[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-new-day-down-under":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-new-day-down-under-surround":83},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":66,"date":67,"description":16,"extension":68,"image":69,"meta":70,"minRead":71,"navigation":72,"path":73,"postType":74,"publication":75,"publicationUrl":69,"seo":76,"stem":77,"topics":78,"__hash__":82},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fa-new-day-down-under.md","A New Day Down Under",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Matthew",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":62},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53,56,59],[14,15,16],"p",{},"I met Oskar on a plane a few weeks ago. He sat next to me during a flight from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand. A native of India and a pediatric surgeon, Oskar was moving his family to New Zealand. I was starting a two-week mission trip.",[14,18,19],{},"We talked about important matters, like family, and unimportant matters, like airline food.",[14,21,22],{},"\"How old are your girls?\" I asked.",[14,24,25],{},"\"Five and three. And yours?\"",[14,27,28],{},"\"Teenagers. Three of them.\"",[14,30,31],{},"As we flew over the International Dateline, I wondered, \"Who decided that this remote spot in the Pacific Ocean would be the point where a new day begins?\"",[14,33,34],{},"Soon Oskar laughed. \"My daughter just told the woman sitting next to her that she shouldn't sleep with her mouth open, because she might swallow a fly.\" I laughed too.",[14,36,37],{},"This young doctor appeared to have it all—a good job, a pretty wife sleeping against his shoulder, two well-behaved daughters seated in front of us.",[14,39,40],{},"\"But he still needs Jesus,\" I reminded myself. And I remembered why I was on this trip—to teach, encourage, and assist some of the workers who serve Christ in the South Pacific.",[14,42,43],{},"New sights and sounds surrounded me during my time \"down under\"; kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, cockatoos, magpies, eucalyptus trees, and exotic plants in the rain forest. But I was more impressed by the people themselves.",[14,45,46],{},"Like Jeff and Robin Vines, who are planting a new church in Auckland. And Luke and Tiffany Smith, whose church near Brisbane, Australia, has grown from 20 to 90 people during the last year. And Malcolm, a radio station program manager working to expand Christian broadcasting in Australia.",[14,48,49],{},"There's Cheryl, who found her way out of Mormonism to new life in Christ. And 11-year-old Rebecca, excited about her recent baptism, who enjoys the Kids Club. Kevin, a retired emergency medical technician, and his wife Lyn, persevered through nearly 20 years of struggle to help plant Impact Christian Church, and now enjoy the fruit of their labors as the church's current growth and bright future.",[14,51,52],{},"Our plane finally landed in Auckland just before dawn. It was dark and quite cold—winter in New Zealand.",[14,54,55],{},"Hurriedly, I scribbled a note on my business card and handed it to Oskar. One conversation wasn't enough, but hopefully I'd planted a seed.",[14,57,58],{},"\"Here's the phone number of a friend I know in Auckland. He's a minister. He'll be glad to help if you need anything.\"",[14,60,61],{},"Oskar responded with polite thanks and a warm handshake. And I walked away praying for Christians like the Smiths and the Vines who serve in far away places so countless people like Oskar can experience a new day of hope in Christ.",{"title":63,"searchDepth":64,"depth":64,"links":65},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","1997-09-28","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-new-day-down-under","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fa-new-day-down-under",[79,80,81],"Biblical Theology","Church Leadership","Discipleship","xnFKoQI9mzDkt_027rN5e0maXqDeMBIuSlcMA-7anaA",[84,89],{"title":85,"path":86,"stem":87,"description":88,"children":-1},"A Lost Cause","\u002Farticles\u002Fa-lost-cause","articles\u002Fa-lost-cause","When you think of a city, do you immediately think of something negative? Gangs, garbage, and gridlock? Crowds, crime, and corruption? Maybe you think instead of the positive side of city life: jobs, excitement, and interesting things to do, from parks and zoos to fine restaurants, from concerts to professional sports. Sadly, though, when you mention cities, for most people words like church, faith, or ministry don't immediately spring to mind. According to *American Demographics* (October, 1997), given a choice, fewer than one in 10 Americans say they would prefer to live in a large city, and six in 10 say they wouldn't even consider buying a home in any major city.",{"title":90,"path":91,"stem":92,"description":93,"children":-1},"A New Look at Some Old Values","\u002Farticles\u002Fa-new-look-at-some-old-values","articles\u002Fa-new-look-at-some-old-values","Did you ever search frantically for a lost object, then find it in an obvious place? Maybe you misplaced your car keys, then found them in the car's ignition. Perhaps you searched for your favorite shirt, only to discover it in the closet where it was supposed to be all along."]