and after that sat down with them (Martin and Estelle).

As it turned out, God fully had his hand on the situation (who knew right?). We had an amazing time and learned that Martin & Estelle's relationship is quite similar to Havalah and I's - specifically personalities, etc. They were very helpful and even have blessed us by treating us to a day long "premarried's" conference. We're really excited for the next sessions ahead as we prepare for marriage.

A Few Little Changes

2009-07-05T16:19:00.002-07:00

Just a few minor changes. In the right toolbar there is now a search function for the blog. With this you can look up things from old posts without having to go through the archive.

Also, the DONATE button now leads to a link for giving through Praxis Church, and not PayPal. You can still give online and now it is tax deductible!

Taking a New Direction

2009-07-05T15:48:00.003-07:00

I have now completed a year as DTS staff. It has been an incredible journey as I've watched our students grow and be stretched in new directions. I have had the awesome opportunity to travel and minister in Fiji, the Solomon Islands and across New Zealand. Through it all God has moved in some amazing ways.

For the remainder of the year I am committed to staying on with Marine Reach Ministries, but my role will be changing. I will no longer be DTS, but am coming on board with the national tour. In a few months, the ship will take part in a nationwide campaign to call 30,000 young New Zealanders (or kiwis as they're called) to answer God's call on their lives, get serious about their faith and consider different options in missions locally and abroad. It is a vision that requires great faith, but we are expectant to see God move in great ways.

Havalah will come on board as well once we are married. We are still in the process of finding roles with the tour that seem to fit our abilities. We will likely be going into port cities ahead of the ship and speaking in high schools, churches and other forums. Please pray for us as we move forward in this area.

Free Range Flannel's debut album

2009-07-03T00:43:00.003-07:00

Before many of my friends left NZ, we discovered a garage sale. At this garage sale two of my friends, Lane and Ryan, got sweet flannel shirts. Later in the day we took some photos while playing in a tree. As I played around on Picasa, the following fake album cover was born:

NZ Outreach - Some Photos

2009-07-02T00:09:00.004-07:00

Just a few pics from the trip. For more check out the Picasa album.

Claire & Mirjam praying with a woman in Wellington

Ministering to homeless in Christchurch

Meeting the cast of Cats! in Auckland

A little diddy we made in Napier

Our communion that day: peanuts and water

Saad, our Saudi friend, with us on the road near Taupo

Claire and Jada with packs ready to go

Matt and the giant kiwi costume we found

NZ Outreach - Highlight Stories

2009-07-01T20:49:00.000-07:00

Jonathan is an Israeli backpacker that one of our DTS students met on the streets of Auckland before we sailed to Fiji in late March. She gave him her Bible and shared her faith with him, as he had many questions. In late May we ran into him in Christchurch - on the other side of the country! I was able to talk with Jonathan and share more from my faith, answering some of his questions and admitting I didn't have all the answers, but to search out God and the Scriptures of the Bible. As we parted ways my Jewish brother let me pray with him.

Jonathan and I

American students at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch offered to serve us dinner one night - all 9 of us! It was an awesome time of fellowship as we shared from our journey and planted seeds with our new hospitable friends. Havalah and I were even able to connect with one of them as we visited Christchurch last week.

Some of our new friends

A tree in Taupo was our home one night as we could find no other place to spend the night. One man in town offered to drive us to a campground, where Claire, Jada and I rolled out our sleeping bags and froze that night. As we lay in bed, listening to each and every noise I questioned God on what his plan was in this scenario. He responded by reminding me of his words in Matt. 6:

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

Early in the morning the same truck that dropped us off came around 7AM. The man's wife poked her head out and asked if we were hungry. She had brought us each hot breakfast from McDonald's and offered us a ride into town. Yup, God had done it again. Why did I doubt him?

Our makeshift camp site

I didn't want to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag

While in Napier three of us helped out with the Salvation Army Youth. They run a drop-in centre type place for teen guys. After hanging with the youth for a few hours, we were able to share our testimonies, talking about how God replaces your heart of stone with a heart of flesh. We were able to share with these young men about issues truly pertinent to being a godly young man.

Marie is a city worker I ended up talking with in Auckland. She was weeding a public park as we stumbled into a conversation that ended up lasting close to 45 minutes! She asked me about my faith, if I had doubts, etc. I was able to be real with her and share the redeeming love of the Gospel. She shared how she didn't feel like Christianity fit with her life because she was homosexual. God then opened up a door for me to apologize on behalf of the Church for how we single out homosexual sin as opposed to other forms of sexual sin (adultery, etc.). She received this with thanks, understanding that while I was apologizing for how we had dealt with the issue, I was not condoning the behaviour. She let me pray for her and hopefully we'll be in touch.

NZ Outreach - The Result

2009-07-01T20:47:00.003-07:00

As the 9 of us ventured out from Christchurch we saw God move in some really cool ways. With our 3 teams heading in different directions we talked and shared with hundreds of people. We distributed over 50 New Testaments. We gave out clothes and food to the needy. We stayed in numerous homes in over a dozen locations across New Zealand. We saw people put away addictions to alcohol. We shared with youth about God's power. We slept under a tree. We talked with Jews, athiests, Muslims, Christians, agnostics, homosexuals, heterosexuals, homeless, prostitutes, addicts, young and old. We engaged the Church and the lost.

We spent most of our time hitchhiking from one town to another. We would use this time to engage whoever picked us up. Sometimes they were locals, others were from Germany or Saudi Arabia. As we entered a town we had to trust God for a place to stay. Sometimes were taken in by a local church, other times we stayed with strangers, friends or family. Once we slept under a tree without a tent. In each town we would try to engaged people on video, with general conversation, through acts of service and by whatever other means necessary. We prayer walked through many towns and on the sides of many highways. We saw God move!

If you look on the map below, you can see where we traveled, ultimately ending in Auckland.

NZ Outreach - Laying Out the Plan

2009-07-01T20:15:00.005-07:00

Our team arrived in Christchurch on May 17th. We spent a few days there before splitting up into 3 teams (each with 1 guy, 2 girls, a cellphone, $10/day for food and other costs). The goal was to minister as God led while traveling up to Auckland and spend a few final days there doing ministry, concluding on June 4.

We had accomodation set for our first 2 nights in Christchurch. We did not have transport. We did not have much money for food. We had money to take the ferry across the Cook Strait. We didn't have an agenda. We had eager hearts.

As a leader it was challenging to release these 8 students and be challenged myself to trust God with whatever he had for us. Whether that meant hitchhiking, sleeping outside, going hungry, only staying in 1 city, etc. I knew I would have a hard time letting these teams go their own way and let God direct their steps. I never could have imagined what God would do...

NZ Outreach - Video Project

2009-07-01T20:14:00.002-07:00

As part of our 3 weeks of travel we sought to initiate conversation with people across the nation. Our goal: to discuss issues of faith and life and death, hoping to share the Gospel with them. One way we did this was to interview people on camera. We've compiled a selection of these interviews into one video. Check it out here (you may need to turn up the sound on your computer):

DTS: The End of an Era

2009-07-01T20:06:00.005-07:00

Yes, it's true I am in fact alive. It's been sometime since I've posted, and for that I apologize. Since my last post I have traveled across NZ with our outreach team - ministering from Christchurch to Auckland over 3 weeks - watched as our 16 DTS students graduated and many new friends left, completed my year as DTS staff, traveled to Christchurch with Havalah to visit friends and rest, and came down with a nasty cold.

Because of the immense number of days and stories that I want to cover, I'll put up a number of follow up posts here. Just remember that you can check out photos from DTS lecture phase and outreaches in Fiji, NZ and graduation on my Picasa Web Albums.

Havalah and I are now moving quickly towards our September 5th wedding date and are seeking supporters to commit until December. Please let us know if you are interested, as we need a total of $1850/month to sustain all that we are doing.

For more on the NZ outreach check out:

The Plan for 2009

2009-05-17T23:01:00.003-07:00

Havalah and I have been seeking God about what to do with the second half of this year. He came back to us with some crazy, awesome plans and we're excited to share them with you. Read about it here and please see how God would have you partner with us for the exciting adventures ahead.

Arrived in CHC!

2009-05-17T22:59:00.002-07:00

We have arrived in Christchurch with our team of 9 and are on the move. We'll be here for a few days and then continue on northward to Auckland over the next few weeks. Please keep us in your prayers as we don't have accommodation or transport set, but are trusting God along the way. I will try to update the blog but it may be sporadic as we'll be moving a lot. Many thanks.

Statistics from our Fiji Outreach

2009-05-15T19:35:00.001-07:00

During our 3 week outreach we treated many patients with varying conditions. Along the way we prayed with them and showed God’s love through relational living. The statistics are as follows for our 13 days of ministry:

1988 patients overall

Primary Health Care

760 patients

410 doctor consultations

314 nurse consultations

189 physical therapy and group education

Optical Care

653 patients

152 pairs prescription glasses distributed

344 pairs reading glasses distributed

Dental Care

575 patients

984 teeth removed (extractions)

249 teeth restored (fillings)

95 cleanings

I'm Alive - Last Days in Fiji

2009-05-14T20:09:00.002-07:00

Our time in Fiji is drawing to a close. After 3 weeks of sailing around various islands and visiting 4 villages, I'll be returning to NZ in a few days. It seems almost surreal looking back, as we brought optical, dental and basic medical care to almost 2000 patients in about 13 days of work. I spent much of that time helping out in dental registry and similar work. In dental alone we saw almost 600 patients and removed almost 1000 teeth! I'll try to post the actual numbers in a bit. God moved mightily as we saw people and whole villages touched by God. We in turn were very blessed by the hospitality of the Fijian people.

So I'm now in Suva, Fiji and in just over 48 hours will be on my way to Christchurch, NZ with 8 of our students. We'll continue on our outreach, traveling north across New Zealand, doing ministry and serving as God leads. Our plan is to be truly led by the Spirit, taking our bags and some money, but little to no planned transport or accommodation. I'll likely be out of contact for most of this time, so the blog will remain a little sparse til mid-June when things calm down. It's likely my inbox will creep up again in that time (it was 134 unread when I checked a few minutes ago).

Please be praying for our team of 9 as we split into even smaller teams, traveling NZ and serving the Lord. May he guide and bless you as you seek Him.

Staff Changes

2009-04-22T19:30:00.002-07:00

Recently we had a staff member who required unexpected medical attention. After many days between clinics and the hospital, her condition was stabilized. However, as we do not know what caused the incident (and the Fiji medical care system is not first rate) she'll be returning to her home country. We're sad to see her go, but want what is best for her. Unfortunately this leaves the staff with one less, taking on a bit more. Also, it means that I will be leading the NZ phase of outreach by myself. While this was unplanned, God has his hand in it and is bringing amazing things from it. Please keep our staff in prayer as we venture through these changes.

Sailing out!

2009-04-22T19:26:00.002-07:00

So we leave Lautoka tomorrow, sailing with the ship on outreach. For three weeks we'll do medical work - eye clinics, dental, basic medical service - and share the Gospel with the people of Kioa Island in Fiji. Following that I'll lead half the school as we travel across New Zealand. We don't have plans for lodging after the first two nights and have a very small food budget. We are trusting in God to provide and lead us along the way. Please keep us in prayer, that we would listen closely for the Lord's guidance and have a true heart for the lost. Wish I could share more but don't have a whole lot of time and will be out of contact in the weeks to come. Thank you so much for your prayers. Continue to endeavor on, we're still making the enemy upset.

Prayer: Making the Enemy Mad

2009-04-13T19:53:00.008-07:00

Our past 1.5 weeks in Fiji have been a really cool time of seeing God move. Last week God really brought us closer together as a school as we remembered Christ's sacrifice throughout the week. Last Wednesday night we put forth a big call on the school. We challenged the students, and ourselves, to not come forth and take communion until they were sure they were living in right relationship with EVERYONE on the school. This led to an evening session of repentance, forgiveness, sharing, confession and so much more. At the end of the night we had an overwhelming feeling of release and joy. We gave it another 24 hours and the following afternoon/evening took communion together.

However, these moments of truly seeking God's heart do not go unnoticed by Satan. As 1 Peter 5:8 states, "the devil prowls around... seeking someone to devour." He will do this by any means necessary, often attempting to bring fear and disunity. Last week one of our staff was hit in the head by an aluminum fan blade causing an injury that required 7 stitches and a few days rest. Recently another staff member has required some additional medical attention in an ongoing situation. These occurrences test our resolve as a staff and our firmness in Christ. With him as our center and our strength we can do all things, but it isn't always easy.

I'd like to ask you to stand with us in prayer. Especially as we walk through this latest staff situation and prepare to leave for outreach in less than 2 weeks. In all that goes on, God is not surprised and remains the victor! Thank you for your prayers and support.

Arrived in Fiji

2009-04-02T20:37:00.001-07:00

Hey guys! Just arrived after a 6 day sail to Lautoka, Fiji. We spent a lot of time resting in the 4 - 5 meter swells and I spent a lot of time seasick! Oh well, God is faithful and taught me endurance. I'll write more soon but it's tough as we are only in internet cafes and I don't have my laptop. We'll be in Lautoka for 3 weeks finishing our DTS lecture phase and then we'll begin outreach. Blessings,
Dahvede

Almost On the Seas

2009-03-23T00:00:00.005-07:00

So we're currently staying at another YWAM base in Matamata (a rural NZ town) at the moment. We're here until the end of the week while the ship is in dry-dock doing some routine inspection and repairs. After that we'll sail to Fiji, which takes 5-6 days, and then conclude lecture phase at the YWAM base in Lautoka, Fiji, til late April. The following 7 weeks will be outreach on the ship in Fiji and across NZ as well.

Havalah has been able to visit for two nights, which as been cool as we'll be seperated for almost 3 months when I sail out with the ship. This week our lectures are on missions and your calling. Our speaker, "Big Wave Dave," has spent 5 years serving in Afghanistan and is only 25!

Please be praying for:

the $25,000+ needed to cover further drydocking expenses
CALM SEAS during the sails
the Spirit to move mightily in these last weeks of lecture phase
discernment and miracles as we go out to outreach in a month or so
Havalah and I to be united in Christ as we are seperated during this season

I will not be uploading many photos or videos, much less blogging to much because of sporadic internet availability. When available I am often on slow connections and paying per MB. Sorry guys, all my love and thanks for your prayers and continued support.

Finding the Intimacy

2009-03-16T21:19:00.002-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that I strongly dislike the term "quiet time" and its implications. I think often times we as Christians believe that we have to have this set amount of time to spend with God each day, and if we don't have it we become less holy, and less in tune with God. Don't get me wrong, I fully appreciate and see the desperate need for spending time in the Word, in prayer and with God.

I think the issue lies in implications. We get caught up in the myth that we need a certain amount of time with God, that without it we are lost, that God doesn't speak or use people without their quiet times. This road leads to self-righteous legalism and condemnation. It is the road of works based righteousness that leaves us feeling accomplished in our spiritual checklist of "to-do's for Jesus" or depressed because we have not lived up to the standard Christ set.

We will never live up to the standard BECAUSE JESUS IS THE STANDARD. The point is that He saved us while we were still sinners, in our wretchedness and brokenness. And that we are always in a state of being healed by Him, never fully healed until the Day of Glory.

My conclusion is this: it is not the time, IT IS THE INTIMACY which is so important. God created us to live in relationship with Him, constantly. Not just for a few minutes in the morning or evening. It is both beneficial and essential to spend regular time in the Word, time in prayer, time listening and speaking with God. The problem comes if we become too regular in that time. We must always be striving to get away from our complacent selves into a deeper, more intimate walk with God, longing to see Him face-to-face and not being satisfied with our current level of intimacy. Asking God for more desire. Asking Him to take you deeper.

But be careful what you pray and ask for. It can be a frustrating, painful, rewarding, exhilarating walk. It may not be anything like you thought it would. But I guarantee IT IS WORTH IT!

Wedding Website

2009-03-15T20:24:00.003-07:00

Oh the miracles of modern technology. Havalah and I decided the best way to fill people in on what was going on with our wedding would be to create a website. We learned this from my friends Christer and Christi who did it for their wedding. While we are still getting the information up on the page, you can check it out here. The url is http://www.dahvedeandhavalah.com. It's a bit of a mouthful, but it works. Enjoy!

New Prayers Requests

2009-03-11T22:54:00.002-07:00

Hey friends,

There are some new prayer requests and praises posted. Be sure to check the link on the right column from time to time or click here.

First Outreach Meeting

2009-03-10T01:40:00.004-07:00

So tonight we had our first outreach meeting as a team. Last week the students prayed about which outreach location God was leading them to: Rabi Island in Fiji or New Zealand. As he spoke to each one, we ended up with two even teams of 8 students and 2 staff each.

I will co-lead the New Zealand team with my fellow staff member, Caroline (from Switzerland). We will spend three weeks traveling across New Zealand, trusting God to provide for our needs and give us a plan. This will be the most radical, faith-building thing I've ever done and I'm really excited. Over the next weeks we will be praying as a team, asking God how he wants us to prepare, what to take and what plans we are to make, or not make.

Tonight at our meeting we simply shared how God led us to this team, what the vision is for outreach and spent some time in prayer. I'm absolutely stoked for this outreach. We have an amazing bunch of students and a challenging but thrilling mandate from the LORD.

Please keep us in prayer as we seek God!

Cathedral Cove

2009-03-09T03:15:00.003-07:00

This past weekend we took a day trip to Cathedral Cove at the Coromandel Peninsula. It's a beautiful spot that is well known to tourists and also happens to have been where they did some filming for Prince Caspian in the Narnia series.

It's about a 2.5 hour drive each way, then a 30-40 minute light hike. Then you hit the gorgeous beach and cove where we hung in the surf and enjoyed ourselves.

On the hike back I realized that I had left my camera in the changing room, and had to run halfway back to get it, then all the way back to the parking lot. But I made great time and God blessed me by keeping my camera safe. Here are just a few pictures from the trip, check out the whole album here.

Blogging Neglect and Leaving Port

2009-03-09T02:51:00.002-07:00

Within a 5 days our ship will be leaving port for the next 6 months. What this means is that in that time the ship needs to be prepared with food, supplies and so much more for the next 6 months of sailing and outreaches. I need to move rooms, pack most of my stuff and prepare to leave Tauranga for the next 3 months. I have to ensure that Havalah has everything she needs to continue wedding planning while I am gone. I need to contact churches and supporters when I can with updates on life and plans for the rest of 2009. And I need to tend to all my regular responsibilities. (Luckily filing my taxes just got put on the "completed" list).

I'm asking for your grace on the blog, I'll try to get as much up before I leave as I can. I'll be in sporadic internet contact over the next 3 months, so it may be business only. Here is our schedule, more or less:

14 March - Sail to Great Barrier Island

19 March - Sail to Auckland to drydock

28 March - 6 day sail to Fiji

Continue lectures until

24 April - outreach on ship in remote Fiji Islands

15 May - DTS teams split, my team to NZ for outreach

11 June - DTS graduation

~ 14 June - Dahvede returns to regular internet contact

Video Log: The Latest of 2009

2009-03-03T02:21:00.001-07:00

As I haven't blogged in a bit I also wanted to include a video log. Check out my smiling face and get news on what's been happening, the upcoming outreach and sailing, and my new goat(ee) - we're not really sure what it is. Enjoy!

Finally New Photos

2009-03-03T02:11:00.002-07:00

So I've been super slack about blogging lately, and especially about putting up new photos. I'd like to thank Tim for pointing this one out to me. So please check out some new pics I put up in my Picasa album here.

Some pictures include our new students, hanging out at a waterfall in Gideon's Fields, and the baptism of two students. It's pretty sweet!

Random Poster

2009-02-06T12:53:00.001-07:00

The captain of our ship, Jeremy, also happens to be my neighbor aboard. One of his passions is proper abstinence education, sharing the heart of God for holding sex until marriage. Needless to say, the other day I walked up to my room to find this poster on my door. I found it amusing and thought I would share it with you all.

Got Your Sword?

2009-02-01T02:10:00.003-07:00

Recently we've been really focusing on the Sword of the Spirit, as well as the armor of God in respect to spiritual warfare. Because of this, we decided to get all the staff plastic swords as a visual reminder. I liked it so much I thought I would share some pictures with you.

The staff with our swords

A collage I made with our staff photos and another sword shot

Some of the school in front of the waterfall at Gideon's Fields

Chilling by the fall

Waiting to go to a powhiri

Sefo and Semi working on the ship

Chilling in the mess hall

The Hard Road of Discipleship

2009-02-01T01:50:00.003-07:00

Recently I was talking with one of the other staff about how discipleship can be a difficult process at times. When dealing with people in tough situations, it is easy to desire to make results, enforce policies and tell others what to do. But this isn't discipleship. Discipling is based upon relationship and in that relationship you cannot force your will on another person.

In all things ministry, and life in general, Jesus is our model to follow. He's the one true example. So consider this: Jesus discipled Judas. Yeah, the very man who would betray him to the death. It must have been hard to disciple a close friend who would deny you 3 times like Peter, or even a doubter like Thomas. But Judas? Wow, talk about a tall order. With that in mind, I'm committed to following in the footsteps of my Lord, to disciple even the undesired ones if God places them in my path. Think about it, discipling Judas... thank the Lord that he leads by example.

What does it mean to be DTS staff?

2009-01-30T16:59:00.003-07:00

When I was first raising support, I found myself having a hard time explaining what it is that I would be doing as DTS staff. The explanation I often used was that I was "like a Christian camp counselor for young adults," but for a longer period of time, with greater intensity and quite a bit more work. It kind of paints the picture, but like many things you can't fully understand them until you've been there.

Having staffed a school now and being on to the second one I think my perspective has changed a bit. I was sitting in church on Sunday when God gave me this explanation of what DTS is about:

Our goal is to equip soldiers for the Kingdom to go out, think for themselves and to fight. To love their Lord: engaging culture with the weapons of prayer, worship and service. To not just hold the course, but to dig in deep and make more than a dent in the plans of the Enemy.

Week One, Said and Done

2009-01-30T16:39:00.002-07:00

So our DTS has finally begun! We have 16 students from the UK, Denmark, Switzerland, the USA, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and South Africa. The first week of the class is usually basic orientation and settling in. However, this week the Holy Spirit has really been moving and we've already seen some serious breakthrough. It's been truly amazing to be a part of the staff serving this group of students for this season.

Additionally, God has speaking to me a lot lately about how we are in a fight. The fact that spiritual warfare is part of everyday life is becoming more of a reality to me. I'm seeing that every bit of praise, encouragement, criticism, etc., has an effect in the spiritual realm. Jesus said that whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven (Matthew 16.19, 18.18). He used the same words twice in Matthew to point out that what we do in the physical carries on to the spiritual.

The obvious tools for battle here are prayer and worship. But we must see that the little things - how we act and treat people in our hearts - are huge aspects of the war. They are the beginnings of the battle. Every little thing we think, say, or don't, has an effect. We must start living like we are in a war, not like this is peacetime.

One Reason We Need to Pray for Our Leaders

2009-01-26T23:49:00.004-07:00

** The original text of this post was removed due to a change of relevance. I've left the ending in as it is the point of the whole post.**

What I simply take away from all this is the absolute importance that we pray for the leaders of our nations! It is imperative. Scripture makes a point that those in authority are placed there by God. Let us pray for their salvation and sanctification as they make decisions that affect us, our nations and our world.

Covering Our Needs

2009-01-24T19:51:00.002-07:00

I was reflecting on God's provision the other day. It came about as Havalah had been stressed because she has been looking for work for many months now, but the economy being what it is, she hasn't found anything permanent. This became quite stressful as her brother, who is two years younger and has been looking for only a few weeks, was recently hired at a local supermarket. When I look back, I see how God has provided for Havalah.

While I was on outreach she found work for a start-up IT company. Not much but enough to keep her going. When the holidays concluded the IT job didn't have enough work for her. Within a week or so God provided something else. For the next few weeks she will be picking blueberries at a local farm. It doesn't pay much, but it covers her needs. It has been really cool seeing the promises of God in action daily - as he promises to cover our needs, not our wants and desires.

As Jesus says,

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

-Matthew 6.25-33

An Excerpt from John Piper

2009-01-24T04:05:00.005-07:00

I've just started getting back into reading "Let the Nations Be Glad!" by John Piper. It is a book on missions and how God is the center of it all. I wanted to share a recent excerpt that I found quite interesting and eye opening.

Life is war. But most people do not believe this in their heart. Most people show by their priorities and their casual approach to spiritual things that they believe we are in peacetime, not wartime.... In wartime, familes talk about the sons and daughters on the front lines and write to them and pray for them with heart-wrenching concern for their safety. In wartime, we are on the alert. We are armed. We are vigilant. In wartime, we spend money differently....

Very few people think that we are in a war that is greater than World War II or any imaginable nuclear war. Few reckon that Satan is a much worse enemy than any earthly foe or realize the the conflict is not restricted to any one global theater but is in every town and city in the world. Who considers that the casualties of this war do not merely lose an arm or an eye or an earthly life but lose everything - even their own soul - and enter a hell of everlasting torment?

....Until we feel the force of this, we will not pray as we ought. We will not even know what prayer is.

I found these words to be strong, bold and quite true. We are all guilty of losing sight of this war we are in. But if we remind each other, hold each other accountable, pray and live like we are in a war, then perhaps we can start to really take more ground.

The Calm Before the Storm

2009-01-21T20:05:00.003-07:00

So the next DTS begins on Monday officially, but the students begin coming in tomorrow. Less than 24 hours from now, the first of 18 students, representing 8 countries, will arrive in Tauranga. From there will begin the 5 month adventure that we call DTS. Between class lectures, journals, worship, prayer times, small groups, one-on-ones, trips, games, outreach and so much more we will grow together as a family. I'm real excited. Not sure what else to say at this point. Take a deep breath because here we go.

Staff Training

2009-01-16T20:45:00.002-07:00

Yesterday we began staff training. This involves myself, the other three DTS staff (Hayley, Lane and Caroline), our DTS leader (Cheyne), training director (Patty) and interim training director (Linda). We cover all kinds of things in the 4 or so full on days we have. Different things like personality types, teamwork, communication styles, the core principles of our ministry, our goals and vision, how to handle certain situations, and the overall ideas of how to run the school.

It's a really cool time that allows us to grow and function as a team, in the Lord. Please be praying for us as we prepare ourselves and the ship for the arriving 19 students that will be joining us. Please pray for our relationships and that we would remain close to God, relying on Him. Also please pray for Havalah and I at this time, as DTS will become a primary focus for me over the next 5 months.

Bye Bye Prayer Wall?

2009-01-11T03:33:00.001-07:00

Some of you may know that I created a link on my blog to what I call the "Prayer Wall." Essentially what that is an open page for prayer requests not from me, but from you, the readers, friends, etc. That was the goal at least. The few requests on there were added directly by me, from people I had talked/ministered to directly. So here is the deal. Unless I receive a great response from people, I'll just delete it. The blog is still open to prayer requests and such, just not a direct forum. So speak now, or forever hold your peace.

Learning to Love...

2009-01-11T03:28:00.000-07:00

My break period between schools is fast coming to an end this week. Soon we’ll begin staff training and another group of students will be here and it’ll be June before I know it. My goal had been to do a lot of personal study and organizing while on break. As it turns out, I have spent little time in the books, but learned lots.

I’ve learned about loving people and praying with them, maintaining friendships and pursuing the Gospel, even across years and thousands of miles. I’ve learned more about how important family is. I’ve learned about different marital and family relationships. I’ve encountered different people from other nations and walks of life.

But I think one of the most important things I’ve taken with me, and continue to, is how to love my fiancé. I’ve absolutely enjoyed talking and planning for our wedding, pending marriage and future children. Discussing the pitfalls to avoid and the things to focus on. Learning to pray and read Scripture together, asking God how it applies to us where we are. To truly enjoy the idea of being married, preparing for that, and knowing what it is to look my future bride in the eye and say, “I love you.” I’d never told a woman that, not in that context, until three weeks ago. Today, I say it often, I mean it, and I’m excited for what God has in the days ahead for me and the woman that I love.

Skype Ministry

2009-01-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

This morning I was reading an old article about Apple, Google and Facebook and the technology battle to bring forth a new platform. The author essentially was covering the evolution of technology and strategies in the marketplace and showing how these three companies are always reinventing themselves to be on the cutting edge. This brought me to my latest conclusion: God uses all things to share the Gospel, including the latest technology.

While Skype is not exactly "cutting edge," it's a program I use quite frequently to keep in touch with friends worldwide. Essentially, it's a program that allows you to make cheap international phone calls to any phone worldwide, and free computer-to-computer calls that can include video. This has been priceless to me for keeping up with friends, talking with family, maintaining an international relationship with Havalah, etc.

While talking with old friends, God opened up a whole new door of ministry to me this past week. He allowed me to get in touch with friends, some of who I had only talked to sparingly in the past few years, and remind them of Christ's love and forgiveness. Two friends were previously church going, Bible believing, stand-up Christians. They have been worn down by complacency, college life, various family struggles and more. God allowed me to talk with them, read and study scripture together and pray over them. It was an amazing blessing.

Then there was another friend of mine who told me he had to confess something. I was a bit trepidatious when I called him, not sure of what awaited me on the other end. Upon calling, my friend began to confess how he and his girlfriend had crossed some physical boundaries - nothing irreversible, but definitely infringing on a number of boundaries. God then opened up a time of encouragement, prayer and counsel as the Holy Spirit began to lead our conversation. It was truly an awesome time.

Despite spending many days with Havalah and her family, my times on Skype have been the highlights of my past week. Thank you so much to those of you who have let me talk and pray with you these past few days. Please keep these individuals in prayer.

Penn talking about a Bible

2009-01-09T01:39:00.001-07:00

My friend Clayton posted this on his Tumblr. I thought it was real interesting and worth 5 minutes of my time. It's Penn, from the comedian du0 Penn and Teller, talking about a man who gave him a Bible.

Issues at Hand: Human Trafficking

2009-01-05T13:27:00.004-07:00

I have a few weeks before things really get kicking for the next DTS which starts up. Please be praying for God to continue to bring students from around the world to this school. In the meantime I've been looking at different things online while doing other work. I was recently informed of a ministry called Love 146. They are a ministry that focuses on children who are being trafficked and sold as human slaves. For those of you unaware, I encourage you to take 10 minutes and Google human trafficking and the estimated statistics. More people are considered slaves today than double that of the African-Slave Trade and the human trafficking industry has an estimated gross of $32 billion a year. You can also check out information from International Justice Mission (IJM). They are a group that works against all kinds of injustice, including slavery and sex trafficking. They work from a legal standpoint as well as with victim relief and other means. Please be praying for these issues of injustice around the world and if you see God placing them on your hard look into how you can get involved.

Jesus is the true...

2009-01-01T18:14:00.002-07:00

I was looking over some friends blogs and found this quote, originally by Dr. Tim Keller, on the blog of my pastor, Justin Anderson, from Praxis Church in Tempe, AZ. Keller gave this quote at the Resurgence conference in Seattle in 2006. I love it because it sums up who Jesus is, his significance in scripture and how that pertains to each us quite succinctly.

"Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, “Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son whom you love from me,” now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, “Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.”

Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk losing an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.

Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us. He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.

The Bible’s really not about you — it’s about Him."

New Year's Announcement

2008-12-29T16:45:00.001-07:00

Just click play. You may want to turn up your sound

The Facebook Space-Time Continuum

2008-12-28T13:21:00.005-07:00

I've always enjoyed messing with people and explaining that I am "in the future." Due to the time difference, NZ is more or less a day ahead of the United States, but a few hours back. Thus I was perplexed by a message I received from my brother on Facebook the other day. It told me that he had written on my wall tomorrow, at a given time. I don't know how this is possible, even with the time difference he should have been writing on my yesterday. I have no ideas how this could be possible. My only conclusion is that there must be some kind of disruption in the Facebook Space-Time Continuum.

Engagement: The Photos

2008-12-26T00:23:00.002-07:00

Our first engagement photo, from this morning

My new fiance with her ring, quite excited!

The ring, in close up

Where I proposed - the upper of the two rocks

Engagement: The Story

2008-12-26T00:11:00.004-07:00

As anyone knows, I don’t know how to tell a short story. So, in the interest of your sanity I’ll try to keep this short(er) than I would tell it in person – leaving out the ½ hour back story, endless details and continually seeming closing thoughts. Here is my account of the proposal. For Havalah's see her blog.

After 2 years of dating, many conversations on the matter and much prayer, I felt the time was right to propose to Havalah. And so on Christmas Eve we decided to go for a hike and a picnic. I awoke that morning, frustrated by the sheets of rain pouring down on the city. I returned to bed, praying for the day to clear and dozing in and out of consciousness. By midday it began to clear and we headed to Mount Maunganui for our hike.

It was a nice 40-minute hike to the summit, from which you can see all of Tauranga, as well as the ocean. I led Havalah to a large rock overlooking the city, framed by foliage. It was a beautiful spot that I had picked out the week earlier when planning out the proposal. We enjoyed a lunch of cheese rolls and ham we had picked up on the way over. Then I excused myself to go to the restroom.

As I walked away I dropped an envelope in Havalah’s lap that said: Read Me. The contents of which led her around the summit, looking down at different locations: each bearing a special memory from parts of our courtship. Meanwhile I was not actually relieving myself, but meeting up with my friend Lane who had brought a guitar up to the summit for me. He promptly left the summit as I was practicing at the lookout. I was perplexed as a random woman asked if she could take a photo of me playing. I obliged nervously, praying Havalah didn’t return to find me being photographed by a strange woman. She didn’t.

When Havalah returned I was standing there and I could tell she knew what was up. I walked with her back to our lookout, not saying much. She sat, and seeing the guitar, was quite unsure of what was next. I picked it up and began to sing Grow Old With You by Adam Sandler in The Wedding Singer. I had gotten Lane to teach it to me the week prior. As she sat dumbfounded, unsure of what to do or say, I dropped to my knee. Neither of us truly remembers what was said, but it ended with, “Havalah Moriah Faith Mears, will you do me the honour and the privilege of being my wife?” During the course of which I pulled out the three-stone, princess cut ring I had gotten a few weeks previous.

She said yes!

After a long embrace we celebrated over bottles of Smirnoff Ice, not a strong drink but our favourite. (18 is the legal drinking age in New Zealand.) I told her that I loved her for the first time in our relationship, something we had both committed to not saying to anyone but our fiancé and eventual spouse. And we talked about all the things we had held back until this point. We then quickly returned to her parents’ house to relay the news.

Video Log: Special Announcement

2008-12-25T22:37:00.001-07:00

Video Log: Xmas and More

2008-12-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

New Promo Video

2008-11-20T15:15:00.002-07:00

As we are going through a big season of change with Marine Reach, a new promotional video has recently been made. This is not the final cut, but it's so good I wanted to share it with you all. I think it does an amazing job of laying out the different functions of Marine Reach Ministries. So feel free to check it out.

Solomon Islands: Construction

2008-11-17T16:01:00.001-07:00

This post is part of a series of posts first begun with this post. Please feel free to read back and see the others.

So throughout our time in the Solomons we did some construction work. On the YWAM base in Honiara we were able to help lay a concrete foundation that will later be turned into a girl's dormitory. This allows them to run more schools or hold more staff than they currently are at, helping to grow their ministry and allow them to impact more people with the Gospel in the Solomons and the world.

Though comical in hindsight, it was tough work as we had a broken concrete mixer and had to do our mixing by hand. It was tedious, but allowed us more time together as a group as we were able to share and discuss during this time.

Later on we also worked with a group called Short Workshops in Missions (SWIM). They are currently building a training center for disabled persons in the Solomons. This live-in center would allow locals with a disability to come in and receive job and life training over a period of 3 to 12 weeks. This is most crucial as in the culture disabled persons have little to no value, having a skill allows them to help provide for their families. Our team was able to help set holes for and place around 70 fence posts. This required digging in the hot sun in soil and dirt, mixing more concrete by hand and leveling out the posts and aligning them.

All in all the construction work we did was hard but good and is one of the opportunities to serve God gave us that will have a lasting impact.

Summary of Solomon Islands

2008-11-17T13:45:00.002-07:00

Ok, so I left things in a bit of a shambles before I left as time was quite limited. Myself and co-leader, Lauren, led a team of 10 DTS on the first part of our outreach: the Solomon Islands. We were there from 21 October until 14 November. Tomorrow we leave for the South Island with our other 5 students and staff to finish the outreach.

Due to lack of time and poor internet cafes, I have decided to do a series of posts now, summarizing points from the trip. It was an amazing time, and unfortunately there isn't enough time now to reflect on it all, so I will try to be brief in my posts while still painting a solid picture of what all went on. I hope you enjoy.

To start, here is a fun pic we took between work projects. We call it Solomon Gothic, after its inspiration, American Gothic.

Where are the Solomon Islands ???

2008-10-20T02:55:00.008-07:00

I have realized that few of you probably know where the Solomon Islands are, or much about their current state. Fair enough, neither did I before 2 or 3 months ago.

To put it briefly, the Solomon Islands are a "Christian" nation of about 1/2 million people in the South Pacific. Located just east of Papa New Guinea, the country contains over 100 different dialects and while the national language is English, pidgin is the cultural norm for conversation.

The nation is known for its diving. However in past years a tsunami damaged towns in the main diving area. Additionally, political unrest since 2001 has left a multi-national coalition known as RAMSI assisting in the reabilitation of the Solomon Islands government and infrasctructure. The average income is around $2000 USD per year.

Location in Pacific

The islands

The Solomon Islands flag

I'll Fly Away or Leaving for Outreach

2008-10-20T02:48:00.002-07:00

This morning Lauren, my co-leader, and I sat down with our team of ten students. We went over a few announcements and then, one by one, washed their feet and prayed with them. It was an awesome time of unity building and humbling for us all, as we followed it with prayer and confession.

We're all packed and in only a few short hours we will begin the 2.5 hour drive to Auckland, followed by our two flights (AKL - Brisbane - Honiara) to arrive in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon Islands. It'll be almost a day's journey altogether.

In the upcoming 3.5 weeks we'll be involved wherever there is need and plans are still coming together. Some of our known work will be with a few building projects - one laying the foundation for a YWAM training building- as well as children's ministry. Itineraries are still being set, so please keep our ministry in your prayers.

As my only internet access will be sporadic times in cafes, and I'll have plenty of catching up to do, this will likely be my last, or one of few posts, for the coming weeks. I'll try to keep you all updated as best I can. My deepest thanks for your interest, prayers and support.

The Final Weekend

2008-10-18T14:55:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night we had a commissiong ceremony for the two teams going out. The Samoa team left Friday night and we had a carwash the following morning to help raise funds for our building project. Here are some pictures from our last weekend before outreach.

The Samoa team

The Solomons Team

Worship at the commissioning

The whole DTS - both teams combined

Duncan washing cars

Working hard

Recruiting customers, oh yeah!

Turning the Page

2008-10-15T22:02:00.002-07:00

It seems like it was only a short while ago that I was going through staff training and then picking up the students from the airport after anticipating the arrival of each individual. Yet 3 months has gone by and suddenly lecture phase is over. In only a few days we will leave for outreach. Wow.

Yesterday morning we spent time debriefing. Sharing primarily about our highs and lows of these past 12 weeks, what we've learned and how God has grown us. It was really cool hearing the students share about what really touched them, as well as getting feedback as a staff member. Tonight the team we are sending to Samoa (5 students and 2 staff) leaves. They'll be gone for 4 weeks and then we'll meet up in NZ and head to the South Island for 3 more weeks of outreach. Should be awesome.

In other news, we have all the funds we need for airfare! We are still raising money for our 1200 building project in the Solomons, but all the other money is in and it's a huge prayer request.

Learning to Laugh at Myself Like God Does

2008-10-13T02:12:00.003-07:00

This past week has been a bit stressful planning last minute details for outreach as we leave in a few days. Most recently I was staying up late, changing itineraries and trying to put together our budget. The situation arose where we essentially needed to alter the majority of our planned schedule for the Solomon Islands, about a week before our arrival.

I was stressing and praying in my room, crunching numbers til 1 in the morning. As I was finishing an email, looking it over, I noticed the signature at the bottom of my email - my name, blog link, Marine Reach Ministries and then a key verse:

The heart of man plans his way,

but the LORD establishes his steps.

Proverbs 16.9 (ESV)

At this point I couldn't help but smile. In that instant I was humbled by my own key verse I sent out with every email. It's moments like this where I am convinced that God just laughs at me. He sees me freaking out over some tiny issue and just laughs. We need to remember that God has a sense of humor and sometimes laughs at us, not just with us. Sometimes we deserved to be laughed at so we can learn to lighten up.

Stones of Remembrance: God's Provision

2008-10-13T01:41:00.003-07:00

5 weeks ago we as a staff informed the DTS that we needed to raise $13,600 NZ for airfare to the Solomon Islands and Samoa. At the time it seemed like a mountain quite steep to climb, and I'll be honest I was unsure of what would happen.

Today we as a staff stood before our 15 students and informed them of our current need, less than $1000! Within the past 5 weeks God has provided almost 13,000 dollars through fundraising ventures, friends back home and even amongst our own team. There have been numerous little miracles and anonymous donations along the way - including almost $3000 coming in today alone! I want to thank all of you for your prayer and financial support during this time. It's been amazing seeing how various people are praying and contributing in their own way.

When the Israelites crossed over the Jordan River, into the promised land, the water was stopped up. But first God asked them to step into the river, that the soles of their feet would touch the flowing water. I feel like God has put us in that position, with our whole school behind waiting and watching to see what God will do, just like the entire nation of Israel (see Joshua 3-4). It was after all this occured that the people set up stones of remembrance in that place, so that they could look back and be reminded of God's faithfulness in their lives. To me, this provision is one of many stones of remembrance for our outreach team and me as an individual.

What little miracles and provisions have you seen God do lately? Where has he given you the opportunity to lay down stones of remembrance; have you done so? If you're not sure ask God to show you, to help you look and see all that he has done for you.