September to November is springtime in New Zealand and I had the privilege of visiting there during part of September and October 2019, through an invitation from Brother Evan Sadler.
My flight landed in Auckland that morning and I was picked up at 11:00 AM by Brother Bretton from Hope International. It was very interesting to see the countryside, all those rolling green hills and the wild sheep and goats. Of course, you know New Zealanders drive on the “wrong” side of the road. The driver side is on our passenger side as well. The trip from the airport took four hours to arrive in a little town called Ohura, where Hope International is situated.
I had always thought that New Zealand was one long island, but it is two separate islands: North Island and South Island, surrounded by the Pacific Ocean.
“New Zealand sits on two tectonic plates – the Pacific and the Australian. Fifteen of these gigantic moving chunks of crust make up the Earth’s surface. The North Island and some parts of the South Island sit on the Australian Plate, while the rest of the South Island sits on the Pacific. Because these plates are constantly shifting and grinding into each other, New Zealand gets a lot of geological action.”
www.newzealand.com/us/feature/new-zealand-geography-and-geology/
I learned a little more of its geology while visiting and it amazed me how those islands just sit there above water and are not overrun by the ocean. Then I have to stop, recalling this verse: “And [the Lord] said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed” (Job 38:11), and realize that God is not only in control of our world, but of the entire universe!
Hope International, New Zealand, now provides health evangelism, not only to the surrounding villagers, but to others outside of that area who want to change their lifestyle and receive help for their medical conditions. While I was visiting, Hope was revising one area of their buildings to accommodate more solid guest rooms and treatment rooms to adequately serve the public. This complex was previously a minimum-security prison and when Ohura’s economy died down and the prison was moved, it was no longer being used for that purpose. By God’s grace, when it became available, Brother Sadler was able to purchase it. The complex is ideally situated where the surrounding hillsides and peaceful neighborhood far from the hustle and bustle of city life, allows patients to relax and enjoy the outdoors.
Along with health lectures, some of the treatments provided by the clinic are massage, sweat baths, detox, and colon cleansing. The faithful staff who provide the lectures are Sala & Akapusi (from Fiji) and Natalie (Great Britain) just to name a few, and there are others who provide meals for the guests, clean the rooms on their departure and look after the comfort of the guests. Just this past week I received a text from Sala who said the team was preparing for about 20 people who were coming to do their program.
Praise God for His faithful workers who are doing their part in the medical missionary field. Let us remember to keep these brothers and sisters in prayer, because the enemy is sure to do his utmost to prevent this health message from being preached even in New Zealand.