An update of sorts.

Life in New Zealand as of recent has been mostly uneventful, but nice. There is a fun picture above with a few friends. We have fun doing nothing, because it rarely happens that we all have nothing to do. We have had an awesome three day weekend. That's right, New Zealand has Good Friday as a national holiday. Nothing is open, nothing. Even the grocery stores, big ones, were closed.

I just wanted to update friends and family to what I am doing. We finished with the Backpacker Discipleship Training School (DTS) in February and have finally said goodbye to all our awesome students. We are already starting to prepare somewhat for the next Backpacker DTS . It begins in October, with people coming from all over the globe to small town Oxford, New Zealand. Out in the middle of nowhere, sheep country. I am currently in Oxford working on the maintenance team. I paint, fence, roof, clean, build, pound, and shovel. We are still cleaning up after the earthquake in February that demolished our beloved big city, Christchurch. There is always work to be done here in Oxford or there.
Until September, when I have to be back here for staff training, I have decided that in between the Backpacker DTS, I am going to be headed to the North Island to live with a wonderful Kiwi family. The city is by the beach and has a House of Prayer. Ever heard of IHOP? Yeah, it is another one of those, Kiwi style! My plan is to get a bike and a job and hopefully earn some money until the school.

I ask that you would please begin to pray and consider supporting me financially for this next school.

It is humbling to ask for this kind of support from others. I know I am supposed to be here in New Zealand until next February and not getting to come home will be tough at times.

Well, I hope you all are doing great. Go eat some Mexican food and enjoy a giant Dr. Pepper from the fountain for me.

A few quotes I enjoy...

"You were loved because God loves, period. God loved you, and everyone, not because you believed in certain things, but because you were a mess, and lonely, and His child. God loved you no matter how crazy you felt on the inside, no matter what a fake you were; always, even in your current condition, even before coffee. God loves you crazily..."
Anne Lamott

I am inspired by Anne Lamott. She is real. I sometimes think we need more people in this world that are just real. That people need to realize that you can not earn God's love and to just be all you are. All you are in the good and the crap.

"Hope is not about proving anything. It’s about choosing to believe this one thing: that love is bigger than any grim, bleak shit anyone can throw at us."
Anne Lamott

jackhammers are child's play

As some of you have seen already, I got the opportunity to work with a jackhammer. It really isn't too tough if you know how to hold a trigger. The hard part is lifting it. Those things are heavy! It has been quite the week in Oxford, but mainly Christchurch. Every year around Easter New Zealand has what they call "Easter Camp" in every major town (or not so major town). Christchurch has a big one with about 4,000 kids coming for a four day retreat. From what I can gather, there are concerts and speakers and booths. Some spend the night and others come for the day stuff and go home. So this week the maintenance crew helped install in huge tent. I felt like I was helping get ready for a circus.
We also are still digging people out of their homes. When the February 22nd earthquake demolished much of the city, the sewage systems either filled with silt or ruptured. Either way it smells like poo in most of the city, with porta-potties on every corner. Can you imagine using one of those everyday? They are worse than the so called "bathrooms" in Thailand, by far! One of the guys on the maintenance team got pink eye from shoveling silt that has mixed with the ruptured sewage systems. It is a mess here still.
I have also said, "farewell for now," to my friend Scott who is headed to Tauranga, which is on the North Island. He is doing an internship for two months with a non-profit called Christian Surfers. Yeah, he is a surfer from Michigan. Apparently they surf on Lake Michigan. Who knew?
Well, you all want and somehow enjoy my updates, so here is some more rambling for you. I shall end with another quote from Anne Lamott. Oh, and another book suggestion, "The Art of Non-Conformity," by Chris Guillebeau.
here's his website http://chrisguillebeau.com/

"I do not understand the mystery of grace -- only that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it found us."

Hold your head high and thumb out.

It has been about 10 days that I have been off the grid. Internet is expensive and hard to come by here.

I had the joy of welcoming my old college friend (Amanda). Am I allowed to say "old college friend" yet? I did graduate about two years ago. Anyway, I showed her what I could, and she jumped head first into the way of traveling the world that many don't get to experience.

We hitch-hiked (see picture below), rented a van, walked, and rode a bus, all in a matter of six days! We made new friends, met up with a few of my old friends and had a pretty good time. You should ask her about it.

We spent the whole time in Queenstown, which is the South Lake Tahoe of New Zealand. I must say though, it does not compare to the grandeur of Tahoe. The mountains are much bigger in California and I've had better coffee at my favorite little spot known as Alpen. It also helps having a bike, which I do not have here.
I plan on someday going back and living there again. You are welcome to join me.

I was truly amazed to experience Autumn again. I haven't gotten to see the changing leaves and colors of Fall since 2008. It is one of my favorite seasons. When was the last time you jumped into a pile of leaves? It has been way too long for me. Sadly, they were not really falling yet. Here in Oxford, the trees are pine-like and green all year, so no leaf piles for me.

I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying a Tulsa Drillers baseball game or two. Oh and if you are looking for a good read, I recommend Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. I'll end this post with a quote from her book...

"It's funny: I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox full of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up I found that life handed you these rusty bent old tools - friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty - and said 'do the best you can with these, they will have to do'. And mostly, against all odds, they do. "

Oh Maintenance...

Here is a picture of the fellas I am working with here in Oxford, New Zealand. We have a lot of fun. It is a group of Americans and the man in charge is Kiwi. I just thought you all would enjoy to see who I am working hard with.

Christchurch: The Garden City

Yesterday, my friend Scott and I decided to see what we could of Christchurch, New Zealand. We drove our normal route to get to the central part of the city. As we come closer to an intersection, at which I sadly realize an antique store I never got to go into, is past the fences. The central business district of Christchurch is completely surrounded by a 10-12 foot chain link fence. The lights at the intersection are off and it creepily reminds me of the movie "I Am Legend," or possibly a Terminator movie. The area was deserted and there were two men in Army gear making sure no one tried to get by them. They are at each street that leads to the inner part city.
I am shocked that I use to once walk those streets. As I try and look past and through the fences, the street I once barely noticed, is unrecognizable. I vaguely remember my friend Scott saying something about it looking like something from World War II. There are huge piles of rubble for what used to be buildings, like a child playing with lincoln logs, but his sibling comes and jumps on them. I did notice that a few taller buildings were still standing.
It is interesting to me that cities strive for the tallest buildings, but in a matter of seconds they fall like they were from the game of Jenga.
There was a light at the end of the tunnel for the city and the cold winter ahead, which was the World Cup of Rugby was going to be held there. They were just told this week that this will not be happening. Sad story.
This stuff has been on my heart to write about and my friend asked me to update with a new story. I hope Tulsa is swell. Enjoy an incredible Spring! Signing off...

What did the Kiwi say?

Well, for all of you that enjoy reading my thoughts online, here is another bit.

I mentioned in the earlier post about how I am on the maintenance crew on the YWAM base I serve at. It has been three days and already I am almost on overload of all the practical things I have learned.

Y'all, I re-roofed one of our dorm rooms today. It was a whole day of taking out screws, nails and then re-doing what you just undid. It has been quite the experience to say the least. I am working with a couple Kiwi bloaks. The few things I do know about handy work is sometimes worthless when they say something different. They call gravel; shingle.
"You want me to rake the shingle?" "I thought we would put the shingle on the roof..."

People are so surprised that I would want to work on the maintenance team.

I am having fun, but also getting worked. I didn't know my thumb had actual muscles (and I am a rock climber). My right thumb is getting quite the work out with hammers, paint brushes, and whatever else I hold.

That is the news as of late. Tell Tulsa Hello from me.