By Te Hauoterangi Karaka
NZCMS Māori Evangelist

Tēnā koutou katoa. Things have been very busy in Te Puaha O Waikato, attend­ing and con­duct­ing many tangi­hanga, house bless­ings, Hura kōhatu, hos­pital and pas­toral care visits.

Marae Min­istry 
Marae min­istry and pas­toral care have been keeping me very busy due to the huge amount of Tangi­hanga (funer­als) in Ngati Tipa Te Puaha O Waikato (Port Waikato). Over the past three months alone, I have con­duc­ted fifteen Tangi­hanga and with that comes added pas­toral care for the whānau pani (bereaved family).

Since I began my mission min­istry in Te Puaha O Waikato, under Te Mana O Te Wheke and NZCMS, I have worked to build rela­tion­ships with the Iwi (people) after the passing of their loved ones, which also extends into the con­duct­ing of what we call Hura kōhatu, (Memorial Cel­eb­ra­tion) after one year of their passing.

Through­out the year, I main­tain a very close rela­tion­ship with these whānau, offer­ing ongoing support by attend­ing “Nga Kawe Mate”, the mourn­ing cere­mony that is sub­sequent to the tangi­hanga. Please pray for me as I walk along­side these fam­il­ies from the funeral until the unveil­ing during the Hura kōhatu.

This min­istry has been very reward­ing, build­ing trust and strength­en­ing strong rela­tion­ships, which has also res­ul­ted in the growth of our Marae Karakia Rātapu. These marae ser­vices have been very con­sist­ent, with approx­im­ately 45–60 people attend­ing. On two occa­sions, we have had as many as 80 people attend!

Toko Tor­utapu o Parawai
At Toko Tor­utapu, we are slowly build­ing a closer rela­tion­ship with the vestry and clergy. As you may be aware of some of the his­tor­ies that lay beneath the surface, Toko Tor­utapu in Thames has been closed for over two years. I guess, like any­thing, res­tor­a­tion takes time, with ongoing min­istry, prayer and much self-exam­in­a­tion. But I am very con­fid­ent that we will achieve this goal of unity in Jesus’ name.

I have been con­duct­ing one service a month. However, we are plan­ning to increase to two ser­vices a month. The pos­sib­il­ity of intro­du­cing an extra service would help to build the min­istry and its members spir­itu­ally with the ongoing min­istry of God’s word. Waiting once a month between ser­vices is not helpful for anyone’s spir­itual walk!

Finally, I would like to give thanks to Bishop Ngarahu and Manu­taki Wiremu for their support. I also thank God for my sup­port­ers. Without your support fin­an­cially and in prayer, this min­istry would not allow me to work so closely with our people.

Kororia ki a koe e te Atua.

Prayer Needs 
• Pray for the pas­toral work Howard is involved in and for all the tangi­hanga, that God would empower him for the work.
• Pray for the marae ser­vices Howard is running and for the people who are attend­ing, that this min­istry would grow and that the people would come to know Christ.
• Pray for recon­cili­ation and healing from past wrongs and hurts exper­i­enced at Toko Tor­utapu, that Jesus would bring a mira­cu­lous wave of res­tor­a­tion to that com­munity by His Spirit. Pray that the Spirit would empower Howard with patience and wisdom as he brings the Gospel to those places.
• Pray that Howard would be able to add another service a month in this area so that the people can hear the Gospel and be fed more regularly.
• Praise God for all that he is doing in Te Puaha O Waikato. Pray that Howard and his wife Gladys would be blessed with times of rest and res­tor­a­tion with friends and family in amongst their busy lives as ambas­sad­ors for the Gospel in Aotearoa.

Learn more about Howard