TUPU WHAKARANGI
FEATURED
FIGHTS, RIOTS & CHAOS PAGE #2
TESTIMONY OF EUGENE KATENE PAGE #9
WHAT IS LOVE? PAGE #16
THE VINE AND THE BUDS PAGE #23
ISSUE 234 -- APRIL 2020
CONTACT US If you have any queries or would like to order FREE christian resources please feel free to contact us. PO Box 10, Whanganui (06) 343 7957 info.maoripostal@gmail.com www.maoripostal.co.nz
MPA Quarterly magazine. "Tupu Whakarangi" is a magazine for the whole whanau featuring testimonies, stories, current life issues and more.
FIGHTS, RIOTS AND CHAOS!! No hea nga pakanga me nga ngangaretanga i roto i a koutou? He teka ianei no tenei, no o koutou hiahia e whawhai ana i roto i o koutou wahi? (Hemi 4:1)
at the casino or lottery tickets and the like. But apart from a few lucky ones, it usually just makes the situation worse, not only for ourselves but also for those “What causes fights and quarrels who depend on us because they cannot among you?” Now this is a fair question, fend for themselves. Even when we do especially in view of what we see going win something we find that satisfaction is on in the world around us. Every strata of still just out of reach. society seems to be affected in one way There are others who are bored stiff or another, with people grasping after with life and will do anything for a buzz, something they want or that someone so they get into booze, illegal drugs or else has. There are fights and quarrels illicit sex. This gives a bit of a high for a between nations and races, within while, but at the end of the day they find society, in our families, between couples they have a whole bunch of problems and often there’s not a lot of peace in they never had before they started down our lives. So it’s a good question and this deceptive path. one that James asked in the Bible many Then others look over the fence and hundreds of years ago (James 4:1-3). It see what the neighbours have and decide seems people haven’t changed much they have to have one too -- only it has since his day. to be bigger and better. They’re not too But he didn’t just ask the question, he worried about how they go about getting also gave the answer by asking another it and whether they have to trample on a question: “Don’t they come from your few people in the process, just as long desires that battle within you?” There’s as they get what they want. James goes a lot of agro and turbulence going on on to say, “You want something but don’t inside some of us because we keep on get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot wanting stuff that’s just out of reach. A have what you want. You quarrel and lot of us think we don’t have enough fight”. The thing people are really after money, so we gamble and blow much is satisfaction, but we don’t get it through of what we do have on the horses, or material things.
2
So, another group think that maybe a bit of prestige and popularity will do the trick. Accordingly, they do something to gain attention, no matter how “off the planet” it might be. They usually end up gaining attention but not being very popular because they mistake attention for popularity. A few even attract the attention of the law and have to pay the consequences. Some people will do just about anything to satisfy a felt need, or to gratify sensual desires, or get some sort of a thrill regardless of the consequences. Bad decisions are made in the process and bad decisions never end well!
And yet the answer to all our turmoil, strife and selfishness is only found in God who loves us and has a marvelous purpose for each one of us. It is not His will for us to be bogged down in grasping materialism, bickering and fighting, or the effects of drugs and booze, and other destructive things and behaviour. God has proved His love for us by giving the Lord Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sin on the cross at Calvary.
This is the reason James goes on to say, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come Do you relate to any of this? It seems near to you”. James had a pretty good insight into Submit means to surrender, to stop human nature. Occasionally people will struggling to get your own way and to even ask God to help them achieve their take time to hear what God wants to say selfish goals, but otherwise they don’t to you. Through His Word, the Bible He want anything to do with God. James asks you to repent – to turn away from says, “You do not have because you do your self-seeking and be willing to accept not ask God. When you do ask, you do His authority as Sovereign Creator and not receive because you ask with wrong to turn your life over to Him. Only then motives, that you may spend what you will you find the strength to resist the get on your pleasures”. devil and break out of a self-destructive When these people do get around lifestyle. to asking God as a last resort, they find This is the whole purpose of this their prayers are not answered and true magazine – to show you that there is satisfaction still eludes them because a much better way to live your life and their motives are all wrong. They are that God has a purpose for you that is not in the least interested in what God’s purposes might be for them despite far better than anything this world has to the fact that they are unfulfilled and offer. Many others have come to realize the truth of this: You can too. -- Editor dissatisfied.
Engari matua rapua tona rangatiratanga, me ana mea tika; a, ka tapiritia enei mea katoa ma koutou. -- Matiu 6:33. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things* will be given to you. -- Matthew 6:33. * This refers to the daily necessities of life.
3
LOCKED UP and LOCKED IN The story of one man’s search for freedom
I couldn’t believe it! Here I was sitting at the table with this kindly man whom I worked with. His wife seemed much the same as he was – genuinely sincere and caring. Here they were inviting me – an ex-crim and a potential menace to society – into their home for a meal! They had ten children and some of the girls were giggling nervously. I had never known a family like this one. I was born of a troubled second marriage of both parents. My mother was in her forties, and it was clear she didn’t want me. My father was in his mid-fifties; he died when I was eight. By that time, I was out of control. My mother contacted the local Anglican vicar and through him I was sent to a church school for nine months I was thrust from home under-privileged boys. into that difficult and regimental The spartan nature of the school, school environment. So, the warm, they thought, would do me good. welcoming home of this man was So, at the age of nine years and far from the stunted family life I had known. All of a sudden, my thoughts were interrupted when my kind friend announced, “Shall we thank God for our meal?” This was almost too much, yet I kept quiet. This man seemed to hold a certain respect about him – a sense of awe almost. He was unlike anyone I’d ever met, and his family made me feel so welcome. I didn’t feel intimidated. Then after tea, as if the prayer wasn’t enough, he read some teaching of Jesus from the Bible.
TUPU WHAKARANGI
(Growing Heavenward) ISSUE 234 April 2020 Editor: Graham Batson Mail: PO Box 10, Whanganui 4500 Email: info.maoripostal@gmail.com www.maoripostal.co.nz All English Bible references from the NIV unless otherwise stated.
4
Well, by that time I was starting to feel more comfortable and I figured that a bit more “religious stuff” wouldn’t hurt me! I had been to a church school where we had a lot of religion. We learned all the right words and sang in the choir, but it meant nothing to us, nothing at all. I rebelled against life – the death of my father, the school. As a means of discipline, I was often shut up in a classroom for weeks, being let out only for meals and the toilet. The cane was used continually. Then I started to steal.
my motorbike with my mates – other misfits like myself. We would go to the country dance hall on Friday nights and take out the outside lights with my stock whip. I got into all sorts of law-breaking and activities that I won’t mention as they are not a badge of honour. Inevitably I came before the court when I was 18. The Magistrate said, “We can’t send this boy to Borstal, he will corrupt the others.” So, I got three years in Mt Eden prison. Being the youngest prisoner, I was beaten and abused in various ways, some of which are unspeakable. I learned what it was to be among hardened criminals. After a while I was sent to what is now Rimutaka Prison, in Upper Hutt. Swearing at officers and fighting earned me some trips to the “digger” – solitary confinement with bread and milk and one decent meal every third day.
Our clothes were hand-me-downs and sixth or seventh-hand footwear, so I stole from the clothes store. My punishment was three months confined to the classroom, with no sport and no home visits on Sunday. After a couple of months in the classroom, I broke into the kitchen area with another boy to “raid” the pantry. The results were harsh. Just days before my School Certificate examinations, and after six agonising years, I was expelled. And all this at the hands of a “Christian” school.
Finally, I was released on parole and got a job with General Motors, but my days and nights seemed to be tedious and of little meaning. There at General Motors I met this wonderful man and later his family. He kept inviting me back and I would listen to him for hours. He was so wise and along with his wife, filled that home with real love and kindness. Her fresh muffins and jam were also a constant bonus for me! They encouraged me to play their piano. They introduced me to a God who cares about me personally and could forgive my sins. Jesus Christ was often the centre of conversation. Only then, when this friend and his wife showed God’s love to me, did I begin to comprehend that I too could
But as I analysed this loving family, I quickly sensed that they were different: considerate, not selfish; they spoke in terms of love, not hatred. They started me thinking. I reviewed the past in my mind, and the many scars of rejection and insecurity I was living with. After I had been expelled from school I was sent to a relative’s farm. There was a lot of friction there too. I used to take my stock whip and vent my anger on animals or anyone I was “agro” with. I would go out on
5
have the peace that he had. I really wanted that. I didn’t think God would even look at me after the depths to which I had sunk, and now I was hearing that God was available to me even in that prison cell! He could’ve been my Friend had I let Him, instead of continuing down the road to nowhere. Such thoughts occupied my mind intensely. These good people really cared about me and my future. They invited me to stay with them and they were very patient. Opening the Bible -- the Word of God – they explained its truths and answered my questions. Eventually I saw for myself all they had been explaining. Then I logically thought things through: I knew that my life needed to change, and I wanted to be free from my sin and guilt. I also wanted to experience peace and love through knowing Jesus Christ.
God’s free gift of forgiveness and everlasting life (Romans chapter 6 verse 23). Then, on the authority of God’s Word I knew I was saved from Hell, and better still I was saved into God’s family and eventually was going to Heaven to be with the One who was now my Lord.
The overwhelming sense of peace that filled me that day was indescribable. I have never regretted taking the step which put me on the new way of life with Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John chapter 14 verse 6). As for my kindly and wise friend, he has now gone I thought about the desperate to Heaven to be with the One he times of crouching in the gutter represented so faithfully on earth. sniffing the whiskey bottle. It had But the story doesn’t end there. seemed to be my only friend. Now I married Pamela, one of his I realised that I could have a new daughters. I became a part of his Friend in Jesus, a new life and a family as well as being a part of new hope in this life and the next. My sin became increasingly ugly to God’s family. Pamela and I have me. Having been formally locked had our own family since then and I up as a prisoner, I knew that I was have tried to carry on the heritage of still locked in by my own sinful and Pamela’s father. Life has not always been easy -- far from it. Some trials selfish desires. have been deep and painful -- but The first part of my journey ended. I have always known the presence After many talks late into the night, in and generosity of God. I have sought January 1965 I gave my heart to Jesus to serve Him with everything I have, Christ. Being sorry for my shameful and to introduce others to the life, I thanked Him for dying on the relationship and peace I have found cross for my sins and I accepted in Him.
6
Can I ask you? Where do you stand? Do you have an assurance of eternal life in Christ Jesus? Do you feel locked up in the emptiness of life and the uncertainty of death? The answer can be as simple as ABC – ACCEPT before God that you are a sinner. BELIEVE that Jesus died to save you from the punishment and power of sin. COMMIT your life to Him, and live out of these convictions a life of love and gratitude that pleases God.
A Meth Pipe and a Bible Jennifer’s Story
As a highly productive twenty-something-year-old, I had a house, a boat, lots of friends, a loving family, and a great job. Then in the blink of an eye my life fell apart. sion became so extreme I would go back to the drug for relief.
Always the risk taker looking for fun, I saw no reason not to experiment with drugs. I progressed from a recreational drug and alcohol user for 13 years to a daily user of methamphetamine for another 6 years. Somewhere along the way, it became a necessity and a living hell. In my years as a drug addict I lost my home, my cars, and honest relationships with my family.
My entire life I gained significance as an overachiever, feeling accepted because of my performance. I wrongly believed God expected me just to try harder and clean myself up. In my attempt to clean myself up I sold my assets. I also fell in love with a musician named Steve who lived in another state, convincing him that if I just left my environment I After a few years as a functioncould get clean. al drug addict, I began to cry out to God. Exhausted and guilty, I hated I thought the move would not only being dependent on a drug for my clean me up but make me acceptable happiness. I wanted my life back, but to God. I also thought the love I had every time I tried to quit the depres- for Steve would satisfy me. It didn’t
7
work. Three weeks in my new locale I went right back to the drugs which led to our breakup. After a year and a half, I returned home broken and homeless.
I realized God loved me unconditionally just like my dad. I recognized addiction not as a disease or something I had to live with, but instead sin which Jesus paid for on the cross and it no longer needed to rule my I decided my next move would life. be to confess to my dad and ask for help. I just had to muster up the courWith the freedom to come to Him age. But before I could, my dad un- while entangled in my addiction, He expectedly died of heart failure at 54 healed me from the inside out. He years old. When I received the call was bringing me to freedom and it seemed as if my heart was ripped building in my heart a new life. out of my chest. As daddy’s little girl, I saturated my mind in His word he loved me unconditionally and I (the Bible), learning the truth about couldn’t fathom life without him. God. I began to think about my life I told God I would NEVER get differently and how to trust Him. I fell clean, knowing it would be too pain- so in love with Jesus and my faith ful to live drug free with the loss and grew. He began to transform me, regret. If I couldn’t get clean when giving me new desires and new powlife’s problems didn’t include death, er over weak areas in my life. there seemed no way I could do so Deep into my addiction, the Lord now. So I quit trying. And it turned delivered me from hopelessness to a out to be exactly what God wanted. life of great joy! I have been free from A wonderful Christian friend whom drugs for over 12 years and have no I had done drugs with, loved me desire for them. God restored all I without judgment. She comforted me lost, including my marriage to Steve. in my grief and talked about Jesus. My mum and I are closer than ever Thirsty for God’s mercy I soaked in and I rejoice that one day I will see her words. She invited me to church, my dad again. I have seen others, but I assumed the people who went helped others, in the same situation to church were perfect and certainly fall in love with Jesus and find freewouldn’t accept me as a drug user. dom. It is the relationship with God Jesus -- yes; church --no. My friend that changes everything. told me about a Christian radio station and I began to listen. Without making promises to God or feeling like I needed to perform, I approached God with a meth pipe in one hand and a Bible in the other. I did so for over a year and an amazing thing happened.
8
“MPA INTRODUCED ME TO JESUS CHRIST” Eugene Katene Tenei to mihi i te manuhiri, nau mai, haere mai, Whakatau mai ra, te mea tuatahi, me mihi kite runga rawa, nana nei nga mea katoa kua tae mai te manaakitanga o te Atua. Tena tatou. Born in Patea, we moved to Nukumaru in the early 1960s and I attended Nukumaru Primary School, one of the last of the native schools in the area which closed in 1962, when we all attended Maxwell Primary School. It was at this school that I had my first introduction to Maori Postal Sunday School lessons. I have been a Christian now (Maori Postal Sunday School has since had a name change and is for over 30 years. I was brought now “Maori Postal Aotearoa”). up in the Catholic faith with a The Catholic Church introduced mixture of my parents’ religious beliefs, which were Ratana and me to religion, but Maori Postal Methodist respectively. Although Aotearoa introduced me to Jesus not practicing, there was always Christ. At Maxwell school we had a strong cultural understanding religious instruction each week. of spiritual awareness such During this period, we had the as karakia, Himene, Waiata, option of either going into another Whakamoemiti (Thanksgiving) classroom to do classwork or stay which was always a main part of and have religious instruction. It was here I first saw the lessons our daily upbringing. 9 Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ. My name is Eugene Katene, senior pastor of Te Puna o Wai Ora. I am married to Kay nee (Konia) of Ngati Porou/Nga Puhi decent, and am a father of four grown children, three girls and one boy, and proud grandparents to seven mokopuna.
as other children were doing colouring in. This looked pretty good to me and I asked if I could join them. I was told to sit down, and that’s how I came to be doing the lessons. It was as the religious instruction teacher told the stories behind the pictures we were colouring that I began to learn about Jesus. I had learned about God and the Virgin Mary from the Catholic Church, but Jesus was seldom if ever mentioned. There is an important passage in the Bible that says: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all” (1 Timothy 2, verses 5-6). In hindsight I know it was through MPA that the seed of the Gospel was sown in my life, although it was not until I was in my 30s in 1984, at a Bill Subrisky seminar, that I came to know Christ and was born again. When our children came along I determined that they would also have the opportunity I had been given through MPA and I introduced them to the lessons at an early age. They did the lessons right through to their teenage years and today are involved in Christian ministry.
my commitment to Christ we joined the Apostolic church in Central Hawke’s Bay. Since then Kay and I have been involved in all aspects of church ministry from humble beginnings in a St John’s hall, in a small town in Central Hawke’s Bay, to planting and relocating a church in 1986. We attended Bible College in 1993, and led that church through a transition period on our return from Bible College. From there we moved to Wanganui in 1999, and became heavily involved with local church ministry. However, God had a particular calling on our life to minister Christ to our whanau and tangata whenua.
I am now part of a ministry team that was established out of a mission calling to make a difference in this community. We have since established a fellowship called Te Puna o Wai Ora, which has been going since March of 2003. Ordained in 2006 I am currently the senior pastor of Te Puna supported by our associate pastor, Marama Dey, and a pastoral team. I look forward to continuing to serve the needs of God’s people and Married to Kay in an Anglican also by encouraging nga tangata Church, I followed no formal (people) to Christ and into the religion after leaving home. After Kingdom of God. 10
INMATES COMING TO CHRIST Within the prison population there are a number of inmates who receive MPA lessons and return them regularly to HQ for marking. In the Romans Series there is a question, “If you are a true Christian would you like to write a short paragraph about how you became a Christian?” Two inmates have replied as follows: --
(1) “I became a follower [of Christ] through the change of a fellow brother who
was a gang member. When I had seen the change God had made in his life, I got on my knees. I repented and believed Jesus is the Son of God, and asked Him into my life as my personal Saviour. I was baptised as a Mormon many years ago, but would like to be baptised as a Christian. This brother told me to pray and my life would change, and it has”.
(2) “I became a Christian to know the Lord and walk in the light, as most of my
life I had been living and playing in the darkness, at times close to death. But for some reason I survived and made it through. So I owe my life to the Lord because, looking back, I know it was Him watching over me through the bad and good. So that’s why I’ve become a son of God, to survive in the light and not in the dark”. This same inmate sent us the following – No time to rest, no time to breathe, My demons attack me even in my dreams, Dark spirits surround me, fiends give chase, I fall on my knees, tears on my face, I lift up my hands and ask God, “Why?” Yet He won’t answer, or maybe what’s in the way is my pride. The devil creeps closer, I sharpen the knife, And I write my letter, I’ve lost all hope. I’ll never get better, I shut the door, Turn the lock. Everything is silent Except the clock – tick, tick, tick. Seconds go by, in less than a minute I’ll end my life. Then I feel a presence, I become calm. I stare at the blood pooled on my palm, I think of Jesus, how He died for our sins. How can I throw away such a gift? I bow my head, pray for His help, Ask Him to heal me from the pain I have felt. I pray for salvation and forgiveness of sins.
11
THE TRUTH ABOUT CRYSTAL METH Crystal meth is short for crystal methamphetamine. It is just one form of the drug methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is a white crystalline drug that people take by snorting it (inhaling through the nose), smoking it or injecting it with a needle. Some even take it orally, but all develop a strong desire to continue using it because the drug creates a false sense of happiness and wellbeing—a rush of confidence, hyper activeness and energy. One also experiences decreased appetite. These effects generally last from six to eight hours, but can last up to 24 hours. The first experience might involve some pleasure, but from the start, methamphetamine begins to destroy your life.
WHAT IS METHAMPHETAMINE? Methamphetamine is an illegal drug in the same class as cocaine and other powerful street drugs. It has many nicknames—meth, crank, chalk or speed being the most common. Crystal meth is used by individuals of all ages, but is most commonly used as a “club drug,” taken while partying in night clubs or at rave parties. Its most common street names are ice or glass. It is a dangerous and potent chemical, and as with all drugs, a poison that first acts as a stimulant but then begins to systematically destroy the body. Thus it is associated with serious health conditions, including memory loss, aggression, psychotic behaviour and potential heart and brain damage. Highly addictive, meth burns up the body’s resources, creating a devastating dependence that can only be relieved by taking more of the drug.
12
Crystal meth’s effect is highly concentrated, and many users report getting hooked from the first time they use it. “I tried it once and BOOM! I was addicted,” said one meth addict who lost his family, friends, his profession as a musician and ended up homeless. Consequently, it is one of the hardest drug addictions to treat and many die in its grip.
WHAT DOES METHAMPHETAMINE LOOK LIKE? Methamphetamine usually comes in the form of a crystalline white powder that is odourless, bitter-tasting and dissolves easily in water or alcohol. Other colours of powder have been observed, including brown, yellow-grey, orange and even pink. It can also be compressed into pill form. As covered earlier, it can be snorted, smoked or injected. Crystal meth comes in clear chunky crystals resembling ice and is most commonly smoked. Methamphetamine (meth) and crystal methamphetamine are referred to by many names: METH: Beannies, Brown, Chalk, Crank, Chicken feed, Cinnamon, Crink , Crypto, Fast, Getgo, Methlies Quik, Mexican crack, Redneck cocaine, Speed, Tick tick, Tweak, Wash, Yellow Powder. CRYSTAL METH: Batu, Blade, Cristy, Crystal, Crystal glass, Glass, Hot ice, Ice, Quartz, Shabu, Shards, Stove top, Tina, Ventana.
WHAT IS METHAMPHETAMINE MADE FROM Methamphetamine is a synthetic (man-made) chemical, unlike cocaine, for instance, which comes from a plant. Meth is commonly manufactured in illegal, hidden laboratories, mixing various forms of amphetamine (another stimulant drug) or derivatives with other chemicals to boost its potency. Common pills for cold remedies are often used as the basis for the production of the drug. The meth “cook” extracts ingredients from those pills and to increase its strength combines the substance with chemicals such as battery acid, drain cleaner, lantern fuel and antifreeze. These dangerous chemicals are potentially explosive and because the meth “cooks” are drug users themselves and disoriented, they are often severely burned and disfigured or killed when their preparations explode. Such accidents endanger others in nearby homes or buildings. The illegal laboratories create a lot of toxic waste as well—the production of one pound of methamphetamine produces five pounds of waste. People exposed to this waste material can become poisoned and sick.
THE DEADLY EFFECTS OF METH The short-term and long-term impact on the individual: When taken, meth and crystal meth create a false sense of well-being and energy, and so a person will tend to push his/her body faster and further than it is meant to go. Thus, drug users can experience a severe “crash” or physical and mental breakdown after the effects of the drugs wear off. Because continued use of the drug decreases natural feelings of hunger, users can experience extreme weight loss. Negative effects can also include disturbed sleep patterns, hyperactivity, nausea, delusions of power, increased aggressiveness and irritability. Other serious effects can include insomnia, confusion, hallucinations, anxiety and paranoia. In some cases, use can cause convulsions that lead to death. Long-range Damage: In the long term, meth use can cause irreversible harm: Increased heart rate and blood pressure; damaged blood vessels in the brain that can cause strokes or an irregular heartbeat that can, in turn, cause cardiovascular collapse or death; and liver, kidney and lung damage. Users may suffer brain damage, including memory loss and an increasing inability to grasp abstract thoughts. Those who recover are usually subject to memory gaps and extreme mood swings.
13
METH HARM MORE SHORT-TERM EFFECTS: Loss of appetite, increased heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, dilation of pupils, disturbed sleep patterns, bizarre, erratic, sometimes violent behaviour, hallucinations, hyper-excitability, irritability, panic, hallucinations and psychosis, convulsions, seizures and death from high doses. MORE LONG-TERM EFFECTS: Permanent damage to blood vessels of heart and brain, high blood pressure leading to heart attacks, strokes and death, liver, kidney and lung damage, destruction of tissues in nose if sniffed, respiratory (breathing) problems if smoked, infectious diseases and abscesses if injected, malnutrition, weight loss, severe tooth decay, disorientation, apathy, confusion, exhaustion, strong psychological dependence, psychosis, depression, damage to the brain similar to Alzheimer’s disease, stroke and epilepsy.
HOW METHAMPHETAMINE AFFECTS PEOPLE’S LIVES When people take methamphetamine, it takes over their lives in varying degrees. There are three categories of abuse. LOW-INTENSITY METH ABUSE: Low-intensity abusers swallow or snort methamphetamine. They want the extra stimulation methamphetamine provides so they can stay awake long enough to finish a task or a job, or they want the appetite-suppressant effect to lose weight. They are one step away from becoming “binge” (meaning uncontrolled use of a substance) abusers. BINGE METH ABUSE: Binge abusers smoke or inject methamphetamine with a needle. This allows them to receive a more intense dose of the drug and experience a stronger “rush” that is psychologically addictive. They are on the verge of moving into high-intensity abuse. HIGH-INTENSITY METH ABUSE: The high-intensity abusers are the addicts, often called “speed freaks.” Their whole existence focuses on preventing the crash, that painful let-down after the drug high. In order to achieve the desired “rush” from the drug, they must take more and more of it. But as with other drugs, each successive meth high is less than the one before, urging the meth addict into a dark and deadly spiral of destructive addiction.
THE STAGES OF THE METH “EXPERIENCE” THE RUSH: A rush is the initial response the abuser feels when smoking or injecting methamphetamine. During the rush, the abuser’s heartbeat races and metabolism, blood pressure and pulse soar. Unlike the rush associated with crack cocaine, which lasts for approximately two to five minutes, the methamphetamine rush can continue for up to 30 minutes. THE HIGH: The rush is followed by a high, sometimes called “the shoulder.” During the high, the abuser often feels aggressively smarter and becomes argumentative, often interrupting other people and finishing their sentences. The delusional effects can result in a user becoming intensely focused on an insignificant item, such as repeatedly cleaning the same window for several hours. The high can last 4-16 hours.
14
THE BINGE: A binge is uncontrolled use of a drug or alcohol. It refers to the abuser’s urge to maintain the high by smoking or injecting more methamphetamine. The binge can last 3-15 days. During the binge, the abuser becomes hyperactive both mentally and physically. Each time the abuser smokes or injects more of the drug, he experiences another but smaller rush until, finally, there is no rush and no high. TWEAKING: A methamphetamine abuser is most dangerous when experiencing a phase of the addiction called “tweaking”—a condition reached at the end of a drug binge when methamphetamine no longer provides a rush or a high. Unable to relieve the horrible feelings of emptiness and craving, an abuser loses his sense of identity. Intense itching is common, and a user can become convinced that bugs are crawling under his skin. Unable to sleep for days at a time, the abuser is often in a completely psychotic state and he exists in his own world, seeing and hearing things that no one else can perceive. His hallucinations are so vivid that they seem real and, disconnected from reality, he can become hostile and dangerous to himself and others. The potential for self-mutilation is high. THE CRASH: To a binge abuser, the crash happens when the body shuts down, unable to cope with the drug effects overwhelming it; this results in a long period of sleep for the person. Even the meanest, most violent abuser becomes almost lifeless during the crash. The crash can last one to three days. METH HANGOVER: After the crash, the abuser returns in a deteriorated state, starved, dehydrated and utterly exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. This stage ordinarily lasts from 2 to 14 days. This leads to enforced addiction, as the “solution” to these feelings is to take more meth. WITHDRAWAL: Often 30 to 90 days can pass after the last drug use before the abuser realizes he is in withdrawal. First, he becomes depressed, loses his energy and the ability to experience pleasure. Then the craving for more methamphetamine hits, and the abuser often becomes suicidal. Since meth withdrawal is extremely painful and difficult, most abusers revert; thus, 93% of those in traditional treatment return to abusing methamphetamine.
THE TRUTH ABOUT DRUGS
Drugs are essentially poisons. The amount taken determines the effect. A small amount acts as a stimulant (speeds you up). A greater amount acts as a sedative (slows you down). An even larger amount poisons and can kill. This is true of any drug. Only the amount needed to achieve the effect differs. But many drugs have another liability: they directly affect the mind. They can distort the user’s perception of what is happening around him or her. As a result, the person’s actions may be odd, irrational, inappropriate and even destructive. Drugs block off all sensations, the desirable ones with the unwanted. So, while providing short-term help in the relief of pain, they also wipe out ability and alertness and muddy one’s thinking. Medicines are drugs that are intended to speed up or slow down or change something about the way your body is working, to try to make it work better. Sometimes they are necessary. But they are still drugs: they act as stimulants or sedatives, and too much can kill you. So if you do not use medicines as they are supposed to be used, they can be as dangerous as illegal drugs.
The answer is to get the facts and not to take drugs in the first place. 15
WHAT IS LOVE?
A true story by a young woman seeking love. I did not believe there was such a thing as love at first sight until I met Joe. At the time I was a romantic teenager and when I saw him I thought he was real cool. He had a dynamic personality and a lot of charm. When he finally asked me out I was over the moon. and leave me. He didn’t give me any On our first date we talked a lot and special attention and I felt hurt because tried real hard to impress one another. of this. A month went by before he called and I realized at this point that it was asked for another date. I think he knew mostly a one-sided relationship, so I by then I wanted to date him. He played started working real hard to make him on this and from that time on things feel the same way I felt. This is what were pretty heavy. got me into trouble. I worked too hard Our relationship didn’t really start at it. I started to do things that I knew off on the right foot because we were he wanted – anything that would please mainly interested in trying to impress him. This included some heavy sexual one another. I didn’t want him to go things. I thought, “If I don’t, he’s going out with anyone else but me. I don’t to go somewhere else and I don’t want think at that point I neglected any of to lose him.” my standards or morals, but I did do As time went on I continued to things to impress him and to encourage sacrifice my morals to keep him. This a relationship with him. is the biggest mistake a young girl can We dated and we had some pretty make. She thinks if she keeps doing serious talks. We had some pretty bad what a guy wants to do, he is going to fights, too. He picked on me and teased be crazy about her, but it’s not true. me a lot. I tried to cover up hurt feelings I know Joe lost respect for me, and I when he would do this. I tried to laugh lost so much for myself that it was awful. along with it, but I did get hurt. A lot of Because of my Christian background times at parties he would just walk off I knew what I was doing was wrong,
16
and I died a hundred times in my own guilt. But I couldn’t bring myself to say, “Forgive me, Lord” because I knew in the back of my mind I was going to do it again. I was going to do whatever I felt was necessary to keep him.
If I had known then what I know now I would have seen that Joe was going to let me down badly. He was going to go with other women. He was going to lose his temper. He was going to hit me. He was not going to treat me like a wife, and he was not going to take the At this point I have a message responsibility of being a true partner especially for young Christian girls. and husband. When you get into the dating game, find a guy who is a Christian and who isn’t But at the time I did not stop to ashamed to say, “I am a Christian and I think. We ran off and got married. I do do have morals myself.” I know its kind not blame anyone but myself because I of daring to date the guys who are not knew I should not do this. But at the time Christians – the ones who are kind of my only thought was, “If I don’t do this wild. But stay away from them, because I am going to lose him.” What I should you are going to lose something along have decided was that if he could not the way, and it’s just not worth it! wait for me and do things my way, he Joe and I continued having problems was not worth it. But my emotions were in our dating relationship. We fought in control and my thinking was not clear.
a lot. He picked at me a lot. I tried to When we told my parents they explain to him the guilt I felt about were very hurt and disappointed. I quit sleeping with him. I tried to stop it, but college in order to put him through he just wouldn’t listen. college, and took any job I could get. I was a waitress and worked at a cocktail I had evaluated our relationship and lounge at night, which was awful. I also to put it bluntly, it stunk! He did not worked as a sales clerk. I did all sorts of treat me right at all. But I thought in things in an effort to keep us going. the back of my mind, “If we get married Our relationship was just nothing. everything will be different. He is going to love me. He is going to take care He did not love me. It was me loving him of me.” This was a big mistake on my and trying to make him love me, trying part. A person does not change just by desperately to please him, sacrificing getting married. If you have problems my own feelings, but it didn’t work. You before marriage, they are only going to cannot make someone love you. I lived in constant fear that he was going to get worse afterwards. Television, books, movies and songs go out and find someone else – and he – all these things that influence our did exactly that! I didn’t want to admit lives these days – make you think that it because I wanted our relationship to you can pull another trick out of the bag work. and everything will be OK. But it’s not Five months after we were married like that. A really successful relationship I became pregnant and we had a and marriage takes two people who beautiful little girl. That changed things love and are committed to each other, for a while. He was very excited about and who also love and are committed to having the baby. But a month after the God. baby was born, things slipped back into
17
the way they were before – him losing his temper, leaving me alone with the baby all the time and me carrying the load, trying to raise a child and support our family.
and see if this sex business will work out for us.” You end up skipping over the part where you become really good friends. This is what was missing in my relationship with Joe. There was no respect and friendship. He really did not We were married three years when respect me, and I did not really respect things happened that finally made me him. There was no friendship there. realize that he did not love me and that he never would, that he was not a good Another mistake was getting involved father and not a responsible husband. I sexually when I had no business doing couldn’t handle it any more and so we so. I was not married. I was not old were divorced. enough or mature enough to face the As I looked back over the unhappy responsibilities of a sexual relationship. years, I can see now where I made many Just because you have all the necessary mistakes. My first and foremost mistake parts to have a sexual relationship with was that I did not accept and maintain someone, does not mean that you are a steady relationship with God. If I had ready to get into it. It’s not just a physical done this I would not have found myself act; it involves all your emotions. You in the mess I was. God’s love is free and can truly mess up your emotions by His love is like no other love you could getting involved before you should. It experience in your life because it’s is something that should be held sacred whole. There’s nothing lacking in the for marriage. love God gives. Don’t ever believe that If you examine the steps for a you can live without love because you successful relationship you will find can’t. You cannot count on the people that first of all you both need to be around you to give you that love either, Christians. Then you need to develop but you can count on God. He’s always a friendship in which you both have there and He never changes. respect for each other, and out of this Another mistake was starting off grows true love. As true love grows you in such a hurry. This seemed to be the go on to dating and being serious, and popular thing to do. You think, “Well, then later marriage. But never forget I like him and he likes me. Maybe we that God is the One who maintains true are in love. Why don’t we just go ahead love in any relationship.
WHAT SHOULD I DO?
If you have realised your need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, here is a prayer you could pray:“Dear Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I am willing to turn from my sin, and I trust You to be my Saviour. Please forgive me and cleanse me of all my guilt. I believe that You are God and that You died for my sins and then rose again. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. With God’s help I will follow and obey You as Master of my life. Thank You for suffering and dying on the cross for me. – Amen”.
18
What Is Love? What is love? No words can define; It’s something so great only God can design. It grows through the years, through sunshine and rain, Through gladness and sadness, through pleasure and pain. It’s ever enduring, pleasant and kind, It judges all things with the heart, not the mind, And love can transform the most common place Into beauty and splendour, sweetness and grace, For love is unselfish, giving more than it takes, And no matter what happens, love never forsakes. It’s pleasant and kind and always believing, Guileless and honest and never deceiving. Yes, love is beyond what man can define, For love is immortal and God’s Gift is divine. -- Author unknown.
19
Angels Take Charge By Audre Pitts
“He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” (Psalm 91:11) “Ka korerotia iho hoki koe ia ki ana anahera kia tiakina koe i ou ara katoa”. (Waiata 91:11). “Mamma, let me read tonight,” said seven-year-old Maxine as her mother took the Bible from the shelf above the table for their devotions. “Very well,” agreed her mother, and Maxine got her own little Bible to read from. “Shall I read the 23rd Psalm again?” she asked. “Well,” hesitated Mrs Martin, “You read that fairly often; suppose you try a different Psalm tonight. I’ll help you with the words. Let’s try the 91st Psalm. That’s a good one to read when Daddy’s away.” So little Maxine began reading: “He who d-w-e-l-l-s . . .” “Dwells,” prompted her mother. “. . . dwells in the s-h-e-l-t-e-r . . .” “Shelter”. “. . . shelter of the Most High will rest in the s-h-a-d-o-w …” “Shadow”. “. . . shadow of the A-l-m-i-g-h-t-y . . .” “Almighty”. In this way they read the Psalm together, the little girl stumbling over the big words and her mother helping her. They were so intent on the reading that neither heard the faint rustle outside the window nor saw the dark face peering through the pane. It was summer and the window was partly raised so that the words spoken inside were clearly heard by that crouched, watching figure so near. “He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. What does that mean, Mamma?” Maxine interrupted their reading to ask. “It means, dear, that God sends His angels to take care of us so that harm will not come to us. They are watching over us all the time.” “Right now?” questioned the child. “Right now when Daddy’s gone and it’s dark outside? Are there angels here now?”
20
“Yes, right now,” assured her mother. “God and His angels are watching right now.” And they continhargeued with the reading once more. Could they have seen the figure outside their window they would have noticed his quick look about him at the mother’s words. She said God was watching. Where was God? Who was God? It was a name he often used as a swear word, and he had a vague notion that God was some terrible Being. “The wrath of God . . .” These words he had once heard spoken by a preacher at an open air service one night, came suddenly to his mind. Somewhere in the darkness, unseen by him, was this God who could see all. The woman had spoken so confidently of His watching eye. Then if God were watching over this mother and daughter, He could see him too. “The wrath of God!” What would God do to him? Would His wrath suddenly fall on him and destroy him? He became almost motionless with fear, and while he was crouching down to the ground he heard a child’s clear voice lifted in prayer. Little Maxine had finished reading and was praying. “Thank You God for having Your angels take care of Mamma and me, and be with Daddy tonight. Help all the bad people to stop being bad . . .” The fear in the man’s heart gave way to a new emotion. A lump rose in his throat and tears smarted his eyes. He had a little girl, too, just about her size. What was she doing now, while this little girl was saying her prayers and would soon be tucked in bed by loving hands? He could imagine her in the dingy little room they called home. Perhaps she had crept into bed by now, trying to go to sleep, or maybe she was crying again. He remembered one night recently when he had gone home to find her crying because she was hungry. There had not been anything in the room to eat. He had slapped her for being a baby and told her if she did not like the way he fed her she could get someone else to take care of her. Anyway, if she had any backbone she would get out and steal something if she was hungry. The wife and mother had died two years before and this was how he had cared for the little girl. He thought of her now; poor, thin, hungry and ragged. He had given her little attention, spending his days and nights in drinking, gambling and petty theft. He thought of himself as a child. How different his life might have been had he been reared as this child he had been watching read the Bible and pray. How different his child would be with proper training. Slowly he raised himself from the ground and stumbled away. He was going home – home to his little daughter. “Mamma, what was that noise outside?” asked Maxine. “I never heard anything,” her mother answered. “I guess it must have been the angels’ wings brushing against the lilac bushes,” murmured the child sleepily, curling up in bed.
21
But the next morning while outdoors, Mrs Martin noticed footprints under the winow by the lilacs. They were the prints of a man’s shoe. Her heart seemed to almost stop its beating for a moment. Had Maxine really heard something last night? Had danger been that close to them? The man who crouched beneath the window that night, intent on mischief, went to his room to pray for the first time in his life. He was not sure just how to pray, but he knew he wanted God, and God heard his cry. God saved him and changed his life. Life for his little daughter became a new thing as well, and she could hardly understand it all. The man explained that it was Jesus who had changed him. She found that her daddy did not drink any more, neither did he waste his money gambling. He managed to find himself a proper job instead, and brought home groceries and clothes for her. They moved out of the stuffy little room into a neat, airy, sunny flat with carpet on the floor. The man took his little daughter to Sunday School and church, and at night he read Bible stories to her and taught her how to pray. Many times he read to her from the 91st Psalm: “He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
ANGELS TO THE RESCUE!
Vicky Sorensen displays her awards for completing ten years lessons with MPA. Well done, Vicky!
John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands. One night hostile natives surrounded the mission station, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed during that terrorfilled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see their attackers leave. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ. Remembering what had happened, Paton asked the chief what had kept him from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men with you there?” Paton knew no men were present—but the chief said he was afraid to attack because he had seen hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords circling the mission station. Today in the Word, MBI, October, 1991, p. 18
22
The Vine and the Buds Jesus said, “I am the Vine; you are the branches” (John 15:1-5) “A Sunday School teacher who was trying to make his class understand the dependence of the branches on the Heavenly Vine, said, ‘Remember children, Jesus is the Vine and we are the branches. We draw all of our life and happiness from Him’. When the lesson was finished a young boy named Buddy spoke up. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘If Jesus is the Vine and grown-up people are the branches, then we children must be the buds!’ The Sunday School teacher was struck by the thought, for he realized that if blight strikes the buds there can be no branches and no fruit. He saw with fresh insight the importance of bringing up children ‘in the nurture and admonition of the Lord’ (Ephesians 6:4).” Think about it: Are the “buds” under your care being blessed or blighted by your life and example? Do you teach them the truths of God’s Word? Do you help them with their Bible lessons? Always remember that what you do speaks louder than what you say. The soul of a child is the loveliest flower That grows in the Garden of God, Its climb is from weakness to knowledge and power, To the sky from the clay and the clod. To beauty and sweetness it grows under care, Neglected, ’tis ragged and wild. ’Tis a plant that is tender, but wondrously rare, The sweet, wistful soul of a child. Be tender, O gardener, and give it its share Of moisture, of warmth and of light, And let it not lack for the painstaking care, To protect it from frost and from blight. A glad day will come when its bloom shall unfold, It will seem that an angel has smiled, Reflecting a beauty and sweetness untold In the sensitive soul of a child.
23
Tena Koutou Katoa
Anei Nga Korero Pai
Would you like FREE Bible Lessons for you or your Tamariki? Go online or fill in the form and send to: Maori Postal, PO Box 10, Whanganui 4500 We also have Lessons for Adults.
Name _____________________________________
Age if under 15
_____________________________________
________
_____________________________________
________
_____________________________________
________
________
Address ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Name of parent or guardian ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________
Nau Mai Haere Mai Send to PO Box 10, Whanganui
maoripostal.co.nz