HAPPY NEW YEARS! :D

When it comes to parenting a blog, I am not the most attentive of parents. Of recent, I have been an absentee parent for a few very major events and milestones: I missed Thanks Giving, My blog's 2nd birthday and even Christmas... oh my!

At least I have returned just in time to celebrate New Years! As a "peace offering, to make up my blog neglect, below are some pictures from my travels in the last year... travels which have been my most extensive to date. Actually, I don't think that they could be much more extensive but, such trips may become much more frequent in the future... God willing!

So, without further delay... especially for those of you who have been waiting since my "Why No Pics?" post, here you go!

OUT WITH 2016 AND IN WITH THE 2017!
HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERY ONE!
HAVE A BLESSED NEW YEAR!

This Is the Longest Nonstop Flight in the World | Majic 105.7

This Is the Longest Nonstop Flight in the World | Majic 105.7: DEL-SFO route now flies over Pacific Ocean rather than Atlantic

My Current Travel Map (Updated: November 2016)

Samuel has been to: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Belize, Canada, Ivory Coast, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Egypt, Spain, Finland, Fiji, France, United Kingdom, Gibraltar, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Liberia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Palestine, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, United States, Vatican, Vanuatu.
Get your own travel map from Matador Network.

Chase Sappire Prefered Card!

As you probably know, the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card is my FAVORITE reward credit card. Recently, I got what Chase calls "An Annual Rewards Recap" in the mail and it really highlights just how valuable this card has been to me over the last few months in particular. See image below:

(Click to Enlarge!)

Note: The original image has been edited to protect certain personal information.

As you can see, this card has more than paid for it's $95 dollar annual fee... in both rewards and fee savings. If you are looking for a good travel rewards card then you have to take a look at the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card.

If you would like more information about this card, you may do so via my referral link: CLICK HERE!

Disclosure: As a card holder participating in Chase's “Invite a Friend” promotion, I will be rewarded with a set number of points for each person who clicks my referral link, applies for, and is subsequently approved for the credit card. While I try my best to make sure all info which I post about this card is accurate, policies could change. I do NOT work for Chase Bank.

Travel By Investing!

This morning, I got a chance to reading this email from LendingClub. See image below...

(CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

Apparently, LendingClub and United Airlines have partnered to sweeten the deal for those who choose to invest invest with LendingClub. I have already been using LendingClub for about a year now and I like it more than any other type of investment platform that I have used in the past.

I highly recommend that you look into LendingClub as an investment option for yourself. There as with anything is a ton of fine print and i am not a lawyer, so please don't take my word for this do some research yourself and see if it is a good fit for you investment portfolio.

You can click through to LendingClub.com via my referral link: CLICK HERE!

Interested In Medical Missions?

As some of you may know, I got the chance to volunteer on board a medical mission ship called the M/V Pacific Hope. I got my first chance to board the ship for my DTS's Outreach Phase, then after graduation I came back due to an invitation. However, an invitation is not needed to get on board. If you are interested in volunteering you can simply use the contact information provided below in the brochure below.

(CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE)

Not a "Health Professional?" Well, I was not either... other than some basic first-aid training from my DTS. There are plenty of positions available from helping with deck maintenance to praying for people, or from dispensing out glasses to assisting in the dental clinic. So, aside from positions listed in the brochure above there are plenty of other jobs to do, you just need a heart for service.

While the outreach season for 2016 is over, the ship will be right back to its' mission once the regional cyclone seasons ends. I am sure that they will need more people to fill slots for the 2017 outreach season.

This is an AMAZING cause, bringing health care and the Gospel to the isolated peoples of the South Pacific Islands. If you don't think you can make it on board, please consider donating to this ministry. Remember that EVERYONE on board is volunteer, from the cooks and deck hands to the doctors and captain(s), so your donations have more impact to the actual mission.

Disclaimer: While I have served on this ship, I nor my blog are affiliated with Marine Reach Ministries. My personal views and opinions on this blog are my own and do not reflect the ministry. Also, I have not been compensated or requested to post this information to my blog.

What is OurAirports.com?

In my last post, I talked about how I had "Gone Farther Than Ever." I made this realization thanks to an website called ourairports.com, which allows you to keep track of all the airports that you have used in your travels.

If you would like to view my ourairports.com profile, you can do so here: http://ourairports.com/members/MrTravels1/

I've Gone Farther Than Ever!

I recently updated my "OurAirports.com" profile (more details in an upcoming post) and found that with my latest trip, my "Frontiers" have expanded, to the East, to the West and to the South!

WOW! This reminds me of Matthew 28:19-20: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” - NIV

Flight Statistics From My 7-Month YWAM Journey

I did some flight calculations from my big 7 month YWAM journey.

All in all, I flew with 7 different airlines, on 13 separate flights (legs), covering approximately 25,778mi (42,480km), spending about 53.5hrs (2.25 days) in the air. Don't get me started on layovers...

Airlines I Flew With:

United Airlines

Hawaiian Airlines

Air New Zealand

Air Vanuatu

Fiji Airways

Quantas

American Airlines

Flights Taken:

-Getting to Tauranga, New Zealand-

Orlando, Florida to San Francisco, California

San Francisco, Califonia to Honolulu, Hawaii

Honolulu, Hawaii to Auckland, New Zealand

Auckland, New Zealand to Tauranga, New Zealand

-Coming back from Outreach in Vanuatu (took a 5 day sail going to)-

Port Vila, Vanuatu to Auckland, New Zealand

-Going back to Vanuatu-

Tauranga, New Zealand to Auckland, New Zealand

(had an 18 hour layover... the longest in my life)

Auckland, New Zeland to Nadi, Fiji

Nadi, Fiji to Port Vila, Vanuatu

-Back to New Zealand-

Port Vila, Vanuatu to Auckland, New Zealand

-Heading home-

Auckland, New Zealand to Melbourne, Australia

Melbourne, Australia to Sydney, Australia

Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas to Orlando, Florida

Longest Flight (EVER!): Sydney, Australia to Dallas, Texas - 15.5hrs - 8,580mi (13,800km)

Shortest Flight: Auckland, New Zealand to Tauranga, New Zealand - 0.5hrs - 90mi (145km)

WHEW!!! What a trip! :D

"I Am A Missionary"

Yes, I think the missions bug has bit me. I am ready for the next adventure that God sends me on. How about you?

Check-out this really inspirational video about missionaries:

Why No Pics?

If you have been wondering why I have not been posting pictures of my travels on my blog, its because my Blogger app on my phone wouldn't let me and I did not take a computer with me on my trip. I am not sure why, even when I had REALLY good internet connection it would not post.

So, until I can get some pics from my trip posted, here is the official Outreach Video of my YWAM DTS Outreach Team. Most of the video is from he Island of Tanna, Vanuatu however, the beginning shows some shots of us on the medical ship, the M/V Pacific Hope.

Credits:

Videography - Althea Patrabla

Music - "Relentless" Hillsong United (No Infringement Intended)

My 100th Post!

WOW! I have been so busy in getting back home after being gone for 7 months that I forgot to keep my blog postings flowing. But, seriously... 100 posts? I can't believe that I have done that much writing.

Vanuatu Update #3

My time is Vanuatu, at least for the foreseeable future has come to an end. After to 3 months of DTS Lecture Phase, 2 months of DTS Outreach Phase and 2 months of serving on the M/V Pacific Hope, I am making my way home.

I arrived in Auckland on the 25th but, did not get to my hotel until after mid-night. I have a total of 5 nights here in Auckland before contenuing on my journy home. The 25th, happened to be the cheapest day to fly back to NZ from Vanuatu... at least prior to my August 30th flight back to the States.

I will have layovers in Melbourne, Sydney and Dallas respectively before arriving back in Orlando. The Sydney to Dallas flight will be my longest yet at just over 15.5 hours of flying time.

So far, I have been having an amazing time back in Auckland. God has blessed me with some really good friends here who have gone out of their way to make me feel at home.

Vanuatu Update #2

Arrived safely back in Port Vila very early on Friday morning, thanks be to God. Though tiring and very unpredictable, we had another successful medical outreach on the M/V Pacific Hope, the 2nd outreach for the year.

For this outreach, I got placed on the Dental Team doing registration. In total we helped more than 300 people by removing and fixing close to 700 teeth.

I am really eager for the next 2 week  outreach. We leave Port Vila this Saturday and will be serving N.E. Malakula... that is the plan at least.

So many things on this adventure have been uncertain. But, over the last 6 months I have become more and more at peace with not knowing what lies ahead or having to have a plan. However, I can be certain of two things: God loves me, God IS good and if I follow Him, there is no telling where I'll end up!

Vanuatu Update #1

I arrived back in Port Vila, Vauatu at around noontime on the 7th of August (local time). We ended up coming back a day earlier than planned, for multiple reasons, officially ending Outreach #1.

Though we had to leave early and couldn't visit the Island of Meawo, we reached over 1000 people on the Island of Ambae. We offered a number or services such as free doctor's consultations, eye glasses, first aid, prayer and pharmacy.

The ship will do 4 more multi-week outreaches with rest/resupply weeks in Port Vila inbetween. I will be present for 2 more of these outreaches, my last of which will end on August 19th.

These past couple days have been filled with both good and bad realities of life Friday in particular. After meeting up with some friends on Thursday night, we made plans to go see "Finding Dory" on Friday morning. I arrived at the theater much earlier, as planed to get wifi. It was there while waiting for my friends to arrive that I found out that one of my cats had died. The news was hard but, God has helped me through and my friends have been really encouraging.

However, despite the sad news from home and so wishing to be back, I know that God called me here, at this time, for a reason. Of course I have questioned and requestioned Him, and myself multiple times but, I know that I am where I am meant to be.

How Did I End-Up Here?

How did I end up here? ...in another island nation, in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, getting ready to voulenteer on a medical ship?

Great questions! In all honesty, I have only one answer: I followed the Spirit.

My DTS is now over and I am no longer in New Zealand. I had had the option to fly back to Orlando on the 22nd of June (today actually) but, somthing inside me opted to choose the next avalible award ticket date of August 30th 2016.

So, here I am back in Port Vila, Vauatu, ready to rejoin the the M/V Pacific Hope. While I don't know exactly what date my time on the ship will end, I have committed to approximately 2 months.

While so much is uncertain, I am really looking forward to my time serving on the ship. God called me here, got me here and will certainly see me through here. I am eager to see what He has planned!

Back in New Zealand

Sunday was my first full day back in New Zealand. I arrived in Auckland at around 11am local time, after about a 3.5 hour flight from Port Vila, Vanuatu.

In total I spent 4 weeks of my Outreach in Vanuatu, on land, off of the M/V Pacific Hope. The first 3 weeks were spent on the island of Tanna, where my team loaded all of our bags, food, medical supplies and ourselves (10 team memebrs, plus the driver and 2 porters) into a single truck for a 2 hours ride to our hosting village.

We stayed in the host village for 2 weeks, doing a number of ministry activities, both there and in neighboring villages. We were placed in an old missionary house near the church. The house had some of the most stunning views of Tanna's active volcano, Mt. Yasur, right from the front porch. Warching the sunrise over an active volacno? Simply amazing!

Some of the other villages we visited were really remote, one of which had never had "white" people visit it before. At least two were over 2 hour walks one-way but, it was so worth it to help spread the gospel.

The first weekend one of the missionary doctors joined our team. Once she arrived, were able to run a clinic in our host village, my job was to run the pharmacy.

After the two weeks in the village, we return to the main town of Tanna, Lenakel, where the ship first dropped us off. A church hosted us for this last week before the ship picked us up.

In Lenakel, we did street evangelism, prayer walks and shared sermons at local churches. We also got to share our testimonies at a local trade school and pray for the sick at the hospital, even attend a custom Period Party as team.

One of the days we went to the hospital to pray for the sick, it was at full capacity, particularly the children's ward. We came back 2 days later and the hospital was at only about 50% capacity and many of those there were new patients. God is good!

After our alotted time on Tanna, the ship picked us up and took us to Port Vila to prepare for our return to New Zealand. Though we were soon to return we still made time to do street and prison ministry.

Looking back I can only be amazed at God's faithfulness to, and grace for my team during our Outreach. Through spiritual and emotional tiredness, as well as physical sickness my team stayed the course.

Now back in New Zealand winter is in full swing and I am loving the nice cool weather. It feels so nice after sweating half to death on Tanna. Also, it has been nice to recover from worms in such a comfortable environment. Yes, due to a number of side effects it is believed that I was one of a few who contracted worms. At least I did not get the lice.

At Base, we're getting back into the flow of things as we wrap-up out school with "Re-Entry/Debrief Week" lectures. However, there is a sadness in the air as most of us prepare to leave this weekend and part ways after almost 6 months of communal living.

This has been an amazing chapter in my life journey, I have so many good memories to remember and tools to use in the future. Doing this DTS has been the best decision of my life yet and I am so greatful to God for this oppertunity. God is good!

14th Week In New Zealand

After 14 weeks, This will be my last "In New Zealand" post for about a month. Not only will I not be in New Zealand any longer but, I won't have wifi either.

As of tomorrow evening, exact time not yet known, we will set sail for Vanuatu, a 5 day journey. We will spend the rest of our Outreach Phase on the Island of Tanna, just one of the 63 inhabited islands the that Vanuatu has.

While a lot of my time here in Auckland has been spent doing outreach and ship tours, I did get to have some "freetime." I went to see the new Jungle Book movie with some friends, loved it. They assign seats in theaters here at time of ticket purchase. This past Monday was ANZAC Day, recognized here in NewZealand and Australia. I got up at just past 4am to join some friends in walking to the Auckland War Museum for an annual ANZAC Day ceremony.

Also, I have added a number of new culinary experiences to my life's story. Had some authentic Japanese take-out and even tried Barfi (an Indian desert) for the first time. But, I think my hands down favorite experience was when a friend took me out for Korean food. Finally got to try Kimchi.

This chapter here in Auckland is closing but, I am so eager to see what God has in store for my team in Vanuatu, for sure He has something  big planned. So for now, I am signing off. Will post an update when I can, most likely once I am back in New Zealand.

13th Week in NZ

So as expected, my firat week in auckland has been such a busy week - tours, street outreach/evangelism, team meetings! But, I am enjoying Auckland nonetheless.

The exotic food options here are mindboggling to me. Yea, I have traveled a lot but, to have so many options freely at my finger-tips has been such a great experience for me.

However, despite all the gastronomic and touristic "lures" this city has to offer, I have to keep in mind that I am not here to simply "play around," I am not here formyself. This is a part of my DTS' Outreach Phase and those obligations come first.

Coming to Auckand not as a simple tourist but, as YWAMer fresh out of 12 weeks of lectures has really helped me to be more sensitive to the less fortunate and broken lives around me, the parts of life that I have at times abdicated any Christian obligation to truly aknowlage. Here, I have been letting go of my fear of man and following the Spirit, whether that be just walking up to a random stranger and praying with them for their grandaughter who was is in prison or asking a homeless man if he is hungry and acting upon his need.

My time in Auckland has so far been a truly been a life changing experience for me. Maybe us YWAMers here in this city now are of small consequence on a large scale but, to the individuals who's lives we have touched, we've left massive impacts or God's love perminantly marked.

12th Week In New Zealand

I am now enjoyng the vibrant city of Auckland, NZ. But, I will talk more about in the upcoming Week 13 post.

As for the past week, things have been hectic and draining, both physically and spiritually. But, there was still a number We spent a large portion of the week helping get the M/V Pacific Hope ready for tours in Auckland as well as training to prepare us for life on the ship.

However, all the business didn't mean that I could not explore more of Tauranga. Due to the ship's location in Tarunga "The Strand" was within very easy walking distance. So for the first time since I started my DTS I've been able to truly explore city as well as take part of some it's gastronomic offerings.

One of the highlights of my week was to join the guys on my team in an afternoon out. After getting deciding on a movie, we grabbed some Turkish then went back to enjoy the movies. That was a great and memorible day!

We sailed for Auckland on Saturday, arriving on Sunday Morning. The journey was at night so, I thankfully get to sleep during the 12 hours of travel. I severely underestimate my reaction to the sea on a boat without stableizers. However, I eventually got my act together and got to enjoy some amazing views of the approach to Auckland.

11th Week in NZ

I know this update is a little late but, things have been very hectic. Week 11 was really a "mad dash" week of getting things in order before the switch from "Base Life" to "Ship Life" and it also marked the end of the DTS' "Lecture Phase." Lectures ended on Thursday and we transfered to the ship on Friday.

So, after weeks of anticipation, 3 of the Medical/Compassion teams officially started living aboard the M/V Pacific Hope. It is so exciting to think that I actually live on a boat, not just some quick cruise but, actually living (and working for that matter) on a boat.

We will be sailing to Auckland on Friday where we will stay for a time before headding onto Vanuatu. I am very eager to see what lays ahead in Auckland.

10th Week In New Zealand

Yesterday I ended my 10th week here in New Zealand. It will be my last full week here at the Marine Reach Base. This coming Friday, myself as well as many of my fellow DTS students will move to the M/V Pacific Hope (the Ship) for our last week of lectures. Once that week ends, we will officially be in the Outreach Phase... So Excited!

This past Thursday, my "Spec Ops" team, along with other student voulenteers, went to the Ship to do some painting. This was my second time painting on the Ship... I have a renewed dislike of marine grade paint. Though we got got a lot done, there will probably be some "touch-up" work for us once we get on board and certainly by the time we set sail to Auckland on the 16th of April.

The highlight of my week was a Team Trip to the Redwoods - Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotarua, New Zealand. Such a beautiful place, it reminds me a lot of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, with the addition of palm trees. We hiked about 13km in total, as we made our way up & down, and in & out of the forest reserve. We had so much fun, we make a great team!

After our hike, we headed back to the Tauranga area for dinner. We got some takeout in then walked to Mt. Maunganui beach to eat and watch the waves.

After this week, I just have to say that I have a new love for the beauty of this country and the God that made it all. So eager for what lays ahead!

9th Week In New Zealand

The biggest development of this past week is that the first $2000NZD of my Outreach fees have been paid off thanks to a generous family member. Also, I have put the last $2000NZD on my credit card, but, I have not fully worked out how to pay it off yet. However, a fellow student came up to me mid-week and long story short gave me $200USD toward my fees. Such a blessing!

God is so good, He has brought me a long way in trusting Him for provision in this season. Just 2 months before coming here, I really had no idea where any of the needed finances were going to coming from but, thankfully my uncertainty and lack of faith did NOT stop God!

In other developments, I finally got myself an All Blacks styled polo. As I am not too much into sports, the coloring and the words, "New Zealand" were enough for me. Just my luck too, the shirt was on clearance.

I have not been able to truly experience the culinary side of Tauraung yet. This is mainly due to me trying to save money and that the Base is a good ways from town.

However, thanks to a friend here at base, I was able to get a ride into town to see the Tauranga Jazz Fesrival. Now having been to New Orleans more times than I can count, it was not exactly the Jazz that I'm used to, actually a lot of it was not "Jazz."  But, I am a lover of almost any type of music so, I appreciated the talent of those performing.

I am not sure what adventures await in this upcoming week. But, I am learning how to enjoy the present and this might be the best decision I can make at the moment!

8th Week in New Zealand: A Week of Honor

This was a very interesting week at base and not because of St. Patrick's Day, which went almost unoticed. We had Relationship Week, which consisted of not just being taught about our relationship with God but also discussing our relationship with people.

The first day of lectures on Relationships set the tone for the whole week. The topics at hand were Honor and Love, two things the Bible commands us to do, for all people... even our enemies.

Now obviously there are no enemies here on our DTS... at least I don't think there are. In all honesty, we as students, who have almost been woven together by God himself, have naturally been going out of our way to be honoring to eachother,  especially the guys toward the girls. However, we (Ship and Base students due to a second week of combined lectures) were still given an assignment to take things to a new level.

Our assignment was to specifically honor the person sitting to our rights and lefts at the time the assignment was fiven. On top of this were were given a paper test to take so that we could better understand our, and thus eachother's, top "Love Languages."

There are five Love Languages:
Words of Affermation (Complements)
Physical Touch (Hugs, Backrubs, Bromance, etc.)
Receiving Gifts (Fairly obvious)
Quality Time (Spending time with eachother)
Acts of Service (Helping someone with chores or other jobs)

My top two were Quality Time and Physical Touch, with Words of Affermation being my lowest (but, God is changing that slowly). My two "Honorees" also had Quality time is their top twos, which made things really easy for me. However, this did not mean that gifts were out of the question. Actually, the whole thing became more of an "Obvious Santa." The Main objective was to challenge us all to get to know eachother better.

We all had a lot of fun just being with eachother and going the extra mile to honor a fellow member of the "Whanau." I enjoyed just spending time with my Honorees and of course seeing their smiles from recieving a meaningful gift.

With all the excitement of Honoring it is almost easy to for one the other main highlights of the week, the "Burn."

Now we first learned about "Burns" during Spiritual Warfare Week. These are really just elongated praise and worship sessions, 12 hours in our case, though some have lasted for 2 days or more.

We went from 7pm on Friday night to 7am on Saturday morning, with both staff and students signing-up to lead 1 hours slots. I was one of a handful that stayed the while night long. As much as I would like to say that I was awake and worshipping the whole night, that would not be truthful. I did fall asleep a couple times but, got back into the flow of things after 30 or so minutes of shut eye. Actually I don't think anyone was fully concious for the whole event, but that was okay, there was always someone still worshipping.

Starting tomorrow we start Week 9, Destiny and Calling Week. So excited!

7th Week In NZ

Last week was "Holy Spirit Week," an amazing week, if you ask me. Pastor Kristian Williams was our speaker. He pastors the Hope Center in an town called Bethlahem, been there, great church to visit if you are ever in the area.

The biggest event outside of the classroom was getting more vaccinations. All extra immunizations were optional but, HIGHLY since I am going to Vanuatu and will be doing medical work on top of that. I got a Hep A Booster and my first shot of Hep B. I had had 2 Hep A shots but, with the last one being just over 10 years ago, they recommended a final lifelong booster. I had never had any Hep B shots, though I thought that I had. Anyway, I got my first shot and should get my second shot during "Decompression Week," after my Outreach Phase ends.

Also, I got my first half of Outreach fees paid... well charged to my card at least. This whole thing has been a total walk of faith, the fact that I have gotten this far is a testimony about God's Faithfulness and Goodness. If you would like to help me financially, you can do so via the following link: http://givesendgo.com/ywamnz

Keep posted for my next update! Week 8 is already in full swing!

6th Week In New Zealand

What an amazing week!

Us "Base" students finally got out first look aboard the M/V Pacific Hope, a YWAM Medical Ship that brings healthcare to the South Pacific. For those of you who mght be wondering, I will be apart of 1 of the 3 teams going abroad the ship for our DTS Outreach Phase.

However, we went to do way more than get a quick tour of the boat. We went to work. After the tours were over and we had finished our lunches we were assigned our work stations. Some, chipped old paint, others helped with the bathroom remodel. I was placed on a team that painted the inside of the hold; Marine Paint paint is not joke, had to wear gloves and masks.

After all of the the work duties were done, we, almost 100 of us, left the ship for a marina park so we could do the well delayed baptisms. I was one of 19 that choose to get baptized. While I had been baptized before, in the Jordan River no less, I was very young and felt that I need to be "re-baptized" as an adult decision in my walk with Christ.

We then headed back to the ship for a pizza party to celebrate the baptisms and have out first Outreach Prep-Talk. To say the least I am so excited for my future life on the ship.

Thursday and Friday passed really quickly as we concluded our lectures on Spiritual Warfare. However, for myself and most of my fellow Medical/Compassion DTS students the weeks end would not been one of rest.

On both Saturday and Sunday we had First-Aid training. Two reps from the New Zealand Red Cross came out to the base and taught us, how to respond to a number of medical emergencies, how to preform CPR and how to use AED Machines.

The whole class passed! So, we are now all certified by the Red Cross to give First-Aid.

We got out of classes just in time for some of us to get on a van to an evening service at a local church. This time I went all "Kiwi" and left my shoes in the van, first time I have ever got to church barefoot.

I am so loving NZ! Though I am looking forward to go to Vanuatu for outreach, I will so miss this place!

Fifth Week in New Zealand

5 weeks have passed by already, I can't belive it. Time has just been flying. The Lecture Phase of my DTS is about half over.

Lectures for Week 5 were a little more laid back but, good none the less. Had our first American lecturer, Jen Patterson from Ohio, the head of YWAM Akron. She talked about the Fear of the Lord, what it really meant.

I Did not go out this week too much, stayed at the base mostly. However, a number of us went to a Christian concert last night. One of the bands playing was actually a group of YWAMers from a base in Australia on their Outreach Phase, Arbor Lungs.

So week 6... here I come!

Fourth Week in NZ

This week's lectures were great, we learned about the "Nature and Charecter of God." The speaker, Mr. Femi was a really good teacher. Next week we will learn about "Fear of the Lord."

Being a Saturday, we got some much needed "sleeping-in" done this morning. I will soon head to bed, it is already 11pm. Just finished off our 4th week of DTS watching Mulan (Narnia the night before). I can't think of a better way to end a week than to watch a Disney Movie. Tomorrow we will have some student-led worship as the staff will still be gone until late afternoon.

I think we have been handling the absence of staff really well. Nothing too serious has arisen, we know the rules and have kept them well.

A large number of the youth, myself not included, hald a Volleyball tournament today. The chapionship game will be held tomorrow afternoon.

Though we are enjoying a day of sun, after 3 days of wind and rain... it would have still been nice to cool off at the waterfall in the "Valley." However, it is still closed today, has been since yeasterday. Due to all the horrible weather that the edges of Cyclone Winston brought. The river has been too high for us to safely go down, much less swim. It should be opened back up tomorrow, hopefully.

So to wrap things up, there is not much in regards to discussing my explorations this week however, I did get an interesting email this morning. Apparently, I got a jury summons. Not much I can do, I mean I am kind of preoccupied at the moment... to say the least. Good thing mom stayed behind this time, she will call the clerk tomorrow to make known my unnegotiable absence.

Well, I need to get to bed now. Signing-off!

Cyclone Winston

The weather has been really dreary here latley, to say the least. I found out today that there is a catagory 4 cyclone, named Winston, north of #NewZealand, near Fiji and Tonga. So, please #prayforFijiandTonga.

According to a news report (link), NZ is not safe either. The storm could possibly turn back toward NZ.

Third Week In NZ: School and Fun

This past week has been really busy. However, it has been fun nonetheless.

The main DTS lectures this week covered "Hearing God's Voice." In the weekly Medical/Compassion Stream lectures, we covered vitals. I learned how to take blood pressure as well as calculate breathing and heart rates.

This past Wednesday the school scheduled a bug man to come and treat the place as normal bi-annual protocol. This meant that the main "Center" had to be clear of people for at least 4 hours.

So, in making sure that everyone was taken care of, we were given the afternoon away from base at Mt. Maunganui, just north of the city of Taurunga. At first a group of us hiked up to the summit of the mountain and had lunch, which we had pre-packed at breakfast. The views are amazing!

After lunch, we spent time down at the beach, though I soon left to trakdown a good fruit smoothie to reward my hiking efforts. Eventually I did take a quick dip in the ocean. There is a lot of seaweed there but, that is only part of the fun.

Mt. Maunganui is certainly a must see should you ever visit the area. Even if you, like me, are not into hiking and climbing, a once in a lifetime visit to the summit is totally worth the effort!

Second Week in NZ

God has been moving greatly in the lives of us all here at YWAM Tauranga. Things have been really busy this last week with our "Ministry Placements" starting. Today, I could not make it to church due to "Weekend Warriors," where students are rotated (5 at a time) to stay back on Saturdays or Sundays to keep the base running.

Due to a lack of drivers, I did not get to go to Mongolian BBQ yesterday. However, I did go to McDonald's... this is about the 6th country I have done so in. I got a Strawberry Kiwi Fanta Frostee, a New Zealand specialty! :)

Will try to make plans with some fellow students to go to "The Strand" (the main shopping/dining area in downtown Tauranga) this week. Taurunga is such a beautiful city and I will explore it at every chance that I am given!

My First Week in New Zealand

I've been in New Zealand for one whole week now. Orientation week ended on Friday and the Lecture Phase officially starts tomorrow.

From what I have seen so far, Tauranga seems to be such a great city and I hope to explore it more. I went into town for the first time yesterday and had Thai food (also a first) with some fellow students, eager for future weekend adventures with my new YWAM Whanau.

#LoveDowntownTauranga

New Country, New Adventure, New Zealand

After 4 flights, 3 airlines, 3 layovers and 2 days, I arrived at the YWAM base yesterday morning. I do NOT regret listing to God and choosing this base, this place is absolutly beautiful.

I have been making lot of friends from all over the world. Just today, I got to practice both my German and Portuguese with native speakers.

Orientations started today, however classes won't really start till next week. So eager to see what God will do over these next 5 months. Might go to Vanuatu for Outreach! :)

Sam's Travel Memories #4: Wrong House!

Sam's Travel Memories #4: Wrong House!

Back in July of 2012, my mom and I were in Helsinki, Finland visiting and longtime family friend. After a day of resting-up from our last flight, we decided to spend a day out with our host and truly see they city of Helsinki.

As we set out on foot from our friend's house (a town home), mom turned to me near the end of the building block and said, “Please run back and get my other bag.” So, as an obedient son, I quickly ran back to the house to retrieve the bag.

Now, the kids opted not to join us on our city tour, thus the house was left unlocked. So, as I opened the door I thought, “Wow! The kids invited their friends over quickly.” And... after about 5 seconds, I realized that I had actually walked into the wrong house!

The people inside house, never saw me as far as I know, they were too busy watching TV. With the way these particular units are laid out, their backs were to the front door, allowing me to correct my error unseen.

From what I found out later, it is apparently not terribly uncommon for Finns to leave their doors unlocked during the day. If the door had been locked I would have realized my error but, I would not have this funny story to share!

2 Weeks to #MiddleEarth! YEA!

It is 2 weeks till the day that I start my journey to New Zealand for my YWAM Medical/Compassion DTS! (https://www.givesendgo.com/ywamnz)



Update (01/07/2016):

2 weeks to go before I depart for my DTS! I am so Excited!

Today, I made my first tuition payment. So far, I have been able to raise $3,400 (reflected in my “Amount Requested”), $400 from outside sources and $3000 of my own personal finances that I have been able to pull together. I have reached my limit in personal money and am seeking extra support to cover all tuition costs. Thanks in advance and God bless! 

The World’s 13 Most Dangerous Airlines - By: EscapeHere.com

AirlineRatings.com has released a list of the world’s most dangerous airlines to fly, basing them on a rating scale out of seven stars. The airlines below all have a rating of two stars or below and are rated on factors such as is the airline certified by the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), are they blacklisted from the European Union, have they been fatality free for 10 years, are they FAA approved and do they meet all 8 of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety parameters. To explain; the IOSA certification is an evaluation system designed to assess the management and control system of an airline whereas the ICAO measures the standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency and regularity. Most of these airlines do not offer in-flight products, have terrible on time performance and have been grounded or investigated at least once in their lifetime. Between bomb threats, hijackings, overshot runways and crashes; these twelve airlines have a history of being unsafe. Discover the world’s most dangerous airlines according to AirlineRatings.com.

(CLICK HERE: FOR THE COMPLETE LIST OF "The World’s 13 Most Dangerous Airlines!")

Article Source: http://www.escapehere.com/trending-travel/the-worlds-13-most-dangerous-airlines/

Happy New Year!

This is going to be an AMAZING YEAR, I can feel it! My YWAM DTS starts in less than 4 weeks and I am SO EXCITED! What a better way to start a year?

I hope you all have an amazing year too! Be blessed! :D