Cleft

So I'm weekend warrior. (Means everyone else is out snowboarding and I'm here waiting to start cooking and cleaning for everyone else!) It's ok though, my roommate Liz stayed home with me so we're hating ourselves for being stupid American's and not being able to start a fire and messing around on the computer. I called home and got to talk to my Mom, Abbi, Pattie and at least hear Izze say no she didn't want to talk to me.

Last night I went to the Cleft. I knew my first night would be shell shocked but I guess I just didn't realize exactly what I was in for. And I guess I didn't realize I might want to edit myself and the real level of danger I was in when I told Mom about it. (Sorry bout that Mom). It was intense is the best word I can think of. I was the second team to walk out and I was on the prayer side and for the most part my words coulden't even make it out of my mouth, thank God for a Maker who can read my heart. Just to see these girls and oh my gosh just the fear in me and being out in this cold and the rain and knowing this is there job, they have to do this. And don't let people tell you that they want to be out there, these woman do not want to be out there. But when you have hungry mouths to feed there is nothing you will not do... I just think there is a reason this city is called "Christchurch," this is His city!

As far as the pictures go:
1.) Our messy room, my bed. Thought Abbi would like to see that.
2.) On Thursday we went this tiny little coffee shop for small group. Leave it to Jenn to find your so stereotypical foreign coffee shops. Maybe one of the most difficult small group meetings I've ever been to in my life but one of the best places. I have to get everything soy because my stomach has still not gotten back to normal but I'm kind of ok with it, you learn to live with it I suppose.
3.) After small groups Jenn took us to this gorge to take pictures and this was the most beautiful water I've ever seen. (As is everything here)
4.) This is me, walking...moving forward.
5.) This is Jenn and me.

Friday Night Evangalism

Tonight is Friday here, in a few hours the Cleft team is leaving. We are 6 girls (plus Jenn) and 2 guys who are going into Christchurch at 5. The two other evangalism teams have already left. See the thing with YWAM is, your typical YWAM is really evangalism based and Oxford is super training and teaching based so we have to add in these nights that we're out there really sharing God's love or we'll get so caught up in our little school bubble. So anyways they sent the Skatepark team out to hang out with the skaters (the legal drinking age here is 18 so like American's they start even earlier then that, like 12 or so..so those guys have there work cut out for them). Then we sent another team into the Square...which is just the center of Christchurch to hang out, play soccer and talk to people. Then you have the Cleft team, and we don't come out until after dark. No seriously, we're going into Christchurch to eat or shop for a couple hours and we don't actually start ministry stuff until most of the shops close. We're ministering to the prostitutes here. Prostitution is legal in New Zealand so it's kind of odd you know trying to miniter to people at "work" but obviously it's a huge area of spiritual warfare for these woman. From what I understand we'll have three mini teams, one will stay at the church in Christchurch and be intercessors and then one team will walk the street talking to girls and the other team will walk the oppisite side of the street praying for the talking team. I have a heart for girls, I always have. Especially girls who've been victims of or witnessed sexual sin but this will be such a strech for me. We know that we're walking into a huge huge area of spiritual warfare and an area with a high risk of physical danger just because of the ministry we're doing. So now I'm in a place of needing to trust the guys on my team...which ya...is not something I'm good at. But satan will not win and this team and the girls of this city belong to the King. Please hold us all up in your prayers. I'm sure I'll update you shell shocked tommorow while I'm at home on weekend warrior.