The Unexpected

Hey Everyone, just thought I would update you on what has been happening both here in New Zealand and in my own life over the past few months and what is to come in the next few!

I think unexpected is a word that has new meaning to it for the world today. We all looked forward to the year 2020. What will it hold? What will we do? Who will we meet? The places we find ourselves in now are not what we expected. I know for many this time has been devastating, lost loved ones, lost business’s, families strung across nations; for others this time has meant that Mum and Dad are both home, that they have time to do all the little things that bring them joy, but usually can’t do, that they have more time to spend with their loved one. Wherever this pandemic has put you, I am thankful to have confidence that we serve a God who never experiences unexpected, a God who is never out of control or surprised. A God who takes what the Devil meant for evil and uses it for good. I am thankful to find comfort and peace in the truth that God knows far more than I do.

Just over a month ago New Zealand announced that we as a nation will go into complete lockdown for 4 weeks, with this information and the uncertainty of borders closing and reopening for both NZ and the home nations of our students, the school decided to cancel the remainder of the semester and move to online classes. Over at 72 hour period before lockdown was enforced we attempted to get all of our students on planes back to their home countries. This was a time of confusion and chaos for most of our students and myself. There was a lot of questioning why God would allow everyone to get here, get settled and then just like that have to go home; why would God strip away those relationships and friendships that had just begun to blossom; why would God take away all the amazing opportunities and plans we had for semester, after all they were to serve Him. In all honesty, I had some of these questions and some of them I still don’t know the answer. I am thankful that in times of unknown and unexpected we can trust that Lord knows better and is in control. I am so thankful for the semester that was had and what the Lord did in and through the students that were able to be here. His timing is perfect and we can rest and trust that He is in control always. I have seen glimpses of His hand through the change in plans, I was blessed to see students take the concepts of God’s comfort, control and guidance that they had been so faithfully studying suddenly become a lifeline, something they had to put into practice and experience in their own lives. Not only did I get to witness this in the students lives, but I had to take on all the things that I have been learning and encouraging the students to learn and practice them myself. I had to once again put my trust and faith in the Lord and allow Him to be my strength so that I could be a strength and positive outlet for the students. We refer to this week, as the “week from hell”, but thankfully we did not stay in that week. As time continued throughout this week big bills were paid for not so great flights, many tears were shed, ample face masks were worn, various students stranded in various airports and early morning airport runs were endless, despite all that stood in the way, we serve a God of impossibilities and majority of our students made it home, safe and healthy.

The moment the last few students got on planes I felt like I could breath again. They were going home and they were safe. In the chaos of this week I didn’t have much time to think how much this all affected me. Suddenly, New Zealand went into complete lockdown. No unnecessary travel was permitted, those who were left on campus had to break up into small groups and keep our distance from the other people on campus. I was separated from my family, Joe and my friends around the country. Myself and 3 remaining student and staff girls became a “bubble”. Even in this the Lord had a purpose and plan. The past 6 weeks of isolation have been some of the most testing I have experienced. Being the way I am; extroverted, a busybody and loud, this time has been the complete opposite of everything I love. Lots of time, with not a lot to do, very quiet and I found myself surrounded by people very different to me in every way. But, God knew what He was doing, as usual! The Lord has taught me many things in this time, one being that I have been blessed beyond words by the people in my life, my family, friends and Joe! Even from a distance they bring me encouragement, love and joy, daily. God showed me one specific thing the first week of isolation, He showed me that in my busyness and desire to help others I neglect my own needs, which in some ways is a blessing. I can survive with very little and I expect little from people, but the Lord showed me that this neglect of my own needs had creeped into a neglect of my own personal relationship with Him. With this realisation, He has been teaching me what it is to truly abide in Him, to see what that means and how that practically looks. I have learned so much about having a fruitful relationship with Him and what it is to know Him and hear His voice daily. This has been lifeline for surviving through this isolation and maintaining a joyful attitude throughout this confusing and lonely time. I have learned to be content and thankful for this time!

Some of the best moments from Semester

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So what is next? At the beginning of 2020 the Lord confirmed to me that February 2020 would be my last semester working on Staff at CCBI and that He was directing me towards a new adventure. The initial plan was to finish out semester and move to Tauranga in June to begin working and serving alongside Shoreline Calvary and to be in a position to establish a home and life with Joe. Due to the drastic changes because of the Pandemic, I have had to restructure accomodation and timing, but the skeleton of the next steps are the same. God has been so faithful and good to continue to guide my steps and show me how to take steps in the craziness of today. So, when New Zealand loosens its restrictions I will be moving to Tauranga and begin working part time and getting more involved in Shoreline Calvary. I will continue to be involved in the youth, children’s and women ministry. I have a heart to serve and reach out to the community and people in Tauranga. I am excited to see what the Lord will do and I am so thankful that I am able to move to a place that has a community and church that I love. The Lord has been teaching me and restructuring my views on what it is to do ministry and what it looks like to serve Him in all areas of life. Please be praying as I continue to move forward in preparations for the move, there are many things that are still unresolved and prayerfully will fall into place.

One last thing that is to come, Cultivate Winter Retreat. Thankfully, because New Zealand appears to be coming to the end of lockdown we are hoping to continue with Cultivate Winter Retreat in July. This is a 4 day retreat that is aimed to bring the youth from our Summer Programme back together to continue to catch up, establish and encourage them in their walks with Jesus. Please be praying that the Lord would provide financially for the students to attend, and that the Lord would open all the necessary doors for the Winter Retreat to go forward.

If you are interested in the ministry at Shoreline Calvary, CCBI or Cultivate Discipleship Programme please feel free to ask or send an email.

Please be Praying:

• The Lord continued guidance and provision for the practicalities of moving
• Cultivate Winter Retreat – July 10th-13th
• Wisdom for churches and ministries around New Zealand with regards to functioning under Covid-19 restrictions
• New Zealand’s, and the rest of the Worlds, continued fight against Covid-19
• Upcoming August 2020 CCBI Semester

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2020 is here

2020 has been a whirlwind so far and it’s only February! Please see what the Lord has been doing and what is coming next…

Cultivate Summer Programme

In January I had the privilege of being apart of the first Cultivate Summer Programme here in New Zealand. Cultivate is a Youth Discipleship Programme designed to teach young men and women how to cultivate their relationship with God and how to study and understand the Word of God.  I am blessed to be a member of the Staff for this programme so I was apart of the organisation and the execution of the programme. I was also able to be a counsellor during the programme this year. It was such a blessing to spend two weeks doing life and sharing the Word of God with the girls I had in my room. We had 40 students and staff this year from all over New Zealand, Australia, Tuvalu and Fiji and it was such a blessing to see the students grasp their position in Christ and the grace He has for them through the teaching of the book of Galatians and how to study and understand the Word of God through the teaching of Inductive Bible Study. We are looking forward to the Winter Retreat in July. The Lord truly worked through the Programme and it is amazing to see how the Lord can use such young lives when they are choosing to give all that they have to the Lord. If you would like to see more and read testimonies from some of the students from Cultivate 2020 Summer Programme here are some photos and links to the Website and a video of the camp:

Cultivate 2020 Summer Programme

Cultivate Website

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February 2020 Semester

A few weeks after Cultivate ended we started preparations for Semester. I truly love being apart of CCBI and it is so exciting to be starting a new semester here at the school. We have 30 students from around the world, America, Canada, Germany, Denmark and Fiji are represented in just the students. I am running the coffee shop, girls dorm and doing administration for the school this semester! I love my job and am so blown away when I think on how the Lord has called me and enabled me to be apart of this ministry for this time. In the upcoming months we will have our Speakers Week which is an incredible time for the students and staff to hear from different speakers from various churches around the World! It is a good time for us to focus and set time aside to hear from the Lord. Please be praying for the Speakers as they are all coming from the USA as they travel and as they prepare that the Lord would speak to them so they can speak to us! Also I will be leading an Outreach to Sydney, Australia to come alongside the Refresh Sydney Conference by running a children’s programme. This will be such a blessed time to serve those that are apart of the Churches in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Rim. Please be praying for the preparation for this outreach as we plan and seek the Lord for what to teach the kids and how we can be used over our time in New Zealand. Please pray for financial provision for this trip for myself and for the rest of the team.  Please continue to pray for us at CCBI as we start off the semester, for the students that they would settle in to all the new things of being in New Zealand and studying at CCBI and for the Staff to be filled with wisdom and discernment how to best encourage, teach and be examples to the students over there time here. I am still highly involved at Shoreline Calvary in both the Children’s and Youth Ministry, please be praying for us as a church as we seek the Lord for a building of our own.

Prayer Requests:

• Refresh Sydney Outreach – financial provision and wisdom for how to plan and run the Refresh Sydney Outreach
• Cultivate Winter Retreat in July – please pray as we prepare and plan for the Retreat, for the youth as they save money and prepare to come
• Shoreline Calvary Church – the youth and children’s ministry, provision for a building
• Please continue to pray for me as I start to work out my next steps in Ministry and life towards what the Lord is leading me
• Continued financial support as I am in full time ministry at CCBI

If you would like to know more about CCBI, Cultivate Youth Discipleship Programme, Shoreline Calvary or about me please feel free to contact me. If you feel led to financial support me in the ministry that I am apart of or want to know more so you can be praying please send me a message or email.

More details here : Contact Me

Refreshed

One of the students asked me a few days ago to pick one word to describe this semester! Often this would be very difficult for me, but this semester was overwhelmingly refreshing and I was able to answer very quickly! Although this semester was packed full of Family Camps, Women’s Leadership Conferences, Youth Events, Church Sports Events and then just your standard Bible College Semester day to day life, it was a time of great refreshment and growth.

Catch up:

The biggest reason for this was our student body. This semester at CCBI consisted of about 30 students that had a huge desire to grow in their knowledge and relationship with the Lord and it was a pleasure to encourage, pray and grow with them. It was refreshing to see so many young men and women with such a passion for God’s Word and to learn how to hear God’s voice and understand His love, will and grace for them. I was encouraged to continue serving in this ministry and pouring out what the Lord has filled me with to prayerfully encourage and inspire these students to continue trudging in their walks with the Lord, knowing Him and following Him.

Our crew for August 2019 Semester at CCBI NZ

Additionally, I was able to lead a team to Calvary Chapel Melbourne, Australia. We were blessed to come alongside the church and run the children’s programme for their annual church Family Camp. We as a team were also able to spend a few days at the beach and doing some practical ministry with the Youth of Calvary Chapel Melbourne. It was such a blessing to come alongside and support the body at Calvary Chapel Melbourne!

The Kids at Calvary Chapel Melbourne during the ‘ROAR’ kids programme

Calvary Chapel Melbourne Youth at Black Rock Beach

Another opportunity this semester included was coming alongside Calvary Chapel Wellington in their annual Family Church Camp. We as a school were blessed to cater the camp, run their children’s programme, and teach the sessions. I was apart of organising and running the children’s programme and it was such a blast!

What’s coming next:

Semester has finished and although it is sad to see our students go it means we are one step closer to launching Cultivate 2020. Cultivate is a two week intensive youth discipleship programme starting this Summer in New Zealand. It is designed to bring young men and women into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, specifically aimed at the youth of New Zealand, Australia and the surround Pacific Islands. I have the incredible honour of being on staff with this ministry. We have approximately 20 students signed up from around New Zealand and surrounding countries to come learn, grow and cultivate their relationships with the Lord this summer. Please be praying as Pastor Jordan Walsh along with CCBI NZ and a few local Youth Pastors launch this incredible ministry here in New Zealand with the hope and prayer to increase the gospel of hope, love and grace going out to our youth.

I will be continuing on staff with CCBI NZ going into 2020 serving in the administration office, worship ministry, in the girls dorm and women’s discipleship class as well as running our Coffee Shop on campus. I am excited to see who the Lord brings to us for February 2020 and how He continues to equip and teach young men and women to know and love Him more.

As well as serving with CCBI I am continuing to serve with Shoreline Calvary as much as possible. I am so blessed to serve in both the children’s and youth ministry as well as be apart of an incredible body of believers. I am overwhelmed with the blessing it is to be apart of a body and serve alongside men and women who I respect, love and am inspired by. Looking to the future I am blessed to be praying and seeking the Lord for guidance of being more involved in Shoreline Calvary Church.

Prayer Requests:

• Cultivate 2020 – specifically for provision for students who have a desire to come, but don’t have the finances, for an abundance of support staff and counsellors and for wisdom for the staff as they begin a new ministry
• Financial provision for plane tickets & fees for Refresh Conference 2020 in Sydney, Australia – we have been asked to run the Children’s Programme for the conference
• Finances for a new car
• Upcoming February 2020 Semester at CCBI NZ
• Wisdom, guidance and provision for the next steps in ministry with CCBI NZ and Shoreline Calvary Church
• Continued financial support and prayers for what the Lord wants to do

I am so overwhelmed and thankful for the privilege of serving our Lord in the ways that He has allowed me to. Sometimes I still have to pinch myself to remember that this is my life and I am, by His grace, blessed to serve Him with all that I have! If you have a questions about the ministries I am apart of, Cultivate 2020, CCBI NZ or Shoreline Calvary Church or if you want to contact me for in general please feel free!

If you would feel led to support me financially please contact me or use one of the methods under the ‘Contact’ tab of this page!

August 2019 Update

The past few months since semester ended have consisted of a mixture of countries, ministries and a little time of rest. It has been a blessed time of reuniting with old friends and forming new relationships.

Firstly, Fiji! In June, I was able to go to Suva for 2 weeks with Jordan and Amber to serve alongside Pastor Charles and Calvary Chapel Nasinu. It was such a privilege to see what the Lord is doing there. We were able to help teach the Youth ministry on Friday night and with Worship for the Sunday Morning service. I had the joy of teaching some of the youth girls a few songs on the guitar so they can help with Worship on a weekly basis. Spending time and making relationship with the many people that live with Pastor Charles and wife Tina was by far the biggest blessing; from playing volleyball and bananagrams, making food and doing dishes to praying and worshiping with our brothers and sisters there at Calvary Chapel Nasinu the Lord truly blessed my heart and gave me a love for His people.

Kids in the Neighbourhood

Shared lunch after Sunday morning service at Calvary Chapel Nasinu

   

Secondly, I got to go to America! The Lord provided the opportunity for me to go to California for a few weeks to catch up with some old friends and to visit Joe and his family. Joe is currently raising support to come back to NZ as the Youth Pastor at Shoreline Calvary in Tauranga. Please be praying for him as the Lord prepares him for full time ministry and that the Lord would continue to provide financially and for the practicalities of moving out here. It was a blessed time of rest and catching up so many people that I love!

Yosemite National Park with Joe

At the beginning of August I landed back at home in NZ and hit the ground running. We are getting ready for the next semester here at CCBI. Our students arrive the 23rd of August and it is busy busy getting everything ready for the semester. This semester I will continue working with the Administration team for the school, managing the Coffee Lounge, teaching the Woman’s Discipleship Class and living in with the Student Girls. I will be leading a 10 Day outreach to Melbourne, Australia to serve Calvary Chapel Melbourne at their family camp in September. Along with serving with CCBI I will continue serving with the Youth and Children’s Ministry at Shoreline Calvary! My heart is to come alongside and encourage the women studying at CCBI and support the staff of CCBI and Shoreline Calvary in any way that I can. Please be praying for me as I learn how to serve in full time ministry and how to balance the different opportunities and ways that the Lord has given me to serve.

Please be praying:

• Upcoming semester – for unity in the student body & the Lord to work in and through our lives as we serve each other at CCBI
• Upcoming Outreach to Melbourne – I will be leading an outreach team of CCBI students to support and serve with Calvary Chapel Melbourne in Australia, please be praying the Lord would provide the funds and give us a unified team with a passion and heart to serve our brothers and sisters in Melbourne.
• Joe – for the Lord to provide financially and provide his Visa to come out and serve with Shoreline Calvary
• Shoreline Calvary Youth – the youth to continue to grow in their love and knowledge of the Lord
• For the Lord to continue to provide financially for me as I am in an unpaid position here at CCBI
• For wisdom, love and opportunity to disciple and encourage the students here at CCBI

Thank you for your prayers and your support! Please let me know if you have any questions about the ministry we do here at CCBI, about me personally and the ministries I am apart of or anything else! Also if you would like to support me or know more about what’s going on here please email me or send me a message.

Email: becki@ccbi.ac.nz

 

 

 

To Know Him

Over the past four months I have been challenged, I have been stretched and I have been abundantly blessed! Ephesians 3:20 has rung so clearly in my mind and been so evidently shown in my life lately! Semester has come to an end, and now it is time to look to what is happening next and reflect on what God has done over the past four months.

First to reflect, again I have been so blessed to be where I am. I feel extremely privileged that my job and my life is serving Jesus. The Lord has brought me back to the simplicity of the gospel and the necessity of knowing Him. That by knowing Him more I may pour out to serve others. I must first be filled by Him before I am able to give anything. There is simply nothing of me that is good or worthy; yet the magnificence of the gospel is that He is good, He is worthy and He is within me. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts…” (Zechariah 4:6) By His Spirit I am able to live, breathe and serve; and only by His Spirit am I able to honour Him. If I can reflect on anything it is this; that to serve Him, I must first know Him, to love Him, I must first know Him, to honour Him, I must first know Him, to reflect Him, I must first know Him, to grow in Him, I must first know Him. To know Christ, to sit at His feet, to be saturated in Him; that is the only way that I am able to serve Him.

Now for what is happening over the next few months! In preparation for August 2019 semester I will continue doing administration and registrar work remotely for CCBI, but in typical Walsh fashion I will find myself all over the World. I have been given the opportunity to work at my old job periodically over the break, this is an amazing answer to prayer for financial provision, so praise the Lord for that one and thank you for your prayers! Also I have been given an incredible opportunity, along with Jordan and Amber to serve with Calvary Chapel Nasinu in Fiji for two weeks in June. This is a very recent church plant that we have the privilege to come alongside and serve in any way we can. In July I will be going to California to visit Joe and some other friends for three weeks. The Lord has spoilt me by allowing me to go over there and I am so thankful; I pray it will be a time of reconnecting with friends and building new relationships! As well as my adventures around the world I will continue serving at Shoreline Calvary when I am home in New Zealand.

Thank you for your prayers and support as I continue taking new steps and learning what it is to be in full time ministry. There are a few ways you can be praying specifically:

• Please pray for Calvary Chapel Nasinu as the Lord begins a great work there! Please pray we can be a blessing and support to Pastor Charles and his family.
• Please pray for continued financial provision and support for everyday life as I walk in what the Lord has placed in front of me.
• Please pray the Lord would continue to give me vision and passion for where He has me and that I would be faithful in every day tasks He gives me.
• Please pray for CCBI as we rest and begin to prepare for the practicalities of the next semester.

If you have any questions about me, CCBI or Calvary Chapel Nasinu, or if you are interested in praying or supporting these ministries or me personally, please contact me and I would love to give you more information!

He is Sufficient

I am continually reminded of the adventure it is to follow Christ. I am continually blessed by the ways that He shows Himself sufficient for all my needs. I am continually perplexed by the love that He lavishes on me and the ways He deals bountifully with me.

The past month I have been walking in a season surrounded by unknowns. At the beginning of February I began working on staff with Calvary Chapel Bible Institute. I was bombarded with new experiences of being in full time ministry, living in a new place, surrounded by new people, being given new jobs that I had no idea how to do; and what a blessed time it was. Chaotic maybe, but through the chaos and overload of new experiences the Lord showed Himself abundantly sufficient. Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…” He can and will do far more than we can imagine if we allow Him to be our sufficiency, if we allow ourselves to be weak that He may be strong. This is something the Lord has truly been magnifying through my life over this past month; to allow myself to be humbled by my own weakness so that He may be glorified through His power working in me.

With that, here is a little update. I am learning how to walk in this new season, with all the practical administration duties that I have been given, along with a few extra jobs of assisting with the running of the Coffee Lounge we have on site, and the housekeeping department. Learning to balance these responsibilities while discipling and spending time with the students we have on site is a challenge, yet it is another way the Lord is showing His sufficiency through my weakness. Alongside the day to day life; I am still involved in the ministry at Shoreline Calvary on the weekends, serving in the children’s, youth and worship ministry. It is such a blessing to be able to continue serving with the body that is Shoreline Calvary even though I now live an hour and a half away. The past 10 days I was able to co-lead a team of 20 of our students alongside a team from Calvary Chapel Vista to Shoreline Calvary for a youth and children’s outreach to the community in Tauranga City. It was a blessed time of showing the love of Jesus to the community through skate outreaches, kids events, and the classic kiwi sausage sizzles. It always blesses my heart to see the Lord working in and through the people in New Zealand and allowing our students to step up by serving and supporting the local churches here is an incredible witness. It was a blessed time, now it is back to the daily studies and work of being on campus.

Sausage Sizzle Outreach with Shoreline Calvary 

Exciting things coming up in the next few months, in April I will be co-leading a team of 6-8 people to Sydney to serve at a kids camp called Camp Kedron and in June I will be going to Fiji with my brother Jordi and one of our interns Amber to serve our brothers and sisters out there who starting a church out there.

I would love it if you can pray for me:

• Please pray for the above trips, that the Lord would provide financially and prepare me for what He wants to do there.
• Please pray that the Lord would give me wisdom with discipling the students and with all the different things I come across in this new ministry
• The Lord has already shown Himself faithful in providing for my needs, but please pray that He would continue to provide for me financially as I am in an unpaid position here at CCBI
• Please pray that I would continue allowing myself to be weak that He may be strong through me and be glorified through my life

Seasons Change

 

About 8 months ago the Lord gave me Isaiah 52:12; He clearly showed me that I needed to be faithful where He had placed me as He was preparing the next steps for me to walk in. He so faithfully brought me to a place of contentment and surrender, so much so that recently when He opened a door for me to walk through it took me a month to obediently walk through, out of fear of abandoning the ministry He has let me be apart of over the last year.  I’ve been so blessed to serve at Shoreline Church for the past year, they have taken me in, supported me and allowed me to be apart of their family. I am so thankful and proud to call Shoreline Church my home church and body.

But, one thing I have seen the Lord continually do is when I get comfortable somewhere He picks me up and puts me somewhere else so He can mold and teach me more. I have been offered an opportunity to move to Cambridge to work with the staff at Calvary Chapel Bible Institute New Zealand, in a way you could say I’m joining the family business! In February 2019 I will be joining the staff for the next two years. I will be helping with the girl’s class, discipling the student girls, outreach, helping serve in practical ways, whether that be in the kitchen, housekeeping, admin or the coffee shop and basically anything else that is needed. This step of faith has been a big one for me, it is the first time I will be stepping out relying solely on the provision of the Lord. Recently I was privileged to go serve in Cyprus at the Refresh Middle Eastern Conference, there the Lord spoke so clearly to me about what He has called me to and this is just the first step towards what He has for me in the future. The Lord has called me to missions and ministry and He has given me a heart to serve Him in this way, I am honoured and excited to walk in what He calls me too wherever and whenever that may be.

1 Timothy 1:12 says, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service…” I do not feel equipped to serve the Lord in this way, but thankfully He doesn’t expect us to be equipped in our own right, but to be weak, to be a willing vessel, to be empty so we can be filled with His strength, His mercy, His grace and His wisdom. I need all these things daily and I cannot wait to see how He works, as I know He will do abundantly more than I could ever think or imagine! I would love it if you can pray for me, for CCBI and for Shoreline Church. This is a big change for me and I would be so blessed to have your prayers. I am so thankful to have grown up in a way that allowed me to meet men and women around the world who have left all of themselves behind and chosen to follow the Lord wherever that may lead them, it is an example that I hope to follow to lay aside the things of this world continuously choosing to follow His guidance no matter where in the world that may lead me!

Refresh Middle Eastern Conference // Paphos, Cyprus

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about what the Lord is doing or how you can be praying and supporting these different ministries, email me or message me anytime!

Email: beckyamywalsh@gmail.com

Facebook: Becki Walsh

Prayer Requests:

• For the Lord to prepare me for this next season both spiritually and practically
• For financial provision, as this is an unpaid position and I will need to raise my own support.
• For the Lord to bring people out to serve and support Shoreline Church and CCBI ministries
• For CCBI as they move the school to Cambridge in December of this year

 

 

Actively Waiting

Three months ago the Lord brought me a few hours north of my family. He provided an incredible job and place for me to live in the span of a few days; all of this allowed me to move up and be apart of Shoreline Church. One of the main reasons I wanted to come home to New Zealand was to find and invest in a church and that is exactly what He has allowed for me. I have found community and family here and I am incredibly thankful for this season of life. About a month ago the Lord spoke to me clearly, that this is a season that He has called me to be faithful with what He has put in front of me and He is preparing the next step. He showed me this through Isaiah 52:12, “For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” He has called me to be faithful in my job and at Shoreline, working with the youth and kids ministry and basically anything else I can do. It is such a blessing to be apart of this body at Shoreline Church and I am so thankful to be serving here. I am in a season of waiting, in a season of actively waiting.

The Lord has given me an incredible opportunity in waiting. He has given me the opportunity to go back to a place that I love and to be with people I love. In July I will be going to Amman, Jordan for the second time for about 10 days. I will be there as apart of a team out of California, our heart is to reach the refugees in Amman. We will be running a kids program for around 120-150 refugee kids for half the time, secondly we will be putting on a youth camp for refugees and distributing food to a few hundred families. The team that I will be apart of is predominantly youth, so another part of being on the team is supporting and pouring into the youth that are on the team. Amman is an incredible place, but can also be a challenging place. I am asking for your prayers for myself and the team. I am so excited to see what God does and how He glorifies and shows Himself to the team and to all the people we come in contact with. Here are a few ways you can be praying and if you feel called to can support this team.

Prayers:

1. Protection for the team both physically and spiritually
2. Boldness to speak the gospel and the truth that we are privileged to know
3. For the Lord to prepare the hearts of the kids and youth we get to meet
4. For financial provision for myself and the team, for flights, visas, housing and food when we are in Amman

Support:

If you are able and feel the Lord calling you to support me on this trip it would be greatly appreciated. I have been blessed to have a job and therefore have been able to pay for some of this trip, but I am still praying for the rest of the funds. If you feel that you would like to give there are a few ways,

1. If you have a NZ bank account you can simply transfer into my account

Account Details: ANZ 06-0225-0190714-00

2. You can send me money through PayPal

Account name: Rebekah Walsh

Email: beckyamywalsh@gmail.com

 

If you have any questions or would like more information on the trip I would love to talk to you about it, please email me or message me on facebook! Thank you for your prayers!

Email: beckyamywalsh@gmail.com

 

 

“I will go before you…”

The past few months back in New Zealand have been a time for many things. It has been a time of healing, recovery, rest and definitely a time of refining. The Lord has taught me many things and has poured an abundance of grace upon me. The Lord has continually confirmed my desire and the calling He has on my life to do ministry, in whatever form and on whatever continent that may be.

 In coming home I had a burning desire to be apart of a church, to fully be involved and dedicated to the people and the heart of the church. My prayer being home has been that the Lord would continue to direct my steps and guide me in the way that He has for me, while teaching me to be active and patient in waiting upon Him for the next step. The Lord faithfully brought those two desires and prayers together over the past few months. As I have been serving with my family at Calvary Chapel Bible Institute New Zealand (CCBI) and being apart of what they do I was able to get more involved and attend Shoreline Church more frequently. It soon became apparent to me that this was the church that I would love to call my home. The Lord blessed me with an opportunity to spend 10 days straight ministering alongside Shoreline Church and truly gave me a heart for the Church and for the people in it. I love the passion and the heart the church has for reaching out to the lost and teaching the Word of God. So I began to pray more seriously about moving that hour and half north to be closer to the church and have more opportunity to be involved. When making decisions like this in the past the Lord usually just tells me to take steps of faith and doesn’t necessarily confirm in bright lights “this is the way”. I really wanted the Lord to confirm to me this next step through His Word. So I simply prayed that He would and within 24 hours He faithfully did just that. Although being the way I am I didn’t quite see it that way for a few days. The Lord showed me 3 specific things through the book of Isaiah. Isaiah 6:8 “…Here I am send me” is the willingness to listen and to obey the Lord’s will. Isaiah 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation”, am I willing to trust Him in my fears and worries that come with taking a step of faith. Isaiah 30:21, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left”, will I step out in faith when the Lord clearly says to me step out. The Lord used these verses to show me the 3 steps that He had been guiding me through since I got home in September.

 All of this is pointing me in the direction of walking, I have continued praying about taking this next step and trying to be active in looking for the practicalities that come with moving. My hope in sharing this is to produce two things, firstly to encourage that our Lord is active and faithful to speak when we are willing to listen, have open ears to hear Him when He is speaking. Secondly, I am hoping to be moving up early next year, maybe February, so prayers specifically for the Lord to provide a place to live and a job to support myself when moving up and also for Him to guide my every step, to give me vision and passion for the people around me and to give me boldness in sharing His gospel with every opportunity I get.

“I will go before you, and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron. I will give you the treasures of darkness and the hoards in secret places, that you may know that it is I, the LORD, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.” – Isaiah 45:2-3

Great is Thy Faithfulness

I’ve taken a step back so that I might apprehend accurately the many events this past year is composed of. In doing so, I see that I  have experienced many different things over the past year; but the blatant and outstanding truth is that God has been faithful throughout everything! God’s faithfulness is a constant reality, an ever-present truth, and an unfailing fact. The amount of alterations I’ve been through are innumerable, the experiences, abundant. I have been reunited with old childhood friends, and have accumulated new and lasting friendships as well. Yet truly, the only steadfast reality has been, and always will be, God’s faithfulness. I have seen it through provision, through comfort, in His Word, and by His grace towards me. The most astounding part is the invariableness of God, the fact that He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever! Seasons may change, times may change, people may change, but He is consistent and His love is never ending.

The Lord’s devotion is sure; ours, however, must be tested. And let me say, I am incredibly lacking in this area of my life. In my weakness, in my heartache and pain, in my worrying, God remains strong. I doubt His goodness and I doubt His purpose. He however, continues to be dedicated in seeing my refinement to the utter end. Our faith is tested so that we might be living examples of the hope of heaven and the endurance of the cross. My purpose on this Earth is to glorify the Creator. And if my glorifying is to be through pain, then so be it. We can get through anything with Christ, and in the end, it is a testimony to those around us of His great power.

One thing I’ve leaned though, is that persistence is one thing, but the real test, and even greater opportunity for us to portray the life of Christ, is found when we endure with patience, and with joy. Joy can be shown throughout our suffering. Our happiness should not hinge on our circumstances, but on the hope and promises that the Lord gives us. There is an eternal perspective I can project through the way I conduct myself, albeit the truth is that, for me, this does not come about easily. This comes down to contentment and surrender. I have surrendered my life to Christ, whatever my lot, my life is His and is dedicated to His disposal. Contentment is something learned, not inherited. And in all situations are we to be content. In closing, God’s faithfulness is what enables us to endure through each aspect of life, and His promise of hope and continual outpouring of grace is what enhances us to be able to endure joyfully and patiently. Day by day, minute-by-minute, I have to remind myself of these things. It is not a practiced habit for me to live this way, I hope that is not how I come across, but it is something I am learning to do, and will continue to learn, throughout my entire life.

In every season of life, God desires to teach us and grow us. My time here in Hungary is coming to an end. Within this juncture there have been many chances to grow, and I am incredibly grateful for all of them- for those that drew tears and those that sparked laughter. The brokenness of sorrow is made sweet by the Saviour who mends it. And as His gentle hands put back together each piece, He moulds new blessings to substitute the many scars. Let that be an encouragement to you today.

What’s next? I will be flying back to New Zealand on the 7^th of September, God has truly put it on my heart to return home and encourage and share all the things He has taught me. I have been praying for Him to give me His heart for the gospel and a passion that burns bright. I don’t know what that looks like practically, but if I’ve learned anything in my 20 years, it’s to walk faithfully forward, step-by-step, and God provides the practicalities. Pray for opportunity, provision for whatever God has, and that I may be a blessing to whomever I am able to serve in my time home! The sea breeze and palm trees are calling my name!