Week Eight and Feelin' Great!

Well! It has been quite awhile since we've last updated you all! We have had a very busy couple of weeks! We finished off week six with a relaxing three days at the beach and enjoyed day walks and some swimming in the Tasman Sea. A couple of fantastic conversations took place at the camp we were staying at and we even ran into a couple of OMers! They had been members on a Panama trip a few years ago so they joined us for some singing and devotional time.We also got to talk to two Israelis and they were really open to the love of Jesus and asked a lot of questions! They were given a Bible before they left and our whole TEAm was very, very encouraged.

After leaving Kaiteriteri, we headed to the small town of Wanganui! Here we had the privilege of spending the weekend with a family that was also a part of OM. They were fabulous hosts and we had a great time playing with their kids and enjoying being in the company of other Christians. We had the opportunity to go to their church with them and tell several people just what we are all about.

On Monday morning, we packed up all of our stuff and headed out on our last official tramp up to Mt. Egmont. When we got there, it turned out that one of the bridges was down so we had to change our plans slightly. We ended up staying in one hut the whole time and taking a day walk in between. We met several people during our three days and had some very fruitfull conversations with those staying in the hut with us. All of us were very encouraged and got even more hyped up to talk to people! : )

(Mt. Egmont)

After tramping we drove to New Plymouth where we camped at a holiday park right on the beach! We stayed there for two nights and on Thursday we went as a group and "worked the crowds" in town. We bought Christmas hats and our mission was to remake scenes from the Nativity story and take pictures of it. The hard part was getting strangers to join us ; ) We were relatively successful, but after a while just continued on handing out Christmas tracts. That evening, Tineka and Lauren made a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner for everyone! It was their first time to ever do so and they managed to do it for eight people!!!

(The 3 wise men giving their gifts to Jesus)

When we passed through Taupo, Birgit conquered her fears and jumped out of an airplane!!! Then we stayed at Golden Springs and enjoyed the natural hot springs of New Zealand. Next we headed to Rotorua - the biggest tourist destination in New Zealand! George spoiled us here and got us cabins... with sheets even! It's funny how the smallest things make the biggest difference ; ) So far, in Rotorua we have had a few conversations with fellow travelers and had the chance to go to Calvary Chapel for church on Sunday!

(Birgit skydiving!!!)

Sunday afternoon, George's friend Anthony and his son, Caleb met up with us. They will be kayaking with us for the next four days on Lake Terawera! We are hoping to meet lots of people and hopefully score some free trout ; )

Please pray for us this next week as we embark on new adventures and continue, even still, to learn new things about each other! TEA is coming to a close and we need all the prayer we can get! It's coming to the point where all of us are asking, "What next?" and are trying to figure out the rest of our lives. Pray for God's guidance and an understanding on our part that He knows all and will always take care of us!

Blessings to all! : )