2024 (part 2 of 2... finally!)

We’ve got a couple posts a coming at ya, but firstly let’s wrap up 2024…

THE ORCHARD ON MORNINGSIDE HILL

We moved into our new houses in the city which was great, terrifying, an answer to prayer and fulfilment of prophecy, but posed very real financial hurdles. The Lord had shown me (Tesh) YWAMers on morningside Hill 7yrs earlier when I looked across the city as we drove south from Kaitaia. Barry and I weren’t in YWAM at the time, but I knew the Lord was saying for YWAM to spy the land he was bringing them into. I didn’t realize he was being literal about the location and that it would be us! Once we’d returned to YWAM, my sister dreamt 4yrs ago that our new base was a super healthy orchard. I would search orchards for fun in my spare time but when property developers in the city committed to helping find our community homes, they offered us three houses to rent on morningside hill, orchard place.

A HUB OF WORSHIPPERS

Pioneering is no joke, and what we value as a staff team will replicate over and over. We felt as a team that it was crucial for worship and prayer to be central, intimacy with Jesus being the main thing we are about. Our worship elective often had a small turnout due to Outdoors & Surf enticing them, haha. So for the first time, we gave Worship a quarter of its own. The last time we ran it combined with the other electives we had 3 students, this time we had 9. It was the perfect sized group for so many reasons. A big reason being that it was the first DTS in those houses on the hill and one of the houses wasn’t ready in time, so our staff all slept in crammed housing (crammed for Zion standards, probably not crammed for many other bases, haha). It was hard for us to have little control over that project timeline, but the team were incredible and we’re rejoicing that the house is now in use!

The worship elective was lead out by Barry and two other staff who facilitated workshops, retreats, a 24hr prayer burn, song writing and recording and so much more. Since this DTS ran, we now have a worship team set aside in the ministry to host worship events, evenings, mornings and spur us on as a community in worship and intimacy with Christ.

OCEANIA HUI 🌊

November was a maaaassive month with our whole base travelling south to Tauranga where we spent a week living at YWAM Pacific Reach and attending the Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands gathering. Barry and I attended the Malachi gathering for a few days before the hui started, which is a time for younger, long-term YWAMers carrying leadership to rub shoulders and gain specific impartation for our roles and the future of the mission. The wider hui saw our staff and students serving in various areas throughout the week, as well as Lasini and I MC’ing an evening session together. Lasini brought an epic word for the pacific and the hui essentially became a rally call to the pacific islands, haha! I facilitated an intercession segment in a workshop alongside Cassie (leadership team at Furnace) and Bryce Anderson (YWAM Kona worship). It was super off the cuff but a joy to speak into things we’re passionate about with a tent full of young staff and leaders from the Oceania region.

WE OUT REACHING

Our base has been sending teams to partner with the pacific and live amongst the locals for over 30yrs. Nana (our late ministry director) had a huuuge heart for the pacific and ensured our teams were effective and truly serving the vision on the ground. We’re leaning into what the Lord has for us in the islands going forward as we sense a shift in either WHERE we send to or HOW we send them, and WHAT resources are readily available or do we need to grow in as a base.

Another region we’ve always sent teams to is Southeast Asia. While we recognize the importance of rallying together as a ywam body, we also know the primary importance is where there is a grace for our teams and where the anointing is. We’ve recognized a real anointing on Asia for our base, with our teams coming back sold on missions and excited for what the Lord has in store for Indo and us. We’re taking it slow, getting to know the people, the culture, the politics, and the history of missions in the areas we send teams. Super important in places that persecute Christian’s, as we don’t want to endanger locals or hinder further partnerships.

HAWAIIIIII 🌺

Our good friends at Kona Ships invited Barry and I to Hawaii for 2 Weeks with their crew. Week 1 consisted of leadership development and week 2 was Spiritual Authority/Warfare week. Barry and I emphasize how warfare is to do with authority, the placement (or misplacement!) of it, and knowing whose authority it is in the first place. We love young people understanding warfare and being ready to minister in a variety of situations, but a sole focus on warfare without understanding how to live with and steward authority well means our warfare can be undermined.

Both sets of our parents joined us for the trip, as well as our 15yr old niece Phoebe who we always said we’d love to take along with us when she was old enough. We often struggle without family and more friends up here to spend time with us and the kids, especially not having grandparents around for the super busy weeks when we're travelling or when we teach within our own community too. Having fam with us was the sweetest ever and we couldn’t have managed without them. We learned a lot for future travel while also knowing these things have seasons and sometimes it won’t be right to take the whole fam along.

Our friends in Kona were such a blessing and encouragement to us as always. We learn heaps from them as a more established community with full training teams etc and we’re crazy grateful for them championing us as a family and ministry in NZ.

TO OUR SUPPORT TEAM ❤️‍🔥

Thank you for all your support and aroha throughout 2024! Your prayer, friendship and financial support is seeing young people, families and communities in NZ and abroad into freedom and beautiful futures!

Now that we've finally shared the rest of 2024, lets catch up about 2025!

Love,

Barry Tesh Mau Judah x