Hello from Anna and Kia Ora from Malia!
We can’t wait to tell you about some highlights from the week and are very much looking forward to more leadership training in the weeks to come. We’ve learnt a lot more about each other, our cultures and our amazing God. For example I (Anna) now know what jandals and togs are and apparently looked very Kiwi whilst wearing them with my jorts. I can also say water bottle in Cantonese, which is very helpful for practicing on our long walks. I (Malia) have learnt a flapjack is just a posh way of saying muesli bar. I’ve also learnt how to express myself in German. Doch!
Four birthdays in one week! Wow, it’s been celebrations all round, we began this week on Sunday with a beach trip, jumping in the waves and enjoying volleyball afterwards. The birthday bash continued with cake (which we thoroughly cleaned up…because of the ants), competitive games in the evening, with the birthday girls vs the non-birthday girls. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the birthday present they expected as the non-birthday’s won, however things got serious - with the winning team diving for the finish, resulting in a pile of girls on the grass. Luckily our team is servant hearted so we all shared the prizes! The birthday celebrations have continued as the week went on.
Our tramp this week was blessed by quality chats, remembering the Yorkshire tea, refreshing swims and a roaring campfire (thanks Charlie!). We set off anticipating bad weather with many rain showers, however were so grateful for God’s provisions, as we barely needed our rain jackets! It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but you can’t have rainbows without a little rain… for example as a team we were able to overcome challenges such as multiple falls (no injuries though thankfully), sore shoulders, and sandfly bites. Sandflies are no joke and they love British people, which is unfortunate for a team with 3 Brits. It turns out gummy bears can save the day.
We were challenged not only physically, but spiritually in discipleship, as we looked into the story of Moses, including how we can practically apply this. For example, we focused on how God took him from a dire situation to be the leader of his chosen people. We were challenged by God calling on Moses to remove his sandals and realise God’s holy presence. That we also need to be aware of ways we connect with God, when we remove our sandals. We also thought about how God called Moses to throw down his staff, pick it back up and step into a new God-given identity as the leader of God’s people. As we walked, we prayed about what we could lay down before God.
We’ve also discovered that we are pretty similar and all love spending time together. We’ve been enjoying this by having quiet time with God on our own, having deep discussions in Bible studies and being led in worship by some of our team mates. Part of this has involved us encouraging one another with Bible verses and even late night insect rescues. Let’s just say there was a battle: our team vs moths and huhu beetles but so far, we have been victorious. Weeding might not sound like the most exciting task (Basecamp Beautification Day), but as we discovered, as long as we are together, anything can be a great time.
It’s been such a blessing to continue growing in our understanding, knowledge and application of God’s promises in the Old Testament and how they apply in our current circumstances. A key takeaway was that the ten commandments weren’t given with the expectation of perfection, rather the desire for maintaining relationship between a sinful people and a holy God. Being reminded that God cares deeply about our intentions made us reflect on the commandments in a whole new way.
This past Sunday, three of our team were able to share in church about ‘Sticky Friendships’, where a friend walked alongside when needed in life and encouraged us in our faith walk.
Prayer Requests:
For strength, wisdom and patience as the intensity grows
To adjust well to new adventures and being resilient when things don’t go as planned (e.g. due to bad weather)
As days continue to pass, to manage homesickness well and support each other
Thank you for praying for the team! Please leave a short comment and where you are from.
Cheers from Anna (United Kingdom) & Malia (New Zealand) on behalf of the entire OTG Team!
