NZ Staff Conference 2010

[NZ Studentlife Staff Photo]

In January, we attended our annual NZ Staff Conference in Auckland. The theme for this year’s time together was “Joy on the Journey.” This was inspired by our study on the Book of Philippians throughout the conference. In four chapters, Paul mentions the word “joy” five times… and this from a letter written from prison! As we unpacked the letter Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi, it is clear that the joy he is referring to is NOT found in his circumstances. Instead, he finds his joy in the gospel, in their faith, their unity, and their salvation. We’d encourage you to revisit Philippians yourself and be reminded, with us, that the source of our joy is ultimately found in the eternal joy of knowing Christ Jesus, our Lord!
Besides our time in the Word, we really enjoyed connecting with the other NZ staff we serve with across the nation of New Zealand. It was encouraging to hear updates of what God has been doing on campuses over the past year and we are also really excited for some of the national outreaches we have planned for 2010. We really pray that God would allow us to use these outreaches to connect the hearts of lost students to their loving Savior, Jesus.
We were also really blessed to have our newest US STINT team member, Ashley Kohl, arrive in Wellington just before the start of conference. God finally supplied the rest of her support to get her here in time for campus, which starts March 1st.
Finally, another great highlight for our whole family at conference was the family fun afternoon, that included games, sports, and bouncy castles. You can check out some photos of our day to the left (and maybe see a bit of our competitive streak)!