Parachute Christian Music Festival

So Between 22nd Jan - 26th Jan we spent at Parachute @ a christain music festival. We were volunteering at a missions tent called Destination World but through Ywam Auckland. I was in a section called Displaced people which was a simulation to show the people at the festival how people are kicked out of there homes around the world. So i got to be a landmine victim & working with a guy called Jonathon from Wellington who was my missionary medic. Now Jonathon is areal life surgeon & I'm not exactly Oscar worthy but between us we did everyone proud. We made 2 kids cry & everyone who came in to our section just couldn't keep up with us. So many people were actually nearly in tears cause we made it so realistic. We had blood squirting everywhere. I even coughed blood onto two people and they bought it halarious ill tell ya.

But yeah Parachute was a sweet deal. David Crowder band,Casting crowns & loads of other New Zealand & foreign bands. It was so stinking hot as well. Myself & Ian would even go into some of the concerts indoors with air con and fall as well to get away from the sun & i didn't even get burnt as well.

Sojourn & Hazels

o whats been going down over here in the summery New year in New Zealand? Well Hazels came over to join the crew making it a 5 for 3 weeks. Hazels trip started off with a marathon airport waiting game. Myself, Ian & Jake ditched Johnny at a hostel in Auckland city bru with all our surf boards and gear. Then we returned the rental car to the airport. Now hazel was arriving 22 hours after we dropped the car at the airport so been the stingy peeps that we are we went to the airport stocked up on some grub & beverages and did a stack out for the 22 hours eating, reading walking and watching the air traffic. 

Hazels arrived in at 11am, and was greeted by Ian's promised kiss. As hazel walked out of arrivals Ian ran up, wearing some tight green stubbies & a tight purple tee-shirt, he ran down the center of the arrivals entrance and came up behind and gob smacked the poor girl. So then we headed into town to stay with Patrick Dodson one of our speakers from our Ywam school. And as this was new years eve we then went into town to Father Teds pub and then to the sky tower for some fireworks.

Then on the 2nd the five of us went off to Sojourn on The Great barrier Island. Now this is just paradise, its basically a pacific island and is just so unbelievably beautiful. This was a Ywam retreat with 50 or so people who came to relax while also learning about the Maori culture and heritage and adapting this to the narrative of the bible story. We got to hang out and make some new savage Friends from around New Zealand & also get stuck into some perfect surfing & trekking & swimming and all sorts of stuff. The surfing was a great laugh all though it was a 5.45am start which limited are commitment and also the fact that there were sharks everywhere and sting rays swimming at your feet. I saw 3 sting rays on the first day which wasn't the most encouraging. Ian stood on one as well but got away lucky

After Sojourn we had 8 days left with hazel and we wanted to see so much of the country but we ended up going to many of our friends we met at sojourn. Myself and hazel hitched down to Tauronga one day to stay with Donna. We got to chill on the beach, surf on the sea, hike up a volcano without telling hazel it was a volcano until the end, Bonn fires on the beach, while dancing with some fire poi. Then on we went to the Reese's. Staying at the Reese's was just amazing and the definition of New Zealand hospitality. We were camping at the wend of there Farm at the junction of two rivers, with a 2 meter diving board. We would eat with the family worship at night with the family. And these guys know how to cook and they would even treat me to fresh mint tea every now and then super stuff all together. The first night the broke out the chocolate fountain, the second they went and got a pinata. We jumped off a good 8 meter bridge and then tubed down the river to our campsite. So super stuff that was. And this family is so wise and Naomi & Jeannie have a strong prophetic gift which was so cool to be around and learn about. Then we made our way back up to Auckland for hazels departure with her friend Vivian from Brisbane. We stayed with another friend Cam & jenny in Auckland as well. These guys are just super as well. they just blessed us so much giving us a car for a day giving us the keys to their house as well whoop whoop. But the more i stay here in New Zealand i realise how great this people are. They just open there houses and have blessed us so much. They really appreciate and understand about how family and friendships are so much more important than money and they are just so generous in their giving and always ready to give a hand. SO its been cool learning from all of these guys.

During Sojourn, because it was such a peace full place and so beautiful i had plenty of time to peace out and relax. I found myself going down to the dock every night and just appreciating how sweet a deal we really have as children of God. And all this time relaxing and God was really giving me a sense of vision for the next season of my life. I had already a rough idea of what i wanted to do this year and what God had been speaking to me during DTS about what was for after Dts. But God gave me a bit of a different direction at Sojourn. I'm going to enter into a season of worship. I time for me to Praise & Worship my God by myself. Entering into a place of just appreciation & intimacy with him. I'm not going to disappear into the mountains with just a guitar & a tent, I'm still going to stay close to a city where i can influence they people around me but i want to have a focus of Worshiping my King. During this time I'm going to get a 12 months working visa for New Zealand. This will be my base for getting involved in ministries around the country. I haven't decided on where ill be all year but so far i will be going to Tauronga for the time of worship with a visa run to Australia which ill be with Mark & Wes in Brisbane. But after that i will be looking around New Zealand trying to get involved with ministries around the country. There are a couple up in Auckland & then more in the north Island. But ill be playing that by ear during the year and seeing what comes up. Then for the old work ill have to see what pops up to facilitate what i want to do, so maybe some part time work throughout the year but nothing that will take away from what i really want to do here. This year I'm also wanting to get involved in short term mission trips and possibly a month or two trip to somewhere to get stuck into a city or village and do 3rd world missions. And in there in obviously an appearance back to the emerald isle sometime unless you all want to come visit me which would be alot easier.

So after hazel puked in the airport and left twice, its back down to the four of us now. But we had a blast with the hazels for 3 weeks a savage addition to our 4 masculan might men. They absolutly loved her over here and she managed to help me get a bit of my paddy accent back as Ian seems to be robbing me of more and more everyday. But were gonna miss her and Jake & Jonny are probably gonna see her & my home town before the pete. Were off to parachute which is the biggest christian festival in the southern hemisphere. 25000 people. We will be volunteering at this so that should be a good laugh and if not ill make it a good laugh. Casting crowns and also the Dave Crowder band will be playing at that. So happy days.

Im still here with Ian, Jonny & the jake for the next week then Jake will be back down to his home town for money raising time pre his trip to the Mother land of Ireland. Jonny & Ian ill be staying with for some ministry weekend in Auckland until Feb 8th.