Upon returning back home, I spent a lot of time in prayer as to what I was to do next. All day, as I prayed and read the Bible and prayed some more, my thoughts kept returning to YWAM Zion. My family then gathered and we all prayed. The mutual conclusion? I was to return back to YWAM Zion and Staff!!!
I was so excited, I knew that was also what I really wanted to do. The whirl wind began! obtaining application forms, speaking at churches and youth groups, RE-packing, settling stuff and saying good-byes!
Within 8 days I was back on the Base to begin staff training with the beautiful group of staff from all over the world.
The first week was a bonding time and base work as most of us where new staff, then the second week was training and lectures, as well as preparing for the arrival of the students.
After much excitement and waiting, 40 new, vibrant, fresh faced eager students turned up and we welcomed them in with a Powhiri :
On that first week, I was asked to co-lead the Revival Stream of the school, after praying about it, I said yes, and stepped up into a job that was over whelming at times, but exciting, challenging and so much fun.
The School went by so fast, with outreach coming along before it even felt like I had settled in Lecture phase.
We sent out 5 amazing teams to 4 fantastic destinations:
Philippines
Fiji
New Zealand
and India.
Myself, along with a few other staff where given time to either go home or stay and rest on base.
With base life down too five girls and one boy, plus the Base staff and their family, all was rather quiet.
life was peaceful...after I got over my itchy feet and restlessness.
God taught me so much over this period, of trusting him, and deepening my relationship with Him.
the girls and I also had the opportunity to go home and to surprise the New Zealand team as they worked in Kaitaia, spending a beautiful week with them and my family, horse riding going to the beach and having fun.
We returned to base in time for Christmas day which we celebrated with an outreach team from Oxford NZ.
The week before New Years, I went to a conference in Taurunga with two of my brothers, my Dad and some friends.
The speaker at the Conferance was Torben Sondergraad, a man from Denmark.
It was an amazing time, he spoke on walking the Christians life in the mornings, then we went to the streets to talk to people.
On the Monday, after praying for people on the street and seeing miraculous healings, we went down to the Mount Beach, where we baptized many people, including myself, my father and my younger brother.
(this is not it, but a similar one elsewhere with the same people)
After Christmas and New Year the Outreach teams returned!! A crazy exciting time followed of telling stories and catching up on all the amazing things that God had done over the past two months.
This was followed by a report back night, where every one told stories, showed photos and did skits, dances, dramas and songs.
Then bouncy, lively graduation and our last few days together as a School.
So to end on this awesome note, I will sign out till a further date, where I will tell of the extraordinary story of the last three months.....
