End of the Adventure

It seems like the last month of the Steiger Radical Missions School was a whirlwind. I think I blinked, because it was there, and then it was gone. Despite all the attempts of the Enemy to steal my joy and take my focus away from the goodness of all that was going on around me in New Zealand (NZ), I found myself continually blessed there. It’s been two months since I left NZ (already?). I was blessed to visit friends on the West Coast of the US on the way back to Minneapolis. Returning home, my house was very different than when I left it. This was also a huge blessing in more ways than one. It’s been a transition long in coming, and I’ve adjusted back. My wait for the next step continues, and I’m hoping for some kind of major change this fall.

After returning from our break, we were blessed with a series of speakers that really impacted our group. Among them was Cecily Hill, a Maori missionary and pastor from Auckland. Cecily’s life experience was especially valuable to the single people in the school who were predominantly between the ages of 25-35. Cecily ministered around the world, even seeing hundreds of miraculous healings, as a single person until the age of 49 when she married for the first time. Jenny Duckworth shared the wisdom of her many years of discipleship and living in intentional Christian community. This impacted me greatly as I also own a community house in Minneapolis that has seen a particularly high rate of challenges over its 3 short years. I also spent time with Jenny’s family at their community, Ngatiawa, located up the valley from Waikanae Beach. It was a beautiful time of rest and contemplation, and I found myself going away quite encouraged. One of our last speakers was Weston Cerrye with whom we saw many in our group experience physical healing. This included my friend Kristin, whose leg grew to match the length of the other!

The last days in Waikanae were short and emotional, but the good-byes were sweet. Four of my schoolmates and I hopped in a camper van and drove north through Taupo to Auckland. From there, I went to Tauranga where I met several new friends from the Tauranga House of Prayer (THOP). We had adventures to Cathedral Cove (featured at the beginning of the movie Prince Caspian) and Hot Water Beach where we got to dig shallow holes in the sand and sit in the hot springs that rose through the sand. Even on the way back to Auckland, I was blessed to meet up with a Fijian woman from THOP. I spent the evening with her family and a group of islander women from their church. They were a beautiful example of the strength of family – something they were quite sad to hear that I did not have to that same extent.

Once I set foot back in the US, I met up with my friend Andrzej (pronounced ahn-DRAY-ik) in LA. I got to stay with a few of his friends in Hollywood, Monkey and Myra, and Katy in Los Feliz. After being in beautiful, laid-back NZ for over two months, Hollywood was a rough adjustment. I spent a lot of time by myself while my friends were at work, but the weekend brought another adventure – a road trip with Andrzej, Manda, and baby Silas to Portland, OR! We surprised several of our friends with our visit. We saw their new band play their first show and we even took one of them back to LA with us.

My house was quiet when I got home. After all the extremely stressful drama I’d had to deal with from several of my tenants while I was away, it was a delightful change. There was a lot to do, but my Polish friend and Steiger schoolmate, Lukasz, came to stay with me for a month. His presence and help around made all the difference. My parents also stayed with me for a week after driving up from Florida for a visit. It was great to have a full house, including their dog, Ty. Since their departure, two couples have moved in for the summer, both in transition. I continue in my search for reliable and trustworthy tenants. My hope is to rent out the whole house and move out for a year. I’m just waiting on the Lord for a specific leading our door to open in regard to where I should go next.

Please pray for me as I deal with all the unfinished business concerning my former tenants and seek God’s will for the future. It’s been a particularly stressful season, and I still am trusting the Lord for a season of rest and restoration. Please also remember me in my search for the right people to rent out my house beginning in September. I believe that God has great plans and purposes for me, and I look forward to seeing what adventures He has in store!