3 weeks ago today we were packed and on our way to the Coral Coast Christian Camp for the
2011 Student Life Conference.
75 students from both USP and FNU came together for a 5-day long conference that was themed, "Just Be It."
Seru, one of the pastors from a local church in Suva as well as a past Student Life President when he was a student at USP, was the main speaker at the conference. Each day he spoke on the different attributes of God, and how we are called to trust Him, and live our lives striving to be more and more like Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Along with these sessions each day, students had the opportunity to attend seminars on topics like discerning God's will, time management, God is good, etc. They were also each put into teams that would meet together after the main sessions to talk about the discussion questions, and apply what Seru had spoken about to their lives. There was lots of free time during the day for students to enjoy the beach across the street, go kayaking, play volleyball, go on the zip line, play a pick up game of rugby, or just sit and talk. The nights were "theme" nights and consisted of "Find Your Tune," "Bible Hero Night," "Pacifica Night," and "Banquet Night."
Although it rained most of the conference, students had a blast and the Lord was so faithful! On the final night, Matt Anderson (a Campus Crusade for Christ staff member who is serving in New Zealand), gave the commissioning message. He challenged students to come forward if they felt the Lord call them to be willing to Go or Do whatever He led them to in the future (being a life-long laborer for Christ; whether that's in full-time ministry, in a job, in another country, etc.). Over 30 students went forward! I am so excited to see the continued fruit that the Lord produces from this conference!
On the last day there were a lot of tears shed as the Summer Project Team said their goodbyes and headed off for their debrief and then back to the States. It was a reality check for me as I realized how much these American students had grown to love the Fijians in only 6-weeks. It is definitely not going to be easy at all to say goodbye to all the incredible people I have had the privilege of getting to know and love while here in Fiji. But I still have 4 more months here, so I'm striving not to take any of it for granted!
Below are some pictures that describe some specifics from the Student Conference!
Students registering for the Student Life "Just Be It" Conference
I got to lead the "Time Management" Seminar, which was a lot of fun.
Students worshipping the Lord during one of the main sessions
Odi (with the red hat) is the cousin of one of the girls I disciple. She raised enough money for both her and him to come to conference! He was raised with a muslim background, but while at camp, some summer project students as well as a student from USP, got to share the Gospel with Odi and he accepted Christ! Please keep him in your prayers!
Our STINT team on the Banquet Night
And then...
WE WERE OFF!
The day after Student Conference ended, we jumped on a plane and headed to the beautiful country of New Zealand!
It was there that we would meet up with about eighteen USP students to go to the
International Student Life Conference, V20.
It was an incredible week-long conference where 500+ students from over forty countries joined together to learn about and worship the Lord! Rodger Hershey (the former Campus Crusade for Christ director at my Alma Mater, Miami University!) was the key-note speaker and he did an incredible job! He challenged students to remember our purpose on this earth, to glorify the Lord, and how to become life-long laborers for Christ in our own cities, states, countries, and even around the world!
During one of the days we had an opportunity to go and share our faith around the Hamilton community outside of the camp where the conference was held. It was so incredible to come back that night and hear the testimonies of students who took a bold step and shared their faith, many of them, in a foreign country for the first time! The final night we had a commissioning night, and again, it was such an encouragement to see students from all over the world surrender their lives to serve the Lord, wherever He may call them!
Some fun facts from the conference:
-We stayed in RV's the whole week (international students/staff were allowed to stay in campers b/c the dorms would be too cold!)
-The food was incredible! Seriously, the best food I've ever had at a camp!
-We had cake almost every day! New Zealand is a great country :)
-They put off fireworks on the 4th of July in honor of the Americans!
-We had cold showers almost every day...that was definitely an adventure
-It was pretty chilly there! For the first time in 7 months we weren't hot!
After the conference ended, we got to tour around New Zealand (the north island) with the students from USP. This was a ton of fun. We went to Rotorua where they have lots of geothermal things like boiling mud, etc. We also got to go to lake Taupo, which was really pretty. We stayed in hostels along the way and I got to drive one of the cars! We had a caravan of about 5 cars the whole time. It was quite a sight to see :) I loved getting to drive though, especially with having to drive on the opposite side of the car and the road than what I'm used to in the States!
After a few days, the students went to spend time with family/friends in New Zealand, so my team and I took off to explore this new country for ourselves! We squeezed into 1 car and drove all over the northern part of the north island. It was absolutely beautiful. We went to tons of beaches, saw where they filmed part of "Prince Caspian," walked around small cities, drank coffee in cafes, saw some waterfalls, did some hiking, and just enjoyed the beauty that surrounded us. After about 3 days, we headed back to Auckland to return to Fiji.
Below are a few pictures to give you a glimpse into our 2 weeks in the beautiful country of
New Zealand!
Hello New Zealand!
Team Fiji arrives in New Zealand! (Rob stayed back in Fiji)
Us STINT girls just loved getting to spend time with the Crusade staff women in Auckland!
Luke, one of our Student Life leaders from USP, had the opportunity to give his testimony at one of the main sessions!
Students at V20 during the Commissioning Night, going up to sign a poster that indicated that they desired to be a life-long laborer for Christ!
Some of our students at Crescent Moon in Rotorua
The view from Cathedral Cove
And right now you find me back in Fiji. We just got back from a Student Life BBQ, which was held at our directors' house. This coming week we will be doing some filming of us giving different seminars/messages for the new staff who join Campus Crusade for Christ in the future. We will also be planning this coming 2nd Semester! Where does the time go?
Thank you so much for all of your prayers and support! And please let me know how I can be praying for you!
God Bless!
-Mary
