First Month in NZ

We have now been in New Zealand for one month! This past month has been spent adjusting and learning the culture. We have had the privilege of meeting many wonderful people and getting involved with exciting ministry opportunities. We have been blessed with a beautiful 2 bedroom flat that is starting to feel more like a home to us as we are getting settled in.Our home is in walking distance of the church and just about everything we need, which is a huge answer to prayer so that we do not have to get a vehicle or find transportation too often!

We are serving at New Hope Church of the Nazarene in Whangarei and God has been opening doors for new ministries. One of the ministries of the church is Engergise Kid's Club which is held every Sunday night. This past Sunday the kids showed off their talents in a Kid's Club talent show. We had over 50 adults and children attend! The kids had a great time singing, playing piano, doing gymnastics, and showing off a variety of other talents! We are currently planning a children's Christmas program and practices for that will be beginning soon. We pray that God will continue to guide us in serving these children so they may grow to love and follow him always! This Sunday we also kicked off Children's church during morning worship. Previously children stayed in the service with their parents, but now they will have a church service of their own to sing songs, play games, and learn the stories of the bible.

Another ministry we have had the opportunity to get involved with is Rock Solid. This is a youth club for 11-14 year olds that meets one night a week. Rock Solid is currently held in Dargaville (about 45 minutes from Whangarei), but this month it will be starting in Whangarei as well. For the past 2 years there hasn't been a facility to host Rock Solid in Whangarei, but through lots of prayer God has opened the door for it to be held in a local Intermediate School. They also haven't had leaders, but God's timing is perfect and we are here now to help lead this ministry. This is a great way to reach youth who do not know Jesus and are looking for direction in their lives.

Another awesome ministry opportunity we have is through Bible in Schools. Some of New Zealand schools allow bible classes to be taught. However, some schools have been eliminating these classes because of a lack of teachers. In the next couple of weeks we will be going to Bible in Schools with Pastor Alison, who currently has a class of her own, to observe and train. Then, hopefully in the next school term after Christmas Holiday we will be able to have a class of our own!

In January, the Nazarene district will be hosting a youth camp. We have taken on the role of planning and organizing for this camp. We have been involved in many camps before and the past 2 years Jesse has been the assistant director of Boys and Girls camps for the Michigan district. It is neat to see how God has been preparing us when we didn't even know it!

Jenna is also excited to have the opportunity to utilize her marketing skills. She has been asked to make the weekly bulletin for the church and numerous other flyers and advertisements. She is also helping Rock Solid in their efforts to advertise for the new Rock Solid Club coming to Whangarei. If you are interested in learning more about Rock Solid, you can check out their new Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RockSolidClubWhangarei

Thank you for all of your prayer and support over this past month. We can feel the prayers and we great appreciate it. Please continue to pray for these ministries and that God would lead us and show us how he would like to use us during our time here.