After almost dying, I was a little shook up but had to get out and see if the car was in good enough condition to drive back. I walked around to the other side, and there was just a big dent in the bumper! With the impact that I had on the wall I thought it would have been totaled! After all that, the car was fine to keep going and again I was just in amazement of protection God had on me during this experience.
So dusted off the bumper and kept driving down the hill to get to the beach that was on the other side. New Zealand is one of the most beautiful places in all the world! It seems like everywhere you go there untouched land that shouts the name of Jesus. So I stopped for a little bit to just hang out, pray, and read my bible. Totally secluded, me and God, with no distractions in the world. As I looked out to the clear water beach in front of me and the fantastic country behind me. Even the sheep were praising God as I could hear them scream out, “awwwwww meeeeeeeeen!”.
One of my prayers was “today, where you want me to go, I will go”. A simple prayer that led me to have enough time to take an hour and a half drive out to Crystal Cove. So stopped in to have some FOSH and CHOPS, and ask for directions. It really was a faith trip because with no cell phone I was taking directions like “when you get to the fire station, take a left and follow that out for an hour, until you hit the town.” “What? God help me, I am going to get so lost!”
As I was driving, I found the fire station and took the left and headed out. In the distance, I saw this Maori looking guy with his thumb out looking for a ride. “YES! Hitchhiker!” They are always a captive audience to hearing the Gospel, so I pulled over and picked him up. “Where are you heading?” “Whitianga.” I didn’t know where I was going or even know how to pronounce the names, so I said, “Hey me too, want a ride?” He was super excited and jumped in.
We had a little small talk about his family and why a local guy like him was hitchhiking. He said he had no other way to see his family so was willing to hitch a ride with anybody that would take him. And then he asked me what I was doing in New Zealand? I love that question! It’s always an open door to tell people the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I told him that I am a missionary from LA and was out helping with a church. Then transition into asking him if he went to church. That was the door opener to an hour conversation about Jesus Christ. We talked about so much, and he was yearning, searching for the one Truth. He had been approached by some J Dubb’s, and because they kept pushing him, he finally started going to a Jehovah’s Witness church but had so many questions.
I looked at him and explained why I was out in that area and how I was spending time with God and wanted to go where ever He would take me. He brought me to him to tell the good news of Jesus Christ. The one True Jesus of the Bible; God incarnate. So I encouraged him to continue to read the Bible and test what anybody says, even myself. He was super encouraged at the end and said “this wasn’t an accident”. So I prayed for him and dropped him off at his destination.
There is something about sharing your faith with people that will ignite a fire and passion within. If you have never done it, I would encourage you to share your faith. It takes boldness, but every time, I have walked away super excited that God would use me to further His kingdom. That good news that once was told to us isn’t meant to be kept to ourselves; it is supposed to be shared with others. That is how we will see the good news of Jesus being spread throughout the world. We must speak up.
After this, I ended up at Crystal Cove. Absolutely stunning! This place looked the way it sounded, and it was a great way to end my day! This date with God will be memorable and stretched my faith. Even on the way home, my worship to God was so deep because of this experience. I hope to do more of these and want to encourage you to do the same. Get away from your daily chaos and spend some time with your maker! Have a date with God!
God bless you!
