Speaker: Josh Duckett, 9am Leader, Activate Ruakura
Josh Duckett: Hi church. My name is Josh, my wife, Kayla, and I WE lead the 9 am Gathering here at Activate Church. I also have a full time role. outside of that and Kayla Homeschools, our four children.
How do you show love to others in your role?
Josh Duckett: I show love through simply treating people how I would like to be treated. This is moreso well, that's true in every aspect of my life. From working alongside Kayla at church and the team at church, to also in my professional career as a designer and and salesman, its just treating people exactly how I would like to be treated.
Where have you seen transformation taking place?
Josh Duckett: Earlier this year, I managed to merge my two workplaces, together to a degree, and I was overseas, for business in Germany, And on the way back, I joined up with Pastor Sheridyn and the team who were in India, and we met with the team up there. And for me, that was a transformational time. It was a time where not only was it my first mission strip in about 15 years, but it was also a time where we were able to see God move amongst the locals and in ways that I personally hadn't seen before. So my life was transformed in that moment, and one of the things we saw was one morning we went up into the prayer sanctuary, which was further north, up close to the Himalayas, and up there we were praying and worshipping. And it was, you know, it was wonderful. God was there, we could feel His presence. And then the locals started to pray, and that just brought something different and fresh. And all of a sudden there was this rush of wind and bear in mind. India is very much a windless area, and we hadn't had any gusts of wind at all since we'd been there. But you know, outside of this rush of wind, which was like The Spirit coming, we also had a flock of about 30 birds just turn up and start singing and chirping and whatnot. You know, they weren't looking for food. They were just hanging around sitting on the trees next to us, and they were making a racket. But it was a happy racket. And it was a racket that was made when the locals started praising Jesus. And that really spoke to me in a way of going, you know what? The locals can have the biggest impact- we can come alongside, and we can support, and we can empower and equip. But at the end of the day, the locals are going to have an impact way more, not only quickly but way more significantly than we ever could because they know their culture, they know their people, they know the needs of their people. And that's what I saw was, you know, God putting that on show and it was amazing to be a part of. And that whole trip, really shaped me and has helped mould me and got me back on fire in a new and fresh way that I haven't experienced before.
How would you encourage others to share God's love?
Josh Duckett: Yes. Just say yes to God. And through Him, you're gonna see some amazing things, and He's gonna do some things in your life that you're gonna be very surprised at, whether that could be praying for someone at work that you just you know they need Jesus. But you've never had an opportunity where you felt comfortable enough to to pray for them or, you know... Keep saying yes to the things that God's got in store for you and keep praying for that person in private. And one day you'll be surprised. You'll get a chance where you know you might get a chance where you can plant another seed and pray for that person. And at the end of the day, as long as we keep saying yes and yes to God, we're gonna see God move in a wonderful, wonderful way, not only through our city, but and through our nation, but also across the world.
