So much has happened this semester that I really don’t know
where to start. There have been a few moments of clarity were I’m truly
thankful for this time to keep my head in the books while simultaneously
acknowledging that this season will be coming to a close in 9 months when I
will God willing have completed a bachelors degree in theology. This will be
the first bachelors degree in the family (to my knowledge) and is the product
of the time, love and support that family has put in. Exciting. It’s to late to
assess whether it was my fault or just a school schedule I can’t really get
around but I’m currently on the tail end of a marathon 6 weeks(?) of work. I
have worked 7 days over the last 4 weeks nonstop with two more to go before the
4th quarter starts and I can re-establish a healthy work/rest cycle.
I have luckily had a caring girl friend with a medical background who lovingly
tells me what to eat/drink to keep healthy; I surprisingly haven’t got sick but
know I’m knocking on that ‘not so metaphorical’ door that is my limit.
Briefly highlighting moments this semester: as always
(Praise God) my visa came at the very last moment as funding was secured in the
final day before school started. I felt the Spirit tugging at my heart to move
back to Avondale to my church family and students. The first was to the
Gordon’s house in Te Atatu then a month and a half later I was able to make it
all the way to Avondale which has allowed me to increase time and ministry with
my students. I was convicted by Jesus model of mission and ministry which
incorporated cycles of teaching and sending and I knew that just communicating
spiritual truths to my students without putting them into practice would
shortly be forgotten. Theory doesn’t help you when life is hitting the fan. The
moves were quite taxing on my body. My sleep patterns were thrown off and for
about 6 weeks I didn’t sleep for more than 4 hours a night, waking frequently
with even a handful of disturbing dreams (My sleep has since progressed to 6
hours a night, and just in the last week 7.5 or 8 hours this last Saturday!
Praise God). For over a month I shook things up at youth Church
when instead of teaching Sunday morning I took students into the downtown
Avondale area to pray over people/wildlife/animals; feeding the fire fighters
next to our church; and praying over a addict recovery room. I’m seeking out
Gods guidance on this approach, but I feel his pleasure in this. I found out my
Mommy is coming to visit me in November and that is super exciting. I had the opportunity
to preach at Massey Presbyterian about my life and the Calling of Levi in Mark
chapter 2. Then again on the Great Commission at my Church (ABC), giving birth
to a sermon that had been gestating in my soul for the previous months. I’m so
thankful how school has made me radically question how I live in light of the
Gospel. There was a marked change in my when I had 3 classes on missions in one
semester and I was able to immerse myself in the study of the missio dei. Other
highlights included running a combined youth event with Massey Presbyterian
Church, preaching at a Korean church in Ponsonby, becoming a proper barista at
the coffee shop (I still don’t drink the stuff) and then becoming a “movie
star” at Laidlaw. Last week I was asked to act in an international promo film
for 12 hours as the lead. I was stoked and honoured that the school would
consider me for this. Now I’m just one assignment away from the two week
holidays. This semester I have been stretched to my mental limit; reading the thickest and most technical theology I have ever seen that makes me feel like I'm not cut out for this stuff. I praise God he allowed me to get through the complexity of the arguments and then critically assess them; the two for the same class have been the most difficult tasks to complete in my time here. I submit an exegesis on Romans 5:12-15 Friday at 5pm, run a youth event, sleep and then
wake early to pack and leave for camp on Ponui Island
for a week. The end is in sight.
As I gear up for my final semester at school, I felt in my
heart that I needed a break from ministry. I have been with my Church (ABC) for
over 2.5 years running the intermediate/youth and prior to that I had been in
the states running a youth ministry for 2 years before coming to NZ. The time
has been fantastic and my family in NZ is incredible, but I knew in my heart I
needed a chance to be still and listen to what God was saying to me. 2 months
ago I alerted the elders, then a month ago the parents and then 10 days ago the
students that I would be stepping down from running the ministry. Each November
I leave to the South Island to make big money
in the vineyard and this year probably won’t be an exception. I figured the
summer when things are slowest at church (unlike the states were it picks up)
would be a healthy time for the Church to transition with a new Pastor. What is
a strange thought to me is that even though I have been living in New Zealand , I don’t really live here. Come June 2013
when I’m not a student anymore I won’t be able to get another visa- I truly am
just an international student. It’s a strange thing to think about when this
place does feel like home. In my final semester, I loosely plan on attending 2
different churches a month (while still attending ABC) to see what they are
doing as I seek Gods guidance on what a church could look like possibly
integrating these approaches for the future. I have seen folks graduate with a
degree to just quickly transition into a role as a pastor, and that’s not
something I’m opposed to if God wills it, but in saying that, there are many
incredible ministries out there. Post New Zealand I plan on returning to the states
for a few months before leaving to South America for a year to join up with
Diaconia Ministries http://www.bethelministriesinternational.com/paraguay-microloans-mission/
. I say this, but keenly aware that God had other plans for me when I got
accepted to teach English in Afghanistan
5 years ago. We will see what he does. Thank you for journeying with me. God
bless.
-Piper
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