Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.” -Hebrews 12:28
For two weeks my friend Jodi and I have been living and volunteering in the very worst hit area of Christchurch. The earthquake that hit this area less than 2 months ago; left around 200 people dead and a path of destruction through most of the lower income neighborhoods.
I have been praying about how God wants to use me to help this beautiful city and he brought my Kiwi friend Mel to mind. Mel runs a ministry from her home and we had become friends during my last stay in New Zealand. Unfortunately, I had lost all her contact info and haven’t talked to her in over a year.
After much research, I finally found her info and was excited to find out that at the very time I had been praying about working with her, the Lord had brought me to her mind after all this time. She began praying for me wherever I might be and much to my surprise, once we got to talking she mentioned that she had been praying about the fact that she desperately needed a few volunteers! Don’t you love how God does that? He takes our separate destinies and weaves them together to create something really beautiful and unexpected. I arrived at the perfect time and was invited to help out in some of the most adventurous volunteer work I have encountered in a while!!
After a joyful reunion, we made our way across the unpaved cracked roads to her home. From the window I could see jagged sidewalks that had been split in two. As we wound our way through the neighborhoods I was distressed to see that some homes survived with only a few cracks while other roads displayed homes completely destroyed and abandoned. Portable bathrooms were placed on the corner of every block for those who were still without plumbing.
It was such an eerie feeling that a 10 min drive from the edge of town had led us into this area that seemed more like a 3rd world country than a section of a thriving New Zealand city. With a heavy heart full of compassion and love for these people I am excited to see where God will lead me.
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