Welcome to my journey....

Hi!!!

I am really excited to get to connect with you all and to have a way for me to journal my thoughts and my process over my time here in New Zealand! I have had many people asking me if I am staying and what I am doing here so I wanted to make it easy to stay in communication and share my heart with you all!

I haven't had a blog in a long time, so this should be fun!

To start off I am still here and I am not really sure when I am coming home....

As soon as I landed in New Zealand, I knew there was something different about this place! I had started falling in love right away! The beauty, the people, the adventure, it was all so magical to me!

I started off my journey here with my parents visiting some sweet friends, now considered family, Warren and Ethel White, in Queenstown on the South Island! They had their two sons in town over the holidays as well, David and Jacob and Jacob's wife Ephre and their son's Theo (4) and Ezra (1) we're along too! We arrived New Years Eve and managed to stay awake into the New Year before we dozed off trying to cope with all of our traveling and 18 hour time difference!!

My parents and I with Warren and Ethel at Manata lodge, their home in Queenstown.

We had the sweetest time with them traveling around and exploring New Zealand, enjoying their beautiful home and being spoiled by Ethel's out of this world cooking and Warren's ever-enjoyable entertainment!!

Lower Old Shotover Bridge, across from Warren and Ethel's house, Manata Lodge. 

We finished up our time in Queenstown (as I'm sure many of you got to see my extensive amount of photos on FB and Instagram) and headed to the North Island to dive into the next adventure, JH Ranch Aotearoa!!

Nothing could have prepared me for how amazing our time there was! I really had no idea what to expect. I was a little scared to be honest. I knew it was going to be a lot of work and be pretty demanding to give and pour into that many people- 200 in all, who were coming, but I didn't know how rewarding and exciting it would be!!

    Rafting the Kaituna River at JH Ranch Aotearoa. 

When we first arrived we jumped into helping get the camp in ship shape for everyone to arrive. Cleaning, running around and bonding with all the other volunteers as they arrived. It was a really neat group of young people and adults, kiwis and Maori, native New Zealanders. We all bonded very quickly and it made me really excited for the week ahead as each person on the team was so encouraging and really knew who they were in the Lord! I knew it was going to be an awesome week!!

 I was the coach/huddle group leader with two other girls, Eloise and Emma, for a group of  10-17 year old girls who came with their fathers for the week! By far my favorite group to be with, fathers and daughters, such a sweet dynamic!!

Most of the girls on my team at JH! Wish I had taken more pics! 

We got to go to all of the events with them, help out on the side with many other duties and sit in on all the talks! Mostly we got to get to know them and see them grow with their fathers and be a part of their lives - pray with them and be their friends!

There were definitely perks with getting to go along with them on all of the activities. We got to go white water rafting, mountain biking, we went to a lake and went Kayaking and out on a Waka, which is a big wooden boat native to this land, and many more exciting activities! It was really the testimonies at the end of the week that moved us all to tears though. Many many people from all different backgrounds getting up and sharing about how their lives had been transformed! The best!!

    The Waka on the lake at JH! 

I also got to be included with another friend at the end of the week to teach a cabin full of women with their sons about healing! One  of the ladies had gotten healed early into the week and her son was interested in learning how it was done! We got to show them how simple it was in just being connected to The Lord and used as He loves to partner with His people! We got to see the whole cabin of women get met by The Lord exactly as they needed and healed in all of the ailments they had or injuries they had gotten from the week! It was my favorite part of the week getting to be a part of God moving on behalf of His people and empowering them to touch others as well! So great!!

After the camp was over I was supposed to be flying home with my parents, but it had been creeping up on me, that when I would think about going home I just wanted to cry. That was not normal for me at all either. Usually I enjoy the adventure of anywhere I go and then I am ready to go home! Not this time though! I started praying about it and seeking The Lord and freaking out slightly at the idea of staying and seeing what The Lord might have for me here. One evening about two nights before I was supposed to leave I was praying with my parents and was really discouraged just not being able to hear clearly what I was to do if I did stay and up comes one of the Fathers from my Father daughter group, looking for me because he wanted to talk to me. He told me he heard from The Lord during the talk he was in at the big top just then, and that he felt moved to invite me to come and stay with his family in Auckland. He said he had never done anything like this before and it might sound crazy but God wouldn't let him go until he told me. It was exactly what I needed to hear. I was very unsure still but the fact that God was moving on someone's heart at the same time I was praying, I knew there was something to it! 

I prayed more the next day and we talked with my parents and Dave, the father about more details and what that might look like. We had a staff worship time and that is when I really was able to rest in The Lord in His presence and get the clarity that I needed! I was to stay, go back to Queenstown and do the Kepler Track with my two friends, Mary and Jeremy, spend some more time with Warren and Ethel and then come up to Auckland to be with this family. My heart had really been to go on this trek with Mary and Jeremy but never thought it would really happen and I really wanted to spend some more time with Warren and Ethel if I could. I talked to my parents and The Lord worked out all of the plans exactly as He had laid it out to me. So wild to see Him move so many things to make it possible- flights, on people's hearts, arrangements etc. He truly loves to move on our behalf and show Himself faithful and abundantly good! 

    Hiking the Kepler Track with Mary! 

So here I sit now in Auckland after finishing the Kepler Track and spending another lovely week with Warren and Ethel at Manata in Queenstown! What an adventure! I am now staying with an amazing family here and pressing into see what The Lord has ahead here. Many of my friends and fellow workers from JH Aotearoa live very close by as well, so I will get to spend time with them!!

I have been blessed beyond measure already being with the Morse family just outside of Auckland. They live on a good plot of land, with five new puppies and just have hearts to serve The Lord. They have been involved in missions for over 15 years and have had many young people live with them along the way. They have a family business now as well! 

The Morse family, where I now call home, for now! 

I am beyond excited to see what The Lord has here as He has already showed Himself so big on my behalf! I feel right at home here all the way across the world. That is a pretty crazy feeling! I will keep you all updated on what I am up to and hope to get to connect personally with many of you as well!!

I miss you all dearly and wish my friends and family could all be here in person with me, but I am happy to be able to keep in touch. Blessings to you all!

Much love, 

Claire