From Danny Joe

Hello everyone,

Can I just start by saying that God is good, He is faithful and just and true and loving.

He has been the leader of this trip from the beginning. He was there when the three of us stepped off the plane in Auckland with backpacks and a 3 Day rental Car agreement. He was there when we bought our first car, only to crash into a dual tailored tanker trunk 45 minutes later. He was heard in the words of the man (person driving behind us, who witnessed the whole thing) who looked at me as I crawled out of the drivers seat after the impact and said that he wanted us to know that we were what's important, not the car, not the loss of money, but us. We were o.k. and that was what we needed to focus on, just that.

He was seen in Pastor David Dishroon in Tauranga that decided to listen to our story, then to buy us lunch, introduce us to His wife Linda and invite to stay overnight in the guest bedroom with their family, (we still haven't left…).

He (Pastor David) offered us work, a one year experience with them, as we try to get our visas approved so that we can begin LHNZ. It will be a time to learn the culture, and to have a place to come for those still at home. A place to be.

And God is here now as I sit at my desk over looking the Bay of Plenty in Tauranga. I get to spend a season here as the Youth Pastor/ Cosultant of TWC. (Tauranga Worship Center.) He is so great and has provided so much. For that we are thankful.

We also thank you, our church family at Living Hope. We miss you so much. We Love and appreciate all of you. Thank you for the support and encouragement.

Be praying for those still at home, they are carrying so much and handling it beautifully. Thank you for everything.

Love, Danny Joe

Something New...

Hi! This is Erin. I apologize for not updating the blog in the past few days. Life is crazy when you're trying to move your whole life out of the country! Danny, Dustin and Robbie are staying right now by the Bay of Plenty. It looks like an amazing place. You can google search it and get some neat pics.

We are able to talk with them by phone more than internet at this point. They will be blogging in the next few days when they have adequate internet access. Also they have some pics that we'll be posting as soon as we get them. The guys have met with some local pastors and have learned some things about New Zealand that will be helpful for our ministry. One is that they have the highest rate of un-wed births, per capita, in the world. Two is their suicide rate is higher than their murder rate. This is horribly sad, but has opened our eyes to what an amazing ministry field we have before us.

I appreciate everyone's support and prayers more than you'll ever know. Thanks.

UPDATE

Today was our first contact with the other half of our team in New Zealand!
"It's beautiful here!" was the first thing out of Dustin's mouth on the phone with me today. So far they've only experienced Auckland, New Zealand, but their first impressions of the country seem to be overwhelmingly positive. Friendly people, beautiful landscape, and STARBUCKS! (Dustin is pretty fond of Starbucks, if you didn't already know that.) Driving is proving to be an interesting experience, as they drive on the left side of the road and the cars are right hand drive. They said they were off to visit churches and had to be off. (Minutes on the phone cost more than we'd like them to.)
Each day I become more and more excited about our near future in New Zealand. Although I'm struggling with the emotions of leaving my family, I'm also encouraged by the peace in my heart about the "move." God's been giving me some awesome quiet times at home and I'm blown away by how relevant God's Word is -- always.
Please continue to send prayers our way. For the men to find where we are most needed, for homes to become available, for Danny and Erin's house to sell, and for money. We still have many needs, and know God can provide through your prayers and your support and your finances.
Thank you for your sacrifices and for spreading the word about our journey to New Zealand.
Love,
Tabi

::UPDATE::
The boys are in need of places to stay while in New Zealand. If you or anyone you know, have any contacts in New Zealand, please e-mail dannyc@livinghopechurch.com or erinc@livinghopechurch.com with further contact information and details. THANK YOU!

They're Almost There!

Danny, Dustin and Robbie left yesterday and are on their way to New Zealand. They left out of Seattle last night at 6:50pm, flew into Los Angeles, then left LA at around 11:45pm for Fiji. They have a small layover in Fiji then onto New Zealand. It's tomorrow there. Isn't that so weird? Tabi was trying to explain to me the time difference and how to calculate what time it is there compared to here. I think she said just go four hours back (from what time it is here) and add tomorrow. So like if it's 5pm here, it's 1pm there, but tomorrow. I think. Hence the word "trying" to explain the time difference.

I miss Danny already, but I'm excited to hear from him what it's like over there. Once they land he's going to blog, so be watching for it!