Ode To Oxford

Oxford has about 1,400 people and 14,000 sheep, located 40 minutes west of Christ-
church.
This is where we attend church on Sundays and we also have our daily lectures in the santuary.
Here is the dairy where we buy lollies, chocolate bars, and other yummy things.

I don't think I've ever even seen a police man in Oxford.

The petrol station where we pay $1.70 a litre! That's almost $5 a gallon. Yikes!

Every Saturday the fire alarm sounds and every volunteer fireman comes running from their homes for a drill
I like to take my small group here on Wed afternoons for some excellent chai.

Unfortunately the only thing we are allowed to order here is a nice glass of coke or juice. The pub is a good place to watch the Rugby games, Go All Blacks!
One of the many padocks just outside of Oxford. Most are full up with sheep and cows, but there are some that even have deer.




Thanks for taking the tour of my lovely town. More pictures of the YWAM base to come. Peace out!

Outreach

Well, it's official everybody. I'm going to India for outreach!!! We have our team all set. I'm leading the outreach with this crazy Hawaiian named Kaipo (Joel). We only have 5 students, Anthony, Joe, Felix, Carley, and Danielle. We don't know exactly where we are going or who we will be staying with, but the main area will be the North East part of India. The plan is to fly into Calcutta and then back home from Delhi. We will be doing a lot of ministry with orphans, widows, people who are dying in the Mother Theresa house, and prostitutes. We plan to leave at the end of September and be there for 8 weeks. I'm really excited to eat Indian food and wear Punjabi dresses, but I'm a little nervous about the drinking water and the dodgy trains. I will continue to keep you all updated as we get more information. Thanks for your prayers.

Update

Hey bloggers. So I know I havn't written in ages and you have all given up looking by now. Since this DTS started I have been super busy getting to know the students, going to lectures, preparing Bible studies, praying, and sometimes sleeping. I also got sick again last week and am only now starting to get better. I actually didn't go snowboarding this weekend because I needed to sleep. The mountain had gotten heaps of snow and the weather was bright blue skys.

I want to take this moment to recognize my dear friend Anna who is now 27! Happy Birthday! And an early shout out to Jen who turns 25 on the 27th!

I spent a lot of time this weekend taking photos of the small town I live in, so soon you will be able to see where I live. For now you will just have to put up with this small entry.

Some news: My parents have officially moved. They no longer live in the home I grew up in, but the phone number is still the same so you can call them if you want. =) My best friend Tricia just got engaged and I just want to say CONGRATS!

To sum up I just want to say that God is amazing and he speaks in incredible ways. If you want to know more about how God has encouraged me this week send me an e-mail. JOY!

Peace in the Middle East!

Lighthouse Church in Wanaka

To encourage team bonding, the staff for the Snowboarders DTS took a road trip down to Wanaka. We stayed at the Lighthouse Church and spent a lot of time fasting and praying for our students. We will be sending a team down every weekend on the school to help serve the Lighthouse staff as they reach out to their community on the mountain. They have planted a church in a place where people from all over the world come to for the winter season. They use this opportunity to build relationships with other snowboarders and skiiers by inviting them to free dinners at the house, Bible studies and small groups, and they have a church service on Sunday nights. If you want to know more about the ministry down there go to www.mammothlighthouse.com. Check it out!

Pit Stop

Winter Wonderland. It took us 6 hours because it was so snowy.

The Lightghouse Church

Inside the Church

"Hey, get off me!" Team bonding. =)

Me and Rita iceskating (or at least trying to)

We had a blast in Wanaka, but we are so excited for the students to arrive and to begin this awesome adventure of discipling and helping them grow closer to Jesus Christ. One more week to go. We officially start on July 9th.