After 13 and 1/2 hours in the air, a quick stop in Sydney, and some really great service on Asiana airlines, we have made it to South Korea. We were excited to sit next to South Korean missionaries on their way from Auckland to Beijing for a missions trip. They were encouraging and gave us a bit of a run down on culture etc...So, This place is amazing. It's so high tech, and organised. I was excited to see there was a good variety of American restaurants in the airport that they don't have in NZ. We've been greeted all ready by many neon crosses scattered all over the place marking the thousands of churches in this country.
We quickly discovered that language is a real barrier, and we're having to be very careful with our choice of words, keeping English very simple. No room for slang.
In a few minutes, we're headed back to the airport, on to a train, and then onto our domestic flight to Jeju Island. We feel good to be here.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Bound for South Korea....
Well....this time next week we will be in Cheju Island, South Korea. Yep it's been a crazy week at the Coles place which has tested every ounce of faith and strength in us. However, we have held our course, and God has come through in the 11th hour, or I should really say "1 minute to midnight". Neither of us have been to Korea, and Misty has never stepped foot into Asia, so it will be a first for both of us. I'm just glad I have spent 7 years in Singapore, and know the Asian culture relatively well, all though I'm sure Korea has some major differences.
We feel it's going to be a significant time as we pioneer a major evangelistic thrust through the nation, which we pray will awaken the youth (not exlusively of course) to the reality of life with God, knowing him as He really is.
It's going to be a jam packed. We arrive on the 1st of July and the course begins that evening. Josh is teaching the first of the 6 weeks, so it will be hitting the ground running and then some. We have 13 students for the IES, all Korean.
A wild ride is no doubt in store; Interesting tastes, smells, sights, and experiences as well. Keep posted for more thoughts, photos and stories from the "Honeymoon Island". However....this is garunteed to be no "honeymoon".
We feel it's going to be a significant time as we pioneer a major evangelistic thrust through the nation, which we pray will awaken the youth (not exlusively of course) to the reality of life with God, knowing him as He really is.
It's going to be a jam packed. We arrive on the 1st of July and the course begins that evening. Josh is teaching the first of the 6 weeks, so it will be hitting the ground running and then some. We have 13 students for the IES, all Korean.
A wild ride is no doubt in store; Interesting tastes, smells, sights, and experiences as well. Keep posted for more thoughts, photos and stories from the "Honeymoon Island". However....this is garunteed to be no "honeymoon".
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Hakani
Hey Folks,
We don't normally do this sort of thing on our blog, and it's certainly not the purpose of our blog, but I just wanted to bring to your attention an issue that has really gripped my heart recently, the issue of Infanticide. The murder of innocent children, which is rampant in some of the tribal areas in Brazil. As I write this, kids are being killed in the Amazon Rain Forest, and tragically the government does not even lift a finger. This month the government is being presented with a law, Muwaji's Law, that could protect these children and make it illegal for the needless deaths. Please check out the website, and read the amazing story below.
Hakani Website
In 1995, a woman from the Suruwaha gave birth to Hakani. Hakani means smile and she was a little girl full of bright smiles and laughter. During the first two years of her life, however, she did not develop the ability to speak or walk causing her tribe to put pressure on her parents to kill her. Hakani’s parents chose to escape this pressure and killed themselves leaving behind Hakani and four other orphaned children.
The responsibility to kill Hakani now fell to her oldest brother. He took his sister a short distance from the communal hut and buried her, still alive, in a shallow grave. Hakani’s muffled cries continued as she lay buried in the makeshift grave.
Many children’s cries continue for hours until a deep silence descends but for Hakani the deep silence never came. Someone heard her crying, saved her from her shallow grave and placed her into the hands of her grandfather, who took her into his hammock. As the oldest member of the family, however, he knew what traditional practice demanded he do.
Hakani’s grandfather took his bow and arrow and shot Hakani. His arrow missed her heart piercing her shoulder. Immediately guilt overcame him and he ate the poison root in an attempt to take his own life. For Hakani the deep silence had still not descended she had survived yet again.
From that day on, at two and a half years of age, Hakani lived as an outcast. For three years she survived on rain water, bark, leaves, and insects and occasionally scraps of food one of her brothers smuggled to her. Along with this gross neglect she was physically and emotionally abused. Children burned her legs because she could not walk, and laughed when she cried. When others walked by they shouted “Why are you still alive?” “You have no soul!” “Why don’t you just die?”
Over time Hakani lost her bright smile and all other facial expression. Her situation grew increasingly worse and yet for Hakani the deep silence did not descend. Eventually her brother, Bibi, rescued her carrying her to the home of a YWAM missionary couple who had been working for 20 years with the Suruwaha Indians in the Amazon Basin.
The missionaries knew Hakani was weak and very ill. At five and a half years of age; she weighed 15 pounds (7kg) and was 27 inches long (69cm). The couple began to care for Hakani as if she was their own child, but it was hard. She responded to nothing, had no facial expressions, no emotion, and would scream and cry when touched because she had gone for so long without physical contact.
The missionaries cared for Hakani in the Amazon Basin, but they knew if they did not get medical treatment she would die. In time they received permission to take Hakani out of the jungle. Within six months of receiving love, care and medical attention Hakani had begun to walk, started to talk, and her bright smile returned to her face. After a year she was double her weight and size. Today Hakani is twelve years old and with a bright laughing smile she dances, sings and loves art. Her voice today is a voice for life.
We don't normally do this sort of thing on our blog, and it's certainly not the purpose of our blog, but I just wanted to bring to your attention an issue that has really gripped my heart recently, the issue of Infanticide. The murder of innocent children, which is rampant in some of the tribal areas in Brazil. As I write this, kids are being killed in the Amazon Rain Forest, and tragically the government does not even lift a finger. This month the government is being presented with a law, Muwaji's Law, that could protect these children and make it illegal for the needless deaths. Please check out the website, and read the amazing story below.
Hakani Website
In 1995, a woman from the Suruwaha gave birth to Hakani. Hakani means smile and she was a little girl full of bright smiles and laughter. During the first two years of her life, however, she did not develop the ability to speak or walk causing her tribe to put pressure on her parents to kill her. Hakani’s parents chose to escape this pressure and killed themselves leaving behind Hakani and four other orphaned children.
The responsibility to kill Hakani now fell to her oldest brother. He took his sister a short distance from the communal hut and buried her, still alive, in a shallow grave. Hakani’s muffled cries continued as she lay buried in the makeshift grave.
Many children’s cries continue for hours until a deep silence descends but for Hakani the deep silence never came. Someone heard her crying, saved her from her shallow grave and placed her into the hands of her grandfather, who took her into his hammock. As the oldest member of the family, however, he knew what traditional practice demanded he do.
Hakani’s grandfather took his bow and arrow and shot Hakani. His arrow missed her heart piercing her shoulder. Immediately guilt overcame him and he ate the poison root in an attempt to take his own life. For Hakani the deep silence had still not descended she had survived yet again.
From that day on, at two and a half years of age, Hakani lived as an outcast. For three years she survived on rain water, bark, leaves, and insects and occasionally scraps of food one of her brothers smuggled to her. Along with this gross neglect she was physically and emotionally abused. Children burned her legs because she could not walk, and laughed when she cried. When others walked by they shouted “Why are you still alive?” “You have no soul!” “Why don’t you just die?”
Over time Hakani lost her bright smile and all other facial expression. Her situation grew increasingly worse and yet for Hakani the deep silence did not descend. Eventually her brother, Bibi, rescued her carrying her to the home of a YWAM missionary couple who had been working for 20 years with the Suruwaha Indians in the Amazon Basin.
The missionaries knew Hakani was weak and very ill. At five and a half years of age; she weighed 15 pounds (7kg) and was 27 inches long (69cm). The couple began to care for Hakani as if she was their own child, but it was hard. She responded to nothing, had no facial expressions, no emotion, and would scream and cry when touched because she had gone for so long without physical contact.
The missionaries cared for Hakani in the Amazon Basin, but they knew if they did not get medical treatment she would die. In time they received permission to take Hakani out of the jungle. Within six months of receiving love, care and medical attention Hakani had begun to walk, started to talk, and her bright smile returned to her face. After a year she was double her weight and size. Today Hakani is twelve years old and with a bright laughing smile she dances, sings and loves art. Her voice today is a voice for life.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
A Day for Goodbye's
Today, Josh and I headed over to another Kiwi/American couple home for a goodbye morning tea. Steve (the Kiwi) and Trena (the American), are moving to America next weekend...and I must admit I am a bit sad. They have been friends of Josh's for ages, and were here to welcome me onto the scene when I first set foot on New Zealand soil. It was Steve, Trena, and Josh that made me ridiculous video's showing me what life was like in New Zealand, before I got here. Wow, time sure does pass by quickly.
Anyway, in the midst of boxes and babies, we had one last hang out. We are going to miss them...and I guess next time we see them, we will be on the soil of the USA. Another change in life is dually noted.
Anyway, in the midst of boxes and babies, we had one last hang out. We are going to miss them...and I guess next time we see them, we will be on the soil of the USA. Another change in life is dually noted.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
You watch the news these days and it just seems as though everything is escalating. Everything you hear about is earthquakes, tornadoes, flooding, and war. It reminds me so much of the passage of scripture found in Luke 21, where Jesus is describing the way the earth will be before His return.
Now I have to be honest and say that I am not really excited about things getting bad before they get better. I would much rather have been living in the 1950's getting excited about owning a vacuum cleaner, and maybe even the first washing machine on the block. I mean the days of watching the first astronaut walk on the moon were pretty exciting. However, that beautiful period of time that I am sure I romanticise about, is not the reality I live. So here I am, in the midst of world that is being shaken and these are the words I am meditating on.
Like 21:34&36 "Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life......but keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
In saying all this, I know that we live in the days when the church will shine like never before and see Jesus in ways never seen before. That I am excited about.
Now I have to be honest and say that I am not really excited about things getting bad before they get better. I would much rather have been living in the 1950's getting excited about owning a vacuum cleaner, and maybe even the first washing machine on the block. I mean the days of watching the first astronaut walk on the moon were pretty exciting. However, that beautiful period of time that I am sure I romanticise about, is not the reality I live. So here I am, in the midst of world that is being shaken and these are the words I am meditating on.
Like 21:34&36 "Be on guard, so that your hearts will not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life......but keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.
In saying all this, I know that we live in the days when the church will shine like never before and see Jesus in ways never seen before. That I am excited about.
Thank You Denmark
Misty had been a little under the weather over the weekend, on Saturday with a severe migraine and then Sunday night a bit sick. Thankfully she's feeling a lot better today, and back to her normal self. I decided to take her out for dessert tonight for a bit of a date. When we got to the Bethlehem round about, countdown was a lot closer, and lets face it, a lot cheaper....a pretty wise move if you ask me. So it was in to the supermarket we went, and after a few minutes we walked out with hokey pokey ice cream, and a danish custard pastry. Within about 10 mins we were back at home, the pastry was in the oven, the latte machine was on, and we were warm and cosy in our little cottage.
Our date out, was quickly turned into a date in.
We both decided the Danish custard pastry was definitely the way to go, and one of the best tasting desserts out....wisdom was justified. The Danes sure know how to do pastry's. And "Big Train" vanilla chai latte powder sure makes a lovely hot drink too, especially when you've been taught how to froth the milk properly and it's freezing cold outside.
We had a great date. and saved a bit of $.
Our date out, was quickly turned into a date in.
We both decided the Danish custard pastry was definitely the way to go, and one of the best tasting desserts out....wisdom was justified. The Danes sure know how to do pastry's. And "Big Train" vanilla chai latte powder sure makes a lovely hot drink too, especially when you've been taught how to froth the milk properly and it's freezing cold outside.
We had a great date. and saved a bit of $.
Saturday, June 07, 2008
The boys....again.
Well a couple of posts ago, you read about how we went to Snells Beach, to visit Anna and her two precious boys. Well much too our surprise they came down this week and visited the wider Cole family. Anna and Nika had a wedding on the Saturday in Rotorua, and so Anna spent Wednesday-Friday with us in Tauranga. On Thursday I finished my temporary job at PowerCo. Thanks to the PowerCo the two boys received "bob the builder" helmets. They absolutely loved it and thought it was the best thing ever. They were going to the building site on the way to Rotorua to see the "Machines".
We've had a great time bonding with Anna and her two boys over the last week or so.
How cute are these two?
We've had a great time bonding with Anna and her two boys over the last week or so.
How cute are these two?
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Website News!
After lots of late nights, the new IWT website is up and running. Even as I write this, Josh is sitting in the living room editing it yet again.....but none the less the website is live and much improved. It is still pretty basic, but we know it will improve in time.
Check it out at www.iwt.co.nz
Check it out at www.iwt.co.nz
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Queen's Birthday Weekend
While all my American friends were celebrating Memorial Day - we over here in New Zealand were working hard. But the following weekend, a holiday honoring the Queen took over down under. I guess it all evens out. Queens Birthday Weekend.
Josh and I decided to visit Anna (Josh's sister) and her kids for the weekend - Nikka was away at a business conference and the YWAM Staff gathering was taking place only 45 mins from Anna's house. It seemed like a no-brainer to us, so off we went.
We had such a great time with Anna and her two adorable boys, Nathan and Ben. We both fell in love with them, and decided they are potentially the cutest kids in the world. We discovered very quickly that they are both very much into machines, drains, dirt, trucks, and especially "Diggers". As we would drive down the road, they would both start shouting "digga, digga, digga", and we'd be looking around for it everywhere and there on the horizon, hardly viewable to the eye would be a digger. It was rather funny.
One morning, Josh got a nail in his front tyre, so we thought it would be a good outing for the boys. So we all went down to the Tyre shop, and it was up there with one of the greatest moments in their day as they watched the man take the tyre off and use big machines, jacks, etc to fix it. They were totally captivated for every second we were there.
Good times.
Josh went to the YWAM Staff gathering on the Sunday. It was great for him to be able to connect with friends working in the ministry from around the nation.
Josh and I decided to visit Anna (Josh's sister) and her kids for the weekend - Nikka was away at a business conference and the YWAM Staff gathering was taking place only 45 mins from Anna's house. It seemed like a no-brainer to us, so off we went.
We had such a great time with Anna and her two adorable boys, Nathan and Ben. We both fell in love with them, and decided they are potentially the cutest kids in the world. We discovered very quickly that they are both very much into machines, drains, dirt, trucks, and especially "Diggers". As we would drive down the road, they would both start shouting "digga, digga, digga", and we'd be looking around for it everywhere and there on the horizon, hardly viewable to the eye would be a digger. It was rather funny.
One morning, Josh got a nail in his front tyre, so we thought it would be a good outing for the boys. So we all went down to the Tyre shop, and it was up there with one of the greatest moments in their day as they watched the man take the tyre off and use big machines, jacks, etc to fix it. They were totally captivated for every second we were there.
Good times.
Josh went to the YWAM Staff gathering on the Sunday. It was great for him to be able to connect with friends working in the ministry from around the nation.
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