The Engle's in New Zealand!: December 2015

"As long as it is day, we must do

the work of him who sent me.

Night is coming, when no one can work."

John 9:4

As I have now passed the six month mark on my stay here in New Zealand, I am beginning to feel more comfortable with some of the things I once thought strange in the culture here. However, new things that I find strange or different have come about and keep life interesting! For example, I no longer stare at people as they walk to and fro barefoot as it is such a common occurrence. Driving on the left side of the road seems pretty normal to me now and roundabouts are so easy to use I wish we had them in America. However, it's really hard to get in the Christmas spirit as the weather is getting warmer and virtually no houses have Christmas decorations up anywhere. It also feels odd for me to be winding down to the end of the school year in mid-December...should be May, right?

As life moves on here in Aotearoa we are all continuing to adjust and grow. Our church has several new (or returned) people in it which is very exciting! Lori has done a spectacular job with starting the youth group in our church. The church already had a thriving Kids' Club going which is still going well, but we didn't have much for the older kids. Lori has taken on that role quite well. Our kids have continued to do well in school while making friends which has been great for them. I am finishing up the school year at Dargaville High School where I have been teaching science and chemistry. It has been a good experience for me to teach there especially as many of the students are inquisitive about my background. Their questions about me have opened up several opportunities to share with them that I am here as a volunteer missionary and to ask them about their own beliefs.

Trying to share your faith and encourage others in one of the most secular nations on Earth is quite challenging. The people of New Zealand are a proud and independent sort of people which is quite inspiring. However, it also makes them often feel as though they don't need help or intervention from God as they forge their way through life. Those who do believe in God often don't go to church or belong to any kind of small group setting where they can help each other spiritually. Statistics say that the average Christian Kiwi who says they regularly attend church and are part of a church family actually attend church about once a month. This is drastically different from what I am used to in America but is considered normal here. Again, witnessing in a very secular nation can be very challenging.

A few weeks ago we had our district assembly where all the Nazarene churches of New Zealand sent representatives to a meeting in Auckland. This was a fascinating time as the majority of our churches in New Zealand are filled with people from countries or backgrounds other than New Zealand. We have churches with people from Samoa, India, Colombia, America, Singapore, and, of course, New Zealand. This made for a fun and interesting assembly that we won't soon forget. Here are a few pictures from our district assembly.

Lori with some of the ladies at a women's conference.

A few weeks ago we celebrated Thanksgiving with some other Americans here in Whangarei which was really nice. As New Zealand doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving the work week went on as normal but a few other Americans joined us at one of their houses for a classic Thanksgiving meal! We had turkey, ham, pumpkin pie, green bean casserole, rolls, sweet potato casserole, and much more! It was a nice "taste of home". Anyway, I will leave you with a few other pictures from recent times.