It’s our 100th blog post on noahandkate.com, nearly two and half years after our journey toward NZ began in January 2009!  Here are a few updates:

• This week we’ve hosted three guys representing Australian Environmental Solutions. (A Kiwi, a guy originally from Wales, and a guy from Tasmania). They are in town, trying to offer their inventive water management strategies to local officials here. Great guys!

• Tutoring with my Nepali student is going great. I now teach him 3 days a week. He is applying for residency in the next few months and will have to take an English test. I really don’t know if he will pass… I don’t know how proficient he needs to be to pass.

• Aftershocks continue as per usual. Guests often ask us how they should respond to these quakes. But we always explain that usually you can tell within a few seconds how strong it will get based on how it comes in… so we do nothing but pause/listen/wait it out. If it’s big and life-threatening, you’ll know and should dive next to a couch or bed, and cover yourself with the mattress or pillows. Or get outside in an open space. But that’s rare. Our house is safe. They can’t believe we “ignore” all the aftershocks and don’t react in panic.

• This week we enjoyed two gatherings with some new American friends and had Mexican food each night! Luxury! One night we met up with a group of missionaries from the states (Kingdom Reality). They were based in Connecticut but recently felt led to base their ministry out of Christchurch. Then last night we met up with a family from Arizona/Colorado. Our friends in Denver, the Orr’s, told us about them. We enjoyed more Mexican food and played with their three boys! They work for the ministry, Navigators, here at a local university. We enjoy being connected to others in the city. We have always felt that God desires UNITY among his people and we feel part of our call here is to “cross-pollinate”… connecting people to people, ministry to ministry. We must work together!

• Two weekend’s ago we enjoyed a short trip to Waikanae on the north island. We gathered with two dozen others and built relationships + discussed different concepts centered on the idea of simple/de-centralized/organic ways of church. Noah and I then enjoyed one extra day in windy Wellington, the nation’s capital. (Flying in was stunning!)

• On Good Friday we enjoyed celebrating the Seder Passover meal with some friends. It’s our new Easter tradition! On Saturday we met with the McNeill’s to prayer walk, along with other believers in the city.

• Later today we are meeting up with some university students and local Christians to all share what God has been up to and what He has been speaking to each of us. We anticipate working with the university demographic this year. Our regular gatherings with university students are going well as we continue to seek God on the direction He has for the group.

• We had some help reinstalling a new hot water cylinder this week. We bought a new one, but thankfully insurance will reimburse us! We were helped by two YWAM guys who tore open the roof! We don’t have hot water yet, as we still need help from an electrician and then a plumber (lines need flushing from silt!) We continue to “enjoy” our bucket showers.

• (3 days later, we officially have a working shower! Such a luxury it seems! But now our toilets are both broken. We called for emergency repairs today. They have been iffy since the quake and finally “died”.)

• Our corner shops were demolished today! Very sad. Photos below (right after quake and then from today).

• In other news, we miss you all back in America and hope you are having a lovely spring. Thank you for your continued support and love. We don’t know when our next trip to the States will be. We were both back for USA summer and I returned briefly for a funeral in November. We don’t have anything scheduled this year for upcoming trips, but we tell ourselves if we see a super-low fare we might just snatch it up and fly out. (They are extremely rare, but we’ll keep a look out. We miss you a lot and miss Chipotle heaps!) But we’d have to feel good about leaving here for that to happen. Haven’t felt we should leave anytime soon, but I know we will reach a point where we’ll need a little break.

This weekend when we were in Waikanae, we gathered with about two-dozen folks from around NZ who have a heart to “do church differently”.

One of the things we talked about was Jesus and his leadership. Here are some ways we described him (from looking at examples in scripture). I think we can all be encouraged to be reminded of how Jesus lived his life.

We enjoyed a weekend away in Waikanae and Wellington for an organic church gathering. It was a great time to get to know others who are pursing home church/cafe church/missional church around New Zealand. Update on that coming soon.

But we arrived home to some damages because there was a 5.3 quake while we were away.

I write a lot of snail mail. But you can’t post mail from your home here. The mail carriers (posties) only deliver mail, so I’ve gotten to know my neighborhood post shop well! Sometimes it’s once a week that I pop down to the corner store to buy stamps or send off a package. It’s a haberdashery (new word for me… but they sell knitting and sewing materials, do alterations and run a little post shop.) So they have gotten to know me as the American girl who always sends out mail.

With the earthquake, many buildings/homes/businesses were destroyed. This shop is still standing at the moment… but all of it’s contents were thrown on the ground. Mud came into part of the store and the two front walls are leaning dangerously…

The other day I walked by and saw the owners were finally there attempting to clean. I hadn’t seen them inside since before the quake in February. I talked to the owner, Jane, and offered help. She said they hadn’t come in yet because of their own home damages and because she had lost three friends in the earthquake—the recovery and grief had been too much to worry about the store. (She lost those friends from her old work place, in one of the collapsed buildings… tragic. The woman who replaced her there, died.) It’s been hard for her knowing this… dealing with the grief of that in addition to the loss of much at home and at the store…

Today Jane called me, saying they did need help today, packing up merchandise. They have not been “red stickered” yet, which means a building/home is “Unsafe. No one can enter premises”, but they are due for inspection this upcoming week… and they think they will be “Red stickered” due to the leaning walls. So I went up to help pack up what wasn’t destroyed by mud and broken glass.

Please pray for Jane and her husband. They have been hit badly… pray for the Lord to speak through me at this time. It was great to be able to help folks on the block… Since the earthquake, we’ve been able to reach out to them, the guys at the Indian take-away shop (next to the post shop), some of the school staff, and some neighbors. We are hoping to make a difference with the immediate neighbors…. and continue to love them and help them in any way we can. I think I can get overwhelmed by the enormous need in the city but if we all do our little part in our corner of the city, it makes a big difference collectively.

Thanks for praying about this.

Because of all your generous donations we were able to give three families some grocery gift cards!!

One particular family is from Egypt and has struggled with immigration upon arrival. The dad flew here with one of his sons to secure a job and set up a new life for his family. He planned to fly them all over once things were settled. He found a job which ended up being a scam. Now they are stuck here. Not only is he unable to obtain a legit job (because of visa issues) but they are unable to gather enough funds for a car, to pay for a decent apartment (flat), or pay school fees for the son. On top of their daily stresses was the stress of watching Egyptian upheaval from afar. Now, due to the earthquake, they are homeless. Their tiny apartment flooded and the quake damaged the building so it is unlivable. They are in the process of moving their things to a friend’s place until they find a new “home” of their own. It has been an intensely hard year for them. Please keep them in your prayers—for provision and open doors. My heart continues to break for them. We  gave them some grocery store gift cards yesterday.

This is the eldest son receiving the gift card vouchers.
He thanks you!

We are also giving grocery vouchers to another Egyptian family; a single dad with two teenagers. He is an architect but lost his job this year in New Zealand’s recession. He is hopeful that he will secure another job now that Christchurch has a lot of rebuilding to do, however until then he is jobless with no income. These vouchers will help him out in the mean time. We will get these to him this weekend.

Today I went over to our neighbors house, which was crushed. The top floor collapsed into the bottom floor. When the quake struck, the dad was inside and managed to get out. He is very lucky. I talked to them the day of the quake and then today we chatted for awhile. I broke into tears looking into the house. We are working on filming an interview of them tomorrow and will give them grocery vouchers as well!

Thanks you guys for your generosity!! It is so amazing to be able to help people around us! Normally we cannot afford this kind of thing so it has been so unbelievable to give back generously!!

One of our friends here worked part time for CTV (their building collapsed and many perished that day.) He was not in the building at the time but lost many friends and colleagues. Today I saw him on FB chat for the first time and said hello. Here is our brief conversation about what has been going on in his life these last few weeks:

KATE: Hi. You don’t have to talk, but I just wanted to say hello and our thoughts and prayers are with you.

FRIEND: Thanks appreciate that. 12 funerals so far 1 on tuesday and 3 bodies not yet identified..please pray for these 3 families that their loved ones will be returned.

Isaiah 61: The Year of the LORD’s Favor

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.

⁴ They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations.
⁵ Strangers will shepherd your flocks;
foreigners will work your fields and vineyards.
⁶ And you will be called priests of the LORD,
you will be named ministers of our God.
You will feed on the wealth of nations,
and in their riches you will boast.

⁷ Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.

⁸ “For I, the LORD, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
⁹ Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the LORD has blessed.”

¹⁰ I delight greatly in the LORD;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For he has clothed me with garments of salvation
and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness,
as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
¹¹ For as the soil makes the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign LORD will make righteousness
and praise spring up before all nations.

March 18 was deemed a public holiday as everyone from the city gathered for a memorial service. Here is Kate’s take on it, along with photos.

Today marks three weeks since the devastating quake. Where are we now?

Let’s see if I can make this brief.

Many fled Christchurch after the quake out of need (house lost or situation unlivable) or out of fear and the stress the situation brought. Some have returned, some actually moved the week after the quake. The photo above is a section of Avonside that was known to be a really ideal little area to live along the river. After the September quake, about a fourth of the homes were too damaged to live in. After the February quake, almost all the homes are unlivable. It has become a ghost town. This is the area I ran along weekly. To see this beautiful area turn into a ghost town overnight is very erie.

There are still areas of town without water or power. Most has been restored at this point, but not all.

Hundreds of thousands of homes are awaiting full (head-to-toe) inspection for safety and insurance claims for interior and exterior damages (we are still waiting).

It is common to see houses and businesses completely tilted and off center, if not flattened. It is common to see every brick house have at least one wall down, exposing the interior. It is common to see destruction, military vehicles, helicopters, construction crews, dust, people with masks, and tears.

Our particular area waited one week for power to return and two weeks for water to return. Though our neighborhood now has water, we personally do not because our pipes actually broke under the house.

We were blessed by a natural spring that bubbled up to the surface of the lawn. A missions agency came and tapped it, so we route that water into our house for washing dishes, collecting water for a sponge bath, and for boiling water for drinking.

Our damages that need repair (still waiting for inspection and quotes): Pipe damages. Broken water heater. Brick wall in front that collapsed. Chimney that fell down. Back room cracks along fireplace and ceiling, sunken floor. Cracks along other room ceilings. Garage structural damage (another big quake might bring our garage crashing down). Carport damage. Most doors inside and outside don’t shut properly. Etc…

Thousands of businesses have been lost. This might be hard to understand—the weight of what that means—but your livelihood and the livelihood of all your employees come to a halt. You property is lost and there is nothing to do to rebuild/move to a new place because the whole city is in the same situation. People are fearing the city will never be the same… Not only because of the economic hit but because fear is driving people to leave.

People predict that the face of Christchurch will drastically change because no one wants to build in the city centre after what happened. It’s predicted business will want to move to the suburbs and the outskirts of town.

The main city centre (2 miles from our house) is under tight control with military and police on every intersection. A week ago, they opened it up for a short while for people to recover their cars from the day of the quake (if they were sitting out and not crushed).

Most schools reopened yesterday. Some kids were out of school for three weeks. Those who had jobs up and running last week did not have childcare to take their kids to. Many schools have been lost. There has been “school sharing” going on, where two different schools share a building (half days for each).

Roads over the entire city are a disaster. Filled with liquefaction, huge cracks, sink holes, and bumps (like waves). Almost every street has damage in need of repair. Our car is getting a beating from driving on roads.

With businesses down, “community” has happened. Instead of entertainment, people look to be with people. That is a great thing that has come out of this.

This weekend a quake has been predicted for this region again. Many have again fled the city. Noah and I are staying here but in the event of another quake and potential tsunami, we plan to head inland. We have emergency bags ready by the door. (Just to be safe!)

Watching what has happened in Japan from this side of destruction, from the experiences we just had, makes it much more real to us. It doesn’t become a statistic in our mind. It becomes quite personal. We just went through what most of Japan just experienced in regards to sudden disaster, everything is stopped, you have no idea what to do, people are lost, communications are down, power/water off, destruction everywhere, etc. The coast of Japan obviously has lost everything and it is unfathomable what it will take for one to recover from that. The loss of life, family, your entire property and possessions. Unthinkable. Our hearts are with those people and deeply empathize in this time of great tragedy.

The hope for Japan, as we have witnessed here in New Zealand, is that through this, people will come together, lean on one another, open up their lives, share, console, die to self, sacrifice for one another… that the church of Japan and of the world would reach out at this time.. as they pick up the pieces… and spread the love of our one true and lasting foundation, the God who shakes US ALL from our complacency and self-capability.

The Jones family is currently spending a few days at our house. I don’t quite know how to describe them other than using the term “missional nomads”! They have lived all over the world, know heaps of people and care about helping influence/start/encourage many types of missional communities and initiatives. The dad is kiwi, the mum is American, the kids are both, yet each have various accents since they were all born/spent time in different countries during their childhood. You can follow their life/musings/insights here at Andrew’s blog or follow the family at The Jonesberries!

Noah was able to organize a speaking opportunity at the YWAM Oxford base, so that’s why they are down here in the first place, but with the quake, they headed down earlier to see what’s happening in town. Andrew blogs and wanted to get some first-hand stories and connect his readers with how they can help.

Saturday night Andrew is speaking at our house, all welcome.