Peters Family Photos

Per special request...

Here are a few photos to catch all of you up on the family. Hopefully we'll soon be able to return to filming weekly videos, but in the meantime, I hope these will suffice!

Love you all!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Posted via email from Lij+Kris

Kia Ora (w/o the video) - #4

Kia Ora Everyone,

What a week we have had...two trips to the Airport, tons of administrative duties, and topping it off...we got to celebrate Kristen's Birthday! 

As for the love of my life...she is the best helpmate I could ever dream of, and waking up next to her every day reminds me daily of God's grace and kindness. Celebrating her birthday is more than just marking a special day, it's a day to honor God for how he works through those around us to complete his work within us. Kristen has been that for me and so much more since I first met her. Daily I'm thankful for the gift of Kristen in my life!

Now, I'll confess something to you....I am not really all that good at showing people how much I appreciate them, it tends to get sloppy...and throwing a birthday celebration is one of the many potentially awkward situations I find myself in. I tend to take too much upon myself, I'm not that creative, and my jokes are pretty lame. So, considering my limitations, I felt that the best route to take would be to get as MANY people together as I possibly could to share in celebrating Kristen's Birthday. That way, if I mess things up ("when" i mess things up) she'll be surrounded by so many others that love her that she will not even notice! (haha). 

When the dust settled, we had 21-guests over to our house for the biggest BBQ I have ever served as head chef for. It was a lot of fun to see so many of our friends there, and I know Kristen loved every minute of it. It felt like we were completely surrounded with family, and in a way, that's exactly who we were surrounded with - our Kiwi family! 

Then, to finish up the wonderful evening, I brought out the German Chocolate Cake I had laboriously prepared. I made her this cake even though I knew there was no possible way of dethroning Kristen's mom on the cake-tasting charts, but just the fact that it resembled a cake when I was through making it was all Kristen needed to know that I really do love her!

The next day Kristen and I visited the Auckland Aquarium for the first time. Following that we did some ferrying around the Waitemata Harbour, and even stopped off on Rangitoto Island (a dormant volcano island) and climbed to the top. The view was amazing, the journey together was so much fun (though quite the workout carrying Caden) and the weather couldn't have been better! We ended the day with a delicious dinner of pizza and potato wedges at a small cafe in town. It was definitely a birthday to remember (and it wasn't even my birthday!!!).

Prayer Requests...

Be praying for this upcoming year of ministry. 2010 is beginning with a lot of excitement, but a lot of uncertainty as well. Like never before we're looking to walk by faith in spreading the good news of Jesus, we're committing ourselves to prayer-down the walls of fear and doubt in our community, and we're petitioning our father in heaven to raise up from our midst a city whose foundation is set on Christ.

Continue praying for the Ely's as they are in the middle of applying for a new work visa. Pray that the work may not be hindered by this process. Pray that it is a smooth matter and that the Ely's will be able to continue on with the work set before them.

Pray for our 2010 Retreat which is only a day away now. Pray that we are strengthened during this time, and that we grow in unity and passion for the work that lies ahead.

Pray also for the AIMers that are preparing to join us in this work very soon. Pray that they can raise all of the support they need, and that their transition will be a smooth one.

- - -

For many of you I see that you've had some crazy weather pass through your area (snow and ice I hear). Our prayers are with you and those perhaps ill-affected by it.

Thanks everyone!

- Elijah (and Kristen & Caden)

Posted via email from Lij+Kris

Kia Ora (w/o the video) - #3

Kia Ora Everyone!

A BIG-Warm-Kiwi-Summer 'Hello' from Lij, Kris and Caden! We hope this update finds you all doing well...and keeping warm yourselves.

We're all doing well, only a little bit of exhaustion, but otherwise very peachy. It feels like this week has flown by at the speed of light (and by that I mean we flew through the week at light-speed).

...of course if that really were true, and we flew through the week at 186,000 miles per second, then we most certainly would have accomplished more as well, since traveling at the speed of light suspends your perspective of time. In that event we would have had an eternity to get to get everything done in the week (which would have been neato)!

Oh yeah, that also reminds me, if we really were traveling at the aforementioned speed, we most DEFINITELY would not be the slightest bit "exhausted" either, because in order to travel that fast, we'd need infinite energy anyways (unless we were photons and didn't really have much mass). Just think what you could do if you had infinite energy??? You could eat Krispy Kreme every day!

Wow, how did I get to this point. Moving along...

Being the zippy week that it was there were a lot of exciting things to experience...not least being time spent with friends...and lots of TexMex. It also happened to be the week that our neighbors welcomed their little 1.75lbs baby into the world. When you consider all of the major concerns surrounding this pregnancy (only 25-weeks along), we praise God for a healthy delivery, a healthy Mum, and very a healthy Kenzie Jhames Nixon O'Brien. Definitely keep this family in your prayers, they are going through a lot of adjusting, and it's only the beginning. Pray fervently for Kenzie as well, she still has a long way to go, and as of yet we have no word on any brain and/or developmental damage she may have. Pray also that we may find some helpful ways to serve them in this time of need. Thanks on that!

As a side note, I am in need of updating my email records for all of you. If you could please, send me your name and current email address (unless you have already done so in 2010) to Elijahpeters@live.com, it would be greatly appreciated. Once confirmed, I will add you to our private news and prayer request email group, for all the information I can't post on this blog. Even if you receive our Kia Ora updates via email I still need you to confirm your email address. Thanks!

On to this week's TOP 5 Stories

5. So long, Jana!
Adventures In Missions (or AIM) will always hold a special place in our hearts. I'm coming up on my 9-year anniversary of entering the program, and Kristen her 8th (can't believe it has been so long). Over the years we have not only stayed in touch with some of our fellow classmates, but we have remained close to the program as well and have friends in each of the subsequent classes to our own. This week one of the New Zealand Aimers (Jana) from the 2007 class said her final farewells to the church and city of her 21-month missionary apprenticeship. Located in Tauranga, with the Otumoetai Church of Christ, we got to see Jana several times over the past two years, and to see her depart was definitely bittersweet. We're excited about what lies ahead for her, excited to have another "Missionary Ambassador" for New Zealand on the loose, but also sad to see another incredible worker for the Lord depart from our midst. Jana flew out of Tauranga, but had a 6-hour layover in Auckland, so we got to see her and hug her neck one last time before she took off. We are so blessed to know her and glad to have rubbed shoulders along side her in the Kingdom work here in New Zealand.



4. Summer BBQ
One of our ex-Starbucks friends (because now she is our Elderly Care Worker friend) came over for dinner this week. With the year-end holidays, in addition to her new job, seeing Kym has become something of a rarity this past month. That all changed with a few hamburgers on the barbie and a free evening to enjoy with her. Kristen, Caden and I love Kym a lot and do what we can to bless her life every chance we get, for not only is she so deserving, but she is an incredible blessing to us as well. (p.s. she even brought us some super cool zoological books, Caden is going to LOVE them)


3. Diner redux
Last week I shared how our dinner with Nick, Bex and Noah (oh, and I forgot to mention Nick's sister Tenaya, too) was subverted by a dodgy engine starter. This week, it is a problem no more (in fact, they even got a new-er car). No longer confined to the house we finally got our dinner date in for Mexicali...only this time we had more friends join with us. Though the food was super great (emphasis on 'super' AND 'great'), the time that we spent with these couples was even better! We strive to live in such a way among others that our very presence with them serves not only as good news for their lives, but that Jesus being active within us is the best news they've ever seen. Our prayer is that we may live a life that inspires hope, draws others to truth, and ultimately connects everyone even closer with God for eternity.



2. God*Stories
I got a new book this week, "God*Stories - Explorations in the Gospel of God," by Andrew Wilson. Let me just say...I am really digging this book. So far it has been an incredible reminder about how the entire Bible is the Gospel. We say things like "God is Love" and "Jesus saves," but that's like reducing the story of Beauty and the Beast to "Belle unlocked the curse on the Beast-Prince and lived happily every after with him." Those statements are true, but they mean very little without the whole story. Yes, God is love, but only "love" as defined by His story told in the Bible. Yes, Jesus saves, but he is the Savior as only outlined by the full context of fallen man as described...in....the Bible.

Every page of the Bible is good news, because every page is a part of The Story. What the world needs isn't more one-liners about God, one-liners about following Jesus, what the world needs is the ENTIRE word of God, in other words: The Whole Story. Can you fit it on a t-shirt? No. Will it take some time to cover? Oh yeah! Is it worth it? More than you'll ever know! For it is only when we find ourselves fully in His story that we truly connect with the Good News of God, anything less is...well, just that...less than the Gospel.


1. Video Skyping
We are so spoiled as missionaries these days. I'll be the first to admit that God has really blessed our mission-age with some incredible and *affordable* technologies. One of those is Skype.
So, I'm sitting in my office the other day, and one after another, in the course of 4-hours, I had not one, not two, but three different video calls via Skype. If you're not familiar with Skype, all you need to know about it is that it allows people all over the world to connect both audibly and visually with people anywhere they have an internet connection. So, on this particular day I had one conversation with a good friend of mine, David, who is currently living in Ukraine. Following that I got to talk with the three Aimers currently in Lubbock that are preparing to move here to Auckland to work with us. After that Caden and I got to visit with my parents in Sydney. And all of this from the comfort of my office, for free (minus the cost of internet). It has also been helpful for Caden...introducing him to his big loving family scattered all across the world.
We are so thankful for technologies like this, because sometimes it's those little things (like being able to see each other while you talk) that makes all the difference when you miss someone you love. Thanks God!



...and that's our update for today! Love you all! Thanks for your prayer and enduring support!

Posted via email from Lij+Kris

Kia Ora (w/o the video) - #2

Kia Ora everyone!

We're now safe and sound on the less chaotic side of the Holidays. It is the time of year where if you wanted to experience what living in a Metropolitan Ghost City was like you must only leave the cozy little confines of your house. It's almost like everyone fled an approaching zombie invasion here in Auckland or something. We didn't get the memo.

Anyways....2010 is picking up right where 2009 ended (funny how that works), and is shaping up to be a very pivotal year in our ministry here. Now, more than ever we need your prayers for this work and for the spreading of the Gospel here in New Zealand.

Oh, and just a reminder, I still need all of our supporters out there to confirm to me their contact details. If you're one of our financial or prayer supporters: Refer to this posting for directions.

Top 5 of the Week:

Thought we'd try something new in our updates...a "Kia Ora - Top 5 of the Week." This will give us a chance to share a few extra highlights which may not otherwise make the cut under the realm of "New Zealand Mission News" on a normal basis. Hope you enjoy!

5. Lunch with Nick and Bex (and lil'Noah)
(by Elijah) What started out as a lunch date to Mexicali Fresh (the indisputably best Mexican food joint in all of NZ...hands down!!!) quickly turned into an exploration into the Colonel's Secret Recipe. We thought a simple battery jump-start would do, but that apparently doesn't work for greased-over starters. Down and out a car meant we weren't going out together either, so we, the men, found a local KFC for some take-away action. Later, after stuffing ourselves silly, enjoying each other's company around the table, we proceeded to challenge one another in a not-so-friendly game of Monopoly Deal. We enjoy every moment with these guys and are thankful to God we have them as friends in our lives.

4. Morgan's Late New Zealand Birthday
(by Elijah) While the Ely's were in the States Morgan celebrated her birthday. Unfortunate for Morgan though, her birthday didn't really count until she had one in New Zealand. So Kristen and Jennifer went to work and pieced together one super-fun gift basket for Mo. Not one, not two, not three....but TWENTY-SIX gifts were piled into that basket, which made for a whole lot of fun. Oh, and in case you're wondering...we stopped at twenty-six gifts to mark her "26th Birthday," Yay! 

3. Skyping with Andrew
(by Elijah) One of my friends with whom I can never get enough time with is Andrew. Over the past few years our friendship has really grown, going from basic acquaintances, to long lost relatives (yeah, turns out we are remotely related, he's something like a grand-cousin I think), to great buddies (see the progression there). As it would turn out, last year he took a position with the Otumoetai Church of Christ in Tauranga, NZ and ever since we have looked for opportunities to connect if either was nearby (kind of like ages ago when Andrew got to star Kia Ora Episode #25). This time, however, we decided to Skype. I can't say enough about how much Andrew has been a blessing to me and I thank God for friends like him. He is a great servant of the Lord here, and I pray a blessing upon him and the work he is called to.

2. Weekly Prayer with Olivia
(by Kristen) I have this wonderful friend named Olivia Nelson. We have known each other now for 7-1/2 years, meeting first when we were in AIM together. Somewhere in that time, we decided to meet together to pray once a week. It was a really great time for both of us, and when we were forced to stop because of our relocating around the world (Olivia and her husband are on a mission team working in Kharkov, Ukriane) we both mentioned in our rare conversations with each other how much we missed it. Well, a couple of months ago we decided we weren't just going to talk about how much we missed it anymore, we were going to start it up again. With the wonderful technology of Skype, I get to wake up every Wednesday morning and talk with my friend who is nearly half way around the world getting ready for bed. I can't even begin to express how much these times mean to me in this little paragraph, but I can say I love every minute of it, and it's one of the highlights of my week! (You can read about Olivia and her husband, David, in their blog, here.)

1. Korin in Hospital
(by Kristen) Our poor neighbor, Korin, has been in and out of hospital now for a month. She has been having complications with her pregnancy, and returned home twice only to have to be taken back to hospital two days later. This time she is in until the baby comes (which could be as long as 15 weeks!) She's not one to like to sit still, but she is doing pretty well, reading lots of books and entertaining heaps of guests! Every time we make it up there to visit her she seems to be in high spirits and is always ooing and ahing at Caden. (Probably mostly because she misses being around her little girl so much.) Even though we're the ones going to cheer her up, we can't help but leave just a little happier ourselves, with her positive attitude rubbing off on us. Though she is doing better, she and her family could still use your prayers.

Be on the lookout for more Top 5's in the coming weeks.

Love you all! Thanks for your support!

Posted via email from Lij+Kris

Updating Our Records

Hello Everyone! Welcome to 2010! We hope you all have had wonderful holidays with loved ones. Maybe some of you are still traveling around, and if so, we pray a blessing of safety upon your travels.

Speaking of traveling, we didn't do any this year...and it has made for a very relaxing past couple of weeks for us. Sure, we missed being with family, enjoying all of our various holiday traditions together, but the rest couldn't have come at a better time, and we're thankful for the short break.

Now, as for the purpose of this post...

Our contact records for all of you are in need of some tidying up.

If you are a Prayer Supporter of this work and of our family, would you please send me an email with your name, city and email address of choice included in the body of the message. Confirming this information will enable me to send out the occasional private prayer request and update regarding our work.

If you are a Financial Supporter of this work (past or present), would you please send us, in addition to your name and email address of choice, your mailing address and a phone number.

Also, to update your own records, you can email me at Elijahpeters@live.com.

It's 2010 now, which means we've known some of you for quite a long time now. THANK YOU SO MUCH for your ongoing support of our family and of the work God has called us to here in New Zealannd. And to our more recent supporters, we can't thank you enough for choosing to partner with us, investing in our lives as you are.

May this new year bring a greater partnership between us all, a greater submission to God's work in our lives, and a greater hope to the people around us.

Posted via email from Lij+Kris

Parents' Night Out - Christmas Edition

We had an incredible Parents' Night Out this past month, our last one for the year in fact, and what better way to end the year than on a positive note!


As you know, PNO is a service to families with kids, and we've been offering this service once a month for six months now. One of the ongoing struggles for parents nowadays is balancing the needs of the family. Due to economic struggles and high cost of living here in Auckland many two-parent homes have been forced to find full-time employment for both just to make ends meet. Any time off from work is spent almost entirely parenting, trying to make the most of what little time they have with their kids. There are even several single-parent families in which the strain is even greater. 


Our goal from day one has been to give these hard working parents a night off to themselves, to address and minister to some of their own needs, and to provide a safe and positive place for their kids to enjoy. It's not that we want to keep these great kids away from their parents, thats the very thing they don't get enough of. What we're hoping to achieve through this service is to provide the occasional outlet for parents to go on a date, recharge a little, or spend some time with other adult friends. By addressing some of their own needs, we're helping parents to be better parents, to be better fathers and mothers, to lead healthier families.


It's the same principle as on commercial air flights, when you're instructed to put on your own low air-pressure breathing apparatus first, before assisting others with theirs. Jesus speaks of a similar principle in Matthew 7 when he teaches us to first do for ourselves what we intend for others. And Paul echoes a similar principles in 1 Corinthians 9 when he shares how he disciplines his life so as not to be disqualified for the prize he is leading others towards.


PNO is all about serving families, but it is not without it's rewards for those of us volunteering at this monthly event. Each month we are rewarded with an average of 25 smiling faces of children excited to join us for the night. We're rewarded by the kind words and expressions of appreciation by the parents. We're rewarded by the community support for the vision to help families. And occasionally, we're even rewarded like this:

(Click here to view the slideshow if you do not see it above)

With the spirit of PNO in mind, we will be taking the month of January off as volunteers, and will resume in February with a big 2010 Kickoff! For all of you behind us out there, thanks again for your support, you help us keep this service going!

Happy Holidays!

I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas, and for those of you ill-affected by the cold, snowy weather in the States that we heard blew through, then our hope is that the New Years will go quite smoothly for you, especially if you're traveling.


How was our Christmas in NZ? Well...
We missed the taste of hot drinks on a cold Christmasy day.


We missed all of the Christmas lights. The wastefully ELABORATE ones!


We missed the family traditions. Most of them silly to outsiders.


We missed seeing the snow for Christmas. Watching it fall to the earth.


We missed watching the football games. But only if the Bengals won.


We missed all the home cooking. 


We missed all of the smells too.


We missed scraping ice off the car windows.


I'm lying about that one.


We missed getting to see our family.


We missed all of the loving embraces that say 'you are loved'.


What did we get instead? Well...
We got to be Mr. and Mrs. Claus for the first time!


We got to see our little Caden open his first gifts.


We were adopted by a family for a little Christmas lunch.


We drove around with the windows down, enjoying the sunny 80-degree day.


We surrounded ourselves with friends.


We had a BBQ dinner (in American that means we 'grilled out').


We got a little sun burned.


We made some new traditions.


We honored our wonderful families by opening our family to others.


We had a Skype Christmas, streaming from Australia and the States.


We enjoyed reminiscing the past year filled with our handsome little boy.


We celebrated having each other.


We went to bed exhausted!


- -


As with all great memories, they come via great experiences in life. They're moments in time captured by excited little neurons traveling through our cerebral cortex and synaptic network. They're moments that sparked our emotions, that heightened our senses. They're moments that touched our spirits, our hearts, down to the core of our souls. Our memories are so much more than simple experiences though, they're actually a little part of us, a part of who we are.


You have those memories too, don't you. A special tradition. A game. An activity. A favourite meeting place. A certain dish. An rare experience. A particularly close friend or family member. You have a whole host of memories tied to the fabric of your being. And when these memories press upon your conscience mind it's like you can almost feel them again.


And just as it is for many of you, we have countless memories that are were all forged around the holidays growing up. By them we are reminded that we are so incredibly blessed by God, for in these memories are living testimonies of God's involvement in our lives.


Sure, we miss those things which made our memories of memorable. We missed not being with our family. We missed the various traditions we became so accustomed to. But one thing we were not about to miss was the opportunity to make new memories, to fully enjoy our holidays here.


Celebrating the past is only fully achieved when living a life that makes great history -- that is, living a story that is worth remembering.


Love you all! I hope you all have wonderful stories to tell from your holidays! God bless!