how long do we have to wander through this forest?

Kia Ora :)

Firstly, sorry its been so long since I've wrote an update. Things have been happening here and I've been extremely busy with everything that's going on! But these things have been good things so ya. haha! Time has absolutely been flying here. I cannot believe that my time in New Zealand is over 1/3 over!

Well, outreach locations are decided and the planning is in full swing! Last week we prayed a lot and as 4 different teams, decided where to go for our 2 month outreaches.
My team has 8 people on it plus our leader's husband and 3 year old son. God has called us as a medical team to go to Fiji and Papua New Guinea!! So for one month, we will be in Fiji and the next we will fly to Papua New Guinea. Besides the location of our outreach, I also have something else extremely exciting to announce..

Being on the largest team with only one leader, Nesi, there was a huge weight on her shoulders to plan our outreach. And there is absolutely no way that she would have been able to do it on her own. The leaders have been praying about this for a while and just unsure about what to do but they decided that they will need a student to, for outreach, be a leader and for the time before we leave, be a part of the planning process, attend meetings, make connections with people in Fiji and PNG, help figure out accommodation and plan a budget- things like this. So last week Nesi had word from the Lord that I was to be that person! She continued to pray about it until she got confirmation. So she did, and she told me of this and I accepted, nervously, but knowing that this is from God. I am so excited for this!!!! So we had our first outreach meeting last week and the leaders prayed over me and I was annointed as a leader for outreach!

Okay, I know that I have been called into leadership in many areas of my life, but I'm just blown away by this because it serves so many purposes. The first being a HUGE learning experience, the second being confirmation from the Lord that I am called to be a leader and that He has placed this over my life for many reasons! I believe that my heavenly father will guide me through this because without Him, this will not be possible.

So, ya! That was my week last week.. and this past week was an awesome week for lectures. Our speakers, Matt and Cora, spoke on relationships and everything fun that comes along with that topic. It was really eye opening and I honestly enjoyed every minute of it.

Yesterday we took a day trip as a big group to Rotorua- a tourist-y town about an hour south from us. The main thing that gives Rotorua its identity is it's smell.... sulfur. Rotten eggs. So gross! It comes from the bubbling hot springs and the bubbling thermal mud pits. So we did the tourist thing to do and went and saw the thermal hot spots, but on our way there was the best part. We stopped to tramp around in the jungle where there are some waterfalls and ended up being there right when there were white water kayak races going on! So that was awesome, and we drove a bit more and went and wandered around a really big redwood forest. So great!

By the falls

The Redwood forest with Jenessa!

We finished off the day at the mount where a few of us went night swimming in the warm NZ ocean underneath the starlit sky :) It was actually my first time fully immersed and loving it in the ocean! Ever! Not that I haven't had the opportunity.. but I really should have done this sooner. The water is SO warm.

So to finish all of this off, just know that I need your prayers as I will be taking on a huge role as a leader for outreach. Pray that Nesi and I will have unity in our decisions during the planning for our 2 month outreach, and that we will be able to hear and follow the voice of the Lord in all of this. We also need prayer for the finances to come in as a few of us are still very much short of our funds. We don't know how much it will be exactly as we have only barely started on our budget, but I just know that there are a lot of us, one being myself, who still need a lot of money. So please pray that the funds will come in generously and in time.

If you want to give financially, or just have questions for me and would like to chat, email me at desiraekarperien@gmail.com ! There are a lot of different ways to donate money to me so we would be able to figure out the best way that works for you.

Thanks everyone for the many, MANY prayers that have already been said for me, it brings me to tears to know how many people I really do have backing me up in prayer and encouragement. Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!

I send my love from down under!

Desirae

Missio Dei

"So then, friends, because God's great mercy to us, offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing o him. This is the true worship that you should offer." Romans 12:1-2 MSG

Coram Deo: All of life is lived before the face of God

Faith cannot be trapped by past experiences

These are just a couple of the many, many things that I took away from this week of lectures. We had an amazing speaker come in this week, Mandy Hudson. She has been all over the world speaking at DTS's but during a normal week, she is a probation officer in the community and works with people who have been to jail, counsels addicts, etc. She's pretty hardcore. Anyways she spoke on hearing the voice of God and the history behind it. We learned a lot about Desert Fathers, Monasticism, Reformation, Evangelicals, Missionary Pioneers, and Revivals. That was so cool cause I had always heard of these things but never really taken the time to learn about them. The teaching was so awesome, Mandy was so real with her thoughts and feelings. 

Couple pictures from lately!

 

at the beach in Tauranga

 Corianne and I on the mount (Mount Munganui)

The group! Marine Reach DTS 2012

 This week we did a lot of interceding (group prayer) on behalf of nations that have been affected by genocide in the past and the current genocide going in in Darfur. That was really eye opening because I have never really done something like this so regularly. I really like that I'm becoming more aware of what is happening in the world and being able to involve myself through prayer.
We also had a nice worship time in the valley followed by a huge bon fire, staff testimonies and roasted marshmallows! By the time the weekend rolled around, the internet hadn't been working for a few days and I was tiiiiired. So I took Saturday and read my book all day and just chilled out. I had the most relaxing day ever- I couldn't believe how bad I needed it. Sometimes we just get so caught up in the events of the week and not realize how much we are burning ourselves out. I do that. too often. haha! The internet started working again on Sunday and everyone was able to connect with their friends and family once again.

On another note, I got some really good news from home that I have been accepted for fall semester to Mount Royal! whohooooo!!!!!! Praise God.

 I hope you all are doing well at home, I think of everyone often and I cant wait to share stories with you in person!

Love from New Zealand <3
Desirae