Update numero dos

     Hey ya'll. Sorry it's been a while since I wrote a blog, but I don't really want to post things unless I have something to worthwhile to write about.

      So, I've been here in Auckland, New Zealand for almost 3 weeks now. The "honey moon" phase is over, but I'm still loving it here and learning and seeing new things every day.  And just for those of you who might still be unclear on what exactly I'm doing over here- I am with a branch of an organization called YWAM: Youth With A Mission. Our group of 20 people from all over the world, ages 18-35, came together here in Auckland for 3 months to do a Justice school. Essentially, we are learning about all sorts of justice issues, such as human trafficking, slavery, genocide, poverty, orphans, etc. Then after 3 months of classes, they send us out into another country to actually WORK with some of these issues for 3 months. And all the while, we still get to travel around a bit on our free time and sightsee and explore.

     There's just a few things I wanted to update ya'll on:
1. Some interesting news not many people seem to know in the states- Prostitution is actually legal over here. And they actually DO have a fairly nasty problem with human trafficking and forced prostitution. That was a question alot of people were asking me about when I first signed up to come over here. The road, "K' Road", that we walk on everyday to get to and from the hostel to the church where we have our classes is pretty much Auckland's version of 4th Street in Reno- aka- lots of prostitutes and sex shops, etc. Commonly at night, out our window, we hear the prostitutes making deals with their potential "customers" then jumping in the car to leave with them. It's not the most peaceful thing to fall asleep to. Sadly, there aren't really any organizations we're really connected with who are working to stop the underage prostitution here. But we are encouraged by our leaders that if we do come in contact with any of the girls, legal age or not, as well as the many homeless that live here, to try to build relationships with them-talk to them, take them to coffee or lunch, just be there for them. I haven't had a chance to do so yet, but I'm hoping that an opportunity comes my way. So, for those of you who pray, please be in prayer for the relationships built while here and that some good can come from our time here.

And! My most exciting announcement: 2. Last Wednesday we were giving our options for countries to go to on outreach phase. The two main options were: South Africa, working in the slums with a disabled children's home. Middle East-either Israel or Jordan, working with refugees and teaching English. And lastly, they gave us a 'wild card' option that I don't think they really planned on doing, but felt called to give us a third choice. So, we got the option of either Thailand, working with rehab homes for girls rescued from trafficking and forced prostitution, or Vanuatu, a small island near Fiji, building a water tower and a few houses for a village there. Thailand was a very unsure possibility, because besides one contact living there, the leaders didn't really have any plans for going there.
    So, we were told to write our choices down, with explanations of why, and hand them in to Josie, our main leader. Thailand was weighing heavy on my heart and that was a place we could go and actually be fully involved with helping victims of trafficking/ prostitution. But, the only way going there would become a reality was if quite a few other people from our group felt called to go there also. And only one wild card option could happen. So that was a 50/50 chance cut into another 50/50 chance. The difficult part was we weren't really allowed to talk to each other about where we wanted to go so that our decisions wouldn't be swayed by anyone. I wrote down Thailand as my #1 choice, not knowing whether or not I was getting my hopes up for nothing. I figured I would most likely be heading to the Middle East, as that was my #2 choice. 

     Today, the leaders told us we were going to play a game and specifically placed us in three groups. As soon as we were all sorted in our groups, they told us to look around because we were with our new outreach team. One group South Africa. One group Middle East. And...one group THAILAND! And...as I'm sure you've figured out- I was in that group! I was beyond stoked! So, at the end of December, me and 6 others, plus our amazing leader Josie, will be on our way over to live in Thailand for 3 months! Since our trip wasn't already planned out, we basically get to create our own mission trip which will be difficult, but amazing at the same time! As time goes on and more things come up, I'll be sure to keep you all updated.

  Last note for those who pray, etc. Please continue to keep me and my team in your prayers and thoughts. It's pretty easy going right now, but I doubt it will remain that way for the whole time, both here and in Thailand. We are out to fight against some of the greatest evils in our world and Satan would love nothing more than to destroy us. But, we'd love nothing more than to destroy him and fortunately for us, we have an all-powerful, all-knowing, just and loving God on our side...or should I say- we are on His side. :)