Above: Entrance to monastery.
Upon arrival I was
warmly greeted by the monks, who all knew my name. I felt like a rockstar; as
much like a rockstar as you can possibly feel like at a monastery that is. I
discovered that the accommodation was very warm and inviting in a stunning
setting.
Above: My room at Kapua Monastery
The monks would cook the guests 3 meals a day as they believed in
practicing hospitality among other monastic ventures. http://www.kopuamonastery.org.nz/
Prayers started at 4am (I went to one 4am session but opted out the other 3
days to sleep in, attending the 6am prayers) centered around the Psalms. The
monks would pray 7 times a day communally and would read aloud the entire book
of Psalms on a weekly to 10 day basis. I was struck with a overwhelming sense
of peace and calm as I meditated, prayed, journalled and read the Bible as well
as Augustines Confessions cover to
cover. The caretakers of the monastery were impressed by my knowledge of
Catholic, Latin American Liberation theologians Gustavo Gutierrez and
Archbishop Romero (This was thanks to my professor Gordon Stewart who
introduced me to various liberation theologies and their impact). My views on
Catholicism have softened over the years, still noting theological differences
though, but keenly aware that they are my brothers and sisters as much as any
protestant. There is something hugely beneficial and counter cultural about
being still+meditating, in a modern/post-modern enlightened culture that values
people in relation to what they produce. I was able to meet with Father Nico
who had been a monk at this monastery for 47 years. He is an incredibly warm
man of God with shining eyes and big heart. I was able to discuss with him some
things that had been troubling me, and he responded in great wisdom. We even
shared a few laughs. On Wednesday morning I left the monastery at 7:30 am in
high spirits. My next stop was Wellington ,
a 3 and a half hour journey driving non-stop. I made it there in 5 hours,
hitching with 4 different people. The first was a friendly farmer, the second-
an electrician, the third a Jehovahs Witness who couldn’t understand why I
believed that Jesus was God ….then finally, a man name Tim. While the other
rides were brief, Tim and I spent 2 hours together. He was a successful bright
guy, in his early 30’s and a new dad. He had grown up around Christianity but
didn’t understand what the Bible was about or what God wanted of him and his
life. As a new dad to a 3 month old son, he had been contemplating what he and
his partner Susie* (name changed) would teach their newborn about the world.
When he told me that I was the first hitch-hiker he had ever picked up, I knew
God wanted me to speak to him so I cut loose, not holding much back. As we
arrived in Wellington
he invited me to his home where we had lunch together. Shortly afterwards he
dropped me in the heart of the city where I met up with a friend from Laidlaw
that calls Wellington
home.
Above: A stunning Wellington day. Wellington is a beautiful city, the Music/Art capital of NZ. My camera betrays the fact it was completely sunny; it couldn't handle taking a picture into direct sunlight hence the dark haze.
At 6pm, I bid James farewell to join up with a friend from
Urban Vision http://www.urbanvision.org.nz/
, a group of people that voluntarily relocate to the roughest, poorest areas of
Wellington to
be Jesus hands and feet. Over the last 4 years God has been shaping my view of
what church should or could be and this was hugely formational in my journey. I
have seen what church and hospitality looks like in Guatemala
and Honduras , China etc,
then I was able to live that out that ministry in Port Angeles for a season. Now I have seen
inclusive hospitality based ministries on the north and south island of NZ and
I’m becoming increasingly convinced that this is what it looks like to live out
the Gospel in the 21st century. This is of course could completely
fill another blog… moving on. The first stop upon meeting up with my friend
Gemma and her friend Lizzie (apart of the UV community) was to an apartment
full of addicts and mental patients. It was messy, let me tell you. Not in the
sense that the apartment was dirty (it was that as well) but that I was
witnessing the very broken lives of mentally unstable addicts, cutters and the
like.
Above: James and I on the waterfront before we visited Te Papa Museum. http://www.tepapa.govt.nz/pages/default.aspx
Lizzie began to cook dinner in this place as I heard life stories. One of
the women in this apartment was quite taken with me, and (semi) jokingly
offering to wait for marriage before having sex as that’s what good Christians
do. I laughed, telling her that that would be for the best as my mother also
wouldn’t approve of that premarital activity. Kathy and Caleb from UV showed up
shortly thereafter and we were able to share food and a few laughs even though
my heart was heavy for the occupants of this apartment. After talking with
Caleb, I found out that he was friends with James, the guy I had just met up
with. After we left the house Caleb and I hung out, going on a night mission to
trap possums for a possible future meal up in the woods. It was there he picked
my brain about different biblical issues he was working through. For me, it was
hugely encouraging to be able to encourage a brother that was living so full on
for Christ in this setting about theological matters. I know that the hours of
study were hugely worthwhile and that God has called me to study in this time-
but that the essays and reflection I had done on various issues would now
directly help shape practice. Liberation Theology was a wide topic that came up
in conversation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberation_theology
frequently with different people and I feel God had prepared me for this trip
by choosing to do projects at Laidlaw this last semester on it. I was able to
discuss strengths and shortcomings (like any theology will have, and I do mean
ANY) encouraging and challenging.
Above: A quick trip with new friends out of Wellington to go check out the red rocks. There were at least a hundred seals about. Smelled terrible.
In Newtown , a suburb of Wellington there are 4 UV
houses. The ministry is Anglican, so each day prayers would start for all of
the people living in this ministry at 6:30am. The ministry is made up of
tent-makers. Everyone works a part time job near Newtown to support themselves so they can
focus on ministry. One of the people loosely associated with it though owned a
fair-trade coffee roasting shop called Peoples Coffee (http://peoplescoffee.co.nz/wellington-cafe-zeitgeist/)
and I was fortunate enough to meet the owner, have a cup of the good stuff
along with a personalized tour. The people in this covenant community designate
money that is put into an account so that the group can buy food and support
street people that are invited to come live with the people at UV. I
experienced two types of Monasteries in the same week. One was based on retreat
and prayer, providing space for (worn out/tired?) ministry workers of any
denomination to be refreshed; the other where the so called ‘neo-monastics’
that sought to bring Christ message into the dark areas of Wellington,
providing spaces of hope for those who had none. I was challenged to live out
the gospel in a more radical way. God has allowed me to realize that I’m a very
selfish person in this last week (so I’m sharing
that online for everyone to see… get it! Selfish and now I’m Sharing that
with everyone- that’s good comedy I reckon!) and I have been making steps to
repent of that. Painful and so good at the same time.
Above: Monkey!
On the final day of my visit to Wellington , I met up with Gemma and we took
the teenage girls from her house on a “trip
to the Zoo.” No one had money so we walked around the outskirts of
Wellingtons Zoo, taking pictures of the creatures that were visible from the
outside. All in all it was a creative, brilliant time talking with the group of
kids she works with. I spent the rest of the evening with Gemma who then
dropped me off at a truck station to meet up with a trucker (who nearly forgot
me!) who was going all the way back to Auckland .
He was friends with people in the community and has since offered to take me to
and from Wellington
whenever I’m keen to go. Tim and I left at 8:30pm, arriving in Auckland at 6am listening
to the blues and talking life while he puffed away like a chimney.
I arrived back to Auckland completely exhausted- I wouldn’t trade it for
anything. It was only a 7 day trip, but one to remember. I thank God for the
things he allowed me to see and experience. I consider myself blessed. Thanks y'all for journeying with me!
-Piper
P.S. Please continue to ask God to provide my Laidlaw finances for next semester. It starts in under a week.
Above: View of the sun rising over the icy fields from where I ate breakfast at Kapua Monastery.
Above: 7:30 Am, on the main road away from the monastery as I hitched to Wellington.
Above: Sunrise over Norsewood.
120+ More Pics! http://s262.photobucket.com/albums/ii99/davidandrewpiperdotcom/Semester%201%20Break/
5 comments:
Thanks for sharing dave. Great read.
Always inspired brother Dave. It's an amazing thing to read about you actively seeking God's will in your life and the fulfillment of many promises. The contrast in the stories while seen is overwhelmed by a sense of unity in the body with one purpose...to serve Christ, whether it be monks or urban missionaries. Cool story bro, cool story. Just remember to all those you leave to let them know that friendships made by those united under Christ are eternal and everlasting which means...there's no such thing as a goodbye.
That sounds awesome, I had no idea that such monasteries were around in NZ. The UV group I am more familiar with, I had a friend there for a couple of years, and I quite like what they do. Glad you could see it too! Will have to check out the monastery website though.
"Dave the Kiwi" has been included in the Sites To See for this week. I hope this helps to point many new visitors in your direction.
http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2012/08/sites-to-see_31.html
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