What a Journey

And a journey it has been, with only two weeks left of ministry left i sit here on our day off in a cafe using the free wifi looking back on our time we have had here already. 

The time has flown by here but yet I have experienced so many incredible things and seen God work in incredible ways. I know i have grown so much in my understandings and knowledge, my heart has been broken many times and definitely makes me so proud to call New Zealand home.

Two weeks ago we travelled to the Caribbean side to a small town called Shiroles, where we stayed for a week with the purpose of teaching to the local believers there everyday. It took a five hour bus ride to a town called Rye Rye where we then caught a typical American looking bus for another forty-five minutes. Although that was an experience in itself. By the time we got on the bus it was full, we thought we could only JUST squeeze on. But no, we managed to fit probably about another thirty people on. The bus could fit roughly thirty people in sits and there was roughly about eighty people on the bus. You could imagine the conditions. Hot, Sweaty and most definitely smelly. Going a speed of approximately ten KM. The adventure had begun. 

After getting off the bus we then carried all our luggage for about a mile down the road to the church where we were to call home for the next six nights. I'll just give you a brief on the week.constantly dripping with sweat once again

• no hot water
• cooking over an open fire for every meal
• occasionally bathing in the river cause its warmer then the shower (having fish bite you as you bathe)
• Painted a local pastors house
• walked, walked, walked. Oh and did i mention we walked a lot. 
• Gabby lost her Jandals in a small creek, that was a site in itself.
• Tears a lot of them. From the team and from the locals.
• Getting attacked by bugs. 
•  keeping the lights on after dark is asking to be attacked. 
• Killed a chicken for dinner.
• Driving through the jungle after preaching and the truck breaking down. Only results in worshipping where we find ourselves surrounded by fire flies as we sang.
• Becoming addicted to the card game 'Speed' cause that's all you can do during your off time (apart from reading your bible of course)
• Team Bonding
• demolishing a wooden playground
• Being blessed with free fresh pizza for dinner
• Busing it for another hour and a half just to go to the beach on our day off
• In general creating memories that will last to tell the grand kids. 

Home for a week

The Kitchen

Team reporting for duty

Gabriela the one and only

Sometimes you just have to be friends with a horse

This is the pastors house that we painted

Ready for Myself and TJ to preach up a storm, forty minutes away

The church TJ and I Preached in

Blessed with the best

The Pastors children

That was fun while it lasted 

Definitely was a first for both of us

Getting amongst it

That chicken had no hope

Saying goodbye to our house mates for the week. A lot of tears on their end.

This shows just a tiny portion of the things we did and things we experienced during our short time in  Shiroles.
Until next time,

God Bless

KEEP STEPPING FORWARD!