The small group that I have been assigned to is undoubtedly and unarguably God ordained. I have been praying for these relationships since I was accepted into the YWAM Oxford Around-the-World-in-80-days Discipleship Training School. I am so thankful for the men and women in my life. Yes this is you! At my home church, my family, the Sunday School class I attend, the bible study I go to, friends—all praying for these relationships too. The power of prayer!
My group is lead by Grace. She is also a nurse, and lives in Texas (although the Philippians is home for her). Then there are 2 others: Maria from Brazil and Magdalena from Sweden. Such an incredible group of women! The unity we have is incredible. We all love the Lord AND share similar struggles, dreams, desires. I am sensing how God will use us in one another’s lives to help us all grow throughout this season.
We went on a bicycle trip together initially. Our aspirations were high, and… the wind was quite strong. So, the trip was cut short. Where we stopped prematurely, there was a berry bush and we helped ourselves to its fruit. Then we peddled to have ice cream from a local gas station and enjoyed conversation with one another. We got back to the base right before dinner.
Grace, our group leader, asked us to meet her after it got dark outside. I had kitchen duty after dinner, which is actually quite a lot of fun! Oh, how I enjoy all things water related! Whether it is swimming or showers or even washing dishes! After a game of ping pong with Annie (from California) it was time to head out for a small group surprise. The only thing we knew was that we were going SOMEWHERE and we needed our sleeping bags! Grace drove us in a car named “The Falcon” to the Oxford lookout place. We slid into our sleeping bags and stared up at the sky.
his sky. Wow. During the day the clouds are so fast—much faster than I recall. They are beautiful, morphing, fluffy, playful. At night? I have never seen a sky so clear. The stars are piercing, and so so bright! The bumps on the gravel road driving out to the lookout spot remind me of the often eroded gravel roads of my youth in North Dakota. So too the stars and the constellations remind me of North Dakota’s skies. With one exception: they’re even more captivating then I remember.
Usually I romanticize people, places, and things in a way that makes them incapable of ever being what they used to be. New Zealand’s sky surpasses all sky expectations I have every had. I have such comfort in my insignificance! The stars twinkled and glimmered and went on forever. More than I could ever see! And our God knows them ALL by name. He is a God of details. God knows all about this southern hemisphere sky, and I trust that He also knows the details of my life. This day has been blessing after blessing. Learning, stretching, relaxing in His love.