Hello from Vanuatu!
Today was possibly the best day of my life. Vanuatu is PARADISE! We got off the boat around 8:30AM and took a taxi to a ferry port, where we took a short ferry to Hideaway Island. Hideaway Island is a tiny island, probably has no more than a 1 km circumference, and it is pure perfection! We spent the day on the white (dried coral) beach, snorkelling and taking is as much sun as we could. The fish were amazing, and would come up so close that you could feel them rubbing up against you! We saw Nemo’s relatives, as well as many other colourful and tropical fish! The water was crystal clear, and we could see fish everywhere we looked! There were heaps of jellyfish stinging everyone, but the stinging just reminded me how big the world is. There is another world under the sea, and it is amazing, but full of life, and the jellyfish were just defending their territory. We were privileged to observe sights we had never seen before, and it truly was one of the best days I’ve ever had! The only complaint I could about the day, was that the ocean water was too warm. It was amazing how hot the water was, it was warmer than any pool I’d been in before! We’d get hot and sweaty sitting in the sun, jump in the water and be refreshed for 30 seconds if we’re lucky.. and then at that point we’d realize that the water was much too warm to refresh. The day consisted of great weather (35degrees), great friends, and the greatest place I’ve ever been on earth! Praise be to God. I love my life!
Zakk
Thursday, April 15, 2010
BULA! (Written April 7th/10)
Bula from Suva!
For those who don’t understand what I just said, it’s okay.. I don’t really either. I’ve spent the last two days in Fiji, in the city of Suva yesterday, and Nadi today. The Fijians have a way of unique cultural greeting, and that is to say “bula” to everyone that you see. It’s a way of acknowledging each others’ presence, and showing courtesy and respect for them… At least I think that’s what bula means.. no one ever actually explained it, so I apologize if I offended anyone by saying bula in my title!
I had a great time in Fiji. It was about 35 degrees Celsius, and about 90% humidity. Fiji is a very destitute country, and has been hit hard by many Cyclones and Tsunami’s in the last few years. While walking the streets we saw many stray dogs, were offered lots of drugs, and approached by a few prostitutes. It was tough to have a relaxing vacation on the beach when you know what else is going on just a few kilometres away! Regardless, it was a good experience, and very eyeopening. I had never before seen a third-world country, and I was given a hunger to do missions work.. There was so much need for the gospel in Fiji. Tomorrow we are at sea, and we arrive in Vanuatu on Saturday. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the cruise!
Farewell from Fiji,
Zakk.
For those who don’t understand what I just said, it’s okay.. I don’t really either. I’ve spent the last two days in Fiji, in the city of Suva yesterday, and Nadi today. The Fijians have a way of unique cultural greeting, and that is to say “bula” to everyone that you see. It’s a way of acknowledging each others’ presence, and showing courtesy and respect for them… At least I think that’s what bula means.. no one ever actually explained it, so I apologize if I offended anyone by saying bula in my title!
I had a great time in Fiji. It was about 35 degrees Celsius, and about 90% humidity. Fiji is a very destitute country, and has been hit hard by many Cyclones and Tsunami’s in the last few years. While walking the streets we saw many stray dogs, were offered lots of drugs, and approached by a few prostitutes. It was tough to have a relaxing vacation on the beach when you know what else is going on just a few kilometres away! Regardless, it was a good experience, and very eyeopening. I had never before seen a third-world country, and I was given a hunger to do missions work.. There was so much need for the gospel in Fiji. Tomorrow we are at sea, and we arrive in Vanuatu on Saturday. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the cruise!
Farewell from Fiji,
Zakk.
Celebration!
Good Friday!
My first 2 weeks at Monavale are now done, and it is the beginning of the school’s 18-day break between the two school terms. The transition from ABS to monavale was a little bit awkward, considering there was about 8 of us that were really close, that jumped right into a school program with 55 strangers. Thankfully, the students at monavale were very kind and warm, and took us in as their own very quickly, but there were still some awkward moments as we desperately tried to make friends and fit in!! We arrived at the new school on a Friday afternoon, and the weekends are free at monavale, so we were basically on our own until the Monday. That Monday began ministry preparation week.. Ministry week is the last week of every term, and it is when the school is divided into 7 different teams, which scatter across the north island, affiliated and billeted with their local church. The teams get involved with different activities in the community. I was placed on an absolutely amazing team, and was the only ABS’er on my team, so I was forced to make friends immediately. We had a lot to do on ministry week, so we had lots of preparation to do, and spent every moment possible together, planning. We were stationed in Hastings New Zealand, a city that is about 4 hours south of Cambridge, the town our school is in. Hastings has a prevalent gang community, and a large Maori population. The community was as the kiwi’s would say “dodgy”. My group had to put on a boys club every afternoon for a couple of hours, for kids from the community. We also got to go into a couple public schools each day, and put on bible classes for the students there. We had to put on a half hour program for the students, and the only rules were that we could not say the words “hell”, “sin”, or “heaven”. Other than that, we were able to talk about anything, and the freedom was extremely surprising for all of us Canadians, considering the extent to which Christianity is shunned from schools in Canada! The theme that my group chose for the week was “God’s superheroes”. For boys club, we all dressed up in superhero costumes, and told the story of an old testament hero every day. We talked about Gideon, David, Daniel, and Jesus Christ. For bible in schools, we talked about how the easter story is actually a superhero story. We expressed through funny skits and games, the fact that Jesus is truly the greatest superhero of all time, because he saved everyone, not just a few people.. Jesus is the only superhero that could conquer death, and the only superhero that has no weakness at all. We concluded our program by playing a song by Hillsongs Kids called “Jesus is my Superhero”, a fun techno-song that we created actions for! The kids could easily relate to our program, and we had great feedback. When we would finish we would often be swarmed by little kids, demanding hugs, pictures and tons of autographs! It showed all of us the importance of being active in the community. If we can have hundreds of little kids looking up to us as role models, we obviously have a pretty big influence on them.. so why not use that influence that we have to spread the gospel?
We also were able to be involved in the church that we were affiliated with. The church was called Celebration Centre, and was a non-denominational church aimed at reducing traditions, and instead being guided by the Holy Spirit. My team was all billeted in groups of two's, with members of the church. I was billeted with my friend James, and we stayed with one of the elders from the church. They were a lovely couple, with an old mansion dating back to 1913. Our billets grew in their yard grapefruits, peaches, passionfruit, strawberries, purple grapes, and several other delicious fruits!
The first Sunday that we were at Celebration we were asked to do a 5 minute drama. In the drama, I was the main character named Johnny, and when I first appear on the stage I am praying, and asking God to be with me throughout the day. After I pray, and start to surf the internet, Jesus suddenly appears behind me. I am startled, and try to push him away, but when I realize that it is in fact Jesus, I discover a need to entertain him. I try to watch TV with Jesus, but realize that nothing on the television is something that I’d want Jesus to see. I make up excuses, and try to blame it on my cable provider, but fail, and turn the TV off. I then realize that my computer is still open, and I flip down my laptop realizing that the images on the computer are not something I’d want Jesus to see. I try to make up excuses, blaming the websites on pop-ups I got from an email.. I decide perhaps we should listen to music, but after listening to K$sha, Eminem and A Day to Remember, and blaming the music on my roommate, I turn off the music. I then have an epiphany, and realized that I knew one thing I’d like Jesus to do with me. I dusted off my bible, and open it up to John 14:6, and start reading “I am the way the truth and the life”, but as I read it Jesus mouths the words in the background, and I realize that he wouldn’t want to read what he already knows about.. At that moment, some friends show up, and invite me to a party. After lots of denial, I finally agree to go, and tell Jesus that he has to stay at my house for the night. I tell him that I can do it on my own, and don’t need him to come. As I walk with my friends, Jesus follows, and I push him back. I keep walking, and he follows, so again I push him back. It all happens again, and I deny him again. After denying Jesus three times, when he continues to follow, I got really angry, and threw Jesus to the ground. I picked him up, and as I “nailed” one arm to his side yelled “STAY PUT”, and then I “nailed” his second arm to the side, and yelled “I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN.”
The crowd then went silent, and as I walked out of the auditorium with my friends, I turned to the silent crowd and said “don’t act like you’ve never done this before.” A quiet chatter arose throughout the building as scattered opinions were expressed, and it was evident that everyone was challenged in some way, and given something to think about. After the skit I went on to tell a public testimony of how God has worked in my life, and brought me across the world to study His word, and I gave a brief message to connect my life with the character that I portrayed in the skit. I talked about the fact that even if you take 10,000 steps away from God, He is still always one step behind you. The truth is, that God does have perfect standards for us, and he desires us to flee from all sin, but we are human, and are already sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God, yet He loves us still. Through Christ we are made new with God, and can find purity through the cross. Regardless of the music we have listened to, the TV shows we’ve watched, or the addictions we’ve fed, God loves us. We’re all imperfect and have all tried to go it without acknowledging the presence of God in our lives, but denial doesn’t replace existence, and God is still there with us, one step back.. Waiting for us to choose Him, once again.
One night at our billets, James and I got into a deep discussion with our billets about a topic that we had often discussed with other students at monavale, and that is discussing the purpose of prayer. We talked about the role that faith has to do with prayer, and whether or not righteousness is required for effective prayer. At around 1:00am, after talking for many hours, we called it a night. It was a really cool night of bonding, as James and I talked with our billets as adults, and realized that although there may have been a large age gap between us, we still had the same questions, and were able to have a serious conversation about things that we as Christians so often take for granted without truly understanding. Later that week, we were encouraged to attend our billets small group, and we were asked to have something prepared to say. I was really nervous about this, and frantically tried to prepare something. When we asked our billets what we should talk about they told us to ask the same questions we had asked a few nights before. We did, and with about 12 other adults, and 2 other Capernwray students had an amazing night, with a lot of wisdom shared. Usually, the care group runs from 7-8:30.. But on this occasion we were there until 11:30.. Which is apparently record length! It was fantastic to feel like we contributed to the evening, and were able to challenge some mature believers about a topic as commonly practiced as prayer!
The last Saturday, our group went into Napier.. A larger community that is right along the ocean, and did street evangelism for a day. Street evangelism is an aspect of Christianity that I had always looked down on, and never really valued. I thought it was desperate and artificial, and something that I would never want anything to do with. Before we hit the streets, we were given an hour of debriefing, and in that time our leader put evangelism into terms that changed the way I looked at it. He asked us what we would do if we knew that a bomb was going to blow up in downtown Napier, and we knew it was going to happen. We all agreed that we would yell at everyone, telling them to get out, so that they would be saved and avoid death. He then asked, why we wouldn’t do the same thing to try and save people from eternal when we know that danger comes to those who don’t get out of it’s way. After our hour long debriefing/time of worship, we went out in pairs and hit the streets. I snatched the leader to be my partner, and in a couple of hours we were able to share the gospel to about 30 people. We only had success, and it was an experience I’ll never forget, and an experience I will hopefully be able to relive by doing more street evangelism in the future.
The next day was the last day of our ministry week, and we went to Celebration church in the morning. We performed a few minutes of our bible in schools routine for the congregation, and made them do the actions to Jesus Is Our Superhero, and then a few of the students told testimonies. The pastor then called the elders up to pray for our team and send us off, back to school.. But the prayer time went long and ended up taking up the whole service!! It was amazing having the church elders pray individually over us, and deliver words of prophecy to us. I was told many things that all fit in perfectly with the things that I have been thinking about and contemplating, and it was truly a God moment hearing His spirit being spoken through the people of this church. The week in Hastings was truly a week of exposure, as we were exposed to many new aspects of Christianity, but it was also a week of revelation as I realized heaps about myself, and about what I believe. I was very excited to go back to monavale and share with my friends about the experiences that I had, and after church we made the 4 hour drive back to school.
That week was a short week, that was filled with lectures and lots of story telling.. and now it’s over, and I write to you. We are on a two week break, and myself and 5 friends are about to embark on a 12 day South Pacific Cruise, which should be amazing! I’m looking forward to having a nice, relaxing vacation, and soaking up as much sun as possible! Updates soon to come :)
-Z
My first 2 weeks at Monavale are now done, and it is the beginning of the school’s 18-day break between the two school terms. The transition from ABS to monavale was a little bit awkward, considering there was about 8 of us that were really close, that jumped right into a school program with 55 strangers. Thankfully, the students at monavale were very kind and warm, and took us in as their own very quickly, but there were still some awkward moments as we desperately tried to make friends and fit in!! We arrived at the new school on a Friday afternoon, and the weekends are free at monavale, so we were basically on our own until the Monday. That Monday began ministry preparation week.. Ministry week is the last week of every term, and it is when the school is divided into 7 different teams, which scatter across the north island, affiliated and billeted with their local church. The teams get involved with different activities in the community. I was placed on an absolutely amazing team, and was the only ABS’er on my team, so I was forced to make friends immediately. We had a lot to do on ministry week, so we had lots of preparation to do, and spent every moment possible together, planning. We were stationed in Hastings New Zealand, a city that is about 4 hours south of Cambridge, the town our school is in. Hastings has a prevalent gang community, and a large Maori population. The community was as the kiwi’s would say “dodgy”. My group had to put on a boys club every afternoon for a couple of hours, for kids from the community. We also got to go into a couple public schools each day, and put on bible classes for the students there. We had to put on a half hour program for the students, and the only rules were that we could not say the words “hell”, “sin”, or “heaven”. Other than that, we were able to talk about anything, and the freedom was extremely surprising for all of us Canadians, considering the extent to which Christianity is shunned from schools in Canada! The theme that my group chose for the week was “God’s superheroes”. For boys club, we all dressed up in superhero costumes, and told the story of an old testament hero every day. We talked about Gideon, David, Daniel, and Jesus Christ. For bible in schools, we talked about how the easter story is actually a superhero story. We expressed through funny skits and games, the fact that Jesus is truly the greatest superhero of all time, because he saved everyone, not just a few people.. Jesus is the only superhero that could conquer death, and the only superhero that has no weakness at all. We concluded our program by playing a song by Hillsongs Kids called “Jesus is my Superhero”, a fun techno-song that we created actions for! The kids could easily relate to our program, and we had great feedback. When we would finish we would often be swarmed by little kids, demanding hugs, pictures and tons of autographs! It showed all of us the importance of being active in the community. If we can have hundreds of little kids looking up to us as role models, we obviously have a pretty big influence on them.. so why not use that influence that we have to spread the gospel?
We also were able to be involved in the church that we were affiliated with. The church was called Celebration Centre, and was a non-denominational church aimed at reducing traditions, and instead being guided by the Holy Spirit. My team was all billeted in groups of two's, with members of the church. I was billeted with my friend James, and we stayed with one of the elders from the church. They were a lovely couple, with an old mansion dating back to 1913. Our billets grew in their yard grapefruits, peaches, passionfruit, strawberries, purple grapes, and several other delicious fruits!
The first Sunday that we were at Celebration we were asked to do a 5 minute drama. In the drama, I was the main character named Johnny, and when I first appear on the stage I am praying, and asking God to be with me throughout the day. After I pray, and start to surf the internet, Jesus suddenly appears behind me. I am startled, and try to push him away, but when I realize that it is in fact Jesus, I discover a need to entertain him. I try to watch TV with Jesus, but realize that nothing on the television is something that I’d want Jesus to see. I make up excuses, and try to blame it on my cable provider, but fail, and turn the TV off. I then realize that my computer is still open, and I flip down my laptop realizing that the images on the computer are not something I’d want Jesus to see. I try to make up excuses, blaming the websites on pop-ups I got from an email.. I decide perhaps we should listen to music, but after listening to K$sha, Eminem and A Day to Remember, and blaming the music on my roommate, I turn off the music. I then have an epiphany, and realized that I knew one thing I’d like Jesus to do with me. I dusted off my bible, and open it up to John 14:6, and start reading “I am the way the truth and the life”, but as I read it Jesus mouths the words in the background, and I realize that he wouldn’t want to read what he already knows about.. At that moment, some friends show up, and invite me to a party. After lots of denial, I finally agree to go, and tell Jesus that he has to stay at my house for the night. I tell him that I can do it on my own, and don’t need him to come. As I walk with my friends, Jesus follows, and I push him back. I keep walking, and he follows, so again I push him back. It all happens again, and I deny him again. After denying Jesus three times, when he continues to follow, I got really angry, and threw Jesus to the ground. I picked him up, and as I “nailed” one arm to his side yelled “STAY PUT”, and then I “nailed” his second arm to the side, and yelled “I CAN DO THIS ON MY OWN.”
The crowd then went silent, and as I walked out of the auditorium with my friends, I turned to the silent crowd and said “don’t act like you’ve never done this before.” A quiet chatter arose throughout the building as scattered opinions were expressed, and it was evident that everyone was challenged in some way, and given something to think about. After the skit I went on to tell a public testimony of how God has worked in my life, and brought me across the world to study His word, and I gave a brief message to connect my life with the character that I portrayed in the skit. I talked about the fact that even if you take 10,000 steps away from God, He is still always one step behind you. The truth is, that God does have perfect standards for us, and he desires us to flee from all sin, but we are human, and are already sinners. We all fall short of the glory of God, yet He loves us still. Through Christ we are made new with God, and can find purity through the cross. Regardless of the music we have listened to, the TV shows we’ve watched, or the addictions we’ve fed, God loves us. We’re all imperfect and have all tried to go it without acknowledging the presence of God in our lives, but denial doesn’t replace existence, and God is still there with us, one step back.. Waiting for us to choose Him, once again.
One night at our billets, James and I got into a deep discussion with our billets about a topic that we had often discussed with other students at monavale, and that is discussing the purpose of prayer. We talked about the role that faith has to do with prayer, and whether or not righteousness is required for effective prayer. At around 1:00am, after talking for many hours, we called it a night. It was a really cool night of bonding, as James and I talked with our billets as adults, and realized that although there may have been a large age gap between us, we still had the same questions, and were able to have a serious conversation about things that we as Christians so often take for granted without truly understanding. Later that week, we were encouraged to attend our billets small group, and we were asked to have something prepared to say. I was really nervous about this, and frantically tried to prepare something. When we asked our billets what we should talk about they told us to ask the same questions we had asked a few nights before. We did, and with about 12 other adults, and 2 other Capernwray students had an amazing night, with a lot of wisdom shared. Usually, the care group runs from 7-8:30.. But on this occasion we were there until 11:30.. Which is apparently record length! It was fantastic to feel like we contributed to the evening, and were able to challenge some mature believers about a topic as commonly practiced as prayer!
The last Saturday, our group went into Napier.. A larger community that is right along the ocean, and did street evangelism for a day. Street evangelism is an aspect of Christianity that I had always looked down on, and never really valued. I thought it was desperate and artificial, and something that I would never want anything to do with. Before we hit the streets, we were given an hour of debriefing, and in that time our leader put evangelism into terms that changed the way I looked at it. He asked us what we would do if we knew that a bomb was going to blow up in downtown Napier, and we knew it was going to happen. We all agreed that we would yell at everyone, telling them to get out, so that they would be saved and avoid death. He then asked, why we wouldn’t do the same thing to try and save people from eternal when we know that danger comes to those who don’t get out of it’s way. After our hour long debriefing/time of worship, we went out in pairs and hit the streets. I snatched the leader to be my partner, and in a couple of hours we were able to share the gospel to about 30 people. We only had success, and it was an experience I’ll never forget, and an experience I will hopefully be able to relive by doing more street evangelism in the future.
The next day was the last day of our ministry week, and we went to Celebration church in the morning. We performed a few minutes of our bible in schools routine for the congregation, and made them do the actions to Jesus Is Our Superhero, and then a few of the students told testimonies. The pastor then called the elders up to pray for our team and send us off, back to school.. But the prayer time went long and ended up taking up the whole service!! It was amazing having the church elders pray individually over us, and deliver words of prophecy to us. I was told many things that all fit in perfectly with the things that I have been thinking about and contemplating, and it was truly a God moment hearing His spirit being spoken through the people of this church. The week in Hastings was truly a week of exposure, as we were exposed to many new aspects of Christianity, but it was also a week of revelation as I realized heaps about myself, and about what I believe. I was very excited to go back to monavale and share with my friends about the experiences that I had, and after church we made the 4 hour drive back to school.
That week was a short week, that was filled with lectures and lots of story telling.. and now it’s over, and I write to you. We are on a two week break, and myself and 5 friends are about to embark on a 12 day South Pacific Cruise, which should be amazing! I’m looking forward to having a nice, relaxing vacation, and soaking up as much sun as possible! Updates soon to come :)
-Z
Written on March 12th
Greetings, from New Zealand! The 6 week ABS (Adventure Bible School) course has come to an end, and I have transitioned into the main school program, at Monavale. I apologize for how long it has been since I last wrote – I’ve just been so busy!
As a prelude to the entry, I’d like to say that the ABS program was the best 6 weeks of my life. I felt the beginning of a transformation within myself, and I learnt heaps about who I am, who God is, and who God is through me. The ABS course is very intense physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and it is run in a way that you never know what is going to happen next. The whole course comes as a surprise, and that sense of wonder adds tons to the effectiveness of it all. I want to keep my blog updated as best I can, but I want to be sure that everyone who does ABS goes into the course with the same sense of wonder that I did.. Therefore, rather than trying to ensure that no future ABS’ers would somehow read this blog, I’ll just waver on the side of ambiguity to be safe..
As expected, Adventure Bible School was full of life changing adventures; Adventures that took me all over the North Island of New Zealand, seeing sights that most locals go their lives without seeing. I developed an incredible sense of adoration for our God, as we saw some of the best of His creation! Often times on the course, students or staff would turn and ask me “how have you experienced God today”, and almost always my answer was through the scenery that we got to see! New Zealand is a breathtaking country, and despite spending hours and hours doing long hikes through the wilderness, and going for long treks up mountains, I never once lost the appreciation for the environment, and the praise for our Father that I found in that.. Although some of the adventures were individual, I was privileged to work in a group most of the time, and the group of people that I was blessed to share the adventures with were unbelievable. I was with 17 other people of varying ages, coming from all over the world (albeit predominantly North America), and coming from all walks of life. The mosaic blend that created the community on ABS was really neat. After only 5 days of ABS I remember turning to a new friend and commenting on the fact that I knew her better at that point, than I did most of my friends who I have known for years.
Through the testimonies of God’s work in our lives that we all shared, and through the trust in the group that was demanded, hyper-speed relationships were created, and everything progressed incredibly quickly. When ABS finally finished, it was really hard.. I felt as though I lost a little bit of myself.. I’ll probably never be in another situation where I feel so comfortable, so accepted, and so known. Everything was exposed amongst the group, every issue was a public one, and everyone was a huge positive influence on me.
Some of the things that we got to do on ABS include: Caving, white water rafting, white water kayaking, abseiling, climbing, tramping, camping, etc. The activities were very intense, and we never did things the way that the common public would. We didn’t go to the public caves, but to private caves, that had crevasses that I could barely squeeze through, and water and mud up to my waist.
At the end of the ABS course, we were forced to take a large amount of time to spend alone, and we were isolated from the group with only our bible and journal. I took this time to do some more bible reading (I read the New Testament in the 6 weeks), and I journalled as well. I summarized everything I learnt over ABS in 10 points.
1) Jesus is absolutely amazing, and I LOVE the character of Jesus. Reading through the New Testament slowly, I tried really hard to understand who Jesus was, and what reasons there are to love Him. Jesus is selfless, and humble, yet still passionate, and a revolutionary. After John the Baptist was beheaded in Matthew 14, the disciples went to Jesus, to tell him the news. Jesus was sad, and went in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, so that he could have some alone time. Jesus wanted time to be alone, to rest and be rejuvenated, however when he arrived to the other side of the Sea he was crowded by people. Matthew 14:14 says that when Jesus saw the crowds of people he had compassion for them, and healed the sick.. and then went on to feed the 5000! The meaning of the Greek word that translates to compassion, is perhaps more accurately described by the word pity. Jesus was dealing with the death of John the Baptist, his very close friend, yet he was able to put that aside because he had pity, and to do the work needed work of the Lord.
2) My family is amazing. Being across the world made me realize how truly blessed by them I am. After every out trip/adventure that I went on, I couldn’t wait to get onto the phone and tell them everything that I was doing!
3) I’ve learnt what it means to be a servant. You CANNOT get by on ABS alone.. There is no room for big ego’s, and it was a really humbling experience, having to rely on other people to get by. Romans 12:10-11 “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring one another. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
4) I’ve learnt that change starts with the mind. If you want to change, you have to change everything about yourself, and the way you do that is by changing your self-identity. For example, if someone was an alcoholic, and they label themselves as an ex-alcoholic, nothing has really changed. Whether you’re an alcoholic or an ex-alcoholic, you’re still identifying yourself by alcohol. Alcohol is controlling your identity. If you want to change you have to change what is the centre of your life, and you have to replace it with something else. You have to go from being an alcoholic, to a follower of Christ, for example. Gal 2:20, Romans 12:2, 2 Cor 5:17
5) I’ve learnt a lot about who I am.. I’ve learnt about my temperament , and how I can fit into this world. I’ve learnt about who God can make me become, and how he empowers me to be great. God’s grace is a free gift, and the freedoms that come with that grace empower us to be extraordinary. John 1:16
6) I’ve been humbled, and realized the importance of putting others first. Phil 2:3-4
7) I’ve found a sense of adventure!! I’ve been filled with an effervescent outlook on life, and have found absolute contentment with life! Ecclesiastes 11:9 says “Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.”
8) I’ve learnt that spiritual discipline may require giving up things that are good. Sin is anything that separates us from God.. If I am filling my life with good things, and making myself too busy to draw close to God, then that is a form of sin. I must make myself available to Christ. Hebrews 12:1
9) I’ve learnt that weaker personalities are still very valuable to the body of Christ.. and just because I may feel that I’m being drowned out by the stronger personalities, I’m still of great importance to the body of Christ! 1 Cor 2:22, Eph 4, 2 Cor 13:11
10) I’ve learnt that purity can be gained through the blood of Christ.. No matter your past, If you want to be pure, you just have to pursue it.. God perfects us, and has pure standards for us. Hebrews 9:13-14 “Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we cam worship the living God.”
That is a very vague way of describing what has happened in the last 6 weeks. . But hopefully you can get the jist of the experience!! I’d love to talk in more detail about what all happened, so if you’re interested let me know :)
God bless,
Zakk.
As a prelude to the entry, I’d like to say that the ABS program was the best 6 weeks of my life. I felt the beginning of a transformation within myself, and I learnt heaps about who I am, who God is, and who God is through me. The ABS course is very intense physically, emotionally, and spiritually, and it is run in a way that you never know what is going to happen next. The whole course comes as a surprise, and that sense of wonder adds tons to the effectiveness of it all. I want to keep my blog updated as best I can, but I want to be sure that everyone who does ABS goes into the course with the same sense of wonder that I did.. Therefore, rather than trying to ensure that no future ABS’ers would somehow read this blog, I’ll just waver on the side of ambiguity to be safe..
As expected, Adventure Bible School was full of life changing adventures; Adventures that took me all over the North Island of New Zealand, seeing sights that most locals go their lives without seeing. I developed an incredible sense of adoration for our God, as we saw some of the best of His creation! Often times on the course, students or staff would turn and ask me “how have you experienced God today”, and almost always my answer was through the scenery that we got to see! New Zealand is a breathtaking country, and despite spending hours and hours doing long hikes through the wilderness, and going for long treks up mountains, I never once lost the appreciation for the environment, and the praise for our Father that I found in that.. Although some of the adventures were individual, I was privileged to work in a group most of the time, and the group of people that I was blessed to share the adventures with were unbelievable. I was with 17 other people of varying ages, coming from all over the world (albeit predominantly North America), and coming from all walks of life. The mosaic blend that created the community on ABS was really neat. After only 5 days of ABS I remember turning to a new friend and commenting on the fact that I knew her better at that point, than I did most of my friends who I have known for years.
Through the testimonies of God’s work in our lives that we all shared, and through the trust in the group that was demanded, hyper-speed relationships were created, and everything progressed incredibly quickly. When ABS finally finished, it was really hard.. I felt as though I lost a little bit of myself.. I’ll probably never be in another situation where I feel so comfortable, so accepted, and so known. Everything was exposed amongst the group, every issue was a public one, and everyone was a huge positive influence on me.
Some of the things that we got to do on ABS include: Caving, white water rafting, white water kayaking, abseiling, climbing, tramping, camping, etc. The activities were very intense, and we never did things the way that the common public would. We didn’t go to the public caves, but to private caves, that had crevasses that I could barely squeeze through, and water and mud up to my waist.
At the end of the ABS course, we were forced to take a large amount of time to spend alone, and we were isolated from the group with only our bible and journal. I took this time to do some more bible reading (I read the New Testament in the 6 weeks), and I journalled as well. I summarized everything I learnt over ABS in 10 points.
1) Jesus is absolutely amazing, and I LOVE the character of Jesus. Reading through the New Testament slowly, I tried really hard to understand who Jesus was, and what reasons there are to love Him. Jesus is selfless, and humble, yet still passionate, and a revolutionary. After John the Baptist was beheaded in Matthew 14, the disciples went to Jesus, to tell him the news. Jesus was sad, and went in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, so that he could have some alone time. Jesus wanted time to be alone, to rest and be rejuvenated, however when he arrived to the other side of the Sea he was crowded by people. Matthew 14:14 says that when Jesus saw the crowds of people he had compassion for them, and healed the sick.. and then went on to feed the 5000! The meaning of the Greek word that translates to compassion, is perhaps more accurately described by the word pity. Jesus was dealing with the death of John the Baptist, his very close friend, yet he was able to put that aside because he had pity, and to do the work needed work of the Lord.
2) My family is amazing. Being across the world made me realize how truly blessed by them I am. After every out trip/adventure that I went on, I couldn’t wait to get onto the phone and tell them everything that I was doing!
3) I’ve learnt what it means to be a servant. You CANNOT get by on ABS alone.. There is no room for big ego’s, and it was a really humbling experience, having to rely on other people to get by. Romans 12:10-11 “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honouring one another. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”
4) I’ve learnt that change starts with the mind. If you want to change, you have to change everything about yourself, and the way you do that is by changing your self-identity. For example, if someone was an alcoholic, and they label themselves as an ex-alcoholic, nothing has really changed. Whether you’re an alcoholic or an ex-alcoholic, you’re still identifying yourself by alcohol. Alcohol is controlling your identity. If you want to change you have to change what is the centre of your life, and you have to replace it with something else. You have to go from being an alcoholic, to a follower of Christ, for example. Gal 2:20, Romans 12:2, 2 Cor 5:17
5) I’ve learnt a lot about who I am.. I’ve learnt about my temperament , and how I can fit into this world. I’ve learnt about who God can make me become, and how he empowers me to be great. God’s grace is a free gift, and the freedoms that come with that grace empower us to be extraordinary. John 1:16
6) I’ve been humbled, and realized the importance of putting others first. Phil 2:3-4
7) I’ve found a sense of adventure!! I’ve been filled with an effervescent outlook on life, and have found absolute contentment with life! Ecclesiastes 11:9 says “Young people, it’s wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do.”
8) I’ve learnt that spiritual discipline may require giving up things that are good. Sin is anything that separates us from God.. If I am filling my life with good things, and making myself too busy to draw close to God, then that is a form of sin. I must make myself available to Christ. Hebrews 12:1
9) I’ve learnt that weaker personalities are still very valuable to the body of Christ.. and just because I may feel that I’m being drowned out by the stronger personalities, I’m still of great importance to the body of Christ! 1 Cor 2:22, Eph 4, 2 Cor 13:11
10) I’ve learnt that purity can be gained through the blood of Christ.. No matter your past, If you want to be pure, you just have to pursue it.. God perfects us, and has pure standards for us. Hebrews 9:13-14 “Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we cam worship the living God.”
That is a very vague way of describing what has happened in the last 6 weeks. . But hopefully you can get the jist of the experience!! I’d love to talk in more detail about what all happened, so if you’re interested let me know :)
God bless,
Zakk.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
February 1st Update.. A little bit delayed
Regretably, this update comes over a month and a half late. As you find in my next update, which should come shortly, I have had an extremely busy last couple of weeks, and internet access has been limited. Enjoy, there will hopefully be more regular updates
-Zakk.. (on March 21st)
February 1st
It is now February 1st, and I am writing to you from Capernwray New Zealand, my home for the next 5 months! Finally being able to settle down, and not worry about what we are going to be doing the next day is such a relief, and we are so ready for it!! Two weeks have passed since we were last in Calgary, and so much has happened already! We are truly looking forward to the next months we get to spend here, just being around some of the staff and some of the other students, it is very clear to see and feel that this is a place designed to meet with God.
The last couple of days have certainly been different. Our independence hit us, a few days after the Worners left us, and having all of our time and money to do with it as we pleased, felt so different. We have done some cool things, but also had some moments when we felt burnt out, and we had days where we have sat around and done very little. One of the cool things that we were able to do in Sydney, was experience Australia day on January 26th. All of the country’s major national events on Australia take place in Sydney, so we were able to see and soak in some Australian culture! In the morning we woke up early(ish), and took the train to Bondi Beach, which is the most popular beach in Australia. It is known for being extremely busy, and attracting a young crowd. When we got there, we got exactly what we expected. The beach was scattered with tens of thousands of people, so much so that when you looked down the beach you couldn’t even tell what color the sand was! The weather forcasted for rain and high 20’s, however we were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was 35 degrees, without clouds in the sky! We had a wonderful day on the beach, and returned to the city in the mid-afternoon, so that we could get to darling harbour by 6, because that is where they were having the country’s major Australia day celebrations.
The harbour was absolutely loaded with families, tourists, and teenagers stopping by before hitting up the harbour-side bars and nightclubs. There was probably around 50 thousand people cramming around the waterside so that they could watch the festivities that were taking place on a massive floating stage. There was the presentation of Australian of the year, a performance by the recently announced Australian Idol (Who was about as good as any given Canadian Idol..), and many other things to entertain the crowd, before a 15 minute world-class firework display. There was fireworks being launched from the harbour, and many buildings downtown, creating a sensory overload as we all struggled to take in the sights and sounds that were before us. All in all, it was a pretty cool day, and we were all very proud to be Australian!
The next day was a slower day, as we got ready to leave the next day, packing all of our stuff and trying to buy last minute souvenirs.. (Which we failed at, so don’t get excited!) That evening we went to a late showing of Avatar in 3D, on the world’s largest IMAX screen. We had all already seen the movie, but seeing it on such a massive screen in Australia, was a really cool experience, and one that we will always remember! The next morning, we woke up at 5am, and were off to the Airport to depart to New Zealand.. This was the last flight we were scheduled to be on for many months, and we were all so excited about that!
When we arrived in Auckland, and managed to get through their ridiculously high security, we were met by the Nichols, some friends of mine, and they took us back to their home in a suburb on the outskirts of Auckland. We were shown where we could catch the ferry into Auckland, shown the location of the grocery store, and then my friends parents took off to go volunteer at a massive Christian festival called Parachute festival. The festival is two hours from Auckland, and ten minutes from Capernwray. We were given the opportunity to go to it all weekend, and we told them we were okay to go or stay at their house, depending on what was easier, and the way it worked out we ended up staying at their house in Auckland, with their daughter Paige, who worked all day Friday and Saturday. We had a slow weekend.. we went and saw Invictus on opening night in New Zealand..(Over a month after it had opened in Canada), on the world’s largest movie theatre! The theatre was immense, and all of the seats were lay-z boy seats, and were extremely comfortable! We also took a beautiful ferry ride into downtown Auckland, and walked around the city core for a couple of hours, looking at different souvenir shops and New Zealand All-Black stores, which were really cool, but ridiculously expensive! My favourite moment spent in Auckland was Saturday night, when Phil and I took out the two guitars that the Nichols owned, and we had and had a really long jam session. We were teaching each other songs, and theory that we knew, and trying lots of new things. At one point we realized that Phil knew how to play the intro to my favourite United Song, “From the Inside Out”, and I knew all of the chords, so we played together, him doing lead and me doing Rhythm, and then switched back and forth sporadically while we quietly sang along the familiar lyrics. It was a really cool moment of bonding we had, and a moment we’ll hopefully have many more of in the future!
On Sunday (Yesterday), we woke up early and head out to Parachute Festival with Paige and her boyfriend to meet up with the rest of the Nichol family. Before getting to the campus, we went to Capernwray to drop off some of our valuables, because we were planning on staying in a tent and didn’t want to have our laptops and passports on us! While at Capernwray, the rain came down as hard as I had ever seen it rain at that point in my life, and so we waited inside for about an hour for the rain to clear, and when it did we left to go to parachute conference. While at parachute it rained sporadically, and so we spent most of our time listening to different local New Zealand bands play, which was really cool. We were so surprised at how good the local talent from New Zealand was, especially considering that we had never heard of most of the bands. Later that night we met up with James Kricken, and Kelsey Bartel, two good friends from Calgary that Ryan and I knew, and about 6 other Capernwray students that were travelling with them. It was really cool to catch up, and talk about school, and it got us all excited to start school on Tuesday. We met up in time for the main stage concerts to start, which were Parachute Band, and Leeland, followed by a late night Hillsong United concert. We spent the first two concerts mainly just talking with the other Capernwray students, but by the end of Leeland we were all dispersed in the massive 30,000 person crowd, singing and worshipping our hearts out. Around 10:30 Hillsong United came out, and almost simultaneously to them entering the stage, the skies opened up and powerful rains came crashing down. Joel Houston asked the crowd if a little bit of rain was going to stop us from worshipping, and he told us that it wasn’t going to stop the band, so the concert went on. United played an absolutely amazing worship set, and as the night went on and songs went by, the rain only came down harder, and our voices only got louder. We stood there, as 30000 but were all singing in one voice, and it was so evident that the worship we experienced last night was so honest, and so heartfelt, and the experience was truly beyond anything words could express. While we stood in the rain, saturated from head to toe, with knees aching from jumping, and voices hurting from shouting, the familiar words began to be sung “a thousand times i’ve failed, still your mercy remains”, and Phil and I stood beside each other beaming from ear to ear as we realized that they were playing our favourite song, the one that we had worshipped to just the night before. We sang “my heart and my soul, I give you control.. Consume me from the inside out”, and as the rain poured down it actually felt as though the rain was washing me clean, clean of myself and of my past, and preparing the way for God to consume me from the inside out, and I almost broke down into tears. As the night went on, the worship just got more and more powerful. At one point, when the band had cut out, the crowd shouted as loud as we could “Hosanna in the highest”, and I thought to myself.. This is exactly what we were created to do. It brought so my excitement to my heart as I started to look forward to the next 5 months. I’ve finally gotten to the point that I think I’m ready to be at bible school, I’m ready to learn, and I’m ready to continue to worship Him like I did last night.
Unfortunately due to all of the rain that came down last night, we were unable to stay in the tent that we had set up at the festival, as it (and basically every one of the tents on the grounds) got flooded. Instead of staying there for the night, and attending a few events that were planned at the festival, we called it a festival and were able to come back to Capernwray, and crash on a few couches for the night. We’ve spent the day today doing chores, helping the staff prepare the rooms for all of the students to arrive tomorrow. I am so excited for school to start. Ryan and I leave for ABS (Adventure Bible School) tomorrow, which is a 6 week physically and mentally intensive program, which we are both scared, and excited for!! During that time I will not have my computer on me, so the next update will come in Mid-March. I’m looking forward to talking to you about the experience!
God bless,
Zakk.
-Zakk.. (on March 21st)
February 1st
It is now February 1st, and I am writing to you from Capernwray New Zealand, my home for the next 5 months! Finally being able to settle down, and not worry about what we are going to be doing the next day is such a relief, and we are so ready for it!! Two weeks have passed since we were last in Calgary, and so much has happened already! We are truly looking forward to the next months we get to spend here, just being around some of the staff and some of the other students, it is very clear to see and feel that this is a place designed to meet with God.
The last couple of days have certainly been different. Our independence hit us, a few days after the Worners left us, and having all of our time and money to do with it as we pleased, felt so different. We have done some cool things, but also had some moments when we felt burnt out, and we had days where we have sat around and done very little. One of the cool things that we were able to do in Sydney, was experience Australia day on January 26th. All of the country’s major national events on Australia take place in Sydney, so we were able to see and soak in some Australian culture! In the morning we woke up early(ish), and took the train to Bondi Beach, which is the most popular beach in Australia. It is known for being extremely busy, and attracting a young crowd. When we got there, we got exactly what we expected. The beach was scattered with tens of thousands of people, so much so that when you looked down the beach you couldn’t even tell what color the sand was! The weather forcasted for rain and high 20’s, however we were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was 35 degrees, without clouds in the sky! We had a wonderful day on the beach, and returned to the city in the mid-afternoon, so that we could get to darling harbour by 6, because that is where they were having the country’s major Australia day celebrations.
The harbour was absolutely loaded with families, tourists, and teenagers stopping by before hitting up the harbour-side bars and nightclubs. There was probably around 50 thousand people cramming around the waterside so that they could watch the festivities that were taking place on a massive floating stage. There was the presentation of Australian of the year, a performance by the recently announced Australian Idol (Who was about as good as any given Canadian Idol..), and many other things to entertain the crowd, before a 15 minute world-class firework display. There was fireworks being launched from the harbour, and many buildings downtown, creating a sensory overload as we all struggled to take in the sights and sounds that were before us. All in all, it was a pretty cool day, and we were all very proud to be Australian!
The next day was a slower day, as we got ready to leave the next day, packing all of our stuff and trying to buy last minute souvenirs.. (Which we failed at, so don’t get excited!) That evening we went to a late showing of Avatar in 3D, on the world’s largest IMAX screen. We had all already seen the movie, but seeing it on such a massive screen in Australia, was a really cool experience, and one that we will always remember! The next morning, we woke up at 5am, and were off to the Airport to depart to New Zealand.. This was the last flight we were scheduled to be on for many months, and we were all so excited about that!
When we arrived in Auckland, and managed to get through their ridiculously high security, we were met by the Nichols, some friends of mine, and they took us back to their home in a suburb on the outskirts of Auckland. We were shown where we could catch the ferry into Auckland, shown the location of the grocery store, and then my friends parents took off to go volunteer at a massive Christian festival called Parachute festival. The festival is two hours from Auckland, and ten minutes from Capernwray. We were given the opportunity to go to it all weekend, and we told them we were okay to go or stay at their house, depending on what was easier, and the way it worked out we ended up staying at their house in Auckland, with their daughter Paige, who worked all day Friday and Saturday. We had a slow weekend.. we went and saw Invictus on opening night in New Zealand..(Over a month after it had opened in Canada), on the world’s largest movie theatre! The theatre was immense, and all of the seats were lay-z boy seats, and were extremely comfortable! We also took a beautiful ferry ride into downtown Auckland, and walked around the city core for a couple of hours, looking at different souvenir shops and New Zealand All-Black stores, which were really cool, but ridiculously expensive! My favourite moment spent in Auckland was Saturday night, when Phil and I took out the two guitars that the Nichols owned, and we had and had a really long jam session. We were teaching each other songs, and theory that we knew, and trying lots of new things. At one point we realized that Phil knew how to play the intro to my favourite United Song, “From the Inside Out”, and I knew all of the chords, so we played together, him doing lead and me doing Rhythm, and then switched back and forth sporadically while we quietly sang along the familiar lyrics. It was a really cool moment of bonding we had, and a moment we’ll hopefully have many more of in the future!
On Sunday (Yesterday), we woke up early and head out to Parachute Festival with Paige and her boyfriend to meet up with the rest of the Nichol family. Before getting to the campus, we went to Capernwray to drop off some of our valuables, because we were planning on staying in a tent and didn’t want to have our laptops and passports on us! While at Capernwray, the rain came down as hard as I had ever seen it rain at that point in my life, and so we waited inside for about an hour for the rain to clear, and when it did we left to go to parachute conference. While at parachute it rained sporadically, and so we spent most of our time listening to different local New Zealand bands play, which was really cool. We were so surprised at how good the local talent from New Zealand was, especially considering that we had never heard of most of the bands. Later that night we met up with James Kricken, and Kelsey Bartel, two good friends from Calgary that Ryan and I knew, and about 6 other Capernwray students that were travelling with them. It was really cool to catch up, and talk about school, and it got us all excited to start school on Tuesday. We met up in time for the main stage concerts to start, which were Parachute Band, and Leeland, followed by a late night Hillsong United concert. We spent the first two concerts mainly just talking with the other Capernwray students, but by the end of Leeland we were all dispersed in the massive 30,000 person crowd, singing and worshipping our hearts out. Around 10:30 Hillsong United came out, and almost simultaneously to them entering the stage, the skies opened up and powerful rains came crashing down. Joel Houston asked the crowd if a little bit of rain was going to stop us from worshipping, and he told us that it wasn’t going to stop the band, so the concert went on. United played an absolutely amazing worship set, and as the night went on and songs went by, the rain only came down harder, and our voices only got louder. We stood there, as 30000 but were all singing in one voice, and it was so evident that the worship we experienced last night was so honest, and so heartfelt, and the experience was truly beyond anything words could express. While we stood in the rain, saturated from head to toe, with knees aching from jumping, and voices hurting from shouting, the familiar words began to be sung “a thousand times i’ve failed, still your mercy remains”, and Phil and I stood beside each other beaming from ear to ear as we realized that they were playing our favourite song, the one that we had worshipped to just the night before. We sang “my heart and my soul, I give you control.. Consume me from the inside out”, and as the rain poured down it actually felt as though the rain was washing me clean, clean of myself and of my past, and preparing the way for God to consume me from the inside out, and I almost broke down into tears. As the night went on, the worship just got more and more powerful. At one point, when the band had cut out, the crowd shouted as loud as we could “Hosanna in the highest”, and I thought to myself.. This is exactly what we were created to do. It brought so my excitement to my heart as I started to look forward to the next 5 months. I’ve finally gotten to the point that I think I’m ready to be at bible school, I’m ready to learn, and I’m ready to continue to worship Him like I did last night.
Unfortunately due to all of the rain that came down last night, we were unable to stay in the tent that we had set up at the festival, as it (and basically every one of the tents on the grounds) got flooded. Instead of staying there for the night, and attending a few events that were planned at the festival, we called it a festival and were able to come back to Capernwray, and crash on a few couches for the night. We’ve spent the day today doing chores, helping the staff prepare the rooms for all of the students to arrive tomorrow. I am so excited for school to start. Ryan and I leave for ABS (Adventure Bible School) tomorrow, which is a 6 week physically and mentally intensive program, which we are both scared, and excited for!! During that time I will not have my computer on me, so the next update will come in Mid-March. I’m looking forward to talking to you about the experience!
God bless,
Zakk.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Acclimatized
January 24th
It’s officially been a week since our great adventure first began, but we’ve experienced enough to have made it seem like ages ago since we were last in Canada. From baking on big and beautiful beaches, to kanoodeling krazy kangaroos, to strolling the streets of Sydney, we’ve really had a week jam-packed with life memories. The last couple of days have certainly been different, as the high speed always-on-the-go pace has slowed down to a pace more apt for absorbing in Sydney culture as best we can. Despite the change, and some slow moments, we’re still having an amazing time here in Australia.
Our last day with the Worners started early, as we were all out of the house and leaving Mittagong by 7:00am; which was a tough departure as it was a town that we all had grown to love! We took transit for the majority of the trip, and arrived in Sydney around 9:30. We were planning on taking a ferry to Darling Harbour, but the ferry didn’t leave until quarter after ten, so we spent 45 minutes walking around the Sydney Opera House, which was really cool! We were all blown away by the size of the Opera house, and the architectural uniqueness was even more evident in person! After taking about a zillion pictures with the Opera house, we were at ease with the idea of moving on, so we got hopped onto the half hour ferry destined to arrive at Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour is a very busy, commercialized harbour that is the home to the Sydney Nature World (a cute little zoo where you can literally cuddle with Koala’s), the world’s largest IMAX theatre, and the Australian Maritime Museum, which contains everything from pirate ships to Nazi submarines. The Worner’s took us on a tour of the harbour, and showed us a restaurant where we can get a good quality lunch (aka burger and fries) for less than $10.00, which is extremely hard to find in Sydney! After lunch they showed us Paddy’s market, which is a fascinating massive-scale version of Pike Place market, selling everything from lingerie to DVD players, to fresh fruit. After looking through heaps of knock-off UGGS vendors and less than legitimate brand name clothing stores, we found our hotel and checked in. Originally when we booked our hotel, we booked into a “Petite Double” room, which was supposed to only have one double bed, but when we checked in the manager told us that we were put into a Deluxe Triple, which meant that we got a mini-fridge, air conditioning, three beds, and a sufficient bathroom, so we were extremely grateful, and relieved! All of our bags were still in the Worner’s car which was parked near the Opera house, so after we checked into our hotel we took a very interesting and scenic walk back to the area where their car was parked. We walked through “the rocks” area of Sydney, which is the oldest part of Sydney, which was really cool to see, and then we walked to the Sydney Harbour Bridge; the famous bridge that overlooks the Opera House, and the entire downtown core. Phil went with the Worners and they climbed up the bridge a little ways to get better pictures and a better view, but considering that it was 43 degrees at the time, Ryan and I unfortunately felt that we had to stay down and sit in the shade and catch a breeze, to cool down avoid overexposure to the extreme Sydney heat. After this we brought our bags back to the hotel, and the Worner’s left us there, which was an extremely emotional departure as we grew very close with them! As we watched our Aussie family drive away, we were hit with a sense of independence, and we started to miss them immediately!
Friday night was our first night alone, and we spent it volunteering at the local Salvation Army. The dean of Capernwray Australia mentioned to us that he was going to be there so we chose to meet up with him, and had a spectacular night of worship with over 50 local street people. The street ministry that the Salvation Army has in Sydney is a very active ministry, and is seeing great growth. They put on a lot of local events for the congregation, and they try their hardest to ensure that the ministry that they have goes further than just offering a free meal, or a church service once a week. The Salvation Army is very intentional about establishing relationships and changing lives and through the testimonies that we heard, they are doing a great job. We were so blessed to be able to be a part of their daily routine even for just night, and all of us felt very stretched, and challenged as we embarked upon conversations with people that we would have otherwise never come into contact with. The stories of faith, pain and triumph that were expressed through their very personal prayer requests brought up so many emotions in all of us, and we all felt so inspired by the people we met. I really realized through these Australian street people just how big God’s movement is. There is a Christian revolution that is taking place, and it is an international, multiethnic, movement that is not bound by any social restraints or political ideology. I found it encouraging to see firsthand just how big our God is, and how beautifully contrasting the faces of his followers are!
Saturday we finally caught up on some sleep, bought groceries, and then went to Hillsongs Church, the World renowned mega church. I’ve been researching the church for awhile now, and I knew what the building looked like where the services were held, and I knew were to take the train to, and where to catch the bus, and we were able to make it their without flaw. I confidently walked up to the big white building that I had seen on the internet, and went to open the large double doors only to be rejected, as they were locked. The security guard who had been apparently been talking to us as we walked up to the doors then informed us that Saturday night services are held in the smaller 1500 seat auditorium in the youth wing, and pointed us in the right direction. I was a little disappointed, as I really had hoped to see the massive 4000 seat auditorium, but nevertheless I was at Hillsongs church, and I was so excited to dive into the experience! The worship at Hillsongs was as amazing as expected. Phil and I went to the front and joined into the mosh pit that developed, and we jumped and worshiped with hundreds of others from the mostly young adult congregation. The speaker for this weekend was American speaker John Bevere and his wife Lisa, and John delivered a really good word based on Honour, and the reward that is received when you honour authorities, peers, and those that you have authority over. It was a really good talk, and was really challenging when he addressed the issue of honouring authorities that abuse the authority that God grants. After the service, we were waiting for the bus to take us back to the train station, and we got talking with a man who we found out was the head of the nearby Hillsongs College. We talked to him about the service, and about Capernwray, and he told us that if we really wanted to experience Hillsongs Church, we had to come back to the Sunday night service, as that is the service that they fill the main auditorium, and that is the service that is 95% 18-25 year olds, so we shrugged off the idea, assuming that we wouldn’t be able to make the hour trip back to Hillsongs.
This morning when we woke up, we realized just how acclimatized we had gotten to the Australian weather. The last 3 days had been 39degrees, 41 degrees, and 43 degrees respectively, so when we woke up today to find it 25degrees, let’s just say we had hoodies and blue jeans on before you could say “that’s not that cold..?!”. We had planned on meeting up with a mutual friend between Phil and me, and going to one of the Sydney beaches, but that plan quickly changed when we realized the balmy weather, so instead we just met up with her for a brief lunch. We were left with the majority of the evening to ourselves, so we decided to go back to Hillsongs to experience the Sunday night service. Doing so was a very good choice! Marty Sampson, one of the leaders of Hillsong United lead worship along with some other members of Hillsong United band, and John Bevere spoke again, but this time he spoke on the empowerment of grace leading to extraordinary living, and it also was a very good message. We left feeling like living in Australia and attending Hillsongs church on a regular basis wouldn’t be such a bad idea!! After the service when we were waiting for the train to come, two girls came up to us and asked us if we were going to Capernwray New Zealand, and we said yes, and found out that they too were going! They were two girls from Calgary named Danielle and Shannon, and so we talked with them for about half an hour, and then said goodbye. It was a weird interaction, but got us pretty excited to go to school. We have about three more days to experience Sydney, one of which is the much anticipated Australia day on Tuesday, and we are really excited to be Australian for a day!
That is a very not-brief update on what we have been doing for the last couple of days, I’ll continue to keep you updated on our journey as best I can. Thank you for your support, and for your prayers, this has been an incredible adventure! Part of the reason that we are able to be so involved in all of the activities we’ve been a part of is because we know that we have an amazing network of friends and family back home that are supporting for us, and loving us every step of the way.
God bless,
Zakk... (written on behalf of Ryan and Phil as well!)
It’s officially been a week since our great adventure first began, but we’ve experienced enough to have made it seem like ages ago since we were last in Canada. From baking on big and beautiful beaches, to kanoodeling krazy kangaroos, to strolling the streets of Sydney, we’ve really had a week jam-packed with life memories. The last couple of days have certainly been different, as the high speed always-on-the-go pace has slowed down to a pace more apt for absorbing in Sydney culture as best we can. Despite the change, and some slow moments, we’re still having an amazing time here in Australia.
Our last day with the Worners started early, as we were all out of the house and leaving Mittagong by 7:00am; which was a tough departure as it was a town that we all had grown to love! We took transit for the majority of the trip, and arrived in Sydney around 9:30. We were planning on taking a ferry to Darling Harbour, but the ferry didn’t leave until quarter after ten, so we spent 45 minutes walking around the Sydney Opera House, which was really cool! We were all blown away by the size of the Opera house, and the architectural uniqueness was even more evident in person! After taking about a zillion pictures with the Opera house, we were at ease with the idea of moving on, so we got hopped onto the half hour ferry destined to arrive at Darling Harbour. Darling Harbour is a very busy, commercialized harbour that is the home to the Sydney Nature World (a cute little zoo where you can literally cuddle with Koala’s), the world’s largest IMAX theatre, and the Australian Maritime Museum, which contains everything from pirate ships to Nazi submarines. The Worner’s took us on a tour of the harbour, and showed us a restaurant where we can get a good quality lunch (aka burger and fries) for less than $10.00, which is extremely hard to find in Sydney! After lunch they showed us Paddy’s market, which is a fascinating massive-scale version of Pike Place market, selling everything from lingerie to DVD players, to fresh fruit. After looking through heaps of knock-off UGGS vendors and less than legitimate brand name clothing stores, we found our hotel and checked in. Originally when we booked our hotel, we booked into a “Petite Double” room, which was supposed to only have one double bed, but when we checked in the manager told us that we were put into a Deluxe Triple, which meant that we got a mini-fridge, air conditioning, three beds, and a sufficient bathroom, so we were extremely grateful, and relieved! All of our bags were still in the Worner’s car which was parked near the Opera house, so after we checked into our hotel we took a very interesting and scenic walk back to the area where their car was parked. We walked through “the rocks” area of Sydney, which is the oldest part of Sydney, which was really cool to see, and then we walked to the Sydney Harbour Bridge; the famous bridge that overlooks the Opera House, and the entire downtown core. Phil went with the Worners and they climbed up the bridge a little ways to get better pictures and a better view, but considering that it was 43 degrees at the time, Ryan and I unfortunately felt that we had to stay down and sit in the shade and catch a breeze, to cool down avoid overexposure to the extreme Sydney heat. After this we brought our bags back to the hotel, and the Worner’s left us there, which was an extremely emotional departure as we grew very close with them! As we watched our Aussie family drive away, we were hit with a sense of independence, and we started to miss them immediately!
Friday night was our first night alone, and we spent it volunteering at the local Salvation Army. The dean of Capernwray Australia mentioned to us that he was going to be there so we chose to meet up with him, and had a spectacular night of worship with over 50 local street people. The street ministry that the Salvation Army has in Sydney is a very active ministry, and is seeing great growth. They put on a lot of local events for the congregation, and they try their hardest to ensure that the ministry that they have goes further than just offering a free meal, or a church service once a week. The Salvation Army is very intentional about establishing relationships and changing lives and through the testimonies that we heard, they are doing a great job. We were so blessed to be able to be a part of their daily routine even for just night, and all of us felt very stretched, and challenged as we embarked upon conversations with people that we would have otherwise never come into contact with. The stories of faith, pain and triumph that were expressed through their very personal prayer requests brought up so many emotions in all of us, and we all felt so inspired by the people we met. I really realized through these Australian street people just how big God’s movement is. There is a Christian revolution that is taking place, and it is an international, multiethnic, movement that is not bound by any social restraints or political ideology. I found it encouraging to see firsthand just how big our God is, and how beautifully contrasting the faces of his followers are!
Saturday we finally caught up on some sleep, bought groceries, and then went to Hillsongs Church, the World renowned mega church. I’ve been researching the church for awhile now, and I knew what the building looked like where the services were held, and I knew were to take the train to, and where to catch the bus, and we were able to make it their without flaw. I confidently walked up to the big white building that I had seen on the internet, and went to open the large double doors only to be rejected, as they were locked. The security guard who had been apparently been talking to us as we walked up to the doors then informed us that Saturday night services are held in the smaller 1500 seat auditorium in the youth wing, and pointed us in the right direction. I was a little disappointed, as I really had hoped to see the massive 4000 seat auditorium, but nevertheless I was at Hillsongs church, and I was so excited to dive into the experience! The worship at Hillsongs was as amazing as expected. Phil and I went to the front and joined into the mosh pit that developed, and we jumped and worshiped with hundreds of others from the mostly young adult congregation. The speaker for this weekend was American speaker John Bevere and his wife Lisa, and John delivered a really good word based on Honour, and the reward that is received when you honour authorities, peers, and those that you have authority over. It was a really good talk, and was really challenging when he addressed the issue of honouring authorities that abuse the authority that God grants. After the service, we were waiting for the bus to take us back to the train station, and we got talking with a man who we found out was the head of the nearby Hillsongs College. We talked to him about the service, and about Capernwray, and he told us that if we really wanted to experience Hillsongs Church, we had to come back to the Sunday night service, as that is the service that they fill the main auditorium, and that is the service that is 95% 18-25 year olds, so we shrugged off the idea, assuming that we wouldn’t be able to make the hour trip back to Hillsongs.
This morning when we woke up, we realized just how acclimatized we had gotten to the Australian weather. The last 3 days had been 39degrees, 41 degrees, and 43 degrees respectively, so when we woke up today to find it 25degrees, let’s just say we had hoodies and blue jeans on before you could say “that’s not that cold..?!”. We had planned on meeting up with a mutual friend between Phil and me, and going to one of the Sydney beaches, but that plan quickly changed when we realized the balmy weather, so instead we just met up with her for a brief lunch. We were left with the majority of the evening to ourselves, so we decided to go back to Hillsongs to experience the Sunday night service. Doing so was a very good choice! Marty Sampson, one of the leaders of Hillsong United lead worship along with some other members of Hillsong United band, and John Bevere spoke again, but this time he spoke on the empowerment of grace leading to extraordinary living, and it also was a very good message. We left feeling like living in Australia and attending Hillsongs church on a regular basis wouldn’t be such a bad idea!! After the service when we were waiting for the train to come, two girls came up to us and asked us if we were going to Capernwray New Zealand, and we said yes, and found out that they too were going! They were two girls from Calgary named Danielle and Shannon, and so we talked with them for about half an hour, and then said goodbye. It was a weird interaction, but got us pretty excited to go to school. We have about three more days to experience Sydney, one of which is the much anticipated Australia day on Tuesday, and we are really excited to be Australian for a day!
That is a very not-brief update on what we have been doing for the last couple of days, I’ll continue to keep you updated on our journey as best I can. Thank you for your support, and for your prayers, this has been an incredible adventure! Part of the reason that we are able to be so involved in all of the activities we’ve been a part of is because we know that we have an amazing network of friends and family back home that are supporting for us, and loving us every step of the way.
God bless,
Zakk... (written on behalf of Ryan and Phil as well!)
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Vegemite!
January 21st
Greetings from Mittagong!
Ryan, Phil and I arrived safely, without hassle in Sydney Australia on Tuesday, and I have since had 3 of the best days of my life! We were blessed to be picked up at the airport by some close friends, who then proceeded to take us on a two hour coastal tour on the way back to their home. I quickly realized that Australia was nothing at all like I had expected it to be. I’d always envisioned that Australia was very commercialized, and that the beaches would be full of high rising hotels and condominiums, with super malls scattered across the country, but that is not the case. Once we were out of Sydney, there was an extremely natural feel about everything. The beaches are extremely clean, with no signs of human interference, and the people are EXTREMELY kind and friendly. Whoever says that Australians are like Americans, and New Zealanders are like Canadians is a fool. The warmth, generosity and compassion of every Australian person that I have come across is palpable, and incredibly comforting! Within minutes of meeting the Worners, the family that has taken us in, I felt as though I was their son, and that has been such a blessing to us. Everyone has taken us in and made us feel so welcomed to Australia, I can already tell it’s going to be very difficult to leave!
The first adventure that we had was going to see the Capernwray Australia Torchbearers campus. My friends Nicole and Paul are going to that school in about a week, so we went to check it out, got a good tour, and wrote them a letter we left with the schools dean. The dean talked to us about the capernwray that we are going to, and gave us words of encouragement, and it brought us back down to earth, and reminded us that despite how amazing this vacation has been for us, we are here to go to bible school, and we are here to learn about God, and the school that we are going to will be an incredible place to do that. Steve Woods got us extremely excited about school, and that will help make leaving Australia a little bit easier!
Yesterday the Worners drove us about an hour and a half to visit their friend’s beach house, which is on Jervis Bay, in a town called Vincentia. We stayed the night there, and had an incredible time! The beaches are known for having the whitest sand in the world, and they were breathtaking! I felt like I was walking on icing sugar, they were so pretty, and so soft! Jordan Worner, Ryan, Phil and I rented mopeds, and went for a ride along the beach for an hour or so, and got to drive on the left side of the road, which was so weird!
Later that night, we went out to try and find kangaroos. We were informed that if we went to the local golf course, we’d be sure to see kangaroos, so we went there. At first, we didn’t see any anywhere. We walked down a few fairways, and were completely out of luck, until I looked a couple greens over and thought that I saw one standing on the green. Sure enough, there were two little kangaroos on the green, so we started walking towards them, ever so slowly! We were about 100 meters away, and they were both looking at us, and twitching so we decided we probably couldn’t get any closer and we started to take pictures. I was looking through my camera, and had it zoomed in with its 10x zoom, or whatever the furthest zoom I had was, and was taking extremely average photos. Suddenly the kangaroo that I was focused on left my zoom finder, and I thought I had lost him. I tried to find him, thinking I could maybe get a good action shot of him hopping away, but wasn’t able to track him anywhere. When I finally put down the camera, I realized why I couldn’t find the Roo, and it’s because he was standing 4 feet in front of me! Ryan Phil and I all got some pretty good pictures with the kangaroo, and called it a day... and an amazing day at that!
Another memorable experience we had was this morning, when one of the Mom's forced Vegemite upon Ryan Phil and I. For those of you who don't know, Vegemite is a yeast extract that contains natural vegetable salts. It is the most vulgar smelling spread you could ever imagine, and people actually enjoy eating it. It is extremely salty, and we had the blessed opportunity of having it on our toast this morning. As gross and salty as it was, it was still a fun experience, and was a neat aspect of Australian culture that we would not have discovered if it wasn't for the generosity of our Australian friends!
The opportunities that we’ve been able to experience have truly been astounding, and we have only been here for less than three full days!
The weather here has been consistently above 30 degrees Celsius, and after 3 days I’m still yet to see a cloud in the sky! It has been absolutely perfect, and the forecast predicts much of the same, only much much hotter! Tomorrow has a high of 45degrees, plus humidity which makes it feel 2 or 3 degrees warmer, so it might be a little bit unbarable!!
That’s about all for now. I’ll continue to try and keep you guys updated
Blessings
Zakk
Greetings from Mittagong!
Ryan, Phil and I arrived safely, without hassle in Sydney Australia on Tuesday, and I have since had 3 of the best days of my life! We were blessed to be picked up at the airport by some close friends, who then proceeded to take us on a two hour coastal tour on the way back to their home. I quickly realized that Australia was nothing at all like I had expected it to be. I’d always envisioned that Australia was very commercialized, and that the beaches would be full of high rising hotels and condominiums, with super malls scattered across the country, but that is not the case. Once we were out of Sydney, there was an extremely natural feel about everything. The beaches are extremely clean, with no signs of human interference, and the people are EXTREMELY kind and friendly. Whoever says that Australians are like Americans, and New Zealanders are like Canadians is a fool. The warmth, generosity and compassion of every Australian person that I have come across is palpable, and incredibly comforting! Within minutes of meeting the Worners, the family that has taken us in, I felt as though I was their son, and that has been such a blessing to us. Everyone has taken us in and made us feel so welcomed to Australia, I can already tell it’s going to be very difficult to leave!
The first adventure that we had was going to see the Capernwray Australia Torchbearers campus. My friends Nicole and Paul are going to that school in about a week, so we went to check it out, got a good tour, and wrote them a letter we left with the schools dean. The dean talked to us about the capernwray that we are going to, and gave us words of encouragement, and it brought us back down to earth, and reminded us that despite how amazing this vacation has been for us, we are here to go to bible school, and we are here to learn about God, and the school that we are going to will be an incredible place to do that. Steve Woods got us extremely excited about school, and that will help make leaving Australia a little bit easier!
Yesterday the Worners drove us about an hour and a half to visit their friend’s beach house, which is on Jervis Bay, in a town called Vincentia. We stayed the night there, and had an incredible time! The beaches are known for having the whitest sand in the world, and they were breathtaking! I felt like I was walking on icing sugar, they were so pretty, and so soft! Jordan Worner, Ryan, Phil and I rented mopeds, and went for a ride along the beach for an hour or so, and got to drive on the left side of the road, which was so weird!
Later that night, we went out to try and find kangaroos. We were informed that if we went to the local golf course, we’d be sure to see kangaroos, so we went there. At first, we didn’t see any anywhere. We walked down a few fairways, and were completely out of luck, until I looked a couple greens over and thought that I saw one standing on the green. Sure enough, there were two little kangaroos on the green, so we started walking towards them, ever so slowly! We were about 100 meters away, and they were both looking at us, and twitching so we decided we probably couldn’t get any closer and we started to take pictures. I was looking through my camera, and had it zoomed in with its 10x zoom, or whatever the furthest zoom I had was, and was taking extremely average photos. Suddenly the kangaroo that I was focused on left my zoom finder, and I thought I had lost him. I tried to find him, thinking I could maybe get a good action shot of him hopping away, but wasn’t able to track him anywhere. When I finally put down the camera, I realized why I couldn’t find the Roo, and it’s because he was standing 4 feet in front of me! Ryan Phil and I all got some pretty good pictures with the kangaroo, and called it a day... and an amazing day at that!
Another memorable experience we had was this morning, when one of the Mom's forced Vegemite upon Ryan Phil and I. For those of you who don't know, Vegemite is a yeast extract that contains natural vegetable salts. It is the most vulgar smelling spread you could ever imagine, and people actually enjoy eating it. It is extremely salty, and we had the blessed opportunity of having it on our toast this morning. As gross and salty as it was, it was still a fun experience, and was a neat aspect of Australian culture that we would not have discovered if it wasn't for the generosity of our Australian friends!
The opportunities that we’ve been able to experience have truly been astounding, and we have only been here for less than three full days!
The weather here has been consistently above 30 degrees Celsius, and after 3 days I’m still yet to see a cloud in the sky! It has been absolutely perfect, and the forecast predicts much of the same, only much much hotter! Tomorrow has a high of 45degrees, plus humidity which makes it feel 2 or 3 degrees warmer, so it might be a little bit unbarable!!
That’s about all for now. I’ll continue to try and keep you guys updated
Blessings
Zakk
Air Update
Days 1-3
Greetings from atop the International Dateline! I would add a date to this entry, but I’m really not sure what day it is.. According to the inflight GPS, I’m 11277 meters above the pacific ocean, and seemingly directly above the International dateline, and I certainly feel on top of the world; albeit oblivious to the current time and date. I’m moving at 903km/h, yet feeling like this plane could not be going any slower. The excitement amongst us is extremely evident, and makes time stand still! The reality of the fact that we’re literally moving across the world has finally set in, and we are all so antsy to arrive! We’ve been on the flight for over 11 hours, and flown over 10,000km’s, yet it feels like we’ve been on this plane for days. Some of the highlights today have been:
- Being delayed in the Vancouver airport for an hour and a half, and having to sprint as fast as we could to the complete opposite side of the San Francisco, only to barely make our connecting flight..
- Getting on our 13 hour flight, only to realize that a group of Australian girls were sitting beside us, behind us, and really all around us..
- Having amazing turbulence, and pretending we were on a rollercoaster..
- Having a glass of traditional New Zealand wine and toasting to our amazing adventure
- Phil asking our flight attendant what he meant by "duh-maw-doe" juice.. when really he was just trying to say tomato juice, Phil just couldn't understand his accent!
- Talking to the nicest New Zealand flight attendant ever, for long periods of time!
I promised my parents that I wouldn’t meet a New Zealander, fall in love, and stay in New Zealand forever.. But if every New Zealand girl is as nice, with as soothing of an accent as our flight attendant, and if the country’s beauty comes even close to rivalling the beauty of the girls that we’ve seen so far; this promise I made might be impossible to follow through! Just kidding, but seriously; we’re going to have an amazing time, and that’s a guarantee J So far we’re all getting along very well, and I can’t imagine that changing anytime soon. We’ll be landing in Auckland in about two hours, and then taking a 3 and a half hour flight to Sydney Australia, and I’m so ready to arrive!
Stay posted
Blessings from down under.
Greetings from atop the International Dateline! I would add a date to this entry, but I’m really not sure what day it is.. According to the inflight GPS, I’m 11277 meters above the pacific ocean, and seemingly directly above the International dateline, and I certainly feel on top of the world; albeit oblivious to the current time and date. I’m moving at 903km/h, yet feeling like this plane could not be going any slower. The excitement amongst us is extremely evident, and makes time stand still! The reality of the fact that we’re literally moving across the world has finally set in, and we are all so antsy to arrive! We’ve been on the flight for over 11 hours, and flown over 10,000km’s, yet it feels like we’ve been on this plane for days. Some of the highlights today have been:
- Being delayed in the Vancouver airport for an hour and a half, and having to sprint as fast as we could to the complete opposite side of the San Francisco, only to barely make our connecting flight..
- Getting on our 13 hour flight, only to realize that a group of Australian girls were sitting beside us, behind us, and really all around us..
- Having amazing turbulence, and pretending we were on a rollercoaster..
- Having a glass of traditional New Zealand wine and toasting to our amazing adventure
- Phil asking our flight attendant what he meant by "duh-maw-doe" juice.. when really he was just trying to say tomato juice, Phil just couldn't understand his accent!
- Talking to the nicest New Zealand flight attendant ever, for long periods of time!
I promised my parents that I wouldn’t meet a New Zealander, fall in love, and stay in New Zealand forever.. But if every New Zealand girl is as nice, with as soothing of an accent as our flight attendant, and if the country’s beauty comes even close to rivalling the beauty of the girls that we’ve seen so far; this promise I made might be impossible to follow through! Just kidding, but seriously; we’re going to have an amazing time, and that’s a guarantee J So far we’re all getting along very well, and I can’t imagine that changing anytime soon. We’ll be landing in Auckland in about two hours, and then taking a 3 and a half hour flight to Sydney Australia, and I’m so ready to arrive!
Stay posted
Blessings from down under.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The Beginning.
"Saddle up your horses - we've got a trail to blaze
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
this is the great adventure"
-S.C.C.
Today starts the adventure of a lifetime for me and my two best friends, and I do so with extremely mixed emotions. I'm leaving behind so much, and setting forth with so little. I have no idea what is going to come in the future, but I know that it will be an incredible test of faith, and an incredible opportunity to discover myself and let God work in me. I'm not alone in this journey, I'm blessed to have an amazing network of friends and family at home that will be thinking and praying for us every step of the way. I'll try my best to updated my blog as best I can, but considering the fact that internet access will be sporadic, and freetime may be tough to find, consistency may not be realistic, but I will try my best!!
Thank you for supporting this adventure that has begun.
Blessings,
Zakk.
Through the wild blue yonder of God's amazing grace
Let's follow our leader into the glorious unknown
this is the great adventure"
-S.C.C.
Today starts the adventure of a lifetime for me and my two best friends, and I do so with extremely mixed emotions. I'm leaving behind so much, and setting forth with so little. I have no idea what is going to come in the future, but I know that it will be an incredible test of faith, and an incredible opportunity to discover myself and let God work in me. I'm not alone in this journey, I'm blessed to have an amazing network of friends and family at home that will be thinking and praying for us every step of the way. I'll try my best to updated my blog as best I can, but considering the fact that internet access will be sporadic, and freetime may be tough to find, consistency may not be realistic, but I will try my best!!
Thank you for supporting this adventure that has begun.
Blessings,
Zakk.
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