Beyond the Classroom: Hakas, Surfing and Preparations for Outreach
- Jüjü Juillard
- May 4, 2024
- 2 min read
(I wrote this post a week ago. By now we're already in Vanuatu)
This was our Haka at the so-called "Pōwhiri," a Māori welcoming ceremony. Here, we welcomed a DTS from Hawaii, who then spent the next 5 weeks with us. In the first week with them, we focused mainly on the topic of "Cultures and Mission," which we primarily explored through the culture and mission history of the Māori. For this, we spent a week at a holiday park in Russell and visited various historical sites and museums. In the evenings, we had classes in the "Marae," the meeting grounds/house of the local tribe. Our teacher was Ray, the Director of YWAM New Zealand. He himself is Māori and has both a great knowledge of his culture and history, as well as extensive experience from his own mission trips to various cultures around the world. The whole week was a bit challenging logistically, but everyone helped out and adapted well, which makes me confident for the outreach.
The last four weeks, we covered the topics of "Spiritual Authority," "Lordship," "Mission," and "Relationships." Taught by John Dawson, Mark Parker, Hinrich Kränzlin, and Eric Byrd. These names are probably unfamiliar to many, but here in New Zealand and the Pacific, these men are all very influential and significant regarding the mission field and the kingdom of God. For me, it's a huge privilege to learn from them and spend time with them.
Outside of class, we continued to surf, and our preparations for the outreach are in full swing. Next Friday, we're finally off to Vanuatu! We're all looking forward to the time ahead, even though we actually have no idea what to expect. If you'd like to stay updated on what we'll be doing in Vanuatu, feel free to follow us on Instagram at @team_vanuatu.
Thank you for all your support!
Former Māori palisade fort. There used to be a little town on these platforms.
Marsden Cross. Here, on Christmas Day 1814, Samuel Marsden held the first Christian sermon on New Zealand land.
Longest "Waka" (ceremonial canoe) In the world. 36m long, 2m wide and a 135 people (80 rowers und 55 passengers).
Us, learning a Māori song about sweet potatoes😋
Last week, we boys put on a "Girls Appreciation Breakfast". We served the main course in the form of a little musical number.
Spontaneous worship session (ignore my voice😂)
Average evening on a surf weekend. (Don't worry, the students aren't traumatized and the tortillas were long expired😉)
Our surf crew after the last surf trip last friday.
When we went to the city a few weeks ago to do street evangelism, it had been raining all day. We all prayed that the rain would stop so we could meet people on the street. When we turned into the parking lot, there was this rainbow over the city. It didn't rain the entire time. When we were on our way home, it started to rain again, but not without giving us another rainbow. God is great, even in the little things!
Our boys, after all our students have been sailing with Hinrich. Hinrich carries out a big part of his mission with sailing ships.
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