Rain, rain go away...or stay if you must but please turn to snow!

It's been raining for the last many hours, which is disappointing only because we got super excited when one of our staff let us know our city was under a major snow warning earlier in the day. Rain...is just not cutting it. But hopefully this means there getting a lot of snow up in the mountains.

We're well into staff training now, working with our guest speaker; Trish. She's from Taurunga and has worked with YWAM for years. She's been amazing! She has such a gift of leadership in the most gentle way I have ever seen. Our team will be sitting around the table working through information on leadership, time management, confrontation styles and systems, etc and she'll just gently ask what someone thinks. If someone hasn't spoken up in a while she will specifically ask that person what they think or how they've experienced that in their lives. Total and complete intentionality but completely normal. Nothing about it feels forced or pre-conceived. I find myself learning so much about my team and even myself in the most natural, easy, safe way possible.  You can tell by her flexibility and ability to work with our (ok...somewhat spazzy and off task aka snowboarders) team that she's just has so much godly wisdom which comes from just practicing this stuff and living it out. I didn't even realize I was learning so much until my English friend Jenny asked me how today went and I had so much to tell her about what I learned. (I point out she's English because it was POURING rain when we decided to WALK the quarter mile to the Dairy to buy lollies and ginger beer. When we realized it was raining before we set out I asked her if we were still going to go and she replies, "Yes, I'm English I live in the rain!")

Finance report: PRAISE GOD!!!! The entirety of my staff fees ($100/week) have been paid! My $500 activity fee has ALSO BEEN PAID! There is still some money left in my staff account after lecture phase (staff fees + activity fee) have been paid that will be put towards outreach but as we don't have the details for that set in stone yet the exact amount of what still needs to be raised I still don't have. The next purchases will be my New Zealand drivers license, which we are going into Rangiora to get tomorrow and my Visa. For those of you who don't remember two of us staff need to apply for Visa extensions which will allow us to stay in New Zealand past our three month visitor Visa which will expire in August. (Steve got luck of the gene pool draw as his Mom is Kiwi and thus holds both American and New Zealand passports...lucky kid!) Prayers would be appreciated and it's pretty expensive process (about $200) and involves a lot of paperwork.

Prayer requests:

• Praise for and asking of God's continued blessing on finances and financial supporters. I am keenly aware of how important you all have been. Without my heavenly Papa and y'all I wouldn't be here! I'm so thankful for you'r obedience to His call to support missions and honored that would choose me to do it through! For those of you that I don't thank often enough THANK YOU!
• Our SDTS staff team : Loren, Brenden, Steve and myself. That God would continue to unite us as a team and continue to pour out His peace, grace and joy on us; filling us with HIS wisdom. And a praise: These are three really awesome guys! Man, it's just been a huge blast getting to know them and start working with them. I'm really thankful knowing that there are going to be days when it's tough and stuff gets hard and we just have to trust God and push through, I'm glad these are the guys I'm going to have at my side.
• My small group girls. (Whom I have yet to meet but have now gotten to at least have email conversation with each other them) Alyssa, Sophie, Janie, Kathryn, and Sarah. That God would give them peace and calm as they prepare and travel. That their last few weeks at home would be an awesome time with family and friends back home and that God would already be planning an amazing time of life change for them here.
• Family and friends back home. This is a crazy time of the year in Minnesota as seasons change and school lets out and everything transitions. I have family and dear friends with new babies, birthdays, big moves, major projects at work, big races, trips, etc that really could use prayer and blessing. (And if you're in the Minneapolis area and subburbs give any of em a hug for me)