Hey all

So I have just finished working at the disability camp here at Capernwray. Most of the people were blind (about 40 people). Wow what a priviledge it is to have sight. I cannot even express how humbling this weekend was. Eight of us students were the eyes for the blind people. We led them where they wanted to go, put food on their plates and really spent time with them and listened to their stories. There was one meal where I was the only person at a table of eight with sight. The meal happened to be taco salad! I don’t think the cheff thought that decision through because it was exhausting. I circled the table and dished each person chips then meat, lettuce, cheese and sauces. Throughout the meal someone would ask for more cheese or whatever. So lets say the cheese was across the table from me and the person beside me asked for it… well I would wait a little while for it to get passed but then realized no one could see what dish was what. In fact they couldn’t even see that there was a dish at all so I would have to get up, go around the table and bring it back. During one meal I was lifting a fork of food to my mouth and it all dropped onto my lap. I felt a little embarrassed and looked around to see if anyone saw. Haha. I was in the clear. I could have had food all over my face and no one would have blinked an eye.

Anyhow, it was so awesome to experience how joyful the people were. They joked around about their disability as well. Someone would bump into me and they would say “oh sorry I didn’t see you there.” Really inspiring to see how God was predominant in their lives and that blindness did not affect their love for Christ. I think I would be angry if God took my vision! I value my surroundings more now then ever! Like seeing the different colors of leaves out here, so pretty! We went for a walk with the blind and I tried doing part of the walk with my eyes closed! Oh I did not last long. (partly because I was leading someone who was blind and that is a little dangerous). But the people sure are talented, some of them can play pretty cool instruments and one lady taught me how to waltz. A good ol time we had. Tomorrow I continue my travels of my two week break. Off too the Coramandle where there is good snorkeling and much beach. Yesterday I went to the Hamilton 400 which is a car race. My sensitive ears may be damaged but worth it. Catch you all later

hi

Im on two week break right now and half way done allready. Myself and car partner Naomi had quite the adventure allready. We went from a 5 star hotel in a big city (that we stayed at for free with a generous friend) to being on a island that we backpacked on. We ran through the city with our tenting gear on our backs and juuust caught the ferry to an island called Waihikee. We survived the week on a bucket of leftover chicken from school, a loaf of bread and some banannas. Upon arrival we stuck out our thumbs and got picked up pretty quickly. It helps to face traffic smiling huge! We stayed at a very strange hostel called fossil farms bay (well, we are cheap so we tented at it). Just the name sounds strange doesnt it? the people were incredibly earthy there and it seemed as though no one on the island works. strangers have plenty of time to chat so we met lots of locals. The island is gorgeous and one of my highlights was probably running through an olive orchard. I love olives so of course I popped one into my mouth. An unripe olive is the worst taste you can imagine. I tried to mask the look of disgust on my face with a look that said "mmm that was tasty" so that my friend would try an olive too. she did it! yuck! We were very active on this island and did some sea kyaking, hike and bike ride, swimming too. God provided everything we needed and kept us safe and we made sure to praise him for that. Me and Naomi really keep each other accountable when it comes to our prayer lives. There is something to be said about praying in beautiful surroundings. Makes one appreciate how big our God is.

It felt real weird comming back to a big city of busyness. Lots of people looked at us funny, im sure we looked pretty grungy as we sat in an ice cream shop. But we didnt care, we were so full of joy. Right now I am back at school helping out at a disability camp for blind and deaf people. They arrive in a few hours! It will be a very humbling experience and Im excited for it. We take so much for granted, something as simple yet so complex as sight! As i look at my clothes today they surely do not match but guess what, for this crowd it really wont matter:)

ill fill you in after the weekend. many blessings
love ollie

Hello readers and thanks 4 tuning in

Id love to fill you all in so that’s just what ill do! Tomorrow our two week break begins. Well, actually it began on Friday but I have been the cook here at capernwray for an arts festival all weekend. I even made a paper chef hat to fit the part. Someone said it looked more like a baking hat and I got pretty upset. But its been a lot of fun, nine of us have been here all weekend (them all being choir members) and I have gotten to know some of them better. Tonight myself and friend Calvin connected a string from his room to my room with cups on the ends so we could communicate better. Haha oh we laughed. Earlier a few of us went to an easter event called “stations at the cross” where artists put together scenes of the crusifiction in creative ways. One station in particular touched my heart… A pit was dug in the ground like a grave with the metal rods around it and a wooden box in the pit. People were free to take soil and put it in the grave. It was an eerie feeling to know that in time this is where our bodies rest. Earth is just a snapshot in comparison to eternity and it made me want to live with more purpose, more joy, reach more people, help more in need, embrace those small things in life and generally just make more of a difference.

Another station had a tunnel to walk through with words like “excruciating, torment, humiliation, and nails” printed on billboards. Words to describe what Jesus went through on the cross, dying not only an extremely painful death but an emotionally painful death as well. Overall it was a humbling experience that I have really valued.

Beginning tomorrow I will be traveling on the north island for a week with my car partner Naomi. We have no destinations and no timeline or plan but theres plently to see. I love spontinutiy. Being the cook this weekend I am responsible for throwing out any food that might get old during the break. Thought it would be a great opportunity to throw some left overs in a cooler to nibble on. It excites me to save money on food. The last week of break Ill jump around a bit and live at a pastors house few nights and possibly travel to wellington with Cal. My plans continue to change all the time. Again, that’s the beauty of spontinuity. Sometimes the most fun is had when theres no agenda. I have never had such a laid back attitude as I have here in New Zealand and I kind of hope it sticks with me in Canada. I truly believe that’s why I have been sleeping better… don’t have anything to worry about and I go to sleep with a clear mind (usually). I thank God for this often as I had many awake nights this autumn.
So that’s a few new tid bits in my life… if you ever feel like fillin me in I do have an address that I get free internet time on which is oliviaschinkel@capernwray.org.nz. Have a nice easter Monday. Love olivia

Few more NZ/Canada differences

-they eat the skin of kiwis. The kiwis out here are not as furry as ours and are more yellow. At first when I started eating the skin I did not like it as I was taking too small of bites and not getting enough fruit with the skin. Now I have embraced this knowledge that if you take bigger bites the skin is a delicacy.

-police cars everywhere. I have randomly been breathalized in a grocery store parking lot. Possibly because my car looks like it should not be on the road
I cannot even describe how different the cop cars look from ours. Checkered racing stripes on bother sides. Almost seems like a joke.

-pon shops are called op shops

-get sunburnt real fast. My olive toned first nations skin comes in handy

Alas its time for me to write again. Tonight I am writing from my very own private room. I have not had a room to myself for 2 whole months now so I write with great contentment. I have music up, a towl on my head and a little snack in the microwave. Its strange, the microwave and stove are in the bathroom. Its really is not logical. Im in a town called Hastings working along side a church called “the living fath.” The other eight students on the team all went to billets homes in pairs but I volunteered to stay in this little shack. There is something I love about spending some time alone. All I need now is a fire place and rocking chair. Tis getting a bit chilli in here. Although I do have a blanket that heats up when I plug it in. Unfortunatly I have never been exposed to one of these so I didn’t know there were three settings, wow does it get hot. I have been sleeping in pants and a long sleeve so the hot blanket wouldn’t scald my skin. Up until right now! I just put the setting on number one. I feel the blanket is actually quite dangerous. But anyway this room is cool because I can stay up with the lights on as late as I want. Ive decided not to read leisure books anymore, if I have time on my hands then I figure its more worthwhile to get to know the bible better. I loved this verse I just read “satisfy me in the morning, with your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy and be glad all day.” Psalm 90:14. Beautiful.
Anyhow, I am going into too much detail again and a day is a terrible thing to wast so Ill tell you a little about our ministry week here in hastings. We have been doing some door to door evangelism. I have always had mixed feelings about this form of spreading the gospel but this was the task we were given and so I thought I may as well do it whole heartedly. Like a jehova witness would. Haha. Ill tell you, I have never had to rely on Gods strength so much. Going to my first door was scary. I sent up a quick prayer for the person on the other side of the door and shakily knocked. (I also secretly prayed that they would not be home, but of course they were). A lady answered and we told her we were from bible school and shared a little about ourselves… low and behold she invited me and my buddy nick in. after more small talk we asked her if she knew anyone who personally knew Jesus Christ. Silence for a moment, followed by the word “no.” this was the response of many people throughout our days. ah, makes my heart sad. Here I am at the doorstep and feel like I have a huge priveledge in knowing the truth. God has chosen me to be a follower of Christ and yet its very difficult to tactfully send this message to others. One neat thing is that no one can argue when you talk about a personal experience so I focused on talking about how God has worked in my life and that my joy is in his strength. I really wish I knew more scripture and theology but I have a lot to learn so sharing my walk with God was really all I had. I visited with one lady who had a very negative view of the church and left her door feeling like we had not gotten anywhere. I walked all the way down the street and just could not get her off my mind. I figured it may be God telling me to go back. So I just walked faster as I really did not want to go back. In the end I ended up back on her doorstep and gave her a small Gideon new testament and told her if she had some time, it’s a well worth read, that it holds the truth, and that it has changed many lives including minw. So who knows what will happen with that sweet lady. Before each door knock God knew which doors would be shut on us (there were many) and he knew which people would invite us in. I learned that everything is in his control and that we are just there being his feet. He is the heart. Pretty cool stuff.

**** back at capernwray

Yup, after this I will be on two week break and decided to stick around Cambridge. In sillyness I volunteered to cook for the easter service choir and staff members at school here for one weekend. I really talked up my cooking skills so now I am the one and only one cooking! For many many people. What have I done? Haha. I think ill purchase a chefs hat so I can at least look the part. And other then that, I plan to spend time with some of the girls from the church I attend, maybe do some painting at this other church and possibly work at a camp a bit. Save my travel time for july. Alls good. Ill write again soon.

Xoxo - ohliv

Salutations

So here I am in my favourite spot, the hammock of sharing time. All I can hear is the cows chewing the grass. As I watch them, none of them are not eating. Its their whole life eating that grass, well one of them is eating a tree branch now. Then realized its not as good and went back to the grass. Makes me glad to have a personality. They chew a lot more then humans considering they have four stomachs.
Tonight most of the girls went to the directors house to watch a five hour movie… I knew I did not have the attention span for that so I am back on campus where all the boys are “gaming.” I kind of threw a fit so we agreed that they would only play the computer games for an hour …so I figured this would be a nice opportunity to catch up. When the girls get back we are having our first sleepover. Im a little nervous! I think I will prepare a snack. Possibly some apple crisp from the apple tree. Yes, they would like that. I better go pick up some ice cream as well. I wouldn’t want to turn up at this party without treats.
Continuing on, I am learning SO much here that my mind hurts. But the good kind. …. I find much joy in talking about heaven so I thought I would just expand a little about what our prof. said today about eternity. God created everything we enjoy now in 6 days and his creation is incredible. So can you imagine what heaven will be like if hes been working on it for 2 millenniums. Im not sure if I totally agree that hes continually improving heaven but it did get me thinking. He has prepared this wonderful place for us and says that he will personally be coming back to get us! I can hardly wait. I was reminded of the verse that I read to Grandma when she was so sick… “No eye can see, no ear can hear, no mind can conceive what God has in store for those who love him.” Heaven is just simply waay to big to fit into our small minds. So if this place is so incredible we should be living our short lives with such purpose. We should be pursing God every day for no personal benefit. At Capernwray its easy to spend time with God but I know back at home I would try to fit Christian activities in an already full week. But whos week is it? God gave me the hours in this week and they are HIS hours, but its up to me to choose how to spend them. The people at the church I attend have really shown me an example of spending time on changing lives. Some people are so passionate about changing lives that they will spend many extra hours ministering in small ways which in the end make big differences. I could go on and on about all that I learn… but Ill save some for next time.

**** next day***
I was about to write a little more and then send this but suddenly had the feeling I needed to just leave school for a bit on the gorgeous sun. afternoon. Im going to visit a friend now and am a little nervous about the drive. Its only 20 minutes but that’s a long way of not knowing if Im driving the right way… wish me well, continue soon.

****

Oh my goodness, this blog report is taking me so long to send. I am back from my driving adventure and am now sitting in my bed. This WILL get sent tonight. Im eating an apple in bed and am on the top bunk… so of course I have the core in hand. Normally I would just throw it on the ground but we have been having ant problems from me previously throwing down my food scraps so I decided to just eat the core and seeds so I don’t wake anyone by crawling down. Of course I choke on it and all three are now awake. Whoops. Anyway the 20 min drive and visit went lovely, its such a gorgeous drive. I defiantly had the windows down and music loud. Reminds me of the time I did not hear a police officer pulling me over with lights and sirens. Me and my friend hung out by the lake and I taught her how to drive. Tonight back at school we had fellowship which is a time to reflect on the week. I cannot tell you how much reflecting we do here. They either call it reflecting or debriefing. They probably have two words for it to make it seem like its something different but really it’s the exact same. But I am not trying to make fun, it’s a good thing. That was just me debriefing really.

What else have I done exciting… had fish and chips for the first time out here. They package it in news paper and it really adds to the atmousphere of the event, and maybe even to the flavour. Especially when you eat it on the beach and a little sand gets in the tartar sauce. (with the kiwi accent it just sounds like tata sauce. Can you hear it?) seagulls also really add to the atmousphere but I learnt not to feed them the chips too early as they really take over the conversation and view.

In closing, ill just add that my highlight has been my answered prayer in being motivated to get into the bible. It does not feel like a chore anymore and I hope this does not go away. Whats cool is that its not just a set time for a devotion (which is good too) but a desire to read a passage or have a quick chat with God in the afternoon, or evening or in the supermarket or a parking lot. lately the Datsuns open trunk has been my area for morning devotion cuz the grass is so wet…. Maybe that’s why the car has been running so well lately. Its just a purring. I really hope it lasts a few more months. Ill add photos soon. K well hope this essay makes up for the lack of blogging. Lots of love xoxo -OLLI