Crikey, off to New Zealand!
UPDATE 1/30, 12:20p NZ (1/29, 5:20p CST US): Bryan and I will speak 8x in 6 places around this 2-island country during our 13-day stay.
January 27 it was to an impressive group of 50 young people at the Maxim Institute in Auckland, NZ’s counterpart to the Heritage Foundation.
January 29 it was an all-day workshop and speaking event in NZ’s capital, Wellington (see photo right and below), which is what most of our speaking events will look like. Bryan and I each give 2 workshops during the day and our testimony at night. My workshops are on 1) pro-life blogging/social media; and 2) the abortion-breast cancer link.
The weather is beautiful, 70-80 degrees, and the Kiwis are very warm and kind people, particularly the pro-lifers.
It has been interesting trying to get a handle on the situation here. NZ is very secular, so there has been concern about bringing too much God into our speeches for fear of alienating prospects and being dismissed by the media. Bryan and I have tried to strike a balance without completely gutting our testimonies of their most important component.
The other prob in NZ is cultural apathy about abortion. The country is also very PC, even more so than the US. I realize now looking at us from the outside that American pro-lifers are quite boisterous and assertive compared to some others, a foreign but attractive concept to pro-lifers here trying to launch an activist spirit.
We told them we by no means have all the answers. After all, American’s abortion rate is just a smidge lower than NZ’s. There is certainly much for all of us to learn from one another. But American pro-life activists are definitely on the offensive, both overtly and subversively attempting to make pro-aborts miserable at every turn, along with everything else we have going on to stop abortion. “No justice, no peace” is the favorite motto of many of us.
Cheers until next time!
1/25, 11:04p: Tonight Bryan Kemper of Stand True Ministries and I are embarking on a 2-week whirlwind pro-life speaking tour to 6 cities in New Zealand! Am happy hubby Rich gets to tag along for the adventure.
Am writing from LAX, with a 12-hour flight coming up. NZ time is 18 hours ahead of CST. Rich has already figured out he’ll be watching the Super Bowl at 1p, Monday, February 7.
I will be posting as often as I can but the timing of my posts may be weird, coming in at all hours. Kelli will still post Susie Allen’s (Prolifer)ations, Jivin J’s Life Links, and Laura Loo’s Lunch Breaks.
“Cheers!’ as they say in NZ for good-bye… :)
Jill,
Have a wonderful trip. Godspeed!
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sweet as Jill! have a good flight y’all. Alex and I are sorting out some mobile internet for you and Bryan now.
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Have a great trip and safe travels!!! :)
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Positive thoughts for safe travels, Jill!
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Cheers, Jill!!
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Praying for a safe, productive trip, and wishing you were flying a little further west too!
The Aussie/Kiwi relationship is a lot like the cultural relationship between the US and Canada. We tease them a lot about their accent (ask someone to say “fish and chips”- and then ask them what fush and chups are) and having millions of sheep everywhere (even though Australia has millions of sheep too!) We enjoy epic sporting contests between our two nations (go, Diamonds!)
NZ is a spectacularly beautiful country which we, truth be told, are proud to have as our neighbours. A very close tie was formed almost 100 years ago when Aussie and Kiwi soldiers fought together, and were slaughtered together, in Turkey during WWI.
Is there a published itinerary for your trip? (Wondering if you’re going anywhere near Nelson- one of my precious saved-baby-mamas and her delightful sons live there.)
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New Zealand…the land where one of my favorite movies was filmed!
http://www.newzealand.com/travel/about-nz/features/narnia/the-chronicles-of-narnia.cfm
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Wow what a wonderful place to go visit! Enjoy your trip!
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Michelle,
Jill links the itinerary in the text, whirlwind pro-life speaking tour.
:)
It says that the venues are to be confirmed still.
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I’m so excited you’re coming to NZ! Can’t wait to hear you and Bryan speak =D
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Jill — I would be interested in knowing the abortion rate among the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.
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Look forward to seeing you myself. Very excited.
Did you know that the law under which abortion is conducted in NZ was actually designed to make it illegal? So they’re all done under the guise of protecting the woman’s “mental health”.
BTW, stats can be seen here
http://www.stats.govt.nz/browse_for_stats/health/abortion/ethnic-differentials-in-induced-abortions-in-nz.aspx
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