Dunedin Blessings

I found free internet!! It's at the public library here in Dunedin.

We decided that the camp ground we stayed at the first night here was way too far outside of the city for us to enjoy Dunedin at all, so we decided to head back into town and see if a friend of Mikes had gotten back to us about a place to stay yet, nope. I did however run into the two Dutch girls who had given us a ride last weekend from Wanaka to Queenstown and they told us that the place where they were staying still had rooms available, so we headed that way.

Then it got really sweet because when we walked in, we saw the YWAM group checking in at the same time. We met this group last week in Queenstown and even spent the day hiking with two of them. They did there DTS, or training session, outside of Christchurch and are now toward the end of their traveling time spreading the love of Christ to backpackers along the way. The DTS was focused on backpacker ministry, how cool is that!

So we quickly made friends with the ones we didn't know very well and had a wonderful evening of fellowship. Mike got a chance to play a real guitar and I could tell it was really good for his soul. Mike has been learning hard lessons about the sufficiency of Christ this trip and even more so after finding out that the girlfriend he had before the trip has already started dating someone else, that's hard. The great thing is that the Lord has been using it. He has Mike talking about the Lord's strength and all encompassing love, even in times of hardship.

I got to talk to one of the DTS guys from Norway about the Lord and some of what He is doing around the world, and it was good for my soul. It was great to talk on the same level about the things that the Lord is doing in our hearts as well as the rest of the world, with someone that is on a separate continent! It was a blessed evening for sure.

The WYAM folks cooked pizza for us and a girl from Colorado and a guy from Israeli. The Dutch girls, B and Charlotte cooked too much pasta later that evening so dinner number two was tasty as well, is was wonderful times. The fellowship at dinner was the best we have had since we have been in NZ. Hanging out with other believers from Switzerland, Norway, Canada, even California : ) was an awesome experience. Eating dinner with Dutch and Israelis was also a wonderful thing. I have enjoyed immensely getting to interact and learn from these cultures and countries outside of mine. Wow there has been so much!

I also got to see some evangelising going on in the backpacker, they answered questions from seeking souls. It was so right. It's also very evident that unless God moves nothing happens within the human soul. Pray for the people that we come into contact with, that God would already be working in there hearts, softening it, tearing away at the lies that they hold onto! I also pray that God continues to teach me boldness and gives me the words that people need to hear. He is so GOOD!

This morning I got to overhear one of the YWAM guys talking to a pastor from Malaysia who is studying here in Dunedin, this guy already has a PhD in theology, Greek and Hebrew. Whoa! He is brushing up on his studies before accepting a new pastoral job.

What a place huh, just a simple out of the way backpackers that God has God totally orchestrated all of these people coming together, believers and non believers, in a perfect, God glorifying way and it is great to be a part of it!

Reading 1 Cor. where Paul talks about becoming whatever he needs to be in order to reach non believers has never been more real than is is here. What a great way for the Lord to drive these verses home than surrounding me with, literally, Jews and Gentiles all believing different things and from different countries. AWESOME

Pray for us, pray for Mike's heart, pray that I would continue to grow and be used. Pray that we continue to get to where we need to be, many times this is not even where we want to be but it's great the way the Lord works!!! Thank all of you so much, many of you are in my prayers, send me a message about anything new I can be praying for and let me share in the blessings that the Lord has for you.