From One Home to Another

*warning:long post*

How do I summarize the past 6 months of amazing adventures?  During this past week of being home, I have struggled to answer this question.  For those that don’t know, I am back home in Niverville.  My trip home was a crazy and unanticipated journey of adventure, but alas, I am home safe, excited to be reconnecting with my friends and family. 

I apologize for the lack of communication and updates from myself.  The past month, much like all 6 months, have been busy, always exciting, and simply brilliant.  Upon returning to New Zealand from Fiji, the semester quickly wrapped up.  We had one day off, followed by the grad dinner, the next day grad, and the following day tearfully fare welling our family of the last 6 months.  It felt as if my heart was being ripped into pieces and spread across the entire globe.  Which in fact, it has been.  As difficult as it has been to say goodbye to those I consider family, I know that I am blessed to have such friends as those in my life, and that although we are apart, our journeys continue. 

 My time at Capernwray has been a concentrated time of learning and experiencing new things.  Some of the things that have stuck out to me most are some of the most simple but profound truths of God that are life changers.  I have learned that:

                                -God is already and will continue to use me; I just need to be sold out for God-available, willing and desiring to give Him all of me, expecting Him to use all of me.

                                -Without Christ I am nothing.  But He is everything, and He lives in and through me.  To truly allow Him to use me, I need to stop trying, ‘drop dead’ (as Ron Lowry says), and allow Christ to live-He is all we need.

                                -I can, and must trust God, with everything.  Phil 4.5-7 became very alive to me, feeling the unexplainable peace amidst trials, and even the joy in trials James talks about in James 1:2.  Isaiah 23:6 became my theme-God is the rock eternal, and when we keep our mind steadfast, continuously and intentionally deciding to trust God, He will give us perfect peace.

                                -The reason I live is so much bigger than I.  Everything of value on earth has become so minuscule and finite compared to that which is infinite.  There is no room for me in the trinity.

                                -What a true servant leader is, and how God has called us all to lead by example.

                                -I have gained a passion for my bible, for keeping in regular conversation with my Lord,  and for bringing everything back to Christ, because of whom I live and can let live in me.  PTL.

                                -and heaps more.

I had the privilege of staying at Capernwray for an extra 10 days after most students left.  I spent a day in Auckland with friends, saying goodbye, and then came back to campus and cooked and baked for the staff and students (with help J ) for the remaining 9 days.  This time was really enjoyable and needed for me.  Although it was quiet around campus, and walking past empty rooms and an unfilled orangery (dining hall) stimulated a lingering feeling of missing the large Capernwray community and family, the 9 days of more silence than I was used to provided me with an opportunity to reflect on the last 6 months, spend extra time with God, and prepare myself for returning home.  No amount of preparations, however, can take away the sadness of leaving and make the transition of coming home painless.   However, the ~10 of us that did remain made the most of our extra days together and made many more memories.  In our spare time, we built a giant fort in the lecture hall where we had many movie marathons and even a sleepover. :P We biked to the café nearby and enjoyed delicious blueberry ice cream, and finally went horseback riding in horse country.  Fighting my fear of horses, I hopped on ‘Spirit’, a white horse who lacked none.  She was stubborn and moody, but beautiful and fine for the trek up and down the beautiful, large, green rolling hills of New Zealand.  I felt like I was in LOTR.  Unfortunately the joke of me falling off the horse came to reality when my horse fell (yes, she just collapsed) in the mud, and as she flailed I fell/hopped off the horse.  A little shaken, but in true Katelyn fashion, I hopped back on the horse, ironically uninjured. 

 Only two days later, on my trip home, I broke my foot getting on to the bus heading to Auckland airport.  Of all the crazy things I did, it was falling off a curb that broke me.  Once I got to the airport, I was assessed by the medical team and sent by ambulance to the hospital.  I missed my flight, and spent the following day waiting to board my rescheduled flight with my newly acquired crutches and cast.  My flight home continued the trend of adventure with a nearly missed flight and a much delayed flight.  My adventure just does not end, and that’s okay with me-even if it means a summer stuck at home, broken, but with a lot of extra time to invest I would not otherwise have.

As I am now home, attempting to adjust to the changes: the time, the lifestyle, the community, the loss of Capernwray, and the regain of life back home.  It is challenging to say the least.  However, God is continuing to teach me new things day by day and I can rest in the surety that God is the same here and there, and that although I may be leaving one adventure, I am onto another.  Please keep me in your prayers as the transition is difficult and requires much patience.  Thank you to all of you who have supported me in this journey, and continue to support me as I move forward.  If you would like to hear more about my experiences, give me a shout and we can chat. :)

Cheers

Bula! Fiji!

In early June, a group of 13 of us headed to Fiji for 2 weeks.  For me, Fiji was a time of learning, building relationships, experiencing new things, and loving.   During the two weeks, we slept and ate at an all-boys bible school while we primarily worked nearby building a piggery in the middle of a sugar cane field to house pigs that serve as a source of income for locals.  We also did children’s ministry and worked on Ray and Laura’s (the missionaries we worked with) newly purchased farm that will serve as a demonstration farm for locals to learn from.  In our spare time we spent time with our cooks and the bible school students building relationships.  Some highlights of the trip to Fiji include:

                -Learning many hands on skills, like using a machete to cut down sugar cane for the piggery, or hand mixing and pouring concrete.

                -Spending time having fun with Fijian kids.  I love to love, and loving kids lights me up J

                -The Fijians teaching us by example the value of relationships.  For them, a successful day does not include a lot of productive and efficient work done; it includes the building of relationships. 

                -A cultural Fijian village experience; including handmade flower leis, dancing, pottery and cava (a ‘relaxing drink’ made of crushed root).

                -The island day-tanning on a catamaran, snorkelling, swimming to a sand bar, and jet skiing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  Simply stunning. (Yes, they did let us relax every once in a while ;) )

                -And of course, learning and bonding with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, making lifetime memories.  

I am so thankful for everything God taught me in Fiji through the place, the people and His word.  Thank you heaps to all of you who supported me with encouragement, financially and in prayer.  You were a part of this trip too, and blessed me and the people of Fiji. :)

      

 


  

     

 

Fiji Here We Come!

Hey everyone.  Well I head out to Fiji today! Its crazy.  This week has been jammed full of assignments and other busyness preparing for Fiji.  I had my final night with my youth group here, final family night, final week of lectures, final assignments, and many other finals.  It’s been a crazy and exhausting week.  I am finding it within me still to get excited for Fiji.  Thanks for all you have supported me with encouragement, prayers or finances-It all has been a blessing. Your prayers over the next 2 weeks while we are in Fiji; for safety, health, love for the people, team unity and for God to use us in big and little ways.  I wont have much or any access to internet while I am in Fiji, so talk to you in 2 weeks. Home in one month!!! :D

Katelyn

Term Two: Busyness, Breakthrough and Beyond :)

A little over 3 weeks ago term 2 started, and before I could settle in, things were pretty crazy. These past couple weeks have been quite challenging, but also quite encouraging. I'm really thankful God kept me here for this term instead of going to ABS. Lectures this term have been amazing so far. Our first weeks of lectures were from Jerry Benjamin, a very knowledgable man who speaks 1000 words a minute. He taught on the 7 churches in Revelation. It was really interesting, and made the book of Revelation a lot less intimidating and confusing. The next week Satish John, the director of Himalayan Torchbearers in India spoke on servant leadership. He is one of the most amazing people I have met. His testimony is absolutely insane, and the stories he has are incredible. He is a really good example of a servant leader, and taught me a lot by the way he lives alone. He’s also really intelligent and got me really interested into studying the characters of the Old Testament with better detail. Last week Peter Thomas, our director, taught his third week on genesis. As always, it was pretty interesting and very practical. And finally, this week, Lew Meyer is teaching on world religions and cults. Its really helpful to be gaining a better understanding of other views and beliefs, and to better ground myself in what I do believe.

The assignments this term have had a lot more variety and it has been nice to be able to add the more personal aspect. I got to share a devotional during morning tea the first week back, which was both exciting and a little frightening. I spoke on giving God our best. We also had a bible study on Jude 20-25, readings, and an oral report due so far. Today I presented my 20 minute oral report on prophesy. It was really good to dig into the topic and learn more about it as it has been something I haven’t quite understood but have wanted to study for a while. Another assignment coming up is out study paper, which we get to choose the topic for. Next week our assignment is to make a gospel video which I am pretty excited for. And my only other assignment is a bible study to present to my family group. I’m learning a lot from all these assignments, as busy as it can get getting them done on time.

My weekly ministry doing youth group has been a real blessing, even though it’s on Friday nights, when I am most exhausted. The relationships I have been able to build are really special and I’m excited to be seeing God work in the youth’s lives. This Friday I will be sharing my testimony with the youth. I am kind of nervous, but thankful for the opportunity.

Last week was quite crazy and full of excitement. The staff family that lives here on campus just had a baby Friday morning, right here on campus. First Capernwray baby! J Adding to the excitement was breakthrough. We transformed the entire campus into a giant Indiana Jones themed game for Breakthrough, a youth event we have twice a year. Between the 2 nights we ran it, about 350 kids came! The whole place was completely decked out with 11 different places including things like an invisible bridge, catacombs, a jungle complete with a swinging bridge etc. I was in charge (along with one other girl) to turn our homestead lounge into a Coptic church in Libya that had been attacked and bombed..without actually setting the place on fire. Lol. It was a lot of fun, especially when the kids came, but also really challenging. Although many of the kids who come are churched, many are also not. We were told that many kids come from rough homes and will probably have gone home to their parents drunk. For many of them, breakthrough is one of their only outlets to learning about God in a fun and loving environment. It was important to keep that in mind as a team leader. God is reminding me that we don't need to see the results of the 'seeds we sow', but simply share His message and love, and leave the results to Him. On Friday night I led a group of 10 crazy and emotional preteen girls through the adventure game, in the rain. It was challenge to say the least, but we had a ton of fun. Saturday night i had a group of eight 17 year olds, most of whom i worked with on ministry week. They were the rebellious ones, even 'beat up' the 'bad guys' who were supposed to catch us. It was a gong show, but they all had a lot of fun. After the 2-hour adventure game, we gathered as a whole group and Hadassah, the brilliant creative genius mastermind behind breakthrough spoke about Voice of the Martyrs, and we took up and offering for the persecuted church. Lastly, Hadassah gave a short devotional. All in all it was great.

After the weekend we were all super exhausted, and quiet day on Monday came at the perfect time. It was really refreshing to get cozy and sleep, drink tea and read my bible for the entire day without talking to anyone. I have been really challenged by God to truly depend on Him to be all sufficient and fulfill the desires of my heart, and to truly trust in Him casting all my worries aside. Isaiah 26:3 and Philippians 4:6&7 have been verses that have become very real to me.

The days are getting shorter and the weather colder. On the bright side, autumn is fully here and the leaves are brilliantly gorgeous. But all that just gets me even more excited to be going to Fiji in only 18 days!! Unfortunately, this also means that Capernwray ends in just 5 short weeks. After that I have two weeks to travel, during which I will hopefully be going to Aussie. And then I’ll be coming home. Time really does fly by here. Preparations for Fiji are coming along good. Our team of 7 girls and 6 guys are meeting weekly to prepare, and hopefully soon we will be finding out what it is we will be doing there. Whatever the case, things change all the time, so we are prepared to do whatever is needed at the time. Funding for the trip is slowly coming along. The cost is about $1900, and I am almost a third of the way there. If you’re interested in supporting me, let me know and I can give you more details. You can also go straight to this link to donate: http://www.capernwray.org.nz/support/missions. Your prayer for the trip is very much appreciated also! 

Speaking of prayer, here are a few other prayer requests:

-The kids from breakthrough
-Health. Ive been feeling unwell for the majority of my time here, and would love to be better before going to Fiji
-Me sharing my testimony for the youth on Friday. Continued growth in the hearts of the youth. And for kids to show up again-the numbers have been low lately.
-Continued community building for the remaining 5 weeks of school left.

If you have any prayer requests, shoot me a message. :)
Also, if you feel like sending me mail, don'y be shy ;) My mailing address (in case you forgot :p) is

Monavale Bible School
P.O. Box 702
Cambridge 3450
NEW ZEALAND

Thanks heaps!! :D
Katelyn

Adventures, A New Term and FIJI

Two week break has ended and term two has officially begun J 

On two week break I flew from Auckland to Christchurch, in the South Island, and travelled the south island for 2 weeks. Here’s a quick summary and a few highlights:

-Christchurch.  It was a gong show.  The roads are crazy and still under construction everywhere because of the earthquake.  Our first day in the car a lady beside us rolled down her window and asked us if we had any idea what we were doing, and when we told her where we were going, she threw her head back and cackled and just drove off.  I guess we were going the wrong way. Lol. There was a really cool mall in Christchurch made entirely out of shipping containers, built after the earthquake. 

-From Christchurch we drove to Geraldine, where our sister Capernwray centre, The Crossing. It was really cool for me to visit and stay the night there, especially since I had been enrolled to go there before I decided to come to Monavale.  I am still happy with my choice to come to Monavale even though The Crossing is also a lovely place.
-Oamaru.  We met a cool guy, David, who ownd a bike shop and let us ride his penny farthings.  He rode a penny farthing from the bottom to the top of the south island in 3 weeks, carrying everything he needed on his back.  He was also a Christian man, and prayed over us. Super cool :) 

-We went to Lake Tekapo/Mt. Cook, Dunedin, drove along Catlins Coast, and made it to Milford Sound, one of the most beautiful places.  The drive there is rated the #1 drive in the world by CNN in fact.  And I got to drive it :) In Dunedin we drove up to a lokout spot over the whole city at night, and drove up the steepest street in the world!

-In Queenstown we went to Fergburger (YUM!) and I bungy jumped 134m!  It was absolutely terrifying, and the bus ride up to the jump was the most stressful ride of my life.  I signed up, immediately got on the bus, and within an hour had jumped! We took a little tram to the floating base where we jumped off of and looking down from the base made it 10 times worse. Lol.  Once it was my turn, they tied me up and hooked my feet together and gave me no time.  I was so nervous, I missed the first countdown.  Without even thinking I just jumped on the second countdown and it was the most liberating feeling ever.  It went by so quick I didn’t have any time to think, so I barely remember it.  But I would recommend it to everyone.  Definitely up there on the best things ive ever done.

-Puzzling world in Wanaka.  In Franz Joseph we hiked to a glacier, and drove up the rest of the west coast.  We made our way to the very north of the south island and went to Golden Bay and Able Tasman, both stunning places.  I kayaked in Able Tasman along the coast for a day.  I kayaked to shag harbour, where there were about 20 baby seals swimming and jumping around me.  I even touched one.  It was so super cool!!  There were tons of other seals along the way too, and I even found a perfectly good apple in the ocean (And ate it of course:) ) and a hose with spring water coming out of it.  You never know what you can find in the ocean :)

-Finally we ferried back to the north island.  We spent a few more days travelling; we went to the Coromandel and to Cathedral Cove (where Narnia was filmed!!) and a hot water beach where we dug a hole and sat in really hot water, basically a natural hot tub :) We spent the last day in Auckland and made our way back to Cambridge. 

The whole break was quite the adventure.  We tented (there was lots of rain), ate like we were on a budget (cause we were), and met a lot of awesome people, and a lot of crazies too.  Although it wasn’t very relaxing or refreshing, it was a really amazing time of experiences Gods creation and revelation of His character.  God’s power and might were continuously revealed to me through the majestic beauty of the mountains, ocean and nature.  I could not get over it!
All together, we flew 1100 miles, biked, boated, kayaked, actually flew (bunjy), and drove 4500 kilometers in 17 days. :) 

School officially started on April 29^th.  I got a new room, 2 new roommates, and new excitement for my time here.  There are also a few new students; one from Brandon Manitoba!! :D  Im really excited to see what God has to teach me in the next 9 weeks and the fun that will come with it.  In 6.5 weeks, I will be going with a group of 10 or so to Fiji for 2 weeks to do missions. I’m super stoked!  It’s pretty expensive, and I have prayerfully considered whether or not I should go and feel that this is where God wants me to go on ministry week.  The trip is going to cost about $2000, partly for travel/trip costs, and part to invest in projects we will be working on there. If you are interested in supporting me financially, you can email me at katelyngoertzen@capernwray.org.nz or contact me some other way.  You can also visit http://www.capernwray.org.nz/support/missions and donate there.  Just be sure to put my name in the form :) Also, if you are willing, I would also love for you to join me in prayer for the trip, the people we will meet, for safety and for us. :)  All your support is super appreciated and means a lot!!

Some other things you could pray for are:

-I have to prepare a devotion for the school for Monday, a bible study for friday and an oral report on any topic i choose for may 14th; all of these things take a lot of time.

-The new students to get connected well and feel welcome.

-For our smaller community (We’ve gone from 43 to 25 students) to adapt well.

-Me regarding my future university plans. 

Thanks for all the support and encouragement~!

Cheers,

Kate