But those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40: 31) (NIV)

E te whānau; ngā mihi o te tau hou ki a koutou. We hope that you have had the opportunity to enjoy both rest and adventures with family and friends. We have both (independently!) been doing some long walks and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation.

This long weekend that has passed has been a whirlwind, with New Wine in Whanganui followed by another New Wine gathering in Upper Hutt – curtailed of course by the announcement of our collective move to Alert Level Red at 11.59 on Sunday night.

Despite this, it was so good to connect in praise and prayer with many of you as we begin our year together. One particular highlight for me (+Ellie) was hearing psychologist Richard Black speaking about the psychological impact of the Covid-19 season. He noted that people are tired by the prolonged experience of living i) in frustration and ii) in uncertainty. Despite this, we know our God is a good God and this sense of frustration and uncertainty can be embraced in faith and become places of joy and strength in the Lord.

We are aware that this latest round of government changes to our ‘Team of 5 Million’ Covid-19 response may be a cause of anxiety for many of us. But remember, we’ve been here before, and we know we can do it! Now is a great time to be in touch with those you know may be isolated or vulnerable, and see what support they might need if they or their households go into isolation.

Please be in touch with us or with your mission unit leader if you need further support, and if you are aware of any who are not signed up for the News for our Movement email please encourage them to do so – this is a great way of staying connected.

We share with you part of a poem entitled ‘The Gate of the Year’ written in 1908 by Minnie Louise Haskins:

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
"Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown."
And he replied:
"Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way."

Our prayer for us all this year is that by the end of 2022, come what may, we may be people that truly gained ground in our lives with Jesus, because we learnt more of how to:

Hope in the Lord
Wait on the Lord
Trust in the Lord
Rejoice in the Lord

In Christ
+Justin and +Ellie