Week Three
Boots down, Paddles up!
This last week we gave our feet a rest and spent some wonderful days on a kayak trip paddling through the Abel Tasman National Park together with Peter. The beautiful silence and scenery were very often interrupted by him saying: “90 degrees, 90 degrees!” We gave our best.
As we arrived at Anchorage Bay, we found a beautiful camping place to set up our tents. In all the rush of the last weeks, we had time to enjoy the sun and swim in the ocean. It felt a little bit like Glamping staying somewhere with a normal shower and flushing toilets. Even our dinner was marvellous but for some of us, it tasted a little bit dry. Maybe someone who doesn’t want to be mentioned forgot to add an important part: the sauce!
In the night, we had the experience of seeing some glowworms in the nearby caves, they are fascinating. When we stepped out, we had a clear view of all the stars and the Milky Way in the Southern Hemisphere. This reminded us about God’s capability and sense of detail to create such little and also huge things. As we learned in the past weeks, for God nothing is impossible. Even the human sinful heart didn’t stop his plans from being fulfilled and He also found a way to restore our relationship with him through Christ and gave us a new heart, if we believe in his sacrifice.
After all this new experience, it felt very easy to fall asleep. The night was shortly interrupted by a weka (NZ flightless bird) who was trying to steal our shoes, thankfully without success. On the next day, we got back in our kayaks and went further north, paddling along some different beaches and rivers.
Back from some “various activities”, we were sitting together and Peter shared some stories of his life where he experienced God in different ways which encouraged us to trust in God’s plan even if we sometimes don’t understand them right now.
Kayak camp Bible study time
After another cozy night in our tents, we started our last day on this trip. We were happy for some tailwind and good waves, because after two days of paddling some of us had very sore arms. But it was a great time to change the perspective compared to our hikes. We could grow in our faith and together as a team which is useful if you are sitting in the same boat. Moreover, we also tried to improve our rugby skills at the beach. But we have to say, we are not as good as the “All Blacks” or the “Silver Ferns”.
Team volleyball at Basecamp
Time is flying and back at Basecamp we noticed that nearly half of the program is over. So, we took some time to refocus and think about the reasons, why we are here and what God wants us to do in our lives. We are still very thankful for this opportunity here in New Zealand and for the days we had so far.
This week at Basecamp we have been praying for the world, that many more would come to know Jesus.
One thing that really stayed in our minds is that Jesus sacrificed himself for us. Should we not live our lives living sacrifices for Him?
Yesterday we packed our team gear, and this morning we leave for a 3-day tramp!
Prayer Requests
Please be praying for:
Focus
Learn to trust more in God, be faithful in Him to follow his plans.
Get a deeper understanding, of who Jesus is and what he has done for us.
Team
Enjoying every moment in God’s presence and together as a team.
Strength and protection for the upcoming Tramping Trip.
People
Open hearts for the people around us.
Building connections with strangers and talking about our faith.
Please leave a comment/short note for our team!
Written by Simon (Germany) & Lucas (Germany) on behalf of the entire OTG Team