Greetings everyone!

So….. it has been a while since I’ve been able to give you all an update on what is happening over here. Busy. Busy. Busy. We never seem to slow down. These last weeks have flown by for me! It’s been very hard to find time outside of our daily schedules to get other things accomplished. This week, it has been my goal to update this blog and share a little bit of what has been going on. And so I proceed.

 

We have been having an amazing time of lecturing and discipleship. We have a new speaker every week and sometimes even up to three different speakers. Every one of them has very good things to share and each week has been different. Some of the topics of the week have been: Prayer/Intercession, Lordship of Christ, World Views… This week has been on Relationships. It has been very challenging for me. I’ve been learning that God works in so many ways! How can we limit our thinking that He does things exactly the same for everyone? His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are so much higher than our thoughts! I read somewhere once that our minds are like a soda can and we try to take in God like the ocean. We can only hold so much. He blows my mind. He is so big and so good.

These weeks have been very good for strengthening the body and teaching us how to encourage one another more, in building up the church. We have been growing together with God and it is awesome. This is necessary before we are sent out for our outreach phase. Along with all the lectures, we have different ministry opportunities available for us to be a part of such as: Starfish, a program that works with students (hanging out with them and building friendships); some students have gone each week to a nursing home with patients that have dementia and played music for them and visit; also, there is a day where we serve breakfast each week to some students. The students around here really struggle with depression and suicide so any chance we have to talk to them and show them Love is very encouraging.

I’ve been able to use my gift of music to play at some coffee shop gigs and other venues. I’ve also signed up on a street evangelism team that goes into a town called Hamilton every Friday night to minister. This is the same town we do music at. There is another project I’m involved in called Hands where we minister to people through various works, like painting, yard work, or really anything else by hand. Last week I helped out by painting and I also got to help out at a dairy farm one day. This was quite an experience.

 

I’m really looking forward to the outreach phase coming up! Both Australia and India are possible places for me to go. I still need to pray for God’s direction in this but I know He will use me wherever I go to bring Him glory.

One encouraging thing I wanted to share is that we meet every morning at 7 for prayer. This usually is a time for praying for our families and friends and really addressing the needs of the body. We also have intercession on Wednesdays and Thursdays where we bring up world issues going on and pray over them as a group. It is so awesome when we come together and intercede. Two weeks ago when the tsunami hit, we gathered together to pray. It is so neat living in a community like this where we can easily come together to lift up those in need.

Thank you all again for continuing to pray for me. Your prayers are most needed. I wish I could write more but I will be able to soon again. And if possible, I hope to put up some pictures too.

 

 

Some things you could lift up in prayer for our group:

 

1) finances; so many students still need finances for their outreach phase

2) all the different programs going on throughout the weeks – the times we reach out here in New Zealand

3) for us to continue to press into God; many of us feel exhausted and need strength

 

I would like to say that if God lays it on any of your hearts to continue to support me through finances, please do. Right now, the fees for outreach have increased due to things like airfare. I know God is my Provider and has used many of you to help provide for me. I am so thankful to Him for all of you! You have blessed me immensely.

 

Isaac

If willing to help with financial support, please contact me at isaac.godwin22@gmail.com