post EARC post 4 - little ol' TSCF

Our team met together every night to catch up. We had heaps to talk about each night and everyone took copious amounts of notes. The students really enjoyed being there. They were really challenged by the talks and also trying to figure how it fits in the NZ context, had a good time with their small group in particular and also the team had to explain numerous times that NZ was not part of the East Asian region but belonged to the South Pacific region and were there on the invitation of the East Asian region.

We didn't have a chance to reflect on the week together so we will do that in about 3-4 weeks time. Actually it would be good to do that then as (hopefully) everyone would have processed the week a bit more and from being back in NZ, think about how to apply what we have learnt in the NZ context. But there isn't any doubt that it was a very fruitful trip for us. We have reacquainted ourselves with the issues in East Asian, gotten a few more contacts for students returning home and hopefully what we have learnt will also bear fruit in the NZ context.

Thank you all for your prayers and financial partnership which enabled all of us be part of an amazing week.

ps. I'm still in Japan and am using someone else computer so will upload photos when I return.

pps. If you are interested to read my musings while travelling in Japan, please click here.

post EARC post 3 - community

It was only a week, but we found great community in our small group despite some language
difficulties. But didn't stop anyone from sharing their thoughts, challenges or throwing in something for a laugh. We were from 6 different countries an previously never met each other (well, except 2 of them who have worked together before) but we left as friends in Jesus.

We would always start by sharing our thoughts on the session before our small discussion, but it wouldn't be long before we would go off topic - and usually end up knowing more about the challenges and interesting things about other movements. For example, did you know that in Taiwan CEF, if you want to get married, your spouse will also have to work for CEF or you will have to leave the movement? In Korea IVF, those interested in staff work will send in a long winded application, then some will be select for the next stage - an exam (including an English test, Bible knowledge, writing an essay, and a medical check as well!) which they are allowed to sit for only once. Those who pass will go through an interview from which they will employ some of those who get through the interview. For the rest of the week, whenever I saw a KIVF staff worker, i felt slightly in awe of them knowing what they had to go through to become that.
Inspite of the rigorous application process they still get lots of applications each year. Our small group also ended up finishing our discussion over lunch each day (you can probably see why!)

I am inspired by them because many are in challenging situations, will deal with different cross cultural shifts, interesting in moving to a different IFES movement to keep on making disciples, etc. I am in awe of them and I hope I can at the very least rememeber them in prayer.

post EARC post 2 - X-tension

The conference had kind of a 2 part theme - X-tension: Let's rebuild the world. The X in X-tension refers to the first letter of Christ's name in Greek. As followers of Jesus we will all face tension in this world as we seek to follow him. And being part of a post-modern world, various speakers offered their take on what it meant as well: that we as Christians need to extend ourselves so that we can be faithful followers in this world filed with tension and brokenness; also that in Christ the tension is behind us (ex-tension) as we strain forward keeping our eyes focussed on what is ahead.

The first nights plenary was on the issue of sexual temptation. There is a rise in sexual temptation and experimentation in Asia as much as there is in the West. As young people are influenced by media (movies, tv, books, even comics - apparently in Japan there is porn in comic form).

The 2nd night was amazing as it was about the tension in history and culture. We have 3 speakers: 1 doing the intro, then the main speaker, and one doing the application and wrap up. The main speaker was Japanese and touched on World War II. As many know, Japan invaded many Asian countries. He explained the religious (Shinto) motivations behind it which gave me an amazing insight into Japanese culture. Most notably, he apologised unreservedly for what Japan did to the other Asian countries. The churches in Japan wrote a statement about it in the 50th anniversary of the war. How many Christians from "invading" countries have apologised to the countries that they have left marks on?

The 3rd night was on campus and instead of a main speaker we had 2 of the larger movements share about what they did. It was really great and encouraging to hear the history of other movements, some stories and challenges that they face. Some are similar to what we face here in NZ and some are different. But the passion and determination from staff and students in the face of challenges we can not even dream has really challenged me.

The 4th night Daniel Bourdanne spoke on Kingdom. He also gave us a bit of a geography lesson on Africa (I think I really want to get a Peters projection map now). He reminded us how the Kingdom was universal - breaks down barriers of ethnicity, gender, status etc. And also how the centre of Christianity has moved from the West to the South - Asian, Africa and Latin America. He also spoke and reminded the students about their potential to change the world and many have in the past both Christians and non-Christians alike.

So, let's start rebuilding!

post EARC post 1 - Let's start rebuilding

Gideon Yung, IFES East Asian Regional Secretary, spoke on Nehemiah over 4 mornings. He is very systematic (well as much can as we needed to deal with chunks at a time to cover just over half of the book in 4 sessions) and really connects well with the students. I know see why chapter 3 is a great one to pull out for leadership. He emphasised Nehemiah's character deeply rooted in his dedication to God, the community aspects of rebuilding the wall and social justice.

The theme of the conference was "X-Tension - Let's start rebuilding" thus using Nehemiah as the theme book. The challenge to students was to rebuild God's kingdom in the countries they are in by being faithful followers of Jesus who will also transform the fabric of their society economically, politically and socially. There are many issues across the East Asian countries: corruption, the widening gap between rich and poor (a worldwide problem), various political issues, injustice. Looking across the room I could see the amazing potential for transforming world through this new generation of students. Some of Asian movements are involved in social justice issues and in the past some have been involved in political demonstrations which have brought about change. I'll definitely be keeping an ear open to whats happening in the East Asian region.

I only hope that we are able to disciple our East Asian students well to be agents of transformation and reconciliation in the societies they will return to.

Pre-EARC

L to R - Setseko, me, Greg, Pek Yi, Elaine, Daniel

We arrived safely in Tokyo on Friday after being able to stretch out on a half empty from Sydney to Tokyo. I made my way to the Moe's in Shibuya, Elaine and Pek Yi to the Nav Guest house in Higashi-kurume and Greg to his friend's place in Wakoshi. We met on Saturday morning with our free Tokyo guide, Setseko at the Imperial Palace Garden (Ote-mon Gate) and Daniel, Greg's friend who is a Tokyo-ite and was a gem of information about Japanese culture and ethic. It really quite amazing how there are these vast and beautifully scuptured gardens smack in the middle of the city and the palace and gardens are even surrounded by a moat!

I have already had some great conversations and starting to know a bit about Japanese culture. Now I am looking forward to chatting with KGK staff about how they work with the challenges within the culture. EARC starts tomorrow. I hope I can cope with the demanding schedule - our conferences seem pretty cruisy compared to this programme. I will try to update when I can but I will have limited access to the internet (I have to pay 100 yen for 5 minutes!)

(ps. Apparently, Christianity is the third largest religion in Japan after Shintoism and Buddhism eventhough its only 1% of the population)

Sayonara for now.

Jesus lessons

At the beginning of a lecture, L realised she forgot a pen so turned to A (whom she had not met previously) and asked to borrow a pen. After class they both had to rush off to something else so didn't have a chance to talk. The next time they bumped into each other, L had a conversation with A and ended up invited her to ICF. A came to ICF and was intrigued by this Jesus person the speaker kept mentioning. L subsequently asked her if she wanted to know more about Jesus and invited her to do an evangelistic Bible study. A was very excited and thus began the beginning of what A called 'Jesus lessons'...

Here is the story is L's words:

"Yesterday, I caught up with A, an international student from China who I have befriended for 2 years now. We've done bible studies together for over a year, and yesterday, she told me that she has made the decision to believe in God in February. After we stopped our bible studies last year, she continued to read the bible every night by herself and is now wanting to come to church and learn more. After I had prayed for her yesterday, she offered to pray for me and she did. This joy I share with you because I now know more than ever that it is God that is always working in people's lives and it encourages me that God can work through groups like ICF and we are able to see people coming to faith."

It is not very often that we see the fruits of our labour. So this has been very encouraging for L who has been incredibly faithful in telling her friends about Jesus and inviting them to come to ICF or to study the Bible. A reads the Bible every night so please pray with us that she will continue to glimpse how big, gracious and wonderful our God is.

Marae weekend

The annual ICF camp was in Te Poupatatae Marae in Feilding from April 12-14. About 25 students spend the weekend together learning some Maori culture and songs, talking about culture and learning more about Jesus through a cultural framework. It was also a good chance for the students to have a break, and hang out together after a long 7 week term. The weather was brilliant which meant we spent lots of time out in the sunshine. The CUers came up on Sunday afternoon and we had some games and sports in the sunshine together before enjoying a wonderful hangi which the wonderful people from the marae helped us to prepare. It was a good opportunity for CUers and ICFers to build relationships with each as there is increasing partnership between both groups in the mission initiatives on campus.

removing the wonderful cooked food from the hangi pit

Even though I was very tired from the weekend, it was good to see the students build relationships with each other and also to have good discussions in the small group I was in. I hope that the handful of non-Christians learnt a bit more about Jesus. They will be invited to join an evangelistic bible study in the coming week so please pray for a positive response.

small group discussion

ps. There are more photos here if you are interested or wanting to procrastinate

Who do you think Jesus is?

Most university students look forward to the fact that they get 3 days off uni over the long Easter weekend. But CU and ICF seized the chance of being able to remind people about the real meaning behind Easter. They gave out about 400+ hot cross buns to students in the Quad if they answered the question "Who do you think Jesus is?" It also gave good opportunities for a few conversations for students who had further questions.

Some of the answers that were given:
"A messenger from Xenu"
"A carpenter"
"not a human being but some sort of symbol of hope"
"the Son of God"

Some students seemed quite suspicious of CU/ICF when they approached the table. They seemed more reassured when they were told they could give any answer and that we were not looking for the "right" answer. Some students expected to be told the "right" answer and were pleasantly surprised when we listened to them, sometimes asked 1 or 2 questions to understand where they were coming from and handed them their hot cross bun. Its quite sad that students suspect Christians to have underhanded tactics or have a hidden agenda. I hope that from this positive encounter they will be less suspicious of Christians and less suspicious of the Gospel.

Another reflection was that some students seemed to give a more correct answer (e.g. Jesus is the Son of God) but when prodded further would say that they knew this from when hearing about the Bible when they were young at Bibles in schools or in church, but no longer think that Jesus is relevant. I think that highlights one of the issues we face in evangelism - young people no longer think Jesus is relevant to their lives/everyday life. It reminds us that we need to lead lives that speak of Jesus and that the Story of God can be part of our life story and more also that our story is part of God's ongoing story and work in this world. Pray for the students as they continue to wrestle with how to articulate that God is completely relevant in today's world through their lives and their words.

Have you found it yet?

The year is zooming by already and uni is almost starting. International Orientation started last Wednesday and we have a number of sign ups already. CU and ICF's orientation campaign is 'Have you found it?', with 'it' being your lecture hall, the nearest supermarket, the best coffee in uni, the meaning of life etc. Its a phrase with a myriad of possibilites.

Leesha (ICF) and Kirsten (CU) wearing the 'Have you found it?' T-shirts for International Orientation

This coming week there will be prayer meetings every morning to pray for the university, orientation, new students etc. A good way to remind us that God is and should be in the midst of our planning and activities and also reminder to be in tune with what the Spirit is doing at Vic.

Here's a schedule for whats ahead:
Orientation week and lectures begin - Mon, Feb 25
Kelburn clubs day - Weds, Feb 27
'Have you found it?' talk (open to all) - Thurs, Feb 28
CU first meeting - Thurs, Feb 28 (after the talk)
Pipitea Clubs day - Fri, Feb 29
ICF first meeting - evening, Fri, 29 Feb
ICF car rally (trip out of Wellington) - Sat, 1 Mar
CU first years dinner - Tues, 4 Mar

As you can see there is a lot on. Pray with us that there will be Christian students who are willing to be part of ICF and CU to reach other students for Christ. Pray also that we will connect with non-Christian students and introduce them to Jesus.

students milling about in the Quad on Kelburn campus

Orientation and the first few weeks of uni are a key time for new students. Some of the decisions that students make in these weeks may determine the rest of their time at university. Unwise decisions (by Christians and non-Christians alike) may determine the way of life that they will lead as uni students - it may determine what type of friends they may have, whether they give in to the excessive drinking culture at university, whether they pursue academic success for self-serving reasons, or whether they develop a robust biblical worldview in the midst of a secular environment. We certainly hope that all the new students (and all university students for that matter) around the country will encounter the gospel in a significant way at Orientation or some time in their uni life. And that they will make wise decisions during their time at uni that are God-honouring.

Community building

This year we have a fantastic opportunity to do something new on campus. The ecumenical chaplaincy have graciously leased a 7 bedroom house to TSCF. The house is located on 2 Kelburn Parade which is the main street that runs through the Kelburn campus. It is also a feasible distance from the Pipitea campus and from Archi school.

view of Vic Uni Kelburn campus from outside 2KP - note the proximity!

So we have 7 students from CU and ICF who are committed to being a missional community on campus. This means that they will commit to being community to each other, to help each other develop a biblical worldview in the midst of a secular academic environment, and to initiate ways of reaching their friends and classmates for Jesus.

the outside patio area ideal for a BBQ

The flat has very good living space which makes it ideal for what we want it to be. TSCF has called it 'Rongopai' which means Good News as we do hope that the flat will indeed be the much needed good news for Vic Uni. Watch this space for more updates throughout the year!

Nigel, James and myself having dinner with some of the flatties of Rongopai

Latest update: The flatties at 2KP have a flat blog