Apr - Jul 2024

Friends,

Our work and life continues here in Aotearoa New Zealand. We are so grateful for the ways God has provided flourishing work and ministry spaces for us here. Some work and ministry highlights:

Easter Camp. Michael got to speak to a gathering of thousands of teens from all over the North Island, sharing the BIG STORY of the Bible, that "God is with us in the dark, giving light to us, shining light through us, flooding the world with God's glorious goodness." And then he smashed a bunch of glassware on stage and shared that, like Kintsugi pottery, God delights in resurrection, restoration, in reclamation, in redemption. He takes the brokenness of the world and the brokenness of our own hearts and restores and makes beautiful what was broken. This is good news for us! for the world! for these teengagers! It was amazing to see the Holy Spirit use Michael to draw many young people deeper into God's love during Easter Camp.

Michael on stage at Easter Camp

Lots of time for play at Easter Camp. Jubilee here with Reese.

The kids and I got to attend Easter Camp as well. This is us with some of the youth leaders and teens.

The Psalms Conference. Michael also recently organized a conference with the goal to show "how the Bible's songbook can shape worship and witness in Aotearoa." Speakers, songwriters, worship leaders from around Aotearoa, the Pacific, and the world came together to teach, learn, write songs, and worship together. God has gifted us with words to give back to Him... words of praise and thanksgiving, words of rage and lament, words of sorrow and suffering, words demanding action and response. The psalms are bold and humble. They are words for God, from God. For us, and they can be from us to God. What a gift the Psalms are. And what a gift this conference was to the church here.

The Psalms Conference

Michael played host to several of the international speakers, including renowned biblical scholars Ellen Davis, Jill Firth, and Rico Villanueva. Day trip to Piha was a must!

"Rewa Pac." This is a HUGE answer to prayer!! Remember how I said Soufpac is a Bible kids club for 7-11 year olds and that older kids can miss out after they age out? Well, God has provided a next step. I have been able to start "Rewa Pac," (official name still yet to come, but one of the girls suggested this name as a placeholder), a small group of 12-year old girls who graduated from Soufpac but didn't have a "next step." We meet Monday afternoons after school. We are exploring who God is and who we are. We chat, have a snack (and hot chocolate! it's winter here) :), play together, and then look at God's Word together. Please pray for this group! that God would use this group to help them grow in a love for God and others.

Rewa Pac girls and our kids play together often. This is one of the many joys of living where we work.

Reading Groups. Since the start of the school year in January, I have been meeting twice weekly with 6th/7th grade small groups at the school to offer extra reading support for students who need it. This has been a such a joy. We are seeing the students grow as readers, writers, and thinkers. Anyone who has ever taught anything knows that this is the dream... to see students grow! Two bonuses to this job: I get to see Isaiah, Ames, Nova, and Jubilee regularly (we all walk to school together and see each other on breaks and at lunchtime), and I get to read amazing books. Two of my groups are reading The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, one group is reading Prince Caspian, and another group is reading The Diary of Anne Frank. We try to read both fiction and non-fiction, and all kinds of genres. We are reading about "Water" in one group, and it is fascinating! And what great questions students ask! We pick books based on the students' interest, and it has been amazing to see what they pick and how they engage. Please pray for these groups! Pray for these students. Many of them this is their last year in the "full primary school." Next year many of them head to "college" (what Americans call high school) and in this neighborhood there is a huge drop off in school attendance once kids leave primary school. Kids leave school for all sorts of reasons, but many of them are leaving as early as 13 or 14 years old. I am still learning so much, and am often surprised at what I am learning, and the pressures that these young people are facing. Pray that these kids grow in their love of learning and in their ability to persevere despite obstacles. These skills and dispositions are so important as they grow up and face many challenges.

Soufpac. Our kids Bible club continues to go well. One day I was teaching the creation story and sharing about how everything belongs to God. We talked about how God created the sun and the moon, the animals, humans... And then I asked, "So what belongs to God?" Without skipping a beat, Dreystar exclaimed, "POWER belongs to God." Amen. From the lips of children You, Lord, have called forth Your praise.

Soufpac end-of-term outing to Bounce

We are God's masterpiece!! Learning with Lego at Soufpac

Skate park swordplay

Skittles and the creativity of God

His glasses are way cooler than mine

Three cheers for Soufpac hoodies!

Soufpac pizza night

We have been blessed with meaningful work, and we've had a lot of joys outside of work as well. :) Jubilee turned 7! and keeps losing teeth (the tooth fairy is having a hard time keeping up!), Isaiah becomes more proficient in chess every day, Nova reads and writes almost as much as her dad (who is a published author), and Ames is quite the poised footballer (soccer player) these days. Here are some photos that capture some of what we have been up to...

Princess Jubilee

Skateboarder Jubilee. It's official: Jubilee is way braver than her mom.

Jubilee with her school buds at her birthday party

Jubilee got a family Auckland Zoo membership for her birthday! Immediately before this picture we watched a lioness hunt, catch, and consume a fish.

Raclette for Isaiah/Jubilee family birthday celebration

Lord of the Rings board game birthday gift is Isaiah's happy place.

Birthday outing with Dad... blackwater rafting!

(literally) stopping to smell the roses at the Hamilton Gardens

Ames: knock knock knock

Coach Ronald and the South Auckland chess champions

They head to Chess Nationals next month! They are fundraising now, so feel free to give here.

Nova and Jubilee canoeing with Dad at Raglan Pancake Rocks

Ames getting eaten by a dragon

Nova and friends writing (and performing) a love song to cheese sticks

Camping (and beaching) at Tāwharanui Regional Park. We spotted the elusive kiwi at night!

Family walk at Mount Eden

"I am not left handed."

Saturday soccer

School dance

Michael and Andrew at Carey graduation. Andrew has been Michael's boss since working at Carey, and finished his time at Carey last month. He and his wife Margaret have been so kind to our family. We are glad they still live in town, but we will miss their more regular presence in our lives!

puzzle

puzzle done

that sunset

I spot a mosaic Nova biker

pretty leaves, even prettier smiles

board games fireside. Can life get better?

Knock knock knock. I thought we were having car trouble. It's just a sea gull banging on our roof. Nova and I got a kick out of this.

Michael's workmate Chris treated he and the boys to a Blues rugby game. It rained on them for three hours straight.

When Auckland gives you lemons, Nova makes lemonade. Yummy! So many people have lemon trees in their yard here, and we figure out lots of ways to eat (and drink) them!

All four kids were in their biannual school production. They all did an amazing job!

Nova is an elephant and Jubilee is a lilac-breasted roller. Nova and Jubilee made these costumes!

Isaiah was one of the main characters, and Ames has already started scheming with the production director, Mrs. V, about what the next production will be in two years!