From One Amazing Day to the Next!

Hello Everyone! TEA 02/2009 here!

....Another 2 weeks have flown by. It's unbelievable - days seem like hours, and hours almost like minutes. But we still have one week left, and that's a lot of time...

It was nice to go back to Chris and Liz's, to see the progress in their backpackers. It's going to be a beautiful place when it's finished. We feel privileged to have played a small part in it. After a walk round the market where we sampled the pancakes from the guy we met in a hut in Nelson Lakes, we went to church in Motueka.

Then we headed further north to the Capell's (a lovely couple who live in the mountains out in the wop wops). We had an amazing time there! They really made us feel at home even though we are far away from home. Sharon is an amazing cook, she made the most delicious Cinnamon rolls, among other delicacies... Yummo! We were also able to help Dennis on the ranch. We broke off loose stones from the cliff side that were falling off and helped him widen the road so his landrover would fit. We also helped him lay a water pipe for the house, he even let us drive his landrover!!!!

Their dog "Honey" was adorable. We were very proud of her when she hunted a possum from up a tree.

During a rainy day, we had a lot of time to reflect and talk with God. He showed us many things and spoke to us about the decisions ahead of us.

While we were at the Capell's, Norm taught all of us car maintenance 101, and told us girls that when picking a husband, he must know how to fix a car and chop firewood! =)

Saying goodbye was very hard, and it was even harder to say goodbye to the South Island as it meant our trip was coming to an end. The ferry crossing was like a rollercoaster and some of us did not find it very funny! But we survived.

As we made our way farther north back to Papakura, we anticipated yet another "changing of the guards" as we saw off Norm and Christy, only to be joined by George in front of Te Papa Museum in Wellington to begin a special week which has us filled with thankfulness and is sure to never be forgotten. The week started with an absolutly incredible celebration of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ at Elim Bible Church just a short walk away from our campsite. We were greeted at the door by a crowd of Samoan men and women, both dawning traditional tribal skirts. We spent the morning singing in celebration in remembrance of Christ's ressurection, and were invited to a Easter dinner roast prepared by our gracious hosts, Kevin and Charmain of Camp Elsdon. Great food and fellowship was shared and we even got to celebrate our new friend Cemil's 20th birthday.

We packed up our rucksacks and embarked on three days in the Tararuas Mountain Ranges. Our first day was a great challenge as we made our way through the steep sub-alpine forest of Mt. Holdsworth. After several hours of climbing through the moss blanketed forest that seemed straight out of the "Lord of the Rings" movies, we emerged at the main ridge to see the roof of Powell hut. As the day gave way to night and our stomachs full of Tim Tam slams, we hunkered down for a very warm and windy night. Tuesday morning started early with Brittney squealing "If you want to see the sunrise you better get up!" At last check that was 5:57 AM, but with groggy eyes we sat in awe of the creativity of our Creator God as the day was ushered in by a sea of flourescent oranges, ambers and reds.

In the warmth of the of the hot New Zealand sun we began our traverse of Mt.Holdsworth. We took full advantage of our beautiful surroundings pausing for classic jumping pictures - and we even managed to squeeze in a snowball fight.

After several more hours walking we yet again we settled into our mountaintop home for the night, Jumbo Hut. The night was filled with laugh's shared and lessons learned. In the glow of the brilliant night sky we ended this day to the sound of Katy pleading with our coldblooded hut mate's "please, no more coal, it's so hot!"

Wednesday morning offered another spectacular sunrise as George explained the plans for the coming days. First, we had to make our way down from our cozy hut above the clouds and make camp in the brisk autumn air of Taihapi. We crawled half frozed from our tents Thursday morning to the promise of much warmer muscles as we set off to climb Mt. Ngauruhoe, better known as Mt. Doom from Lord of the Rings.

Walking from the cark park we braced ourselves for the challenge that lay ahead, after walking 10 k's through the Tongariro crossing we stood peering up at the 2,291 meter Volcano. Step by step we pressed upwards through the steep volcanic crag's and after the occasional dust shower, all eight of us arrived at the summit with sore legs and even sorer cheeks from the enormous smile's now on all of our faces. With the insisting of George we made our way back down, which proved to be quite adventerous, as nearly every step unearthed large rocks that rushed end over end towards the climbers below. After a brief wait in the clouds, we formed a line and with hand in hand proceeded to "scree slide" down the loose gravel face of the volcano.

Friday morning the whole gang walked down to Taupo bungy to support Katy, Brittney, and Tyler as they hurled themselves from the 47meter ledge that stood above the waters of Lake Taupo. After some great camera work from Sarah, and cheering from Ruth, Ally and Jordan, Tyler lept twice; once fowards, once backwards, Katy nearly woke up the neighborhood with her screams as she fell and with a "supportive" push from the bungy master, Brit lept very frog-like only to procliam, "I don't like this!" as she dangled above the waters below. After a very entertaining morning, we enjoyed lunch on the shores of Taupo as buzzed about the week's blessings we all agreed it couldn't get any better. Little did we know what that night had in store. We set off to follow George to the natural thermal pools that was at the basin of the Waikato river. We found ourselves chin deep in the thermal water, beneath the canopy of countless stars.

As we prepared to be joined once again by Norm and Christy in Rotorua, we made the most of the remaining time with George asking him to retell some of his classic jokes as we gawked at the amusing boiling mud pools, only too all to soon part ways on the shores of Lake Rotorua and put an end to a week that will become some very fond memories.

After meeting up with Norm and Christy we drove to "Cozy Cottage" holiday park to set up camp for the next couple of nights. We enjoyed our team favourite "Kiwi burgers" before snuggling into our sleeping bags for the night. The next morning we awoke well rested "finally" since the ground we were sleeping on was heated from an underground volcano! The team piled into the van and headed to church located at Calvery Chapel in Rotorua. We enjoyed a beautiful service and throughly enjoyed the message which talked about evangelism and the cost of discipleship. This message was appropriate as it was exactly what we are studying this week.

Following the service our team prepared a Hungi supper which is a traditional Maori meal cooked over a thermal vent in the ground!

With just one week left of TEA, the team is determined to make the most of every second. Please pray that:

- We would make the most of every moment

- Take action in every opportunity

- We will be prepared for re-entry into the "real" world

- Continued safety as we travel in New Zealand

- An attitude of gratitude

- A focus on others

From all on TEAm 2: Ally, Ruth, Katy, Brittney, Sarah, Tyler and Jordan