Hello Everyone,

We can’t believe how the time has flown by but it is actually already our last 24 hours on Off The Grid!!! The last week started with a five day road trip to the east and west coast of the South Island. We stopped at different locations in between to see some incredible spots in nature as well as daily stops at the supermarket :). It was a special time because we got to enjoy time with both our leaders together, since Christy could join us on the trip. We spend the time in the van singing songs together, playing games, sleeping as well as sharing interesting discussions. Once we even got to have Bible study in the van because the weather was a little little rainy & wet. The last days were also used to reflect and prepare ourselves mentally to go back home e.g. by talking about media and how to handle our phones when we get them back since it is like a new start after 6 weeks of fasting. Sadly this is our last blog post and that’s why we wanted to change things up and interview our teammates about their time here.

What was your favourite part of the road trip?

Andrin: I really enjoyed the evening on the campground where we were playing games together. Also a big highlight were the discussions about the Bible and God at random times.

Priscilla: I loved that our camping spot was really close to the sea and we were able to fall asleep while listening to the sound of the waves. I really enjoyed the long showers without time limit (!!!) at the campsite. Other precious moments for me were the time we got to spend at beaches for our Bible studies and personal quiet time.

Brooke: The whole road trip was so fun! But my highlight was definitely having a bonfire on the beach. We roasted chocolate bananas AND made bread on a stick over the fire! I’ve never done either of those things before (but will be bringing it back to the States with me). Learning new things and laughing with good friends fills my heart.

Sulamith: I also really enjoyed the time around the bonfire especially the part were Christy told us how she became a follower of Christ. Another highlight for me was watching a seal colony from up close. It was a true pleasure to see the baby seals play with each other. And we even got to see some dolphins out in the ocean! :)

David: My favourite part was stopping in a small village in the middle of nowhere to get a good coffee and pet two very cute dogs. The dopamine kick after that and listing to worship in the van was sooo great!

Bella: My favourite part about the road trip was going on a small day trip and jumping into the beautiful blue river with the team - despite being dripping wet in my clothes afterwards. The BEST part was noticing the instruction sign afterwards. I felt pretty accomplished after seeing it though.

What have you been learning about yourself during your time on OTG?

Andrin: I think I have learned way too much about myself to list everything here. The most interesting thing was to learn why I desire to get to the bottom of things. I learned this through an exciting exercise we went through here at Off The Grid (OTG).

Priscilla: I learned that community is really important to me and that I preform better when people around me challenge me in a positive way. And I also learned that my home country, Germany, is really diverse and that some people believe that there is a undefined middle part of Germany…

Brooke: I learned that words I tell myself are extremely important. Oftentimes I limit myself because I don’t believe that I can do it, I tell myself I can’t do it, therefore I don’t do it. I realised I need to replace my doubts with God’s Word, push myself a bit more, and be brave.

Sulamith: I feel like I am still processing all the things we have learned and talked about and I haven’t finished to put them all together. So it’s hard to answer the question in a simple statement. If had to say something specific it would be that I leaned that understanding is very important to me. I want to understand the world around me and make sense of it. I want to understand other people and their thinking but I also would like to be understood and recognised by others.

David:I have learned that I need way more time on my own reflecting and in silence to be comfortable. Spending quality time on my own with God is the best mental rest I can get! And apparently according to Priscilla I live in SOUTHERN GERMANY…

Bella: I learned how much I enjoy being creative through art and music, realising how little time I actually spend doing it at home. I also learned that the way I view myself have and continue to cause me lots of insecurities without even realising it, and I need to replace where I see my value with where God sees my value.

What have you been learning about God during OTG?

Andrin: Two things stood out for me. The first thing is that God wants to have relationship with us in a very personal, deep and real way. I got to practice that here intentionally. The other thing I learned was a better understanding of how deeply God despises sin: the concept of God loving people so much but at the same time hating sin sincerely.

Priscilla: Going through the Old Testament showed me what an incredible God we have! He made an unconditional promise to Abraham and we are part of the fulfilment of this promise! God really wants to be present to his people - and there is no better thing in this world than His presence.

Brooke: God has commissioned us to go into the world to share the Gospel and make disciples. His main desire is for us to know him, then tell others, not keep it to ourselves. The way we each do this looks different but the objective is the same. He wants us to be multipliers!

Sulamith: I learned how important it is to be fully dependent on God. To not trust in my own strength but to put my trust in God alone. Also the word obedience stood out to me. I want to learn more to go into God’s presence and listen what he wants me to do as well as obeying what he tells me without fearing peoples thoughts or reactions.

David: I learned that it is way more important to be in God’s presence than just wanting his blessings. The presence of our holy Father is the only thing we truly need for fulfilment.

Bella: In my time here God has taught me so much about Himself, but what stood out to me is how His presence is so much more valuable than his blessings. Simply spending time in God’s presence IS the blessing and gives peace, and everything else I learned stems from making that intentional time with him.