“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
-John Wesley
Who me? A missionary? Pffft....Im not going anywhere! I mean, I am quite happy doing what I am doing thank you very much!
I soon learnt, we must never say never cos sometimes we find God has other plans.....
I became involved in a Christian youth ministry organisation called Youth for Christ (YFC), as a Campus Life kid. It was awesome, doing heaps of fun things, with cool leaders and plenty of camps. I grew up in Campus Life - then became a leader of other YFC clubs. I soon found I had a passion for youth, especially non-church youth and God fuelled this by opening up opportunities to volunteer with YFC ministries and church based youth ministry through the years.
Fast forward, to 1999. This was a critical year for me in more ways than one. I was chosen to be part of a band (10 young people) touring NZ and Fiji schools, presenting the gospel message through popular music, drama, testimony and dance and performing concerts in every town and city. It was the most intense, difficult but oh so rewarding year of my life. God used my bullying testimony (also on this testimony forum) to impact young people experiencing the same pain I went through. It was a priviledge and honour for God to use me in this. As I mentioned, we toured Fiji as part of our tour.....now to say I was not enthused at going to Fiji is an understatement! I tend to be a homebody...
homesickness is something I was plagued with as a child. I was quite happy to evangelise to my own culture and work with youth here- not there! This was soon to change however......
Flying into Fiji brought mixed emotions. While I felt out of my comfort zone I also felt this strange peace. As the 3 week tour began I felt my heart open and I felt a love for Fiji, the culture and its people. At the conclusion of our tour there the Director of the youth ministry there said I must come back, to which I promised I would...he then said 'no, come back and work for us.' I was shocked, scared by the thought, though in looking back, I see God preparing my heart for just that.
I went back to NZ and continued with the rest of tour. Right throughout the rest of the year I prayed about Fiji and I kept in touch with everyone. At the conclusion of tour I contacted Fiji to say I was seriously considering coming back to work there as a missionary to young people. The Director was elated! However, before plans could be made, Fiji underwent a military coup which halted all ministry there and put the whole country at risk. Did that mean God had closed the door to me going there? Did I get it wrong?
2002 rolled round and I was called out of the blue regarding a short term mission trip to Fiji to do some concreting and fixing up of the youth ministry offices. I jumped at the chance of returning as I had kept in close contact over the last 3 years with the friends I had made. Of course, upon return the subject of me going back to work there entered the conversation. Even though, at that point I KNEW that God wanted me there (the excitement and passion I had was so un-natural for me) but I still told the Director I would go home to 'pray about it.'
God confirmed my return through his word, through other people and through prayer. The ball was in motion. 2003 saw me embark on the adventure of my life! Here I was, little miss homebody, moving to a new country to live in a culture I hardly know, BY MYSELF! I was both scared and excited!
There is a saying that goes: where God guides, he provides. I know this to be true! I have been a youth worker with YFC in NZ for 14 years previous to going to Fiji. I know what it is to live on faith support. I know what it is to cry out to God when you have no idea how you can pay your rent. I have seen God make the impossible possible!!
Having said all this, I was not quite prepared for the extremely hard times to come. Whilst I had many friends in Fiji and had visited there before I was not expecting the isolation and homesickness that comes from living in another culture. Ringing home was not an option at $1.70 per min. I was, for the first time ever, cut off from my family....who I am extremely close to. The next 1 1/2 months were gruelling. Everyday was a struggle, reliance on Gods strength was the ONLY thing that stopped me from boarding a plane back to NZ. THANK GOD I didnt! Looking back this time was faith stretching and a great experience - however I can only see it as great in hindsight!!
Once I settled and found my niche, youth ministry was exciting, challenging and fun. Working with street kids was awesome. Building relationships with youth one on one was rewarding. Working in classrooms presenting programmes was an awesome experience! It wasnt all easy, I had my obstacles to overcome but for one of the first times in my life I knew what reliance on God really is! I knew I was being used in a place where my heart truly was.
It is SO EASY to sit in our 'safe zones.' Risk is...well, risky! Stepping out in faith is scary! What if I fail??? That was MY biggest fear. But what is failure? I see failure now as not learning from your mistakes...that is true failure...true failure is also not trying...not giving things a go. I could have spat the dummy so many times and gone back to the safety of what I knew in NZ but then I would have missed out on so much that God was teaching me and using me in. Also, if I had gone home, had I failed? NO! God would have honoured the faith leap I took in going anyway.
In 2004 I was scheduled to come home for a holidy but was looking forward to returning to ministry there. I loved Fiji, my work mates and ministry. However, bitter disappointment came when the programme I had developed and run got given to a new worker and I had been offered another programme which I had never done and had no passion for as it was working with young children, not youth. I tried to negotitate a compromise, however, this wasnt to be. I was sooo sooo unbelievably hurt and crushed seeing all I had worked on handed over and even more saddened that my only option was to go home for good.
Since then, I have returned to Fiji to meet up with friends and still help the ministry there with their Summer camps. I returned 2005 and again in 06. Fiji is still very much in my heart. I absolutely love the people there and long to return. I have petitioned God on why I still so firmly have that land and its people in my heart, especially when I am no longer there doing ministry. I still dont have an answer on that one. I have gone through a stage of anger and resentment for how my time there ended and sought God on forgiving them for what transpired. Thank God he is able to empower us to do this!
What I do know for sure is, I want to do and be in Gods will. There is a song that says: 'I wanna be your hands, I wanna be your feet, I'll go where you send me, go where you send me, and I'll try, yes I'll try, to touch the world, like you touched my life'....
This is my passion. I have a heart and passion for indigenous culture. Im not sure what that means practically speaking at the moment. I have a heart for mission. I have a passion to see people empowered in other countries to do effective evangelism to their own people.....this is not the end for me....I feel like at the moment I am in training. God has called me out of Christian ministry to equip me. I am currently 1 1/2 years into a 4 year Batchelor in Social Work. I want to use this for his glory.
Whether God takes me to the nations or not, we are ALL called through the great commission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. My passion is to be salt and light to people every day...to be a representation of Christ to others. This is a lofty task, but GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN ME THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD.
Our missionfield - YOUR missionfield is right where you are. Right now. In CC, with your family, friends, work mates, neigbours....etc. Ask God every day to use you and to SHOW you ways of being 'his hands and feet.'
One of the hardest places to be a 'missionary' or 'evangelist' is at home! I know this from experience. However I also know that God will empower you to do great things when you trust and rely on his strength and wisdom to do it!
Thank you for reading this loooong novel!! lol....hope I didnt put you to sleep!
God bless you all
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
-John Wesley
Who me? A missionary? Pffft....Im not going anywhere! I mean, I am quite happy doing what I am doing thank you very much!
I soon learnt, we must never say never cos sometimes we find God has other plans.....
I became involved in a Christian youth ministry organisation called Youth for Christ (YFC), as a Campus Life kid. It was awesome, doing heaps of fun things, with cool leaders and plenty of camps. I grew up in Campus Life - then became a leader of other YFC clubs. I soon found I had a passion for youth, especially non-church youth and God fuelled this by opening up opportunities to volunteer with YFC ministries and church based youth ministry through the years.
Fast forward, to 1999. This was a critical year for me in more ways than one. I was chosen to be part of a band (10 young people) touring NZ and Fiji schools, presenting the gospel message through popular music, drama, testimony and dance and performing concerts in every town and city. It was the most intense, difficult but oh so rewarding year of my life. God used my bullying testimony (also on this testimony forum) to impact young people experiencing the same pain I went through. It was a priviledge and honour for God to use me in this. As I mentioned, we toured Fiji as part of our tour.....now to say I was not enthused at going to Fiji is an understatement! I tend to be a homebody...
homesickness is something I was plagued with as a child. I was quite happy to evangelise to my own culture and work with youth here- not there! This was soon to change however......
Flying into Fiji brought mixed emotions. While I felt out of my comfort zone I also felt this strange peace. As the 3 week tour began I felt my heart open and I felt a love for Fiji, the culture and its people. At the conclusion of our tour there the Director of the youth ministry there said I must come back, to which I promised I would...he then said 'no, come back and work for us.' I was shocked, scared by the thought, though in looking back, I see God preparing my heart for just that.
I went back to NZ and continued with the rest of tour. Right throughout the rest of the year I prayed about Fiji and I kept in touch with everyone. At the conclusion of tour I contacted Fiji to say I was seriously considering coming back to work there as a missionary to young people. The Director was elated! However, before plans could be made, Fiji underwent a military coup which halted all ministry there and put the whole country at risk. Did that mean God had closed the door to me going there? Did I get it wrong?
2002 rolled round and I was called out of the blue regarding a short term mission trip to Fiji to do some concreting and fixing up of the youth ministry offices. I jumped at the chance of returning as I had kept in close contact over the last 3 years with the friends I had made. Of course, upon return the subject of me going back to work there entered the conversation. Even though, at that point I KNEW that God wanted me there (the excitement and passion I had was so un-natural for me) but I still told the Director I would go home to 'pray about it.'
God confirmed my return through his word, through other people and through prayer. The ball was in motion. 2003 saw me embark on the adventure of my life! Here I was, little miss homebody, moving to a new country to live in a culture I hardly know, BY MYSELF! I was both scared and excited!
There is a saying that goes: where God guides, he provides. I know this to be true! I have been a youth worker with YFC in NZ for 14 years previous to going to Fiji. I know what it is to live on faith support. I know what it is to cry out to God when you have no idea how you can pay your rent. I have seen God make the impossible possible!!
Having said all this, I was not quite prepared for the extremely hard times to come. Whilst I had many friends in Fiji and had visited there before I was not expecting the isolation and homesickness that comes from living in another culture. Ringing home was not an option at $1.70 per min. I was, for the first time ever, cut off from my family....who I am extremely close to. The next 1 1/2 months were gruelling. Everyday was a struggle, reliance on Gods strength was the ONLY thing that stopped me from boarding a plane back to NZ. THANK GOD I didnt! Looking back this time was faith stretching and a great experience - however I can only see it as great in hindsight!!
Once I settled and found my niche, youth ministry was exciting, challenging and fun. Working with street kids was awesome. Building relationships with youth one on one was rewarding. Working in classrooms presenting programmes was an awesome experience! It wasnt all easy, I had my obstacles to overcome but for one of the first times in my life I knew what reliance on God really is! I knew I was being used in a place where my heart truly was.
It is SO EASY to sit in our 'safe zones.' Risk is...well, risky! Stepping out in faith is scary! What if I fail??? That was MY biggest fear. But what is failure? I see failure now as not learning from your mistakes...that is true failure...true failure is also not trying...not giving things a go. I could have spat the dummy so many times and gone back to the safety of what I knew in NZ but then I would have missed out on so much that God was teaching me and using me in. Also, if I had gone home, had I failed? NO! God would have honoured the faith leap I took in going anyway.
In 2004 I was scheduled to come home for a holidy but was looking forward to returning to ministry there. I loved Fiji, my work mates and ministry. However, bitter disappointment came when the programme I had developed and run got given to a new worker and I had been offered another programme which I had never done and had no passion for as it was working with young children, not youth. I tried to negotitate a compromise, however, this wasnt to be. I was sooo sooo unbelievably hurt and crushed seeing all I had worked on handed over and even more saddened that my only option was to go home for good.
Since then, I have returned to Fiji to meet up with friends and still help the ministry there with their Summer camps. I returned 2005 and again in 06. Fiji is still very much in my heart. I absolutely love the people there and long to return. I have petitioned God on why I still so firmly have that land and its people in my heart, especially when I am no longer there doing ministry. I still dont have an answer on that one. I have gone through a stage of anger and resentment for how my time there ended and sought God on forgiving them for what transpired. Thank God he is able to empower us to do this!
What I do know for sure is, I want to do and be in Gods will. There is a song that says: 'I wanna be your hands, I wanna be your feet, I'll go where you send me, go where you send me, and I'll try, yes I'll try, to touch the world, like you touched my life'....
This is my passion. I have a heart and passion for indigenous culture. Im not sure what that means practically speaking at the moment. I have a heart for mission. I have a passion to see people empowered in other countries to do effective evangelism to their own people.....this is not the end for me....I feel like at the moment I am in training. God has called me out of Christian ministry to equip me. I am currently 1 1/2 years into a 4 year Batchelor in Social Work. I want to use this for his glory.
Whether God takes me to the nations or not, we are ALL called through the great commission to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. My passion is to be salt and light to people every day...to be a representation of Christ to others. This is a lofty task, but GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN ME THAN HE WHO IS IN THE WORLD.
Our missionfield - YOUR missionfield is right where you are. Right now. In CC, with your family, friends, work mates, neigbours....etc. Ask God every day to use you and to SHOW you ways of being 'his hands and feet.'
One of the hardest places to be a 'missionary' or 'evangelist' is at home! I know this from experience. However I also know that God will empower you to do great things when you trust and rely on his strength and wisdom to do it!
Thank you for reading this loooong novel!! lol....hope I didnt put you to sleep!
God bless you all