In the Moment!

Maybe some have been wondering - 'what's up with David, is it a midlife crisis (perhaps), why is he doing all these weird things (like running a marathon or performing a Maori haka)'.  I guess I can attribute it to the fact that I have decided to follow my own advice.  Funny, huh?  After how many years of giving this advice, I now decide to follow it!?  ;-)

For years I have told people to live in the present.  I told people - 'Don't worry about the past because Jesus has got your back.  Don't worry about the future because God holds it in his hands.  So live in the moment, live in the present.  Make the most of everyday'.  Great advice.  For someone else.  At least that was what I thought.

But it occurred to me that I needed to take this advice myself.  Now, living in the present means different things for different people.  For me, it means challenging myself every day or week or year to do something I don't normally do, to experience new things and to live MY life to the fullest - today.  And that's key - I am the only one ever born who can live MY life to the fullest.  No one else can.  On the same note I CANNOT live someone else's life to the fullest either - they must!  I can't copy others - I can only be me and live my life, with all its (and my) quirks, weirdness, fun, monotony, people, loves and hates, etc.  I can be inspired by others and their lives, but I cannot copy them nor live their lives.

In fact, last week, when I was at Uni residency and doing the Maori Culture and Language course, it hit me again.  The Maori worldview is very much about being in the moment, living in the present.  It acknowledges where a person comes from, their whakapapa (genealogy).  This is very important in Maori culture, but it is also very much about the now - onāianei.  Just what I have been telling people all this time!  Live in the now!  Live today!  Jesus put it in the negative - 'do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble' (Mat 6.34).    So I'm living in the moment, in the now, challenging myself each day to live to the fullest.

So that's why you have seen some 'crazy' (but what is crazy anyways - it's all relative) things in the past few years from me.  I have been challenging myself to live each day in the present.  I have challenged myself sacrificially (donating a kidney), physically (started running and doing half and full marathons), intellectually (Uni studies) and now linguistically (trying to learn te reo Maori).  Also, I am relatively shy and introverted, but I am forcing myself to meet new people and putting myself in situations where I must - huge challenge!  And there will be more challenges - each one aimed at helping me live in the present.

Now, to live in the present, I must recognize who I was, who I am, and who I am becoming.  It also involves where I came from, where I am presently and where I am going.  I WAS a sinner, I AM a child of God and I am BECOMING a follower of Jesus.  I came FROM the road to hell, I live NOW on earth as a sojourner and I am ON MY WAY home to heaven.

Paul understood this, he writes in his letter to the Philippians that he was putting the past behind him and presently pressing forward.  And he had a destination, a goal - the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus - 'Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus' (Phil 3.13-14).

So who are you?  Where are you now?  Whose life are you living?  Yours?  Your parents'?  Society's?  Are you living in the moment?  In the present, now?

Is He Not Faithful?

Sorry it's been about 6 months since I posted anything on this blog!  Time flies!  Here is a short(ish) devo from this past week.  I have been looking back at our time here in New Zealand - 3 and a half years and counting - and the one underlying theme has to be God's faithfulness.  Look what  the psalmist said in Psalm 89 about God's faithfulness...

…with my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations (V1).
…Your faithfulness You shall establish in the very heavens (V2).
…Your faithfulness also surrounds You (V8).

As it says in V1, His faithfulness surrounds Him.  It is who He is.  There is not a day, minute or second that goes by that God is NOT faithful.  He is faithful even when we don't believe He is.  He is faithful even when we turn away from Him.  He is faithful even when we are faithless (2Tim 2.13)!  But more than that, His faithfulness also surrounds us!  What a joy and comfort!  Look at some of the ways has He been faithful to us...

• in carrying us through the trials and difficulties.


• in providing for all our needs.


• in leading and guiding us in many important decisions.


• in bringing comfort or healing or peace when it was needed.


• in keeping us safe in His hands.


• in providing forgiveness for our sins at the Cross.


• in sending His Son Jesus into this world.

God is faithful.  Again, it is the essences of who He is.  He would not be God if He were not faithful.  His faithfulness surrounds him.

Also V2 says His faithfulness is established in heaven, not on earth where things are constantly changing.  No, it is established firmly and permanently in heaven, the dwelling place of God Himself.  His faithfulness can be counted upon - it is 100% reliable everyday, in every situation, through all circumstances.  Can we say that about anyone else?  NO!  As humans, we will always fail, always disappoint others, always let others down, always make mistakes, always doubt, always go back on our word - it's our fallen nature!  But because God is perfect, His faithfulness is perfect also.  That means all He says or does is certain - He is faithful.  It means every promise He makes will come to pass - He is faithful.  It means his plan will be worked out - He is faithful.  It means every trial or tribulation we go through DOES have a purpose - He is faithful.  God is faithful and His faithfulness is established in heaven!

Lastly, the psalmist writes that he would proclaim the faithfulness of God to all generations (V1).  When we experience God’s faithfulness, we can’t help but thank Him, praise Him and proclaim His faithfulness!  And even when we are in the midst of trials and troubles, we must remember God IS FAITHFUL, even if we can't see it, recognize it or accept it in that moment.  But when we do see His faithfulness, even years later in hindsight, it will cause us to break out in praise and proclaim the faithfulness of God to all generations.  That is the automatic response!  I look back over the years that I had the privilege of following Jesus and walking with God and I can see His goodness and faithfulness.  And I have to simply proclaim - He is faithful, even when I was faithless, because He cannot deny Himself.

So I challenge you, look back at your life - how has He shown Himself faithful to you?  In your family?  At work, school?  How has He shown Himself faithful in the little things and the big things?  I bet if you look hard enough you will see many examples of His faithfulness.  So have you thanked Him for them?  Have you praised Him for His faithfulness?  Have you proclaimed it to all generations?

Also with the lute I will praise You and Your faithfulness, O my God!
To You I will sing with the harp, O Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 71.22

Storms of Life

Ever been in a major storm?  Maybe a hurricane?  Or tornado?  Or massive rainstorm?  Scary isn't it.  But in life, we will all go through storms.  Some are massive hurricanes and others are gentle drizzles.  But we all go through storms.  In Mark 4, we see the disciples going through a major storm on the Sea of Galilee - the winds and waves were threatening to sink the boat.  Let's read....

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side."  Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" - Mark 4:35-41

Let's look at some facts about storms...

• Storms are inevitable - we can't avoid them.  As we journey through life, we will eventually encounter storms.  And it seems like they come at the most inopportune and inconvenient times, don't they!


• Storms can happen even to those closest to the Lord.  Who was in the boat?  The 12 disciples, those who were closest to Jesus.  In fact, there were other boats following Jesus and the disciples (V36) and they too got caught in the storm.  Followers of Jesus are not immune to storms.


• Storms can also come from God.  Jesus said 'Let us cross over to the other side' (V35).  Jesus told them to go over the sea to the other side. And because they obeyed Him, they ended up in a storm!  This storm came as they were right in the middle of the Lord's will!


• Storms can be life-threatening.  'And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling' (V37).  The storm was so massive, the wind so strong, the waves so high that the boat was about to sink!  And everyone aboard was at risk of drowning!  Your storm might be cancer or some other illness.  Or it can be financial debt that threatens to sink you.


• Storms can cause us to doubt.  At the height of the storm, the disciples cried out to Jesus 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?' (V38).  They doubted His care and control.  And they questioned His Word - He said they were going to cross OVER, not go under!  Haven't we cried out to God in the midst of our storms - 'where are You?  Don't You love me anymore?  Don't You care?'  Doubt.
  

You ever been in a storm like that?  A storm that comes upon you even though you know you are right in the middle of God's will?  Or because you have been obedient?  Maybe it's a storm that comes upon you at work - your boss asks you to fudge a few numbers on the annual report and you say, 'no, I can't, that would be lying'.  And now your boss brings the hammer down on you.  And perhaps this storm even causes you to doubt God's goodness or justice.  Yep, we all go through storms.

Let's look at a few things we can do...

• Take Jesus along.  The disciples at least took Jesus with them!  Look at V36 - 'they took Him along in the boat'.  Good job guys!  Knowing that we will eventually encounter storms, shouldn't we always take Jesus along?


• Remember that Jesus is in control, not us.  Remember, there were several fishermen in the boat.  And maybe they thought - we can handle this!  Maybe they even said to Jesus - 'Lord, You're tired, go take a nap.  We'll take care of this - we're expert fishermen!!  Been there, done that, got the T-shirt!'  In the midst of our storms, we need to remember that the Lord is in control, not us.


• Remember that the Word of the Lord brings calm.  The disciples, with great fear and perhaps some irritation, woke Jesus up from a good nap.  He stands up, rebukes the wind, calms the waves.  How?  By His Words - 'Peace. Be still!' (V39).  He simply speaks and the wind and waves obey!  In the midst of our storms, shouldn't we turn to the Word of God to find rest, peace and calm?


• Have faith.  The disciples should have had faith in Jesus.  In fact, Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith - 'Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?' (V40).  Remember, they had just previously seen Jesus heal, work miracles, confront the Pharisees.  They had just heard Him teach several parables - one of them being the parable of the mustard seed.  They should have had faith, even mustard seed faith.

1. They should have had faith in Jesus' presence - with Him in the boat, they wouldn't sink!


2. They should have had faith in Jesus' power - they saw Him do miracles and healings.


3. They should have had faith in Jesus' promise - He told them they were crossing OVER the Sea.


4. They should have had faith in Jesus' peace - He was asleep, at peace.  They should have had faith that things were going to be OK!

• Worship the Lord.  V41 says they 'feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!"'.  That word 'fear' there means awe and respect and reverence.  It is in fact a healthy fear of the Lord.  It is worship - when we give to God the reverence and respect He deserves.  The disciples were beginning to see that this ain't no ordinary carpenter!  This is God in human flesh!  And thus, they feared exceedingly.  They worshiped.

So what storms do you face at the moment?  Take heart and remember to take Jesus along, let Him have the controls.  You be still, be at peace, have faith.  And worship Him for He is mighty to save.

The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17

Please Pray...

FOR BLOG FOLLOWERS AND FB FRIENDS WHO DON'T GET OUR EMAILS, HERE ARE THE LATEST PRAYER REQUESTS....

Hi all,

Hope you are having an awesome start to the new year.  Can you believe it’s already the 2nd week of the year?!  Here are a few prayer requests, please pray…

1.    Permanent visas – as you know we applied for our PERMANENT residency visas back in August of 2012.  I called Immigration NZ and discovered that they haven’t even assigned our paperwork to any case worker yet!  So it’s still sitting in some pile of applications on someone’s desk somewhere!  And our current TEMPORARY WORK visas expire in 21 days!  So I am in the process of filling out more applications to renew/extend our current temporary visas while they process our permanent ones.  But Immigration said that can take a month or 2 to process!  So while they are processing our temporary visas, we need an INTERIM visa just to stay in the country.  Ahhh!  Please pray that we get the INTERIM visa so we can get the TEMPORARY work visas so we can eventually get our PERMANENT residency visas!

2.    M – the recipient of my kidney has agreed to go through the Gospel of Mark with me!  He still hasn’t made a decision for Jesus yet, but he is close!  He says he wants to ‘learn more’ before he makes up his mind.  Pray that we have awesome times in God’s Word and that God will speak to him and bring him to the point of accepting Jesus.  We will start in Mark in a couple weeks and hopefully will do it weekly or every other week.

3.    Z’s friend – our 8 year old son had shared the Gospel with his classmate a couple months ago and his friend had prayed to accept the Lord!  For Christmas, Z bought his friend a bible.  And now his mom and him read it often at night.  She said it was a very special gift for them!  I talked to her about her son’s new faith and she said she thinks it’s great – she wants him to learn Christian values and morals.  She said she grew up in a nominal Christian home, but never practiced her faith.  Her husband is agnostic.  Pray that we can continue to be an influence in their lives as we seek to point them to Jesus.

4.    T’s friend – T had also prayed with her schoolmate and teammate (basketball) a few months ago to accept the Lord.  But we haven’t had a chance to talk to her parents about her faith.  Now that basketball is over, we don’t see them as much.  Pray that we can talk to them soon about faith and Jesus.

5.    School – the kids are on summer holidays at the moment (it’s summer in the southern hemisphere now) and will start school in less than 4 weeks.  T will start middle school (year 7)!  J will start his last year of middle school (year 8)!  And Z and D are still in primary/elementary school – years 4 and 2 respectively.  Wow!  Pray they start well and  that they can be light and salt for Jesus with their schoolmates.

Before and After...

One of the main reasons for this outreach to Tonga was to build a small house (more like a shed from our western perspective) for a family who has a blind child.  The Mango Tree Centre for Disabled People ministers to about 80 families who have severely disabled family members.  And this is one of those families.  Not only do they have a blind daughter, but this family lives in a tiny, run-down 'house' that is literally just a few boards and pieces of wood nailed together (see photos at bottom of post/article).  And there is no floor - the 'house' sits directly on dirt and is situated next to a small community rubbish dump/tip!  When it rains (and boy does it really rain in Tonga!) the house gets flooded and literally sits in 20-30 cm (8-10 inches) of water constantly.  Imagine what that dirt floor would be like with 20 cm of water sitting on it for days!  So you can see the need for this family to have a house that is out of the flood-waters and can stay dry!

So that is what part of the team did during the two weeks they were there - build a small, simple one room house that is on a 60 cm (24 inch) high concrete foundation that will definitely provide a dry home for this family.  Our church, Calvary Wellington and another church in northern NZ, Calvary Whangarei provided the funds for the building materials and the building team (all from CC Whangarei) devoted many loving hours into this house. During the days of building, we all had lots of opportunities to share the truth and love of Jesus with this family (we think they are Catholic or come from a Catholic background).  When the guys were painting the new house, I got a chance to share the gospel with the father.  I told him I love to see new houses being painted (his was painted white) because it reminds me of what Jesus does for us.

I told him - 'The new house with the new white paint job is clean - there are no dirt, stains or markings on the brand new paint.  It's super white and clean!'  Then I pointed to his old house and said - 'that house has lots of stains and dirt on it, doesn't it?  Can you see the difference?  That is what Jesus does with our sins (which are like dirty stains)!  The Bible says Jesus cleanses us white as snow, like your new house!  So every time you look at the new, clean, white walls of your new house, remember that Jesus died on the Cross to bring us forgiveness from our sins (the stains and dirt) and gives us a brand new life - clean and white!'  He was silent - I don't know if he could really understand that or accept that, but I know a seed has been planted.

And to top it all off, on our last day there, the family cooked a wonderful meal for us all as we celebrated not their new house, but their new HOME!

Here are a few photos so you can get an idea of what the old and new house is like...

[caption id="attachment_1849" align="aligncenter" width="371"] This is what they live next to - a rubbish dump / tip[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1852" align="aligncenter" width="369"] Old house - just a few boards and pieces of wood and tin nailed together.[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1855" align="aligncenter" width="368"] This is their kitchen - they cook over an old tire and some wire mesh[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1857" align="aligncenter" width="383"] New house - dry and solid![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1858" align="aligncenter" width="400"] New paint job - white as snow![/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1863" align="aligncenter" width="394"] Interior of the new house - 27 sq.m. (290 sq. ft.). It will be divided into 4 'rooms' with curtains to house 6-8 people.[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1860" align="aligncenter" width="409"] Proud owners of a new home - father and daughter[/caption]

 

Phamily's Residents' Visas

Well, to update you all on the whole visa application process - we have been officially invited to apply for our residents' visas (got the invite while we were in the USA).  So we have been in the process of gathering all the documentation - medical exams, blood tests (so sick of blood tests and needles!), x-rays, police reports, employment history, finance, bank statements, birth certificates, high school and university diplomas and transcripts, etc. Lots of paperwork and things to do!

We even have to prove that we have been married AND living together for at least the last 2 years or so.  They want photographs of the two of us together at various functions, events, in public, etc.  Also bank statements showing we have a joint banking account and any other proof of our 'commitment' to each other over the length of our marriage.

So that's where you can help us - if you by any chance have any photos of the two of us (Becky and me) together, could you email it to me?  And can you tell me where (occasion, event, location) and when (month and year).  And also pray that we can get all the paperwork turned in on time - we have until the beginning of Sept to get things turned in, but we would like to turn it in early, perhaps in mid-August.  Thanks for your help!

Challenge Weekly Interview

For those of you who follow us on this blog and not on Facebook, here is the article that I mentioned last month (in case you are reading this on FB, don't be confused - posts from our www.phamilynews.net blog automatically appear on FB also).

A Christian newspaper here in New Zealand interviewed me about the whole kidney donation process and how it all worked out.  It is similar to the article that came out in the Dom Post last month (click here).  But obviously, being a Christian newspaper, the Challenge Weekly article had more of a Christian perspective.

But in any case, here's the article (click here).  Enjoy!  And yes, that IS Jello that I am eating in the photo from the article - one of my favorite foods!  Yum!

PS - here is a photo of the recipient and his wife and me that didn't make it into the Challenge Weekly article.  Maybe they were afraid my mug might break the printing press?  ;-)



 

Runner's World - All Those KM's Paid Off...

I just got an email from Runner's World magazine (the Australia and New Zealand edition) saying that they would like to include my story of kidney donation in their next issue.  It will be just a short blurb, a paragraph or two describing the kidney donation and how running was a big part of that for me.  It will be featured in their 'HumanRace: What It Takes To...' column which "is dedicated entirely to you, regular runners doing inspiring things.  It's a platform where we will share your stories to help inspire other runners" (quoted from the March edition of Runner's World - Australia & NZ edition).  It will come out in the June issue - only in the Australia and New Zealand version as far as I know (other regions of the world will have their own version of Runner's World and their own editorial team).

Cool, huh?  I guess running all those kilometres in the last year and a half paid off!  NOT!  I'll have to get a copy of the mag when it comes out and post the article here.  I subscribe to the mag as a digital version, but only get the USA version for that.

 

Afternoon Tea With His Excellency

As you know, this past Tuesday, we were invited to Government House to have afternoon tea with the Governor General - Lieutenant General, The Right Honorable Sir Jerry Mataparae.  The tea was in honor of those who had donated a kidney in the last 5 years or so - there were 25 of us donors there that afternoon, some coming from as far as 2 hours drive from Welly.  All the live donors were personally thanked by the Governor General and presented with a certificate - pretty formal stuff.  Coming from America, we're not used to the ceremony and pomp and all that!  But we had a great time - after we relaxed and weren't so panicked at meeting the Queen of New Zealand's Representative - and a knight at that!

In fact, His Excellency has a great sense of humor, but I was so nervous that I didn't quite catch on at first.  We were chatting during the tea and I can't remember how we got on this topic but His Excellency commented that he knew we were Americans by our shoes.  Both Becks and I quickly glanced down at our shoes in horror, thinking that perhaps we had our jandals/sandals on, before realizing that His Excellency was joking.  Whew!  I think I was too busy trying to think of something witty and insightful to say that his comment caught me off guard!

After the tea, we were allowed to walk around the Government House and have a look at the rooms and artifacts (this would be akin to walking around the White House, but without all the security and Secret Service glaring at you behind their sunnies!).  That was fun!  We got to see the Throne Room - where His and Her Excellencies have their 'thrones'.  Well, actually it's called the Ballroom officially, but I like to call it the Throne Room!  ;-)  And I really wanted to sit on one of the thrones and have a photo taken, but alas, we had to make do with a photo of us in front of the thrones.  Anyways, here are a few more photos of the event...

 

[caption id="attachment_1652" align="aligncenter" width="462" caption="Governor General presenting certificate"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1654" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="The Live Kidney Donors, the Governor General (front center) and Drs."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1656" align="aligncenter" width="522" caption="Governor General, Missus and Me, Head of the Renal Services (dr. in chage of my case)"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1657" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Becks next to photo of Queen Elizabeth II, about as close as we're ever going to get to royalty!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1658" align="aligncenter" width="461" caption="In front of the 'Thrones' - I wanted a photo of me sitting in one so badly!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1661" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Norrie State Dining Room - where visiting Heads of State dine"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1664" align="aligncenter" width="645" caption="Government House from outside"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1663" align="aligncenter" width="645" caption="Bird's Eye view of Government House"][/caption]

Running, Donation And Jesus (but not necessarily in that order)

So what do those three things / person have in common, you might ask?  Perhaps nothing?  But for little ole me, they are three of my many passions.  And this week, I had the privilege of sharing them with others.  But I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to share these 3 things with so many people!

For World Kidney Day (8.March.2012), I was interviewed by the regional newspaper because I had donated a kidney 3 months ago (read the article here).  My first thought was, ok, cool, but I am sure they'll bury the article on some back page between the obituaries and the rental ads.  But lo and behold, they stuck the article on the front page!  Not just on the digital version of the paper, but also on the front page of the print edition!  And not only on the front page, but above the fold, in the middle!  With a huge photo even!  Must have been a really slow news day for them!  But, hey, WOW!  God is good!  I didn't know about the print edition until some moms from the kids' school met Becky at the classroom door, holding the paper up for her to see.

We were flabbergasted, so we had to go out and buy up all the copies in our valley.  Ok, maybe it was just a few copies.  Maybe I can autograph them and sell them on TradeMe or eBay!  ;-)  Yeah, right...

But seriously, for me, it was truly an honor to be able to speak for Jesus, my Savior, my All in All.  And also to be able to promote and raise awareness for organ donation and specifically kidney transplantation (have you considered it?).  And thirdly, of course, my new-found (well, of 2 years now) passion, running (did you notice the plug for the local half-marathon event in the article ;-) ).  And all in one shot!  And to so many people - I didn't realize how widely read this regional paper is!  Woohoo!  So I guess that is my 5 minutes of fame.  Or as they say here in Kiwi-land, 'today's news, tomorrow's fish & chips wrapping paper'!  How true!  That is exactly what King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 4.16 (NLT) ^{- '}Endless crowds stand around him, but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.'

Anyways, here is a quote from the website of Fairfax Media, who I think is the parent company of the Dom Post.  It details the readership of the paper.  Wow.  Praise the Lord!

"Wellington is more than New Zealand's capital city. It is a vibrant and dynamic economic, cultural and social community. This energy is reflected in The Dominion Post, Wellington's daily newspaper with 132,000 Wellingtonians aged 15+ reading The Dominion Post each day. A total of 232,000 people from across central New Zealand and Wellington turn to The Dominion Post....[which] covers the second largest metropolitan urban area in New Zealand."

To Infinity and Beyond.....

Ok, well, maybe just to the USA and maybe beyond, to Germany (hey, from here down under - the USA seems like infinity and beyond!).  You're probably wondering - what the heck is he talking about?!  We have booked our plane tickets to SoCal!  Becks and three of the kids will go in April and I and the other/4th child  will join them in May.  And then we will return to New Zealand together in the first week of June.  That way, Becks can attend the CC Murrieta's Women's Retreat in April and I can attend the CC Pastor's Conference in June.

We can't believe it's been 2 years (well, 2 years on 31.Jan) now since we moved down here to Wellington.  So it is definitely time for a visit to update our supporters (you awesome guys!) and family (love you guys) and friends (thanks to you too) on what God has done in us and through us here in New Zealand.  It's been a great 2 years, with lots of ups and downs and back and forth, but it has been a blessing to see God's faithfulness in dealing with us.  And we want to share that with you!

And if we can afford it, I (David) might travel to Europe to update our supporters and churches there also.  But as it is looking now, that is still up in the air.  It all depends on what our finances look like in the next couple of months.

In any case, we have told the kids and they are very excited - well, us too!  So if anyof you are in the SoCal region anytime in the April-June time frame, we would love to meet up, eat up (we're already salivating for Mexican food!) and catch up!  ;-)

And if anyone feels led to donate extra for the plane tickets, it would be most welcome!  We have the cost of 6 tickets from NZ to the USA and possibly 1 or 2 tickets from the USA to Europe.  Check out the column to your right ------> there are various ways to donate.  Thanks to all and we're looking forward to hanging out with you guys!

Adventurous Adventurers!

Today we took a family trip to Adventure Forest here in Whangarei - it's a huge complex out in the forest with several different ropes courses complete with flying foxes (zip lines) and tricky rope obstacles for all age levels.  The top level course is 12m (40ft) high while the 'junior' level course is never more than about a meter (3 ft) off the ground.  Even Dariah got in on the fun and did the 'junior' course - complete with ropes, harness, carabiners and helmet.  Here are a few fotos - we'll have to edit the videos and get them uploaded once we get back to Wellington.

Thanks to Mama for staying on the ground and videoing and taking photos!  And being ready to catch any of us who fall!  ;-)

[caption id="attachment_1446" align="aligncenter" width="517" caption="Videographer & photographer - the many roles of a mom!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1394" align="aligncenter" width="655" caption="Goofballs or Adventurers?"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1405" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Ballerina"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1406" align="aligncenter" width="502" caption="Hanging on for dear life"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1422" align="aligncenter" width="461" caption="Zachy - one step at a time..."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1424" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Zachy - not so adventurous..."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1427" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Taliah - monkey"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1423" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Taliah - speedy gonzalez..."][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1426" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Jesaiah - I'm ready to go!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1425" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Jesaiah - spiderman!"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_1421" align="aligncenter" width="504" caption="Daddy - dum-de-dum-de-dum. Bring up the rear...."][/caption]

Homegrown!

We had a bumper crop of broccoli this year - they are huge!  In fact, we have so much broccoli that we might have to give it away.   And the lettuce is doing really well also.  Just waiting to see what the corn will do.  Unfortunately, the tomatoes didn't fare so well - the Welly wind tore all the seedlings out before they could really take root.  Might still try to plant some more.

In any case, it's a good thing the kids like steamed broccoli - we might be eating that for a while!

 

Three Weeks Later...

Well, it's now three weeks after the surgery and both the recipient and I are doing well and recovering quickly.  I talked to Manu this week and he sounded good - upbeat and positive.  In the second week after the surgery, there was a bit of a concern for him because his creatine levels were creeping up past the normal 120 (his had crept up to 130 then 150).  The doctors did a few tests - X-rays of the new kidney, blood tests, biopsy, etc - to see if there was perhaps something wrong with the kidney (yes, the super-bionic kidney).  But they found nothing of concern.

So it possibly could be the anti-rejection medication that all recipients must take to keep their bodies from rejecting the 'foreign' transplanted organ.  The doctors normally must give the recipient varying doses of this medication until they find a dose that keeps his levels in the normal range.  And this week, Manu's levels are dropping back into the normal range again, so the doctors will keep an eye on that.  Please continue to pray for Manu and his family.  Pray that he recovers well and that there will be no other concerns with the transplant.

As for me, I am recovering much quicker than I had expected.  I was able to get off of all pain meds after only a week post-surgery.  A week and a half after the surgery, I was able to go for walks of 2.75 km, 3.25 km and 6 km.  And at the 2 and a half week mark, I started running again - 5 km and now 7.5 kms.  So I am doing really well with the recovery!  But I'll try to milk it a few more weeks - breakfast in bed and being waited on hand and foot sure is nice!  ;-)

And as you can see from the 3-week-post-surgery foto below, the incisions are healing nicely.  You can barely see the 1cm keyhole scars anymore (yes, 1 of the keyhole incisions was INSIDE my belly-button).  And the 12cm / 5 inch incision is normally hidden by my pants so no one will ever see it except me.  It is kinda lumpy and  tough though, so that still bugs me.   And also, the only other things that still get me is the fatigue (surgeon said it can last for months - but afternoon naps sure help!) and the bloated/swollen feeling in my abdomen (and no, it isn't just my own gas that causes this!).  But I guess the only cure for these things is time.  So thanks for continuing to pray for Manu and me!  Will keep you posted....

[caption id="attachment_1364" align="aligncenter" width="615" caption="3 weeks after surgery"][/caption]

)

 

Love Handles Still There!

[caption id="attachment_1334" align="alignleft" width="177" caption="Me - 15 mins before going into operating theater. Doped up on nerves and excitement!"][/caption]

Well, it's been a week now since the kidney transplant surgery and all is well.  The transplant was a success and the kidney has 'kicked in' immediately in the recipient's body.  I didn't know this, but for some recipients, the new kidney might take a few days or even weeks to start working.  But not for my recipient - my kidney (his now) was working overtime!   I talked to his wife and she said it was working too well!  It had cleared about 9 kg / 20 pounds of fluids from his body in a couple days!  In fact, it is working so well at clearing out the toxins and fluids that the nurse had to put him back on an IV / saline drip to keep him hydrated.  Too funny!  As one friend puts it, I have super bionic kidneys - and now the recipient has one too!

I am doing well - the pain is diminishing daily and I am able to do more and more each day.  It really ONLY hurts now when I bend over too fast or laugh or cough or sneeze or sit up too quickly or blow my nose or hiccup or burp or brush my teeth too vigorously or turn my shoulders to the side or strain too hard on the toilet or roll over in bed or walk too fast or walk up stairs or walk down stairs or walk too upright or right after eating or drinking or when taking a really deep breath or...or...or....  So as you can see, I am really doing great; improving everyday (as long as I sit absolutely still on the sofa)!   ;-)

My surgeon told me that I can start trying to run again in a couple weeks, as the pain decreases and as I am able.  So I am truly itching to get out of the house again!  Just have to wait until my internal organs return to their normal positions - they had to move things around to get access to the kidney.  And until I don't feel so bloated!  During surgery, they had pumped my abdomen full of gas/air to make room for the video camera and surgical instruments.  And I still have some of that residual gas left in me, plus all the natural gas that my body produces on its own - makes for a very bloated belly region, as you can see from the 'after' photo.

And as you can see, there are 3 holes (hence the name keyhole surgery) about half an inch in diameter across my belly, from the left side to my bellybutton, where they stick the camera and instruments through.  And a longer 12 cm / 5 inch incision just under the belt-line where they take the kidney out from.  My surgeon asked permission to video the whole surgery, so I might ask him to post it to youtube so you can all watch!   Just kidding - he did video it, but it is for his own personal performance evaluation.  I hope.  ;-)

And look - they forgot to take my love handles away!   Might have to go back and have them do it all over again and take those love handles away!  NOT!  And yes, that is my natural skin color - yellowish white!  ;-)  Ok, I'll keep you updated - thanks again to everyone from all over the world for your support, prayers, emails, comments, etc.  Thanks for joining us on this journey.  Can't wait until the next one!

Twelve Hours and Counting...

Well, we are less than twelve hours away from me being about a half pound lighter.  ;-)   Tomorrow, Wed, the 7th of Dec, at 7.00 AM I check into the hospital to have my kidney taken out and transplanted into someone else.  The actual surgery will take place at about 8.00-8.30 AM and will go until about 12.00 noon.  Then I will be in the recovery room until about 3.00 PM and finally get up to my room sometime after 4.00 PM.  I have to honestly admit, that I am a bit nervous - mostly excited, but a wee bit nervous too.  I have never been hospitalized for anything ever, so am not sure what to expect.  Becks and the recipient's wife are actually very calm and at peace.  Hope that rubs off on me tonight!

So please be praying, especially during the surgery part - for those in the USA, it will be your Tuesday morning/afternoon and for those in Europe, it will be your Tuesday evening/night.  Thanks for praying!

Becky and I met with the recipient and his wife today and we had a quick, but good chat.  At the end, we prayed together and thanked God for this gift that he is receiving and for the even greater gift that God has given us and that we celebrate at Christmas - the gift of His Son Jesus Christ!  Afterwards, he had tears coming down his cheek.  Pray for him - he doesn't know the Lord (yet).  Pray that he will recognize the ultimate gift that God gave humanity - salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ!

Here's a 'before' foto...;-)  We'll post an 'after' foto in a week or so.  They are taking my left kidney, which is normal for this procedure.  I'm gonna ask them, since they have me opened up anyways, if they can take my love handles (Schwimmring) away too!  ;-)  Just kidding.  Well, maybe not.  Ok, I am signing out for now - see you all in a week or two!  And again, thanks for being patient and joining me on this year and a half journey.  This phase of the journey is almost over - 12 hours and counting....

 

7.Dec - The Fun Starts Again!

Life at times, can be like a merry-go-round that never truly stops - you can get on and get off, but it's constantly spinning and moving.  Well, our 'merry-go-round' life is spinning a lot faster now and it's making me a bit dizzy!  Not quite puke-dizzy, but gettin' there!  ;-)  As you know from a few posts ago (click here to read that post), the kidney donation process has been started up again.  The surgeons are willing to go ahead with the surgery, despite the heart defect / condition that they found with my heart and despite the potential of heart surgery for me in the next 15 years.

Now, they had originally told us that it looks like the transplant surgery would be in Jan or Feb 2012.  But just over a week ago, I got a call from the Renal Coordinator and she said the surgery date has been set for 7.Dec.  That's only 11 days from today!  Ahhh!  That date was totally out of the blue - we were really expecting Jan or Feb!  In any case, they have fast-tracked me to go through the last few exams and blood-tests and cross-match - so it's been a busy time!

So now it's just a matter of getting things organized here at home and at work / church before I go into surgery.  So we would really appreciate your prayers for us during this time leading up to the surgery, during the surgery itself and of course, the recovery afterwards.  For me the recipient, they said the recovery typically takes about 6 weeks before you are back to 'normal', but I have heard from people who have donated that it can take longer for the fatigue to fade, even up to several months!

So please pray!  Pray for all the tests still remaining - that they don't find anything else wrong with me!  ;-) (I know some of you could probably give the doctors a long list of what's wrong with me!)   Pray also for Becky and the Phamily as they will take up the slack for a while.  At lease it will be mostly over the summer here, so the kids are out of school - no taxiing them around all day long with their various activities!  So thanks for supporting us on this journey.

 

12km Run For Relief

On 26.Nov, I will be running 12 km to raise money to help the internally displaced peoples (IDP) of Burma.  Did you know that there are about a million people in Burma who are on the run from their own government's military?!  And it's been going on for 40 years!  There are thousands and thousands of KIDS on the run for their lives - many whose parents have been murdered by the Burmese military.  They and thousands of refugees are hiding in the jungles of Burma - trying to simply survive.  Some don't.

So I am CHOOSING to use my feet and to run for those who have NO CHOICE but to run!  Please support them by sponsoring me on this run.  Every $50 that I raise can provide food, clothes and emergency relief for a month, for 5 people who are on the run and in hiding in the jungles of Burma.  Please go to my sponsorship webpage (click this link - David's sponsorship page) and click on the 'donate here' button at the bottom to donate whatever you can - every little bit helps!

This Run For Relief is put on by Partners, an organization that I have had personal contact with through my home church - Calvary Chapel Murrieta.  In fact, my pastor and his wife are good friends with Steve and Oddny Gumaer, founders of Partners.  This organization assists by making people aware of the atrocious conditions in Burma and also with practical relief by sending in teams with emergency relief and supplies.  My pastor and several from our home church have also gone with these teams into the jungles of Burma to serve these IDP.  You can read more and watch videos and testimonies of IDP at the Partners NZ website (www.partnersworld.org.nz) or the main Partners website at (www.partnersworld.org).

So join me on this run - you might not be able to run 12 km, but you can still help by donating!   Or if you CAN run 12 km, then join me on the run - it's not too late to register!  Make a difference either way.

EDIT: there are 2 other options if you want to physically participate.  They have a 7km run and a 7km walk.  The 12km run is basically 2 loops of the 7km run, minus a bit at the start and finish.  So if you want to join me, sign up!  We can do the first loop together and then I can finish the 12km alone.

Jesus said - 'if you have done this for the least of My brothers, then you have done it for me'  (my loose paraphrase of Matt 25.40.  ;-)

PS - When you click on the 'donate' button, you will be taken to the Partners donation page and then to Paypal to donate (but you DON'T need a Paypal account to donate - you can use your debit or credit card).

[caption id="attachment_1225" align="alignleft" width="594" caption="Photo from Partners' Website"][/caption]

Shining and Sharing

I don't know if you all know this - I am sure you kiwis know this - but most of us foreigners don't (or didn't before coming to New Zealand)!  Prostitution and brothel operation and any type of sex work is legal in New Zealand as of 2003.  Here is a quote from the Wikipedia article (click link to go to that Wiki article) for this topic - "Prostitution (sex work), brothel keeping, living off the proceeds of someone else's prostitution and street solicitation are legal and regulated in New Zealand....These laws were changed by the Prostitution Reform Act, passed in June 2003. The decriminalisation of brothels, escort agencies and soliciting and substitution of a minimal regulatory model created worldwide interest; New Zealand prostitution laws are now some of the most liberal in the world."  Most of us would be saying 'wow' about now.  I did.

In any case, all that to say, that I just found out that there is a brothel less than 200m /635 ft (as the crow flies) from our house.  It is basically on the next street over from ours, and down a bit (see foto).  WOW, I did not know that.

Last week, I met with another pastor from the other side of the valley who ministers to girls working in brothels.  He and his wife are currently ministering to a few Asian girls near his church who are operating a brothel.  He shared with me that often, girls from Asia are brought to New Zealand under student visas, but they NEVER study.  They end up in the brothels!  And when their visas are up, they are either rotated out and fresh girls brought in or are 'discarded'.

Now, the 'legal' age for prostitution and 'sex work' is 18, but I have read that police have raided some brothels and found girls in their early teens 'working'.  Just imagine that - 13, 14, 15 year old girls!  How many of you have daughters that age?  Sickening, isn't it.

My heart is broken knowing that so close to where we live there are young ladies selling their bodies like this!  I have been told that the 'operator' of this particular brothel near us is a single woman with a teenage daughter (did you know anyone can get an Operators License to run a brothel?!?).  Whether the daughter is involved in the 'business' or not we don't know, but imagine what she sees and hears and experiences.  Imagine the home situation she grows up in!  Oh, my heart aches!

So pray with me - I am at a loss as to how to help and minister to them.  Do we just walk up and knock on the door?  Do I call first?  What do we do?  I jog right by the house every now and then - there is a footpath a couple houses down that is on my running route.  Do I stop by and see?  I will do nothing for now except pray, and invite you to pray with and for us.  Pray that God will open a natural door for us to minister to these ladies (and child).  Pray that God will begin even now to prepare them. Pray that there will be others who will go with me to minister - I definitely will not be doing anything alone.  We are all called to shine the light of Jesus and share the love and truth of God with all people - so pray that we will be shining and sharing!

Open Doors...

It's been a month now since I updated you all on the whole kidney donation process, so here goes.  As you remember, back in September, I had the supposedly last meeting with the renal doctor and he outlined the 3 options that were available - yes, no, later.  And he said that he would talk t the surgical team and get back to me as to what they are willing to do.  If they say no to the kidney donation surgery (because of the risk of potential future heart surgery for me) then everything stops immediately.  But if they are willing to go ahead with the donation, then we can pick up the process where we left off back in July.  In any case, during this time, Becks and I prayed and talked and came to the conclusion that we are willing to go ahead with the donation.

Basically we had made the decision a long time ago, at the beginning of the whole donation process.  And the way we see it is that this decision hasn't changed - the heart defect only adds another dimension to the picture.  We had agreed to go forward as long as God keeps the doors open. We understand the potential risk of future heart surgery for me, but we also see that it is an uncertainty - it could be that I never need heart surgery.  And even if I did, it is very likely that I can make it through heart surgery with one kidney.  In any case, we don't want to live our lives so focused on the future that we are missing out on opportunities that God has for us today.  We want to live God-honoring lives today, trusting that He has our futures in His sovereign and caring hands. So I wrote an email to the surgical team, explaining this and basically sharing the Gospel with them (can't help it!).  I shared from Rom 8.28 and told them that we believe God does use ALL THINGS for good for those who are the called according to His purpose and who love Him.  That it applies now in the current situation and also in any future situations / complications.  Ultimately we trust God.

Well, this past Friday, I got an email from the renal doctor and he said that his team is willing to go ahead with the donation surgery!  That came as a total surprise to me, basically to us all!  We didn't think they would say yes.  But they said that my email showed them a few things, especially that we had prayed and understood all the options and made an informed decision.  So as long as God keeps this door open, we will continue to trust Him and walk through it!

That means we now pick up where we left off, assuming there are no other complications - for me or the recipient. ;-)  Next up is finding a surgery date - most likely some time in the new year - the end of January or beginning of February 2012.  And of course, I go through one last check-up and cross-match.  It was during that last check-up last time that they found the heart defect - so hopefully this time around I will get a clean bill of health!  So please continue to pray for us all!