Life at Woodend

Wow - I didn't realise how long it's been since my last blog post. It's been crazy busy though! This is probably gonna be a little jumbled as I've possibly got strep throat and my brain isn't fully functioning, but I figured while I was off work sick, that I would write a new blog post ...

Not gonna lie - Life here at Woodend has taken a while to adjust to. At the beginning, I struggled in finding my purpose, or figuring out how I can serve with the right attitude when I wasn't exactly where I wanted to be. One of the reasons I love camping so much is because I love working with children, creating relationships throughout their time at camp and having the opportunity to make a difference. But it was hard to do when I was stuck in the kitchen all day. How can I build relationships if I have little to no contact with the children?

Through the encouragement of God's Word, plus the people around me, I have been able to see how cooking a good meal can bring joy to people. Food is a big part of camping, and it's an awesome opportunity to serve.


I am enjoying the study side of things too - I've just got back from a week in Tauranga for block course - which is where we have all our lectures and dig deeper into the Bible. The people I have met are some of the awesomest people I know. I love hearing about how their internships are going and what God is doing around different parts of New Zealand.

On our first block course, one of the lecturers encouraged us to have a word for the year. I chose the word "growth". Last year, I felt challenged when one of my church friends mentioned about pulling weeds out of your life – And how when weeding a garden, it gets messy when they’re pulled from the roots. But after a while, it settles down and the plant is encouraged more to grow. I feel that this is what is happening this year in my life - the 'garden' in me is getting weeded, and it may be a little messy at the moment, but it will bring growth ... and I know it's just a season of life. (I touched on Seasons of Life a little bit in one of my posts from last year).

Anyway, that's pretty much it from me at the moment. I'm off to Nelson over Easter, so prayers for health and safety would be great!

Enjoy the rest of your week!
Esther x