The Land of the Long White Cloud

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  So here is 21,000 on New Zealand.  Plus a few of my own.

So good to drive again!

Practicing my swing over Lake Taupo

Huka Falls

Boiling Mud

Best Blue Steel I've seen in a long time

My boss's hometown

I think we saw a rainbow everyday

Cathedral Cove

This beach was in the Chronicles of Narnia:  Prince Caspian

Dolphin

Overall, we had a great time in New Zealand.  It's a beautiful country.  There's so much to do and see.  Hopefully I'll make it back sometime to see everything I missed!

The new semester starts tomorrow.  Please be praying for our team as we get back on campus everyday.  Also, my parents, Brady and Michelle arrive in two days!  I can't wait to see them and to get a little taste of home.  It's going to be a great week!

V20 Conference

V20 was held in Ngaruwahia, New Zealand.  Good luck pronouncing that name.  Or any name of any place in New Zealand for that matter.  I learned that a very small percentage of the population in New Zealand speaks Maori (the native language and people group of New Zealand) yet almost every place is named in some Maori word.

Anyway, New Zealand was a lot of fun.  We took 28 students and staff from Fiji to this conference.  Over 40 nations were represented there.  We listened to great speakers, great music and were challenged to make commitments and fulfill them by the year 2020.

Sleeping Arrangements in the Camper Van

Proud to be American on the 4th of July

Day of Outreach on Facebook!

As with any conference that Campus Crusade for Christ puts on, we held a day of outreach in which we got out to share our faith.  A lot of the students at the conference didn't speak English as their first language, so they created a Facebook outreach.  I was skeptical at first but I was blown away by the results.  Students simply posted a short anime video on the last day of Jesus life on their friends wall.  Then left a message that essentially said watch and let me know what you think.  There were hundreds of Facebook chat conversations going on in a matter of minutes.  All discussing the gospel after watching this short video.  All in all, over 10,000 people watched this video in just a couple hours.  It was incredible to see our students share their faith through a totally different medium.  Never underestimate the power of Facebook!

Chip

Another great aspect of the conference was getting to see our friend Chip.  Chip is on staff in New Zealand.  We met him in Fiji six months ago when we took classes together for staff training.  He and his wife were on the conference leadership team.  It was great to see him and we'll see him again soon because he's leading a team of Kiwi students to Fiji in August.

We had a great time in New Zealand.  We got to explore the beautiful sights of New Zealand after the conference.  Post-conference pictures are soon to come.

Just Be It

I apologize for my absence lately in the blogosphere.  The past three weeks have been full of activity and void of the internet.  The last week in June marked our Student Conference here in Fiji.  The theme, "Just Be It", was based on Ephesians 5:1 and being imitators of God.  We had over seventy Fijian students come along with twenty American students who were here on Summer Project.  The conference was full of worship, speakers, seminars, men and women's times, and fun!

The conference was very exciting and it was amazing how quickly close friendships were formed.  The last picture above is me and the three guys I've been investing most of my time in this year.  It was awesome to see them learn and grow in the faith in just one short week.  A few of the guys they have been discipling came as well.  It was incredible to see spiritual multiplication at work.  We had a ton of fun and can't wait until next year's conference!

We left this conference and went straight to the airport for another conference in New Zealand!  Pictures to come soon.

Marshmallows

Dave recently got a package from America.  In that package was a bag of marshmallows. Who knew that Fijians had never tasted marshmallows before?  My friend, Luke, was over at our apartment when the following conversation took place:

Luke:  "Are these marshmallows?"

Me:  "Yeah."

Luke:  "Like in the movies?"

It was a beautiful thing to watch Luke enjoy his first marshmallow, shortly followed by his first toasted marshmallow.

Next time you eat a marshmallow, remember, you're one of the lucky ones.

Fiji National University

Last week marked the beginning of a new adventure for us here in Fiji.  With the help of the Summer Project team, we are launching Student Life at a new university in Fiji.  Fiji National University has five different campuses in Suva which we're hoping to reach with the Gospel.  Our first week on campus went really well.  We have been very well received by students and there seems to be a lot of interest in our message.  Unlike USP, FNU is predominately composed of native Fijians.  That being said, we stick out at FNU even more so than at USP.  Students have been curious why so many white people have been flooding their campus which is a great way for us to begin conversations.

Please pray for our new mission field at FNU.  We're hoping to identify key students on whom we can build our movement.  Also, be praying that we wouldn't run into any interference from the administration at FNU.  We can't wait to see how God is going to move through us as we step out in faith to reach FNU!

Call me Coach

I was recently approached by a disciple of mine asking me if I would coach his rugby team.  I was a little shocked considering I don't know much about rugby.  It wasn't long before they told me that it cost $20 to enter the tournament.  Benefactor might be a more apt title than coach.  Even though I didn't really contribute any strategy to the team, the guys still let me hang around and pretend to be their coach.

Unfortunately, it rained all week.  The grounds were practically a lake which made for a very muddy tournament.

The Grounds

The Scrum

Captain Luke

Coach

We had a really fun time during the tournament.  We made it all the way to the quarterfinals before losing.  This was farther than anyone expected.  What I was most proud of was the way that Luke handled the whole experience.  He wasn't just in it to have fun but he wanted to witness to his friends.  He commanded the team from the very beginning.  It was amazing to me that when he spoke, everyone got quiet.  Luke is a natural leader and it was incredible to see him in action.  He even convinced all the team members to come to our weekly meeting.  The whole experience was incredibly encouraging to me.  I'm so proud of Luke and the way he wants to witness to his friends!

Black Thunder!

Also, I would like to apologize for my lack of blogging lately.  I will try to make up for it this week.  Check back soon!

Happy Mother's Day!

I would just like to thank a very special Mom in my life.  She's always there for me.  She goes out of her way to serve me.  She puts up with me when I'm grumpy.  She offers incredible wisdom and advice.  She loves God more than anyone I know.  She fights for my family.  She's prays for me nonstop.  She loves me unconditionally.  She's the reason why I'm in Fiji.

Thanks for all that you do Mom.  I wouldn't be the man I am today without your loving influence.  You've done countless things for me but greatest of all, you've showed me what it means to love God and walk by faith.  Thanks for being my role model.  Thanks for your example.  May God bless you beyond measure for your eternal impact.  I love you!

Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.  "Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."

Proverbs 31: 28-29

To all those Moms who read my blog, Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you feel the love and appreciation you deserve!  Thanks for all that you are and all that you do!