Kia Ora (w/o the video) - #3
Kia Ora Everyone!
A BIG-Warm-Kiwi-Summer 'Hello' from Lij, Kris and Caden! We hope this update finds you all doing well...and keeping warm yourselves.
We're all doing well, only a little bit of exhaustion, but otherwise very peachy. It feels like this week has flown by at the speed of light (and by that I mean we flew through the week at light-speed).
...of course if that really were true, and we flew through the week at 186,000 miles per second, then we most certainly would have accomplished more as well, since traveling at the speed of light suspends your perspective of time. In that event we would have had an eternity to get everything done in the week (which would have been neato)!
Oh yeah, that also reminds me, if we really were traveling at the aforementioned speed, we most DEFINITELY would not be the slightest bit "exhausted" either, because in order to travel that fast, we'd need infinite energy anyways (unless we were photons and didn't really have much mass). Just think what you could do if you had infinite energy??? You could eat Krispy Kreme every day!
Wow, how did I get to this point. Moving along...
Being the zippy week that it was there were a lot of exciting things to experience...not least being time spent with friends...and lots of TexMex. It also happened to be the week that our neighbors welcomed their little 1.75lbs baby into the world. When you consider all of the major concerns surrounding this pregnancy (only 25-weeks along), we praise God for a healthy delivery, a healthy Mum, and very a healthy Kenzie Jhames Nixon O'Brien. Definitely keep this family in your prayers, they are going through a lot of adjusting, and it's only the beginning. Pray fervently for Kenzie as well, she still has a long way to go, and as of yet we have no word on any brain and/or developmental damage she may have. Pray also that we may find some helpful ways to serve them in this time of need. Thanks on that!
As a side note, I am in need of updating my email records for all of you. If you could please, send me your name and current email address (unless you have already done so in 2010) to Elijahpeters@live.com, it would be greatly appreciated. Once confirmed, I will add you to our private news and prayer request email group, for all the information I can't post on this blog. Even if you receive our Kia Ora updates via email I still need you to confirm your email address. Thanks!
On to this week's TOP 5 Stories
5. So long, Jana!
Adventures In Missions (or AIM) will always hold a special place in our hearts. I'm coming up on my 9-year anniversary of entering the program, and Kristen her 8th (can't believe it has been so long). Over the years we have not only stayed in touch with some of our fellow classmates, but we have remained close to the program as well and have friends in each of the subsequent classes to our own. This week one of the New Zealand Aimers (Jana) from the 2007 class said her final farewells to the church and city of her 21-month missionary apprenticeship. Located in Tauranga, with the Otumoetai Church of Christ, we got to see Jana several times over the past two years, and to see her depart was definitely bittersweet. We're excited about what lies ahead for her, excited to have another "Missionary Ambassador" for New Zealand on the loose, but also sad to see another incredible worker for the Lord depart from our midst. Jana flew out of Tauranga, but had a 6-hour layover in Auckland, so we got to see her and hug her neck one last time before she took off. We are so blessed to know her and glad to have rubbed shoulders along side her in the Kingdom work here in New Zealand.
4. Summer BBQ
One of our ex-Starbucks friends (because now she is our Elderly Care Worker friend) came over for dinner this week. With the year-end holidays, in addition to her new job, seeing Kym has become something of a rarity this past month. That all changed with a few hamburgers on the barbie and a free evening to enjoy with her. Kristen, Caden and I love Kym a lot and do what we can to bless her life every chance we get, for not only is she so deserving, but she is an incredible blessing to us as well. (p.s. she even brought us some super cool zoological books, Caden is going to LOVE them)
3. Diner redux
Last week I shared how our dinner with Nick, Bex and Noah (oh, and I forgot to mention Nick's sister Tenaya, too) was subverted by a dodgy engine starter. This week, it is a problem no more (in fact, they even got a new-er car). No longer confined to the house we finally got our dinner date in for Mexicali...only this time we had more friends join with us. Though the food was super great (emphasis on 'super' AND 'great'), the time that we spent with these couples was even better! We strive to live in such a way among others that our very presence with them serves not only as good news for their lives, but that Jesus being active within us is the best news they've ever seen. Our prayer is that we may live a life that inspires hope, draws others to truth, and ultimately connects everyone even closer with God for eternity.
2. God*Stories
I got a new book this week, "God*Stories - Explorations in the Gospel of God," by Andrew Wilson. Let me just say...I am really digging this book. So far it has been an incredible reminder about how the entire Bible is the Gospel. We say things like "God is Love" and "Jesus saves," but that's like reducing the story of Beauty and the Beast to "Belle unlocked the curse on the Beast-Prince and lived happily every after with him." Those statements are true, but they mean very little without the whole story. Yes, God is love, but only "love" as defined by His story told in the Bible. Yes, Jesus saves, but he is the Savior as only outlined by the full context of fallen man as described...in....the Bible.
Every page of the Bible is good news, because every page is a part of The Story. What the world needs isn't more one-liners about God, one-liners about following Jesus, what the world needs is the ENTIRE word of God, in other words: The Whole Story. Can you fit it on a t-shirt? No. Will it take some time to cover? Oh yeah! Is it worth it? More than you'll ever know! For it is only when we find ourselves fully in His story that we truly connect with the Good News of God, anything less is...well, just that...less than the Gospel.
1. Video Skyping
We are so spoiled as missionaries these days. I'll be the first to admit that God has really blessed our mission-age with some incredible and *affordable* technologies. One of those is Skype.
So, I'm sitting in my office the other day, and one after another, in the course of 4-hours, I had not one, not two, but three different video calls via Skype. If you're not familiar with Skype, all you need to know about it is that it allows people all over the world to connect both audibly and visually with people anywhere they have an internet connection. So, on this particular day I had one conversation with a good friend of mine, David, who is currently living in Ukraine. Following that I got to talk with the three Aimers currently in Lubbock that are preparing to move here to Auckland to work with us. After that Caden and I got to visit with my parents in Sydney. And all of this from the comfort of my office, for free (minus the cost of internet). It has also been helpful for Caden...introducing him to his big loving family scattered all across the world.
We are so thankful for technologies like this, because sometimes it's those little things (like being able to see each other while you talk) that makes all the difference when you miss someone you love. Thanks God!
...and that's our update for today! Love you all! Thanks for your prayer and enduring support!
