The craziness has begun.
Two weeks ago, I timidly set forth to Auckland for the beginning of staff training. The only AW80 staff member up there I really knew was my staff leader, Julie Anna. Now, two weeks later, I return with 10 new friends and a deeper sense of God’s nearness. When I look to the future, all I see is myself struggling to make it though what will be some tough situations. When I focus on today, I feel God’s presence and know that he will get me though.
“Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34
A little bit more about what I’m going to be up to over the next six months. I am school staff for our Around the World in 80 Days Discipleship Training School. This means that I will have various staff responsibilities during lecture phase, including running a small group of about three students and having weekly one-on-ones with those students. Lecture phase will run until May 14th when we will leave for outreach. On outreach I will co-lead a team of about 5 students to various ministry opportunities in four different countries. Then on August 12th, all five teams will meet back up in Israel and graduate on the Mount of Olives.
We have another two weeks of staff training, and then on February 27th all 26(ish) students arrive. In addition to the AW80 DTS, our base will also be running a Crossroads DTS (intended for people 35 and older) and a Bible Core Course during this same time frame. This means we will have around 100 people on base, staff and students included. This is the busiest our base has been since I arrived last June, and I’m going to be right in the middle of all the madness. I have a little trepidation, but mostly I’m just excited to see God move in the lives of all these awesome people He has gathered in Oxford, New Zealand.
AW80 Staff Team
(From Left to Right) Nelson, Justin, Me, Grace, Kim, Sarah, Kadi, Julie Anna, Joe, Kari, and David
“At bottom, becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.”
~Warren Bennis