since the blogs purpose is to tell you about the new events of my life I think its time I share about someone who has been very significant to me. Nearly two months ago I was a leader at a youth conference called HM rage. Every morning the leaders got together to talk and pray for the youth. Every morning Danny Hungerford sat across the room from me until the second last day. In New Zealand they often have a water jug with dirty and clean cups on either side. Being a naive canadian I go to grap a dirty cup. Danny kindly pointed out this mistake... and so went our first conversation. A week later Im doing some baking in capernwray. I am wearing long johns with moose on them for boys ages 7-11 with a second hand sweater. My teeth have most likely not been brushed. Danny decides to stop for a vistit... and so goes our second conversation. We had a milo at capernwray but every capernwray student was staring so we left for a walk. Conversation was easy. I was pretending I wasnt nervous. He opened doors, let me wear his sunglasses, wore his collar up. NOrmally I wouldnt get together with someone two days in a row but I told my self it didnt count because the day before was so short so I ended up going to Raglan beach with him sunday aft.
My last blog talked about living on a friends farm. Soo if you havent figured it out that "friend" is danny. I am enjoying getting to know him better every day. Heres just a little about him: He loves God. This is shown by the way he treats people, even strangers. We picked up a hitchiker and Danny took this opportunity to invite him to church and share that hes a christian. The hiker Rick said he would be at church sunday. A beautiful picture of God working through somene. Danny makes me laugh like I am 6 years old again. My cheeks hurt. He is not afraid to make fun of how I laugh so hard I dont make a sound, How i get stuck on the driveway way to often and my accent. The other day I said the word "poor" and he actually had no idea what I was trying to say. He has done some colledge for electrican work and did that for a while and is now working on the dairy farm. He is the definition of a farm boy. I have really fallen for him, and as much as I never want to rush a relationship something just feels right about him. I wake up every morning so happy as I know its one more day with him. I thank God for him often. Our personalities are like an oreo. Different, but good together.
I think if its Gods will, the relationship will work despite the long distance. This is not a two person relationship but a three person, with God being central .I pray that myself and Danny will continue to help each other know Jesus better and that in choosing to date we know that God is more important then each other.
Im writign this now as he is just finishing milking the cows. In the mornings I help teach the calves to feed and we hang out in the evenings. Yesterday we watched the stars, the night before we went to natural hot pools. We have done some sight seeing and somtimes go for a dirtbike. thats my favorite. We said we would not do a countdown but I not-so-secretly do. I have seven days to learn about danny before I take the long trip home. Cant wait to see you all. He'll be doing the same trip in December;)
love ols
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Hey turkeys
ah canada sure sounds nice right now. chilly here at night but the days are nice. tonights my last night in a warm bed before ill be sleeping in my car while traveling. me and naomi are trying to travel cheap so we made sure to be the last ones at school so we could collect all the leftover food. suprising what people leave. canned apricots (which are delicious), much penut butter, some pesto sauce, 2 onions, and mushroom soup in these strange zip lock bags. sounds like we'll be eating well. i also took my last shower for a while tonight. on sunday we will find a church that we have never been to. we'll walk in just as we are. possibly looking like we have been living in a car. nay's hair dreads very quickly so that always adds to the homeless look. probably sit in the back and see how people perseve us. good way to see where peoples hearts are. I hope everyone else is wearing their sunday bests. smelling of sweet roses and vanilla. after that ill go to a farm in tauraranga, a very nice part of new zealand.. its a dairy farm and kiwi orchard. they milk three times a day, 5am, 11 am and 5 pm i think. i got to see it last weekend and had my first kiwi fruit fight. when thrown hard they hurt even when rotten. i love waking up on a farm. I sit on the window sill and there are cows everywhere. My friend taught me which are "good looking cows" and the not so good lookers. Im not very good at deciding yet. beyond the cows are pretty hills, perfect padocks. its just lovely. So yup, when Im there I will work maybe 4 ish days a week and on days off i have plenty to do. I got a hold of these amazing work books. I met these missionaries that got too old to serve in ethiopia so now they create these bible studies and send them to third world countries as well as prisions or anyone else who may want them. there is a work book for each book of the bible but I only got 17 or something.. Im kind of tired about talking about my "feelings" from capernwray so what I love about the work books is that it helps to gain bible knowledge. the answers are in the bible passages. I learn well from writing things out so im really excited to work on them. hmm what else do i have planned..
-keep learning guitar
-photography
-find an old folks home
-bicycle
-make dinner for farm friend
-read . did you know a majority of our spiritual growth comes from reading? id throw out a percent but it sounds too high to belive. did you know that 80% of statistics are made up.
and then I come home. whoa. weird hey. I dropped off a good friend calvin at the airport last week and it was tough. we had all done our goodbyes and then suddenly saw them again. i yelled a finial goodbye across the airport. it was much louder then anticipated but I did not care. so sad. I hate goodbyes. we need more hellos. it will be very hard for me to leave this place. im not sure if NZ is done with me yet. Its so weird cuz i never cried when I said goodbye to the capernwray students. I tried to as I stood their being the only one with dry eyes but I knew a forced cry would be too fake to believe. it would just be pouty sounds. But i defintaly choked up saying goodbye to the church people that Ive grown so close to. ahhh. I dont even like typing about it. Funny how I thought God was putting me in New Zea to grow at capernwray but then drew me towards a completly different area. God is limitless.
Hey Im tired and I got to close this. i know its usually longer but ill have plently of time to write next week. below is my Grad speech if you care to know a little how Ive been challenged here at school.
GRADUATION
Upon going home we, the students are all going to be bombarded with a repetitive question, "how was capernwray?" The simple answere: it was "good." maybe even, "it was very good." For myself I am going to try to aviod that response. Saying "good" gives a false impliacation that capernwray was mediocre. An experience that changed my life cannot be described in this way. If i were to explain to someone every way that capernwray built my relationship with Christ the person would be sorry they had asked because Christmas would have come. Its not possible for someone to fully understand the capernwray experience which is what makes the bond between us students so special. We have all had difference experiences while living in the same environment together for many months. however we have also had some similar ones. We wake up to each others bed heads, we know who to talk to in the morning and who not to, who likes smooth penut butter, who likes chunky,, we can tell the time by a loud bell that rings continually throughout the day. and we all know Ruths, "im about to scold you face". We are truly a close body of students that are flying our seperate ways tomorrow to tell others what has happened in this incredible place. So although it will be impossible to summarize the extent of what capernwrays done in my life I hope to be able to give a glimpse by a longer explanation then "good"
If I could use a bit of an analogy. My life use to be sort of like a TV dinner. The meat is my job and university studies the area of my life where I spend much time. The potatoes are my family and friends, also very important.. The vegitable section is my spiritual life, my prayer time, spending time with God. They were all seperate. Capernwray has helped me to have a better understanding of how life should be: a casserole. God does not come to me in sections like a TV dinner but rather is intimatly involved in all areas of my life, the meat, the potatoes and vegitables and therefore I should involve him in all areas. A life of worship is worship when I dont feel like it, when im in a traffic jam, when the capernwray morning bell is the last thing I want to here.
It was here that I have learnt to become more of aware of God in my daily life. Amidst the secular world that sometimes seems to crumble around me God is teaching me to also see that the world is also saturated with Him. His footprints are everywhere. For example just the other day I saw a child being tickled and the realization came to me that there is nothing that could explain how a tickle spot in a child came about other then our great creator. Our tastebuds are just another example of an intricate detail God has blessed us with so we can enjoy our earthly life a little more. He is worthy of so much more then we could ever praise. Capernwray has given me a confidence in Christ. The other day, Nat, a student here, asked me what I will physically become when I die. "dirt, i responded." He agreed and said, "but If your not walking in christ everyday your walking dirt." i was a little taken back at his bluntness and perhaps still am. But the reality is true, without him I am only physically exisiting, bearing no fruit, no substance. My identity is in Christ and anything good in my life is a prodiuct of him.
These are just a few ways I have grown during my time here in New Zealand. There are people in this room that have committed much time to young peoples lives like myself. Im not sure they realize how much effect they really have on us. they do not work here for the credit and they certainly do not work here for the money. saying thaknyou does not begin to express our gratitute for your time pouring into our lives. None of the staff are just in it for the job or they wouldnt be here. They keep us in line by shining a massive flashlight on us if we break curfuew, they tolerate very loud meal times but most importantly they are our mentors and friends. We wake up each morning and know Christ a little better because of the example that they set for us and the discipleship they give us. Could all the staff members and discipleship leaders stand up. On behave of all the students we say thankyou, we are leaving here better followers of christ.
ah canada sure sounds nice right now. chilly here at night but the days are nice. tonights my last night in a warm bed before ill be sleeping in my car while traveling. me and naomi are trying to travel cheap so we made sure to be the last ones at school so we could collect all the leftover food. suprising what people leave. canned apricots (which are delicious), much penut butter, some pesto sauce, 2 onions, and mushroom soup in these strange zip lock bags. sounds like we'll be eating well. i also took my last shower for a while tonight. on sunday we will find a church that we have never been to. we'll walk in just as we are. possibly looking like we have been living in a car. nay's hair dreads very quickly so that always adds to the homeless look. probably sit in the back and see how people perseve us. good way to see where peoples hearts are. I hope everyone else is wearing their sunday bests. smelling of sweet roses and vanilla. after that ill go to a farm in tauraranga, a very nice part of new zealand.. its a dairy farm and kiwi orchard. they milk three times a day, 5am, 11 am and 5 pm i think. i got to see it last weekend and had my first kiwi fruit fight. when thrown hard they hurt even when rotten. i love waking up on a farm. I sit on the window sill and there are cows everywhere. My friend taught me which are "good looking cows" and the not so good lookers. Im not very good at deciding yet. beyond the cows are pretty hills, perfect padocks. its just lovely. So yup, when Im there I will work maybe 4 ish days a week and on days off i have plenty to do. I got a hold of these amazing work books. I met these missionaries that got too old to serve in ethiopia so now they create these bible studies and send them to third world countries as well as prisions or anyone else who may want them. there is a work book for each book of the bible but I only got 17 or something.. Im kind of tired about talking about my "feelings" from capernwray so what I love about the work books is that it helps to gain bible knowledge. the answers are in the bible passages. I learn well from writing things out so im really excited to work on them. hmm what else do i have planned..
-keep learning guitar
-photography
-find an old folks home
-bicycle
-make dinner for farm friend
-read . did you know a majority of our spiritual growth comes from reading? id throw out a percent but it sounds too high to belive. did you know that 80% of statistics are made up.
and then I come home. whoa. weird hey. I dropped off a good friend calvin at the airport last week and it was tough. we had all done our goodbyes and then suddenly saw them again. i yelled a finial goodbye across the airport. it was much louder then anticipated but I did not care. so sad. I hate goodbyes. we need more hellos. it will be very hard for me to leave this place. im not sure if NZ is done with me yet. Its so weird cuz i never cried when I said goodbye to the capernwray students. I tried to as I stood their being the only one with dry eyes but I knew a forced cry would be too fake to believe. it would just be pouty sounds. But i defintaly choked up saying goodbye to the church people that Ive grown so close to. ahhh. I dont even like typing about it. Funny how I thought God was putting me in New Zea to grow at capernwray but then drew me towards a completly different area. God is limitless.
Hey Im tired and I got to close this. i know its usually longer but ill have plently of time to write next week. below is my Grad speech if you care to know a little how Ive been challenged here at school.
GRADUATION
Upon going home we, the students are all going to be bombarded with a repetitive question, "how was capernwray?" The simple answere: it was "good." maybe even, "it was very good." For myself I am going to try to aviod that response. Saying "good" gives a false impliacation that capernwray was mediocre. An experience that changed my life cannot be described in this way. If i were to explain to someone every way that capernwray built my relationship with Christ the person would be sorry they had asked because Christmas would have come. Its not possible for someone to fully understand the capernwray experience which is what makes the bond between us students so special. We have all had difference experiences while living in the same environment together for many months. however we have also had some similar ones. We wake up to each others bed heads, we know who to talk to in the morning and who not to, who likes smooth penut butter, who likes chunky,, we can tell the time by a loud bell that rings continually throughout the day. and we all know Ruths, "im about to scold you face". We are truly a close body of students that are flying our seperate ways tomorrow to tell others what has happened in this incredible place. So although it will be impossible to summarize the extent of what capernwrays done in my life I hope to be able to give a glimpse by a longer explanation then "good"
If I could use a bit of an analogy. My life use to be sort of like a TV dinner. The meat is my job and university studies the area of my life where I spend much time. The potatoes are my family and friends, also very important.. The vegitable section is my spiritual life, my prayer time, spending time with God. They were all seperate. Capernwray has helped me to have a better understanding of how life should be: a casserole. God does not come to me in sections like a TV dinner but rather is intimatly involved in all areas of my life, the meat, the potatoes and vegitables and therefore I should involve him in all areas. A life of worship is worship when I dont feel like it, when im in a traffic jam, when the capernwray morning bell is the last thing I want to here.
It was here that I have learnt to become more of aware of God in my daily life. Amidst the secular world that sometimes seems to crumble around me God is teaching me to also see that the world is also saturated with Him. His footprints are everywhere. For example just the other day I saw a child being tickled and the realization came to me that there is nothing that could explain how a tickle spot in a child came about other then our great creator. Our tastebuds are just another example of an intricate detail God has blessed us with so we can enjoy our earthly life a little more. He is worthy of so much more then we could ever praise. Capernwray has given me a confidence in Christ. The other day, Nat, a student here, asked me what I will physically become when I die. "dirt, i responded." He agreed and said, "but If your not walking in christ everyday your walking dirt." i was a little taken back at his bluntness and perhaps still am. But the reality is true, without him I am only physically exisiting, bearing no fruit, no substance. My identity is in Christ and anything good in my life is a prodiuct of him.
These are just a few ways I have grown during my time here in New Zealand. There are people in this room that have committed much time to young peoples lives like myself. Im not sure they realize how much effect they really have on us. they do not work here for the credit and they certainly do not work here for the money. saying thaknyou does not begin to express our gratitute for your time pouring into our lives. None of the staff are just in it for the job or they wouldnt be here. They keep us in line by shining a massive flashlight on us if we break curfuew, they tolerate very loud meal times but most importantly they are our mentors and friends. We wake up each morning and know Christ a little better because of the example that they set for us and the discipleship they give us. Could all the staff members and discipleship leaders stand up. On behave of all the students we say thankyou, we are leaving here better followers of christ.
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