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Spring Break 2007 found us in Wellington, New Zealand. Rachel and I took 10 students and interns for a week to visit this beautiful country. In the fall, we sent our first short-term team to Wellington to open up ministries on the campuses there. It was perfect timing, as our Spring Break falls right during the first couple weeks of school in the Southern Hemisphere, so we were able to give the STINT team a boost to their manpower.
Most of our week was taken up by meeting with students to share with them what Student Life (CCC in New Zealand) was about, and to share the Gospel with them. Many of these students were from places in the world where Americans can’t go or it is illegal to be a Christian or share the Gospel with others.
During the week, we talked to over 100 students, and saw 4 trust Christ while we were there. On Tuesday, Rachel went with Rae Ann, a student from IUPUI, and met with Hannah, a Kiwi student. In the middle of the conversation, Hannah said, “I don’t have a relationship with God, but I want one!” and hit her fist on the table. When they shared the Gospel with her, she was so hungry for the truth. She prayed to receive Christ in the middle of a cafeon campus.
During the week we talked with students from these countries…
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Samoa, Vietnam, Oman, Cambodia, China, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Iran, Taiwan, South Korea, the Falkland Islands and the UK
Another girl, Jessie, wasn’t so open to receiving Christ. She never told the students she met with that she made the decision to trust Christ. Later on, while meeting with the STINT team for a second meeting, she began to cry and told them she prayed the prayer. She didn’t have a Bible, so she carried around the evangelistic magazine, so she could read it over and over. The STINT team took her to the store and bought Jessie her first Bible. Now, she is getting involved with the ministry and is in a Bible study.
New Zealand was the most beautiful place we had ever been. Many of the students cried when they left, asking how they could ever go back to their normal lives. This was definitely a success, as we prayed the students would fall in love with the country and people so they would consider going back and bringing classmates with them. Wellington is going to become our “sending” city, meaning that our hope is that our students will go there as short-or long-term missionaries.
One of the biggest benefits of going to New Zealand as a missionary is the number of students there from other countries, mostly from the 10/40 window, the most unreached parts of the world. These students can freely hear the Gospel and bring it back to their countries, where it may be harder for us to go. Please pray that the students who went will continue to have a heart and a desire to return to Wellington as missionaries.
When we returned from New Zealand, Rachel and I went to have our first prenatal appointment. We found out we were pregnant late February and we were just thrilled! Unfortunately, during the ultrasound, we found out that the baby stopped growing and there was no heartbeat. The Lord had decided to take our little baby home to Him. Rachel is still waiting to miscarry, so she can avoid surgery, but it is a challenge. We know that the Lord is good and He is carrying us through this process. Please pray for us to continue experiencing His tenderness and comfort.
Please Pray
> God’s comfort and peace during the miscarriage of our first baby.
> For the ministries in Wellington (Victoria and Massey Universities) to flourish.
> For the end of the school year to wrap up well, with solid plans for the fall.