Untrapped

Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.

Habakkuk 1:5

Highlights/Sweeter than Words Moments of this past week:

-The beautiful Linda Widmark coming to town!! Linda is from Lund, Sweden, and like me, came to Christchurch to study at the University of Canterbury. (Or as the Kiwis call it, the Uni). Unlike me, however, Linda came to study fire engineering!!! Sound intense? Yeah. I think so, too. =)

I was just sitting here thinking about it, and realized that it’s only been 7 days since she and I first met, and I am amazed by that!!! Our friendship was incredibly quick to form. It’s hard for me to remember what it was even like the first week and a half that I was here when she wasn’t. It seems like she’s been here just as long as I have.

The afternoon after she arrived, (so last Sunday), she and I went with the Bells and some family friends of theirs to a town called Lyttelton that is about 20 minutes away from Christchurch, just over the Port Hills. These 'hills' sure look like mountains to me, but they call them hills here because when they are compared to the Southern Alps, they do look like hills!

Our view of the greatness of anything is always determined by what greatness we've
seen/heard/experienced/ or known previously, isn't it? Greatness then, in most everything in this world, is relative. I love how because God is everything but of this world, nothing about Him is relative. He IS greatness!!!!

The friends of the family were a husband and wife, Holly and Mark, their 9 year old son, Nathan, and Wavney, who is boarding at the Bell’s house right now as well. Nathan is precious, Holly and Mark are an awesome couple, and Wavney is such a character! I knew this was going to be a good day trip together.

And it was!! In Lyttelton there was a festival of sorts going on with a bunch of local artists and producers of random goods with their tents set up. Needless to say, my favorite tent by far was the one that had loads of incredibly delicious chocolate, some kinds of which were being offered to us to try. “Oh! I don’t mind if I do!” :-D

After venturing around for an hour or two, it was getting to be time for afternoon tea. It is an extremely common thing for Kiwis to stop whatever they're doing around 3 o'clock and have afternoon tea. This usually consists of actual tea (or coffee) and cookies, much more commonly referred to here as biscuits. It can, however, just be any old snack and it would still be called afternoon tea. Holly, Mark, Nathan, Wavney and I decided to drive up to an area overlooking the whole town to have this tea, and Linda and the Bells stayed at the festival to watch a show. They were planning on meeting up with us shortly, but the time got away from them and they headed home to start on dinner.

So the five of us are having tea up on this hill overlooking the port hills, the actual port, and the beautiful body of water that the port is located in, enjoying good conversation with one another, and just taking in the glory of it all, and all the sudden, out of nowhere, this apple rolls up next to us!! I turned around and didn’t see any likely suspects who would have chucked the apple at us. (Okay, maybe “chucked” is a bit too harsh of a word here. Perhaps “rolled”, or even “gently rolled” would be better). I was baffled by this whole ordeal for a moment, (yeah, still being a bit too dramatic with the use of “ordeal” there), but then I was informed that the big tree in clear view at the very top of the hill was an apple tree!!! Liiiight bulllllb. ;)

Sweet Nathan and I decided that it would be great fun to go and take a closer look and pick some of the delicious fruit, and great fun it was indeed! I hadn't picked apples from an apple tree for years!!!

After tea, Mark was so great to stop at what felt like almost every overlook on the very scenic drive back home. We even ventured down to this tiny beach at the bottom of one of the overlooks for about fifteen minutes. It was fun to experience Nathan really begin to open up as the day went on, as at first he was incredibly shy. All it took was a little bit of time. I love thinking about how the Lord brings out in us a spirit of trust and vulnerability the more we spend time with Him and just get to know Him.

-Oh!! I haven’t yet written about how absolutely wonderful church that morning was! I went with Raewyn and Nathan to the church the Bells go to, Northcity. (Wynton and Isaac went to Isaac’s soccer tryouts). It was the best service that I have been to in as long as I can remember.

I was on the end of the one of the rows of chairs, and was so glad to be, because to the right of me were six or seven children, all under the ago of six I'd say, who were running back and forth, back and forth, back and forth from the back of the church to the front of it. The three girls in the group were holding hands as they ran, two or three of the boys were running together but not with joined hands, and the smallest little guy was just doing his own thing. (It looked as if he had only just recently learned to walk). :) I was trying to sing and look at the lyrics on the projector, but I kept getting beautifully distracted by these children... dancing so free... living and laughing so unashamedly.

A song or two into the service, one of the worship leaders called our attention to these beautiful children. She shared with us what ended up being a short version of her testimony, centered on the fact that before she met Jesus, the best way to describe what she was would be to say that she was trapped.

She went on to tell us that Jesus’ love and all that He is has set her FREE. Speaking to all of us, she reminded us that He has set US free. She encouraged all of us who know Jesus as our Saviour to dance and to sing and to worship in that AMAZING freedom- just like the little children were doing. She asked us to get up out of our seats, where we were probably most comfortable, and come closer to the front, where we could be closer to one another- because that, she reminded us, is what the Body of Christ is supposed to be: close to one another. Even more than close: Together. Unified. Supporting each other, leaning on each other, caring for one another and breathing in the goodness and the glory of God together. The parts of any body that functions have to be together!

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:14-19

The whole time at Northcity was just so beautiful. So free. And to think that the Lord made us for no other purpose than to experience the sheer glory and life that is brought to us through worshipping Him. To think that He is in no way in need of our worship, but that to worship is actually a gift from Him to us!! It is an act of service on His part that He has even opened up the door that we might do this!! And not just opened up the door to be able to do it occasionally, but to do it with every breath!! Amazing grace.

-Lectures started on Monday. (They call them lectures here instead of classes. And the teachers are lecturers, not professors). Yes, this was a highlight! I am really excited to start a new school semester, seeing as how I had been on break for over two months! It was super nice to have the first week here in Christchurch to settle in, but with lectures starting up, so many more doors for building relationships have opened, and for this I am very glad. Amongst other things I did this week that have led or will lead to relationship-building, I…

*Crossed paths and hung out with some people from my program- we walked from campus to a nearby park where there was a farmer’s market going on, at which we got to try some smooth and sweet wine and yummy Moreno lamb, (the best I had had yet)!

*Became probably a bit too well-acquainted with the Campus Bookstore, going there three times in a matter of about 24 hours to make exchanges for binders. New Zealand binders have this contraption for holding down the notebook paper in them that I am entirely unfamiliar with and have found that I don’t much care for. Ha!!

*Went to a grand total of five barbeques, each with a different group of people. Five! BBQ is quite the popular thing in this country. Oddly enough, the meat of choice at most BBQ’s, (or at least of greatest quantity), is not lamb as one may think, seeing as how NZ is populated with literally 10 times more sheep than people; 4 million people to 40 million sheep!. The most common meat, (at least in my experience so far), has most definitely been sausage. Really, really good sausage!!

*Joined the Tramping Club!! Fact to be known: to tramp means to hike here. Perhaps the best thing about being a member of the Tramping Club is that it means getting to go on hikes alongside of people who are familiar with the terrain. This is a huge plus, as many people who are new to the country venture out on their own, unaware of the precautions to take with the crazily unpredictable New Zealand environment, and find themselves in tough situations that could have easily been avoided.


-One of the highlights of these BBQ’s was talking with a beautiful girl named Amanda at one that was being held at the home of some people who are part of UC Navs, (University of Canterbury Navigators). She and I talked together about how truly amazing it was to find ourselves united in purpose and united in heart, after just having met one another and despite having come from different parts of the world. We laughed together in agreement over the reason we know that this is possible. The reason being because there has and will always be one God calling us to Himself, one Spirit, living inside of all who believe, one grace, covering all who have this Spirit, and one passion beautifully consuming the lives of all who have decided to experience grace in all of its fullness…all of His fullness. Jesus Himself is our grace!!

-Another highlight of one of the BBQ’s was a conversation I had with another beautiful girl, Danielle, at the home of one of the professors at the UC! Linda had met some people at the Christchurch Airport when she first flew in last week who are going through law school in Michigan, and studying at the University for the second half of the study abroad program they are on, (having spent the first half in Australia). One of their professors invited his students and their friends to his home for a BBQ Friday night. Linda was one of the friends who got invited, and then, (you guessed it), I got invited through her. :) I was very unsure about what the evening/night was going to look like, but really wanted to spend some time hanging out with Linda outside of the house.

An hour or so into our time at the (super sweet and very precious older) professor’s home, everyone had pretty much finished up eating and a group of us were sitting around the dinner table chatting. While other conversations carried on, the girl who I was sitting next to, Danielle, struck up a conversation with me. Shortly into it, the Lord came up in my answer to a question she had asked me, at which point she grabbed my hand and asked with a beautiful eagerness and hope, “Are you a believer?!” “Yeah, yeah I am,” I responded with a big smile. Danielle went on to tell me that she had been crying earlier that day from missing her girlfriends back home who are her sisters in the Lord, and had been praying for fellowship here. Following this we had a conversation rich in hope and full of amazement over the goodness of God. It is insane how the Lord so wondrously orchestrates who our paths cross with and at what season during our lives. Jesus used her to speak such direct encouragement into my life, and (I think and hope!) used me to speak the same into hers. We exchanged numbers, and I am hoping to be seeing more of her and her wonderful fiancé Lane again sometime soon.

-It was the birthday of one of the law school students, and after the BBQ a group of people were heading downtown to a bar to celebrate. My new friends, Natalie and Kelly, who had picked me and Linda up to take us to the BBQ, asked if we want to go be taken home or go downtown for a bit. I feel that going to a bar one-on-one with someone and going with a large group of people tend to be two very different experiences, the latter not being something I’m much interested in, nor being somewhere where I naturally feel particularly comfortable. However, I knew the time would be fruitful if I continued to look to Jesus and trust in Him, so when Linda said she wanted to go as long as that was okay with me, I said yes. Fruitful it was. =)

-A number of people who hadn’t been at the BBQ but were from the same law school program as most of the people who had been had come to the bar as well. I soon met some people from the states, one of whom was from Queens, NY. “I love Queens!” I said enthusiastically after finding this out, to which the guy responded by telling a number of his friends who I take it had apparently been putting Queens down. “She loves Queens!” he beamed. I went on to tell him that I will always have a place in my heart for Queens because of an awesome experience that I had there that changed my life. I got on to talking with some other people and so did he. Ten or twenty minutes later, I was still where we had been talking, and he came back over. “So, what was this awesome experience you had in Queens?” he asked. “Tell me about it.” Nice! An opportunity to out rightly testify to and speak of the power of God! I took it.


-While it is true that I am getting more and more used to the Kiwi accent, it would be untrue to say that my joy in listening to Kiwis talk is decreasing. In fact, it may very well be that the opposite is happening. Apart from the content of whatever is being said to me or around me by a Kiwi, I am struck by the sound of their voices and the beauty of them. I have been thinking of how absolutely astounding it is going to be in heaven when we will be able to hear and understand the voices of every single nation, from every single time period. !!!!! =O Not only will the sheer sound of it all be glorious, (as we will all speak together in unity and in harmony), but the content of what is being said will be even more glorious!! For each of our voices will be used for nothing other than to praise our King!! And there are no words that can be spoken that are sweeter than those that are spoken for this purpose.

-On Saturday, after some time spent exploring the City Centre (downtown area) with Linda and Holly, (the good family friend of the Bells who we spent some time in Lyttelton with last weekend), Wavney dropped me off at Northcity to see Genesis perform. Genesis is an awesome hip-hop dance team, made up of seven girls, ages 18-24, who know and are dancing for the Lord. Throughout the night, four of them shared their testimonies, and each one was powerful, real, raw, and impacting. I came close to crying in watching one of the girls dance who had just given her testimony. Oh, to take the energy we’ve been given and use it for the glory of the One who has given it to us...this is what we were made for. To be alive in Him and to Him.

Ephesians 2:1-5- We were dead in our sin, and used to live in it when we followed the ways of this world. All of us used to gratify the cravings of our sinful nature and follow its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, Who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sin—it is by grace that we have been saved!!!

-Saturday it rained a lot. I love the rain. I love the calmness that comes with it, and I love the life and vibrancy that it brings to what was formerly dry and dying.

Are there any among the idols of the nations that can cause rain?
Or can the heavens give showers?
Are You not He, O Lord our God?
Therefore we will wait for You,
Since You have made all these.

Jeremiah 14:22

-Today was one of the most beautiful days it’s been since I arrived, so Linda and I decided it was pretty much necessary to hop on the bus and head to Sumner Beach. 8-) I had never been to a beach where you could see both the mountains and the ocean at the same time. It was gorgeous. We stayed for less than two hours, but it was oh-so-worth the forty minute bus ride out there and back! Especially for the ride back.

“This is kind of random,” Linda said, to which we both laughed because she had told me just the day before that she found it funny how frequently I use that expression. “And it’s kind of personal, so you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” “No, please, ask away,” I replied, thanking God for her willingness to ask me whatever it was, and knowing that this vulnerability was going to serve to deepen our friendship with one another.

Later, after a sweet conversation following that question and still making our way home on the bus, Linda turns to me and again says, “This is kind of random.” We laugh. =) “But in Sweden, if people who are friends with me are trying to get my attention, they’ll say, ‘Hey, Linda Binda!’ That is what they say, that is what they call me.” Hahaha!! I am so ridiculously glad God has placed the two of us in each others lives.

-Wavney’s parents are going through a really hard time, and she is hurting from it. She and her dad have just made the decision to put her mom in a retirement home. This decision was made on the day of her parents 56th Wedding Anniversary. On top of this, Wavney has lost her job. She came into my room the other day, sat down on my bed, and asked me how I was doing adjusting to being here. I told her that it’s been an easy transition, and asked her how she was doing. She shared with me some of the details of the rough situation she’s going through, and then stated that she would not be getting through it if she did not have the relationship with God that she does. “You know, God tells us He wants to be our Rock. Our Stronghold.” I nodded, relating intimately to those names for Him, as He has been both of those things to me over and over and over again. “Well, I literally feel like I’m standing on cement."

After we talked for awhile longer and she left, I listened to In Christ Alone on repeat for quite some time, and cried over the gift of righteousness that Jesus gives to anyone who decides to receive salvation in Him. Through His blood and sacrifice, God not only calls us free, but righteous?! The perfect and most beautiful God of all creation sees us, in all our filth, all our sin, all our wretchedness, as righteous!!? This is stunningly not too good to be true. Because our God is too good for it not to be true!!

In Him alone, my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song.
My cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease.
My comforter, my all in all,
Here in the love of Christ, I stand.

In Him alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of the Father,
In the form of a helpless baby.
This gift of Love, and Righteousness
He was scorned by the ones He came to save,
Scorned by me.
Then on the Cross, My Saviour died,
And the wrath of the Father was satisfied
For every sin, was laid on Him
And now in His death, I live.

There in the ground, His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain.
Then bursting forth, in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!!!
And as He stands, in victory,
The curse of sin has lost its grip on me,
Because I am His, and He is mine.
I’ve been bought by His blood-
Bought by the precious blood of Christ.

And now I have no guilt in life, and no fear in death-
This is His power in me.
From life’s first cry, to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, and no scheme of man,
Could ever take me out of the palm of Your hand.
Until You return, or call me Home,
Here in Your power, I’ll stand.
I will stand.

In the car with Wavney on the way to church this morning, I rolled down my window, stuck my arm out, and expressed how much fun it is to do the rollercoaster in the air with your hand when you have good speed. Needless to say, we sped “a wee bit” (some more Kiwi lingo) on the way, laughing and having a good old time.



Cheers to all you beautiful,
beautiful people.


And crazy love-
to each one of you. :)