Week 3 - Hearing God's Voice and Tongariro

Our first week of backpacking didn't go according to our plans, but definitely went according to God's plans! We went about 3 hours from base to a campsite and had plans to backpack in that area, near the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate, so we camped one night, had to stay at a hostel the next night because of rain and then headed back to base for the rest of the week. We did get to do the Tongariro Crossing which is a 12 mile hike up through a mountain pass. It was incredibly beautiful and we had great weather for most of the day! We're so thankful that God cleared up the weather for that one day so we could hike and we could really feel his presence on the trail! His majesty in creation was so evident!

We had a great speaker this week, Cheyne Hosking. He has been with YWAM for 15 years and he spoke to us about Hearing God's Voice. He was very flexible with our ever changing plans and spoke in the rain and in the classroom. We learned so much and are so thankful he shared his wisdom and experience with us! He helped us to see that God wants us to hear His voice as that is a huge part of relationship with Him. He also showed us the simplicity of hearing from God and that faith and humility are some of the key ingredients to hearing his voice. We learned so much and had lots of time to practice hearing from God for ourselves and then getting words from the Spirit for our classmates! It was an incredible time of learning and encouraging each other. I can already feel myself growing closer to God and feeling more in tune with the Spirit. 

When we got back to base we had some much needed time to relax and recover. We also did some small hikes around the area and got to see some of the amazing views that Tauranga has to offer. We're so thankful for this week and are looking forward to next week!

Below are some pictures of our hike at Tongariro Crossing.

Week 2 - Intercession and Character of God

This week was amazing! It flew by! I can't believe our first week of lectures is done already. We had an awesome speaker named Taumata. He taught us about intercession and the character of God. He was a really dynamic teacher and taught through worship, skits, and practical lessons. We really learned to come together as a family this week and celebrated all of our cultures.

This week we settled into our routine which is really busy! We have worship or intercession in the mornings followed by classes until noon. Then we have ministry placements after lunch (Jeff works in the kitchen and I work with the gardening team). Twice a week we also have an intense workout with the group in the afternoon and one day a week we get taught more about backpacking. We also have small groups on Thursday nights. We’re keeping busy and learning a lot!

The big news this week is that we found out our outreach location is Nepal! We're so excited for the chance to share the gospel with backpackers there! We learned a lot about hearing God's voice through praying and listening for guidance. We thought we heard from Him, but being new at it we asked for confirmation and He came through for us! Both Jeff and I got the same answer both times we asked so we feel confident that Nepal is where God wants us! In the coming weeks we’ll learn more about the culture in Nepal and effective ways to minister to the people there. We’re praying that God will use us to impact Nepal for Him!

We’re also preparing this week to go out on our first backpacking trip and our first big hike! We’re so excited to get out in this beautiful country and experience God in nature!

Week 1 - Welcome and Orientation

Our first week of DTS was Amazing! We got to meet so many great people! Other Pilgrimage students, Sailing students and GO Pacifiic students. Our staff is awesome! The format for the first week was orientation for the first two days followed by introductions in the form of Life Stories. We all shared with each other our pasts struggles and joys and how we want to grow in this time. It was a really good experience and helped us to start bonding as a group.  We were also welcomed onto the land in a Maori Powhiri ceremony.

We also got to have a little fun with the Maori Warrior as well!

On Friday we had our first Backpacking experience. It was basically a trial run to make sure everyone had the right gear before we go out on a week long trip in 3 weeks.  We all got our gear together on Thursday night, then on Friday we were driven 5 miles from base and hiked back. Then we camped out in the valley overnight. The trial run went really well! We're really excited to get back out there and go for a longer trip!

So far we've been overwhelmed by how welcoming and loving everyone is. The hospitality here is amazing! We're also in awe of this beautiful country. Even just walking back on the road we're surrounded by rolling hills and mountains in the distance. The picture below is of the waterfall that's located on base in the valley where we camped. There are really beautiful trails in the forest around it called prayer walks. The valley is a really powerful place where the presence of the Lord is really tangible. I'm excited to spend more time there.

Jeff and some other Backpackers went swimming at the base of the waterfall in the valley. 

Thanks for your continuing prayer and support! We couldn't do this without you! 

In Christ,

Jeff and Erin