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