Update!

Things have been going amazingly well here in New Zealand. Every day is filled with so much happiness and adventure! I am learning more than I could have ever imagined.

My schedule during the day looks a little like this:
5:30am/5:45am - Wake Up
6:00am - Shower and Get Ready for the day!
6:45am-7:30am - Breakfast & Chill Out time
7:30/8:00am - Start Morning Work Duties (cleaning!)
8:30am-12:30pm - Worship and then Lectures
12:30pm - Lunch
Free time
1:30pm - (Wednesdays: Justice classes) (M, T, TH, F: free)
3:15pm - (Tuesdays and Thursdays: BSS [aka workout])
5:30pm - Dinner
7:30pm - (Thursday Small Groups) (M, T, W, F free)

Add some amazing speakers, fun people, games, random activities & this is what a day in the life looks like. 

AND FOR THE BIG NEWS! 

Today our leaders released the locations for outreach.

The Justice DTS- made up of 11 students and 3 leaders- is going to CAMBODIA. I can't even begin to explain how excited I am! God has definitely had Cambodia on my heart for a while and it seems to be the same case with the other students as well. The Lord has given my heart complete peace about this decision and I honestly can't wait for my time there! The Justice crew (Melanie, Michael, Jada, Larissa, Madelyn, Emma, Austin, Derek, Seth, Dan, and myself) is already like a family and I am so excited about spending outreach with them.

All of this excitement is almost more than I can handle! AH I wish we were already there. Yet I know that the time I have here in New Zealand is so essential. During these next three months I will learn so much about myself, God, and what justice really means so that I will be able to partake in delivering God's justice for the hurting in Cambodia. The Lord has already done so much in my heart in the two weeks I've been here, and I know that He will continue to do amazing things in the next five months. I am so blessed with all I've been given and I still have a hard time believing I'm here. Thank you so much to the people who have supported me in this journey. Coming here was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

All of this being said, I have less than three months to raise the remaining money needed for my outreach. All of the different teams will be leaving for outreach in the beginning of October. Yikes. I have faith that it is all in God's hands. Nothing is too big for the Big Guy. I'm here, aren't I? Today I was told that usually outreach costs around $3,900 NZD which is close to $3,000 US dollars. At this moment, I only have a little over $1,000 towards outreach costs. That means I still need $2,000. 

Please be praying for my finances! The Lord is faithful and I know that in one way or another, I will make it to Cambodia and be able spread the love of Jesus to deeply hurting people there- in whatever way the Lord allows me to do that. Maybe it will be ministry with children, trafficked women, or those suffering from crippling poverty. I don't know yet! But I'm ready for whatever is in store. I just have to get there. :)

Lots of Love, Holly

P.S. If you would like to help me reach my needed goal of $2,000 for outreach to Cambodia, please let me know! You can always send me a message, contact me on Facebook, or I also have a Paypal that is linked on this page for whoever feels led to donate!

Thank you so much everyone for your support. Your prayers, thoughts, kind words, and donations have gotten me here- and I don't know how to thank you enough. I am so blessed.

A Time of Learning, Growing, Forgiving and Loving

Welcome to the base! This is where I live.

Hello friends, loved ones and family. :)

I thought I would post an update and share a little bit about what God has been doing in my heart and the hearts of my fellow students, as well as what has been going on all the way out here in New Zealand.

The past few days have been spent bonding and growing with the 30 or so students. We have gathered under the leadership of an amazing Australian man of God named Cheyne (pronounced like Shane) in the lecture room, where next week we will begin classes based on whatever stream we are in (I am in the Justice group. There is also a medical, compassion and evangelism). This week though, the lecture room has been a place for sharing testimonies; struggles, breaking chains and bondage, praying for one another and ultimately receiving forgiveness. I can't even begin to explain the healing that has been going on here in the past couple days. We have grown not only individually but also as a group- any ice there was has been broken and we are all becoming close and comfortable with each other after less than a week here! Our time of sharing was set up in a circle where the floor was open for anyone to share what was on their heart- be it their past, testimony, sin, past struggles, current struggles, past hurts, current hurts, etc. The ultimate goal of this sharing time was to get our hearts right with God and wipe the slate clean before we embark on this journey. Students who have become my friends confessed of and/or broke free from deceit, lust and impurity, drug and alcohol addictions, self-harm, pride, depression and suicidal thinking, insecurities, prejudice, anger, and almost anything else you can think of that all of us as humans struggle with. So many tears have been shed as we received nothing but love and forgiveness from the open arms of our Father and our friends. 


We've been broken. We've been forgiven. We're still working on it every day. We acknowledge that many of these struggles HAVE to be surrendered daily. It all starts here with us speaking it out and confessing it to God in front of one another. This has been one of the best experiences I've had; especially in the area of community and friendship. We look at each other with nothing but the loving eyes of the Lord and have rallied behind each person who has shared their broken hearts. There is no shame, because there does not need to be. The Lord tells us this in Isaiah 54:4- "Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood." Ah, to realize this is so good. It has set so many of these students free. I praise the Lord for that.

Today we had a woman named Patty who is the founder of Justice Reach come and speak to us. She shared her ministry, one that I have such a heart for and can't wait to work more with. It is actually one of the main goals of my time here- to do Justice. It is directed towards women and children who have been trafficked and sold into sex slavery. Oh, to hear her speak this morning just ignited the flame in my heart once again. This injustice stirs something up inside of me. These kids, these little girls. It breaks my heart to think of all of the PRECIOUS lives being stolen and broken- innocence being stolen and broken. I can't wait to start learning about how to do justice and bring hope to these women and children whose lives are entrapped by modern day slavery. Classes begin next week! And then, three months from now, hopefully I will be able to live out these things I will learn!

Maori warrior during the Powhiri.

Also today, we were officially welcomed as a group to the land. The Maori (indigenous people of New Zealand) have a ceremony called Powhiri (in their language 'wh' is pronounced like an 'f'') in which they assess whether or not our intentions for being here are good, and from there welcome us to the land and bless our time. The ceremony began with a Maori warrior in traditional clothing dancing around making noises and grunting, trying to intimidate the male representative from our group with the goal of seeing if we were fit and wouldn't back down. And trust me, it was intimidating. Once he was convinced we were okay, he laid down a stick and began to back away. The man representing our group then picked up the stick as a sign of receiving the welcome, and the ceremony began. Speeches acknowledging God's creation of this beautiful place were made. Songs of worship and welcome were sang. It was beautiful. It was such an experience to see and be a part of a culture so different from my own. Our common ground was God.

I am loving this place.

I am making so many new friends. I already feel as though these people are family.

Thank you for getting me here, everyone. Thank you so much.
God is so good to me.

Love (and lots of it), Holly


P.S. 

Words, Phrases, and Things I am becoming very familiar with here

• Milo- A drink from New Zealand which I think is a lot like hot chocolate. I've had a lot of it. I'm drinking it right now.
• "heaps" - A lot of something (ie. in my time here I've already learned heaps)
• Kia Ora- Maori word for welcome, greeting
• Tim Tams - cookie like dessert that has a gooey center. 
• Tim Tam Slam - An activity in which you bite off one corner on each side of the Tim Tam, and then use the cookie as a sort of straw. I have not yet participated in this activity but it seems to be very enjoyable to natives and foreigners alike.
• "good on, mate" - Nice, congratulations, great, an affirmation
• "sweet as" - awesome, cool
• biscuits - cookies!
• jersey - sweater
• L & P - New Zealand drink, kind of like Ginger Ale
• trolley - shopping cart

Pictures!

The student handbook!

This is my room! I am the top bunk on the right. My three roommates names are Alexia, Madelyn, and Deborah.  (Alexia is from Georgia, Madelyn is from California, and Deborah is from Germany)

My bed! It is winter here, and chilly out- so I was worried about being cold, but with sheets, a sleeping bag, duvet cover, and blanket, I was quite alright last night! :)

After losing my luggage, the airline made sure to deliver my things this morning so I got to unpack a bit and get my room somewhat set up! So nice.

This is the view from the back porch of the base . 

The students and some staff (and Molly the dog) went on a walk to Gideon's Valley (the waterfall that is just a walk down the hill in the backyard)

On the way to Gideon's Valley, it was raining and we all got wet and had to seriously avoid slipping a few times, but it was magical! 

Walking down to the Valley.

Welcome to the most beautiful place ever.

It doesn't seem like it could be real!

Wowza.

I'm here!!!!!

Molly the dog making the return walk to the base house after seeing Gideon's valley.

Tonight everyone has been playing Mafia. I'd never played before but it was FUN. This area is kind of the common area/dining hall/kitchen. 

I'm here!!!!

Hello there everyone! I am finally in Tauranga, New Zealand at the Training Centre. Currently it is 1:30 in the afternoon, Sunday the 15th here. I am sitting on a bean bag by the fireplace surrounded by people from all over the world. It's cold and it's raining but what I've seen has been magnificently beautiful. Wow. What a journey. Where do I even begin?! 

Last night I arrived at about 8:00, and was greeted by nothing but friendly faces and warm welcomes. Getting here instantly took away (at least some of) my previous anxiety. I got the tour of the base, found my room and unpacked what little I had to unpack, and met my roommates. I am staying in something like a trailer outside the base, with three other girls- one of which has not yet arrived. The two I have met are Alexia and Madelyn- I can already tell that we are going to be friends. I finally got to sleep at about 10:00 New Zealand time, and oh how wonderful it was to sleep in a bed. To sleep at all!

My journey began two days ago. I think. Who can even keep track of all the time changes anymore? I flew from Kansas City to Denver, then Denver to Los Angeles. Both flights and transitions went perfectly smooth and started my trip off on a very positive note. Leaving Kansas City was much more emotional than I had been expecting. Until that point, I had been handling leaving quite well- it hadn't really sunk in. The Lord was so kind to Braxton and I on Thursday the 12th. We both were leaving KCI, him on his way to South Africa and it just so happened that we were flying the same airline, out of the same terminal, our flights only an hour apart. We got to go through security together, and sit inside the terminal to wait for my flight to board. Sitting there, knowing that this would be the last time I would see the man I want to marry for five months, the last time I would see my mom for five months, that was when the tears began. When it was time for me to board, leaving Braxton was one of the hardest things I have had to do. It sounds cheesy, but walking away from the love of my life with the knowledge that 5 months would pass before I could be with him again made my heart hurt. The only thing that got me through it was the grace God gave me in knowing that this was HIS plan and if we put our relationship in His hands, He will protect and nurture it even in this time apart!

Things went well for my first few flights. But in Los Angeles, I had a 6 hour layover in preparation for my long flight from LAX to Sydney, Australia. Everything seemed to be going perfectly, and aside from a few tears I was doing well. 3 hours before my flight was to leave, I got into a line at the customer service desk to print off my boarding pass for my 15 hour flight. I did not anticipate that this would be the longest line in the history of the world, but regardless I thought I had enough time. Yet, after waiting nearly two hours in line I reached the desk and the attendant informed me that I could not print off my boarding pass here. With a little over an hour until my flight to Sydney departed, I immediately panicked (big time) when she told me that I would have to leave the main airport, take a shuttle to an international building to get my boarding pass, and then come all the way back through security and get to my gate in time for my flight. In fact, I kind of freaked out. I called my mom in a panic, tears pouring down my face knowing I would miss my flight and surely never get to New Zealand. By the grace of God (and also probably a little bit because I was a mess running around LAX barefoot sobbing) people were able to direct me to where I needed to be. Once I was at the international airline terminal, the woman at the desk delivered the news that I had already missed my flight. She told me that she would put me on the standby list for the next flight to Sydney which happened to be only two hours later. Panicked and alone I waited for 45 minutes to see if I would have a seat on the new flight. I did!!!! I had to rush through security again, but I made it and got onto the 11:50pm flight to Sydney. The whole experience was extremely flustering and every bone in my body wanted to just give up and go home.
And yet, the Lord is faithful, even when I doubt Him. I am learning more and more to trust that He knows what He's doing! About an hour into the flight, the Australian guy that was sitting next to me leaned over and asked if I was alright. I told him what had been going on. His name was Shane. He was from Sydney, and had been in the USA for his 21st birthday. It had been obvious to him that something was wrong, and praise the Lord- he reached out to me. We spent the next 4 or 5 hours talking and laughing. The more we spoke, the more we both agreed that God had put us on that plane together for a reason. Shane had been suffering with depression for a couple months, and I was able to share my story with him. I shared with him about my two-year struggle with severe depression, the hopelessness that had entangled me. He shared with me his personal struggle, and that he had in fact planned to commit suicide two days earlier, when he was in Las Vegas. We connected in a way that only the Lord could have planned and initiated, and I shared with him the true hope there is in recovery even when it doesn't seem possible. I told him that God loved him and wanted him to be alive- that his life was worth living. By 10 or so hours into the flight, he was thanking me for reminding him there are reasons to live, thanking me for his life. Wow, Jesus. Thank you for Shane's life. Thank you that he didn't kill himself two days ago, and we were able to meet on this flight and encourage one another. I am so amazed at how the Lord had this plan all along, and while I was so upset to miss my flight, if I hadn't I wouldn't have met this man. By the end of our flight, Shane pulled out his wallet and gave me two hundred dollars towards my funds for New Zealand. He had won $700 at a casino in Las Vegas, and insisted that God was telling him to give me $200 of it. Um, wow. I was (and still am) without words. Trust the Lord- HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING. 

Before I left! My backpack weighed almost as much as  my suitcase. Ouch.

Sydney was an easy transit and I got onto my next flight to Auckland, New Zealand just fine. I arrived in New Zealand and went through customs successfully (HALLELUJAH). I then discovered that my bag had been left behind and wouldn't arrive until a few hours later. The baggage service promised me they would try their hardest to get my bag on my flight to Tauranga but that there was no guarantee. I fought against anxiety and instead gave it to God and just prayed that He would work it all out. I got through security once again (which was a surprise and a blessing each time it happened- due to the excessive size of my carryon) and I was on to Tauranga. I waited a couple hours in Auckland, and then boarded my final flight, which was only 25 minutes long!

I arrived at the Tauranga airport and was warmly greeted by Brittany and Ashley- two of the staff here at YWAM. As soon as they hugged me my anxiety decreased exponentially. :)

This morning, my bag was delivered from the airport and I was able to unpack in my room and get things set up. I had breakfast, skyped with my mom, and was able to take a SHOWER!!! Yay. Since then, I have felt so much of the Lord's peace. By the minute I am meeting more and more incredible people and feeling more and more at peace here. I think I'm going to like it here.



As I end this post, it is 3:47pm- I took a couple detours in my blogging as I went on an adventure with the other students and some staff.

Pictures to come. :)

The Final Countdown.

The title is referencing the three days there are left until I leave for New Zealand, not the cheesy epic song by the '80s rock band 'Europe'. 

The final countdown is beginning and the reality of  my trip is finally hitting me! In the face. Hard. In the last couple days I have experienced more emotions than I could have imagined would come with a 5 month trip to pursue a relationship with God. I have been feeling stress, utter excitement, anxiety, fear, happiness, sadness, trustful and doubtful. But because of all of these feelings I am learning so much about God's character. 

Every time I am sad about leaving my family and loved ones, when I am stressed about packing, when I am scared about moving to a country where I know no one, or that old anxiety I have struggled with starts to creep in- the Lord moves in some way, reminding me that this is HIS PLAN!!!! He has called me there! He has provided to get me this far already! I have no reason to be feeling these things. I find comfort in the little (and big) ways He reminds me that He is ultimately in control.

The other day I was driving to my boyfriend's house to spend some time with him and his family before he and I both leave for our trips (Braxton is going to South Africa for a month on missions the same day I leave for my DTS!) feeling very anxious and stressed, when I noticed the only other car on the road with me was a little black Volkswagen with the license plate 'JUSTIC3'. If you didn't know before, I am attending the Justice DTS program during my time in New Zealand. The main theme of this school is to be God's hands and voice to free the oppressed- those suffering from INjustice. I immediately knew the Lord sent me this little message to remind me that this is where HE is sending me. This is where I am called to be for this time in my life! If I am going to pursue God's will, why in the world should I be afraid?

From this sweet reminder, to words of encouragement family and friends have sent me, to little moments where I am reminded what this is all about; I am seeing God's kind, faithful, and patient character more everyday.

With only a few days left to prepare, I suppose it is inevitable that I will at some point become flustered by all of the commotion. But I am asking for your prayers that I will ultimately keep my eyes on the big purpose here! Pray that I will remember the reason I am doing all this- to serve God, to serve the hurting and oppressed people of the world!

All of this being said, I am so so so so so very excited about the journey I have ahead of me. Maybe not so much the er, physical journey of traveling for forty-eight hours across the world all by my lonesome; but definitely the spiritual journey and the adventure that I am about to embark on! I want to thank anyone who takes the time to read my blog, I cannot tell you how much it means to me to be able to share all of this with you. I want to take you with me every step of the way! Thank you so much to those who have helped get me here, and to those who are praying for me.


Money raised so far: about $4,500 (wow)
Money still needed: about $3,000 


To anyone who would like to support me- If you would like to donate to my outreach fund, please let me know! Paypal is available right here on my blog, or you can send me a message through Facebook to get my contact info. Thank you so much for your donations, whether it be 5 dollars or 50, anything helps and is such a HUGE blessing to my ministry! :)


Much Love, Holly