New Zealand Video!

Sorry it took like 2 months to get this video up but here it is! We miss all you Kiwi's!

Leaving in an Hour

Well, the past day or two have been great. Getting ready to leave was AWESOME. It was sweet az mate, to put lightly. Brent took off Monday and Tuesday to be with us... we strolled Mission Bay with him and Neeley, just to ask questions and visit. We talked about life in a affluent society and how to live in it in a way that glorifies God (always a tough question ya know??? ) We wouldn't have picked any other people to be here, at this time!

We ended this two days by going to the beach and going over for dinner. Let me tell you, this was AN EXTRAVAGANT CULINARY EXPERIENCE! We topped it all off with orange m&m's and gummy sour worms. We played a New Zealand game by Cranium called, "whoonu?" which basically served as A VESSEL FOR OUTLANDISH EPISODES OF LAUGHTER!!! After the recapping of good stories and funny terms, we left extremely satisfied with a solid few days with our good friends.

This tuesday has been a surreal day... seems fake! We are packing and filming and it seems as if we are heading off to the next country! Well, we are. And as we view it, the States truly are our next mission spot. We took some family photos with Neeley and Brent, as well as our new friend Needa who has helped plug us in and make us feel comfortable.

As we leave to the airport in about an hour, fly for a few days (it seems) we are praying for a smooth transition. We are praying to learn much from reflection and pictures. We are praying to remember more than we thought humanly possible -- and for us to serve our neighbors in the USA with even more intensity than the previous countries.

AGAIN~~~~~~~ THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE FOR US!!!

WE HAVE REALIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF STAYING CONNECTED SOMEHOW, WHILE BEING IN RURAL AREAS.

THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOU INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OUR CHURCH THAT ARE RIGHT HERE BESIDE US IN SPIRIT, AND SUPPORTING US.

GIVING YOU THANKS DOESN'T DO IT JUSTICE, AND WE PRAY THAT GOD BLESSES YOU BEYOND WHAT WE'LL EVER SEE.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PERSISTENT AND QUIET PRAYERS.

THANK YOU FOR CARING FOR US IN THIS WAY.

Catch You on the Flip Side,
evan christian (kristen)andrew

Papamoa, NZ

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30 Hour Famine, in CO: We just finished skyping in with the youth group of our church. It was great to hear the distant shouts of familiar and excited voices! what an opportunity the thirty hour famine is! Here in New Zealand, we are very excited for all of you... we REALLY are! We are committed to praying for all of you.

Reality: Speaking to friends brings a harsh reality that... well... reality is coming! that real life with real responsibilities is coming in... 11 days:) *** ugh.. HEART ATTACK!*** but we are very thankful for this process here in New Zealand! Papamoa beach was a great time of us getting to rest and recoop, entering the realization the states was ahead of us. It's an odd spot honestly, because as we study the trip and all the amazing things God has provided. We are also giving ourselves to our futures ahead, life in the states. in this awkward and uncomfortable spot in life. We are so thankful for a God who is patient with us. looking back and reading journals has left us amazed at all God does through long periods of time and our persistence of prayer. And thankfully, He is so patient when we forget to remember who He is, and all He has done and is doing! In our attempt to see what God has done, answering prayers and transforming us, we are very thankful for this time period in our lives.

Back to the Shire: At the beginning of the trip we watched Lord of the Rings, and it saddened our hearts thinking of the return after the great adventure, back to the ol' shire. But as time as gone by, we are more than thrilled to take the next step of the adventure, which is even bigger and better! God has a plan for each of our lives individually, no matter what location we are at. He has equipped us with everything we need to bring Him glory, and He is bigger, captain over our life's situation. He has planted us where we are at for a reason every day! In this 11 days left, we will continue to be bewildered at the 7 month trip behind us.. and whatever is in front of us when we get to the states.

Thnx: Thank you for faithfully praying. in retrospect, there are countless times when prayer and support and such made the whole difference. being locked into a body of believers has made this great. We feel like the builders in Nehemiah 4, when they are rebuilding the wall. As the men stand around the wall, everyone prays; they have a trumpet in case of attack. half of them stand guard, ready to fight- as the other half work- building the wall together. If they heard the trumpet blast, all of the builders in the body would rush immediately to help fight as one community! Likewise, we blow the trumpet of help. We are thankful for a group of people who will come help fight in those moments. We have seen how the body of Christ works just like this! And we are thankful that in this massive project God has- putting the world back together- we can be in fellowship and unity with each other and God. Thank you.

"But we prayed to our God and guarded the city day and night to protect ourselves... I explained to the nobles and officials and all the people, "The work is very spread out, and we are widely separated from each other along the wall. When you hear the blast of the trumpet, rush to wherever it is sounding. Then our God will fight for us!" We worked early and late, from sunrise to sunset. And half the men were always on guard."

- Nehemiah 4:9,19-21

v-team

"evan kristen andrew"

The Gathering

Greetings friends and families! I want to share with you a bit of a story from our last week. (Pictured left to right: Andrew, Evan, Christian on beach in New Zealand)

We've gotten involved in ministry connected with PACT called "The Gathering." It is a street church for the homeless as well as the people that probably wouldn't come to a church anyways. The Gathering happens on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. The Gathering was started by an ex-professional boxer named Ben. One day, as Ben was jogging, he was pressed to share his faith with 2 men on the street who were getting drunk. From this conversation, The Gathering was formed. We attended on Sunday morning this last week. At all the meetings, the head guys, Ben and Mike (one of the other leaders), prepare a meal for all that attend. After everyone eats and hangs out, one of the 2 guys share a small message, and usually tie in the Gospel in some way. The Sunday morning Gathering is pretty low key and has fewer people. Last night, we attended our first Wednesday night Gathering. It looked different than Sunday. We met in a small outdoor shopping center. On our way, we picked up a man named Trevor who has been blind for 8 years. Trevor has 5 sons, the oldest is 19. Trevor is not a believer. We made small conversation with Trevor about where we were from and also about his home life. After arriving to the location, about 25-30 people showed up to join in the meal and hear the word spoken. A good percentage of the people attending were under the influence of some substance, but they are the reason this ministry exists.

We recognized a few of the people because they had also attended on Sunday morning. It was cool to see their commitment. During the meal time, we began to notice a lady walking around. She was very obviously drunk and possibly on drugs but as the evening progressed we noticed there was something more. After eating, Ben began to share a small message. He shared about how our world may seem messed up and rough place, but that God is here. God loves us and he sent his son Jesus to die for our sins. He referred to the fact that our world may be messed up, but hell is worse. God is present in this world, so imagine a world without God. All the while during his message, the woman I referred to would walk around mumbling, and getting in peoples faces. We began to notice that every time Ben said the name of Jesus, this lady would act out more harshly. We recall a few times, after Ben said Jesus, the lady would stand up, point her finger and say, "Why do we have to talk about Him (Jesus)? He is already here." This happened many times through the evening. As she would walk around, people would get distracted by her, but Ben would quickly grab their attention. Satan did not want these people to hear the message of Christ this night. In seeing this all occur, we were reminded of 2 scriptures:

"For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them." Matthew 18:20

"Many were possessed by demons; and the demons came out at his command, shouting, "You are the Son of God!" But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak." Luke 4:41

It was very clear to us that God was present at this meeting and He has authority over satan. We are going to continue attending The Gathering for the rest of our time here.

In our time here, we have also gotten involved in a few more things. One Monday and Wednesday mornings, Ben and Mike (same guys that do The Gathering) host a boxing/training time at the PACT building for high school guys. They teach the guys good technique and healthy exercises, feed the guys breakfast, and give a small testimony/message at the end. Evan really enjoys being a part of this because he loves to box, and its a great way to reach out to these guys. There is also a guy who works for PACT named Glen. His works primarily with elementary aged kids and their families. On wednesday, Glen has a small group of students that he takes around to places and spends time with. This week, we joined him and took about 6 boys to the local swimming pool. We got to share with them what we have been doing and they asked lots of questions. It was great, and we plan on continuing ministry with Glen. Last but not least, we have also been working with a guy named Ian Foster. He runs The South Auckland Food Bank. We have been helping him around the food bank with organization and lots of lifting of heavy things! Its what teenage guys were made for!We have had a great time here getting involved with PACT and meeting so many people. God is definitely at work here in Papatoetoe. We are going away for the next week to see some sights and reflect. We will post and update as we have internet access.
Prayer Requests:

• The Gathering- Ben and Mike & the people that attend
• PACT-The boxing ministry-Glen and the elementary school boys-All the school involvement of PACT staff
• The South Auckland Food Bank-Ian Foster and family Del (wife), Liam, Holly, Jensen
• And prayer for our travel over the next week.
  

Grace and Peace,
V-team

Arrived In New Zealand

A quick update from Christian:

We have arrived in New Zealand. We are in a town called Papatoetoe (pronounce Papa-Toe-(as in foot)-EE). It's about 15 km south of Auckland. Brent Davie picked us up at the airport around 1030am. He is the director of PACT (Papatoetoe Adolescent Christian Trust). They work with at-risk youth. We've just been getting settled in. We are going to be staying at the PACT building (about 20 minutes from Brent and his wife, Neeley's house). Things are great and it is strange, because this feels and looks like the States. Also, I had my first glass of American quality milk in the last 6 months, this morning!

Life is Good!

~Christian

Where are they working?

When they are not doing free travel in the countryside where "Lord of the Rings" was filmed, the Team will be working with Brent and Neeley Davie, and PACT ministries in Auckland.

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.The PACT website is:
http://www.pact.org.nz/content/view/30/50/

You can also check out the Davie's Blog:
http://davie-world.blogspot.com/

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V-Team has had the privelege of working alongside many amazing groups of ministry partners worldwide. Their list of destinations is now behind them, but the following international organizations, and the Christ Followers who serve them so faithfully, will be family forever.

• Hosean Ministries, Haiti
• Challenge, Brazil
• Xote Santo, Brazil
• Canaan Farm, Uganda
• Suubi/ Light Gives Heat, Uganda
• Young Life, Uganda
• IREF, India
• PACT, New Zealand

Please browse the websites of these outstanding groups, organizations, and people. The links can be found on the sidebar of this blog: "LINK LIST -- Global Partners." Take a minute to learn about these important people and their life-impacting work. V-Team could not experienced the power and love of God, all around the world, without them.

~KjL