SOUTHSIDE SUMMER MISSION PROJECT UPDATE HIGHLIGHT AND STORIES UPDATE FROM OUR STAFF AND STUDENTS
2020/21
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STAFF TEAM
Back left to right: John Gonzales, Herwin Rogado, Isaac Rivers, Victor Barnes, Joel Le, Front: MacKenzie Nichols, Esha Le, Regan George, Janice Ho, Bethany Low
First, we’d love to thank you. Thank you for choosing to partner with us in prayer and finances so that we were able to spend time in the communities of South Auckland. It’s an incredible privilege and honor to know that there was a team of people backing us during our time. As a staff team we loved the opportunity that we were able to have to share the good news alongside our students in South Auckland. Our prayer was not only to share the gospel with those in South Auckland but also practically help in small ways for those that needed it. We also prayed that our project team would be brought together to be of one mind and Spirit during our time on project.
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We thank God for our time in South Auckland because He worked in ways that we never would have imagined. It is to Him alone that we want to praise and give glory to with how the project turned out. We hope that the stories in this newsletter will encourage you and we ask that you would continue to pray for our students, our staff but most importantly, for the people that were impacted by the gospel. Thank you again!
Esha & Regan Project Leaders
UTHSIDE “All believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.” Acts 4:32-33
“Southside Summer project has truly been the experience of a lifetime and has grown me in ways I would have never expected! Going into this project, I was most nervous and excited about the actual evangelism, having very limited experience beforehand. Having spiritual conversations and sharing the gospel with people was a little daunting, but God has really used that to grow a sense of dependence on Him. Whether it was what to say in a conversation or a good location for our free food stand, God used these opportunities to grow my trust in Him. And in each opportunity, God came through. I particularly remember the first day of Student-Led outreach, sharing at Mangere Town Centre. It was a scorching hot afternoon, in the middle of the week, so I honestly didn’t expect there to be many people at all. But to my surprise and joy, there were so many people out and about, and I remember thinking, ‘God really provided for us.’ This instance, and many more, really opened my eyes to what God can really do.”
Sharon Yoon
“South Auckland Project. It was full of laughter and tears inside the base, and we were bold, encouraged and saw God work in people’s lives as we stepped out to many different places. New Year’s Eve outreach. Our free time together. Prayer and Worship. Eating meals together. Student devotion and action group. I think why every moment from this project remains a highlight for me is because we were united. It’s amazing to see how our theme from Acts 4:32-33 worked so vividly in our team and we really experienced what it means to be one in heart and mind as a body of Christ. God is faithful!”
“We have a new sister in Christ!! During our New Year’s Day outreach in Totara park, my friend Sue Lynn and I decided to approach three young ladies’ picnic. We found out two of them came from a Seventh Day Adventist background, and one from a Christian background, however all 3 of them said they were not confident they would get into heaven. It was wonderful being able to befriend them and share the Gospel in its entirety. What a privilege it was to also clear up their misunderstandings about what it meant to be a Christian. We ended up talking to them for 2 hours; the whole duration of the outreach! Though 2 of them still weren’t sure about making a decision for Christ, the 3rd girl - Jade, actually said she wanted to start a personal relationship with Jesus. Despite her friends uncertainty, she prayed to receive Christ! It was amazing to witness her going from death to life, all because of God’s work in her life. It’s been amazing to see seeds planted and lives changed for eternity. Please pray for Jade’s grandma who is in the hospital at the moment. Pray we would be able to follow up with her soon, either during this holiday or when uni starts again.”
Harrel Rogado
Sue Lynn Leong
Bethany Low
“During the New Years Eve outreach I had the amazing opportunity to play sports in Silo Park, in hopes of catching some wholesome conversations inbetween. I didn’t know what to expect at first, because it was just such a fresh way of doing outreach. However, with God and a whole team behind me I went in with an open heart and mind. About an hour out from the New Year, we were jamming out some basketball and it was at this point that I met Fale - a year 11 kid with a Christian background going through the rings of college. I found he had similar questions to me when I was his age about God and faith. After talking and asking him a few questions, I realised that he needed clarity and guidance about how God’s love truly worked. A younger version of myself could definitely relate in his way of thinking. It was one where he questioned God’s forgiveness and mercy in his life and if he really had a place in heaven with God because of the way we all fall short as humans. To be there for Fale and help him grasp what salvation truly meant, gave me the purest form of joy. I didn’t have this clarity growing up and to be used by God in this way left me speechless and in awe. From a person who never understood, to someone who can now offer guidance and reassurance, I can only give more praise and thanks to God for the way I have grown as an individual. By the end of it, Fale received Christ in his life truly understanding what Jesus had done for him on the cross all those years ago. I don’t know if I’ll ever cross paths with Fale again but I have peace knowing that heaven is his home too. Praise the Lord for opportunities like these!”
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SOUTHSIDE SUM Precious Eugenio
“On our first outreach (door knocking), Harrel and I got to meet Frances who is a wife and a mother to 6 children. As we were going through the survey with her, we found that she grew up in a Christian home, but had fallen away from the faith at a young age because of a poor foundation and got into the habit of smoking and drinking, which made her feel judged and unwelcome by her Christian family. She grew up believing that she needed to be “perfect” to gain salvation. Harrel and I had the opportunity to share the Gospel with her. Through the Holy Spirit, she gained clarity about our condition as sinners and the Good News that Jesus brings, and decided to give her life to Christ. Through the power of Jesus to transform lives, and the desire she had for change, I pray and know that she can overcome her sinful habits.”
“Southside Summer was my first experience going on a project with Student Life and went without any expectations of what we were in for. The slow approach in outreach from prayer walking on day one to door knocking on day two, got our hearts and minds ready for the night life outreach on the third day. I personally felt that night in Silo park, set the atmosphere for what Southside was for, and strengthened my heart for missions. The most memorable moment during the project was during our student led outreach in Allenby Park, where I conversed with a Christian man who wasn’t 100% sure whether he would go to heaven. After sharing my testimony, the man had the look of joy and a smile that reflected his assurance. During Southside project I have come to further acknowledge our need and dependence on the Holy Spirit and to share the Gospel boldly like in the book of Acts.”
Elisha Rivers
“I had the privilege of going on Student Life’s first ever Southside Summer project, which was also my first project. I had just completed my first year of study, and adding COVID-19 to the mix, I was a little inexperienced in the area of sharing and outreach. In spite of this, I felt God push me to go on this project. During the two weeks away, I saw the need for Christ in South Auckland, and God working through myself and everyone else on the project. It was amazing to see and hear of God starting to work in the lives of the people we met. My desire to share the Good News has grown greatly from Southside Summer. I learned to lean fully into God, for boldness and courage. To rely on His strength, and not my own. All I am is His servant, and I am nothing but humbled and honoured to be doing His work, for His kingdom.”
“Throughout my involvement in Student Life I have prayed many times for God to break my heart for the lost and throughout Southside, God did just that. On the Saturday afternoon we did outreach in the Manukau Mall. Bethany and I approached a muslim lady, Hamida. She was keen to chat and quickly started sharing her story and spiritual beliefs with us. She shared how her husband had died and she had moved to New Zealand with her children. She told us how she now had everything she ever wanted and that if there was anything she wanted to could just pray to Allah and he would give it to her. We then asked her about her beliefs on afterlife. She shared how she prayed everyday and tried to do everything right so that she would get to go to paradise. However, when she died she said Allah may still send her to hell and she’d have to accept his will. This broke our hearts hearing that she had no true hope and that she found her worth and satisfaction in materialistic things. Her daughter and grandchildren then returned from shopping and she had to leave before we had the chance to share the Gospel with her. Bethany and I just cried and prayed for her and thanked God for breaking our hearts for the lost. We were also reminded that what we felt in that moment was just a small glimpse of what God feels. This conversation with Hamida encouraged us in our mission and desire to tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ.”
John Donaldson
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Kevin Kim
Megan Belton
“A personal highlight of the trip for me was meeting a guy who went by the name Jango. It wasnt long after new year’s, and we were walking around an almost deserted train station, with almost no one around to talk to. After a few hours of being turned down and short conversations, Daniel and I approached Jango, who was sitting in the rain waiting for his bus. Through his conversation and attitude, it was clear that he had had quite a difficult past, and that he had been let down by a church he thought was hypocritical – one led by people who didn’t seem to live out what they taught. Daniel and I were able to share the Gospel with him, and he seemed to be genuinely interested in what we had to say. He had never heard the true gospel message of Jesus before, and said we weren’t like the other churchgoers he knew and that we seemed to really care for him. We talked for about a full hour or so, and I was so thankful for the opportunity to share Jesus with someone who seemed so lost. I don’t know what happened to him after that, but it was encouraging for me because I felt that he might have understood true Christianity for the first time, and I pray that Jango would continue to explore more of who Jesus is.”
SUMMER
MMER STORIES
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