Catching the Vision; Life Update; Learning the "Language"

CATCHING THE VISION:
My prayer right now is that God would give me a clearer vision of "why I'm here."  The BIG PICTURE of partnering with church leaders here to help enable young people to take hold of the hope of the Gospel has been my vision since day one.  Now that I am here, however, I am looking for the more specific vision.  What are the practical steps and how should they be ordered for me to fulfill the role God has called me to in New Zealand?  I can feel God stirring my spirit and speaking direction, both through conversations with other church leaders and in my personal prayer time.  Please keep praying with me for God to accomplish His will for the national youth program of the Wesleyan Methodist Church of New Zealand as well as to show me what my personal role looks like in the midst of that big picture!

LIFE UPDATE:
Life has been full and lovely over the past days.  I was down sick for one day, but thankfully it only lasted one day!  I'm actually amazed that I've gone through this transition and been here almost two months now without getting really sick.  Praise God!  A lot of administrative tasks have been my focus lately--while these don't necessarily make for fun updates, they are really exciting for the big picture!  Pastor Atu and I have two major events in the detail-planning process that are coming up.  On May 18th, we will be having a youth leaders' gathering that I am really excited about!  It's a sort of one day retreat with three basic elements:  fellowship/fun, encouragement, and vision casting/organization for the national youth movement.  Next, on June 22-23, we are planning a "Reconnect Weekend" for our youth.  The Friday night will be a concert and the Saturday a sports' day!  We are still trying to secure a venue for the sports' day, so prayers in that direction are appreciated!

Also, since my last blog update I have been able to visit two more churches for the first time as well as to touch base again with a couple youth ministries.  I am still amazed by the beautiful diversity of this multicultural church of which I am now a part.  I am so blessed and finding my perspective ever-widened about the kingdom.  Also, it is so exciting for me to hear the passion in different church leaders for the young people in their families and communities to experience Christ in a life-changing way.  Just this week, I was able to pray with some young people to make new commitments to follow God's plan for their lives.  Hallelujah!

LEARNING THE LANGUAGE:
A big part of learning culture is learning language.  While English is the dominant language in NZ, it is different than American English in many ways!  Also, I've been trying to pick up on some vocabulary of other languages spoken here as well.  I've been regularly updating a "dictionary" for my own vocabulary learning, and I've decided to share it.  My NZ friends, if you see anything that is wrong, please correct me!

Palagi--Samoan word for white people
Pakeha--Maori word for white people
Pukeko--Pretty big black and blue bird that makes really loud calls outside my house at all hours of  the day and night
Kia Ora--Maori greeting/affirmation
Aotearoa--Maori--Land of the Long White Cloud (New Zealand)
Knackered--Worn out
Lead--Leash
Sweet As--Cool; phrase of agreement
Eh?--Right?
Mate--Friend
Bench--Bar counter
Bench Stool--Bar stool
Petrol--Gas
Heaps and heaps--lots
Barbe--Barbecue Grill AND the event of a barbecue
P.I.--Pacific Islander
Keen to--Like to
Motorway--Highway
Bits and bobs--bits and pieces; all of the stuff being referenced, without leaving any small bit out "Be sure you get all your bits and bobs before you leave!"
Car park--Parking Lot AND parking space "I parked in a car park in the Countdown car park."
On Special--On Sale
Take Aways--Carry Outs
Ring--to call on the phone
Goodonya--Good job
Jandals--Flip-flops
Letter Box--Mail Box
Lounge--Living Room
Tiki Tour--Road trip without a definite destination; taking the scenic/long route
Tea--Dinner or tea time
Supper--Snack before bed
I reckon--I think so
A think--A time of thinking; "Go have a think about it."
A sleep--A time of sleeping
Footpath:  Sidewalk
Chilly bin:  Cooler
Rubbish bin:  Trash can
Fizzy drink:  soda
Zed:  The letter "Z"
Lollies:  Candy
Tomato Sauce:  Ketchup
Chips:  Fries
Jam:  Jelly
Jelly:  Jello
Biscuits:  Cookies
Scones:  Biscuits
College:  High School
Uni:  University
Malo e lelei--Tongan greeting
Malo--Tongan “Thank you”
Bula--Fijian greeting
Venaka--Fijian “Thank you”
Nofo a--Tongan “Goodbye” (from someone leaving)
'Alu a--Tongan “Goodbye” (to someone leaving)