Do Not Try To Escape Winter in New Zealand!
Hello everyone and hello! We hope you are doing well!
Sali mittenand and Hallöchen! Wir hoffen euch gehts allen gut.
It’s only been a week and already a lot has happened! We met new people in a new place in a new country with new animals (which are only birds by the way).
When we arrived at OTG Basecamp, we (Salome) were still a little bit confused about a few things. Salome wanted to know if when Katy flies back to England she would be a day older than her friends, because of the time zone. Later, when Emelie (German) said what time it was back at home, Salome wanted to know what time it was in Switzerland as well.
OTG Basecamp is very peaceful, with the occasional BAHHHH from across the road. We enjoy having quiet time and spending time together in the backyard and seeing the blooming irises and other plants.
After dinner, we usually try to do our Bible study after we prepared our hot drinks (recipe for perfect hot chocolate by Katy: half cup hot chocolate powder and half a cup water, add milk if desired). We say ‘try’ because we get easily distracted by conversation or song, often inspired by Katy.
If you are like some of us, we cannot recommend trying to escape winter by going to New Zealand - it WILL follow you. At least that is what happened to us on our first tramp (hike).
We were welcomed by the sun as we jumped out of our van, ready to climb a mountain. Twenty minutes later we were attacked by hail and wind so Norm decided we should turn around and take the less exposed trail through the forest.
The hail turned into snow, that turned into rain and finally turned into sunshine again.
Even though the tramp was challenging, with a lot of mud and trees blocking our path, we redirected our thinking to appreciate God’s wonderful creation including the big mountains but also the tiny roots that are vital for the survival of massive trees.
After our hike, we got to our hut which was perfect - apart from the stinky toilet. There is no better way to get to know each other than being stuck in a hut for two nights and three days due to rain! And apparently it worked out pretty well, as a lady also staying at the hut was surprised to hear that we have only known each other for four days. What has brought us together as a team was not only the hut, but also the sharing of our stories, our shared love for Jesus and our desire to know God’s plan for our lives.
Our trip back from the hut was pretty much the opposite of our way there. The job of singing every musical lyric and every worship song that ever existed was taken over by the birds and the conversation with one another was replaced by prayer as we were tasked to walk in silence for two hours. Surprisingly, that silent walk became a highlight for many of us. This week we spent many minutes along with the two hours of silence thinking about who we want to become. We shared our ideas and hope to support each other in getting there.
Apart from searching for our purpose here and in life, Emelie walked around searching for her souls (soles). Turns out, Katy had put two pairs of soles in her hiking boots, leaving Emelie with none. Obviously there are things we miss from home. Leonie misses her room, Ye Jin misses her Dachshund, Katy misses her friends, Salome misses her family, Andy misses his breakfast, Emelie misses eating Döner with her friends, and this was a conversation Norm had with Rinatya:
Norm: Tell me one thing you miss from home.
Rinatya: My family… and my bed.
Norm: No, only one thing.
Rinatya: Ahh, my bed.
On Sunday, two of our OTG Team (Leonie & Salome) shared at Hope Community Church about a time when Jesus gave them courage. Then Sunday evening, we celebrated Emelie’s birthday!
We are excited for next week and what Norm and Christy have planned for us! Stay tuned!
Lots of love, ganz liebe Grüße und hebets guet :)
Prayer Requests:
Pray for our ability to reach our potential and achieve the things we have set out to do
Pray for endurance and strength for the next week, especially the tramp
Pray for our growth within and as a team
Thank you for praying for our team!
Written by Emelie (Germany) & Rinatya (Switzerland) on behalf of the entire OTG Team!