New Zealand, A Story…

(written April 5, 2007)

The story continues…celebrating dad in New Zealand!

I was 15…brash, impulsive, and passionate. It didn’t take much for me to get excited about something; especially if my friends were involved…a recipe for disaster in most cases. But by God’s grace I found myself surrounded by mentors and other students who had a desire to know God and experience the fullness of life as described in the Bible. I saw what they had, and I wanted it. So when the opportunity came for me to join them on a mission trip to Budapest, Hungary I didn’t hesitate. Mom was very excited, and my parents agreed that I could go. They did everything they could to support me.

It was the beginning of something that would change the course of my life…and the face of my family. Being in Budapest for two weeks and seeing people hungry to hear the gospel opened my eyes to the truth that life this side of heaven could be lived with eternity in mind. I really could give my life, all of me, to the Lord…to know Jesus and make Him known. What else is there? I didn’t know what it all meant, but the world became smaller, my vision larger, and I sensed a growing desire to experience something that wasn’t available in the world I knew before. I returned home eager to share the gospel with my friends…my family…my dad.

It only takes a spark…that’s it! A spark…a flame…a fire…it starts with something seemingly small and insignificant. Yet the beauty of a fire is anything but small and insignificant. It is captivating…much like the story of how God grabbed a hold of my father’s heart. It would take pages and pages to share the details of the story that is locked away in my mind, but the short of it is that I passionately tried to open my dad’s eyes to see the truth of God’s word. I failed and slowly entered into my own world of anger leading to bitterness towards my dad.

Years later, I painfully crashed into the reality of my own sin and addictions; as I began to deal with these struggles I knew that my anger towards dad was a significant trigger. I began to ask the Lord for help and for a heart to forgive my dad. I had no idea, but around that same time the Lord was stirring a deep spiritual interest in my dad. He asked mom if they could begin counseling. Dad’s reason for going? “I want to become a better father and a better husband,” he said. Between 2004 and 2007 our family experienced something that can only be described as the restorative work of Jesus Christ. A distant father, an unmotivated husband, a man of mere existence lacking conviction…it was hopeless. And yet, somehow, somewhere in the unknown chasms of faith, hope remained. The power of God was intricately reshaping and reworking the fibers of my father’s heart until I finally caught a glimpse of shattered hopelessness – my dad loving my mom – I mean real love! I had never seen it in their relationship. Sitting on the couch Christmas day 2006, dad paused in between comments and allowed an extended moment of silence. Though weak from the chemotherapy, dad was vibrant as he looked mom in the eyes and said to my brother and me, “this is my angel.” After 30 years of marriage my parents fell in love for the first time. Earlier in the holiday season, dad said to me, “LV, I don’t know all the bible verses you know, and I don’t know all the right terms for this stuff, but I do know this – I love Jesus.” I couldn’t believe my ears. God had melted the hard heart of my father. Finally! First, me…then mom…DR…but dad? No way! It’s too good, He is too good. Our hope was to celebrate all of the work God had been doing in our family by taking dad on his dream vacation – New Zealand. It wasn’t to be…dad passed away Thursday evening, March 8th.

The fire of restoration is still burning brightly in our family. It began with a spark. When did it happen? How? These questions may remain unanswered until we see Jesus; but I look back on that trip to Budapest as the point when I started to hope and believe for the fullness of Christ in my life and in my family.

Before dad went Home, my mom, my brother, and I gathered around dad’s bed and asked him about his thoughts concerning a way we could celebrate his life and legacy. We had a few ideas, but nothing seemed to land. We began to think about something that could be ongoing and reflective of the story God has been writing in our family. It hit me. Budapest is where I caught a vision of eternity and marked the beginning of my hope in the Lord…the beginning of my hope that the Lord could restore our family. Because dad’s dream had always been to visit New Zealand, maybe we could organize a mission trip for high school students to take part in something similar to what I experienced. Maybe we could take the message of restoration to a country that has been the focus of dad’s dreams for so many years…maybe we could invite high school students on a trip that could spark the dream of restoration in their own life, their friends, and their family. Dad smiled in approval, and we agreed. We wanted to go for it!

A catalyst of the Lord’s work in my family was the mission trip I joined with Student Venture to Budapest, Hungary in 1994. Our prayer is that this mission trip will be a catalyst of the Lord’s restorative work in both New Zealand and in the lives of local high school students. Tom Harriger, International Projects Director for Student Venture, and I are currently working on the plan for this mission trip. If you would like to be a part of this project through prayer, please let me know, and I will keep you updated. If you would like to be a part of this project through financial support, please see below…

“Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days – you would not believe if you were told.”
Habakkuk 1:5

I stumbled across a picture album of my trip to Budapest in 1994 and inside the front cover was my journal. I had no idea that I still had it! I started reading through it and remembered that I took time each night during that trip to write about all that happened. Here is a glimpse of something that happened after an outreach party we hosted for all of the people we had met during our trip. Don’t laugh at my writing…I was 15!

Day 12, Thursday March 24th 1994 (15 years old)

“The highlight of my whole day came after the party. A guy named Peter showed up and I realized that he was the guy we talked to for about four hours at Wendy’s. We had set up a follow up appointment with Peter and his sister, Erika, for tonight. We totally forgot! Soon, Sylvia and I started talking to Peter. Erika did not show up because she had driving lessons. We talked for over 2 hours. In the beginning, for a long time, it seemed like we talked about useless things. Finally, we got into the 4 Spiritual Laws and the prayer. Peter had many questions; Sylvia and I worked as a team and tried to answer them all to the best of our ability. After a long and tiring talk that seemed hopeless, Peter began to get interested in making the prayer. Before we knew it, he had become a Christian!!! It was AWESOME! We had talked to him for over 6 hours and he actually came to Christ. I could not believe it! March 24th, 1994 was the most important date of his life.”

Will you consider giving financially towards the establishment of this international project? I pray that the fruit of this project would reflect the power of God,
2 Corinthians 2:2-5

Checks payable to Student Venture should be mailed to:
Student Venture
International Projects
100 Lake Hart Drive, Department 3200
Orlando, FL 32832
Account Number – 2823662

It’s a joy to continue this journey with you…

LV
(on behalf of Mom & DR)

Milford Sound, New Zealand
“The 8th Wonder of the World”
where sea and mountains collide…