New Zealand - The Fattened Calf

Well it's been a mind-blowing week here at Marine Reach YWAM:

Last Friday we gathered to pray for our upcoming outreach. Several members of various teams were in need of funds, trusting the Lord to provide. We came together for a time of worship and prayed for miraculous provision for the ones still needing money.

God has been putting the story of the Prodigal son on my (Gabe's) heart this week - showing me that neither of the sons understood the Father's heart for them. The younger selfishly took from the Father and, after waste and rejection, crawled back convinced that the Father would reject him as a son asking, "Just treat me like a servant..." But the Father would hear none of that. Not for a moment does He even consider using the suggested the title of of "servant", but instead proclaims "My SON who was dead is now alive, he was lost, but now is found!" And he punctuates that title by pouring out his unrestrained generosity on his broken, unworthy son.

The older brother comes home from working his butt off in the fields to find the celebration in full swing, and he is irritated. He too, cannot fathom that the younger son has been accepted with open arms. He complains to the Father " but I never even asked you for a young goat!" He was such a hard-working, independent son - so low maintenance, never a burden. The problem is that by his words he reveals that he too is trying to be a "servant" to the Father, working hard to earn his approval.

And what does the Father say to this one? The hard worker, the go-getter...

Well he does not say "Good job, you saved me such burdens, and that's what I wanted: I don't want you to ask me for anything not even a young goat!"

NO, in his grace the Father affirms him with the same title "My SON, I am always with you, and ALL that I have is yours!"

Why not? Because the Father is not intimidated when you are high-maintenance, and He is not impressed when you are low-maintenance. His banner over you is love, regardless of performance or lack thereof.

During Friday's worship time it hit me... "Son, all that I have is yours." That means that if the older son had asked for a fattened calf, the Father would have given it without hesitation. In James it says "You do not have because you do not ask." And what is the fattened calf? It's extravagance, it's above and beyond what we need, it is an act of absolutely generous love.

Fast forward to Monday morning. At the (wise) encouragement of my wife, I went forward to share this word with everyone during our worship time. I challenged them to believe in the Father's heart for us as his sons and daughters, and to resist the attitude of the older son (sheepishly requesting the bare minimum) trusting, instead, that His heart for us is generous.

That's when things got a little crazy!

Cheyne, our base leader, led us in a prayer that God would release the "fattened calf" for us, the above-and-beyond.

We proceeded to count up how much money we still needed to send everyone on outreach and it totaled just under 6,000 New Zealand dollars. Since all outreach fees were due by 4pm that day (and we'd have to reschedule tickets for those lacking if the full sum was not paid) he asked us to take an offering. Many of the 50 (dirt-poor) YWAM students and staff came up tossing in a few 5 dollar bills, some tens, some twenties and fifties.

When everyone who could give something had done so, we all prayed over the little basket of money asking God to miraculously multiply the money (which we all assumed to be a pretty small amount). As we continued to worship our accountant counted up the money, and then announced...

"It's eight thousand dollars. It's EIGHT thousand DOLLARS." As the news registered, Cheyne shouted "Well, if you missed it, those of you who owed money... You're GOING ON OUTREACH!" And the room spontaneously erupted in applause.

And then, it got even crazier!

About this time, our friend Vanessa from Germany who sprained her ankle 2 weeks ago (and has hobbling around painfully with her foot in an ACE bandage) stood up and said "Wait, my ankle, it doesn't hurt any more. It doesn't HURT any more!" She then proceeded to jump up and down with tears streaming down her face until she got mob-hugged by 5 or 6 of her nearby girl-friends in excitement.

Also during this time, another girl (who had accidentally dropped her phone in the toilet 2 days ago and completely broken its speakers) received a text message, and to her astonishment, the phone's speakers rang out clearly. Astonished, she exclaimed "Um, that's not possible! Guys, guys, I think God just healed my phone!?!"

As the day went on, story after story kept coming in, with 2 students who called home to friends and family to find that people they had been praying for for years had begun a relationship with Jesus and asked the students to help them learn more about Him!

This is the fattened calf. This is above and beyond what we asked for or imagined, and we feel so humbled and privileged to be loved by such a kind and generous Father!

New Zealand - Outreach Prep Week

Weekly Update:

This week at DTS we are completing Outreach Prep week. What that means is, essentially, we're packing for a 7-week camping trip, during which we might be preaching sermons, performing skits or musical presentations, teaching health education classes, entertaining children, giving testimonies, leading worship, and doing basic medical clinics, along with (of course!) doing lots of relationship building and praying for people.

We're excited!!!

If you've ever gone on a bit of an extended trip, you'll have an idea of what this week looks like – multiply that by 60 people and put them all in one large base, and you might picture about what's happening here!

I (Dani) am working with another girl on our team to FEED our crew of 9 people (plus an extra, honorary team member who will be joining us in Port Vila). We've developed a 7-day meal plan, found/developed recipes for all 21 meals, compiled a master list of all the ingredients we'll need, and calculated the quantities of what we'll need for the 5 weeks we'll be feeding ourselves (on the first 2 islands – once we head back to Port Vila, food is provided). We shopped for spices and more difficult-to-get items here in NZ, and packed them into a box, which will be part of our checked luggage. The rest of the non-perishable shopping we'll do in Port Vila once we arrive (perishables are all kind of up-in-the-air regarding what we'll be able to actually get on the specific islands – we'll be playing it by ear!)

Gabe is in charge of worship music for our team, so he's restrung an old guitar that one of our teammates' family loaned to us, and he's also printed out chord charts for a good selection of worship songs, and transposed them into manageable keys.

On top of our responsibilities for our team, we're also packing, of course. We'll be sleeping in our hammocks, so we both have a hammock, a mosquito net, a sheet, and a fleece blanket. Bedding plus a couple changes of clothes, a couple warmer layers to put on at night, toiletries, insect repellant, and a good supply of granola bars also round out our packs.

Everything that we're leaving here will go into garbage bags, have our names attached to it, and it will be put into storage early tomorrow morning. For the first half of tomorrow, all 60 students and staff will participate in a base-wide deep clean, leaving all the dorms and smaller rooms spic and span, ready for the new batch of students for the October school to arrive in about a week and a half.

So, it's a little busy around here! But currently the weather is cooperating with clouds and sunshine and a nice brisk wind, so everyone's laundry that they're trying to finish before the final pack is drying rapidly!

We'll be sending out our October newsletter before we leave, so keep an eye in your inboxes/spam inboxes for that.

We'll be disconnected from the internet until we arrive back in NZ the first week of December, so although we won't be posting updates, we'd love to continue to have your prayers for us and our team!

New Zealand - Ready... Set...

It's funny how sneaky time can be.

Outreach, which has felt miles away, is now right around the corner!

Dani and I have been excited as we gather the last few supplies needed.  I will be coordinating worship for our team during outreach, and Dani will be helping to coordinate meals!

We are excited as we pray and intercede for the people of Vanuatu, and our time among them - and we'd love to invite you to feel free to partner with us in prayer!  A quick snapshot of what He's put on our hearts is this:

That God would prepare His heart of love for the people Vanuatu inside of us.

That He would go before us, stirring up a hunger for Him among the islanders we live with.

That we would be ready in every place and every context to share His love (grocery store, hospital, church, home etc...)

That sincere worship would rise from our team, leading to increased (and lasting) worship among the nations!

That we would honor our fellow team members and build each other up in love through all circumstances.

That we would have creativity, energy, and direction to be a genuine blessing to the local people.

That God would glorify Himself through healing, miracles, and outpourings of His Spirit.

But more than any other thing (and encapsulating every other facet), that the GOOD NEWS of the gospel of reconciliation (God not counting men's sins against them) would be taught, preached, portrayed clearly, and represented well through our actions!

Jesus is ever and always the only thing that truly changes anything in the hearts of men.  May His bride listen to His voice carefully before a world that is crying out for His gracious love.

New Zealand - Halfway There

Here's a quick update on some more practical details this week.

In the last few weeks we've been getting more practically equipped for our outreach to Vanuatu:

Delving into practical medical skills - taking vital signs, learning about wound cleaning/wound care, resuscitation/CPR, performing simple vision tests, and conducting simplified physical therapy classes.

We've also studied how to do health education, taking into account cultural differences and varying world-views.  Through all these things, we are endeavoring to not just make a difference for a few weeks or months, but to create lasting practices that lead the people of Vanuatu to rich, full, healthy lives!

Our Outreach Teams have been chosen, and Dani and I are on a team of 9 fantastic people (each one passionate about following Jesus) going to the southernmost island of Vanuatu (called Anatom - pronounced "An - eye - tchom").  

We decided to be called "Team Hobbit" since we are a group of 9, leaving from Middle Earth (aka New Zealand), to go to a volcano, and our average height on the team is about 5' 5" (I am the tallest person on the team... that's a first!).  Today we had our first team prayer time, and our excitement continues to grow as we understand God's love for the people we are traveling to minister to and help!

As of this week we are about halfway through preparations, and we'll be leaving for Vanuatu in less than 6 weeks!

New Zealand - Good News

"Who was the first person to receive the gospel?"

This thought came crashing through my mind in the middle of our worship time this morning.  We've been practicing hearing God's voice this week, and (sensing that He may want to speak something to  me) I followed the train of thought.

"I don't know God, what do you want to show me?"

We as sincere followers of Jesus Christ enjoy the benefits of the new covenant He payed for with His life; it's accessible to us any time we choose to focus on (and receive) the truth.  Forgiveness, release of shame and guilt, loving adoption as sons, fellowship with His spirit, and grace that empowers us to change all lie at the fingertips of our hearts and minds.  His gospel stops us from running in circles in the dark, gratifying our own desires, yet never being satisfied.  It gives us an anchor, a light, and a hope to walk toward.

As an admission, I often focus instead on trying to manage my bad behaviors, sin, and selfishness in an effort to be worthy of this blessing, but how do we really receive this covenant?
Romans 10:9 says that all we do is declare Jesus to be Lord, and we believe that God raised him from the dead.

Who was the first participant to drink of this beautiful new covenant?  As I considered this a picture of the thief on the cross next to Jesus sprang to my mind.  This man accepted that he had lived a life apart from God, and deserved his sentence of death.  This man expressed that he believed Jesus would live to "come into" his kingdom.  This man died shortly after Jesus (they broke his legs to speed up the process, but found that Jesus had already died).


And I thought of the beauty of it all...

If you are a God who wants to put an exclamation point on the fact that salvation is 100% a gift of grace that no man can earn, who do you pick as the first child of your new covenant: A thief, a man who squandered his inheritance, condemned to death by the world, unable to do anything whatsoever to serve you or earn your love, with just hours to live.  Broken.  Beaten.  Hopeless.

A heart that cries "We deserve this condemnation and death but you do not...  Jesus, remember me when you enter into your kingdom."

And the Son of God, who leaves the 99 sheep to find the one who is lost replies "I'll do more than that... I will see you there today."


This is the power of the gospel, this is why it's called "good news", because the moment at which we have nothing to offer him is the moment when He offers us everything.  The day we realize that we have no strength to change our sin and darkness, and come to Him in humble faith...  This is the day that everything changes.


God, may I spend less time trying to deserve your mercy, and more time standing in AWE that you give us mercy at all!  Restore to us, your people, the joy of your salvation!

New Zealand - Provision: God's been speaking our Language

I think Gabe has mentioned in one (or more) of his weekly update blogs about how God has been providing, but I'll chime in as well for this week's update.

I've been reading in Isaiah with the angle of looking at what God is revealing about his character and who he is.  So far I'm about 10 verses into chapter two and this is what I've been picking up from what I've been reading:

God: is the creator, the Father, emotional/feeling oriented, caring, sees our need for a savior, compassionate, allows us choice, gives mercy, sees accurately, has preferences, knows and judges the value of the gifts we give, personal, vulnerable, perceptive, inviting, conversational, rewarding, unchanging, unwavering, warrior, worker, finisher, purposeful, intentional, patient, restorer, cleanser, hope, supreme above all others, security, worthy of exaltation.

In addition, Gabe and I and some other students and staff have been studying the book of James twice a week, and we've been going back to James 1:17 - talking about how God is the giver of good and perfect gifts.

One principle in our marriage that Gabe and I have always tried to live by is generosity.  Jesus said a lot of things about giving, but two of them that sticks is that it is better to give than it is to receive, and that the measure to which we give it will be given back to us - pushed down, shaken together, and pouring over.

We have been the recipients of SO much giving over the past few years - really, from the onset of our marriage.  We've been met with generosity everywhere we turn.  We've tried to steward what God entrusts to us and, in turn, give generously to others, of course, but you know how people say, "You can't out-give God?"  I think that's ringing true in our life!

We sent a box to New Zealand from Thailand with our warmer clothes - I don't remember all that was in there, but a couple pair of shoes, some sweaters, long pants, long sleeve shirts, socks, dresses, and other practical stuff for life in a winter climate.  Our box hasn't shown up yet, so for the last 4 weeks, we've been making do with what we packed with us through Europe (i.e.: spring/summer appropriate clothes, which are also beginning to wear thin and/or break from a lot of use!).  We've had the opportunity to go shopping, and even found some good sales, but each time we've thought about biting the bullet (financially) and purchasing something to make the strain of laundry/inconvenience of being frequently chilly a little less, we've felt like the Lord was challenging us to trust him, so each time we've walked away and said, "OK, Lord, we think this would be more convenient, but we're trusting you to provide what we need!"

So far, to date, since arriving in New Zealand we've acquired the following pieces of clothing without it costing us a dime:
A big, cozy, wrap sweater (for me)
boots (for me)
2 t-shirts (for me)
2 t-shirts (for Gabe)
a sweatshirt (for Gabe)
a vest (for Gabe)
ballet flat shoes (for me)
Mary Jane style shoes (for me)
a wool performance/athletic shirt (for me)
2 pair of socks (for both of us - we share!)
a towel

This is in addition to a pair of jeans and a long-sleeve thermal shirt I purchased for less than $10 US at a 2nd hand store in the Solomon Islands when I went shopping with Megan, and a free sweater, another wool long sleeve shirt, and a pair of leggings that I acquired for free in Greece.  In addition, we've been loaned a set of sheets to use for the duration of our time here, so we didn't need to go purchase a new set.

Is it obvious that God is taking care of us?  It is to us!  In fact, it feels like every day bring some new sweet gift from someone (some of which we've even been able to pass on to others, which is super fun!) that tells us, "I think the Lord is prompting me to give this to you."

Last week we learned about hearing God's voice, and there were some awesome things that came out of it for us, but one of the biggest lessons we're learning has been ongoing throughout the school so far:

1 - we have tendencies toward pride, but as we are learning to recognize when we're walking in pride, stop, repent, and choose to be humble (for me, that has been a relatively intense process of learning to graciously accept all these gifts!  I'm much, MUCH better at giving gifts than receiving them - and I'd much RATHER give them than receive them! So it's a challenge for me to realize that someone is offering something I do, in fact, kind of need and I have nothing to give back to them), God pours out blessing.

2 - God provides - really, truly.  He knows what we need (often even better than WE know what we need!) and he has faithfully been providing for those needs - but he hasn't stopped yet, he's provided over and above what we need.  We've gotten to the point where we don't really care what we look like, being warm and dry is far more important.  But God knows what we like and he's been meeting our needs in ways that not only take care of the actual physical need but also encourage and bless our hearts.  My new boots?  Adorable!  A merino wool shirt? Exactly what I've been looking forward to getting for 2 years in New Zealand.  Gabe's sweatshirt?  Totally what he'd been dreaming about.  Gabe's vest?  Totally a style/color/size he's wanted. And on and on! It's been so, so, SO much more than we imagined, and God's blown us away with his provision.

This week we're learning about submission to authority from God's perspective.  It's contained many little nuggets to ponder.  Maybe we'll be able to share more about what we're getting from it later, but for now, it's reinforcing things we've already learned or casting new light and new perspective on ideas we've had.  As always, we're so privileged to be here and we're wanting to just soak up as much as we can from this atmosphere and the teachings and the life-lessons we're learning.

New Zealand - The Big "Who?"

Who is God?

The weight of this simple (often unseen) question propels us through life.

Is He angry? Sad? Powerful? Involved? Filled with hate? Does He see me? Know me? Is He alive? Is He actually present in my life at this moment? Could He be here with me?

The simple answers to this question that we observe, are told, fall into, and eventually decide to agree with can literally push us into a world of darkness or a kingdom of light.

So, this week we are learning who God is, in teaching times and throughout our days. As Dani helps the media team create communication, she is learning that Jesus is the Word, and He loves to communicate. As I do grounds-keeping I am reminded that I work and serve and clean because I believe in a God demonstrates His love by being the servant of ALL. As we worship and try to hear his voice in new ways we are reminded that His heart toward us is like a dad with His hands stretched out, excitedly watching His toddler take their first steps. He loves our progress toward Him, no matter how small, and he's not discouraged by our weakness and clumsiness.

Two days ago, I filled out my weekly journal entry for my one-on-one leader. We were challenged to write down some things we're believing God for in the coming week. I started the entry with “I want to become a real worshipper” but felt God challenging me to also write something that was an actual physical need. I continued “AND I trust God to provide new shoes for Dani because her last good pair is breaking.” Once I was finished I simply closed the journal and went to bed.

In the morning Dani went on a morning run with Anna (one of our staff members). They were talking and Dani shared that the Lord has been humbling her because many of her clothes have worn out or been lost on our trip and she can't always look exactly how way she'd like to.

Anna went back to her room after their run and returned with some of the most beautiful LEATHER boots either of us has ever seen and said “Dani, I'd like you to have these, oh and this sweater too!” Less than twelve hours later I found myself checking that need off the list, because God pays attention when I talk to Him, knows our needs, and is more generous than I often give Him credit for.

Who is God?

There are more answers to that question than I could ever write.
But today I know this: He's a good father. A father knows what we need even before we ask, and is willing (excited, even) to show us His faithfulness in this life.