Kia Ora! (Hello, in Maori)
Our team arrived in Auckland, New Zealand a few days ago. We began our journey by staying with Selena's (one of our outreach leaders) family in West Auckland. After a bus ride, a long layover at the airport, and a 4 hour flight to New Zealand, we were ready to eat and sleep. We spent the first day settling into the city and adjusting to the time change, while visiting with Selena's family. We watched the Rugby World Cup on the first night, and the All Blacks won the game! When we went to our tents for the night, I could hear people honking horns and cheering.
Due to the World Cup, we ended up staying an extra day in Auckland, because we had trouble booking our entire group's bus tickets. We took a day to go around the city, and we also got to go to the celebration parade. It was nice to be able to adjust to the 3 hour time difference, and we also were able to share our songs and dances with Selena's family as a blessing and thank you for their hospitality.
One of my favorite things about our time at the Hotere house was visiting with Selena's Nana. She is the head of the house, and she's got a fun personality. She would always say, "You're family here now, so that means that you can feed yourself...or else you'll starve." This statement was funny, because they fed us so well! A popular meal here is called Boil Up. It is exactly what you might think. Boiled meat, dumplings, cabbage or watercress, potatoes, and served with rice, bread, etc.
After our time with the Hotere's, we took our bus for an 8 hour ride from Auckland to Wanganui (Won-gah-noo-ee). Upon arrival, we were greeted by people from the church. We are staying in a giant, camper truck behind the main house, and the guys in our group are in a building next door to that.
The weather is very chilly and damp. We've had some rain for the last few days, but it is beautiful here!! It looks similar to Ireland, but is even more green possibly than Ireland! The air smells fresh and clean, and there is cattle, sheep, goats everywhere!
A really neat experience that we had was being a part of a Powhiri (Poh-fee-ree), which is a welcome ceremony that is done in the Maori culture. It began with a Maori lady calling out to us in a song/greeting. Selena replied with her own call. We then entered into an area in the yard with the Maori sitting on one side. We sat across from them, with the men in front and the women in the back. In Maori culture, the women are behind the men, because it's a sign of protection. After we took turns speaking and bringing greetings to each other, a song/songs are shared in exchange. To conclude the ceremony, everybody does a Hongi (Hohng-ee), which is the touching of noses and taking a breath in. This symbolizes breathing in each others' life.
Afterwards, we spent time just visiting and getting to know each other, followed by a huge meal. The pastor and his family are relatives of one of our school leaders back at base. They are a Fijian family, and it's been fun getting to know them and their children.
Today, our team did a Religious Education class at Wanganui East Primary School. We taught the story of Moses and the Israelites escaping Egypt, and as we told the story, the students had to act it out. At the end of the class, the young boys wanted to do their school Haka (War Dance) for us. It was really awesome to have them share their unique Haka with us. It's so humbling to have them share the dance with us, because it's such a huge part of their culture and who they are. It reminds me of how big our God is, and all of the different ways that his character is expressed through culture.
For the rest of today, we will be going to another Religious Education class at another school here in town, followed by a sausage sizzle from 5-10PM, free to the community. We plan on sharing our testimonies, songs, and dances. A majority of those who come to the events are youth, and the church we are working with here have been serving the youth and praying for God's direction in serving them. I'm looking forward to seeing how God wants to move.
Please pray for our team in the following areas:
-Continued unity
-Good health (The weather here is so opposite of Australia, so I'm praying that no one gets colds, allergies)
-For clarity in knowing God's agenda and being obedient to his leading through the spirit.
-Boldness
Thanks so much to all of you for supporting what I am a part of. For those of you who have been praying, helping financially, sending encouraging notes...it keeps me going. Thank you! I can't express how grateful I am to be called here and serving God in this way and during this season. I continue to remember something a pastor shared with us. "My God is REAL! I don't deserve to serve the Lord at all...It is only by HIS GRACE that I am able to go into the world and share the good news of Jesus. It is only by his love that me, a saved sinner, can share about Jesus."
Thanks for journeying with me. I love you all.
Abby
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