Last Week in Pictures & This Week

PUB DISCUSSION-A group that held a forum on questions about God in the local pub.  Cool incarnational concept in a drinking culture with good conversations where this approach is not to taboo!

• YOUTH HIKE- Went on a youth hike on saturday.
   Paul Milbank who is the youth leader and forest guide for the day, :) is also the one who has asked me to be the best man in his wedding and we work closely together with cession|community right now.
  
  
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
• FALL'S COMING- New Zealand is going into fall and I'm seeing a lot more yellow and red leaves then two years ago when i was here. 
• LIFEKIDZ VOLUNTEERING-
  
  
  
  
  
  Lifekids is a holiday program that runs for physically and mentally challenged kids during the week on the property where we have church on the weekends.  We help out on field trips when they need extra volunteers as an act of service and a few pictures are included here as well.

Last Week, This Week

A few cession|community pictures

Raglan- a great surf beach

evening meal before service

Yeah Kids Table

Last Week
Here are excerpts from two messages i received from the coffee shop friend who has returned home to Sweden saying,
"just wanna tell u that all that u and heidi did for me made me feel so blessed and improved my relationship with God too.
I got my [purity] ring from my grandma and I wear it with pride and I just feel like a new, happier person."

"here(Sweden) its so hard to find people who wants to do something fun without alcohol. miss hanging with people who have some imagination! u know?
id love to have you and heidi to sort of keep me motivated you know? specially about the ring, just because its pretty new to me. but at the same time it has made me just a more "at peace" person, and happier. and god is on my side and he helps me. I thank god everyday for leading me to you guys, because it gave me so much. and I just realy needed to talk about it with people that understood. and it helped a lot!
no im not with him anymore, he wasnt realy that understanding about the ring. and I have to be with someone who respects it and understands, otherwise it wont work.
and ive decided to step back from boys, and focus on me and my relationship with god.
and if i do decide sometime in the future to be with someone it has to be with a guys that has my beliefs. u know?"
Cool huh!?!"

This Week
I have some heavy planning to do with organizing the schedule details for the IWU missions team that comes in less than a month on top of my regular schedule. Really cool conversations are taking place right now. One person asked just recently why "heaven was so important?" and at a discussion forum last night a guy asked, "So does that mean i am going to hell?" and "Do Christians think they are a superior religion?" Some very nitty gritty and good conversations happening. Thanks for your prayers and support.

I attached a picture of Raglan. This Saturday, I took a group of 7 others surfing and it was a good opportunity to build relationships on the 2 hours drive both ways
I attached a few pictures of cession|community and the meal we have before the night service. Yeah for the kids table!

This Week Last Week Good questions in Cell Group

Here is me in my Easter Suit! yeah, i was the only one wearing anything close to an easter suit this last Sunday, although people thoroughly enjoy that i still wore brown sandals (called jandals here) with the outfit.




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Last Week: We had our interactive stations of the cross exhibit running all easter weekend. This was a good opportunity for a few people to visit our church that wouldn't otherwise come. Stations included things such as weaving as an act of committing to help with poverty in the world, observing art, watching a video on suffering, collecting blankets for the city mission, etc. At cell group we had one person discuss how they were trying to reclaim their faith. The solution wasn't as easy as asking them to say a prayer of confession, but you can help me to prayer for a reassurance with this individual in their heart and mind of the truth of God and Christianity.




This Week: Students are on 2 week holiday so this is a good time to connect with teens, and this will also be a big week for easter followup. One of my big responsibilities is supporting the church plant at cession|community and creating a system for contacts and followup to really target and value newcomers will be one of my crowning achievements over the next couple months.

Last Weekend This Weekend

Last Weekend:
cession|community put on our annual Easter Egg Hunt for about 340 visitors which is up from the years before.   This was a great community event and with a lot of positive feedback and a lot of followup on my part to do over the next few weeks!





This Weekend:cession|community puts on our Stations of the Cross exhibit all weekend. This is another way of cession being able to express itself artistically and reach out to the community in its own way.
Cell Group: Since March, i have been starting to lead a cell group which has been a huge blessing. The cell group is small but already culturally diverse: american, fijian, samoan, and 2 from vanuatu. One girl mentioned that she had not been to church since her dad had died since she had felt forced growing up. We had a dinner at my place a few nights ago and invited some people outside of the church and made some really good connections in providing steps for them to get involved in a church setting or cell in the near future.

Thanks for your prayers.
Brent Dongell

Connecting Through Surfing

So anyone that knows me, knows that i use my recreation as the easiest way to connect, teach, and enjoy other people.
Well this last weekend, i was able to take 7 others down to a batch overnight on the east coast of New Zealand called Tairua. This was the sunset on Saturday from the place.
The first night we went out to the beach adn the stars were beautiful, here was my picture of the southern cross
I was testing out the waters on teaching people how to surf because i have had so many people that are interested in learning. So i organized this trip to see how i would do.
I was also really excited about the group. Vanessa and B are twins from Vanautu and Vanessa helps out with a Nazerene youth group that the Wesleyan churches have tried to be working more closely with. It was fun to see them connect with Paul who is the youth pastor at the church where i am at cession|community. Daniel(between them) is their good friend and also goes to cession. Jason is one of the teens in the youth group and it was good to see him stretch himself. Rachel (to the left) is a youth leader with Paul, and Evy is now a good friend who is my surfing buddy and was helping teach a little. He gave a morning thought about how the waves are like our lives that was really thought provoking, which was also awesome and a big step for him.
It was cool to see the group gel together and to see new and deeper friendships being formed. God was awesome for providing a good and safe weekend. On a social front it was a total success. On a surfing front, I wish the first time surfers would've stood up, but it was a good learning step to see what i am capable of in leading. Cool.

Last Week This Week

Last Week: Summer relaxation turned into "Back to Work." I began a discipline month where I am waking up early to jog with friends and spend time in prayer and the Word. It really has increased my productivity throughout the day! I also bought a van! (pictures are attached)

I have been praying and wanting a vehicle to transport groups of people around in for missions teams, youth events, retreats, surf lessons, etc. None of the churches in this area really have a van readily available to them, so I look forward to this being used as a huge ministry tool!

This Week: Continue the Discipline Month. A team is finishing a needed cession|community church directory which will be big for involvement. There is also a meeting taking place to discuss a central database for the church which will be good for details for new people and the cell group leaders I meet with. I am also getting ready to start up a personal cell group for people around a college/university level. Another dream is coming to fruition called (OI-Open Invites). This will be an opportunity and platform to connect the young adults in and around the Auckland churches to provide a social network and place for them to bring their friends. We will provide a monthly activity, and begin to look at how we can support the people who come from their which may include mentoring or helping them develop a small group at their local church. Cool Things are Happening!

Coffee Shop Friend: I will meet up with the friend one more time this week hopefully before they head back to Sweden and I am hoping to give them a bible with a few specific passages marked since I do not think they currently own one or at least one that is used regularly.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Ignite Followup

The camp was incredible. God really moved and i believe it is heavily because of the prayer support that went into the weekend

Below were all of the responses from the evaluation forms the teens filled out at the end of camp with basically three questions:
What did you enjoy:
Did you make any commitments:
What can we pray about for you:


What I enjoyed most about the weekend:
• Brent preaching about our saviour and the activities were awesome and GREEN WINNING!!!!!
• Group activities because it encouraged me to work together as a team, to help each other, love each other, have fun with each other and also talk in Christ with each other.
• I found the whole week enjoyable but what I enjoyed the most was the praise and worship and listening to the sermons. As well as the activities provided for us.
• All the water activities and meeting all the awesome new people.
• Is being with people who choose Christ as their God and that we could experience a change in ourselves together.
• Meeting new people and getting to know more about God.
• Meeting new people, taking part in the cool activities, listening to the messages at the rallies and the morning devotions.
• I most enjoyed the eating.
• Playing in the swimming pool and eating.
• The company, fellowship, fun activities and others.
• Game activities and church rallies.
• The activities and also the praise and worship and I really loved the Ember Days.
• Devotions
• The activities.
• Meeting new people form different cultures etc.
• The activities
• The activities that involved water.
• Getting to know Rachel (our cabin leader) more.
• The mudslide and the service on Saturday night was amazing.
• Playing games, having nice breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Having fun, getting muddy and wet and worship with the Ember Days.
• Unloading burdens. Kidney challenge!
• Most of the things
• Worship and rallies plus messy games.
• I enjoyed the team challenges because of the spirit each team had, which made it competitive and exciting. I also really enjoyed Brent’s messages, especially Saturday night.
• I really enjoyed mostly everything – the worship was awesome, really touching and I really changed.
• Meeting new people and all of the group activities were wicked. And the food was good.
• I mostly enjoyed the swimming in the pond and Brent’s sermons.
• Everything
• Ember Days
• I enjoyed everything this weekend. It was fun and exciting and I love the word that was said. Also making new friends.
• Being around lots of young people and having the most fun time ever. Loved getting dirty. I loved that fact that the whole day was planned out so no-one got bored. It was a great idea to be in teams ‘cause it brought people together.
• I really enjoyed meeting new people and the fund activities, enjoyed getting to know the girls in my cabin. Brent’s messages were really good, and I particularly liked the foot washing time – it was quite powerful and it was so awesome to serve others that way, and the encouragement I needed. And green won!!!
• Meeting so many new people and forming great friendships with them. Also working together as a team and never giving up. The meat challenge was awesome.
• Getting to know new people and to hear Brent preach! But the best part of all was being able to wash others feet and to have that experience with my peers.
• Life changing moments. Sermons, worship, meeting new peoples and building friendships, team activities.
• The foot washing night was amazing. A great sharing time. I heard about it last year and loved it.
• I enjoyed the activities and the rallies.
• Playing with other people and meeting new people.
• Free time.
• Table tennis.
• Brent’s enthusiasm in his preaching.
• Table tennis and talking with my cabin members.
• All the rally sessions and programme, and games and the free time.
• I loved it all. But my favourite was doing the team challenges and eating the food. The cooking was great, and I love the competition. My ultimate-favourite was on Sunday night on the foot washing and prayer times.
• Sermons.
• The disgusting games and activities.
• I enjoyed all the rallies, the games, free time, sleeping and spending time with people I don’t know.
• Team Activities, making new friends, talking, sleeping, free time. The Talent show and our Dance.
• Swimming in the clear pool compared to the pond. The Band Ember Days. Sermons, doing crazy shenanigans with cabin members, being gangsta in our dance.
• Spending time with the girls from my cabin and getting to know some New Zealanders. Getting wet and dirty and having a bunch of fun. Mudslide, mudfights. Practicing for the talent show.
• I really enjoyed the sermons that Pastor Brent shared with us. He really made it easy for us as youth to understand what happens around the world. I also enjoyed the mudslide. Mudslide was the highlight of my time here this year.
• I enjoyed meeting new people, doing team activities such as paddle boats, the mud slide, the pre-rallies, the cabin talent show and more.
• I enjoyed the activities such as flying fox and mudslide.
• I especially enjoyed the mudslide and other activities as well.
• I enjoyed the flying fox the most.
• I enjoyed the talent show.
• The Ember Days and all the worship and messages Brent produced. They were very encouraging and a joy to watch. I also loved the activities, especially the cabin leader hunt that PURPLE won!!!!
• Brent’s sermons, The Ember Days, footwashing, cabin leader hunt.
• Paddle boats.
• Everything.
• Swimming pool, playing, the nice food and the worship and the preaching.
• Everything, especially the preaching.

Did you make any significant decisions or commitments this week?
• Yes, I did.
• Yes, on Sunday night when Pastor Brent lead us with a message to humble ourselves like what Jesus did and it touched my heart to humble myself and serve others even if they are strong or rich or poor, especially if the hate me I try to forgive them by washing their feet.
• This week I made a decision to humble myself from those around me, my family and friends and to work on improving my spiritual walk with God. Spreading the word to everyone and also to remain humble like Jesus when others sin against me.
• No, I only re-committed.
• To care more and be aware of other people’s interests and ideas. Another commitment I made is not to be lazy.
• Yes, I have.
• Going up for the altar call, to not be nervous or intimidated in this new environment, to be happy and enjoy myself here at camp.
• No
• Just try and re-commit my life to the Lord and live by the ‘word’.
• Just taking teamwork more seriously.
• Yes and I enjoyed it and had lots of fun.
• Yes, I gave my life to the Lord for the first time.
• Not really
• I committed my life to God.
• Yes, I accepted Jesus into my life.
• Yes, to work more for God spiritually and physically.
• I asked God to help me to stay committed and be true to him.
• Yes, to go to bed late and wake up early. And yes to pray to the Lord.
• Yes. Sermons and loved ones around me this week made me want to clear my head of some things.
• I recognised that I need God’s help in my life even if I think I can be independent.
• I made a re-commitment to God on Saturday night to refresh my fire and passion for God. I also felt a calling to commit to Brent’s call for full time ministry.
• Yes, and I fell so much better because if feels like Jesus just came and took my sins away.
• I decided that I want to follow a path of ministry or whatever else the Lord has in mind.
• To change my life.
• I’ve decided to trust God more and put God into everything I do. Making sure I include him in all my decisions.
• I want to be closer to Christ.
• Not anything new, but more encouragement to really serve God with my whole live in my future through whatever he wants me to do.
• Just to make sure I totally commit my live solely and fully to him. Also to let go.
• When we were talking about Revelations chapter 2 verse 7 I made a commitment to serve and respect our church leaders and to follow in lives like theirs.
• No. I didn’t go up the front but even staying in my seat I was still overwhelmed by God and brought to the floor in tears!
• I didn’t make anything too big. I know that because of the foot washing some of my friends have become closer. It was a touching time.
• Yes, I did.
• Yes, I did.
• I committed my life to Christ.
• I thought I could believe in God more enthusiastically.
• To praise more.
• Recommitment.
• Yes, I committed to serve God all my life no matter what I have to do or how I do it.
• I recommitted my life to God and felt that I needed to.
• Yes, I did.
• No, but I did wash someone’s feet and that was very moving.
• I decided to seek God, ask for help as much as possible.
• To reduce the time I spend on the computer.
• That I will serve the Lord in anyway possible in the future and especially if it means going overseas because that’s always been my passion and I want to use that with God.
• Yeah, I committed my everything to God and asked him for help.
• To go and help people who need it.


Is there anything that I can pray for you about?
• About me in general and my Christian life.
• Yes please, I have a personal problem with a relative, but please can you help me and encourage me and to love my enemy and to forgive those who hate me.
• Pray for guidance in my life and also for our Saioni youth that we will continue to grow spiritually.
• That I will continue to grow and learn by faith in God.
• For a better relationship with Christ.
• No thanks.
• My career and pray that I can fully commit myself to the Lord 24/7
• That my relationships and the decisions I make in my life will help me grow spiritually and as a person to fulfil the plans the Lord has set out for me.
• My dad becoming a Christian.
• Having a good year and help me academically.
• My mum is in Fiji and the family around the world that is sick and everything.
• Yes, for my school work and my future and I also want you to pray for my future and my spiritual life.
• Hep me at school.
• My family and spiritual life to stay strong.
• My school and my teenage life.
• Yes, to help me know God more and to conquer the challenges ahead of me.
• Yes please, to continue worshipping God and to build a more stronger relationship between me and God.
• Just helping me to grow another year of high school and just ask the Lord to help my spiritual work with him.
• That Jesus could be in my heart and that I would worship the Lord more.
• Family problems, problems with my friends in the youth, insecurities…..please.
• Reaching friends at school.
• That my passion for God would not die out and that I would have the right attitude to tackle everyday situations.
• Yes, to help me work harder in high school. And hopefully end up somewhere.
• Good health and just thank you for everything.
• Getting dad to come to church again and that he enjoys it.
• For my family, myself and especially that God will give me strength and wisdom in my home and school as wells as outside. That would also help me to get over my fears of singing alone. And that whatever God has in store for me that I’ll stay by his side and not stray form his purpose.
• Yes, that I could listen to God’s voice, like really hear it. That my life would not be centred around me but I would concentrate on others and put them before me and most importantly put God first.
• Direction, do I move or don’t I.
• That everyone who came to this camp leaves with Jesus in their hearts and that they know that Jesus loves them and that they show others the same!!
• My brother. That he would come back to God. My Mum, that she gets better.
• Just that everything this year will go good and everyone will stay safe.
• Help me with my needs and strength.
• Yes, I would like you to pray for my life and the Saioni Youth.
• About my future.
• Have a good final year at college.
• Please just pray for my life.
• Family and friends.
• My relative who was murdered and me and my family.
• That I will continue to prosper in everything I do.
• Last year of school.
• Pray for my cousin who committed his life to the Lord this week. Just pray that his faith will grow and that he will be strong to his commitments.
• I would like to ask for you to pray for some guidance in my spiritual journey with God and to ask for forgiveness of all the wrongs I’ve done in my past.
• Even though my dad attends church (sometimes) he does not believe in God, I pray for my dad’s belief towards God.
• For my parents to be happy and for my father to go to church.
• For my father to go to church and believe in God.
• I want to be a teacher.
• Please pray that I can have confidence with facing difficult team mates this year in the first 11 and that I could even spread the word more at school and in my team. And also that I can have the strength to put up with non-conscious put-downs others are making about my true faith.
• To have a stronger walk with God and know who he really is.
• My love life.
• School and my future.
• Just pray about my family please.