We pray that the evening "God Spots", relationships built, and significant experiences will continue to have their effect on us all, including a so-called "innocent bystander" that intersected our path on Cape Reinga ( the tip of the top of the nation).
A Wellington native, "R" (that is not his real name, obviously) had just spent weeks cycling the entire country of New Zealand raising funds for an organization known as Youthline. Yes, I did just say that he CYCLED up the entire country! We encountered him on Day 4 of our trip, weary and eager to find a way back south on something other than a hard bicycle seat. We had an extra space in our convoy of vans, so this brave (or extremely desperate) soul loaded up his bike and joined a bunch of looney toons for the next two days on our journey back to Whangarei!
He ate with us in carparks, slept with us on church floors, toured the Bay of Islands with us by boat and put up with a lot of silliness (as one would expect when travelling with a bunch of young people who haven't slept for days!).
Once in Whangarei, he made his way to the bus station and travelled to Auckland where he could then finally get a flight home to Wellington. We may never know what happens to" R" from here on out, but pray that in some small way, God was glorified by the kindness extended to him, and that it was a learning experience for all. Many may see him as just an innocent bystander who "happened" to cross our path at just the right time, but I believe it was a divine encounter, designed to teach us about our universal need for God and the necessity for God's people to be ready to help at all times and in all places.
Thank you for praying for our camp. It was hard work, but work that is worth it! We thank the Lord for 3 days of beautiful weather . . . and even for the 2 days of not-so-nice-actually-quite-miserable weather. Thanks to our camp directors, Scottie, Renate, and Mark, the kids enjoyed delicious camp cuisine, 4 wheel bikes, hikes, sand-boarding, boat rides, goofy games and host of other activities! We even saw fur seals and dolphins on our boat tour! We thank the Lord for safety on the roads, especially with no relief drivers and hundreds of miles to cover on little sleep. I often wonder how I made it through the week and still stayed on the road while driving, but that's the Lord for ya: He always turns my weakness into strength just when I need it. :-)
Enjoy the photos! More to come. (My camera battery went flat on the last day, so I am relying upon others for photos of the dolphins and fur deals.)
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