It was a normal Thursday in Papua New Guinea. We woke up sweating and didn’t stop until the sun was below the horizon. There were island-wide power cuts from 6am to 6pm, which meant no refrigeration, no fresh foods, and no fans (a.k.a. no relief from the heat). Regardless, our Discipleship Training School (DTS) team was in high spirits as we prepared to go on the streets to share the love of Jesus.…
In the middle of my gap year, I travelled to New Zealand to do a Discipleship Training School (DTS) for five months. I wanted to take the time to grow deeper in my relationship with God, before I started university back home in England. I had always loved school, and I was so excited to start my degree in geography. I had big plans. I was going to become a research professor, teach, and earn lots and lots of money. But on Week 5 of my Discipleship Training School, everything changed.…
This story starts before we even arrived in Papua New Guinea. During preparation for our Discipleship Training School (DTS) outreach, our team prayed together in New Zealand. Different people received words about prison ministry, working with criminals, and speaking in front of prisoners in Papua New Guinea. My husband Thomas envisioned a big river flowing through a prison, not fully knowing what it meant.…
Wait, so how do you pack for a missions trip if you don’t know where you’re going—or what the weather’s like once you get there? Good question. …
So, what’s the weather like in Tauranga? It's not too shabby, but that's an understatement. The Bay of Plenty region is known across New Zealand for its gorgeous weather and breathtaking coastal scenes. Even the winter can have tropical-feeling days that are perfect for a stroll down Papamoa Beach or a hike up Mount Maunganui. But because I know you want to pack more than just a swimsuit, here's some specific temperature ranges in Tauranga.…
When I was a kid, I loved bike riding. My mom would take us to the other side of the city, and we would go everywhere. We would ride around in the parks, along the river, spend three hours or more, just riding. When I look back on my childhood it’s something that stands out, but as…
What do I do with my life? It’s a question we all ask at one point, but now more than ever, we have an overwhelming amount of options. Not only do you need to decide what city to live in, but also what country. Not only do you need to figure out what school you…
Have you ever been in a position where nothing seems to be going your way? For most of my life, it seemed that nothing would ever go my way. Growing up my biggest dream was to be an Olympic athlete. I wanted to take my volleyball career as far as I could, defy the odds…
I am currently in my Leaders Internship course with nine others, supported by an awesome team—all in the beautiful nation of Aotearoa (the Maori word for New Zealand)! The goal of these three months is to develop and understand our strengths for leadership, to learn what it means to be rooted in our identity…
I’d seen it all. Those missionary teams, coming back sharing stories about their latest trip. Those Discipleship Training Schools (DTS), telling testimonies on stage. I was so used to long-winded explanations of why you should join “why-wham” and what God could “do in your life”, that I started tuning them out. I’d been recruited…
