Support for Solo Mums Continues!

If you've followed my blog for a length of time, you might remember a post entitled, "Support for Solo Mums", celebrating the courage of one young woman who chose to respond to the needs of young teenage mothers here in Whangarei.   This amazing woman, and mother of six herself,  is the daughter of  my dear friend and has now been nominated for the"Pride of New Zealand Award"! 

At the time of the last blog post Michelle had provided assistance for seven teen mums.  One year later, she has served over 300 families in need! Way to go, Michelle!

Click here for the article published in the Northern Advocate Newspaper this week: 
 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503450&objectid=11458377


If you're interested in more of the back story and want to read my original post from April 4, 2014, please click here.

Support for Solo Mums:

http://alisonweinstockinnewzealand.blogspot.co.nz/2014/04/support-for-solo-mums.html

The Wonders of the South

The South Island of New Zealand is full of wonders and World Heritage Sites. I was privileged to experience a few of them this weekend with a dear friend who "shouted" ("paid for" in Kiwi lingo) me the trip as a last hoorah before saying good-bye to this fair land we call Aotearoa.

We visited Queenstown, Fjordland National Park, and Milford Sound!  The scenery is nothing short of dramatic and impressive . . .and very cold! We even went white-water rafting in the frigid waters of the Shotover River and explored the snow-capped peaks of the Remarkables (part of the Southern Alps) via helicopter!  Enjoy the photos!

Discovering Jesus with Rock Solid

Tuesday nights are always filled with fun and faith as we gather at Kamo Intermediate School for "Rock Solid", an interdenominational youth outreach.

 The majority of our youth come from homes where participating in church is not a common practice and where the name of Jesus is nothing more than a curse word.  Rock Solid provides a safe place for youth to come and spend energy, get a good feed, and learn godly principles.

This week we have launched a new "Discovering Jesus" course for those kids really keen to learn more about who Jesus is, what he claims to do, and how that affects life in the here and now.  It is an exploratory small group Bible Study of sorts, geared for 11-14 yr olds.  We now meet shortly after school, before the traditional Rock Solid club nights begin and tonight we praise God for five students who took the plunge and attended the course.  This will continue for six weeks, after which the youth will have the chance to evaluate what they have learned and decide for themselves if they really want to follow Christ.

I am incredibly blessed to be a part of this very special season in the lives of these young people before I leave New Zealand!

Please pray that the words of Christ, recorded in His Word, will penetrate the heart of every young person and bring about transformation.

More Blessed Messy-ness!

A few months ago I posted a blog entitled, "Blessed Messy-ness", describing some of our interactions with the precious children at the Mango Tree Centre for the Disabled in Tonga.


Today's post takes us not to Tonga, but back here to New Zealand, for more blessed messy-ness.
At Kids Club on Sunday night we experimented with a new recipe for homemade "Softer-Than-Clouds Play Dough" : cornflour and hair conditioner!  Strange, but it works!   Only two ingredients needed for this heavenly stuff.  

Tables were covered in plastic and floors were lined with tarps, in hopes of averting a caked-on-the-carpet cornflour crisis.  That was short lived, as you can imagine, and by the end of the night we were all sporting a soft white film on our skin. .. and so was the carpet.

Despite the lengthy clean-up process and getting our money's worth out of the vacuum, all the kids remarked that it was one of their favourite activities of the night.  (An added bonus of creating the play dough is that it leaves your hands silky and smooth!)

Now don't worry. We did more than just make a royal mess of the church worship facility; we also participated in our usual "Prayer Box" prayer time, practiced our memory verse for the month, and discussed the characteristics of a godly mother.  We even made some quite nifty Mother's Day cards.

Sometimes (quite often, actually), life is messy.  There really is no way around it.  Plans fail, people disappoint you, you disappoint others, ends don't seem to meet, decisions are difficult, and it all feels a bit cluttered.  The residue of sinful and stupid choices or natural disasters or just plain tough stuff seems to leave an annoying film on everything else in your life.

 And yet, in the midst of the mess is where you find the Creator God.  I don't know if you've noticed, but He's ingenious really, surprisingly skilled at crafting, moulding and mixing seemingly bizarre ingredients to fashion something far more beautiful and helpful than you expected. They key is to meet the Creator in the mess and fight the urge to clean everything up yourself.  We humans are terrible custodians at times, entirely unable to give ourselves a good washing.

 We need a God who can forgive us our sins, cleanse us from unrighteousness, respond to our prayers and do life WITH us every single day of our lives.  Only when we allow God access to our mess, can He clean us up and turn things around for our good.

Let me clarify and tell you plainly.  Trials in life do not automatically make you stronger.  In fact, some can wreck you and cause serious damage if left unattended.  What you must do is surrender your difficulties and messes TO God so that he has permission to make a Romans 8:28 a reality, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

This then is "Blessed Messy-ness".

The Venn Diagram: Between what was and what will be . . .

Anyone recognize this?

Yes.  This is a Venn Diagram, that ever-so-helpful tool that we all learned how to use in 2nd grade for identifying and displaying similarities and differences between objects, ideas, people, etc.

With two months left here in New Zealand, I feel as though my life is a grand Venn diagram.  Future marriage and ministry in the United States lay on one side, while the past four years of life here in New Zealand lay on the other.  My current reality occupies the space in the middle.

Somewhere between what was and what will be is, well. . . what is.

It is in this middle space where you will find me between a "hello" and a "good-bye", between the "Land of the Long White Cloud" and the "Home on the Range".  My inner self churns like the perfect storm, full of delightful anticipation of the future, yet grief-stricken as I bid farewell to the past.

Transitioning out of Aotearoa and into America is like simultaneously dwelling in two parallel universes.  I'm a bit at a loss for words, really.  Fellow missionaries and expats will understand that to say things feel "bittersweet" would be the understatement of the century.  Being a "square peg in  around hole" isn't quite adequate.

I am making plans and taking steps toward the next chapter in my life,  while the current chapter is still being written. I am making decisions as if I were living in Kansas City, while still residing in New Zealand.  Likewise, I am making decisions here in New Zealand that will affect life after I leave, some of which I will never see the fruit or consequences.

Discombobulating?  Yes.   Frustrating?  Yes.  Difficult? Yes.

Worth it?  YES!

Amidst the emotional turmoil involved in making the change, there is abiding peace and overflowing joy.  God has called me and blessed me beyond words!  Marriage and eventual motherhood await.  Ministry will take on a new shape and reunions with old friends and family members will be sweet.

In all of this, I see a snapshot of the Kingdom of God.  Disciples of Jesus Christ find themselves in a similar situation, caught between two overlapping kingdoms:  the earthly kingdom and the heavenly kingdom.  We strive to operate according to God's principles which drive the heavenly kingdom, while still residing here on earth.   We don't quite fit in with the world, yet are called to live in it, love it, and sacrifice for it, just as Jesus did.

  There is a subtle restlessness that remains inside each one of us, something that whispers, "This is not my real home; I'm just passing through. .." The Bible tells us that the "Kingdom of God has come", because Jesus is present all over the world through his Holy Spirit. And yet, this kingdom is not yet complete, because the power of sin is still active in the world for a little while longer.  We dwell in the "now, but not yet."

Only God can help us to live within this creative tension effectively.  It is a fine art, one that only He can teach us to perfect.  I guess perfecting the art of living well and loving well wherever we are on life's Venn Diagram is what walking with Jesus is all about.

Somewhere between what was and what will be is what is.

Lord, let me trust you here.

ANZAC Day

Yesterday was ANZAC Day here in New Zealand, a day set aside on April 25th of each year to honour the fallen and returned war veterans in the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps.  (Hence the acronym).

Nearly every city, town, and village in New Zealand commemorates this day with a dawn parade and public ceremony.   I had the privilege of participating in yesterday's events here in Whangarei and found myself among a crowd of thousands of proud Whangarei citizens braving the early morning darkness to come out in support of our troops.  This year marked the 100 year anniversary of the Anzacs landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula in WWI.  It made me so proud to call this city home for nearly four years.

Photos are courtesy of my friend Jess.  (My photos are a bit fuzzy.)

"Maurice the Great"

Maurice Desmond Moffat, my eighty-nine year old landlord and a surrogate grandfather of sorts, finished his race and went home to be with his Saviour last Thursday.  "Maurice the Great", as he is affectionately known by his great-grandchildren, will be greatly missed by many people here in New Zealand, especially in Whangarei. 


I count it a gift from God to have lived just on the other side of the wall from Maurice, blessed by his love and hospitality, for over 3.5 years.  Often we shared prayers and stories, car rides, Sunday night meals, and sermon notes.  Maurice treated me like a true grand-daughter, spoiling me with fresh goodies from the garden and words of wisdom.  I honoured his age and stage by giving him rides to doctor's visits and did some of his shopping.   It was a tender and treasured relationship.

 Maurice proudly supported my pastoral ministry, prayed for me, and invited people to our church on a regular basis, even though he himself was often not well enough to attend worship services.  I always knew that I had an advocate in Maurice.  What a gift.

Thank you, Jesus for the gift of "Maurice the Great".

I have the honour of officiating Maurice's funeral this Thursday at 1:00PM.   This will officially be my first time to officiate a funeral as a pastor.  How fitting that it is for such a great man who loved Jesus more than anything and wanted nothing more than for everyone around him to know Christ as well.