We have been in New Zealand for a month and a half now. The last month, in February, we have been connected to YWAM Furnace and Ignite 6:8’s work in Tauranga. We stayed at a Lodge up in the Kaimai Mountains, a “business as mission”, where we helped with cleaning and maintenance, in addition to helping with various tasks around the city. The goal for this time was to take it easy, build good routines as a married couple, seek God for our future, try out different ministries and build relationships with old and new friends. Well, taking it easy was probably a bit optimistic because the last month has been like a whirlwind! Now, we are taking a time-out to let the sand settle.
Ignite 6:8
This is an organisation led by Jewel Anita, a wonderful lady whom Eivind first met in the Solomon Islands in 2018. The name and work are inspired by Micah 6:8: “He has told you, O man, what he requires of you: to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God.” What would the world look like if all people took this to heart? Ignite 6:8 collaborates with many different services in the city that work with mercy and justice. These are some of the works that we were able to take part in this month:
Street Help
Street Help has a van that drives around the city to the homeless and party people, handing out hot pies, hot drinks, and most of all, showing compassion and kindness. We joined this ministry, staying up late into the night handing out pillows, blankets, food, drinks, and showing Jesus’ love for the homeless and the nightlife in the city.
Pregnancy Choice
Pregnancy Choice is a non-profit organization that offers free pregnancy tests and information and support to women facing unexpected pregnancies. They have conversations with women, support them in their situation, and inform them about their options – and that there are other options than abortion.
Naomi has helped out at the thrift store where people in need can take what they need and pay if they can, and all the profits from the Pregnancy Choice thrift store go to supporting other women in need. She also attended training on how to be supportive of women in this situation. A two-day course with a lot of hard but useful information on how to be a supportive role for women facing unexpected pregnancies.
Ngapeke Permaculture
This not-for-profit permaculture farm grows local Maori food for the community using traditional and environmentally friendly methods. Naomi has helped out here, and we even went wild goat hunting and shot a goat! It’s also a place that welcomes people from all walks of life and welcomes them as they are.
Prayer walks
Each week, we have met in a different location in Tauranga City to pray for the city. Praying for the brothels and strip clubs to be closed down, for prosperity for businesses and shops, and for wisdom and strength for the local government and churches.
Anti-trafficking
We have partnered with a work that fights for freedom and healing for women who have been trafficked here in NZ. Prostitution is legal in New Zealand for various reasons, but the result is that there are many women who are tricked into the “profession” and trafficked domestically. Watch this film made from the story of a survivor here: youtu.be/-qIr_t_M7dc
Maisha Africa website
Early on during our stay, it became clear that they needed someone to help build websites. Eivind has experience with this and volunteered to tackle the website for a work in Uganda, Maisha Africa. Creating a website is a big process, which meant that Naomi had to take part in the work with Ngapeke and Pregnancy Choice alone. The website is still a work in progress, but you can see the results so far here: www.maishaafrica.nz .
Hoatu Kaimua Lodge
We have lived here during the week, but left at weekends to make the place available for guests. Hoatu is run by Jewel Anita as an individual business where the goal is for all people to be able to come, relax, and enjoy God’s creations in the Kaimua mountains. We have helped with maintenance on the buildings and cleaning between guests. We had initially thought that this work would be bigger and give us time to relax in the mountains, but it turns out that we have been working two days a week and driving a lot back and forth to the city of Tauranga, which is 30 minutes away.
YWAM Furnace
This is the base where Eivind did his community development school in 2019, and he knows many of the people who are here now from that time. We have been part of their joint meetings and have gotten to know many old and new friends better. We also got to share about our work in the Solomon Islands with the whole base, where we ended up praying for the new DTS with YWAM Munda and for the two of us as missionaries sent to the Solomon Islands.
YWAM Ships Aotearoa
We have previously been part of the YWAM Koha medical ship in Fiji, where we were able to be part of an Outreach and help as a nurse and photographer. This time, we have been able to be part of the weekly prayer meetings that take place on the ship and build on the relationships we have on board. We are impressed with the way they operate the ship, where prayer is the cornerstone. They are planning this year’s outreach to Fiji and Tuvalu, and they are still praying to find the right people to take on the critical positions. We are praying whether we might be part of this year’s outreach in some way.
Yachts For Life
In addition to working with YWAM in Tauranga, we have also spent a lot of time with Hinrich, who leads the Yachts for Life work in Fiji, where we first met in 2022 and did our SONS (School of seamanship and navigation) in 2023. He is our good friend and mentor, and he met us in the Solomon Islands when we arrived in Honiara with Vaka Hop’e! He is offering us a bigger role in Yachts for Life, and this is something that we are praying into.
Finding our way
It is a biblical principle that men should not go to war in the first year of marriage but that they should stay home to make their wives happy. We see it as not taking on too many big commitments in this first year and having time to enjoy some time together. But we are currently looking for a home because we see our mission as being in the Pacific. So we see this first year as an investment in finding our way forward together.
Now, we have been working hard to see if Tauranga is our home, and we have had a lot to think about. At the same time, we have received a reinforced call to the Solomon Islands, and we feel that we will not get clarity until we travel there. Now, we are taking some time to travel up to YWAM Northland, which is located in Whangarei. We have had a word about Whangarei and are excited to meet the YWAM people there. One of them was actually part of Naomi’s DTS and sailed with Eivind aboard Vaka Hop’e in the Philippines in 2023!
Grateful
We wanted to write this newsletter to share the process we are going through. It is not an easy start to a marriage, with so many loose balls in the air, but we are grateful for each other, and we trust that God will show us the way step by step. We are also so grateful for everyone who supports and prays for us! We could not have done this alone.
