Haaley's New Zealand Fund
Donation protected
Hello Friends!
I have some exciting news to share with you! I have accepted an internship at ARISE church in Wellington, New Zealand for February-December of 2018. I am so excited and so nervous to move away from Colorado! However, I know that this is the next step in God’s plan for my life; let me share with you why:
I have wanted to do missions in Europe for several years. I have almost always felt the calling to go and work for the church, but have not felt like I have been ready. In early 2017, I felt a pull towards New Zealand, but it began initially as a fun plan with friends to go and work for a few months just to say we had gone. Eventually, I recognized that I couldn’t justify, in my heart, going to a place like that and not, at the very least, volunteering with a church while I was there. After a lot of prayer and talking to people I know who are either involved in missions or have done work for the church overseas, I realized that this calling was from God and that I needed to pursue it. By the middle of April I was researching organizations and churches where I could learn more about the church and how it functions and could also be involved in the local community.
At last I found ARISE Church. (Go check out their website. They are awesome.) I applied for their Ministry School Internship at the end of April and eagerly waited to hear back from them. In September I had an interview with them and I felt like it went really well. In my application I had put that I was interested in doing either Administration, Management, or Youth work, and while we were talking I told her that I felt my calling was to go down there and that if they had a need in one area over another that I was happy to study whatever. Enter the waiting game- a period of being patient and resting in the calm of knowing that whatever happened was what God had planned for me.
AND YOU GUYS….. THEY SAID YES.
The details that I know so far are that I’ll be in Wellington studying Discipleship, Theology, and Leadership skills in a classroom setting as well as in a practical way in the church and community. This will occupy three weekdays and Sundays and I’ll be spending the other three days of my week at a part time job that I will find when I get there. In January they will put out to the church body that I am looking for a room to rent. If you would, please pray that I’ll be able to find a job and a room quickly when I get there. Without these two things, my initial months there will be much more difficult.
Here’s the part where I struggle. I would love for this to be a Christmas letter-type update where I just fill you in on this exciting new chapter of my life. However, for the last year I have been a nanny, and, as much as I love the work (I could talk about that little girl for HOURS), it hasn’t left a lot of margin in my finances to be able to save money. I know that God is the ultimate Provider (Philippians 4:19) and I fully trust that whatever happens is His will. I wanted to send out this letter without asking outright and trust that whoever felt called to give would do so, but I also know that as a community in Christ that we should be open to expressing our needs.
So here is my need.
First and foremost, I need prayer. Along with the things I have already mentioned, I would love if you would come alongside me in praying that my anxiety about moving outside of my beautiful home state of Colorado will subside. I will know no one when I get there so prayer to find a welcoming community is appreciated. Prayer for the funds for both the ticket and the visa are also appreciated.
In order to get there and to get the visa I need to live and work in New Zealand, I need $5000. I do not want you to feel obligated to give. However, without this money I simply cannot go. IF, yes IF, you do feel called to help me in this endeavor, you could do so by making a donation or a loan. I need these funds to prove to the NZ government that I am able to support myself and not live off of them.
If you have read this far, thank you. We all know that I have never been short of words! If you are feeling led to give or to be financially involved in this next chapter of my life I would greatly appreciate it
I plan to start a blog in the next few weeks so that you can be with me both while I prepare and once I am there. I’ll put it out to the world via Facebook once it is ready!
“… For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
Thank you again.
All my love,
Haaley Adele Gillen
I have some exciting news to share with you! I have accepted an internship at ARISE church in Wellington, New Zealand for February-December of 2018. I am so excited and so nervous to move away from Colorado! However, I know that this is the next step in God’s plan for my life; let me share with you why:
I have wanted to do missions in Europe for several years. I have almost always felt the calling to go and work for the church, but have not felt like I have been ready. In early 2017, I felt a pull towards New Zealand, but it began initially as a fun plan with friends to go and work for a few months just to say we had gone. Eventually, I recognized that I couldn’t justify, in my heart, going to a place like that and not, at the very least, volunteering with a church while I was there. After a lot of prayer and talking to people I know who are either involved in missions or have done work for the church overseas, I realized that this calling was from God and that I needed to pursue it. By the middle of April I was researching organizations and churches where I could learn more about the church and how it functions and could also be involved in the local community.
At last I found ARISE Church. (Go check out their website. They are awesome.) I applied for their Ministry School Internship at the end of April and eagerly waited to hear back from them. In September I had an interview with them and I felt like it went really well. In my application I had put that I was interested in doing either Administration, Management, or Youth work, and while we were talking I told her that I felt my calling was to go down there and that if they had a need in one area over another that I was happy to study whatever. Enter the waiting game- a period of being patient and resting in the calm of knowing that whatever happened was what God had planned for me.
AND YOU GUYS….. THEY SAID YES.
The details that I know so far are that I’ll be in Wellington studying Discipleship, Theology, and Leadership skills in a classroom setting as well as in a practical way in the church and community. This will occupy three weekdays and Sundays and I’ll be spending the other three days of my week at a part time job that I will find when I get there. In January they will put out to the church body that I am looking for a room to rent. If you would, please pray that I’ll be able to find a job and a room quickly when I get there. Without these two things, my initial months there will be much more difficult.
Here’s the part where I struggle. I would love for this to be a Christmas letter-type update where I just fill you in on this exciting new chapter of my life. However, for the last year I have been a nanny, and, as much as I love the work (I could talk about that little girl for HOURS), it hasn’t left a lot of margin in my finances to be able to save money. I know that God is the ultimate Provider (Philippians 4:19) and I fully trust that whatever happens is His will. I wanted to send out this letter without asking outright and trust that whoever felt called to give would do so, but I also know that as a community in Christ that we should be open to expressing our needs.
So here is my need.
First and foremost, I need prayer. Along with the things I have already mentioned, I would love if you would come alongside me in praying that my anxiety about moving outside of my beautiful home state of Colorado will subside. I will know no one when I get there so prayer to find a welcoming community is appreciated. Prayer for the funds for both the ticket and the visa are also appreciated.
In order to get there and to get the visa I need to live and work in New Zealand, I need $5000. I do not want you to feel obligated to give. However, without this money I simply cannot go. IF, yes IF, you do feel called to help me in this endeavor, you could do so by making a donation or a loan. I need these funds to prove to the NZ government that I am able to support myself and not live off of them.
If you have read this far, thank you. We all know that I have never been short of words! If you are feeling led to give or to be financially involved in this next chapter of my life I would greatly appreciate it
I plan to start a blog in the next few weeks so that you can be with me both while I prepare and once I am there. I’ll put it out to the world via Facebook once it is ready!
“… For truly I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20
Thank you again.
All my love,
Haaley Adele Gillen
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Haaley Adele Gillen
Organizer
Fort Collins, CO
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