Answer to Prayer

If you get a chance check out the video. It is shaky, it is not a high quality video, and nothing special, but it was a critical moment. I was at a low point here in New Zealand. During my last trip to New Zealand there was a time where everything went wrong. I was just worn out to the point of wanting to quit, when i attended church that night and received the encouragement and reaffirmation from my family in Christ. This was last Saturday, after a week of being mentally and physically exhausted after trying to get things back into place after the robbery. I was exhausted and planned to go home and crash Saturday night after a full day of activities. For some reason i was prompted to invite Heidi, Rachel, and the teens over to the place. In a moment when i couldn't take much more for the week, the family of Christ pulled through again. We turned on Christmas music, decorated a little bit, ate snacks, and just hung out, much like my family Christmases back home. It was just what i needed and had been praying for, so i picked up Heidi's camera and recorded this!

Got Robbed!

This my be my last blog for a little while.

So earlier this week my car was broken into and a camera stolen and last night(sat) our flat was broken into and approx. $6000 was taken including Graeme's TV, my laptop(macbook), both our ipods, and a few other things. Talk about a Rough Day.I had time to process through this a little this morning and remembered back 3 months into my first trip to NZ when i had experienced another huge crisis with an accident that escalated somewhat out of control. I decided to look back to see what past lessons i learned then that were meant to prepare me for now. This is what I have speculated:

1. God is in Control
With my great power and outstretched arm I made the earth and its people and the animals that are on it, and I give it to anyone I please. Jer 27:5 This is what i read first this morning when i opened my Bible.

2. I am not the MistakeIt is easy to want to blame others or to want to assume the responsibility yourself. You think of all the options of what you could've done to prevent it, but the reality is that Graeme and I were the victims here. I shouldn't develop of guilty complex over this.

3. God can and does work in miraculous Ways
In the midst of the chaos during the first trip, we thought Dan's expensive camera lens that fell out the moving van window was collateral damage. After prayer, a three hour return drive, and a 30 minute search we miraculously stumbled on his relatively unscathed camera lens. It was a small find for the amount of total damage over the month, but it was an irreplaceable bright spot and testimony to God's faithfulness overall.

4. Life is about people not Objects
I am frustrated. I feel dooped! It is a weird feeling, but I am not crushed. Neither Graeme's nor my life center around objects. We will miss our hard earned indulgences, but our purpose in God and our support through relationships allow us to be frustrated, but relatively untouched in terms of our overall outlook towards life.

5. If you haven't gotten insurance for something you were meaning to, Do It!!!
Dan and i were discussing the need for car insurance during the drive we got into our wreck.
Graeme was meaning to get content insurance for the house, but hadn't gotten around to it.
In both cases we have paid the price.

Hopefully you can learn and be encouraged by my experiences.
I appreciate your prayers and support.

Be encouraged. I don't welcome problems... but i fully acknowledge that when you are trying to serve the Lord, "accidents & problems" often mean that you are threatening enough to Satan and his kingdom to cause concern and retaliation.

How is it different being back this time?

A friend asked me this question the other day and do you know what stood out most?!? I don't have to work for extra money outside of my ministry! The financial support of everyone in the US, Australia, and New Zealand has allowed me to focus on the people and what i do best. It definitely has been different because and it is largely do to the sacrifice and service of others to allow me to pour into people who need to experience Christ in their lives. thanks for giving!

Last Week THis Week

Last Week
-Coffee and the conversation went amazing as the coffee friend asked, “How do you do it? You know, live the way you do…?” The friend is finally coming to church this Sunday!
-I also helped the pastor(Brett Jones) move into his new place across town (which means my office which is in their garage moved too!) [It is nice to be able to support the pastor]
-I was able to finally go surfing on my day off, and look forward to using this as a good connection tool in the near future as summer arrives.

This Week
-I will Help setup the church office in the Jones’ new place
-I am Preaching my second sermon in New Zealand this Sunday
-I will Confirm and hopefully meet with two men who are known for their approach in witnessing to others in New Zealand!

Thanks again for your prayer and support
Brent Dongell
Proverbs 19:22 “What a man desires is unfailing love…”

Last Week This Week

Last Week:
Elections seemed to dominate my brain space with the US and NZ elections both taking place.
The “American Blackout” screening on Friday was a decent turnout although it did not directly reflect the quality effort.
The coffee shop friend asked to sit down and discuss some issues concerning “God and life” but that conversation and attending church have yet to come.
I was able to attend a morning Fijian Church “Sione” where I was able to continue befriending the teens and breaking down difficult but unnecessary cultural barriers because of language and comfort zones.

This Week:
I have set up an appointment to talk to the coffee shop friend midmorning Thursday
I have a good amount of Master’s work online to complete, but the work continues to be helpful and informative for ministry here and ministry to come
I will follow an evangelism course and meet the teacher in hopes to sit down and connect with him as a reference about the boundaries of boldness in evangelism here.

Prayer Partner

Meet Rhett Snell
Before i returned to New Zealand, God really began to impress on me the importance of prayer and reliance on Him for things to succeed.

I also read a book that illustrated the wide gap of accountability. Something like 15% of ministers followed through on their evangelistic goals without accountability compared to 50+% of ministers with an accountability partner.
I put two and two together and i have begun meeting with Rhett on a weekly basis to pursue prayer. This has been a new experience. Never before have i met with someone where neither of us have a dictating time limit and just pray...

It has been powerful and a great personal comfort whenever prayer is brought up. i know that it is solidifying in my life and stirring in others.

This next week, we might go to main parts of Auckland and pray over the city. To some this is a waste of gas money, but to me it is a big blanket of covering and a contribution to the empowerment of the church and the body of Christ. It truly is a stance in a spiritual battle i still don't fully grasp yet. But i am excited!

Last Week This Week

Last Week:
The coffee shop friend asked me if she could go to church, so the prayers are working! Too bad cession didn't have a night service she could attend this week.  The Wesleyan pastor's conference (Equip 08) ran this weekend. I connected with a good number of different pastors and their leaders from across the north island of New Zealand.

This Week:
My personal goal for the next two weeks is to find a respected Kiwi evangelist to learn from. (I won't know my boundaries of boldness vs. insensitivity until then). I am also in charge of coordinating setup for a film showing and outreach opportunity at the church on Friday night called "American Blackout." For the last three weeks we have been collecting info and taking pictures, so this week we will be solidifying the information to create a long awaited church directory for cession|community(this is key in my communication with others). The new cell group will have its second meeting this week, and i will now begin forming a First Contact/Impressions team to engage visitors.

PS. Only the Americans had ever carved a pumpkin for Halloween; our South African, Kiwi, Fijian, and Swedish friends had never tried this before.

Last Week This Week

Last Week: one new cell group met for the first time and got started. I sat down with the another potential cell leader on Thursday and it looks like the two potential groups will try and have a beginning meeting next week.

This Week: is a short work week because everyone celebrated Labour Day and had Monday off here in NZ. Me and some other teens and leaders made promotional videos for the January youth camp(a picture attached and the videos to come soon). I will focus on cell groups for a few days and then be busy this weekend with Equip 08, a pastoral and lay leader training conference running Friday and Saturday with open public services Fri, Sat, & Sun night.

Thanks again for your prayer and support

I actually have time to do my job!!!

So this is how it is supposed to be!!!

There is never enough time to do everything i want to in life, but this is the first time i really feel like i have the time and focus to give to ministry. The task still seems insurmountable... a G0d-sized task you could say... but it is so good to be able to know my responsibilities and to commit the time i have to meet with people and plan my work accordingly.

I have usually had multiple and responsibilities or part-time jobs. Although i am still working on my Master's online as well, it is manageable and not dominating, so "Yea for focus!"

Having this freedom and focus are a direct result of those supporting me financially and through prayer.
This is my work space at the Jones House and Cession office
The verses i just placed over my desk from 1 Corinthians 15:56-58 read:

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you.
Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Last Week This Week

Last Week:
I was tagged as the "typical American Christian" by someone i had just met around my age: Republican, don't smoke, don't drink, no sex before marriage. The person was definitely stuck on the virginity topic, saying they "had NEVER met someone who has decided to wait until marriage." They followed up the next day asking, "if someone messed up but wanted to start over, is that possible?" More to come on this in the future...

This Week: I meet with 3 different people about starting up new cells(small groups) at our church, which is one of our main ways of growth and outreach.

Ministry Stories So Far

Flight Conversations
I met A LOT of people on the last fight to NZ. Vic was the first guy that came and started up conversation in the LA airport and I enjoyed the conversation with him about photography… he made an interesting comment, “I am not going to fake it and say that I am a Christian, but I do have to admit that Christianity has always intrigued me… yeah, it has always been something I admired and watched from afar.” Once I was on my flight I met Brandon from Toronto and sarah? From Saskatchewan.
They were great for my long flight. Sarah(19), me (24), & Brandon (27) all travelers and excited about the next step. It was fun to share the movies, food, discussion, and time with them in the airplane and layover in Nadi, Fiji. We talked hockey, acting, politics, shot the breeze, Canada vs. US, traveling stories, etc. good times. My last leg i met Tara from Ireland. I love the life and adventure everyone lives, and in summary, they are in search of a life of fulfillment and happiness, whatever that looks like for them. I feel like in the some Christian circles, this is a good family, a good career, and security in life. It scares me because I don’t know that that is the entirety of the Christian life although those are of God. I think adventure is a part of God’s will for life. I think uncertainty and spontaneity have their time and place not just in vacations, but in life time decisions.

Homestay Phil from Germany:(top right) Phil has an amazing testimony. He is a homestay over here in New Zealand for year in Mike Yates house. Mike is the pastor of ShoreGrace and when i got to sit down and talk with Phil, he was so grateful for being place with the family and kept telling me about how much he was learning about God and the church since being apart of this family. If he is not a Christian, he is well on his way! so good.

Coffee Club Waitress from Sweden:
I was working and this girl asked about my accent and why i was here. The conversation then went into church and life and later to my beliefs about politics and moral issues like drinking, smoking, and sex. She was really intrigued, commenting that "she has never met anyone who has decided to save themself for marriage." She said she had not been to church since being in NZ for 7 months so i have invited her to cession. We will see what comes from this.

Church Planting

It is amazing the effort everyone puts in each week!
Every week, the congregation takes all the equipment and everything out of this trailer

and put it in this building:

and transform the place from this:

To this!

The New Zealand Needs and Statistics

I am not sure all of these stats are current and completely accurate, but either way, this is an eye opening video if you are interested in the knowing the needs of New Zealand. (Courtesy of Rachel Nigro's blog.)

I would say it is a must watch.

Last Month This Month

Last Month(Sept): was focused on PREPARATION: getting settled, understanding the church, understanding my roles, and brainstorming about what i can do to help here in New Zealand.

This Month(Oct): is focused on CELL GROUPS: developing a plan and meeting with potential groups and their leaders to support them in getting the ball rolling in meeting together.

Next Month(Nov): is focused on WELCOMING: developing a first impressions plan & welcoming team so that all of the visitors to cession are welcomed and easily plugged in as desired.

Two Months(Dec): So that by our big Christmas OUTREACH, we are well prepared and ready to welcome visitors and have a place for them to be involved and included at cession community.

First few weeks up front

This is me the first week i was at church. Brett had me just get up and welcome everybody like i was a regular doing community life announcements and he had these screens playing behind me.





Because of the laid back and light-hearted nature of cession, i feel very welcomed and enjoy the services. Since most of the ministers and leaders at cession are still in or fresh out of seminary, the sermons have a heavy dose of text and teaching which is also fun to learn from.

The Staff and the Plan

The Second night in NZ, me and Rachel Nigro (in the green) received a welcome dinner from the cession staff and their spouses. The staff includes from left to right: Rhett(brown), Melissa(teal), Katie(pink), me, Kristen(white/red) and Brett(stripes)
I am excited to be here and to see all of the potential God has in store for the people and the church and my "ACTIVATOR" side wants to commit and jump into everything, but this is what i have decided the first months focus is for:

1st Month Focus:
-PREPARE
I am visiting people, asking questions, making observations, hopefully attending a few different churches, and avoiding committing. This first month is for forming a schedule and formulating a plan without jumping into and overcommitting to early. I get to look and dream by myself and with people, but feel no obligation to fix or activate. Trying to think longterm here.

-PRAY
This is not an attack on any one person or church, both times i have been here God has laid on me the ABSOLUTE NECESSITY for a CULTURE of PRAYER. I am Studying Daniel & Elijah who i see as men of prayer. I fear that too often prayer means to guys either boring, too much talking and care for other people borderline gossip, just sitting around and not accomplishing anything, or an awkward place of intimacy that we don’t honestly know how to handle or want to deal with.

-PRESS ON
I already have enough commitments between catching up with past friends in New Zealand, getting settled and keeping up with my online Master's classes, so pressing on in excellence in what i am already doing instead of adding is the focus for the beginning.

So this is what i will be reminding myself daily for the next few weeks.

The Jones' Family

Brett is the pastor of the church i am helping so he is my main boss.  The church office is also in their downstairs area so i see him and his family a lot.  All this to say, if you can familiarize yourself with the faces of the Jones family: Reese in my lap, Kristen holding Reagan, and Brett behind the couch and Graeme my roommate (to the right), you will have a good feel for a lot of my life and the people i am spending time with!

Limited internet access

due to limited internet access i can't publish pictures or a lot now, but you can check out my personal site (www.brentdongell.com) for my first few updates.

Traveling

i am on my way. thanks for your prayers in this time of transition.

the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:8

Thoughts on Leaving your Family for the gospel

Thoughts on Giving up & Sacrificing family for the gospel. This is long but SO good!!!

The hardest thing for me to give up in deciding to return to New Zealand was giving up family, especially my grandparents. So i thought it might help to hear what i processed through.
Four verses that were very timely during this process were.
The Rich Young Man Mark 10:17-29
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'
20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
24The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, "Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
26The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, "Who then can be saved?"
27Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."
28Peter said to him, "We have left everything to follow you!"
29"I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

Luke 9:57-62
57As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
58Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
59He said to another man, "Follow me."
But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."
60Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
61 Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family."
62Jesus replied, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Matthew 12:46-48
46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."
48He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."

Luke 14:25-35
25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
34"Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. "He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Excerpt from 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper p22-23
This book is about a man who died and was brought back to life through prayer. During his dead period he had a vision of heaven before he came back to life. Here is an excerpt from when he first arrived in heaven.

"I knew instantly that all of them had died during my lifetime… they rushed toward me, and every person was smiling, shouting, and praising God… The first person I recognized was… my grandfather… my grandfather released me, and as I stared into his face, an ecstatic bliss overwhelmed me. I didn't think about his heart attack or his death, because I couldn't get past the joy of our reunion. How either of us reached heaven seemed irrelevant… One person in that greeting committee was Mike Wood, a childhood friend… When I attended his funeral, I wondered if I would ever stop crying. I couldn't understand why God had taken such a dedicated disciple. Through the years since then, I had never been able to forget the pain and sense of loss. Not that I thought of him all the time, but when I did, sadness came over me. Now I saw Mike in heaven. As he slipped his arm around my shoulder, my pain and grief vanished. Never had I seen Mike smile so brightly. I still didn't know why, but the joyousness of the place wiped away any questions. Everything felt blissful. Perfect."

As I read chapter 2 and 3 and heaven became more real to me, I became more okay with not being close to my family. Before I feared not being able to be close enough to love my family the way I should while I was in New Zealand. It wasn't until I believed in the reality and normalcy of life in heaven that I grasped I would have all of eternity to love my family(who will be there) more. So unless it is a matter of spiritual life and death, these temporary years of not being close to my family pale in comparison to all eternity of telling and showing them how much I love them. This gave me an added sense of freedom to focus on loving others where God has called me.

Donald Miller expressed this idea about heaven in "Searching for God Knows What." He also helped me create a more familiar sense of having time to enjoy those I love in heaven. The point of the book is saying the Bible is more about a relationship than about rules and competition with others.

"When I saw heaven, I didn't imagine sitting at the right hand of God, as Scripture says, but I pictured myself off behind some mountain range doing some fishing, and writing a good detective novel. But if the gospel of Jesus is relational; that is, if our brokenness will be fixed, not by our understanding of theology, but by God telling us who we are, then this would require a kind of intimacy of which only heaven know." P46

The camera then lifts upward from the bodies to reveal Romeo and Juliet's tender limbs gently folded in an embrace, their forms laid amid a thousand burning candles that, as the camera lifts father, reveal the image of a cross, the two lovers, finally, together in peace, one purifying the other, now enjoying the beauty of their companionship uninterrupted by the enmity that once ripped them apart… Paul woud present to the Romans with these beautiful ideas:
Rom 5:9 justified through his blood and saved through him
Rom 5:10 being reconciled and saved through his life
Rom 6:5 united with him like this in his death, certainly reunited in resurrection
Rom 6:8 if we die with Christ we also will live with Him!!!" p230-231

Heaven is the reuniting of a long lost friend and lover. That is the gospel
I put these two thoughts together while reading and pictured being behind the mountain fishing on a lake with Jesus and my friends…mmm…

Then, Jamie read this in My Utmost for His Highest...
"Yes— But . . .!"
ODB RADIO: | Download
READ:
Lord, I will follow You, but . . . —Luke 9:61

Suppose God tells you to do something that is an enormous test of your common sense, totally going against it. What will you do? Will you hold back? If you get into the habit of doing something physically, you will do it every time you are tested until you break the habit through sheer determination. And the same is true spiritually. Again and again you will come right up to what Jesus wants, but every time you will turn back at the true point of testing, until you are determined to abandon yourself to God in total surrender. Yet we tend to say, "Yes, but— suppose I do obey God in this matter, what about . . . ?" Or we say, "Yes, I will obey God if what He asks of me doesn't go against my common sense, but don't ask me to take a step in the dark."

Jesus Christ demands the same unrestrained, adventurous spirit in those who have placed their trust in Him that the natural man exhibits. If a person is ever going to do anything worthwhile, there will be times when he must risk everything by his leap in the dark. In the spiritual realm, Jesus Christ demands that you risk everything you hold on to or believe through common sense, and leap by faith into what He says. Once you obey, you will immediately find that what He says is as solidly consistent as common sense.

By the test of common sense, Jesus Christ's statements may seem mad, but when you test them by the trial of faith, your findings will fill your spirit with the awesome fact that they are the very words of God. Trust completely in God, and when He brings you to a new opportunity of adventure, offering it to you, see that you take it. We act like pagans in a crisis— only one out of an entire crowd is daring enough to invest his faith in the character of God.

Hope That Helps!

NZ update 2- I bought my plane ticket!

It is happening! This last Thursday i bought my plane ticket to leave a week from Thursday (Sept 4) for New Zealand.


Here is a quick outline of the next two weeks:
August 25 Mon Thank yous and loose ends
August 26 Tues Packing & call churches for last support
August 27 Wed Youth group
August 28 Thurs Online School work
August 29 Fri Packing
August 30 Sat Spend time with Friends
August 31 Sun Church & Blueberry Festival Fireworks
September 1 Mon Run 5k with Dad and Brandon and enjoy Blueberry Festival
September 2 Tues Pack
September 3 Wed Pack
September 4 Thurs Fly from Indy to San Diego
September 5 Fri Have a Good bye Dinner with friends at the beach
September 6 Sat fly from San Diego to LA to Fiji
September 7 Sun flying
September 8 Mon Arrive in NZ at 11:55am

A Crucial time... Praise the Lord

Today i was able to share at Plymouth Wesleyan and through the giving on Sunday from different people i raised about $1500 of the $3000 i need before i can buy my ticket!  I am on the final leg and am trusting in faith for God to bring the last $1500 in cash or faith promise so that i can meet my immediate goal and buy my ticket by Tuesday afternoon and be on my way by the first week of September.  I will keep you updated!  God is making it come together!

Global Partners

Once again i am going as a Go-Net Missionary with Global Partners
Jeff Fussner will be my missionary support with Global Partners. Although i will be working under senior pastor Brett Jones with Cession, Jeff Fussner will still be my support and boss under the Wesleyan missions. (Above)He and his wife Beth and Nathan, Aaron, and Emily are a great family and i always enjoy my time when they are around.

This is awesome because all of the NZ missionaries through Global Partners will meet monthly and continue to debrief and encourage each other!

Since Jeff and his family have been based here for years, there are a huge resource for adapting to the culture and for understanding how to better embrace the culture. They are a huge blessing.

I got my New Zealand Visa!

My visa is approved and all almost all of my paperwork is in!

It is time to start packing the bags to get ready to go!Well, that may be a little premature...
I still have to raise the last quarter of my support while reconciling the difference in my shortage of funds with Global Partners so that i can return without my full support raised.
My goal would be to head out the first week of September. That is not a set date on a flight or anything yet. But that is the goal i have set in my head and look forward to!

Cession Community

Cession Community is a church plant located in East Auckland
This is where my local church ministry will take place.
I'll be playing the role of Community Life Pastor -
my role will be in creating the welcoming environment on Sundays, working with a team of
'undercover greeters' (Kiwis like to sneak into church) and helping new
people to make connections with the regulars. I'll then be coordinating the
followup of these new people helping them to make a stronger connection with
the church - really wherever they can find a fit - but particularly with the
church's cell groups which I'll be responsible for resourcing and
multiplying through the training and coaching of leaders
Brett Jones(below) is the head pastor. He has a servant leadership team and volunteers that work along side of him.
Cession Community originated as a young adults group that developed into its own church plant over time. For the first few years this has meant a more hands on emergent evening service.
Over the past four months they took a big step in adding a morning service.

The Sunday Schedule now is:
10.20am - Coffee & Bagels
10.30am - cession|connect AM

5pm - cession|chow - free dinner
5.45pm - cession|connect PM
(kids programming for both services)

Brett Jones has commented that
"Its been a big step, but our teams have been amazing! Lots of people involved in new areas as well which is great to see. The evening continues to grow. We are seeing core families cement a new home in the morning and fringe families/people beginning to put down some tentative roots."

This church has a very exciting and resourceful congregation and the leaders there are very gifted, artistic, and deep.
As i might have already mentioned. They put on an easter egg hunt this last Spring and had an attendance of 300! Although the church plant has been between 50-100, the contact and "touches" that this church has with the community are limitless.
INTERESTING FACT: The empty plastic eggs are not sold in New Zealand and are relatively unknown, Cession had to have them sent from the US.

I am excited to return soon to serve and give my heart and time to this church. I appreciate your prayers for me and for Cession Community.

I believe these next two years are going to bring forth some exciting stories.

Glory Stories

"Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up"

Galatians 6:9

Missionaries love to see God's glory revealed and there are times when God does do amazing things in our presence. At those times, it's easy to write home and tell everybody about what God is doing and how ministry is growing the Kingdom. We love to see our friends come to know Christ and we are honored and humbled as God uses us to proclaim and live out His Gospel. God's 'glory stories' are no doubt encouraging and uplifting. They are useful in building up the body, so we tell them joyfully!

But our days overseas are not always filled with conversions and "holy glamour." We pack up our lives and move to where God wants to use us. When missionaries move overseas, they go and live life in a way the point others to Christ. This is the same living that many of our family and friends do everyday at 'home.' We have been lead and called to do it somewhere else, likely in a place where Christ is less known. Parts of living overseas are the same mundane tasks that you face living anywhere e.g. cost of living, where to live, learning how to get around town, where to buy groceries, doing laundry...etc. God provides for our every need as we serve Him, but we still have to learn how to live in a new place.

New Zealand is an amazing place to be serving God, it's true. God is at work here and God is growing His kingdom. Praise the Lord for the work He is doing, pray for us and pray that we do not become weary in doing good. Pray that as we live lives that point others to Christ, God's grace is upon us. Pray for Spiritual and physical protection. Pray for God's glory to be revealed in amazing ways and in everyday life. Look below to a post about how to pray for missionaries, it will be very helpful if your still unsure of how to pray. May God bless you as you serve Him in the place He is using you.

Sara Dekker- graduate from IWU, teaching music and serving in Auckland, New Zealand

Pushing for New Zealand

God has been preparing me and it has been a good time being with family and friends and sharing my passion for New Zealand in the US, but the transition towards leaving is definitely coming in to play.

My mom asked me the other day, "You are ready to go, aren't you?"

It wasn't a sad or guilt driven comment, it was just a mother's intuition noticing the change and season in my life.

Prayers are huge right now as i have about 2-3 weeks of focused calls and then i will talk with Jeff Fussner and Brett Jones to be setting final dates and details.

The connections in California

Thank you so much for the prayers and support so far.
At this moment, i am going through my last big push for New Zealand. I am catching up with churches, encouraging all my friends to give on some level, knowing that God will provide. The target date has been to leave May 26, but if not then due to finances or visa approvement, then the sooner the better from the cession's point of view overseas. I am really pushing to leave for sure by July or August if not sooner, so if you have considered giving or even know someone else who may be interested in being involved, please feel free to let me know at obrent@gmail.com

I visited El Cajon Wesleyan(above) and Grace Point Community Church(below) on the weekends and caught up with friends and supporters throughout the week. it was very encouraging to see a lot of generated interest in how God is at work in New Zealand, but only the next few weeks will show the response and commitment of others to God's calling on my life.
I thank God for this time of trust, growth, and sharing.

"You are one dollar closer..."

Money stresses me out.

I have always been generous with my money
but now I am learning how to manage and spend it more frugally.

Just recently when i was catching up with a Sunday school class i was explaining my financial situation and expressing my trust in God and his Body to make the journey happen in his timing.

At the close i had one man stand up in front of the class and confidently say, "Well you are one dollar closer!" I took the money he shook into my hand and put it in my pocket, just assuming it was more that i would look at later.

No, sure enough it was one dollar!

yet it was one of the most comforting dollars ever.

i was worried about thousands of dollars, yet this man gave me such comfort in his confidence of the one dollar and the Lord's providence. it will obviously take more, but this man just gave me a renewed confidence!

God is making it happen.

The Security of Prayer

I just realized something a few days ago. The road back to New Zealand has been an encouraging process, but it has also been a long and hard process. During those times it has been so easy to be tempted to think, "What if i mess this whole thing up?!? I know i am weak."

But i can't. I have too many people praying for me and i trust the Lord and i trust their prayers! it is one thing to believe you could fail because you are alone. But by the consistent reaffirmation of friends mentioning specifically praying for me, there is no way for me to believe i am alone.

God has called me. I am humbly on his side. I am being supported through prayer. Although there is room for me to mess up, there is really NO WAY for me to FAIL with God and the Body as my strength.

It is like for the first time, i really understanding and TRUSTING what the Bible means when it says
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

How to Pray for Missionaries

I was thinking about how people could pray for me as a missionary and decided to check out what others have said. I put in my two cents below and then I found two posts specifically talking about how to pray for missionaries, summarized their thoughts, and attached the rest if you felt like reading the rest below.
Colossians 3 IN SHORT says:
1. Give thanks for missionaries
2. Pray for:

• God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

• in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way:
• bearing fruit in every good work,
• growing in the knowledge of God,
• being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have
• great endurance
• patience
• and joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light..
  

In Short the posts below say:
• Pray that they might be delivered from unbelievers. (Rom 15:30-33)
• Pray that our service will be accepted by the church
• Pray that we may return with joy.
• Pray that the Gospel of Christ may spread
• Pray that the Word may run its course
• Pray that the Word may be Glorified
• Pray that the Gospel may go forth unhindered

These are the verses that made me start praying for missionaries as a teenager was Colossians 1:3-6, 9-12

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— 5the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in all its truth. 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light..

How To Pray For Missionaries
http://waynecooke.wordpress.com/category/missions/
The Apostle Paul felt the need to have people pray for him. If Paul felt he needed people to pray for him, just think how much more important it is for each of us to pray for others.

” Ye also helping together by prayer for us that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.” II Corinthians 1:11

As we can see from the above verse, Paul was not asking lightly for prayer. He felt that the prayers of God’s people definitely “helped.” He felt that they became an actual part of his ministry. Your prayers do make a difference. When you come before God seeking aid for a missionary’s specific needs you make yourself a co-laborer with him in his ministry.

” Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.” Isaiah 45:11

In this verse we see that God invites us to out him into motion. There is so much that God wants to do that He will not do because we are not spending time in diligent prater for our missionaries. He has not only invited us to pray, but has commanded us to tell Him what to do. We can not actually tell God what to do if it is not already His will, but He does often times limit Himself due to our lack of prayer and faith.

” Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.” James 4:2

Why are the needs of missionaries not being met? Why aren’t they seeing the results of their labors? I am convinced that the reason so many missionaries are struggling to produce fruits in their ministry is that we have failed to ask God.
1. Pray that they might be delivered from unbelievers. (Rom 15:30-33)
We know that our war is not against flesh and blood, (Eph. 6:12) but against Satan and his forces. Paul is going forth into areas totally dominated by Satanic forces. He realized that he would be under attack. He literally begs the church to pray that he be delivered, protected, and rescued from these ungodly forces. Every day we watch as other men of God fall into sin. Often times we are quick to criticize, but slow to pray. When a man goes forth to war he is taking a chance. He is risking his life against a roaring lion that hates God and all that He stands for. If the Devil can stop the man of God, then the work of God will not go forward. He will use persecution, discouragement, sex sin, pride, money problems, and a thousand other things to destroy the effectiveness of the man of God. Will you pray for your missionary by name, asking God to protect him and deliver him from Satan and unbelievers?

2. Pray that his service will be accepted by the saints.
Paul did not want to offend the brethren, he just wanted to be a blessing. He wanted to do what God had called him to do, but he knew that God would need to open the doors for him and prepare the way. As your missionary travels, he needs the saints to accept him and his ministry. What is the key to raising support as a missionary? Simply stated, saints accepting his service. That is exactly what we need to pray for. Often times, the missionary is on deputation longer than necessary and we wonder why. I would like to beseech you to strive together with him in prayer that wherever he goes the saints will accept his service. How many times do men of God prepare good Bible messages that the church members need to hear, but do not accept? Let us pray that after the missionary has sought the face of God that his message will be accepted and taken to heart by the members of the church.

3. Pray that he may return with joy.
How important this prayer is to the missionary. When the missionary leaves to go out on deputation, many obstacles are planted in his path. Will he be able to return with joy? Will he be successful? If he goes out and preaches ten meetings with small love offerings and no support it will be hard to have joy. If he goes to the field and spends a term and sees no real results, it will not be easy to return with joy. We must pray for him, and ask God to give him success in the work he has been called to. Have you ever gone soul winning? You know what it means to come back with joy and you know what it means to come home sad and defeated. Let’s pray that God opens doors for him, that souls will be saved, and that he can come back with joy, excited about what God is doing. Do you want to see him excited about what God is doing in his life? If so, then you must pray and help him.
How and Why
To Pray For Missionaries
"And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap…" Ezk. 22:30

PRAYER IS THE TOOL THAT MOVES
THE HAND OF GOD!
Over and over again you’ve heard missionaries say, "Our greatest need is for prayer support." This is certainly the truth. Even though we stay on the mission field by faith, usually with no salary, trusting God for the supply of all our needs – our greatest need will always remain the same: "We need prayer above all else."
No believer knew the value and power of prayer more than the Apostle Paul. The Scriptures record a number of his prayers, and their powerful results. But did the greatest of missionaries (besides the Lord Jesus) ever ask prayer for himself? Yes, he did. Paul’s request for prayer in 11 Thessalonians 3:1-2 helps us pray for missionaries in our day. So what did Paul ask that we pray for here?
Above all, Paul was concerned with the message he was commissioned to preach. He felt that although he, the messenger, was expendable, the message MUST go forth. Without it, there can be no salvation (Romans 10:13-17). Paul asked us to pray several things for the Word or message of God.

Pray that it may spread
Paul wrote in verse 1: "Pray that the word of the Lord may have free course." Another translation tells us to pray "that the Word may spread rapidly." What a timely prayer in the light of the world’s growing population.

Pray the Word may run its course
The Amplified Bible says "pray that the Word of the Lord may run its course." Isaiah 55:11 reminds us that God’s Word will accomplish its purpose and bear fruit, but Paul's request shows we still have a responsibility to pray to that end as we send it forth.
Countless times each day, the needs of listeners are met in a timely and personal way through a taped radio message or Christian TV. In the same way, the Word of God on the printed page may pass through dozens of hands, blessing each person who reads it.
As we send forth His Word, we must realize that there are hungry, needy souls in the world who will grasp it as a drowning man will lunge for a life-line. Pray that those souls will hear, that the Word will find them and be received, and meet their needs.

Pray that the Word be glorified
There is another part to Paul’s prayer in 11 Thessalonians 3. It is that the Word be glorified. The Williams translation says to pray that the Word "may prove its glorious power."
There is glorious power in the Gospel to change and transform hearts, lives, homes and nations! There is power to heal the incurable, do the impossible and to break the prison walls of sin and set its prisoners free (Romans 1:16; Isaiah 61:1-3).
There is an awesome power in this simple message. All its requires is to be proclaimed!
As you pray for missionaries, pray for the message we preach. Pray that it may run, spread rapidly, go forward unhindered and reach multitudes of hungry and dying souls everywhere.

Pray that it may go forward unhindered
The Phillips translation of verse one says "Pray that the Word of the Lord go forward unhindered." What are some of the things that hinder the Gospel’s progress?
FOUR HINDRANCES TO THE GOSPEL
1. Lack of laborers
2. Lack of funds
3. Lack of vision
4. Lack of strength
A lack of laborers hinders the progress of the Gospel. Jesus commanded us to pray for more laborers in Matthew 9:38. Are you obedient to pray this prayer? Are you listening as you pray? What if He chooses to answer this prayer by calling you to the harvest?
A lack of funds hinders the progress of the Gospel. Every missionary could do more, reach more people, plant more churches, and train more national leaders simply by having more funds available! More Christians need to realize the importance of making an eternal investment in the Great Commission through the perishable commodity we call money. We can’t take it with us, but we Can send it on ahead.
Lack of vision hinders the progress of the Gospel. We all need to pray for the completion of God’s vision at home and on the mission field. Our vision must take in the greatness of the task, the power of the Gospel, the hopelessness of those without Christ, the seriousness of our Commission, the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrifice for sinners, and our responsibility to let every lost sinner know that "God so loved the world…"
Lack of physical strength can hinder the Gospel’s progress. Please pray for the health and physical well-being of our missionaries. Many live in lands where the hygiene and sanitary conditions are far below those of the United States. Added to that, the enormity of the task often drives missionaries beyond their physical endurance levels.

Purpose in your heart to remember to pray for missionaries
as they share the Gospel around the world.