Second half of tour felt like a fresh start, a new season. I had a think back over the past eleven weeks and thought about what I would do differently in this second half. One thing I decided for sure was that I was going to have more fun! I did enjoy the first part but as I've touched on in previous posts, I became very work focused and set on "doing a good job" of it. I felt the need to just chill out, be a bit more flexible, and give myself room to breathe. The other thing I was praying for was strengthened relationships. I had made connections with my team but I still felt a bit distant and like I didn't really have deep friendships like others did. I wanted to intentionally invest more in the people and be more open with them.
We kicked off tour part 2 in Palmy and it was a fabulous start! It was a different tone this time because we had the energy and excitement like the start of tour but this time we knew how it worked, the routines, the dynamics so it was just great.
I stayed with the most beautiful family who had two sweet daughters aged 4 and 7. I loved seeing how their Mum knew them so well individually and how their Dad would play and learn and shower them with love when he got home from work. I had some lovely conversations with them throughout the week and it was a privilege to hear their stories of God's guidance and provision in their family. It was so much fun playing with the girls too namely with princess Lego. They called us (me and Ari) their big sisters and were sad when we left at the end of the week.
Sunday night show at LIFE Church was my favourite church show of the entire tour. The buzz and joy of life there was massive. My team led worship and it was wonderful. I got to do the rap in This Is Living which was cool... always surprises the crowd a bit when a short white girl with glasses pops up rapping her face off hahaha. Then our programme went well too, I was ecstatic over the dramas. It was so good to perform again and worship God through my art. To top off the evening the church put on a mean feed for dinner which included meat pie and chocolate fondue so we left with happy hearts and happy tummies!
I came to the end of this week really quite excited for what was to follow in the next 9 weeks on the road. I felt alive and ready but also with a touch of nervousness to keep me on my toes. I had to walk forward remembering my vision for this year -
E whakaatu ana i te aroha o te Atua ki te iwi o Aotearoa // Showing the love of God to the people of New Zealand
