Dawson Family Update
2024 has been an intense, beautiful, and challenging year for us. We’ve never been more acutely aware of our need for support and encouragement from our friends. Thank you for journeying with us. We appreciate you so deeply.
2025 is clearly going to be a “jump off the cliff” sort of year for our family as we’re likely going to spend most, if not all of the year in planes, trains and automobiles across the USA and Europe. As much as we love the comfort of our rhythms here at home in Aotearoa, New Zealand, we know it’s time to move out of our comfort zone once again and serve people in other places. Perhaps we’ll get a chance to see you in your neck of the woods, friend! I’ll unpack this more in the “Family Rhythms” section below.
As I write this, tomorrow is the first day of Spring here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and we can feel it in the air and in our bones. Our family and our team need ‘Springtime” in every way. We’ve all been reminded lately why the ministry of peacemaking between people is so challenging, so personally risky and so important.
“The instrument that removed human flesh from our teeth.” We recently learned from a friend that’s how the gospel of Jesus was described by his ancestors in the late 1700s in their native language. Profound. That continues to be what we need the power of the gospel to do today, isn’t it? We need the love of God to transform the way we see ourselves, and the way we see each other. No more bad guys and good guys. “Us” and “Them.” Just family, recovering from brokenness, bringing Heaven to earth. Shalom. Salaam. Rangimārie.
Here’s a little window into our day-to-day rhythms. Cora and I spent this morning helping to detangle a relationship breakdown between senior leaders within an international organisation. The tone of the conversation shifted dramatically when a group member humbled himself and acknowledged his own personal need for help. As his pride was absolutely barbecued, it was like his suffocating spirit was coming up for air. Oh yes, I know that feeling well, been there! A few days ago, this turn of events would have seemed impossible to everyone involved. Breakthrough.
This afternoon, we helped resolve a situation in a different community organisation involving the well-meaning but unwise mishandling of thousands of dollars of dedicated funds and a potential legal battle between those involved. Once again, due to a sudden turn towards humility, we’re now heading towards a peaceful resolution. It’s not enough to just resolve the current issue, it’s the learning and growing together that really brings healing.
Honestly, I’m a little exhausted. Today couldn’t have gone any better, really, but the magnitude of the work to be done is overwhelming at times. I need to be reminded that it’s wonderful to be an absolutely minuscule part of what our extraordinary Heavenly Father is up to on Earth and across the universe. It’s so good to be tiny, isn’t it, friend? I trust that stories like these are happening worldwide all the time, sparked and guided by Holy Spirit. They might not make it to the news, but they’ll be on letters between Jesus-following friends, like this one. Our focus in this season is to train as many others as we can in the arts of peace-making.
I still find Loren Cunningham’s vision and faith so inspiring. Young people being released into servanthood in every country on the planet. These days, sending young people on a mission trip is completely normal, no big deal. Back in the 1960s, it was revolutionary. Mission work was for the professionals with suits and ties and a decade of seminary behind them. It took guts for those early YWAM leaders to believe in what young people could be capable of, touched by the love of God and trained well. As I write this there are 4,500 YWAM’ers gathered in Manilla, worshipping Jesus together and encouraging each other. Extraordinary.
Our dream is an extension of the dream God put in Loren and Darlene’s hearts and is perhaps just as ridiculous. Can young people be trained and released into the ministry of reconciliation? Healing marriages & families? Healing communities? Ending legal battles? Brokering peace between nations? Isn’t that for the professionals?
Jesus loves to do extraordinary things through ordinary people.
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God…
