Setting Prisoners Free

I t's been almost 4 years since we arrived in Aotearoa. New Zealand. At the time, we had no intention of making this beautiful country our permanent residence, but after much thought, many discussions and countless prayers, we decided to stay. This decision wasn't easy, it hasn't been easy, and our current journey isn't easy. We're trying to adapt to many new ways, systems, mannerisms, priorities, cultures, battles, heartbreaks, challenges, celebrations, and even a new side of the road to drive on 🤣. We're trying to adapt to a new life. 4 years seems long.. 4 years seems so short. In saying that, our journey is and has been beautiful, exciting, daunting, stressful, strange, enlightening and wonderful. We can predict where our paths may lead, but it doesn't mean we'll end up arriving there. And just because we may end up at a different location than anticipated, it doesn't mean we've failed, because our journeys can be unexpected, unpredictable a...

I was 10 years old! I was squabbling with my best friend about something; I can’t remember what. It wasn’t big or significant or important, but it ended when he took my backpack and tossed it angrily down our school's grassy bank. When I arrived home, my mum saw my muddy school bag and asked me about it. I told her! She was not pleased, and with pure intentions, she thought it best to have a "mother-to-mother" conversation. She disappeared to my friend's mum's place, but it didn’t go as planned, didn't resolve the issue, and it certainly was not the kumbaya moment my mum desired. From that day on, I was perceived to be a snitch, a tattle-tale who ran home to my mummy. From that day on, I was bullied by this kid and whatever clique surrounded him for the following 8 years in 3 different schools.  I was never beaten but occasionally shoulder-charged, shoved, and threatened. The bullying I received was primarily verbal. The most common ways I was harassed and moc...

I hadn't been in Uptown for over 3 years. I expected change. I'd heard of the changes. Then I walked into my old neighbourhood, my old community, my old stomping ground, and a plethora of emotions welled up. Good emotions, bad emotions, and a few of those "it-is-what-it-is" emotions, because so much has changed, but then again, so much is just the "same-old, same-old!" The most obvious change is all the high rises that have sprouted up around the 10-story building I lived in for almost 25 years. Building up hasn't caused a reduction in poverty or homelessness. Those on the ground aren't getting any trickle-down relief. In stark contrast, I didn't have to look far to see a considerable increase in people sleeping in tents!  Uptown may look flashier and fancier, but I counted over 50 tents on my walks! Yes, over 50, and many of those tents have more than one person living in them. These are real people with real health concerns trying to navigate t...

I sit here on this beautiful Chicago morning looking across the lake at the highrises downtown, while reflecting on and missing the gorgeous West Coast beaches nestled by the Waitākere ranges. Contemplating.  Realising.  There are people, places and things in Chicago I'll never find in Aotearoa.  There are people, places and things in Aotearoa I'll never find in Chicago.  It hurts.  It's painful. Why can't I be in 2 places at once? I lament, knowing my whānau is going through the same pain.  I lament, wishing there would be no separation between friends, family and acquaintances. I lament, questioning my decisions, knowing I have to live with them. I lament, seeing well over 50 tents nestled in the Uptown parks, while many neighbors live in luxury. I lament, knowing many are sleeping in cars and under bridges in Auckland, while many neighbours live in luxury. I lament, as I watch both governments play with numbers, pretending they're solving a solvable cris...

In late 1996, I hopped on a plane in Aotearoa New Zealand and ended up in Chicago. I was scared, anxious and excited. I didn't know where it would lead, but I knew it was the beginning of a new adventure. I had decided to travel to Chicago the year before while studying at the Bible College of NZ (Laidlaw College). I'd read about an intentional community called  Jesus People USA  and their work with those experiencing homelessness. After graduating and driving taxicabs for a stint, I got a visa for a year and took a leap of faith into the unknown. My original intention was to go and learn, and then return to Aotearoa to start a similar ministry here in Tāmaki (Auckland). I arrived in JPUSA in November 1996 and began working for JPUSA's homeless shelter Cornerstone Community Outreach  (CCO) in January 1997. I felt at home. I felt I was using my gifts and talents. I made lifelong friends. I felt I was discovering who I was. I remained there until August 1997. The following ...

One of the simplest and plainest messages of Jesus for his followers is "When you see someone in need, don't walk on by, help the distressed." Sadly, this message is often ignored, reinterpreted, or ridiculed, despite Jesus making it abundantly clear that those who help others in need find comfort and those who walk on by find discomfort. We see this when Jesus told us about a victim lying on the road after a brutal attack. Two righteous godly leaders approached him, they didn't want to get their hands dirty, and they didn't want to disrupt their journeys, they were possibly scared, so they both passed on by on the other side. Then Jesus, with his unique ability to shock his audience, brings up a Samaritan, someone who would have been an enemy of the dying man, someone whom the listening crowd would have despised. The Samaritan walked down the same road and did the right thing by stopping. He allowed his hands to get dirty. He disrupted his journey. He sacrificed ...