Ladies' Challenge '09

Tanya's Baptism

Josh's Baptism

SPBC Outreach Day

Ladies' Mid-Winter Xmas

Jaydon's Baptism

BOP Steamers Game

Youth-Blast from the Past

Waitamo Caves-The Abyss

Otumoetai Church

The Luge

Movie Night Outreach

My Bungy Jump (video)

Taupo Bungy

All Blacks (Rugby) Game

4th of July Outreach

Princess Party Outreach

Palmerston North: church & singing

Church Body Life...

Women Events

Jaydon's Baptism

Youth

New Plymouth Camp

Bible in Schools

Open Mic Night Outreach...

Waitangi Day (National Holiday)

Super Saturday Childrens Outreach 2009

Super Saturday Video...

If you would like to watch this video in a larger size...click on the bottom right corner of the video where it says YOUTUBE. Enjoy!

Bella's Baptism

Valentine's Party

Mamma Mia Outreach

Focus Auckland Youth/Young Adult Camp

Our Church Family

Summer with Youth

Karangahake Gorge

Youth Xmas Party

Gramma Carol's NZ Visit...

Youth Tramp/Bush Walk

Young Adult Xmas Party

Ian Murphy's Baptism

Auckland Visit

Christmas NZ style '08

McLarens Falls with Youth

Coromandel Peninsula

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I've added some more pics! Hopefully I'll get some more updated and have another newsletter by next month. This has been a busy month and the next one will be busy in the beginning!
We went to the Coromandel yesterday and these are some pics of us going to Hot Water Beach (where you go at low tide and dig a hole in the sand and a bunch of hot water comes up and makes like a natural hot tub. There is molten rock and hot sulfur underneath and the sea is right next to it bringing in water.) We also went to Cathedral Cove (this place is in the 2nd Narnia movie). We went up to Shakespeare's Cliff ( a place REALLY high up with a beautiful view) and we took the ferry over to Whitianga and saw some shops over there. It was a trip with just our team and our co-ordinators. It was really awesome and we all had a great time enjoying another part of New Zealand! :)

Weekend Trip to Napier

This past weekend our team took a 4 hr. trip to Napier, New Zealand to see the other AIM team one last time. They are done with their field time (as they were in the class before us) and are leaving in early November. They wanted us to see some of the work they've been doing and the place where they spent their mission time.
We got to stay with some host families in the church, do some service projects, do a skit for a kid's class and in front of the church, go rock climbing, have a lot of devos. and singing nights to encourage one another, and we got to meet some of the youth and young adults they've been working with and mentoring.
Over all, it was a really neat trip and a great chance to see another part of new zealand, as well as God's people in all different parts! We hope to be able to continue to encourage that church there and to maybe visit again some time! :)

Otumoetai Lock-In

We held a lock-in at our church for all the teens and young-adults in the north island (or at least close around our area.) We ended up having youth come from Auckland, Napier, Rotorua, and 1 girl even came and was visiting from Australia. It was neat to see these young christians from different areas and share with each other. We also had some worship time and a lesson together. Some non-christians attended as well and some brought friends. It was a great way to build friendships and plant seeds! Pray that that they will continue to grow!

Ladies' Challenge

Ladies' Challenge this yr. was held in Rotorua. It was like a weekend-long camp for all the women in the north island, and we even had one come from Nelson in the South Island. It was a great time of refreshment and really neat to meet christians from all different areas! It was very encouraging to get to see some other missionaries from different parts as well and to exchange some ideas and catch up! Overall, our team really enjoyed this time and look forward to probably participating in it next year in Napier, New Zealand.

Trip To Rotorua

Rotorua is about 45 min. away from where we live. For those of you who have been there, you know that it has a quite unpleasant smell of sulfur as you approach and go through some of the town! This is a geothermal area, with natural hot springs and boiling mud. We also got to go through a redwood forest and a neat park there as well. Ladies' Challenge was held in Rotorua, so we went up early to have a look around!

Mexican Night

This was a woman's event we held at our church building that our team spent HEAPS of time organizing and putting together. All the ladies' brought different mexican dishes and we provided some and made a mexican drink and had music and table decorations and did some fun facts and spanish word games and a mexican dance. We even had a pinata. It was tons of fun! It was quite a change for NZ because they don't really have any mexican restaraunts and BARELY ANY mexican food. This was for any women from our church and they could bring friends that didn't go to church for a fun night with the ladies!

Day With the Duboses

Mount Action Centre

Everyone from the church was invited to go and we rented out three courts. We had sport, fun, and fellowship! Here are some pics from our time there!

Chocolate Night

We had a bunch of teen girls come over to hang out on a Friday night and we played games, got to fellowship, and watched a nooma video (really good little spiritual videos if you haven't seen them. You can see some online. They are about 10 min. long).

Supakidz

Supakidz is something Jana and I do once a week. It is teaching the bible in schools. Here are some pics from last week!

Josh Austin's last Rugby Game-FINALS!!!

Josh is a boy from our church. His rugby team made it to the finals out of all in his league. They won a silver medal for second place...only lost by 1 point! Good job Josh!!! :)

The Beach/Mount

These are some pics from the beach at the Mount...now in Springtime!

Team Pics and Girl's Night Out

Some pictures of our team and a Girl's Night Out convention I went to.

Care and Craft

The slideshows don't seem to be working (at least not for ME!) so if they are working for you please let me know. But if you can't see the pictures for the Mystery Dinner or this Care and Craft post then please just click on the link to the side --> that says pictures and you can look at them!

Care and Craft is what Kristi and I do once a week working with older people and some disabled people as well!

Young Adult Mystery Dinner

Everyone got to "guess" at what they were going to eat but it was NEVER what you expected. Really fun way to interact and get others involved. Everyone got to dress as their favourite food! Here are some pics! Sry if you have gotten an update a lot on this one...I keep trying to fix it and think my internet is going funny!

Ashtin and Jana at The Mount

Youth Dinner

Updated Pics

I've added some new pics from this past month in an album to the right...it says New Zealand and right under it, it says "pictures". Click on that link to view some albums. Some of those pics are from back in Lubbock or back home. The one I just added is labeled July '08. Click on that album for my recent pics! I hope everyone got my newsletter okay! Let me know if you don't get them and would like to receive one through email! Love and miss you all heaps! Enjoy some more pictures! I will be adding them on here like this from now on, instead of putting heaps of them directly on my page. It's easier. :)

"Diamonds" Event

Well, sorry it has been a while since I have written an update! I think our whole team is starting to work on our monthly newsletters so hopefully those will be out fairly soon as well! I also don't want to put to much on here because then our newsletters are really just a repeat! It's been nice having a blog page, though, so I can show family and friends back home some pictures without having to print them off!
I think I'm going to just try to explain pictures that we post on here and keep pictures going on this page. Also, if our team has any prayer requests or big things that come up I may post them on here. If anyone has any questions or anything they'd LIKE me to post on here, let me know and I can try to do that as well. Otherwise, I think I'll leave our newsletters for the work updates.
To explain the "Diamonds" Event that I posted some pictures from, this was a ladies' event held at the church and they try to hold a big one once every couple months I believe. Once a month, the ladies' do get-together, but this is just a big event that they plan and put a lot more into and it is for any women in the community to come. It really is a great way to invite people in and to get other ladies' in the community to meet Christian women in a non-threatening way.
As you have probably guessed, the theme for this evening was "Diamonds, a Girl's Best Friend." It was held at the church (another way to get people familiar with where the building is and not feel threatened to "go to church" so to speak) and the women's ministry really went all out in decorating and planning it out! Everyone got to get all dressed up and wear a lot of "bling." (I am sad to say that I am not to the point of owning much "bling" yet..haha! But I got to wear some fake stuff! haha). Some young men in the church dressed up and were the escorts when you first walked in. They also handed out little gift baggies that had a verse on a neat keepsake paper made up like a diamond (really, the theme verse for the night) that was from Proverbs 31 "A woman is worth far more than diamonds." -translated from The Message. They also got some other little goodies. They had a picture spot for women and friends to get a picture taken together, they had a trivia game, desserts, and a guy that came and sang to all the women. Mary Nelson (one of our fantabulous coordinators) did a small devo./thought with "diamonds" as the theme as well. It was a really neat evening and please pray that we really reached out and some of those women will come back to the church or other events in the future and that some good friendships can be made! I already saw some returning people from the 4th of July party that the Americans in the church held. It's funny the ways we can reach out and show love to people! And I think we all know how the love of Christ can always bring you back for more! Please be praying for all the women at this event and that their hearts will be softened!
Thought for the day: (This goes along with a post I already posted so if you've heard it before, sry. But it goes with the theme!) How much is a diamond worth if it's lost? It is still worth a lot, right? Just because someone loses it, doesn't mean it decreases in value! It will be worth a lot to whomever finds it. Well, the same goes for a man or woman. Lost or not, they still hold a great value to Christ. I hope we see that in every person we meet...the lady at the checkout counter in the grocery store who is having a bad day, the man at the bank who is holding up the line and everyone is getting frustrated with, the person trying to cross the street that can't because there is too much traffic, your co-workers, your family...sometimes we forget that Jesus' biggest way of attracting people was by just showing love when nobody else would. Random acts of kindness go a long way. I don't know about you, but I notice that when I choose to be nice and loving, even when I don't have to be, my day is just better! So, give it a go! :) Love you all!

"DIAMONDS" ladies' event at church

Both NZ AIM teams combined!

Team at the Beach

Team at the Beach

Team at the Beach

Team at the Beach

Napier, NZ Team visits (more to come)

Team NZ

The Mount/Beach

Church

THE MOUNT...

Well, I climbed The Mount today! I went with 3 of the Napier Aimers to the top of Mt. Maunganui (an old inactive volcano here next to the beach). It took us about a a half hour roughly to climb up it and probably about as long to climb down. Me and one other girl climbed down through the bush on a trail and then down the grassy hill on the other side where a bunch of sheep reside. All together, I fell about 4 times in the bush down a wet trail, fell in a sticker bush once, grabbed a sticker bush instead of the fence once, and did the splitz twice and scared some sheep away. It was quite an adventure, but a fun one!
It was cool to finally reach the top of the Mount because you can see the whole peninsula and ocean on both sides from that spot. It was cool to look down on a huge part of the city and the houses that go on for KILOMETERS AND KILOMETERS! I just looked at the city thinking "man, we have our work cut out for us!" I was reminded however by one of the Napier girls that God will never give you a task or face you with something that you CAN'T handle. What I am here, now, and forever IS ENOUGH to do God's work. We all DO have what it takes, we just need to let God take a hold on us and use us as He wishes! I know God is watching over our city! I have climbed and conquered the mount and looked on as far as the eye can see, but I'm so glad to know that God is even higher and he can reach out and hold the whole country in His hand if He wanted to! Even The Mount is small for how HUGE our God is!
(Pictures to come...)

NZ flat and car

The school we are volunteering at

Week 3

pics of us around the mount, on the beach, and on the rocks

2 WEEKS PAST!

Hello everyone! I just finished a newsletter that you will all hopefully be getting! If you would like to get it let me know...email me at preciousangel545@hotmail.com.
Today was a great day! We started off with a meeting with one of our coordinators (Mary Nelson) just updating and getting needed info.
Then we went to the Otumoetai Primary School (like elementary school) and met with the principal and some of the staff there that we may be working with. We are going to try and volunteer once or twice a week in the mornings just to be teacher's aids and help the teachers out and build relationships with the kids. One of the teachers was super busy and asked for our help right when we walked in the door! It was neat though to work with the kids! They seem to like us a lot!
We met with Andrew Gearhart (for those of you who don't know him, he was on Olivia's team to this same field in '02) for lunch and talked about our work here and got some pointers as well. That was very encouraging!
We also are working on getting some visits set up with the members of the church. This Saturday we may be helping some clients of a lady at church (she is a social worker) because they are shifting (moving) and we are gonna help them move. Apparently they are interested in possibly setting up studies and coming to church so pray that a seed will be planted there!
We got to hang out and just have fun with the young adults and youth here on Sunday. That was great getting to start knowing them in just an everyday setting! We really want to have them over and get into their lives even more as we get to know them better! We want to just be an encouragement to them and especially help build up the guys in being leaders to the church and stepping out a little!
Welp, there is a little update for now. The newsletter explains more! Love you all and thanks for all your support in helping me get here! We couldn't have done it without you! :)

p.s.- for those of you looking at the pictures...that gas sign that says $2.00- that is per liter, not gallon!

THE LAND DOWN UNDER DOWN UNDER!

Sry it has taken so long to get updated on here! We finally just got our internet hooked up! For all those of you wondering, all 4 of us made it here (Tauranga, NZ) just fine! We have been here about a week and a half...getting close to two weeks now! We have a house and most all our furnishings! We have a view that looks down over the city and you can see the ocean in the far distance. It's very cool! We also already have 2 cars for our team. We have been going to auctions here to get things at more reasonable prices...that is a more common thing here than it is in the states. I don't think I'd ever even been to an auction! It's exhilerating! We have been having lots of meetings, and doing some different activities with the youth. We are going to start making visitations here soon to people in the church regularly. Tuesday we go to one of the primary (grade) schools here and we will be meeting the staff and start volunteering one morning a week to be a teacher's helper and get to work with the kids some. We went to a ladies night on Tuesday which was also nice to meet some new people. Tomorrow we are planning on going to the church and working on some bible lessons to put together with one of our coordinators (Mary Nelson). Tomorrow Morning (and this past Tuesday) we are going to a class at the South Pacific Bible College here to do some training for Friend Speak (an evangelism tool where you teach international people English using the Bible). Tomorrow we have almost a full day! I'm sure there will be much more to come! We'll try to keep you posted as well as we can! I have so much more I'd like to tell but I really need to get off here! I hope you all have a blessed week! As one of my fellow AIMers use to always say, Keep Christ King! :)
*Ashtin*

Be Flexible...AH! IT'S TRUE!

BE FLEXIBLE...it's a motto we are taught over and over in AIM! And we have learned to be just that!
So! Our NZ team is currently residing in a japanese style hotel in L.A., California! Our plane left at 10:30 p.m. last night and we got 400 miles towards Australia when the monitors stopped working in the plane (don't know what that means...just not good for the pilot!) and we had to turn back. So we are back in L.A. and in a hotel until noon when we will be shuttled back to the airport to get our new flight schedule to Australia and then on to Auckland, NZ. It has been quite fun though as there are many aussies trying to get home on the same plane to Australia and we are enjoying talking to them and getting to hear their sweet accents!
Todays trip to the airport started off very interesting as well! Kayla and I (Ashtin) met up at baggage claim in L.A. where we switched airlines and had to re-check-in. So we got a cart to put both of our luggage on to haul to another building to check in. Kayla was ahead of me pulling our carry-ons and I was pushing the cart of luggage (4 big bags!) when we were crossing at a crosswalk to go to the building and there was a small ramp down to the road and all the luggage fell off the cart in the street! It was great timing as the light turned green and all the traffic was headed at me while I'm trying to pick up all our luggage in the middle of the street! It was quite an adventure!
So 6.5 hrs. from now we will be back in the airport for round two! I hope all goes well and we will try to keep you updated! We may be getting to NZ, at longest, a full day later than expected. But we are still getting there! We have stood in line after line and had to be awake at 2 a.m. to be shuttled to the customs hotel and take our luggage on and off planes...I'd say we have truly learned to be flexible! God will get us there one way or another! And as one of the aussies next to us put it..."No bother getting upset, it is what it is!"

3 Days Left!

Hello everyone! Just a quick update! Our team will be leaving this Thursday, June 5th for New Zealand! I (Ashtin) personally will be traveling out of Indianapolis, IN to Chicago, IL and then on to L.A. where our team will meet up! We will be on a 14 hour flight out of L.A. to Sydney, Australia where we will switch over and then fly about 3 hours I believe to Auckland, NZ where our coordinators will be picking us up and some of us will be meeting for the first time!
As always, we would love to be in your continual prayers as we take this journey and pray for safe travels and strength in our team as we all leave! I know today I saw my mom ("mum") and dad today for the last time. Just pray that any sadness we may have about leaving will be more overcome with joy for what we are about to go do! :)
Also, Kayla Smith now has here visa as well! That makes 3 out of 4 of us! Jana's visa is suppose to be done today or tomorrow, but we still have to wait for it to be mailed back. Hopefully if it is overnight she can get it in time. We definitely need prayers for her and the stress she has about getting her visa in time! I know our big God can handle something as small as a piece of paper! "Faith is not believing that God can, but knowing that He will!" Just please keep her in your prayers and that all will work out fine! The embassy seems to be working slowly on her visa, as her and Kayla sent them in around the same time. But we can still be confident that all will surely work out one way or another! :)
That is the update for now! Here is just a little something I read today that I thought was neat...hopefully it will encourage you, as it did me! :
If someone loses a gold ring, how much is it worth? A gold ring is a gold ring no matter what. It doesn't lessen in value just because someone loses it! A lost gold ring is still very valuable to whomever finds it! Lost or not, gold is still gold!
Do we picture man with this same viewpoint? Instead of a lost gold ring, think about a lost man. What is the value of a man? He holds a GREAT value as God's child and creation! He is priceless to God! Lost or not, a man is still a man and he NEVER lessens in value! :)

Counting Down...

Well, Kristi and I both have our visas and are now aloud to go to the fabulous country of New Zealand! Jana and Kayla have sent for theirs recently! Please pray that all goes well! We all plan on flying out on June 5th and meeting up in L.A. From there we will fly to Australia and then switch planes to go to NZ. I am currently making my last visit to some family in Indiana and then will be in Ohio for a week or two and then fly out!
We hope that everyone will keep us in their prayers as I know I personally (and I'm sure our whole team ) is going through a lot of transitions! I have recently been realizing just what it means to depend on God alone, especially in tough times!
If anyone would like to receive our newsletters through email let me know. I will try and email a newsletter each month while we are on the field. Just send me your email address! My email is preciousangel545@hotmail.com (I made it in 5th grade and too many people have it to change it now! No laughing! haha!) Love you all and God Bless! He always does!
-Ashtin

The Excellent Adventures of Kristi and Ashtin

So, we haven't left the states, and the adventure has already begun. We started out on a 21 hour journey back to Indiana where Ashtin would be sort-of back home and Kristi would fly home from there. HOWEVER, the journey only lasted 6 hours. Traveling down grueling I-40 something punched a whole in the oil pan of Ashtin's car and bent the corner of the radiator. Not knowing anything was wrong, we trudged on. All was well until the RPMs SHOT up and all of a sudden the car died. We just cruised off onto a nearby exit and parked on the side and put the flashers on. A guy then helped us push it to a nearby gas station.
Our current status has been almost stranded in Oklahoma City for 3 days now. Lucky that God was on our side, Kristi's aunt and uncle live only about an hour and a half from where we broke down. We have been staying there.
The current status on the car is not quite as good, however. All of the oil had leaked out as the car was still going since we didn't know anything was wrong. Then the engine ended up locking up and was hot and molded together pretty much. Now the car requires a new oil pan, a whole new engine, and possibly a new radiator.
The insurance should cover all, except a $250 deductible. It's also paying for Ashtin to fly home for a couple weeks and she will come back to OK city to pick up her car and drive it back when it's ready. Kristi's mom will be coming to her aunt's house to pick her up and she'll be going home with her.
It has been crazy already! We have so much more work to do getting support and a little more visa work to do without the extra added worries and expenses! But all is well and where God guides, He provides! "Trials are not enemies of faith, but opportunities to prove God's faithfulness!" Everything seemed awful to start off, but things are looking up and I'll still get home in time to visit with family some before leaving for the field!
Keep praying for our team....support and visas mostly! Keep fighting the good fight!
Because the tomb was found empty,
*Kristi and Ashtin*

Preparing to Leave

Getting ready has been an interesting process. It's not just getting our visa stuff that is difficult, it's also the mental and emotional preparations. The only way I am going to get to New Zealand is by God. Don't get me wrong I want to go but when I think about leaving everything I know and love I kind of get freaked out. Wouldn't most people though?? All I can do is trust in God that he is sending me where he wants me to go and where I can be most effective for Him. The only reason I am ready for this new Adventure is because I know I am filled with the Holy Spirit that will lead me and guide me. I plan not only on being effective and I don't just see it as a job. I also am planning on having lots of fun!!!

Kayla Smith