Only About A Week An Half To Go

So the house is slowly getting packed up, the storage is booked. On the 8th March we leave Taupo and head up to Auckland - from where we fly out to Thailand on the 12th March. Amazing how much junk you store up in a house after a few years - thankfully a Church garage sale provided an outlet for things we no-longer need.
I will be pleased when this week and a bit is over and we finally head off. Been a long couple of months just waiting - but then again could be a lot more of that once we get back in May.
Nell is still working right up to the 8th, I have been able to do riding, completeing 'The Rev' bike race in Hamilton, a great race by the way if anyone is after a 120km bike race to do. My last event in Taupo (Rotorua actually) is an Off-Road Half Marathon on the 7th March. So at least I will head of to Thailand reasonably fit.
Apart from our month with Partners in Thailand. We are hoping to meet up with some Kiwi's working in different places and in different ways to get a feel of what it is like to work in Thailand. We are meeting up people who are

Work in a slum in Bangkok
Church Planters In Suphan Buri (about hour from Bangkok)
And some others running an orphanage in Chiang Rai (north Thailand)

So it should be an interesting time ---- we meet up with Partners in Chiang Mai on the 23rd March.

So please pray for us we finish up packing and finish putting together details of this trip

Til Next Time

The Story So Far

So this is the blog of Dale n Nell. So if you are not already aware, Dale resigned from his position as Youth Pastor at Taupo Baptist Church at Christmas. This was a result of lots of throught over the last year or two. For a while, both Nell and I have felt unsettled in what we were doing in Taupo, not in a bad way, we both loved what were doing, but more in a 'I wonder what's next', kind of way. Both Nell and I have always had a desire for missions and so in April 2009, we sent out a fairly vague and random email to a number of mission agencies to see what sort of response we would get back.
We were surprised by the response, and throughout the last year have been talking to various agencies about going to a number of different countries. All these agencies were great and very helpful. Nell and I however, were still struggling with exactly what we felt we were called to do - and we were quite happy to go anywhere. Our original desire was to be involved in 'aid and development', something we didn't really seek after too much simply 'cos we felt we didn't have the right skills for such work.
Through a series of circumstances, we ended up having a coffee with a guy who runs NZ Partners in Thailand. It was originally just to give us a bit of neutral advice on some other options we were considering. But at the end, we were given some information about Partners work. We were moved by what we saw and read, and applied to work with Partners. It was decided the best thing for us to do was to come over and volunteer with Partners in Thailand for a month so that we could get to know each better.
So on the 12th March we head of to Thailand - we will spend the first week catching up with some other mission based work over there, before starting our month with Partners on the 23rd March. We leave Thailand on the 23rd May for Bali, and then a couple of weeks to meet and see some old friends (especially for Nell) in East Timor. We will be back in NZ on the 18th May after a week or so in Aussie. Hopefully, then we will have some thoughts on the future and where we are headed from there - whether it be in NZ, back to Thailand long-term, or somewhere else in the world.
Until 12th March, Nell will continue to work for Rapids Sensations, and after having January pretty much off, I will have to look for some work during February.
But, the flights are now booked - and we are off. We would love your prayers - and plan to keep you updated with this here blog.
But this post is already way too long

So til next time
Dale

PS.... click here to go to Partners Web-Site - to see what they involved in