Hello everybody, Marc here with a quick update. This is the big week here in Dunedin. Things are happening at a break neck pace and we are hanging on the best we can. As of last night we thought we lost our venue due to high winds. So after scurrying around unsuccessfully for a day trying to find an alternative venue that would seat thousands of people we have decided to go for it and pray that the wind would subside and wouldn't you know it, the sky is completly clear and the winds have died down to a gentle breeze. Please continue to pray that we will have good weather all this week. We'll let you know what happens. God's blessings on you all.

Today is a busy day. I’m working on some hospitality details, meal schedule changes for the 125+ evangelists coming next week, weekly Dunedin email update and welcome / information packs with maps, schedules, and misc. important info. for all the traveling team leaders and techies and staff w/ IWT. Its amazing all the little details that one might forget to think of. Good thing that Becky & Frank are around to direct us! Heh-heh. They have been so wonderful and have treated us well! We have eaten at their host home 3 times already and the kids really enjoy them too! Good thing because we will be spending tons of time with them in Scotland!

Speaking of hosting... we really enjoyed a meal and the company at some friends of our host family this evening. We are really appreciating the invitations out!!! (I really miss my kitchen.) Anyway, she made a traditional New Zealand/Australian dessert called pavlovia. It was delectable! Pretty much a baked egg white whipped thing with cream in it and fruit on the side! Yum! Their garden was beautiful too! Her Dahlias were as large as my hand and the most amazing vibrant colors! Ok, this morning was so chilly! I guess central heating is just not very popular in these parts. Its so cold today that 3 Albatross flew into KFC at the rotisserie and surrendered! Yeah, by the way... KFC is so popular here. There is either a Fish & Chip shop, Chinese Take-Away, or KFC on every block! No, we did’nt cave in yet! YET!

Oh, one last thing for today. Could you pray with us re: the weather for the tour. It seems like rain has been following the tour! The extended forcast looks cold and rainy for those days. God has done incredible thing in spite of the rains (ask us the stories when we are back), but it would be nice to have clear skies since its at an outdoor horse race track in this city. Must go get busy! Blessings on you today!... and hey, why not invite a new visitor or family into your home for a meal, get to know them and be a blessing, I’m sure you will be blessed too!...never know, maybe you will be entertaining Angels! :)

from an email...

Julie writes
The last 2 days we went to Christschurch for a road trip to meet with Mark Anderson (The founder of IWT!) It was great! He really shared the BIG Picture for what God is doing in NZ and really prompted the Kiwis to not wave their flag, but to humbly be active in sharing their faith and not to blow it... (what God is calling them to do!) We also got a short chance to hear some Irish music on St. Patties day! It was a long drive, but we had fun! We stayed again with the Clarks from the picture on the web site. They are soooo kind and invited us to come up a couple days before we leave so we can catch our breath before our flight! The tour is getting closer and things are really picking up! Must go just now.. they just called me to pray.
Julie

Hello, Marc again here. Just to let you know, I don't really think you all are freaks in the literal sense of the word, it's a term of endearment. Also, the sun has resumed its normal place of hiding behind the clouds, I think it likes it there.

Greetings and salutations all you freaks! The sun is shining today finally. It is a rare thing to see around here so it is much appreciated. The locals say it has been unusually rainy around here as though they have to appologize for the weather. My research tells me that it isn't all that strange at all. It seems that there is a very strong prevailing wind that comes right up from Antartica which travels over the relatively warmer air of the south pacific and that combination causes more frequent rainy periods over the south island which is where we are. So, to be quite blunt about it, the locals are full of it. I (Marc) am very jealous that I missed all the snow back home last week. I do however have access to accu-weather via the internet which is almost like being there. If you want to know what the weather is doing here just go to accuweather.com and then click on (world forcasts) and follow the directions to New Zealand. I know there are a few other weather freaks out there like me, so give it a try.
Things are getting busy as we get closer to the tour arriving in Dunedin and everything is actually coming together pretty nicely. Please pray though for the city of Dunedin that the people here would be receptive to the gospel message and that true revival would happen here. The Lord has impressed on several peoples hearts that New Zealand is going to be transformed in a mighty way and will be an example to the whole western world as to what a Godly nation looks like. Keep your eyes tuned in to the news.
That's all for now, more tomarro.

***
this was emailed to Candace, but I thought you might be interested in reading "a day in the life" Julie, I've tried to edit out anything you might not want to be public information.
***

Julie writes:
Right, so I'll try to answer some of your loaded questions. Yes, we have
adjusted to the time zone by now, its a relief! The kids are sleeping well
too.

A typical day we would drop the kids at the Kindi with hugs and kisses as
they run off with their new friends. We always start the office day by
looking at the white board and try to cross some things off our list of "to
do" and add some to it as well. We pray for quite some time with Frank and
Becky and occasionally others who are with YWAM and in Dunedin that day.
Then its off to our duties, possibly a couple mins. to check emails, Marc is
actively involved with "Arrangements" which is making sure that the venue is
ready. (Ramps are being built, hundreds of duct tape rolls, generators and
electrical stuff in place, ushers and security committed, trained and in
place... Its big)! I am actively involved in Hospitality, Weekly updates
submitted to locals and the greater IWT staff, and organizing stuff like
Table hosts for the fundraising banquets, Organizing the Pastors lunches
(we are trying to be a vehicle to bring them together to pray and encourage this to
go on after the tour). The hospitality stuff is just making sure that the
Local Hospitality coordinator is given the appropriate list of needs for
some IWT speakers and teams etc for Housing, transportation, meals, welcome
packets, doctor info... Etc. And then staying on her to make sure it gets
done.

At some point in the day we try to spend about 2 hours or so on training
with either Becky or a visiting speaker. We are working through the manual
for IWT coordinators which is so very detailed and intricate. Today we
familiarized ourselves on the data base, which at this point is
overwhelming, but will soon be our dear friend.

Marc is at the moment picking the kids up from Kindi. Its 12:30 lunch time.
We will probably spend a couple hours here with the kids yet then one of
us will take them home for naps and prepare dinner.

Evenings are usually just dinner and we get caught up in a lively
conversation with whoever is at home and watch the kids play with toys or
slide down the steps on the boogie board. One of us often has either an
Executive Meeting or some other meeting a couple times a week, but one is
always with the kids. We are also going through counselor training which is
a couple sessions long at multiple times that people are required to go
through to be a counselor at the proclamation time. We will eventually be
equipped to lead these.

Saturdays and Sundays are pretty much our days as a family and this past
weekend we had a quiet house since the family was gone.

There is loads to do living in a city, wish we had more time to goof
off, but am glad to be usefully, learning and know that it is temporary!

This is probably a bit more detailed than you were thinking, but as I
started, I tried to whittle it down and it just wasn't possible, hey, maybe
I'll send it to mom too! :) There really is a lot more to the organizational
aspect of this than one could imagine. There is so much more that we
realized! Its sooooo cool to see all the hands and hearts that believe in
this mission and have changed their lives and schedules to pour themselves
into making it happen as well. I would estimate that nearly 700-900 people
are involved just in set up in one city.. Then there are satellite locations
at each hub city and of course all the teams and staff that tour and then
the main office in Kansas city would total probably nearly 1,200 that have
shifted their lives and schedules as well, to focus on this one ministry!
Its huge and God is rewarding it! Its great to be a little ant in the whole
picture!

Anyway, must go now to get some materials out (tickets, banners etc.) to
some locals.

Ok, Here it goes! I have been wanting to begin this blog for weeks now, but everything has held me back. There has been some kind of breakthrough so I am going to take advantage of it! I don’t feel like I should backtrack too much and spend time talking about packing the house, the plane trip or settling in New Zealand, that would take pages upon pages so we will just comment from here on out. My intentions in this blog site are to Journal brief snippets of random or related thinking a couple times a week (if possible) and also give updates on our mission for you to visit at your leisure. We hope and pray that it will keep you informed and involved, as much as you desire, in this ministry and in our lives.

Right, so... as I touched on before, it felt like we were in a cloud for the first week or so that we were in Dunedin. It seriously was like a depressing cloud almost of apathy, so contrary to the emotions and vision that brought us here! I don’t know if it was the jet/moving/packing lag, the feeling of closterphobia from the plastic completely covering our house windows (there is a painter working on the house..heh-heh...no it’s not Marc), or if it was some kind of spiritual oppression. Regardless of what it was, this past Thursday Marc and I finally had some good prayer time, the opening and unveiling of the windows began and I finally had a good night sleep. I praise God for your prayers! This morning in Church the pastor spoke on the passage in Exodus when Joshua and the army was fighting the Amelikites and as long as Moses held up his staff there was victory. You probably know that at one time Moses dropped his arms and quickly realized that he needed to have help holding them up in obedience to Gods leading. We totally sense our prayer partners holding us up when we are week. We are soooo thankful!

Hey, I did say this would be short, well it’s the first one, so please forgive me! :) This is an Amazing land! The untouched landscape just amazes us! Each corner we drive around is more amazing than the last! We hope to get a chance to explore a couple days after the tour. Right now Impact World Tour is just a bit north of us and is scheduled to be in Dunedin April 1, 2&3. We will try to update you bit by bit, but if your interested in the stats and testimonies of the people of New Zealand touched by God through IWT please visit www.iwt.nu/NZ/ . There have been amazing transformations of lives and cities and we are believing that for Dunedin too! Man, does it need some kind of radicle change! There is such opposition here! There have already been 2 IWT international leaders that stated Dunedin to be the most difficult city in New Zealand to “break through”. Boy is our work cut out for us and somehow we feel like this is a glimpse as to what will be before us in Scotland as well. Cool thing is, we know who wins in the end!

Ok, Marcs snoring so thats my cue to shut down the laptop and get some shut eye! Why is it that everyone denies that they snore? Yeah, and why do you only snore when you lay on your back and not on your side? Ahhh the marvels of the human body! Good night!