TEA - Training, Evangelism, Adventure in New Zealand

TEA 5 - 2009 A quick rundown

2010-07-08T14:51:00.000+12:00

"Congratulations! You have reached the end!"

2009-12-11T10:14:00.012+13:00

70 days. 10 weeks. 8 people. 1 van. And a whole lot of New Zealand! Which brings us here: at the end of TEA! It's unbelievable how fast time flies!

Week 9 started off with kayaking on Lake Terawera. George's friend Anthony and his son Caleb joined us and we had a grand ole' time. The rain (naturally) followed us, but this time there were no trees to hide under. No, no. We were in the middle of the lake with nowhere to go! The Bible verse, "Even the wind and the waves obey him" kept flashing through my mind and I was wondering just what God was up to. The second two of the three nights we spent at Hot Water Beach. The water was so hot in some places, we could actually cook our food in it! We all enjoyed a warm "bath" in the lake.

("bathing" at Hot Water beach)

After we finished kayaking, we headed back to Papakura! On the way we stopped at Inter-Cultural Institute (ICI) which is an English school run by OM! We checked out their facilities and got more information about what they do. Then it was home! We were all very excited to get back... It was just like coming home again! : )

Throughout the week each of us had the opportunity to lead the group devotional in the morning. It was exciting to get many different perspectives from each TEAm member. Everyone had something insightful and encouraging to say. And it was nice to get a break from George ; )

The beginning of week 10 brought a big surprise. All we knew beforehand was that it was called "MI Day". Turns out it was "Mission: Impossible Day". We were informed Saturday morning that we would be going into Auckland as a team and completing a list of tasks. We had to stay together the whole day, which made some tasks more difficult. We also had to wear our Christmas hats the entire time, which made us stand out quite a bit. We had to pass out over 2,000 tracts, interview at least 7 strangers about what Christmas means to them, create more Nativity scenes with strangers and just talk to people in general.

It turned out to be a relatively successful day! We met some great people (one guy even hung out with us rest of the day until we left!), had some fantastic conversations and had a lot of fun. One guy walked way with a Bible and a new perspective and conviction on how he should live his life. It was an exciting but exhausting day for all of us.

Sunday morning the TEAm visited a local church in Papakura. We had our final evaluations and then on Monday morning we headed out for our last TEA adventure! We drove north of Auckland to Goat Island to spend a few days on the beach! We all did a lot of snorkeling in a Marine Reserve. The fish seem to know they'll be safe there, so they all congregate and we get to admire them. we even got to see some dolphins! We also hiked a bit to get to TI Point and do some rock climbing.

The second evening we were there, a huge group of school kids were too. We made some "dampers" and were able to share with the kids around the campfire. That night was our last truly fantastic night in the Southern Hemisphere. The stars are indescribable and it's impossible not to be in awe of God and his glory when his creation looks like that!

After returning once again to Papakura, we have spent the last few days cleaning and organizing everything. Packing and finding room for all of our stuff has been our latest adventure ; )

We finished off TEA with a fabulous party! We all pitched in and made our favorite foods. We also each dressed up like someone else from the TEAm (see picture below). Anthony and Caleb joined us for the evening and we all had a grand time! : )

(who's who?)

Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers over these last 10 weeks! None of us could have done this without the support of our family and friends. We have all seen God work amazing things in our life and we are very excited to see where he wants to take us next! Please continue praying as we are all starting to travel in one way or another. Some of us are heading home straight away. Others are staying here in New Zealand for a month or more while others are on their way to Australia! So, we all need your prayers for travel and for guidance as we continue on with our lives and desire to seek God's will.

Also pray that the fire burning within us will continue to burn and we can be a shining light for Jesus in everything we do!

Blessings and joy!

Week Eight and Feelin' Great!

2009-11-29T16:15:00.010+13:00

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! : )

TEA 05/09 - Tramping, jumping, camping and still hungry for more!

2009-11-17T15:44:00.017+13:00

This week started off with a slight change in plans due to some very wet tents. Instead of starting the St. James Walkway on Monday, we held off until Tuesday and stayed in a backpackers hostel instead. There were lots of people to talk to, so we spent the evening hanging out and relaxing. And then on Tuesday morning, we headed out to start our 5-day tramp!

(the girls at Ada's namesake hut)

St. James Walkway is a 65 kilometer (40+ miles) track. The mountain scenery was absolutely gorgeous and the weather actually cooperated with us for the most part! : ) The second day, we stated at Anne Hut and were greeted by wild horses! They were beautiful and we all had fun trying to get as close to them as we could ; ) Unfortunately, we didn't run into too many people on this tramp, but it turned out to be a fantastic group bonding opportunity. We all grew closer and learned new things about each other.

(wild horses at sunset)

The Sunday morning after coming out of the bush, we visited a very small Anglican church in town. The message was about commitment and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us. It was something all of us needed to hear. God's timing is always perfect, eh? : ) We spent Sunday afternoon doing the typical after-tramping-chores and relaxing in the sunshine.

The next morning, after packing up and having group devotions, we headed to Motueka: skydiving central!!! After finally being talked into it by the very convincing employee, Tineka, Sonja, Julian and Lauren put on real classy jumpsuits and harnesses and proceeded to board a very tiny "aeroplane". It was definitely a fear-conquering jump, but SO worth it! Everyone came down with smiles on their faces and barf bags in their hands... oh wait. That was just Tineka ; ) The smiles have continued into today as we keep reliving the experience!

(Lauren and Tineka)

(Sonja and Julian)

Now we are camping at a Christian camp right next to the beach! It is a beautiful place to enjoy God's creation and talk to more and more people! This last week we really focused on watching our attitudes and seeing how they affected other people. This coming week we are taking note of our group attitude as a whole.

Please continue praying for us as we are getting into the last half of TEA. All of us have days where we really just want to get on that plane and go home, but we need to stay focused and remember why we're here. Pray for patience with each other as we still are learning how to work with and love each other.

TEA 05/09 - Bridges? Where we're going, we don't need any bridges.

2009-11-07T17:38:00.010+13:00

This week started off with a new, temporary TEAm member, fondly known as George II. He came with us from YWAM and shared in our adventures for a few days. We drove from Oxford, through Arthur's Pass to get to Greymouth, on the west coast of the South Island. On the way, we had the privilege of seeing the very same backpackers hostel that George (the original) came up with the idea for TEA! We didn't get to stay there, but it was cool to see and hear about how it all got started.

The first night in Greymouth involved a dinner big enough to feed (literally) 20 people... at least! We had so much good, we weren't sure what to do with ourselves. So, we worked some magic and found strangers to share in our feast with us! One of them stayed and talked with us for awhile after the meal was over and George II actually ran into him a few days later on a completely different part of the island! God sure knows what he is doing! : )

A couple of weeks ago, we met a man who claimed to be an atheist. Some of us talked with him and all of us have been praying for him. Well, as we pulled into our holiday park in Punakaiki, guess who was there waiting for us?! This time, we were able to invite him to eat dinner with us and share Jesus' love with him. When he left the next morning, he promised that he would read his untouched Bible when he got home : )

The weather wasn't very cooperative with us this week, so we had a slight change in plans that resulted in first: a quiet, relaxing free day and next: an 8 and a half hour tramp through mountains and (unbridged) rivers. Hmmm. I'm not sure this is quite what I signed up for ; ) But! The light at the end of the tunnel was worth it! We camped at Ballroom Overhang - a natural overhang that sleeps 80 people comfortably! The natural acoustics were pretty neat. George tried to make us tramp out the same way we came in, but we wouldn't have it! So. A short two hours later, we were safely at the van!

Now we are in Westport for the next two days until our five day tramp through St. James Walkway starts on Monday! Today we got to visit a seal colony and watch huge waves crash over even bigger rocks! We are visiting an Apostolic church on Sunday morning and then packing everything up for our tramp.

This past week we really focused on serving one another. This week we are analyzing our own attitudes and noting how our actions reflect Christ's love to each other and those around us. Please pray that we will continue to serve one another and to really keep our attitudes in check. Pray for the people that God has already decided we will meet at some point. Pray that their hearts will be open to what we have to say and that we will know just what needs to be said. Pray that our attitudes show goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others and love (2 Peter 1:5-7) to everyone we meet and that they will question why we are different. And that in return we can tell them it's really Jesus shining through us.

We are officially halfway through TEA! 5 weeks down... 5 to go!

TEA 05/09 - When Will Sandflies Be Extinct?

2009-11-02T18:23:00.005+13:00

This week's adventures started out in Christchurch - one of the most popular and well-known cities in New Zealand! We paired up and went on another adventure day, only this time we learned about the history of Christchurch by asking random people we came across. A few good conversations got started this way and we also had the opportunity to pass out tracts about "What's Wrong" with Christmas.

On Sunday evening, the TEAm was invited to the YWAM (Youth With A Mission) base in Oxford! We shared a dinner with the students there and had some really encouraging conversations and prayer time. IT was very refreshing to fellowship with other Christians for a short time. It's great to see God at work in other people's lives.

A short day tramp through Mt. Cook found most of the TEAm swimming in a glacier lake! After all, someone has to stay dry and warm to be the photographer ; ) It was a gloriously sunny day that provided a pleasant atmosphere for growing closer to each other and enjoying God's creation. It also resulted in several sunburns... : )

We got to see the world's biggest (no joke - they have a certificate and everything) sweater/jumper/jersey - depending on which continent you live ; ) Upon arriving at Mt. Somers, in preparation for our big tramp, the entire TEAm (minus George) went on a run together! This was a fun way to work together. Later that evening, we had a great discussion that gave us all a chance to be vulnerable with one another. So far, this has resulted in a tighter knit group - Praise Jesus! God is really working his way through each one of us individually and together.

Next up: a four day tramp into Mt. Somers! It had snowed quite a bit the night before, so we had our first snow tramp! It was fun (and slippery) as we hiked up to see a huge waterfall. The first night in Woolshed Creek Hut, we had the place to ourselves. But, the second night, after returning from a long day hike up to the top of Mt. Somers, we were joined by three ladies. They sang worship songs with us and one of them had lots of questions about Christianity! It was very encouraging to realize there are people out there who are interested!

The third day of the tramp included water caves and even more waterfalls. We arrived at Pinnacles Hut to find it nearly full with more people constantly streaming in. We had a great evening talking and playing games with others that were there! After tramping out and (finally) cleaning up, we got to go back to YWAM on Monday morning to participate in their weekly service. It was great to go back and be encouraged some more.

(playing in Pinnacles Hut)

The TEAm is now on the west coast of the South Island and heading north. This week we are focusing on serving one another. Please pray that we can understand what it means to be a true servant of and for Jesus. Pray that we continue to work together and not against each other and that everyday is another opportunity to serve OTHERS and not ourselves.

TEA 05/09 - Four Seasons in One Week!

2009-10-24T20:41:00.010+13:00

Whew! It has been quite the week! The TEAm started off by tramping up to Powell Hut near the top of Mt. Holdsworth - let me tell you - an 800 meter all uphill climb will make for an adventurous day! All of us eventually made it to the top and were greeted by a very full hut! There were at least 15 school girls, their leaders and a few other random travellers. It ended up that there were exactly the right number of mattresses for us all! That night while our group was singing, the school girls suddenly burst into a very loud song and (naturally) overpowered our tiny group. There was a short, awkward moment until we realized that they were actually singing along with us! Hearing the girls sing "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High" with all their hearts (and lungs) really touched us all.

All of us had the chance to share our testimony with everyone else. Some of us were even lucky enough to have strangers in the room... : ) At the end of our smelly, four day tramp, Emily told us that she was leaving the TEAm. This made us all very sad, but we understand now that it was the best decision for her to make at this time in her life. Now, we have a different TEAm! This will take some getting used to, but we are still very excited to see where God takes us!

Another adventure of the week was riding the ferry from the North Island down to the South Island! This was especially fun for the motion sickness prone TEAm members ; )

The first full day on the South Island we had the chance to go see some of God's creation at it's best! After crossing the river 22 times, we arrived at Sawcut Gorge! (See below) Fantastic is only one word to describe it! It was a relaxing but adventurous day as we enjoyed both the Artist's masterpieces and each other.

Prayer requests this week: that we would continue to really invest in people and work up the courage to be bold and ask them deep questions. Also, that all of us would intentionally seek for new things to learn each day, instead of going through the motions of familiarity. And please pray for continued TEAm building as we are now a different group and have new things to learn! Pray that we would really understand what it means to consider others during this time. Thank you all for loving and supporting us! : )

TEA 5/09 Week 2

2009-10-16T10:38:00.007+13:00

We are officially off and running! The first week of our eight week adventure on the road is coming to a close. It's been a somewhat relaxed week with lots of driving, but also great opportunities to see some fantastic New Zealand sights.

The TEAm finally got to camp in tents for the first time, right next to the river! We also got to visit a big church on Sunday morning and practice our "talking to strangers" skills. The next morning, Emily, Julian and Birgit conquered their fears and bungee jumped! The rest of us stood on the sideline and bravely cheered them on.

One of the big highlights of the week was a day hike we went on. It ended right next to the river in a natural hot spring! The temperature went from boiling hot to freezing cold within only a few feet of water! We got to rest our tired muscles in the warm water and relax for awhile.

We also have had several opportunities to talk to people! As scary as it might be to approach a stranger, the encouragement we get from their response makes up for it all! We are practicing sharing our testimonies with each other so we can perfect them for future use. We are heading into the mountains (bush) for a few days to get some tramping in and to stay in (hopefully, people filled) huts!

Please continue to pray for our TEAm as we seek God's will and as we learn to live with and love each other. Also pray for strength and courage as we step out of our comfort zones to love on God's children.

TEA 5/09 Off the Launching Pad!

2009-10-09T19:31:00.011+13:00

The first week of TEA is over! It’s hard to believe how fast time flies, and this is only the beginning! First of all, we’d like to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers as we continue to serve Jesus in New Zealand!

This is our TEAm (in front from left to right): Lauren and Tineka (USA), Emily (England), Ada (Germany) and in the back from left to right: Julian (Switzerland), Sonja and Endre (Germany) and Birgit (Austria).

We have kept very busy this last week training and preparing ourselves for the next two months of adventure. There has been quite a bit of book training which has proved very helpful as we learn how to minister to others just like Jesus. We have also had a few opportunities to practice our people skills and talking to strangers. Our TEAm visited a church on Sunday and joined them for lunch after the service. This was our first real chance to talk to people we didn’t know. Later in the week, we were split into four teams and sent out into the city to practice what we had learned. Each thing we had to do involved talking to people we didn’t know. Each group member came back with great stories and an understanding that it doesn’t really matter how far we get in life, as long as we love others. We are quickly realizing that building and cultivating relationships with people should be a priority in life. By truly investing ourselves in people, we are able to share our happiness and love for Jesus with them. This is our number one goal for the next two months.

We also had the chance to go on a trial tramp early on in the week. It rained most of the time, so now we are all experts and prepared for every kind of weather that might be sent our way! The short time we spent out in the bush was a great bonding experience for the TEAm as we enjoyed God’s creation together.

Tomorrow we are heading out from Papakura for the next eight weeks! We will be traveling all over both the North and South Islands and having all sorts of adventures! Please keep praying for us as we spread Jesus’ love all over!

P.S. This is how you cross rivers in New Zealand...

TEA - What is it really all about?

2009-08-07T11:14:00.004+12:00

People reading this blog and seeing the pictures may think that this is one glorious holiday. Some time ago we got wind of this rumor and wrote the following to help put matters right. It might be helpful to remind ourselves of our goals once again:

Please understand that none of the TEA leadership would want anything to do with a holiday adventure programme, even a Christian one. We are not on OM for that. We want to glorify God and see people coming to know Him, and that is our driving force in running TEA. We are very clear in all our promotional material and website that this is a discipleship and evangelism training programme. Our ‘catch-phrase’ is ‘Are you thirsty for God?’, not for an extreme holiday in New Zealand.

We use the outdoors for a number of reasons:
- New Zealand is crawling with foreign tourists who come for the outdoor activities. Many of them, as explained on our TEA video, seem to be at the tail end of a world trip and searching for fulfilment. By the time they get to NZ, they are often facing home again and very open and full of questions about deeper things in life. They are searching, and we want to reach them. By spending time in mountain huts, we are very often sharing our accommodation with such travellers, and since we are in the mountains with no electricity, there is nothing else to do but talk. A perfect opportunity. So we go into the outdoors because it is a field ripe for the harvest. Backpackers are a ministry focus for us. They are the same ages and cultures as TEA participants, yet usually easier to reach with the gospel here than at home.
- We are interested in holistic growth. We have seen time and again that people grow spiritually when challenged physically. We are not doing ‘fun’ activities for the sake of it. In fact, at the end of an 8 hour day of tough hiking, very few on a team would say it was fun. However, these activities gel the team together and cause them to trust each other and God more than in many everyday situations. The times of silence in nature are excellent ways for teams to connect with God and, when we arrive at huts to find no other travellers, we use these times to get deeper into study and discussion.
- Practically, it’s cheaper this way. We buy each team member a pass which allows them to stay in back-country huts as many nights as they like for a set price, equivalent to about a week’s worth of stay at other cheap accommodation. The ten week programme only costs €1500, that is €150 a week. Compare this to other programmes and you’ll see we are not charging a lot. This is only possible because we are very careful with the budget.
- New Zealand is beautiful, and we believe we are glorifying God by enjoying being in His creation. We are not being hedonistic in this – since the tourists we are trying to reach travel to beautiful areas, we go where they are. Of course we’ll enjoy seeing creation at the same time, just as anyone who looks out of a van window marvels at the view.

Some misconceptions about TEA:
- We do not include the cost of ‘holiday activities’ such as bungy jumping, sky-diving or other extreme adventures in our programmes, and we make this clear. If any participants want to do these things, they do it in their free time, with their own money. Adventure for us involves being in the outdoors – hiking, walking or kayaking, (all cheap, all where backpackers go,) as well as being an itinerant team. New Zealand being the size of Colorado, it’s easy for us to get around.
- We have never called ourselves a ‘short term mission’. We are a discipleship and evangelism training programme, and have called ourselves this since day one. When I think of short term missions, I see people coming for set projects with the goal of reaching people for Christ. Our methodology may be different, but the goal is the same. Jesus said to make disciples. We want people to come here and make Christianity and evangelism into more of an everyday lifestyle that they will continue when at home. One thing that led to us starting TEA was seeing how many people would go on a short term mission, and either think they had fulfilled their missions quota for the next while with no more responsibility at home, or return home and lack confidence in further evangelism since they were used to being in team with a specific planned task. We want TEA participants to learn to treat evangelism as an everyday normality, and we train them in this. A bit like the ‘teach a man to fish rather than giving a man a fish’ analogy. So we focus on training and everyday evangelism, with the view always of growing in discipleship and reaching the lost. It is a joy to see this happening on TEAms as well, as members are encouraged and challenged to make the most of every opportunity to share Christ, rather than having a programme mentality.
- Some think that the emphasis is on the adventure. That is unfair. Please look at our website to see this is absolutely the opposite of what we do. We make it very clear, and participants who join us seem to understand this for the most part. If anyone takes time to read through all our material, it will be very clear to them that we are nothing like a holiday tourism programme. The reason we give so much information is because we want people to be clear about our purposes, especially home offices, since they are the ones who approve of applicants at the first stage. If I thought a country was running a programme with an emphasis on adventure, I wouldn’t send people to them either. But this is not what we do. Please look at our website. www.om.org.nz/tea

As far as fund-raising goes, many participants pay for themselves. However, those that do raise support communicate the nature of TEA clearly to their prayer and financial supporters, and we have only had positive feedback in this regard. If a church knows why a young person is coming, they realise that they are not supporting an all-expenses paid holiday of a lifetime. Far from it.

TEA-03/2009 - Our Last Week

2009-08-02T18:30:00.011+12:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the last blog entry for TEA-03/2009.

This last week has gone by so quickly and it is hard to believe that TEA-03 is actually over. After a beautiful walk on the highest point in Hawk's Bay, we left Napier and drove to Rotorua (The city that smells like sulfur - because of all of the thermal activity). We went to the bubbling mud pits & then had a long soak in the near perfect water of a natural hot spring. Nobody wanted to get out!

Nathan wondering what happened to his TEAmates

All of us where challenged on Sunday morning by the message we heard in church. Pastor Scott at Calvary Chapel talked about how we should all be willing to stand firm when the world comes against us and go against the flow of what everyone else is doing. In Luke Chap 18 Jesus says we should "keep on praying and never give up". No matter how hard the stream of the world flows against us, we should stand firm and keep trusting in Him! V7 says "God protects his chosen ones who pray to him day & night...and who have faith"!! We must ask ourselves where do we put our faith, in the One who saves us or in other things??

We found ourselves camping again at Papamoa beach. Yes this is a winter TEAm but we did get the tents out a few times. The weather was beautiful and we took the time to walk on the beach and think about all the God had done and was still doing in our lives. We climbed Mt. Maunganui, a volcano right on the beach. At the top a couple of kite sailors where setting up and we had the opportunity to watch them fly around. They had as much fun as the bird were riding the thermals. We had a good talk with one of the guys and, if given the opportunity, a few of us would have taken our first kite sailing lesson right there and then.

After a few days at the beach we headed for the Woodward's farm and arrived just as darkness was falling. That night Phil & Audra had a great conversation with a German fellow who was staying at the farm for a night. Both of them got to share their testimony and the the message of God's unconditional love & grace. The next day this man & his son joined us as we explored the caves on the Woodward's property. After a couple hours we went to work and helped Philip & Ann by planting some cabbage trees and moving a few hundred native trees to a planting site way out on the hills behind their cafe'. We all had a lot of fun and a great workout.

Pulling into the drive way at the OM office in Papakura on Wednesday night made us all realize how fast the time had gone by. We still had a few days left but reality started setting in. We couldn't think about that for too long though because the next morning we went to the Sonshine ranch where we worked with the staff for a few hours on some projects around the property and then spent a couple hours riding horses. For some of us it was the first time we ever really "rode" a horse. We trotted & galloped up and down hills, through the forest and through water. It was a great day and a blessing to be able to help the staff at the ranch get some much needed work done. We had some encouraging conversations with them and it was good to do some practical work for someone.

It is hard to believe that TEA-03 is finished! We all have so many good memories of the time spent focusing on God, the discussions we had together, the people we met and the places we visited.

Please be praying for TEAm as they are all in the process of travelling home. Pray for their transition back into normal life and for the many decisions ahead. For the seven of them it is the beginning of something new & exciting as they continue their journey following the Lord.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for the members of TEA-03/2009 during their time here and please continue to lift them up as they step into the next chapter of their lives.

Bless you all,

TEA-03/2009 (Sara, Nathan, Bea, Thomas, Audra, Phil, Karo)

Our Last South Island Adventures!

2009-07-26T13:41:00.018+12:00

Hello everyone!

Sorry it has been such a long time since we let you know how we are doing, but we have been out in the bush and so very busy the last few weeks. Sooo... this is what we have been up too.

We were back at the Salt's backpackers (Eden's Edge, Wed July 8th) and three of the team found the prospect of jumping out of a plane a sensible idea. Audra, Bea and Phil screamed to their heart's content, while hurling through the air at 200 kmh. We need not say, smiles were beaming for the rest of the day.

Friday started with us going to Nelson with our surveys about honesty and character, many conversations took place, and some of us found ourselves talking deeply about our faith, and what God means to us. We headed back to Riwaka satisfied, with some of us (i.e Audra) smelling more like coffee than ever before!

We were able to help out at Chris and Liz's around their lovely pool, before challenging our bodies at the indoor climbing centre. Many of us finally conquered the goals set before and above us! After exhausting our bodies, it was time to challenge our minds in a stimulating and tough team exercise that went on until late.

While at the Truth Finders church in Motueka, Audra and Nathan set their fears aside and shared something from their hearts that were truly encouraging and touching to all who were listening. Amazing Job!

It was time for Sara to set her fears aside also, and to jump out of plane. She was beaming for the rest of the day.

After a good needed rest in the sunshine we had the pleasure of having an extensive crepes dinner, prepared by our resident Swiss. With huge bellies we waddled to the wharf in the dark. Having had many scares and photos of head-torch art, we slept peacefully ready for our last tramp....

After a good night sleep, we got ready to leave Chris and Liz’s backpackers. They waved us good bye and it was all a bit emotional, but we didn’t know what was waiting for us. We left for our last tramp through the Richmond Forest Park, leading us through amazing scenery including some of the places Lord of the Rings was filmed. We spent a night in Rocks Hut which turned out to be Norm’s last officially allowed night in a hut as his pass expired that exact day. Good job to the guys, they carried tarps and sleeping mats so they could sleep outside and give up some space for the girls to enjoy the tiny Captains Hut, a small 6 bed hut, where we stayed the next day. After our last porridge breakfast, which Norm took great care of not burning, we walked along the greenest river we have ever seen. As we walked fast enough to be ready for a refreshing bath we jumped into the cold waters of the Emerald Pool. It was quite amusing for those watching… our screams (due to the cold water) reminded the spectators of scene from the sinking of the Titanic.

A few minutes later, we were surprised to reach the Capell’s place, as we were still out in the bush. We were welcomed by Honey, Dennis and Sharon’s yellow Labrador and the yelling of many baby goats. We knew we were going to stay in an unusual place cut out of “civilisation”, but we felt so blessed being allowed to stay there. The house built by Dennis and Sharon was amazing and we quickly got to like the simplicity of their lifestyle – saving hot water and solar produced electricity. Without distractions we had plenty of time to enjoy the beauty of the surroundings, to relax and study and certainly to have great talks.

You haven’t yet heard about Sharon’s cooking and baking skills!!! You would know then that in order to stay in shape exercise is truly recommended. The guys went into the woods to cut timber with chainsaws and axes, but the girls decided they prefer cuddling up in the sofas and watch Jane Austin’s Sense and Sensibility amongst others… Yes, indeed!

On a bright night under a starry sky we had a huge bonfire to burn all the small branches we collected around the house grabbing the opportunity to grill sausages on sticks and chocolate bananas. Norm and Honey the dog enjoyed taking a few of us every morning out possum hunting and reduced the total number of 90 millions possums by three.

Since the boys left a dead rat on the girls' doorstep, the girls retaliated with several courses of action : the alarm clock at 3 in the morning was an absolute success. However, the stones and plank of wood under the matresses and the cow dung next to each bed remained unoticed by the boys. Do not ask how!...

Our service on Sunday morning was quite special, as we joined the Capell’s and Amy and Susie’s family for their weekly meeting at the Capell’s. Dennis encouraged everyone by reminding us to be patient and wait for God’s answers in times of trouble. And Sharon had a wise word in saying that we were called to give every moment of our days to the Lord and let Him work through them and not to worry too much about the future.

Before we left, Sharon spoiled us with another magnificent meal and lovely desert. From there we continued our journey back to the North Island, through Picton, and then our ferry ride on calm seas and sunny weather. We stopped off at Gravity Canyon where Karo, Bea, Audra and Phil gained a certificate of "Masters of Velocity" after going on an 80m swing through a canyon. In Napier we enjoyed spending a day there with taking a tour to look at the famous Art Deco stuff and playing mini-golf.

Everyone practicing the "Haka" pose...

Thank you for praying for us during our journey.

Please pray for:

- That we remain focused during the time we have left here, and do not turn our eyes towards home before its time.

- Travel safety and for everyone to stay healthy.

- That we continue to work as a team and support, encourage, and stay unified with each other during our remaining time here.

- That we stay open to meeting new people in our last week, and that we have ears to hear what God wants to teach us each day.

Thank you & we'll post our last entry soon!

TEA-03/2009 (Sara, Audra, Nathan, Thomas, Karo, Bea, Phil)

Rock and roll in the snow

2009-07-09T17:15:00.016+12:00

Hello World!

From Queenstown we made our way to Omarama. And the guys experienced the first cold night with George. On Saturday morning we went to New Zealand’s highest mountain, stunning Mt. Cook (3754 meters). On the glacier lake our ice-skating was entertaining us.

Ballet Dance Class

Back on the road we were impressed by the amazing view of the alpine scenery. That night we spent in lake Tekapo backpackers. After the Sunday morning church service in a nice and welcoming little church we found the worlds biggest jersey as well as a mosaic which the shop owner has passionately worked on for 25 years.

On Monday we started our 3-day tramp at Mt. Sommers. We had the most beautiful weather and a lot of fun walking, sliding and rolling through the snow in the winter-wonderland. The team unanimously declared it as The Best Tramp.

Wednesday and Thursday night we spent in Christchurch where we had an exciting and interesting city rally where Bea and Karo became best mates with the police department. To prepare ourselves for the cold of the next tramp we relaxed the whole afternoon in the natural hot pools of Hanmar Springs.

On our tramp in Lewis Pass Reserve the "Snowmen Inc." was founded which produced a whole population of American snowmen. (Audra, not used to snow, made a trail of snowmen every where we went.)

Due to a bad weather forecast (which didn’t come true) the team had a whole day to build a tremendous igloo. Special honour to Nathan and Sara for the amazing artwork, the essential rain pipe and fancy chimney.

After a really nice and interesting evening in Murchison Kiwi Park we now sadly say Goodbye to George. Thank you George for personal encouragement, challenging discussions, wonderful tramps and the yogurt! We thank everyone for your prayers as the Mt. Sommers tramp turned out to be awesome.

Norm & Christy are back with us now and we will be heading back to the North Island soon. Please keep on praying as we still have 3 weeks left to grow and intensely focus on God. Please pray continuously that we will have many more opportunities to meet people to talk about our faith with.

Prayer Requests:

- Continued good weather on our journey.

- Excitement to talk to people wherever we go.

- Health & safety for our last tramp & travelling.

- To continue to bond together as a TEAm and support, encourage & share with each other these last three weeks.

Thank you for your prayers!

Bea, Phil, Nathan & the TEAm

"Others" Focused & Milford Sound

2009-06-29T10:44:00.019+12:00

Hello Everyone,

This past week the focus for the TEAm has been on "serving others" and looking for ways to bless people around us instead of always focusing on ourselves and what we want/need. We all have opportunities every day to serve others, even in secret! This exercise helps us look outside of "us" and bless someone else.

In our travels this past week we left Queenstown, drove to Te Anau for a night, and then headed on to Milford Sound.

Tuesday dawned bright, cold and sunny and we explored Milford Sound by boat. We praised our Lord for the beauty of His creation as we marveled at cascading waterfalls, mountains that fell straight down into the sea, seals on rocks, and a beautiful blue sky above.

A curious Kea near Milford Sound

We also took several day walks on our journey to Milford, taking the time to hike up to Key Summit one fine afternoon.

Exploring Key Summit

On our way back to Queenstown, we stopped to appreciate the scenery and the TEAm mastered a "rock balancing challenge" for this photo.

Once back at Lakeland Park in Queenstown, we spent the afternoon doing a service project and chopped and stacked some trees that had been cut down earlier that day. It was great fun and a joy to help Lindsey & Marian out in such a practical way. Marian made a delicious pavlova topped with cream and fruit - an ending to a perfect day.

The week has been full of "secret serving" and it has been fun to see what creative ways everyone has thought of to serve each other. We have also focused on seeing the bigger picture that life is not all about meeting our own needs and desires, but following Christ's example of being a servant and putting others first. In addition to this, we've been talking about 'why' we do what we do, not just what we do. When we serve, is it to bring attention to us, or to meet a need in Christ's Name? A good thing to evaluate ourselves on often.

The TEAm is now on a tramp at Mt. Somers, so watch for updates in the next week or so!

Please pray for physical strength for the TEAm to complete all hikes, for good weather as they are out in the backcountry, and for opportunities to meet new friends and share God's love with them.

Until next time...

Mountains, Icicles & Beaches

2009-06-21T14:19:00.006+12:00

Hello Everyone!

Last week was another exciting adventure on the roads of NZ. We left Riwaka on Saturday, said our goodbyes to Chris, Liz, and Ruth, and drove down the West Coast.

Norm & Christy took a week break in Auckland, so we had the privilege to have Daniel as our TEAm leader (former TEA participant).

We picked up a hitchhiker from Spain who we saw later in Queenstown J. He made the journey with us to Westport where we stayed overnight. Along the road we went to view a seal colony, a cave (without seals and glow worms ;) ), and the pancake rocks (a funny looking rock formation). The local Anglican church welcomed us warmly on Sunday morning.

The pattern of the next few days was pretty much similar. We stayed every night in a different holiday park, drove 3-4 hours/day and stopped to view or walk in beautiful places. During our study times each one of us were asked to talk about a difficult topic relating to Christianity. For instance: Are there mistakes in the Bible? How could an all-powerful, loving God allow suffering on earth, etc? Those moments were challenging and took us deeper into the Bible.

An hour away from the coast, we arrived at Franz Joseph Glacier where we witnessed a beautiful rainbow. Walking in the ”bed” of the Glacier over stones and rocks to the edge of Franz Joseph was great fun. The majesty of it impressed all of us.

Before taking our quarters in the holiday park, we had a look at Lake Matheson, a jungle like walk to a tranquil lake reflecting the forest and mountains surrounding it.

Haast was our next day´s destination. We made a random stop and happened upon a salmon farm. This inspired our chief cook, Thomas, to prepare a feast for that evening : salmon pasta. That´s where we met a cool friendly guy from France with perfect Australian English!

We took off early the next morning towards Wanaka. We stopped at Fantails Falls and Thunder Creek Falls, a high waterfall in the forest overwhelmed by tourists. For lunch we stopped on a beach of Lake Wanaka which turned out to become one of our best and warmest lunches. The guys built a fire and we baked bread on sticks and topped them with maple syrup – yummo . Daniel played on his fancy guitar and we took some time to praise our Creator and talk about one of the topics. Memorable experience...

We were glad that our shelter for the night had a hot spa pool and a fire stove. As you probably all know, it can get quite cold this time of year on the South Island. We stayed there two nights and met a nice, newlywed Aussie couple who explained to us a lot about the Aborigines of Australia.

The next evening, after a day hiking near Wanaka at the Diamond Lake, we settled into a nice chalet in Queenstown and had a private show by our favourite actor, Phil. He acted out a scene from one of Shakespeare’s plays. Phil temporarily became Launce as he acted out his goodbyes to his parents, represented by shoes...mmh...great theatre!

Saturday morning lying in...breakfast at 8:30, yes! And guess what? We had pancakes, special American recipe by Audra : with strawberries and maple syrup, bacon and eggs. It was also our awaited laundry day! Sara bumped into a friend that she hadn’t seen in 16 years and had gone to primary school with. She was very excited to have a “catch up” coffee with her! In the meantime, the rest of us went up to check out the ski slopes at Coronet Peak. One thing leading to another, the snowballs flew as we made our way back to the van.

Norm and Christy finally joined us after their flight was cancelled due to excessive clouds and having to drive 7 hours from Christchurch...Prayer requests : for safe technology in NZ airports and cloudless skies (this is a joke, mums don´t worry)...

Prayer Requests:

- That we meet more people or find creative ways to go where people are for sharing our faith and having conversations with them about God.

- That we learn more creative ways to serve each other and people we meet.

- Safety during our skiing day this week.

- That we continue to push ourselves and go deeper in God´s Word & ask ourselves the tough questions.

Thanks for your prayers! God bless!

TEA-03/2009

What a Week!

2009-06-13T10:10:00.018+12:00

Hello Everyone!

The past week has been an action packed time as we have been in the backcountry, to the coast, and in places in between. We have been learning more about sharing our faith in Christ and being "real" with people we meet.

One lovely day we went to Wharariki Beach and brought with us Chris & Liz Salt, Ruth (TEA-02/2009), Daniel (TEA-01/2009), Kathleen and her son Matt. Kathleen has been working on the new OMNZ website.

The beach was beautiful with some impressing arches and caves. Our unsuccessful search for fossils led us to a small cave. Daniel and Phil entered a cave to explore and were suddenly startled by a loud growl. At the same time, in a separate cave, Nathan & Audra were also exploring and came across an unexpected occupant of the cave... we heard a loud and scary scream: "Seal!" the guys ran out of the cave chased by a big, angry - ready to attack - seal! Alarmed by the scream the whole group started running, too funny! We were impressed by how fast a seal can run, and even more impressed by how fast we could run from it.

Yeah! We outran the seal!!!

On Sunday we attended church in Motueka and went to the outdoor Sunday Market.

From Monday to Thursday we tramped through icy, rainy and snowy Nelson Lakes National Park. Phil was excited because he saw his first live NZ possum in the bush. In our wood-fired cosy huts we prepared mediterranian food in the evenings, that reminded us of the sun we didn't see for four days. We made some new friends in Lakehead Hut and that evening lost track of time and ended up talking late into the night. We hope to run into them again during our travels around the country.

Hiking through snow & freezing rain! Brrr!

Morning devotions in Lakehead Hut

Everyone warm & cozy in John Tait Hut

At the end of our hike through freezing & beautiful landscapes we were glad to meet Audra and Nathan again when we returned to Riwaka. They had stayed behind to recover and had the benefit of a hot shower and dry clothes. With the whole team back together we spent the evening telling stories of our adventures. By the way... if you want to have fun and do some team building at the same time - drawing rocking grandmas works best (a game we played as a TEAm). ;-)

Next week we are heading down the west coast towards Queenstown with Daniel (Heavy D - former TEA participant on TEA-01/2009), who will be leading us for the week.

Please pray for:

~ Good conversations and discussions about God with people we meet.
~ Protection on the road as we travel South.
~ Good health for the TEAm - a few of us are not feeling well.
~ For us to grow in our relationship with the Lord as we travel & study together.

Thank you for your prayers!

TEA-03/2009 (Thomas, Karolin, Nathan, Audra, Sara, Phil, Beate)

Burnt Food, Lots of Chilli, Seals and Sun

2009-06-05T15:22:00.014+12:00

Hello to the world,

Guten Tag tout le monde,

Well we left the base in Papakura and said our goodbye to George and Carolyn.

Finally our grand voyage awaited us and we were all excited what the journey would hold for us. Our first stop was the lovely village of Taupo. Getting to our first holiday park we jumped right into the thermal hot pool, before cuddling up to watch a chick flick.

Thomas, Karolin and Phil felt it would wake them up to go bungy jumping before church. Phil's yelling woke up the neighbours and was fun for everyone. At the Baptist Church in Taupo we helped double the congregation and the preacher assumed we where all Norm and Christy's children ;o)

After church we quickly headed to the Desert Road and saw our first sight of snow, then reached cold Levin.

On Monday morning we left Levin quickly and hit the road to Wellington. We spend a few hours in the Te Papa National Museum which enlarged our knowledge of lovely New Zealand.

It was an early morning on Tuesday to catch the ferry to the South Island, and some of our stomachs were struggling so we sat outside to admire the beauty of the mountains floating by. We finally arrived in a lovely spot, Chris and Liz's Backpackers located in Riwaka. This is a gorgeous place!!!

Getting some fresh air on the ferry

Kiwi-Burger-Experts

Here we met Ruth and Daniel (ex-TEA-teamers) who where staying and helping out at the backpackers. Thank you for the great dessert Ruth!

On Wednesday we left for our second tramp in Able Tasman National Park which is situated in the northwest corner of the South Island. We arrived at Anchorage hut at dusk and were incredibly impressed by the amazing view from the beach. What a stunningly peaceful place!

The special of the day: (created by the guys) pasta and "smoked" cheese and mushroom sauce. We could safely say that our taste buds were as abused, while eating, as our shoulders were while tramping. Not to mention the overuse of chilli-powder...???

The lovely sunshine gave us an oppurtunity to take a walk before lunch where we bumped into a few New Zealand fur seals. We then used the brains of our engineers and artists in the group to create the photo below:

In the evening we sat down and played a few games in a full and hot hut, where we had our first interesting discussions.

Today we had an early morning and enjoyed the gorgeous sunny trip back to the van. After the walk, we appreciated the showers back in Riwaka and sat on the veranda to enjoy lunch.

Thank you for your prayers!

Please be praying for the coming weekend, that we will have a good time to recover from the past trip and also will have the chance to meet new people to spread the word. Also pray for our 5 day tramp next week (mon-fri). Pray that the Lord may send us many people on our way to share the Good News with and that God will talk and move through us.

Amen!

Phil & Bea & the TEAm

First Tramp Into the Wild!

2009-05-30T05:37:00.012+12:00

Hello Everyone,

We have just returned from the TEAm's first tramping trip - three days in the Coromandel! This was a trip to stretch those legs, get used to walking with a pack on our backs, and test out all that new gear. We stayed in Pinnacles Hut, the largest hut in New Zealand, which sleeps 80 people comfortably. There was more than enough room for us as well as many new friends we made while there. While there we covered some training materials and had great discussions as we looked into God's Word.

Morning Devotions in Pinnacles Hut

TEAmbuilding...Can we untie ourselves?

Several of the TEAm learned how to cook porridge for the whole group, and a fine job too! Others helped prepare dinners which everyone was grateful for. We also found that some on this TEAm like to tell stories in their sleep, which makes for an interesting night!

Mmmm...Dinner Prep!

Hangin' Out at the Local Tree Stump

Today we hit the road to begin our travels South! The TEAm will not return here until two days before their program ends. Please be praying for them as they embark on this journey with God. Each have come for specific reasons, and all are here to grow in their relationship with the Lord. We look forward to seeing what God will do. Please also pray for travel safety and good health for everyone.

Be sure and watch for regular updates on the TEAm's journey over the next nine weeks!

Thank you for your prayers!

Until next time...

Welcome TEA-03/2009!

2009-05-23T22:04:00.009+12:00

Hello everyone!

Today was Day01 of the ten week journey that the TEA-03/2009 participants have begun here in New Zealand.

Let us introduce you to the TEAm:

Karolin (Germany)
Sara (Switzerland), Beate (Germany)
Audra (USA), Nathan (Wales), Philip (UK), Thomas (Germany)

Please be praying for these guys as they embark on this adventure with God together.

Thank you very much!

The last blog entry...

2009-04-24T15:24:00.019+12:00

So here we are, day 7 of week 10... This week we have had some really good wind down time in preparation for our next chapter in our journey's. The first of the tears have already been shed as we've become like family. We have to remind ourselves that it's not life that's over, its just the end of one thing and the beginning of another.

We've had a great week! We spent three days at Popamoa Beach - one of the most beautiful beaches we have seen. The holiday park we stayed at was practically at the water's edge. We've had a lot of time for ourselves this week and have enjoyed taking the time to walk along the beach, absorbing all we have learned over the past 10 weeks.

Just as the outdoor adventures had come to an end, we embarked on a new indoor adventure - rock climbing. It was challenging but a really good work out. It was definitely harder than it looked and we totally felt the burn! But Jordo, you deserve a prize for the best TEA climber ever!

We went for a walk up Mount Monganui the other day and saw the most spectacular view. 10 weeks ago it would have been a hike but this end of the trip, it was a walk in the park!

Our last evening on the road was a perfect end to a perfect trip, it included our favourite meal: Thai Green Curry, worshipping on the beach with "the moon shining all around" and totally in God's presence with a gratitude of being here, a few tears of sadness but more of joy and and laughter when we played Balderdash! We had excellent fellowship that evening and made the decision to stop sleeping for the rest of TEA, as its a waste of time! (which didn't quite work).

So we are in Papakura now and some how our bags have just exploded in our bedrooms!? Today we plan to organise our thoughts and feelings as well as organise our packs in some sort of logical way. We should probably say goodbye to each other as well as some point which is no doubt going to be the hardest part of our day.

We will definitely miss Brittney's contagious laugh, Ally's enthusiasm and excitement (which is quite often two minutes later than everyone else's), Ruth's carrying of the T.V., Tyler's headphones, Jordan's "My deliverer" rendition. Christy's Uppy Uppy Song and 'yumo', Norm's "Normano Phillipe you make me so . . . " rendition, George's joke's, Kati's three sneezes in a row and Sarah's funny facial expressions.

Thank you so much once again for your support and prayers. Please continue to pray for us as we travel home this weekend. For our safety, our end here and our beginning back into reality. Can't wait to see everyone and we are so thankful to the Lord for bringing us here, working in our lives and giving us friend's for life.

For the last time...

All our love,

Britt, Ruth, Ally, Ty, Sarah, Jordo and Kati.

From One Amazing Day to the Next!

2009-04-19T14:49:00.042+12:00

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

Tales from the West Coast with TEA-02/2009

2009-04-04T20:05:00.028+13:00

Its been another busy and eventful week and a half. We made our way back up the West Coast. We've stopped in many towns along the way including Wanaka where we walked up a mountain in which there were spectacular 360 degree views from the peak (It was good training for the leg muscles).

After that we had a fun afternoon at Puzzling World working out illusions and had our teamwork and patience tested at the garden maze... Brittney was tempted to use the emergency exit of the maze and Ruth and Sarah were desperately trying to resist the temptation to crawl under the fence. On the way to Fox Glacier we stopped at the side of the road to view some amazing waterfalls. We were amazed to see some (what we assume were) local college students create hundreds of small stone statues which only added to the already incredible view. Our team then walked through a dense rain forest which led to a stunning beach, the kind you only see on postcards. During this time we were able to sit in awe of God's work as the waves crashed into the beach. We all enjoyed the hour of prayer at the beach although we were eaten alive by sandflies. Some of us went to extreme lengths to keep the pesty critters at bay. We were just amazed at the diversity of the scenery all around us. We saw rain forests, beautiful beaches and glaciers all within a hours of each other.

We stayed at Fox Glacier for a night before packing up and travelling to Greymouth. As there were no churches in the area we had our own church by a stream, surrounded by God's glorious creation. We enjoyed a fire on the beach that night which involved dampers and chocolate bananas and to top it all off a spectacular sunset!

The following day we made our way to Westport stopping off on the way at Punakiki to see the pancake rocks and blow holes at high tide. We had a laugh watching the waves roll in and build up through the blow holes drenching us from head to toe. Each time a rainbow appeared above the blast of water reminding us of God's promise and his presence with us on this trip.

When we eventually arrived at Westport we attempted to pitch our tents (Ruth and Ally had a few problems as the tent had a mind of it's own). We packed our bags and food and headed to bed early, in preparation for our longest tramp yet at Nelson Lakes National Park.

On the first day of our five day tramp we walked for three hours to Lakehead Hut which was packed with many other trampers which gave us many opportunities for conversations about Christ.

On the second day we walked for five hours uphill to John Tait hut where we met two locals who own stands at the market in Motueka (we plan to meet up with them before church on Sunday).

The third took three hours of tough terrain to Upper Traver's Hut. Some of the gang stayed behind to journal while the rest of the team made it's way up the most challenging part of the tramp yet . . . the SADDLE!!! Jordan and Tyler even made it up a further ridge to top off the views. The struggle to reach the summit was well worth it as the view from the top blew us away.

On day four we walked from Upper Travers Hut to Lakehead hut. The walk took SEVEN LONG HOURS and we were all relieved to reach the hut. Our night at the hut involved the most surreal events in the history of T.E.A. There was a snoring competition to where there was more than one winner, giggling girls, other interesting noises and an alarm clock that went off at 4:30 AM that no one seemed to own up to or turn off. The alarm went off 4 times every 15 minutes before Ally eventually removed the pack (which contained the alarm) from the building.

On day five we made it out of the park in record time as kiwi fruit and showers were waiting for us.

In the past 7 weeks we have continued to meet and talk with a lot people from around the world. We have been challenged with tough questions and as a result have grown from the experience. We have had many God centered conversations, some going on for hours and others for a few minutes. Despite the length of time, the seed has been planted and we are leaving the rest in the hands of the Gardner (God).

Prayer requests:

- Continue to have discipline as a team and as individual for achieving our goals

- Continue to step outside our comfort zone to bring glory to God

- Make the most of every moment and opportunity

- Choosing our attitudes wisely

- Safety

- The people that we have met along the way

- Praise God for blessing us with the most beautiful weather on our tramp

Thank you for your love and prayers. Will continue to keep you posted.

Crunchie, Touque, DJ, Sunshine, Allyburger, Twinkletoes and Frostie.

"Top of the Mountain to You"-TEA02

2009-03-24T15:31:00.016+13:00

Hello again!

We're still alive, we've just had the busiest couple of weeks... so we're here to tell you what's happened.

We met TEA 01 09 in Nelson and spent five days with them in Riwaka. We all bonded very quickly, all staying in Chris and Liz's backpacker's. We helped them to get their newly built backpackers ready for the painters. With two reams working hard, many hands make light work. We had good times with various team building games over the course of our time there, along with going for walks in the orchid and quiet times for prayer, and watching sun rises at the wharf. It was GREAT to have our worship time together as one big group, a little taste of heaven. On Saturday, skydiving was organized with perfect weather conditions. All 7 of us embraced the fear of 13,000 feet falling out of a plane, but the views were worth it and one experience we will never forget! Sunday morning at church Tyler, Ally, and Gunnva from TEA 01 shared their testimonies. After that we said our goodbyes to TEA 01, swapped vans, and chases them up the road! During those four days we made friends for life and are very grateful we had the opportunity to meet them and learn from them. Thanks to Chris and Liz for allowing us to stay, with 18 people using just one shower, it is NOT for the faint hearted!

After that we set off for a 3 day tramp to Kahurangi with Norm & Christy. Simon from the skydive center came along for the day our first day in. We had our first experience in staying in a cozy hut. The temperature outside was the same as inside as these huts have no electricity or heating. The weather was very cold, wet, and windy so the Brits and Irish were right at home. All of us tucked up in our sleeping bags like worms, and Kati realized she needed some warmer clothes! On our last day the plan was to climb Gordon's Pyramid, but due to weather conditions (entering a snow cloud) only Tyler, Kati, Jordan, and Norm made it to the top. It was hard to see much in front of us. So the rest of the girls tramped for over 7 hours back to the carpark the way we came. The boys gave themselves a challenge to climb Lodestone and the girls learned a few songs which were performed to the boys later that evening. They weren't impressed, but the girls loved it!

Leaving Riwaka we're on the road and working our way further south. We stopped in Kaikoura for the night and on the road to Christchurch the next day, via the sea colony, Tyler almost got his hand bitten off by a seal. Norm and Christy flew out and George flew in and we were all excited to hear we would have a home cooked meal made by George's friend Elanor George, which was very much appreciated. After a couple of days, we headed to Mt. Somers where George took us on a 4 day tramp and stayed in the most beautiful hut. We had great natural swimming holes and Ally slept out under the stars. On Saint Patrick's Day Ruth showed her colors by tramping, eating, and sleeping in her green Irish hat bought from Sarah. The next day, we all climbed a mountain! It was the best feeling ever. :) At the top prompted by Sarah we sang a victory song. We were so excited and practically flew down again. The following morning we explored the area on our way to the next hut. There we met a group of young students and played a few games with them. After one night there we worked our way out and still going further south to lake Tekapou. Camping again we enjoyed flushable toilets and hot showers. We paid a visit to Mt. Cook for a day walk and some of us swam in the glacier lake, but this was nothing compared to the next night camping and waking up with the frost on the ground. So when arriving in Queenstown us girls were rather excited to learn that we would be spending the next few nights in a cabin and were also proud of the boys for sleeping in a tent as the temperatures drop drastically at night.

Norm and Christy finished up TEA-01, who we've been praying for and thank very much for our notes:-). They then met us in Queenstown town and while there we drove up a mountain to feed lamas, pigs, chickens, donkeys, goats and deer. This was quite amusing.....as when the animals realised we had food in our hands they'd bombard us in multiple numbers. We spent a few hours helping out the owners at the Christian Holiday Park we're staying at,cutting down trees, moving branches and logs... The girls were having a great time on the 4x4 while the boys were working hard!

We've had excellent teaching over the past couple of weeks, we've learned to serve and how to make decisions. We've also had some brilliant chats with strangers, Tyler hugged a dutch man on top of a mountain after praying with him and we look forward to continue putting all we've learned into action.

Please pray for us

- to take all the opportunities we're given to share God's message

- strength for our next big tramp at Nelson Lakes

- us to achieve the goals we've set ourselves!

Thank you!

God is good. Lots of love to everyone, you're all missed - you're in our thoughts and prayers.

Jordan, Tyler, Sarah, Ally, Brittney, Kati and Ruth

The Journey's End for TEA-01/2009

2009-03-20T12:58:00.019+13:00

Hello everyone!

Oh where to start?! We have been hit with the sudden reality that today is our offical final day of TEA! Where did the last 10 weeks disappear to?? Actually...they didn't disappear, they have been well spent, learning and growing spiritually and also in sharing our faith with many people we have met along the way!

The last 2 weeks have been busy, busy, busy. Continuing from our last blog entry those of us who wanted to test gravity did so. Hanne, Gunnva and Timon hit the skies and then hit the ground when they sky dived from 13,000ft in Motueka.

The following day we went to church in Motueka, where Gunnva spoke about what prayer means in her life. After church we shared lunch with TEA 02/09. And then said some emotional goodbyes to them. We might have only been with them for 5 days but here on TEA we bond quickly!

TEA-01 & 02/2009 together in Riwaka!

We then headed up to Picton with Norm where we caught the ferry back up to the North Island. We were meant to be doing a 3 day tramp with George, but unfortunatly Hanne's knee didn't hold out like we had hoped for, so we changed plans and headed to Whakapapa. It was a great opportunity to talk with people, nearly everyone in the camp kitchen! Judging by the weather that followed, God had it all in hand!! It poured with rain and turned freeeeeeeeezing!!! That still didn't stop us from walking though, and we did a day walk, minus Hanne (again =[ ), in the Tama Lakes! We would all agree that the views were ones never to forget. Mount Ruapehu, Mount Nguaruhoe and the Tama Lakes were all in full sight! We would also say it was the coldest place we have been on all of TEA! Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

We then worked our way to Roturua- THE smelliest place on all the planet! We stayed for 2 nights at Cozy Cottage, a lovely little campsite thats built on thermal ground. We pitched our tents and were expecting a nice cozy night...what we actually got...was toasted! Four of us left there with sleeping mats and sleeping bags smelling like burnt popcorn due to sudden thermal activity over night! A traditional Maori Hangi (food cooked by steam from natural thermal vents in the ground) made up for this!

We made the most of the natural hot pools, some of us spending many hours straight in them talking with people. The talks were great, the shriveled prune feet were not! We also saw the bubbling mud pools- something extremely unique!

Next stop- Lakes Ranch. We spent the afternoon moving heavy materials in the guys case, and spring cleaning many a dorm in the girls case. We had lots of fun whilst doing this.

.."Everybody was kung-fu-cleaning"..

The rest of the day was spent horse riding =)

We each had a horse..all with very different characters. Timon was assigned Spotty, aka 'The Bean Machine,' Hanne rode Sharky- the name says it all really! Gunnva was paired with Bric, he liked to eat. Rahel was with Cracker..who cracked up whilst being ridden! Rahel handeled him like a pro! Naomi was on Lucky, who was a little to excited to get home! Finally Eva rode Chacha, she put us all to shame with her skills! Daniel stayed behind from riding due to allergies, so he spent some time talking with guys on the ranch and chilling out.

Our last stop of TEA 01/09 was at Papamoa Beach. We enjoyed beautiful weather, walks and discussions. We spent time reflecting on the last 10 weeks and thinking about our next steps with God as we leave to go home in the next couple of days.

We are now back in Papakura where we are slowly packing our bags to leave. Please be praying for our journeys back home and to other destinations, and also that we may all be able to apply everything we have learned here to our lives outside of New Zealand. It has been a fun filled adventure and as we look back we can see definate changes and God prints in our lives. We are all so thankful for our time here and for all of the prayer support from our blog readers. You are all part of our journey!

TEA 01/2009 Signing Off

Kiwis, kayaks and Christ TEA-02/2009

2009-03-05T14:26:00.032+13:00

TEA-02/2009

Thank you once again for all your comments and prayers.

We're all having a great time, growing in our relationships with God through our daily devotions and teaching. We've also had a great week with each other with lots of laughs, deep discussions and prayer (chocolate and ice cream too.)

We started the week off at the Woodwards' farm which stunned us by God's beauty. Philip Woodward gave us a tour of the caves where we were amazed at the star-like glowworms. Us girls were glad to be ignorant of the water rats and eels until once we'd made it through! That night, while the girls were tucked away in their tents, the boys had a mission im-possum-ible of their own. The girls heard a few gun shots and the next morning came to realise that the forest was short of 11 and a half possum's!

Us, suited and booted for the cave tour

We headed to Lake Waikaremoana the next day for our kayaking adventure and were rather excited to see that we were staying in cabins for the night. In the morning we got the kayaks and George paired us up... "Oh brother" (to quote Brittney) Kati and Sarah were zig-zagging all over the place! This decision had to be reconsidered... Kati + Sarah + kayak = not gonna happen! Day two of kayaking was stunning, not just because the pairs were reshuffled but because God's presence was there. The sun was beaming and we stopped in the middle of the lake in complete silence to reflect on God's beauty. The lake was like glass and the atmosphere was indescribable.

"We don't like kayaking today!"

Ruth and George setting an example

Brittney deep in thought...

We started to share our testimonies around the camp fire. The work God has done in each of our lives is amazing and we're excited about being on this adventure together and seeing what God will continue to do in us.

Lecker schmecker (German for very yummy)

We spent a couple of nights on another farm - The Wichers' where we had the opportunity to run a kids programme. After church, we sang a few songs with them and Tyler got the opportunity to share his testimony with them. We took the kids to the beach in attempt to swim with a dolphin; Moko, but only Tyler got to touch him and the rest of us got a photograph of it's fin! Jordan played a bit of soccer/football with them, Ally made princess sandcastles with the girls and Ruth got burned... again!

Jordan and Rakai

Hanging around in the sea waiting for Moko...

The following day we stayed in a holiday park in Napier and the sight of a giant jumping pillow unleashed the inner child within us, including George.

It was great to meet TEA 01 yesterday as we've been praying for them for the past few weeks. We continue to head south and ask for you to pray for us as we strive to make God famous.

With love from TEA 02...

Jordan - "It's not a beanie, it's a touque"

Ruth - "I need crisps and bug spray"

Ally - "I'm off chocolate (I'll start tomorrow)"

Brittney - "That's so neat, I wanna picture"

Sarah - "That's brilliant!"

Kati - "I need toilet"

Tyler - "I'll take a coffee"

George - "Where's Tyler...? When Tyler's here, we're all here"

Everyone (but Tyler) - "I can't believe I'm wearing crocs!"

Beautiful picture :)

Sky, Land & Sea on TEA 01/2009!

2009-03-05T14:25:00.028+13:00

TEA-1/2009 here!

It's easy to say that week 8 has been one of the most versatile of the weeks so far, and a great one too!

We started the week travelling up the west coast of the South Island with Todd to where we are now, in Motueka. We picked up Norm & Christy from the airport and then headed off to Liz and Chris Salt's house. We have had the privilege of helping this wonderful couple who are in the process of constructing a brand new Backpackers. It is set on a beautiful block of land surrounded by an apple orchard with green mountains peaking in the distance. We have enjoyed helping them by painting, cleaning the yard, piling planks of wood, gardening and other handy jobs. It has been a pleasure staying with them and hearing the stories of what God has and is doing in their lives.

We then were ready for another tramp (except for Hanne who needed to rest her knee). This tramp was at Kahurangi National Park. It was only a small tramp of 2 days but we did much walking. The first day we walked 4 hrs to the Hut which was shared with two men. We played pass the pigs with them and shared stories. We enjoyed a yummo Moroccan meal that Norm whipped up, and Christy and Rahel enjoyed a cup of tea with crushed cashews instead of sugar. Yes, cashew's... they some how could not tell the difference between brown sugar and crushed cashew's! On the second day we walked 8 hrs, and also hiked up Mt Arthur! We had to picture what the view looked like because all we could see was cloud.

Sunrise at Salisbury Lodge Hut

On our way up Gordon's Pyramid

We are now again at the Backpackers but this time there are more people! No not backpackers, but another TEA Team! TEA-2/2009 found us while we were in Nelson city centre doing an activity with people in the city talking about the topic of Honesty. They not only found us but are staying with us for 4 days! It has been very exciting and fun getting to know them and to share with them what we have learnt so far. We look forward to knowing them more and more each day.

TEA 01 & 02/2009 together for the first time!

We are all excited because we are going to be skydiving on Saturday!! Please pray for us as we continue our journey of growth & change with God. It is important that we make the most of our time here and make the most of opportunities we are given.

All our love TEA 01 - Naomi, Hanne , Gunnva, Rahel, Daniel, Eva and Timon

The West Coast & Kayaking with TEA-01/2009

2009-02-22T22:19:00.040+13:00

Hi everyone ! TEA 01/2009 here!

These two past weeks we've been traveling lots and experienced New Zealand's variation of sunny and rainy weather. Todd has guided us safely from Queenstown down to Milford Sound and all the way up to Nelson, where Norm and Christy took over for him. We've spent lots of hours in the van and seen many beautiful places. And we have also been on a kayaking trip, and are now staying in Riwaka.

Eating dinner in Queenstown

In Queenstown our tent neighbors told us about the deer park on the hill, they said it would be worth a visit. And indeed, feeding the deers, goats and alpacas was fun. On Sunday morning we intended to go the Baptist church in town, which had obviously moved because we couldn't find it. Instead we went down to the park to sing and read God's Word. On this day we drove to Te Anau and right next to the Holiday Park was a church where we attended a lively evening meeting. The next morning we started with going to see the Milford Sound. After lunch the weather cleared up nicely, so that we could enjoy the spectacular view from Key Summit. That night we camped at Lake Gunn, which was beautiful but filled with sandflies.

Beautiful Lake Gunn

On the way to Mavora Lakes, the next day we ended up driving in a herd of cattle, it was fun watching them run. Mavora Lakes was nice and warm. We met two people there, and enjoyed talking with them and making dampers over the fire.

At Mavora Lakes

TEA 01/09 at night

Next morning we packed our tents up again, and headed for Wanaka. Driving through Queenstown we picked up some hitchhikers, who drove with us to Wanaka. We had good talks with them, it is interesting hearing their stories and about their life. The weather in Wanaka was very good, and we didn't have time to do all we wanted to do the first day, so we decided to stay there two nights. On our second day there we walked up to Roy's Peak. A hard 1200 metres climb in the burning sun, but it was all worth it when at the top, with views over Lake Wanaka, surrounding mountains and Rob Roy Glacier. And straight after coming back down we went to the bizarre Puzzling World, with fun optical illusions and a 1,5 km. maze. We also realized that New Zealand is not so big after all, we met a guy that we had talked to in a hut 4 weeks before on the North Island.

Spectacular view from Roy's Peak

Holding the tower at Puzzling World

Early next morning we woke up hearing raindrops on our tents, and we had to pack up in pouring rain. This was the weather that haunted the next few days. In Fox Glacier we therefore stayed in cabins, and we were thankful not having to stay outside in the stormy rain. Because of the rain we could not go too close to the Fox Glacier, so we were only there for 20 minutes, but we were all soaking wet, but in our rainclothes, so it was not too bad.

We reached Greymouth later that day. Again in cabins, we enjoyed being inside in the warm and watching the film Shadowlands, which is about the life of C.S. Lewis.

In church the next morning, we were again reminded about the importance of missions. This was a very timely message for us as we are here on TEA. After church we headed for Westport, stopping at the Pancake Rocks. We also went into the Punakaiki Cavern. In total darkness we prayed for our lost family and friends.

Pancake Rocks

Inside Punakaiki Cavern

The next day we drove from Westport to Nelson, picked up Norm and Christy at the airport and drove to Riwaka. Where we will be staying for the next few days.

Next day we went on a kayaking trip in the Abel Tasman National Park. The weather was lovely when we left shore and headed out on the sea, and we had a good paddle to Anchourage Bay, where we would camp in tents for the night. The camp site was quite full, so there were lots of people, and again we met three people there that we had met before, two of them 6 days before and one that we had met about 3-4 weeks. This was a lovely surprise. Again we talked with them and hasd some good conversations about our faith and why we are here, and had a good time.

Heading out from Anchorage Bay!

The plan for the next day was to go further north and camp in Mosquito Bay for the next night, but the weather changed, it started raining quite badly the night before and it did not really stop, and the sea was a lot more rough than the day before. So we decided to stay in the Anchorage Bay campground and do a shorter kayaking exploring in the bay in the afternoon. The Anchorage was such a nice spot, so this was also an enjoyable afternoon after all.

On the next day the sea was again a lot calmer and the rain had stopped, so our paddle back to Marahau, where we began, was lovely. We were not in a rush, so we did some exploring, we saw some seals, on the rocks and in the sea. We also saw a small penguin, which we were very happy to see. We have been looking for them! We also paddled a bit further and went to see the Split Apple Rock, which is a huge rock that looks like an apple split in half.

Kayaking in God's beautiful creation

Even with changes in our original kayaking plans we had a good time. We talked to different people during our time there. We also had good talks within our group about things that are on hearts at this time, and our personal dreams of what we would like to do for God to honour Him & give Him glory.

Tomorrow we start week 8 and have only three weeks to go, so we are beginning to think about what we will be up to when we go back home. We want to make the most of our last three weeks here on TEA. Within a month six of us will be back home, and one will stay in New Zealand for a little longer.

Please pray for us, as we make our plans for what to do after TEA. Some of us know what we are doing, some don't. Pray that we will be prepared and ready. We don't want to go back into all our previous habits, we want to be changed, and we want to continue in our relationship with God.

Also pray for these last three weeks that we will be safe and healthy. God will keep working in us, and that we will keep being reminded that the world is watching how we as God's children live our lives. Pray that we cease the oppurtunities we have with talking to people and sharing the Gospel.

With love,

Timon, Rahel, Daniel, Eva, Hanne, Naomi and Gunnva.

Kia Ora! (Hello in Maori) from TEA-02/2009

2009-02-21T11:57:00.020+13:00

TEA-02/2009

Thank you to everyone who has left comments on the blog, its great to hear from you all and your prayers are much appreciated.

Our first week has rushed by and has been filled with laughs, sand flies, possums, and a lot of firsts for the whole team. We spent three days tramping, training, and absorbing God's word to prepare us for God's mission.

We all look pretty funny... don't ya think?!

TEAm work

Our luxury accommodation consisted of a tarp, a rope, and a ground sheet which was frequented by the local possum community. Brittney and Ruth pulled the short straw, with their heads at easy access to the rummaging possums. Along side the campsite was a beautiful multipurpose stream which doubled as a perfect quiet time spot.

Wish you were here...

Despite the itchy legs, sore shoulders, and greasy hair (not George) the scenery far surpassed the hardships!

How many tourist's can you spot?

We've definitely got to know each other as a TEAm with a few burps, a few sing songs, and a few impersonations of each other... Is it aluminum? Or aluminium?

"Don't we all look beautiful with our super cool hats?!"

Kayaking is on the agenda for next week where we get to meet TEA 01/2009 where we anticipate sharing the work God has done in and through us during our time in country.

We've learned to take every opportunity to talk to people about Christ. So with our bags packed and Scripture on our hearts we look forward to sharing the gospel throughout NZ.

Please keep us in your prayers...

-safety on the road

-for us to radiate God's love to others

-meet the people God wants us to meet

-strength as we tramp!

We've seen more cows than sheep!

Keep you posted, you're in our prayers :)

Ruth, Alison, Brittney, Sarah, Tyler, Katrin & Jordan

Meet TEA 02/2009!

2009-02-15T17:29:00.024+13:00

Hello everyone,

We would like to introduce you to TEA-02/2009!

From back left:

Katrin (Germany), Alison (England), Sarah (England),

Brittney (USA), Ruth (Northern Ireland),

Tyler (USA), Jordan (Canada)

The TEAm has been busy the past day and a half going through orientation and gear checks to prepare them for their time on TEA. Tomorrow they leave on their first three day tramp (hike) and so everyone is busy packing and sorting gear to take on their trip.

Please be praying for this new team, as they get to know each other, get over jet lag from travel here, and embark on their journey of growth & adventure with the Lord and each other.

Thank you for your prayers! Check in with us here to see the what's happening with the TEAm over the next ten weeks.

Until next time...

TEA-01/2009 Halfway Already!

2009-02-14T13:49:00.033+13:00

Hello!

Time is flying and we are already in week six, halfway through our TEA program. We have seen, experienced and learnt so much while we have been here. Since our last blog entry we have travelled with George from Christchurch to Queenstown, with various stops on our way and a 5-day tramp.

We left Christchurch on the 2nd of February and drove to the town of Twizel. On our way there, we stopped at the beautiful Lake Tekapo, with views of the Southern Alps in the background. There is so much beautiful scenery to be explored here in New Zealand. We like it!

The next day we went for a day walk by Mt. Cook up to the Hooker Valley Lake. On this sunny day, we were surrounded by glaciers. Gunnvá and George thought it would be a good idea to go for a swim, so they jumped in the lake with the icebergs, which had broken off the Hooker Glacier. It was not a long swim though because the water was freezing.

The water was freezing.

Bonfire on the beach in Kinloch.

And back on the road the next day, all the way to Kinloch, to camp for a night before heading of on our tramp in Fiordland National Park. This would be our longest tramp, going on the Caples-Greenstone track. First night we stayed at the Upper Caples hut, where we were literally being eaten alive by all the sandflies there. It was an itching night, but we enjoyed ourselves with the different people there.

Before the next day's seven-hour tramp from Upper Caples to the McKellar hut Hanné and Naomi thought we should have the 'honour' of eating burnt porridge. Not so enjoyable. But the tramp went quite well anyways. It was long, especially walking down off the saddle to the lake, it seemed like we would never reach the lake. We got to the hut and it was already packed, so we decided to make this our first night sleeping under the stars, and we slept well.
And the next morning we were served burnt porridge again, this time prepared by Eva and Timon.

Climbing down the long hill to the lake.

The next night we stayed at this same hut, but it was not as full, only four people plus the eight of us. We had a very good evening; talking to these people and solving different riddles. Among others, George's 'passing the sheep herds'-riddle which got everyone to use their brains for a while.

Solving the riddle.

Tramping in the rain.

Next day we were walking 5 hours to the next hut, Greenstone hut, in rain. But, we chose to have a good attitude. Arriving at the hut we were happy to see that we had flushing toilets – what a luxury. Again this night we had good conversations, and the matches for 'passing the sheep herds'-riddle also made it on the table. All the people from the previous hut were also at this hut. So we were really able to get into some deep conversations.

Next day we had a shorter walk out to the van. And we drove off to Queenstown. We have now been staying at a Christian camp in Queenstown for 4 nights and will stay here one more. We have been helping out a bit on around the camp. On our second day here we met a friendly man, who invited us to try riding on waterbiscuits and waterski behind his boat on the Wakatipu Lake. It was so much fun. We liked it!

Splitting & stacking wood at the Christian camp.

Norm and Todd took over after the tramp and George went back to Papakura. Todd will drive us up the west coast of the South Island these next 10 days. We are very excited about getting to know him.

Please be praying for the people we meet. We have met so many different people and we have been able to have very good conversations with them. Pray that God will work in their hearts and that they will accept Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Pray for us that we glorify God in all we do. Our goal is to glorify God and show him to others.

Pray for TEA 2 as they start their program today. And for our leaders, who will be traveling back and forth between the two teams for the next 5 weeks.

All our love,

Hanné, Eva, Rahel, Naomi, Daniel, Timon and Gunnvá (TEA-01/2009)

Into the Wild with Friends & Strangers

2009-02-01T17:14:00.079+13:00

Hello Everyone!

We've been in the bush and out of contact for the past week and a half, but we are now glad to catch you up on the latest news with TEA-01/2009!

After arriving at the OM Base at the beginning of TEA, we felt like this was home, but soon came the time to step outside the comfort zone and hit the road! We packed all our stuff for the next 9 weeks into only one backpack and a day pack, and the TEA van became our new home and friend. Once in the van, we headed South, to Taupo.

Some of us took the dare to jump from the 47metre high ramp, strapped only to a bungy cord, into a river that lay beneath. Arhhhhhh!... We heard the scream from Naomi, Hanne, Timon, Daniel and Gunnva.

After one night in a camp ground we celebrated Hanne's 19th birthday (our baby of the TEAm). From there we went tramping with George. George taught us and encouraged us to talk to strangers about the Gospel. Our focus for the whole week was 'To share our Testimony'. How great is our God! To see how He works in us, so no one can argue what Jesus has done in our lives.

We had good conversations with people we met along the way and challenged them to think about their own life and why they are here. On the second day of our hike, we took a day walk up to the ski fields. It was raining and very foggy. We saw snow in the distance and ran very excitedly.

"Home Sweet Home" (or at least it felt that way!), was Dennis and Sharon Capell's home. Set on 1300 acres of land along a beautiful river and built by Dennis himself 20yrs ago. Surrounding the house are goats, sheep, deer and a great watch dog named Honey. Oh, and we could never forget the five adorable 5 week old Golden Labrador puppies! It was almost certain there would only remain 4 after we left...

We all enjoyed our time there very much. Four days had passed and we were preparing to leave. Just the thought of leaving had us missing the delicious home cooked meals and sweets, swimming in the river, playing with puppies, hot showers and the peace and quiet. Oh! and not to forget the sandflies, NOT! We still are itching like crazy monkeys even a week later! Everyone was packed and ready for the next tramp, all except Naomi. Mumma Christy stayed back to look after her. Naomi become unwell from what we believe was an allergy and wasn't fit to tramp. So while we were away on our hike Naomi had the 'Big R (Rest)' over her head.

We all grew fond of Dennis and Sharon's open home and open hearts toward us. It was a great time of learning the importance of prayer. We each chose different countries, family and friends to pray for together. And you never know, we might have been praying for you!

Now imagine six :( of us all quite nervous, sitting in our new home (the van), on our way to our first BIG tramping adventure. Norm drove the van in the direction of Nelson Lakes National Park, a park which is famous for it's great walks. Many things went through our heads on the way there. We had thoughts like...can we do it? Three nights and four days in the back country? Heavy D (Daniel) had his first disillusionment when he lifted up his backpack of 21kg! No joke! For this you must give him a hand. He carried his pack 39 kilometers, with over 1000 steep metres of elevation gain, all of which took us 15 hours to cover.

Thanks to the hungry sand flies, we arrived at the first hut quite early, so we had enough time to meet with fellow backpackers, speak with them and make a yummo dinner. The evening ended by candle light together with a group of trampers from Active New Zealand (a guided adventure group) as well as a girl from France, a guy from Canada, and two Kiwis. The big highlight was the following morning. The guy from Canada challenged us with good questions, and a great discussion began. The girl from France listened carefully but was quiet. Then, as we were just about to go, she began to talk. She told us about her life and that she came to New Zealand to think about her life and future. It was a great opportunity to share our faith and our hope in God. I'm sure this talk will remain in her heart. We pray that she will find God's purpose for her life.

The Travers Valley

After this great conversation we grabbed our backpacks (21kg for Heavy D), and headed off on the second day of our hike for a 5 hour walk that took us through a wonderful forest and up a huge mountain. The walk to Mt. Angelus hut began with a river crossing, but soon after we were climbing up the creek which led up the mountain, higher and higher we went and made our way past many big boulders. Now we understand why Norm (our fantastic Leader) had much to warn us about the physical part of TEA. But we are a TEAm and stuck together. After five hours, two cold mountain lakes and the Mt. Angelus hut appeared. The scenery was spectacular! On that evening we had great conversations with people also in the hut. They were from the UK, France, USA, Canada and many from Israel.

1000 metre climb up Cascade Creek

Morning study in Angelus hut

After a people crammed, hot (because someone had to light a fire!) noisy night (Hanne: "I've never snored before!"), some of the TEAm awoke early thirsty for action! So, Norm took them to the very top of Mt Angelus. They enjoyed an endless view of the surrounding mountains. How Great is our God!! But this day wasn't over yet. A fantastic walk along the Robert's Ridge led us all to another hut.

Can you find us?

Quite exhausted yet full with great impression, we arrived at Bushline Hut. Probably the hut with the best view ever :)! A small girl (4 years) and her mother were already there, and a Kiwi couple joined us not long after. Honestly, we were quite happy to jump in bed after a nice hot dinner. The next morning, the LOUDEST alarm ever woke us at 5:30am! Three male Kea's entertained one female Kea, and eleven startled trampers! But it was a good excuse to watch the sunrise.

We made it to the top! Oh yeah! Oh yeah!

The whole trip was challenging, yes it was. But what we received through talking with strangers, tramping, laughter, praying and studying... was all worth the challenge. We thank the Lord for what He did and is doing, and will do!

The whole TEAm back together again!

Sunrise on the beach in Kaikoura

Out on the Kaikoura Peninsula

Thank you for praying for us!

TEA-01/2009

A Week of Firsts!

2009-01-16T14:36:00.018+13:00

Exciting, challenging, fun, new, adventurous, tiring and very interesting! This is some of what sums up our first week of TEA. Its hard to believe that our TEAm can now look back on our first week. It has been that jam packed that it seems to have flown by. Only 9 weeks left already!

The 'Magic' Stick...

First off, we started the week with our first tramp. We packed our packs on Sunday afternoon and headed off for the Coromandel Pinnacles on Monday morning.

Our first tramp was long, hard and tiring but amazing (ok..so not that long, hard or tiring, but it felt it!) We started by walking through a forest and up, up, up, allllllll day! Our legs were sore but it was all worth while when we got to the hut, which by the way, is the best hut in New Zealand, and it sleeps 80...although there were only 15 there including us!

On the second day we went up to the Pinnacle (200 meters higher than the hut, which makes it 759 meters altogether). To get up there we climbed alot of stairs and rocks, but the view was beautiful.

Sunrise at the top of the Pinnacle!

The 2 nights we spent there were filled with laughter, memories and funny moments! Experiencing your TEAm mates sleeping habits for the first time can be quite amusing! Yes...she knows who we mean! E..E..Eva! ARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tatonka (Timon) & Gunnva slept through it zzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

The "Tatonka" look!

In the first week of amazing teaching we have all had our eyes opened to new things and have already grown in God. We are all excited about sharing our faith with others and reaching our goals, which we set this week for ourselves.

Please be praying for us as a TEAm and for the people we meet along the way as we start our journey south tomorrow! Please also pray for our protection, and for Gods word to speak to us and to minister in our lives.

Our first TEA jump!!!

All our Love,

Naomi, Hanne, Gunnva, Rahel, Eva, Timon & Daniel

The Journey of TEA-01/2009 Begins!

2009-01-11T07:26:00.030+13:00

This weekend was the beginning of the new TEA Programme and everyone is very excited about all that God is going to be doing in and through the TEAm in the next ten weeks!

A few pics of the new TEAm...

From back, then left to right: Eva (Germany), Timon (Switzerland), Daniel (Germany), Hanne (England), Gunnva (Faroe Islands), Naomi (Australia), Rahel (Switzerland)

Please be praying for everyone this week as we leave for our first trip into the bush on Monday morning! We will also be doing alot of training this week so please be praying that everyone is able to focus and understand all the material that we will be covering.

We will post an update and some pictures of the trip once we get back.

Thank you for your prayers!

Until Next Time...

The End of TEA-04/2008

2008-12-17T11:43:00.003+13:00

Hello to everyone who has been following the journey of TEA-04 this year.

We want to thank you for taking the time to keep up with these guys and for all of your prayers during their time here. They were all challenged in many ways and we pray that this continues as they move into their next chapter of life. A few of the TEAm members are back at home, one is still on the way home and two are staying in NZ for a few more weeks before continuing their travels.

We are busy planning for the next TEAm and are looking forward to the Christmas holiday. We would appreciate your prayers as we prepare for the next two TEAms to arrive on Jan 10th and Feb 14th. We look forward to the challenge of having two TEAms in country at the same time and all of the opportunities we all will have to honour Christ in all that we do.

We hope you have a Merry Christmas & Blessed New Year!

Norm & Christy, George & Carolyn

Warm Water, Weather & Mud!

2008-12-11T15:56:00.030+13:00

G'day Mates,

Where to start? Ok then, here we go.....

Since our last post we have travelled from the South Island to the North Island. Not long after that we had our fifth and final tramp Round the Mountain on Mt Ruapehu (an active volcano) for five days with George. God blessed us with beautiful weather, challenging ups and downs and many people to meet as we hiked in the Land of Mordor (from Lord of the Rings). On part of the 69km hike we came to a Great Walk Hut named Waihohonu which was very full and where we first met a French and a Swiss guy travelling together. The last two nights we got to know them further through UNO games (we play this regularly) and also had the opportunity to meet and play with a Dutch guy too. We began to take turns leading devotions each day while we were tramping and also into our kayaking trip with Norm and Christy.

Walking in the land of Mordor

Headed toward Mt Doom.

For our kayaking trip we went to Hot Water Beach on Lake Tarawera near Rotorua, a highly visited thermal area. We were expecting some rain, but we were so disappointed when there was none in sight :-) The Hot Water Beach where we stayed for the night is known for it's natural hot springs. We all enjoyed a natural hot tub together on the waters' edge between the scalding and cool water.

Just before heading off on our kayaking adventure.

Us relaxing at our destination 'Hot Water Beach'.

The guys sitting back and taking in all of God's beauty

(I personally think they couldn't handle it and are resting the arms ;-))

After our kayaking trip we headed back off to Rotorua again where were stayed at the Cozy Cottage for a couple of nights. We had the pleasure of meeting a couple from Germany who we shared a meal with, but not just any meal, a Hungi. A Hungi for those of you who don't know is a meal that is steam cooked when placed in pots over a hot thermal vent. We did up a range of veggies and Darren did a stupendous job of preparing the butter lemony fish. For dessert we had a rasberry and white chocolate pudding which we needed help eating, so we got two reinforcments from the UK and Holland. It was a great meal, we had some great conversations and overall it was a great night together.

Us with our new friends from Germany and the UK.

On Sunday we went to church at Calvery Chapel in Rotorua and met a young couple around our age who invited us to lunch, where we enjoyed playing with their two kids and fellowshipping. The pastor of Calvery Chapel had also invited us for the next day to horseback ride at a Christian camp named Ranch Lakes. We rounded up the horses, geared up, familiarised ourselves with riding and set out for a forest walk to a lake. On the way back some of us had the thrill of galloping up the hill while Norm (horse named Spotty), Ingrid (Appy) and Jess (Lucky) had to take it slower, this was of course because of the horses being in their old age and not the skill of the riders, just to clarify.

Chris says, "First time riding and felt weird to be in control of an animal like a car."

TEAm excitement before Horse Riding

Everyone getting a few pointers before heading off.

We then headed off to Papamoa Beach for a couple of nights for some time to reflect and think about our futures after TEA and the changes we want to make in our lives. On our way to Papamoa Beach, we stopped off and had the opportunity to check out some really awesome boiling mud pools which unfortunately burned the better looking half of the group alive (not really, of course, just in case any of you actually believed us, our imaginations are just running a bit wild ;-)).

A few of us watching the excitement at the boiling mud pools.

A spitting mud drop at the boiling mud pools.

After our couple of nights away at Papamoa Beach we continued on our way back to Papakura, our home away from homes. We stopped off at Mount Maunganui where we had a time of sharing with each other about the things we wanted prayer for in our lives, we were then given an hour to be on our own to pray for each other. Afterwards we all climbed to the top of Mount Maunganui.

Amazing view from 'Mount Maunganui'

Everyone heading back down the Mountain.

We're here now in Papakura with only one day left of TEA and it is feeling very strange. I can't imagine not seeing everyone everyday because we are like a family. But while it will be the end of something great it will be the beginning of something new and exciting in each of our lives, and I'm sure the friendships we have developed here will be lasting ones that will continue on long after TEA...after all, we have gone through a lot together over the last 10 weeks.

We would all appreciate your prayers for the following:

- For the people we met and talked with along the way.

- For our decisions about our future plans.

- To not forget everything we have learnt and to follow it through in our lives back home.

- For safe travels abroad and back home.

- To see God-given opportunities to serve Him.

- To know God better through His Word so that out relationship with Him continues to grow stronger.

In Christ,

Jess and Leigh Anne and the rest of the TEAm!

Shirley finds TEA in Singapore!

2008-11-26T09:38:00.002+13:00

Hi Everyone,

Just to show that Shirley is still on the lookout for TEA possibilities, she has just sent this picture of her taken in Singapore the other day.

Remember to pray for her in her role as Events Manager on Doulos.

She became an aunty for the fourth time last Sunday (and I a grandfather four times over) when Patricia had a healthy baby boy, Kieran (Key-rin), and both are doing well.

Sincerely, George.

Climbing Walls, Jumping Out of Planes & Chasing Lions

2008-11-24T07:13:00.045+13:00

Greetings to all of you from the Top of the World!!

Wow what a week! The weather continues to slightly change our schedule but no worries, its all good. God has plans we don't know about and it is all in His hands anyway.

Early last week, we spent a few hours in the climbing gym on a rainy day, practicing our climbing technique before we get on real rock. It was funny because some of us had trouble that evening doing simple tasks, like squeezing toothpaste out of the tube, after using some muscles that we didn't know we had. Wednesday's weather was perfect, I mean perfect, for Skydiving and we took full advantage. Falling out of a plane at 200km/hr (120mph) from 3962meters(13,000ft) has a different effect on people. Some were smiling ear to ear and others were a bit pale and speechless. Back in the van on the way to Toad Hall for the traditional after skydiving ice cream, everyone was really quiet and kept saying "I can't believe I just jumped out of an airplane...it so surreal!"

Thursday, Friday & Saturday this week found us in Kahurangi National Park tramping up to Mt. Arthur, over Gordon's Pyramid and out to the Tablelands. Again this TEAm continues to be blessed with terrific tramping weather. Cool temperatures & clear skies on the first and second day allowed us to enjoy all this area has to offer. Day three was cloudy with a light mist that made the walk out through the forest even more interesting. We met lots of people and had some good conversations with folks. People continue to be very interested in our group of internationals travelling together and continue to ask how we all met or got together. Glad you asked...

Yesterday Ingrid & Andrea had the opportunity to share their testimony in Church. They both shared a bit about what God is doing in their life right now and how in the mist of what is seen as difficult situations we need to focus on God, His provision and what He can do through us. Both of them really encouraged the congregation and their testimony tied in nicely to the message that Pastor Ken brought to us later in the service.

We finished reading the Lion Chasers book this week and continue to challenge ourselves to ask what can God do through us if we let Him. Are our fears holding us back from doing what God wants to do through us? A good question for all of us. Everyone is also challenged by the added pressure of knowing that TEA will be over in a little under three weeks and are looking ahead to what the next step in life will be. As we focus on the present challenges and look forward to what the future may hold please be praying for us. Pray we stay focused on where we are and what God has for us today. Pray that we remain others focused and continue to look for opportunities to share with those around us as we continue our journey. Pray that God will speak to us through His word this week as we study the life of Moses and discover why "I am Not, but I know I AM".

Here are some more pics from the last two weeks

Back From Nelson Lakes!

2008-11-17T20:42:00.039+13:00

Hello World!!!

We are now back from tramping (hiking) in Nelson Lakes National Park. We had amazing weather with clear blue skies & almost no clouds. It could not have been better!!

After our first night in Lakehead Hut we walked five hours to John Tait Hut. Here we saw the damage from an avalanche that occurred this past winter. It swept down the mountain behind the hut, swept away the toilet and came to rest just a few meters away from the hut. Good thing we were not there when that happened, that would have been exciting.

Leaving Lakehead Hut

Avalanche Debris at John Tait Hut

The "Red Rocks" in the Travers Valley

Waterfall on our way to Upper Travers Hut

We had the pleasure of meeting a couple from Christchurch who were doing the same tramp that we were. They were amazingly fit and even with their age, they have never stopped tramping. That was a great lesson for us. We also met a guy from the Czech Republic who had just recovered from his "near drowning experience". He had decided to cross the Travers river, which was flowing quite strong from the snow melt and recent rains. All his clothes & gear were soaked along with his four month old digital SLR camera. He may have lost his camera but he was fortunate to be alive. It was obvious that this experience upset him and we got a chance to talk to him for a while before he headed on up the valley.

The friendly couple that we met the previous day were heading in the same direction as we were and we met them at Upper Travers Hut right after lunch. That afternoon we tried to climb the saddle but the snow was too soft and the ground underneath was frozen so we got about half way up and decided to turn around and go back to the hut.

Climbing up Travers Saddle

Returning from the Travers Saddle

New Friends at Upper Travers Hut

The next day we walked eight hours through the mud and over a nice swing bridge back to Lakehead Hut. Our last night in the mountains was very special for Darren; we'll let him tell you what happened:

"We were staying at Lakehead Hut again and another group of seven people were also staying at the hut that night. As the night wore on the hut got roasting hot due to all the people in it so Andrea & I decided to sleep outside under the stars. This was a good idea until about midnight.....when I felt something at my feet and kicked it away. A few minutes later I felt a sharp bite so I jumped up & put my head torch on. At my feet was this gigantic (At least one meter tall) kea. Well maybe not a meter tall but it looked like it in the dim light. A kea is an alpine parrot who is known for being very cheeky. Anyway, I shooed him away by throwing stones & sticks at him. Fortunately for me he flew away, but unfortunately for Andrea he landed on her and gave her quite the fright! A few minutes later the bird was gone and I was back to sleep. Well I was asleep for about thirty minutes when I heard a noise at my feet again. This time it was a possum!!! and it was going through my backpack!!! I had enough so I packed up and headed back to the hut and slept the rest of the night on the porch with the sand flies. Something I could almost cope with. When I woke in the morning I found that the kea had ripped a hole in my pack, stole my sunhat, and had eaten one of my granola bars. So here is some free advice to anyone who is planning on coming to New Zealand and sleeping outside... Bring a shotgun so you can stop the pesky birds and possums from stealing your food and maybe you'll get a decent night sleep."

The next day we packed up, headed off on the track and met up with Leigh-Anne & Christy later that morning. They greeted us with fruit and biscuits and it was good for the TEAm to be back together again.

One Big Happy Family Again!!

This week was are talking about the "Fruit of the Spirit" and we want those characteristics to be evident in our lives, so we can glorify our Lord in all we do. We have a variety of exciting and challenging activities this week. Please keep us in prayer as we continue on our journey and find out more and more about why the Lord has us in this place.

Until next time,

Andrea, Ingrid, Darren & the rest of the TEAm

Pancakes & Tramping!

2008-11-13T11:31:00.010+13:00

Hello ya'll!

Over the past week and a half we have been traveling up the West Coast. We hiked to a beautiful beach and saw some penguins! In Greymouth, we enjoyed a night fire on the beach where we cooked "dampers" (which is bread on a stick) & bananas with chocolate. Mmmm! Continuing our journey up the beautiful west coast we stopped at Pancake Rocks (no, they are not edible rocks!). Even though it was cloudy the rocks were amazing. Then, we packed and started our five day tramp in Nelson Lakes. Our first day was three hours hike to the first hut. Unfortunately, I got sick on the way in and it left me too weak to continue the hike. So, Christy & I took a water taxi out of the bush. I was very sad to miss the tramp and especially being with my teammates. We have stayed with the Salts, friends in Motueka, while I have been recuperating these past few days. Tomorrow we head back to Nelson Lakes to pick up the TEAm at the end of their hike. Yea!!! We will be giving you an update of their hiking adventures once they return.

Prayer Requests:

#1: Please pray for our TEAm's health and safety as they walk a long day today.

#2: For me, that I continue to get stronger and feel good again.

#3: Please pray for us as we talk about trusting the Lord with our present and future decisions. This is a very real, important topic for all of us now.

From sunny & warm Motueka,

Leigh Anne & Christy

Cold Snow & Hot Food!

2008-11-04T16:06:00.019+13:00

Hey! It's the TEA Team here. We are "totally ok" (Swedish). In our travels over the past week or so we visited Milford Sound, which was beautiful, but the killer sandflies devoured us - don't worry, it was "not too bad" (German/Swedish comment). For three nights we were in Queenstown. While there, George & Carolyn flew home and Norm & Christy came in to spend the next four weeks with us. There was loads of time to visit the town, eat the best ice cream ever, and enjoy the sunshine. A few of us made a survey that asked people about their world views. It was a very easy way to get into a deep conversation with people.

Us at Milford Sound - dangerous with weapons!

Snow cones at the Remarkables!

Yesterday we did a day walk in a mountain range called the "Remarkables." We climbed among the snow and rocks to the ridge which was 2050 meters high! Although it is spring here, there is still a lot of snow and more snow is coming in tonight. Jess had her first snow experience where she built a baby snowman and we all had a fun snowball fight! We then came back to a lovely dinner of hot mexican food which warmed us up after our chilly adventure. It was "koestlich," which means delicious in German.

Celebrating snow!!!

Throughout this week are taking advantage of opportunities to serve our TEAm and others we meet. This has given the chance to practice putting others before ourselves. Our challenge for you at home is to join us in serving others.

Here are a few prayer points:

1. For the things we are learning to not only be in our heads but in our hearts - to live it!

2. That we take opportunities to serve, and not act selfishly.

Thank you for your prayer support! We love & miss ya'll!

Leigh Anne, Jess, Chris, Darren, Andrea, Ingrid & Kristina

TEA Adventure continues... Central South Island

2008-10-28T11:45:00.012+13:00

Hello world from TEA team!

Since the last post we have been on our 2nd tramp when George took over from Norm and Christy for the next stage of our journey to "Mount Somers Walkway".

After a quick uphill climb and a short walk we had already arrived at the 1st hut. We decided to take a swim in a very very very HOT POOL (actually it was very very very cold). A few of us were crazy enough to take the plunge.

The next day was Leigh Ann's birthday! We had lots in store, including cake, presents and balloons. She may have been wondering why Darren's backpack weighed 18kg compared to the rest of us at between 13 - 15kg.

This week we each played turns at being a skeptic towards the Christian faith by asking tough questions, while the others in the group were to defend and explain their Christian positions.

After tramping we hit the road again and stopped for 2 nights near "Mount Cook"- a place called Twizel. The sights were breathtaking and we gave George a hard time, asking him to "stop the van, we want a picture please".

This is us at Hooker Lake.

So we are sitting here in this Internet cafe just about to head off to Queenstown and my stomach tells me its lunch soon (Chris).

Much love from TEA Team

Jess, Chris, Leigh Anne, Darren, Andrea,Kristina and Ingrid. xxx

Heading South!

2008-10-23T08:27:00.051+13:00

Hello Everyone & we hope you are well!!

10 days ago the TEAm got packed up and headed South on a journey that will last the next eight weeks. We drove to Waikaretu and spent some time with friends Philip & Ann Woodward on their sheep/cattle farm. Everyone was amazed while watching Philip shear some sheep at the neighbors shearing shed. Philip has been shearing for forty years & it is poetry in motion watching him shear a 65kg(143lbs) sheep in around 60 seconds. The TEAm also met Emily Welch, the Woodward's daughter, who set the shearing world record for women in Nov 2007 when she shore 648 lambs in 9hrs(That's 72 per Hour!).

We spent a whole day working on their farm, helping out where we could. Andrea, Ingrid, Chris & Darren did a great job removing thistle from the lamb paddocks and the Woodward's very long driveway. Kristina, Jess & Leigh Ann removed any trace of the tree branches that had fallen in the last storm and got a chance to get their hands on some thistle later in the day. Andrea, Jess & Ingrid also did some painting & wood staining for Ann. Chris & Darren helped Philip by transporting a bunch of fence poles across the stream in front of the house. Philip has to build a new fence to keep the neighbors cows off their property. As a reward for all the work, Philip gladly took us all on a tour of the the cave that is on his property. It was fascinating to see God's creation from underground. Ann cooked us a great lamb curry to top off a great day.

Philip(On the ATV) catching up with the guys

A few of the girls getting a bit too enthusiastic about chopping thistle instead of collecting tree branches!

The "shearing gang" at the Whitford's woolshed

Heading underground for some cave exploration!
It was a great way to end a good days work.

After leaving the Woodward's farm we headed south again to Taupo where a challenge awaited those who chose to face their fear of falling, The Taupo Bungy. At 47meters (153ft) its not the highest bungy, but with the option of touching the water it is the highest "wet" bungy in NZ.

The Taupo Bungy over the Waikato River

Ready......................One, Two, Three Bungy!!!
Andrea, Ingrid & Jess bravely took the plunge!

After heading across the Cook Strait on a very smooth ferry ride we spent a few days with some friends in Pelorus Bridge, Dennis & Sharon Capell. As always the TEAm enjoyed their time there and even got a chance to swim in the very cold Pelorus river. How cold? Well, Darren told us after he was swimming for a few minutes, "Its just really cold...not painfully cold like when you first get in!!" Anyway a warm fireplace awaited everyone and Sharon's cooking will make anyone feel better so it was worth it.

Everyone enjoying a huge bonfire at the Capells!

The TEAm, Dennis & Sharon, Amy & Caleb

We found ourselves in Kaikoura later that day, enjoying the sea and the snow capped mountains. This week we are spending alot of time praying for others and it was easy to thank the Lord for his blessings with his handiwork all around us. We watched the sunrise during our prayer time on Tues morning and even spotted a whale out in the sea swimming by our spot.

A nice sunrise on the rocky beach in Kaikoura

Please be praying for the TEAm this week as they are off in the mountains for three days and then they are travelling south again. Pray that we see opportunities to be a blessing to all those that we meet along the way. As we mentioned this week we are focused on praying for others, specifically countries where the people are not free to worship our Lord & read the Bible freely. I would ask that you join us in lifting to God people groups who endure hardship that many of us may never know.

Until next time, God bless from the Top of the World

Hello World!

2008-10-11T11:20:00.020+13:00

One week has gone already and we have done loads of stuff!!!

On Sunday afternoon after church, we were shown how to correctly pack and organise our tramping gear, before leaving Monday morning for our first three day tramp to the Kaimais Forest. The first day was very challenging for us all with big hills, lots of rain and lots of cows and their patties (very dangerous). We arrived at the first hut, which was full with school kids, so we set up outside. We had the opportunity to introduce ourselves and talk to the kids. We told them what we were doing here and listened to their different worldviews. Also, we WON a sing-off against the group with our choice song "The Lion Sleeps Tonight".

The next day we had our first river crossing experience. Leigh Anne says "We had a swimmin' time!" When we arrived at our second hut, which was empty, it was great to get the packs off our backs and enjoy studying, singing, games and a good night sleep.

On the way coming back from the tramp one of our crazy leaders, Anthony, thought it would be a good idea to jump off a 50m high cliff (jokes it was only 5m) into a freezing cold river. Three of us took up the challenge: Darren, Chris and Jess.

We would appreciate your continued prayers for us all as we plan to head off again in a days time to the South Island. Pray for safety and protection on the road and in the bush and also for opportunities to connect with all people we meet.

From TEA Team 04/2008,

Darren, Chris, Kristina, Andrea, Ingrid, Leigh Anne and Jess

TEA 04/2008 Begins!!!

2008-10-04T18:03:00.018+13:00

Hello everyone! We would like to introduce you to the new TEAm.

(Left to Right) Darren (Scotland), Andrea (Germany), Kristina (Germany), Chris (England), Ingrid (Sweden), Leigh Anne (USA) & Jessica (Australia)

Thank you to everyone that has been praying for these guys safe arrival. Today (Day 1) has been a day full with orientation, gear checks and getting to know one another. Please pray for the TEAm as they adjust to all the new changes they are experiencing on TEA, and as they prepare to head off this week for their first trip into the backcountry.

Here are a few quotes from Day 1...

Chris says, "It is surreal to actually be here finally! I have been planning this for ages and looking forward to the unknown craziness of TEA! I am looking forward to saying "yes!" to anything the leaders throw my way.

Jess says, "When I first arrived I was nervous about meeting everyone and didn't know what to expect, but I am so happy about the way we have connected already! I am looking forward to getting to know everyone better over the next ten weeks. I am also looking forward to getting out of my "boat" (comfort zone) and being challenged in many areas, one being becoming more confident in sharing my faith with people I meet."

We will be updating the blog regularly with TEAm happenings, so check it out often for the latest news and stories of what God is doing in these guys lives. We appreciate your prayers and look forward to the next ten weeks!

TEA's up!

2008-09-19T16:01:00.003+12:00

TEA starts in two weeks and we are rarin' to go.
This part is mainly for ex-TEA folk who will know what we are talking about and for the next group whoi have something to wonder about!
We have been buying some new equipment such as a large tent (not for tramping) to meet in when the weather occasionally gets bad and we are at a remote camp site, or we do not want to disturb others. We're looking at doing more camping while tramping - in case huts get full - so three flies are on order.
We have also re-written a lot of the old "Survival Guide" and now have it printed back-to-back with the Study Manual - this is to prevent it being left behind when the team goes tramping.
Please start praying for these guys now:
1. That it will be a life changing experience for the good of the whole TEAm.
2. For us as leaders, that we won't be too hard on them - not really, that this remains as much of a challenge and growth opportunity for us as it has been in the past.
3. Pray for the weather! We have had one wild winter, but signs of Spring are all over the place and the temperature is getting warmer by the week. But there are still record snow levels in the mountains.

Yours for all of us,

George Booth

The New TEAm Starts 04 October 2008!!

2008-07-13T15:18:00.004+12:00

Due to some unfortunate circumstances, we had to cancel TEA-03/2008. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for the TEAm, they all appreciate it and are busy doing other activities. Please check back with us in October when the next TEAm starts.

Thank you, OM New Zealand

TEA reunion weekend in Holland

2008-05-05T20:00:00.005+12:00

It was like a whole new TEAm..... 7 of us, representing 4 teams and a leader, met up in Arnhem for the weekend. Even though I (Shirley) was the only one who knew everyone, it didn't matter at all. Everyone had had similar experiences and we spent hours talking about 'remember when....' or 'were you also there?' or 'Did George tell you that joke too?!'

The new 'TEAm' was made up of Laure (Belgium) and Nadia (Netherlands) from TEA 1 '08, Koen and Lisanne (Netherlands) from TEA 4 '07, Nathan (England) from TEA 2 '07, Maertn (Belgium) from TEA 1 '07 and Shirley (NZ) from all of them!

We also went to church together and imagine our surprise when the preacher spoke about a book we had all studied on TEA. For ex-TEAers reading this, think about pets. :)

I was really encouraged to see how everyone was doing. We spent time praying for each other and just sharing where we are with God - the highs and the lows.

The weekend went by far too quickly and saying goodbye, it's just like saying bye to a new TEAm!
Please pray for all the people who have completed TEA since we started in 2004. Pray that God will continue His work in and through their lives and that they will find people to challenge and encourage them as they continue with Him.

Some photos....

Toblerone Ice-cream??? Heaven on earth!

Of course, it wouldn't be TEA without a jumping photo!
Lisanne wants to know: 'Janine, Claire and Bell, did we have Tim-Tams on TEA? No? Then you missed out!'

The Next TEAm Starts on 12 July 2008!!

2008-05-02T03:54:00.007+12:00

Thanks for checking on us!

The end has come!

2008-03-16T15:53:00.004+13:00

We always knew there would be an end to TEA. We knew that one day we would get on an airplane and fly home, to "the real world." Although I don't think that we expected it to come so quickly. The last week on TEA was just as full as the previous nine weeks.

When we arrived in Papakura on Saturday after our Round the Mountain tramp, we thought things would be nice and easy until the end. Wow, we were wrong. Shirley had other things in store for us. After a relaxing weekend we went to the beach and went on one final bush experience.

After a two hour car ride we made it to the beach. We spent so quality time with the line up team that is here to prepare for the visit of the Doulos in June. Shirley said that we were the first team who had enough guts to fly down the sand dune from the top! And we are still alive! Many of us ended up with some bruises and sand beards after our attempts to take on the hill. But it was SO much fun!
We went into the bush for two nights. The first night we ran into a groups of guys who are with the Boys Brigade here in NZ. They were out for their annual meeting. It was a great night of fellowship with them. The second night we were alone in the hut. But God knew what he was doing. We had a two hour worship night around the fire that most of us say was one of the best times on TEA! What better way to finish a programme than by giving God glory!

Thank you everyone who prayed for us during this time. It was very evident that we had people who cared. It really means a great deal to us. May God bless you and keep you all safe.

We would appreciate it if you would pray for all of us as we return home. We would like prayers for our flights and for strength to talk to the people that we encounter about the love and truth of Jesus Christ. Leanne, Tanja and Tina are furthering their travels for a few weeks. Please pray for their safety and for the people that they will meet.

TEA 01/2008 Becky, Tanja, Leanne, Laure, Tina, Nadia and Jess.

Climbing, Round the Mountain & Bungy!

2008-03-10T16:27:00.026+13:00

Hello friends! We've just returned after five days of tramping around Mt. Ruapehu, an active volcano on the North Island. The weather was as varied as the landscapes we were walking through! The first part of our trip was in rainy & gusty winds, and the last part in clear skies. At the end of each day everyone was rewarded with a dry hut and a toasty warm stove that warmed everyone and dried our gear. We made some new friends a the first night's hut, and even met up with Steffan, a previous acquaintance of Norm from weeks earlier. Todd, from a previous team, joined us for the backpacking trip around the mountain.

Before our hiking trip, we spent an afternoon at a climbing wall in National Park. What a great way to stretch those muscles before hitting the trail!

Setting off in the "Land of Mordor"

The "moonscapes" are amazing!

A quick photo stop in the Rangipo Desert!

Soooo happy to be in the hut!

A quiet corner to do devotions in the hut

Do you know what volcano this is...? Think of a famous NZ filmed movie...

On our way back, we made a stop in Taupo for Laure to brave the bungy! She did a beautiful dive and was ready to do it again!

Please pray for the TEAm as they finish up their last week on TEA and look back on all God has done in their lives. Thank you for your prayers!

Two weeks with Shirley!

2008-03-02T19:24:00.003+13:00

Hello again! Here is an update from us all sharing our highlights! We love, miss, and are praying for you all!

Becky says: While we were with Shirley, we didn't go any major tramping but we did go on a few days walks.
Hiking to the top of Key Summit was my favorite one! The way up took roughly an hour and I walked behind an Irish man. We chatted the whole way up. Towards the end, I was able to share about Christ. This hike really fueled my passion to share the story of Jesus with people. It placed a desire in my heart to seek God’s opportunities to talk to strangers. This is one of the main things I enjoyed this week.

Photo: Swing-bridge on another of our day-walks

Tanja says: After we stayed in Nelson, the group left to spend the last night on the South Island at a friend’s (Capell’s) house. I stayed in Nelson because I had the opportunity to meet my parents! They’re here for 3 weeks and God arranged for us to be booked on the same ferry! I spent 2 nights and a day with them, this time was very special for me. On the ferry, we met the team and we had a lot of fun together. Those 3 hours went by very fast. The next morning we had to say goodbye and I went back with the team. I’m very grateful for the time God gave us together!

Photo: Stopping to enjoy the West Coast sights during our travels

Laure says: We spent 2 days in the West Coast area. I really enjoyed our time there on the various beaches. We slept the first night Greymouth where we had a nice bonfire and ate delicious bananas stuffed with chocolate cooked over the fire! It was amazing! :) We sung some worship songs and met a man named Andre who was walking by himself on the beach. He joined our happy team, sung with us, laughed with us…we really appreciated his presence! God had definitely planned that meeting. We discovered that the next day, Andre, his mom, and us were going to the exact same campground in Westport! We then planned dinner together. We had a really quality time there. We ran and jumped, drew in the sand, talked and watched the sunsets on this long beach of soft sand! The next day, we had a last swim in the ocean and, as Shirley showed us the impressive Haka dance, Becky, Nadia, and I tried to practice it in the water as a warrior dance to defy the waves! It was SO much fun! All those moments were for me a real blessing…a breath of freedom! Thank you, Lord!

Photo: Praise God for beautiful sunsets!

Leanne says: "Quick, hurry up! Scoot over, guys! Move your stuff! Here they come!" In a mad dash we ladies scrambled around swapping seats to make room for the ever so grateful hitchikers!
It has been our privileged joy to have the company of several hitchhikers from Israel, Germany, and the Czech Republic join us in our road-tripping back up North during the last 2 weeks! Unknown to them, our greatest hope was to share more than a friendly car ride from "point-A to point-B." Once they’ve settled their belongings inside the van and buckled their seatbelts, the colorful laminated posters of each week’s memory verse velcroed across the van walls catches their eye! "God so loved the people of the world that He gave His only Son…" & "Don’t worry about anything but pray about everything…!" We’re aware that the next 20, 30, or so minutes with these individuals just might be their only chance to hear the gospel. After some "weather talk," we appreciated hearing their genuine responses to questions such as, "What’s your story and who is God to you? Have you ever read the Bible?" Each hitchhiker has been highly responsive and curious about the faith that so unifies our otherwise very internationall diverse team of girls. The Czech couple accepted the Backpackers Bible and will get one in their own language back home.
God is our master gardener and we’re honored to be a part of the Kingdom harvest here on earth, whatever the role! The hitchhikers may have hopped out of our van and are well on their way elsewhere, but we’re still shooting out prayer arrows and will appreciate all your continued prayers for all past and future encounters with others! May our strangers become friends, and those friends become more than converts! May they become disciples of Christ! All to your glory, Lord!

Photo: the TEAm with new hitch-hiker friends

Jess says: We had an exciting change of plans as we got to visit Dennis & Sharon Capell again! It was so great to go back to their beautiful, and now famililar, cabin in the wop-wops and enjoy Sharon’s amazing baking. Dennis built us a bonfire and we cooked dampers and sang praises to God as we watched the stars. We all agreed there’s just something different about the southern hemisphere sky—God is an awesome Creator! Before we left, we were privileged to hear from Dennis the story of how he built their log cabin and the road to get there. Ten years of hard work, patience, and absolute trust in God—we were all inspired! :)

Photo: campfire with Dennis and Sharon

Nadia says: Last Thursday we went to Rivendell. Here we got 3 hours of alone time with God. It was really exciting for me to be alone in nature, sitting along a river, and enjoying quiet time. At least this is what I thought it would be. Mostly this was true. I arrived, after wrestling through the bushes, at an amazing place that was really peaceful but not quiet at all! So many cicadas(flying bugs!) were desperate to make themselves known after hiding in the trees for 17 years. Also the sandflies (innocent looking, tiny flies with itchy bites) wanted to visit me and I think they go to know the rule that we had to stay at the same spot for 3 hours! But afterwards, it was a realy good time and I’m glad we did it!

Photo: Camping near 'Rivendell'

Tina says: I’m so glad and thankful to have the opportunity to be here in NZ! In the last 2 weeks, we’ve been through a book called "Cat and Dog Theology." It was good to think about God and what I believe. "Do I have a sincere relationship with God?" To think about priorities in my life. "Is this glorifying God?" "How can I get a complete picture of God?" One truth that challenged but also inspired me was that, "God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him (John Piper)." It was good to take time for a deeper relationship with God.

Photo: Study time in the most beautiful classroom ever!

That summarizes our last two weeks! We’re waking up at 4:30AM tomorrow morning to spend the next 5 days tramping the land of Mordor (Mt. Ruapehu)! This is our final and last tramp and we’re going to make it the best!
Love and prayers, the all girls TEAm

Tramping, Milford Sound & Wanaka

2008-02-19T11:00:00.008+13:00

Hello from all of us again!

We made it to Wanaka yesterday and we were happy to enjoy our fifth tramp in Greenstone Caples! It our first time to spend three nights in huts and we treasured the time to have many quality conversations with people from Israeli, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Poland, Germany, and even a Christian YWAM group! We were especially blessed to be able to give Simon from Germany a ride from the tramp back to Queenstown and he tolerated the tramping aroma in our van quite well :-) ! Remember, girls don't sweat or smell--they glisten! Praise Jesus! He had many questions about how Jesus was also God and even though he forgot his sleeping mat in our van, God allowed us to "randomly" meet up again without plan!

We've got ZEAL in New Zeal-and!!

(spontaneous bouts of dancing for Jesus!)

For your viewing pleasure, here is a typical New Zealand hut! Complete with loads of sandflies, running water faucet, cultural diversity, close sleeping quarters, and gorgeous mountain views! (sorry it's blurry, it was hot and crowded in there!)

Milford Sound! We're enjoying Shirley as our new leader for the next two weeks and her special gift with discipleship training. She truly gives straight from her heart the raw and deep truths of life in a refreshing and inspiring manner! We're being challenged going through one of her favorite books, "Cat & Dog Theology", and understand that all the beauty around us and everything on earth is made for GOD's glory and not for us! (but we get to enjoy it!)

Yesterday we took a break from driving Milford's Road to hike up Key Summit. The weather was outstanding and we enjoyed stretching our legs while chewing on our morning devotions. The panoramic view was breathtaking at the top and we took time eating lunch together while layering our sunblock!

At the tail of our 4 1/2 hour drive up North to Wanaka, we hit PERFECT timing to watch the sunset! Jeremy Camp was singing, "How Great is Our God" from his worship album and we gazed over the valley below enjoying the beauty of God's creation. Bolting out of the car, we snapped this picture in the last second of the sunlight before it poked its head down to sleep! ;-)

Prayer requests & praises:

- thanks for the beautiful weather!

- continued health & healing of minor injuries

- continued team unity & thinking outside of ourselves for ways to serve people around us

- the salvation & watering of seeds planted in hearts of trampers we've conversed with

- continued personal growth in our discipleship training

Prayers, Thanks, and Praise to God... Tanja & Leanne for the TEAm!

Continuing Adventures with the all girls team!

2008-02-11T10:22:00.000+13:00

Pictures include: Laure and Jess with Children from the Truthfinders Church, in front of Lake Tekapo, Mt. Cook, and skydiving adventures with Nadia, Laure, & Tanya!

Here are the pictures! Enjoy :)

2008-02-10T17:07:00.000+13:00

Hey everyone!
It is incredible to think that we are already on week six of TEA!

We took a three day tramp to Kahurungi National Park. We were there only one night but we managed to do 14 hours worth of walking. On the second day we hiked to the top of Gordon's pyramid. Once we arrived at the top 90 minutes later we made sure to take a picture to show that we did it! At one point we saw some bushmen so all of us girls hid while Norm checked them out. That is what you see in the pictures above.

The girls who had the strength decided to go tramping to the top of Mount Arthur. That included another 45 minutes to get to the summit. For some of the girls it was the hardest thing that they have done on TEA so far. Nadia and Tanja said that their drive came from them being the first people from their country to hike to the top of Mt. Arthur while tramping. Way to go girls!

The next time we went tramping was in Nelson Lakes National Park. It was a three day, two night, 18 hour hike. The first night our hut was packed full! We made friends with many of the people there. We ended up playing a 15 person game of pass the pigs that night. It was so much fun. Becky really enjoyed utilizing her Sign Language skills with a Deaf lady named Jeanette. Due to sheep gambling and touching poisonous spiders, Laure and Jess stayed in Motueka to help out with the children's ministry at the local church. Their story will come later. :)

In between our tramps to the two national parks, we had the opportunity to stay at a backpackers in Motueka called Hat Trick Lodge. It is run by Chris and Liz, a wonderful couple that loves God and work hard to show His love by serving backpackers. We made a few friends from Germany, France and Japan while we stayed here. We were also able to meet Brad Pitt, I mean Edgar, he was on TEA 04/2007.

It was also Tanja's birthday while we were there . We celebrated it with delicious German food and skydiving! Nadia and Laure jumped as well. Besides Nadia's originality of throwing up while in the air, everything went really well. All of the girls think that the free falling was the best part. They all said that the feeling is indescribable.

When it was time to leave the Hat Trick Lodge, it was hard to say goodbye. It had really started to feel at home for all of us.

As we continue to travel we ask that you would continue to pray for us. Please pray for safety on the different tramps that we go on and for continued unity among our groups. Thanks for all of your prayers.

TEA 01/2008 Tina, Nadia, Laure, Leanne, Tanja, Jess and Becky

Stepping Out!

2008-02-10T15:53:00.000+13:00

Hello everyone! The past several weeks have been a time of growth and stepping out of those comfort zones that we all have in our lives. We spent a few days in Motueka where we stayed at the Hat Trick Lodge. We met many new friends that were from all parts of the world and had many conversations about God and what it means to have a relationship with Him. We then set off with the TEAm for an overnight backpacking trip in Kahurangi National Park. It was beautiful weather, which meant there were lots of other trampers out too! On our last day in the park , half of the TEAm climbed Mt. Arthur with Norm and Edgar, and the other half climbed Gordon's Pyramid with Christy. Everyone did great and pushed themselves to the limit! Yeehah!

We then returned to Motueka for Sunday church, where we had the priviledge of facilitating the entire church service. Tanja introduced the TEAm, and Nadia & Laure shared how they came to be on TEA and what God is doing in their lives since they have been here. Norm then gave the message to the congregation. Leanne, Becky, Jess & Tina worked with the children and taught them a memory verse to song, as well as having the kids participate and act out a Bible Story. We praise God for this opportunity!

Skydiving adventure!!! Tanja, Laure & Nadia all seized the moment and went skydiving in Motueka! They braved the heights and landed smiling! Gooooo girls!

The TEAm then set out for a three day tramp in Nelson Lakes. Both nights the huts were packed to capacity! Huts are a perfect place to sit down around huge tables with new friends and talk about their travels. This trip was no different. We were able to have many good talks about the Lord and what it means to be a Christian. Becky also had the opportunity to make a new friend and speak in sign language with her throughout the evening and the next morning. Due to minor foot injuries, Laure & Jess stayed at the Hat Trick Lodge while the rest of the TEAm headed out for Nelson Lakes. They worked at Truthfinders Church Kid's Camp each day. When we saw Jess & Laure again at the end of our hiking trip, they both said they knew that their staying behind was for a reason... to share God's love with some new friends they had made in the backpackers, as well as the children in the camp.

On Sunday, we had church our own "church service" on the beach as we were traveling to Kaikoura. During the service, we had a "yea God!" time, where everyone shared something special they had experienced or God had taught them. This was a time for us to give praise, honor and glory to the Lord for his goodness in our lives - for the opportunities he gives us to reach out to others with His love. Everyone was challenged personally in some way and we look forward to what God will do in the weeks ahead.

We met George & Carolyn in Christchurch and they are now traveling with the TEAm. Please be praying for physical strength as they give their all each day. For continued spiritual growth as they work through studies and learn and grow in God's Word. Thank you! Blessings to you all!Pictures will be coming soon from the past several weeks!

Time goes by so fast!

2008-01-25T09:05:00.000+13:00

We can hardly believe that it is week three already! It is amazing how time flies when you are having fun. :) God has been doing some really great things in our lives these past few weeks. Here are some pictures to let you know what they are. Enjoy!

During week two we went Kayaking to hot water beach. Wow talk about perserverance! God really taught us to be patient throughout our 7 hours of paddling. (Becky and Leanne want to burn those kayaks!) Once we arrived at Hot Water beach and saw this (look below) it was worth it. The water was hot! NO COLD! No, HOT HOT HOT! Wait, cold! Ahhh....just right.

The pitcure below is showing how the three of us faced our fear and jumped off a platform that was 47 meters high! Leanne is now known as the diver. Becky is definately the screamer and Jess just held her breath. It was an amazing view. God is such a good artist.

After bungee jumping we stayed at the Engelbrecht's house. Marti andWilliam are two of the sweetest and kindest people that we will ever meet in the North Island. We were served warm hospitality, great laughs and some really good BBQ and African banana and mayonaise salad.

After we left their house, George stopped at this spot below to let us look at Mt. Doom (you know, from Lord of the Rings). Since we had such great scenery, we decided to stretch our legs and act a bit weird. Our true colors are finally starting to show.
This was the first place that we made it to on the South Island. Picton was so beautiful! Here we are displaying our great spelling skills. Can anyone read what it says? This week our focus is praying for other countries. Today was the first day to pray fo them. This whole week we prayed for Japan, Vietnam, Burundi, Chile, Finland, India and for the persecuted Christians around the world. This was truly a growing experience for all of us to look outside the comfort of our countries and into the lives of the people who don't have it so easy. Now that is talent! (look below.) ...Well talent from everyone except Becky. She was having some difficulty. Although she claims she was just chillin' on the floor. It's more comfortable.
Our first destination on the South Island was at the home of Dennis and Sharon Capell. WE thought that this time of no power in the middle of the wop wops would drive us crazy; but we were wrong! This place was great for all of the training we did and for fattening us up for our next tramp. :) This training taught us how to present our testimony to others. It also gave us good opportunities to role play with each other and help prepare us for the real conversations that God has in store for us.
We are so grateful for the families that have allowed us the privilege of staying with them. It was truly a blessing! Also, thank you to all of you who have been praying for us. We ask that you would continue to pray that God would bring people into our lives that we can share our faith with. And also for good health and safety while tramping. We have some rough days ahead of us! We need all the prayer we can get!

God bless you all,
from TEA 01/2008 Tina, Nadia, Tanja, Leanne, Jess, Laure and Becky

First Backpacking Adventure Accomplished!

2008-01-11T15:38:00.000+13:00

We've just returned from three days hiking in the Coromandel. Everyone did great! This is a fantastic TEAm, and they are keen to conquer the hills! Watch out, here come the girls! We spent two nights in Pinnacles Hut, and each night there were around 30 fellow travelers staying in the hut with us. On day two we had some training time in the morning, and that afternoon we climbed to the top of the Pinnacles - what a view! This trip was a great time to test out that new gear, stretch those legs, work-in the backpacks, and see God's glorious creation in the process.

The TEAm ready to hit the trails!

A break during training in the hut!

First morning enjoying the fabulous porridge!

The Hut Warden caught a possum!

Hangin' out in the local stump!

River crossing on our last day!

True adventurers at the end of the hike!

Today the TEAm will head to the market to learn some new creative evangelism skills with George. Thank you for your prayers as they learn and grow together, and seek all that God has for them while they are here. We'll keep in touch! Blessings to you all.

Seven international sisters in Christ!

2008-01-07T20:06:00.000+13:00

Wow! We’re truly enjoying our first few days here in New Zealand! We’re all appreciative to trade in the winter season of our own countries in place of NZ’s warm, sweet smelling summer air! We laughed sharing how many of us left snow flurries back home as Mrs. Boothe placed fresh, red strawberries on our dinner table last night. It’s been a joy to have 6 new sisters as our new family and we all look forward to the next 10 weeks together! We bring a huge variety of diverse culture, history, and experiences yet we share in common the same great passion for our beautiful Savior, an appreciation for the outdoors, and a hunger for adventure!

As a native English speaker, I’ve been especially blessed to find how much more I get out of our Bible studies and evangelism lessons when someone asks for the definition of a word. “What does repentance mean?” It causes us to pause and reflect on the richness of all that we’re learning! From sharing our mealtimes and bunk beds to laughing over amusing cultural differentiations, we’re all truly thankful to be here!

Our leaders Norm & Christy have been nothing but inspiring in both their faith and knowledge about tramping the beautiful outdoors! We’re all eagerly anticipating our first tramp—a shorter 2 day experience—to ensure that our future tramps are as pleasant as possible! Rain in on the menu for the weather so we've packed our raingear in expectation of a taste of wetness! :) Today we learned all sorts of wonderful strategies on how to pack, re-pack, and then re-pack some more! They really know what they’re doing and we’re confident we’ll be traveling with the best guides in New Zealand!!

During our evangelism lessons today, George refreshed us using a fine balance of compelling passion and honesty combined with his witty, dry humor! :) We’re excited for the divine appointments God has in store for us and are praying in expectation of what He’s going to do!

Have your way in us God! Not our agenda but Yours! Use us ladies as your instruments to bring your kingdom on Earth.

Until next time! :) Leanne

TEA starts again!

2008-01-06T15:16:00.000+13:00

Welcome to TEA 1 2008!

Yes, here we go again, ready and excited about another ten weeks for God to do whatever He wants in the lives of 7 new people. This new TEAm is a special one - all women! (Please pray for patience and understanding for Norm and George when it's their turns to lead!)

We started at 9am yesterday with some orientation and getting to know each other, as well as making sure we had everything we needed for when we travel.

For those who are friends and family of members of this TEAm, welcome to this blog. It's a great place to see what your girls are doing. We hope to update this at least once a week, and will put photos up when we can as well. We will also share prayer requests and stories of what's been happening here. Feel free to add your comments to let the girls know you're thinking of and/or praying for them.

But, to start things off, meet the TEAm!

In the back is Leanne from the USA, then Tina from Germany. In the blue top is Tanja from Germany, and in green is Jess from England. In front we have Nadia from the Netherlands, Laure from Belgium and Becky from the USA.

Some of the TEAm have asked me to write that I was a bit nervous when I knew it would be an all-girl TEAm. Us as leaders don't do extreme 'girly' things (stereotypes like lace, knitting and romance novels) very well, and I was really hoping that this TEAm would not be like that. I'm happy to say that they're not! Yay!

So welcome to TEA, ladies, and welcome to all of you who plan to follow their adventures with God in New Zealand through this blog. Thank you for your interest and prayer - it's vital to all we do!

Things to pray for this week:

- for the TEAm to gel together and enjoy getting to know each other. They're going to spend ten weeks together - this is important!

- for a good adjustment to the programme. Some still have jet-lag and this week is full of information, new things, studies and busy times! For those who speak English as a second language, this may be extra difficult, so please pray for them in this too.

- for God to do whatever He wants in and through this TEAm, for His glory!

Till next time....

All over... till next time!

2007-12-17T11:01:00.001+13:00

It's been a strange last few days. The house is now empty. All the TEA team have now gone and we miss them already!

This TEA finished officially at 9pm on Friday night, though we stayed up together much later than that! It was so encouraging to hear how God had been working in TEAm members' lives while they were here, and it would be great if you could pray with us that He will continue growing and using them for His glory as they go back to 'normality' back home.

This last week we were able to put a lot of our evangelism training into practise, going out around the city, sharing Christ and the true Christmas message with many people. If you know anyone from the TEAm, ask them to tell you all about it!!

One of the things we did was print out 2000 tracts with a simple Christmas message on them, and handed them all out around the city. Just now, we've received a Christmas card from 'Chris', who writes:

To all those who hand out flyers on the street,
Hello there,
I was handed a small flyer in Downtown Auckland on Thursday by a young man, which I stuffed in my pocket and have only just taken out and read. I'm not a practising Christian but was moved by the simple message the flyer contained. I just wanted to say thankyou to you all for giving up your time to help spread some genuine help to those lost souls out there.
With much love,
Chris.

It's exciting to think how God can use such a simple and small thing. We pray that each tract will draw someone closer to Him, and that He will use all encounters the TEAm had with people over the last ten weeks to further His Kingdom.

So thank you to all who have followed this TEAm on their adventures here. We will have a few weeks break over Christmas and New Year, then a brand new TEAm starts on January 5! Bring it on!!!

We'll leave you with a video of the TEAm learning a memory verse in the second week of their time here. This verse is a bit like a TEA motto for us:

"Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ."
- 1 Peter 3:15-16

Maybe you can learn the verse too by watching this video! Pray that it will be true in all of our lives.

Till next time...

Round the Mountain, Off the Ledge & Under the Earth!

2007-12-11T13:59:00.000+13:00

HELLO FRIENDS! We have returned to the OM home base in Papakura after the TEAm's last week and a half traveling on the road. Six of the TEAm, plus Norm & Christy spent five days and four nights hiking around Mt. Ruapehu, an active volcano on the North Island. The weather was perfect, and several of the huts were full of people. We had some great conversations with our fellow trampers and shared alot of good times. Afterwards, several members of the team took the plunge at Taupo bungy, we shared a delicious 'hangi' meal in Rotorua (along with the surprise of Claire joining the team again), and then a surprise of caving at Nikau Caves on our way back to Papakura.

This past week's focus was "Isn't the Christian Life Supposed to Be Easy?" We talked about the fact that just because you are a Christian, we are not guaranteed a trouble free life. But, we are given the opportunity to praise God and trust Him in the midst of our difficult circumstances and know that He can use even the hard times for His glory. Each team member led devotions one day of the week and shared a struggle in their life and how the Lord is growing them through it. Below, the TEAm members have given a thought from their experiences over the past week and a half.

Janine says... The past week has been great. The tramp was fun and it was another opportunity to see how varied the landscape of NZ is - it was like walking on the moon! In our devotions we all had a go at leading by sharing areas in which we struggle in our Christian walk - it was an encouraging experience for us all. It would be great if you could pray for us on our last week, that we will continue to challenge ourselves and trust God to use us.

Claire says...It was a good time, being away from the TEAm, to build on my "Rivendell" time with God and to explore stuff with Him further. I sure did miss the TEAm, and it was GREAT surprising them in Rotorua, but I know that if I had been with them I wouldn't have processed (or begun to) important stuff for God & give Him praise for that!

Bellanie says...I will share with you what I have learned this week. I was very scared about this tramp. During some of the times of quiet when we are walking, I have a lot of time to think and my mind starts to think of things that make me sad from my life, which makes me feel bad about myself. I learned, step by step, hour by hour, to control my thoughts and let the Holy Spirit work through me. It helped me to pray, praise the Lord, and fill my mind with Godly thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10:5 & Philippians 4:8 are a help to me... I know the Lord is changing me and helping me every day.

Edgar says...I think I learned the most in the last week from the story of Benaiah and of Jonathan in the Bible. These guys did incredible things and from their example I can learn how to 'burn the couch' (step out of my comfort zone). They did stupid things in human eyes, but sometimes this is the way that God shows us He wants us to trust in Him and give Him our lives.

Koen says...I'm very excited every time we go back into the mountains! Every one of us prepared a devotion in which we shared about struggles we face and what God is teaching us about dealing with them. During tramping you can find so much peace because there are no distractions, and you get very close and open up as a group. We've all missed Claire though, and we were very happy to see her again on Friday!

Lisanne says...Last week was Awesome!! The 5 days around the mountain freaked me out! I said, "Oh man, I cannot do it! It's too hard!" But I did and it was great fun. It was still hard of course, but "we can do all things through Him who gives us strength." The traveling is very relaxing for me. Eating, sleeping, more eating, and now we are in our last week - still exciting, but the time goes so fast. I wouldn't want to have missed this for anything in the world.

A.J. says...Last week was awesome! Tongariro NP is really different from what we have seen so far: big rocks at weird places, dry parts with plants every now and then, and mountains covered with grey stones sometimes made me feel like I was walking on the moon. The diversity of the NZ landscapes really shows how creative our God is! If He created the world and us living on it, who or what else could we ever put our trust in?!

Below are some pictures from the past week and a half! Please continue to pray for the TEAm, as they go through week ten, their last week of TEA. Please pray for them as they think about their time on TEA and what God has been doing in them, and as they look to their futures. Thank you!

Start of Round the Mountain Track!

Claire was missed on the hike!!!

Walking through the land of Mordor!

Lord, we praise you for a new & glorious day!!

Up at 5:15 a.m. to see the sunrise!

Walk like an Egyptian!

Plodding along the outskirts of the Rangipo Desert

This place makes us all feel very small

Study Time in Blythe Hut!

One, two, three...bungy!!! Yeehah!

That's right! We survived caving 'down under!'

Travelling north

2007-12-03T09:44:00.000+13:00

Hello to you all, its that time again, another update.

We continued our travels with Shirley, back up the East coast of the South Island staying at Kaikoura (doing some more seal watching on the way) and then Picton.

The TEAm near Kaikoura:
The ferry crossing from Picton to Wellington was an opportunity to engage in some non-threatening conversations with people and see if we could get deeper in the conversations. We talked about ways that have worked in the past before the crossing and prayed for opportunities. Koen got talking to some Germans guys in the restaurant, and Janine had a great opportunity to share with a girl from the Netherlands about Jesus and how he is the bridge to life (using skills learnt during the evangelism training), the girl then came and joined us for a game of cards, and spent some time with us, which was cool.

We stayed in Wellington for two nights. While we were in Wellington we had an opportunity to go to Rivendell (no elves were seen!) for our 'bush' time. As you may remember from the last post the weeks task was to look at our lives and see where we need to surrender our lives more completely to God. So this 'bush' time, was an opportunity to do this, we were going to have three hours to spend just with God in our own little area of bush. Now if I'm honest I really didn't know what to expect and thought: 'oh my goodness what am I going to say to him?', 'how am I going to start?' and 'my goodness three hours is a long time-surely I'm going to get bored!' Thank God that I was wrong. It was the most amazing time! I personally felt a wake-up from God and could have spent longer with him in that place of quiet. All the TEAm agreed that the time went really quickly and was an important time, to hand over everything to God. I hope the TEAm would agree that this was an excellent way to end an excellent week of getting deep into Gods glory, and to continue living our lives glorifying him, knowing he is the only way our lives will be complete.

Rivendell, a quiet place to spend 3 hours with God!

After Wellington we joined Norm and Christy in Ohakune, to prepare for the 'Round the mountain' tramp. There were a few nervous faces over dinner as we were preparing for a 5 day challenging tramp, over some amazing landscape (walking around an active volcano) with long days ahead, but there was great excitement too. As well as the physical challenge the task for this week is for each TEAm member to lead a short devotion along the same lines as our theme for this week: 'Isn't the Christian life supposed to be easy?' How do we get through struggles that we face as Christians; living in a secular world, attacks from Satan, facing sickness/death etc - its going to be exciting stuff, and I think our memory verse may help; Romans 12:11,12 Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in times of trouble and never stop praying.

Unfortunately I (Claire) haven't been able to go tramping due to an injury (Bethany if you're reading this I know how you felt this time last year!). We waved the TEAm off in style and I came back with Shirley to Papakura. I was slightly gutted at first about not going, but I truly believe that God can, will and is using this. Our TEAm has faced times when people have been left behind on Tramps due to injury or health and they have always had amazing opportunities and met people they wouldn't have met if they had been able to go on the tramp, so, I'm waiting expectantly.

Points for prayer

Praise God for the time we each had with him last week looking at where we need to surrender parts of our life to him. Pray that God will give us strength to continually surrender these things over to him

Pray for the TEAm as they are doing the 'Round the mountain' tramp. Pray for good health, safety, strength and opportunities to go deep with people in the huts, sharing the gospel about our Lord.

Pray for safe travels back to Papakura and the reuniting of the TEAm for the last week, may we continue to be focussed on the now and not the farewell.

Thanks for all the prayer support and for taking the time to read this
God bless
Claire (and all the TEAm)

cats and dogs, squares and trees

2007-11-26T09:21:00.000+13:00

Hi everyone. We're all sitting together around the computer here in Christchurch, and I'm just going to be the typist. The TEAm is going to tell you all about the last week. I'll just add my thoughts in brackets. Here we go...

Since our last update, Shirley joined us in Queenstown. We camped for a night by Lake Wakatipu and made dampers. Here we started studying the book, 'Cat & Dog Theology' together. It's helped us focus on how we direct our worship and where we put God in our lives. 'Is it all about me or all about God?' is a question the book is based around.

From Queenstown we started our journey back up north to Mt Cook, Fairlie and finally Christchurch. We first climbed Mt Cook, (says Edgar. We say 'yeah, right!') But we did have a nice walk there to a lake with icebergs! It showed the bigness of God's creation!

View of Mount Cook:

Our walk to Hooker lake beneth Mount Cook:

The TEAm at the claycliffs:

Koen and Lisanne ran into a Dutch couple that they'd met earlier in Queenstown, which was great. It shows how small New Zealand actually is.

We went to two church services yesterday. The first was at an Anglican church where some of Claire's friends attended. They generously invited us all to their place for lunch afterwards. With cheesecake!!! (Which Lisanne says made her day.) Even though most of us were strangers to them, we felt like family - what a great thing that we as Christians have - a family of God around the globe!

The TEAm with ou new family:

In the evening we went to a youth service in a Baptist church, and got back to our tents for dinner after 10pm!!!

In Cathederal Square in Christchurch, it's an open area where people can speak about anything publically. Many street performers and open air preachers can be found here.

Some of the TEAm decided (in their free time!!!! WOWWWW!) to have a chat with people around the Square and park areas on Sunday afternoon. We asked people what they felt the meaning of Christmas was to them as it was only a month away. We also handed out sweets. AJ says he ate about 90% himself though.

We had some really good conversations with people. Janine had a great conversation with an English girl who believed that there is a God, but hasn't explored it any further. Claire and she also spoke with another girl who said she believed in Jesus but couldn't be bothered to commit.
Edgar and AJ found some 'gothic' looking young people who ran away and climbed the trees!! (Hmmm, what WERE those boys doing???)

Janine says she'd like to do something like this again. (The TEAm is actually going to.... we're going to be talking about this today, preparing for more street-style stuff. We never want to have people run away or climb trees... but show a genuine love from God to them as we point them towards the treasure we have found. What great news we have to share!!)

Things to pray for:

- Inspiration for ways to creatively, gently, not-making-people-run-away-or-climb-trees share Christ with people intentionally over the next few days, especially in the places we stay as well as on the ferry on Wednesday. We have a captive audience!!

- This week's task is to examine our lives to see where we need to surrender more completely to God. It's a big thing. Pray for the TEAm as they do this, that God will do what He wants in them. And that they can handle it!

- As we continue to do the studies, that we would take action on what we are hearing.

- For God to be glorified every minute of this TEAm's life.

- As TEA comes to a close soon, pray that we will stay focussed on the next 2 1/2 weeks instead of thinking too much about home and things we will do after TEA.

Thanks to all of you who read this, are interested, pray, send us chocolate, etc!! (Hint hint)
God bless you all. You all bless God too!

love from the TEAm!

The TEAm in a field of Lupins on our journey

Sick, injured, lame and lost!!

2007-11-20T10:40:00.000+13:00

We have had an eventful time these past few weeks! After leaving Motueka about 2 weeks ago we headed down the West coast stopping at Wanaka:

Westport, Greymouth and Fox Glacier:

At this point in our travels we have been considering our attitudes and our weekly task was to be aware of our own attitudes and make a daily evaluation. Romans 12, 9-13 shows us that we can be proactive and choose our attitudes and put others first! Alongside this we were learning a memory verse from Galations 5 verse 22-23 - 'God's spirit makes us loving, happy, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle and self-controlled.' During our time on the West coast we have been able to put these ideas into action with the people that we met. We had a great evening on the beach enjoying making dampers with a Dutch guy, Erwin, with whom we shared about our faith.

After our time on the West coast we headed to Queenstown where Anthony joined us. We then began a six day tramp from Glenorchy and we intended to go to Milford Sound. However, this trip did not go exactly as planned!! When we woke up the second morning, Lisanne was feeling very sick and we stayed at the Upper Caples Hut for an extra night while George headed to Queenstown to cancel our trip to the Milford Sound. After a short visit to the hospital Koen and Lisanne stayed in Queenstown for a few days where they had great oppurtunities to share their faith, while the rest of the team continued on a tramp for the remaining few nights. A challenging tramp up a nearby mountain was in store and it certainly stretched the group mentally and physically but the views from the top were well worth the hard work!!

The mountaineering team at the top of Mount Toblerone! Called so because of the great quantities of chocolate consumed at the summit!

And nice playing in the fluffy stuff going downwards:

Bellanie sledging!!!

I think we all agree that God has shown us alot this week. We are constantly reminded to give each day over to him and be prepared that plans may change.

We'd like to thank everyone at home for your prayers! Prayers for health, strength and more oppurtunites to share our faith with others over the next three weeks would be great too!

In & Out and Up & Down!

2007-11-09T12:37:00.000+13:00

What a great week! We have been in & out of the bush and up and down a few mountains. Everyone is finally feeling better and we have been able to get out into the bush and enjoy the wonder of God's creation. We have seen some beautiful scenery and have met alot of interesting people while tramping in Kahurangi & Nelson Lakes National Park.

Last Friday and Saturday we tramped up to the Tablelands & Mt. Arthur. We got a chance to see some old rock shelters that were built during the days when miners lived in the area and with the beautiful weather we were able to climb Gordon's Pyramid and Mt. Arthur. We stopped just short of the summit of Mt. Arthur because of the ice and snow but everyone enjoyed the day. The hut on Friday night was full of people from New Zealand and we had a chance to share with a few of them, but the TEAm got a chance to see why NZ is regarded as "non-religious". No one was really interested in talking to us once they found out that we were a Christian group & this was a good lesson for all of us. Talking about Jesus makes people uncomfortable, but that shouldn't stop us from reaching out to a world that is in desperate need of Him.

TEAm playing "Pass the Pigs" @ Salisbury Lodge

Four of us ready for the big day up Mt. Arthur

Five of us getting set to climb Gordon's Pyramid!

Resting our tired feet at the summit of Gordon's

On Sunday at church, the TEAm was able to share some things that the Lord has been doing in their lives. A.J. shared how he has been able to use the things that we have been talking about in the evangelism training and apply them to situations he finds himself in. Koen shared a part of his testimony. I think all of us could have shared something from the last week or so because we have made lots of new friends at the backpackers in Motueka and the TEAm has been challenged to serve Christ by serving others this week.

Monday we left for Nelson Lakes and were blessed with perfect ("absolutely delicious") weather all week. Koen got a chance to share his faith with a hitchhiker we picked up on the way and we met alot of people in the huts. Bellanie & Claire stayed in Motueka because of some problems with their feet but had the opportunity to work at the lodge helping Chris & Liz and helped out with the church's midweek kids programme in Motueka & in Nelson.

Our first day tramping along Lake Rotoiti

The big swing bridge over the Traver's river

Enjoying the early morning sun at John Tait Hut

The TEAm got a chance to sing one of their memory verses with the kids @Tasman Christian School. Janine shared a bit about overcoming fear and her skydiving adventure.

Thank you for your prayers while the TEAm was getting through the flu bug. Please be praying for the TEAm this week as they left Motueka this morning to travel to the west coast and then south. Be praying for them and the opportunities they will have with the people they will meet along the way. They are "stoked" about what God is going to do with Five Full Weeks of TEA Still Left!!!