Week 6
It Was Delicious!
It’s absolutely incredible how time flies! We can’t believe it’s already six weeks ago, when we all first met and now our 40 days are now over. But that didn’t keep us from having a great last week together as a team, this time on the road.
On Saturday we packed the van with our tents, backpacks, and a lot of food and started the journey with music (for the first time since the beginning of OTG!), which made us have a blasting time as we headed down south. It was a sunny day with beautiful weather, and we enjoyed the amazing landscape on our way to our first stop: Kaikoura. At the campsite, we challenged ourselves to build up the tents as fast as possible and the reward was hot tubs. Fortunately, the winners allowed everyone to join them, because all the tents were set up pretty quickly.
Most of us used the night to have a good sleep in the cozy tents, and others had to enjoy the star-filled sky with the beautiful sound of team members snoring in the background…
The next day was at least as sunny and beautiful as the day before. We went for a walk up on the cliffs and along the shores with a stunning view and a lot of seals next to us. Back to the van we ate lunch and continued our way to Christchurch. We had the chance to be part of a Sunday evening service and some of our sisters talked about their time on OTG. It was an inspiring and encouraging evening for all of us.
That night we could enjoy the hospitality of a very nice couple, who gave us a glimpse of how it would be back home by letting us sleep in beds with real bedsheets – no sleeping bag needed.
Getting up refreshed, the third day of our journey took us to Hanmer Springs, where we spent the last two nights of our road trip.
The time in the van as well as the time in nature allowed us to think back to what has happened the past few weeks, what we have learnt, and how we can apply this back home. For all of us it will be a challenge to re-enter our normal life: having our phones back, living in the city, going back to work, missing the good company of our OTG sisters… We had the opportunity to talk about it with each other, share our thoughts and worked on strategies how to manage these challenges. But facing challenges can also bring a new chance. For us, it’s a chance to evaluate what held us back in the past and what we can change in the future. It’s a chance to embrace new ways of thinking, acting, and behaving in our life as a believer in this world.
What is a challenge you’re facing at the moment? How can this challenge be a chance to change?
Beside all the thinking and discussing we had time to relax and enjoy the time with the team. We really tried to live our last days with our sisters intentionally thinking back to the beginning of OTG and all the memories we’ve made. It was fun to remember the moment we met, what our first impressions of each other were and it was good to see how every girl was growing in those weeks.
During those last days we had a lot of “last times”: last time setting up the tents, last time sleeping on the sleeping mat, last time tuna sandwiches, last time coming home to basecamp (it really felt like coming home).
We had a last dinner with the whole team and the leaders and it was special to be together as a big group one more time and share our highlights with each other. On the other side, it’s a strange feeling to pack our bags and clean basecamp knowing that everyone will leave today.
So we’re about to empty our glass by taking the very last sip of our 40 days. As we look at this analogy, we don’t want to focus on the glass that is empty now, but on our bodies which are filled with this delicious water. It will nourish our bodies, souls, and minds for what’s ahead!
We hope, with reading the blogs you were inspired to think about some questions we asked you and that you could take something out of it and apply it to your life.
We thank you for all your prayers and comments. For us, it was a blessing to know, that there are people from all over the world who support us. Thank you very much!
But our greatest thanks belong to the One who brought each of us here to OTG, our God and heavenly father! We’re thankful for protection, provision, God’s presence, good weather, changes in our hearts, the community we had as a team, the leaders who invested in us, the things we’ve learned, and all the memories and experiences we’ve made. Glory to God forever, Amen!
Prayer Requests:
· Giving thanks for everything we’ve mentioned above
· Safe travel back home or in New Zealand (for those of us who stay a little bit longer)
· A good transition back into our normal life
· That we can hold on to the things we’ve learned and that the changes in our hearts can continue at home
· That we can accomplish the goals we set for the time after OTG
· And: for the next OTG-Team that’s coming
Written by Sophia (Germany), Yellin (Switzerland) & Jaelle (Switzerland) on behalf of the entire OTG Team