Crystal Good's Blog

The end is near…

crystalgood — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:39:31 +0000

Wow, we made it. Today is the very last day of this school. Words can’t describe how amazing its been. These 45 youth and young adults have had huge breakthroughs. They’ve encountered God in a whole new way. They’ve experienced His personal love. They’ve persevered on outreach, no what the cirsumstance, no matter what the cost. And I am so honored to have been a part of these past five months. I’m overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for bringing me here. I’m overwhlemed by His love. These past 2 weeks have been our final weeks here together at the base. We’ve had time to process, share stories and reconnect. We had some teaching about returning home. Getting them ready to go out and make an impact wherever life takes them. Encouraging them to keep following hard out after God, no matter what it takes! Wednesday night we had the Graduation night, it was such a fun night! Thursday night was Honoring Night, where we could individually get up infront and honor and thank people who have really impacted us over this season. It was a very memorable night, filled with tears! And I have a feeling that tongiht and tommorow as we say our good-byes there will be many more. As for me, I have plans to take a week long road trip on the South Island with three others from this school. I’m told the south island is beautiful place to sight see! After that, we’ll be flying to Australia for a week. We were invited to stay with a some friends from the school who live there. We’ll spend a week in Australia, then I’ll fly back here to New Zealand to catch my flight home! I’ll be arriving home on Tuesday, February 23rd. I’m so excited to have these 2 weeks to spend with some friends, kick back, take it easy, have some more fun, and bring this year to a very very sweet finish. Thank you is inadequate, but for lack of better words… Thank you! Thank you all for standing behing me in prayer, for supporting me financially and encouraging me through it all. You are God’s hand in my life!! God has used you to pour out His blessing on me, and it continues through to the students here from all around the world. You’ve made an impact, thank you!

-Crystal Good

its that time again…update time!

crystalgood — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:10:31 +0000

God is so faithful! It’s something that you hear all the time. But every now and again it hits you all over again. And you realize what that REALLY means. That when He says that He’ll never leave or forsake you, He means just that. That really, no matter what, He’s got your back and He’s going to see you through, no matter what.

We’re in week 8, our last week of outreach. We had a unique but awesome Christmas in Fiji. The day started out by making an American breakfast of French Toast and Whoopie Pies! (For those not from Lancaster County… it’s a chocolate cake-like textured cookie sandwich. A famous baked desert! I’m taking Lancaster County all around the worldJ ) We went to church in the morning and spent the afternoon and evening enjoying a Lovo cookout with our Fijian friends, what an amazing Christmas meal! It was such a cool experience spending Christmas outside of the western culture, away from all the business and hurry scurry, away from the stress of buying all the perfect gifts and attending all the Christmas parties. Instead you just enjoy the day, spent quality time and relax and appreciate the day and what it really means. Such a good reminder, bringing it back to the basics!

The following day, December 26, we said our bittersweet goodbyes and flew back here to New Zealand. It feels like coming home after being in Fiji. The next week, the week of New Years, our team headed off to a week long camp by the beach. One of our guys got a serious infection on his leg and was supposed to stay off of it for awhile. So him and I stayed behind for half of the week, giving him time to recover. We joined the team just in time for the New Years celebration!

The following week we came here to Christian Youth Camps, one of the largest camps in New Zealand. We’ve been here for three weeks, and we’re on our last day here. Our first two weeks were spent mainly doing maintenance around the camp. We got to really bless the camp in that way, ticking off things on their huge to-do list. We painted walls, pressure washed walls, roofs, and the mini-golf-course. We cleaned gutters, pulled weeds, washed windows and all the sort of stuff like that. The team did an awesome job working in the mud, the heat and sticking it out through the tough jobs!

This week we’ve been involved with the summer holiday youth camp. It’s been a rad week! Youth from every background. We’ve had so many opportunities to not only hang out and have fun with them, but to listen to them, encourage them and pray for them. A lot of Kiwi (New Zealander) teens are faced with drinking, drugs, pornography and that whole scene from age 12 on up. The pressure is on and many youth here come from non-Christian homes. We had the chance to share our testimonies in chapel and it really sparked conversation and opened opportunities to talk with the teenagers. They’ve really been opening up, about where they’re coming from, what they’re going through and asking a lot of questions. I think the whole team has loved this week. Nothing excites me more than to see God moving in these kids, to see them searching for something more than the habits that they’ve fallen into, and just experience more of God and His love for them. It’s so cool!

Tomorrow our outreach comes to a close and we head back to the base. All the teams will be reunited again! It will be a sweet time of sharing stories, pictures, catching up on everything and hanging out all together again. We’ll have 2 weeks together at the base before we graduate and say our good-byes. I can see this being a super emotional two weeks! Haha In these two weeks we’ll be doing some debrief teaching, and preparing them to head home and face situations that they left behind. Preparing them to live out what they learned wherever life takes them!

I hope you’re new year has been off to a great start! Be blessed!!

-Crystal Good

The Songs We Sing.

crystalgood — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:31:15 +0000

Hello again!

Springtime, surfing, challenges, revelations, adventures, growth, patience, preparation. It’s all happening here at Crystal Springs, NZ.

We’re just a week and a half away from outreach. November 29th we leave New Zealand for 4 weeks of outreach in Fiji! I’m co-leading a team of 7 students. Our surf group is sticking together as an outreach team. We don’t know exactly what we’ll be doing, Plan A and Plan B have fallen through so we’re sorting out Plan C! But we have a solid team and God on our side so I’m not worried, just excited! Right now we’re preparing as a team. Learning dramas and dances and uniting as an outreach team.

Last weekend, our surfers group loaded up the van & headed out for a day in the waves. We decided to take an adventure down a dirt road to this beach that we had heard of out in the middle of nowhere. After an hour drive on a dirt road, we came to a beach surrounded by fields and rolling hills. Down the trail, surfboards in hand, to the black sand beach. We ran into the cold water and surfed and had a blast. After an hour of surfing we headed back to the van only to realize that our van keys had come unknotted from the one guys surf shorts and now rested somewhere on the bottom of the ocean. We were shocked! Three hours away from the base, an hour away from any town, nine surfers, one van, and no key. So we’re out in the parking lot throwing around ideas of what to do, inwardly expecting to be stranded and spend the night there. One of the guys gets a random idea to ask a couple of half drunk guys across the parking lot if they know how to hot wire a van. And to our very pleasant surprise they did! They broke off the ignition, tampered around for a bit and fifteen minutes later we were on our way back home, with a screw driver starting our van! Raddest with ever. I think saying that God’s favor was upon us is an obvious statement! We were shocked, thrilled and couldn’t wait to tell our story!

So Lecture phase is nearly over, I cant believe it! It was a busy time, a growing time, a learning time and a time that I will treasure forever. I love the students on the DTS so much. The best part is seeing them be released into who God has created them to be. Breaking the rejection, the fear of man and the many, many lies from the Enemy. It’s about freedom from the lies that have so longed defined us! It’s about living life to our full potential in God. “The enemy came to steal, kill and destroy. But I came so that you may have life and life more abundantly.” -John 10:10

Hope all is well back home, or wherever you may be. Until next time…see ya!

-Crystal

What’s been happening on this side of the globe…

crystalgood — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:38:01 +0000

So we’re 6 weeks into a fantastic DTS! This week was a big week… Relationships is the topic! Our speakers spoke on everything from our relationship with God, parents, friends and of course guy/girl relationships. There have been so many hearts crushed from broken relationships in the past so its been a week of deep healing. It’s like God is giving a new foundation to build relationships on. One speaker explained that because God is a relational God we are such relational beings. Therefore our relationships are under so much attack because the enemy loves to tear apart that what we are created for and destroy what we are designed to need. So its been a great week of healing and rebuilding! Another recent topic was The Lordship of Christ, which was also a big week. It was all about getting over ourselves and taking our eyes off of our self absorbed lives and fixing our sight on Jesus. Other topics included ‘The Father Heart of God‘, ‘Identity & Calling‘, ‘Holy Spirit’ and ‘Hearing the Voice of God‘.
     This DTS consists of 3 different focuses: Music & Worship, Outdoor Adventures and Surfers. I have the opportunity to join with the surfers this school which has been an awesome time! We take day trips to the nearby surf beaches, we even get to serve and hang out at the Christian Surfers of New Zealand Camp next weekend! We’re so excited for that.
     So far the school is going rad. We’ll be deciding outreach locations next week. It’s a greatly anticipated decision! Outreach is only 6 weeks away.
     We just had a ‘Free Weekend’ where we have the chance to get off the base and explore New Zealand! I went on a road trip with 14 others. We had no concrete plans, just going and seeing what happens and where we end up. We ended camping in a parking lot, hanging out at the hot water beach, exploring Auckland city, staying the night at the YWAM base in Auckland city, and wrapping it up with a picnic on the beach.It was such a fun weekend!
     Spring is in the air here! After a long rainy winter season, atlast the temperature is climbing, the sun is shining and the grass is spring green! Thanks for all the support, prayers and encouragement! You guys have blessed me above and beyond!
                                                  -Crystal

Hi from the lovely NZ!

crystalgood — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 09:21:24 +0000

    Its been awhile since I last updated, hope all is well on your side of the world! This past month has been a good one. I had a couple weeks off to relax after the last school ended on July 25th. In that time I was able to go snowboarding for a day and spend a few days house sitting a beach front house and go surfing! After my time off we starting working around the base with maintnence and preparing for the next DTS. Three weeks ago our new staff started arriving in New Zealand. We have an amazing team of 16 staff! We’re from all over… New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, USA, Canada and Germany. Theyre already more than fellow staff but they’re close friends too.
    This past Saturday, September 6th our 45 students showed up on base! They are a phenominal group! Full of energy and talent. We have some amazing singers, talented musicians, adventurous outdoorsmen and crazy sports players. Our students are from all over Europe, USA, Canada, New Zealand & Asia. Even now after just five days of being together it’s amazing how “tight knit” the group has become. They’re amazing young people, the majority of them have had very broken and hard lives so far. So I’m excited to see the healing and restoration that God is going to do in their hearts and lives.
    Spring has just sprung here so we’re enjoying 70 degrees at mid-day and bright blue skies. It’s a refreshing change after the recent cold and rainy weather! Be blessed, hope your doing wonderful. Till next time, see ya!

Hello from Matamata… the town so nice they named it twice!!

crystalgood — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 23:36:32 +0000

Or at least that’s what the locals say. Haha

As of Friday July 24, the DTS has come to a close! It was definitely a bittersweet time. Precious memories, tears of joy, words of appreciation and a feeling of completion and contentment brought the school to a close. At times I felt like a Mom, proud of her kids as I watched all the growth, challenges and change that the students came through! Haha Really, I cant take any credit for what they came through though. I’m just honored to be a part of it and witness it all!

After our 6 six in Fiji, we all joined up together here at the base for a few days. We then split up again to complete our outreach here in New Zealand at nearby camps. My team spent 2 ½ weeks at Christian Youth Camp in Ngarawahia. (Good luck pronouncing it! It’s a typical New Zealand town name.) We worked in the kitchen, helping to cook for a group of 300, putting 13 hour days in in the kitchen for a few days. We did a lot of maintenance work like painting, cleaning, raking and that sort of stuff. Our last week we got the privilege of helping with the children’s camp! We sang songs at chapel, organized and played games; I even got to organize and perform a finger puppet show with some of the campers! That week was definitely a highlight for me. Our whole time spent at the camp was so good! A beautiful setting, surrounded by green rolling hills with sheep grazing, a lake for kayaking and lots of open land for soccer and camp fires.

Everyone met back at the base for a week of “re-entry” teaching, a time to prepare the students for the adjustment of going back home. Graduation night brought it to a close! I’m amazed how fast the past 5 ½ months have flown by, but all in all they were a wonderful.

The next DTS starts September 6, which we’re already anticipating! Until then, I have 2 weeks off to relax and rest. This week I’m staying on base, making phone calls, hanging out, and catching up on things around here. Over the weekend I have the opportunity to go snowboarding, which I am so excited for! (It’s winter time here, kind of crazy) Next week I’m staying at Camp Raglan, which is a beautiful camp right on the beach, hopefully get to go surfing there! After that, I’ll be working on base and preparing for the next school!

Thanks again to everyone who has been supporting me through prayer or financially. Seriously, you guys have been huge! You’ve been an incredible blessing, God’s provision and hand in my life. Thanks so much.

Until next time, see ya!

-Crystal

I’m back again… “home sweet home”

crystalgood — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 07:59:07 +0000

   Back to the wonderful land of New Zealand, the land where there are four times as many sheep as there are humans!
   We returned from Fiji on Friday, June 26 after six weeks of outreach. It was a great six weeks, filled with door knocking, children’s programs, mosquito bites and delicious food! In Fiji the Moms and children are usually home during the day and they love having white people come in and pray for them, encourage them and just sit a chat over a cup of tea and buttered bread. Every Saturday morning we played basketball with the kids at the local gym. During the week there were always children hanging out around the house or at the local “grounds” where lots of rugby and soccer was played. We became buds with a lot of them. One boy, Samu, we got especially close to, he got up at 5am just to say the final good bye right before we left! So sweet. We also spent time picking up trash in the neighborhood, praying for children and their parents at the local hospital, hosting youth groups and getting involved with the church’s cell groups. We were even able to perform a drama in front of 1,500 people at the Police Crusade in center city. It was such a cool night!
   During our last week in Fiji we took a two day adventure into a remote village. So much fun! No electricity or plumbing instead they had bamboo rafts, spear fishing, vines to swing from and huge rocks to jump off of into the water! We had so much fun as a team leaving behind our daily life in the outskirts of the city to experience another side of Fiji. I’m still amazed at how they make such delicious food from leaves, roots, rice and coconut milk. Fijians have the ability to make something from nothing! To them the plants and roots in their backyard are either food or medicine. They have a natural remedy for nearly everything!
   As a leader I had many new experiences! I can’t say it was an easy outreach, but I can say it was a good one! The pastor spoke one Sunday how tough times can either develop you or destroy you. It’s so true! I guess I saw first hand how God used every challenge to build character in me and cause me to continually turn to Him. It’s like God places just enough challenges in our path to keep us coming back to Him, just so that He can draw us near and spend a little more time together. As I think about this more, isn’t it crazy that the one who painted the sunsets, designed the duck billed platypus, thought of drawing pictures with stars in the night sky is the same God who pursues to have an intimate relationship with each of His prized creations? You would think after thousands of years and the simple fact that there are 6.7 billion people on this earth that He was eventually just get tired of us. But nope, still He pursues each individual heart with love, tenderness and power beyond our comprehension. Isn’t He good?! Tomorrow our outreach team heads off to a youth camp in a nearby town for 2 and a half weeks. This will complete outreach phase. We then have one week on base before graduating and bringing the school to a close on July 25. So far, so good!
   Take care, enjoy the summer weather back home (Its winter here, only 50 degrees!) and I’ll talk to you another time. Peace.

-Crystal

Our outreach team!

Bula from Fiji!

crystalgood — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:48:58 +0000

So here I am, in Suva Fiji, co-leading an outreach team. Sometimes I find it hard to believe where God has taken me! It seems almost unreal. And to look back and see His direction, provision and faithfulness in every step of the way is amazing! One year ago i had just returned home from DTS in Montana and Thailand and had no idea what was next! God is so good.
   We’re three weeks into outreach with three weeks left to go. We’ve seen and experienced God move among the people here as we were go door-to-door praying for people, hold youth nights and play games with the children in the neighborhood. Those have been our main outreach opportunities so far, along with random things like trash pick-up and performing dramas and skits. I feel like I’ve been learning even more than I’ve been teaching. There is so much to learn when you’re placed in a leader role for the first time! Wow! Sometimes things go so smoothly, but other times I feel like I’m in over my head! But it’s in those times when I realize I have no idea how to handle the situation that I cry out to God and He is right there. He’s right there, ready to speak, ready to lead the way and work things out! It’s so good to have a God who is alive and personal!
   We’re staying with the Pastor from the church and his family. They’re an awesome family! The hospitality is amazing. Huge family, small house and they still make room for the seven of us. The mom, Mary, is a fantastic cook! We’ve been eating like royalty Lots of rice, vegetables, curry, bread, and fresh fruit! The house is very simple, with no hot water and our laundry we do by hand but we have electricity!
   The town we live in has a high crime rate, especially theft, so we we’re told to not go out alone and always keep purses secure! Last monday, on our day off, our team had a picnic on the beach and then we stopped at McDonald’s for some ice cream. When we went to leave, my purse that was setting right beside me was gone, no where to be found! We reported it to the police with the description of a suspected guy, but they said he most likely sold my stuff on the street right after he got ahold of it. My purse had my camera, cell phone, wallet and debit cards… oh and my beloved green Nalgene water bottle! haha Thankfully, my passport wasn’t in there! So far, thats the only big thing thats gone wrong.
   Prayers for safety would be so appreciated! Also, for team for unity, passion for reaching out to the people, and wisdom for Jake and I as we lead! Thanks again to all those who have supported me financially, or in prayer or just encouraging me and standing behind me in this!
   This afternoon, we’re going to enjoy our day off with a picnic at a rope swing and waterfall near by! Cya later!

Fiji here we come!

crystalgood — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:43:40 +0000

The time has come… This morning at 9am we leave for Fiji! I can hardly believe the time for outreach has come. The 12 weeks of lecture phase here on the base have flown by. They’ve been awesome, impacting and so much fun! The next 6 weeks I’ll spend in Fiji with my team of 5 students and 1 co-leader. Im expecting it to be streching and challenging but rewarding. Im excited to see how God is going to use us. We’re going to be working with children, door knocking and to be honest, I have no idea what else! We don’t know much of anything except that we’ll be in Suva, Fiji. The rest we’ll learn as we go! Our pastor that we’ll be working with will meet as at the airport and we’ll go from there! He has lined up the place where we stay and some ministry opportunities for us. I’ve been here a total of 3 months already, crazy how time flies! It really is true that the older you get the faster time seems to go. I’m loving it here, miss home so much at times, but loving it here none the less. In just 12 hours we’ll be in Fiji experiencing the 90 degree weather, full humidity, and swarms of misquitos! Your prayers would be so appreciated.

Cya later!

The excitement is growing…

crystalgood — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 06:36:15 +0000

The excitement is growing! In just 3 weeks we will be headed to Fiji! Our outreach team consists of 5 awesome students and Jake and I who will be leading the crew. We will be spending 6 weeks in Suva, Fiji. Fiji is a small island just north of New Zealand. While the cities there are fairly westernized the culture is quite different. They run on “Fiji time” which means that anything goes! Its super laid back, an hour or 2 late is no problem at all. So pray for patience for us! English is not the first language, but nearly everyone speaks it. Fijian people are super friendly, always welcoming people into their homes and showing remarkable hospitality. We will have opportunities to work with the children in the city and the local church. Also, door knocking is culturally appropriate. People are quick to welcome you in, give you tea, and are happy to receive prayer. Following our time in Fiji, we will have 2 weeks of outreach here in New Zealand. Possibly helping with summer camps and whatever else God puts before us

The lecture phase of the school has been nothing short of amazing! Seeing people transformed is so rewarding. I’m learning that we never really reach that destination where we have learned it all. Rather, it’s this continual journey of Jesus revealing Himself more and more, going yet another level deeper. The power of prayer has been a huge revelation! Realizing the powerful weapon that it is. Prayer leads the way, opens doors, moves hearts, breaks down strongholds. Prayer allows us to move in bigger ways than we physically can. It gives us power and authority in the reality past our eyes. And in Jesus name, we can be victorious against powers of darkness.

Easter weekend was spent camping and surfing! We helped out at a camp for the weekend. Lots of time to relax but also opportunities to try new things like surfing! It was so fun. I swallowed so much salt water, but it was worth it. Easter Sunday morning i watched the sunrise while out in the ocean with a surf board. Good times!

That’s the latest around Crystal Springs, New Zealand! Prayers are so appreciated as we prepare for outreach. Pray for wisdom for us leaders, smooth planning and team unity. Thanks to everyone back home! I appreciate you all!

-Crystal Good

Crystal Good
c/o YWAM Crystal Springs
287 Springs Rd. RD1
Matamata 3471 NZ