Good'day mates! I hope you, my faithful readers, are doing well and living life to the fullest! I have been trying to do this, as well as staying sane and getting enough sleep. As my mum used to tell me frequently, time and life wait for no man. If you don't sieze the moment, it will pass you by, never to return. Sometimes the Lord helps me with this, and creates opportunities for me to experience more of life in a new way. Such was my trip to the beautiful land of New Zealand. (I apologize in advance for the somewhat fuzzy pictures. This was happens when 80% of the time it is overcast and I am trying to capture the moment while we are careening around mountains and rollercoasting in and out of valleys.)

The trip was beyond what I could have anticipated. This was not just because the country was beautiful, but also because the Lord did a greater work in my heart and through the Journey than I could have anticipated.

We were picked up at the airport in Palmerston North by Mr. and Mrs. Wenstrum, and  taken to the Arahina Training Center, just outside Marton.

I loved the spirit that rested at Arahina. It was a spirit of prayer, healing, restoration and love for one another because we are God's creation. It was beautiful and really ministered to some hurt and starved areas of my heart. The Kiwi people are lovely people. They are so nice, hospitible, warm hearted and friendly. I loved them all. Worship time Friday night with the single staff was awesome. How neat to be with people that don't do foolish things when spending time together, but instead sing praise to the Lord and honour Jesus Christ for Who He is and what He has done for us! I loved it.

We spent some time touring and seeing more of the country those first few days. It was so restful and refreshing to simply sit and enjoy the jewel that God has created on the other side of the world. I think New Zealand is an emerald jewel. Whenever I think of it I will think of the colours, green, blue, gray and white.

Wouldn't it be cool to live in a nook like the house above?! I found it amazing how quickly the landscape would change, and how many different types of land are on one island. Farmland, rolling hills, plateau, and volcanic mountains. All within the space of a three hour car ride!

There were so many sheep. They say there are 5 sheep for every person in New Zealand. I was able to hold a little black baby lamb. So cute!!!

I was frequently reminded of the verse, "My sheep hear my voice, I am known of them and they follow Me." Simply watching the sheep taught me so many lessons on how much I need the help and watchful eye of my Good Shepherd at all times. He is so kind and gentle with me.

On Monday and Tuesday the Journey girls began to arrive. How neat and special it was to meet young people from another land who desired to love and know God with all their hearts. It enlarged my view of the world in a very big way. Here are the girls that the Lord gave me the privilege to share the Person of Jesus Christ with. They were so awesome.

For a number of months I really struggled with loving certain types of people as I should, sometimes loving them at all. It was horrible! So not right! Yet I could not figure out why I wasn't getting anywhere. During the Journey the Lord showed me that I could not love certain people if I had a judgmental and critical spirit toward them. Everytime I saw certain types of people the first thought that came to mind was a judgmental thought about their appearance or how they were acting. This hindered me from seeing them as God saw them. As I prayed about this the Lord made it clear to me that it was a generational iniquity and that I needed to enlist the help of my sisters in Christ. I confessed my struggle before the group and asked for their prayer. During the next couple of days the Lord began to prepare me for His work in my heart. On Sunday we fasted and delighted in the Word, which laid the foundation for freedom from this judgmental spirit. On Monday during a time of dwelling in the presence of Christ, I cried out to Him and the evil spirit left. How wonderful it was to have the cleansing blood of Christ flow over my heart and purify me! Immediately He began to fill me with His pure, unconditional love for all people. What a change! I was now able to look these people in the eye and sense the love for them overflow in my heart. No longer were there any critical thoughts. I was like a new person in this area. Old things were passed away. New things were come! This love has continued and grown in strength ever since. People that I thought I could never view as a friend I now gladly welcome in my heart. This has made such a big difference in my interactions with those around me.  This was one of the big changes that the Lord brought about for me personally while in New Zealand.

The Lord showed Himself to us as a Journey group in a more powerful way than we had ever seen before. He says that as we seek Him we will find Him when we search for Him with all our hearts. He is faithful to His Word! From Thursday through Saturday we went through some deep heart cleaning and scrubbing. It was painful and very revealing. On Sunday we had a day of delighting in the Lord and in the Word. What a refreshing time to fill our hearts with good things! We also did some calling home and confessing to our parents hidden things in our lives and asking thier forgiveness. What amazing freedom comes from this! It was so encouraging to see the girls come back full of joy and radiant with their new liberty in Christ! It was on Monday morning that the Lord showed us the rewards He gives for those who seek Him. The Lord used a girl's desperate cry for the healing of her mom to ignite an over four hour time of prayer. The Holy Spirit truly came down and dwelt among us. He brought physical, emotional and spiritual healing. He loosed the chains that were holding some of the girls in bondage to bitterness, envy, anger and evil spirits. The Enemy was rebuked and the Spirit of God was free to work. He was so welcome there in our hearts and in that place. It was incredible. Simply being in the presence of the Lord for that amount of time was beyond words. This continued that night for a couple more hours, the next morning and evening. More healing, more confession more forgiveness. There was such light, joy, and freedom! God is truly able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we could ask or think. Remember, the stronger the Enemy fights against us the greater the reward as we overcome!

The girls on my team were wonderful. There is an amazing unity and love that comes as we allow the Lord to work in our heart. He perfects that which concerns us! He honours those who diligently seek Him!

I have also found it amazing what a stronger, new purpose I have in life when I love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind and strength. That is first and everything else in my life flows from that one focus. How simple Christianity truly is. It is all about my relationship with the Lord. "The main thing about Christianity is not the work we do, but the relationship we maintain and the atmosphere produced by that relationship. That is all God asks us to look after . . . ." (Oswald Chambers)

One that is really cool is how sibling relationships are strengthened through attending the Journey. Jamie and Kathryn (above) were already close sisters, but they became even closer through opening their hearts. Now the Lord has given them a burden for their family and a desire to see them more united. The work of the Spirit of God is spreading!

In New Zealand there are flowers even in the winter. It is so lusch and green over there, with a hint of the tropics.

It was also a litte grey and misty at times. It rained off and on quite a bit. That's just what their winter is like.

It is a little hard to explain, but things just look different over there. The buildings, the cars, the gas is sold in liters, and there is no miles option on their speedometer. There are very few brick buildings. Everything is made out of siding. They also have their own type of wood only grown in New Zealand, which is very expensive. The woodshop at Arahina makes beautiful furniture out of it.

I loved my grils, the people at Arahina, the New Zealand people, and the country itself. May the Lord enlarge your heart to include more people types. May He increase your ministry and expand your outreach to the world. He promises to give you the desires of your heart in His time. He proved that to me in allowing me to go to New Zealand after four years of waiting and preparing. Praise His name! God bless New Zealand!

   Guess what?!! There is this really neat person that has been showing me some special attention. He has been particularly nice to me for a while, but I've been more aware of it lately. It is quite exciting! It has been little things like a smile, an encouraging word, notes, a hug when I need it, and even a gift that I really wanted and was really "me"! Also, he's always around when I need help with something. He's a wiz and no problem that I have ever stumps him. He's really sweet and likes to do things that make me smile. We have a lot of inside jokes that we like to laugh at together, which is really fun and makes other people curious. (hee hee!) Yep, I'm smiling even now just thinking about him. He's a really special friend, and I am having fun watching our relationship develop and seeing where it takes us!

Two weeks ago he did something really cool that, in my mind, set him apart from everyone else. We stopped at Starbucks on our way up to the Northwoods and there was a mug there that I really liked. I commented to someone with me that it was so cute and I loved it, and he overheard. I thought about that mug everday afterwards and decided that when I got home I was going to buy it. On Thursday, three days later, the girls I was with surprised me with a cardboard box and a card. I thought, "Oh dear! It's probably one of the snapping turtles that we found on the road, or possibly one of the toads or snakes we've seen when out walking! I'll open it gingerly so I will be prepared!" (not that those things scare me, it is just the surprise of them that is startling!) Well, I slowly removed the crumpled paper that was stuffed in the top of the box and there resting on the bottom were two odd shaped things wrapped in brown tissue paper. I began to lift one out and laughed and realization of what it was hit me. Again, he had taken a creative way to show that he liked and loved me a lot! There was not only one cute green, navy and white stripped mug, but two! This is what showed me that he was different from everyone else. Most people give in the same measure that they are given to, but when Christ wants to show you His love for you, His gives you more in return than what you originally gave yourself. I know that the Journey girls were the ones that gave physically gave it to me, but Jesus was the one that gave them the idea. He is so cool!

This past Journey went well. I think all of them go well because God has a purpose for them and as long as I am submitted to His will His purpose is accomplished. That is the most important thing. It is not a matter of what change I can see in the girls (although that it is encouraging) it is what is going on in their heart where God sees it. Honestly, it seems that the more tired I get and the worse I think they go (on my end anyway) the better everyone else says they are. Just goes to show that it is God not people who bring about change. I just need to be a humble willing servant.

The verse the Lord gave me for this last Journey was, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts (my mighty Warrior King)." (Zech. 4":6b) I am glad that it is not up to me. My responsiblity: look to Christ. His responsibility: draw others to Him.

Here are some pics of this last Journey. The spring greens and colours were beautiful.

Group walk. This is the road that we drive down to get to our house and eventually goes around the lake.

Janine Noble                                                                  Gorgeous sunset out our livingroom window.

Having way to much fun!!!!

Our "forget me not utterly" flowers. (Ps. 119)             I love the variety of greens and white.

Another gift from God's creation.

I just love the nature and woodsiness up there.               Blue, blue, blue, . . . how calming and peaceful.

I love nooks like this.

The girls thought I looked like a fairy, :-/ so I was provided with fairy wings. Thanks, Leah!!

Friendships made - Laura and Laramie

In Mr. G's cabin at Mr. G's desk. It is solid maple made in 1880 (if I remember correctly!)

Ladies and Gentlement, may I present . . . . .  Sarah Hooley! (If you think of it people, pray for her as she is a ministering in Mexico indefinitely.

The Lord showed His love to me through the girls and the gift of this really cute Starbucks mug. (this is the one in the above story.)                                                       The humming birds at Buck and Miriam's are awesome.

Reflections - thanks Hooley!

Dinner was always an adventure! This particular one (BBQ chicken ) was super yummy!

Go Goulash (Greek for "very cute"!) Girls!!! I love you all!