Thoughts from Tamati

In the next few blog posts, we will hear from some members of our church family.  Enjoy a brief background and details about each person, along with hearing how the four week imposed lockdown due to COVID-19 has affected them personally.  Our hope is to draw encouragement and strength from each other as we point towards Jesus.

"For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.  Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.  So encourage each other and build each other up, just as your are already doing." -1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

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Tamati is an excellent guitar player and musician. In addition to sharing his gifts at church, he often performs live at venues in town.

Hi, my name is Tamati Cassidy.  I shifted back here to Taupo (late October 2017) after living here in February 2006 – May 2014 and working as a full time and relief Primary School teacher.  Currently I am working part time as a translator of Te Reo Māori for a mission mobile phone app and series of Bible comics.  I spent 2014 to 2017 back in my home town of Mount Roskill in Auckland relief teaching and helping my brother to care for my mum.

I have been a volunteer at many things including hockey coaching, umpiring and umpire management, Children’s Holiday Camps, Easter Camps Music team leadership and Maori Wardens to name some of the things which I enjoy most.  

In all of my time in Taupo, I have been a member of the Church@109 family and have involved myself there with teaching the children 10 years +, along with teaching the church, playing music with the worship team, and earlier before 2017, serving as a worship leader.  On two occasions I served on short term mission trips to Nairobi in Kenya and Prince Rupert in Canada.

The pandemic and lockdown has taught me that God still operates and is in the know about what is happening.  I have had more time to be still and to listen to good church sermons online.  Also, in my daily work, I am translating and studying the life of Jesus and what He endured while He was on the earth.   It has given me hope and comfort.  I also appreciate my church family even more now. 

​On the flip side this whole episode has been hard in terms of not having face to face contact with many and restricting my movement.  Jesus warned of times like this and he encouraged his disciples to "Fear Not."  It reminds me of Psalm 23 where the Psalmist (possibly David says) “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil, you are with me.”