Each week here in NZ has been amazing; every speaker has brought their own unique style of teaching and connecting with us. This past week we had the privilege of hosting Frank Naea, who was fantastic! He incorporated a significant portion of Kiwi culture, the Haka, into his teaching. The Haka is a traditional dance from the Maori of New Zealand. The Haka was originally performed before battle to proclaim the warriors' strength in order to intimidate the enemy. It was such a powerful moment for our school when we performed the Haka because we called out loud the fears/lies that satan has placed in our life and proclaimed that they were dead to us; we are alive in the truths and promises of God.
The Haka
Another meaningful item we covered in lecture dealt with the potter and his clay. Jeremiah 18:1-6 says, "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, 'Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you my message.' So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him." I love symbolism like this--we are the clay and the Lord has and continues to form us as he sees fit; the potter also has to work out all the bubbles in his clay so it doesn't shatter in the kiln, ruining not only one pot but all the surrounding pots. This discipleship training school has been a process of the Lord working out my bubbles, preparing me to take his love and word to the nations..if my bubbles weren't addressed and worked on I could shatter and quite possibly break others around me. It's the same with everyone..there are tough times we all go through, but if we look at it as the Lord working out our kinks in order to make something beautiful it's that much easier to persevere. I'm so thankful for the process!
We've had some great weekend get aways as well lately...pictures posted below =)
Camping at Lake Daniels
