So it's about 5:30 am in the morning and I can't sleep so I thought that I'd do a little blog to pass the time before I actually get out of bed!
Two of my roommates left about an hour and a half ago for their flights, so we were up just so that we could say a final goodbye and Merry Christmas. There is already this vacant feeling in the room, sleeping in my own room again is going to be interesting without anybody else there.
However, it is indeed Christmas time and I am coming home today!! I am super excited and ready to be home and see my family and my friends again, it's been a while.
4 months has passed with me being in this program and I can still remember the very first day, it's incredible the amount of things that have happened and the experiences that I have gone through. God has been so present in my life teaching me, disciplining me, loving me and guiding me, He has opened my eyes to so many things that I would have never seen before and has revealed to me the things that I desperately need to change. I have found something so great here during my studies and during my devotions: The deeper I go into the Bible, the bigger my God becomes, the more powerful He is, the more merciful He is with me and the more righteous He is. It's not like He has ever changed, it's just my perspective on Him has and I have found a deeper desire to know His thoughts, His ways and His will. I have begun to learn how to have a two-way relationship with God, and though there is still so much that I need to learn, I have discovered so much joy in what I have experienced.
It hasn't been easy to say the least, mom has had to listen to a few crying sessions (indeed it's surprising, but I do cry) - trying to encourage me through sobs is a little difficult, but she has done well (thanks mom!). As I've learned from her, it's dealing with the heart matter that makes things so much more difficult and it's so true and I don't really like the process. However I've been encouraged here at camp that it's in the valleys is where God works the best, it's where His power shines brightest because it's in those valleys where I have to depend fully on God's promises that He uses everything to the good of those who love Him. I've learned through other people how suffering to bless is one of life's most interesting gifts. When we suffer, it opens doors to reach other people, to bless other people but first we must understand that we cannot suffer on our own, for we wouldn't make it. Just like in that famous poem, "footprints in the sand" it's during those times where we were carried, and because we were shown powerful love, we in turn can use those experiences to "carry" someone else - to love them through their pain.
God has also placed 3 incredible people in my life here at Kaleo to guide me and encourage me. My roommates. I cannot say enough about how much they mean to me, their tremendous influences have played a key role in helping to ground my faith and to depend more on God. We always seem to have fun, even on the difficult days: the boring-trying to trudge through a paper-stuck inside-wanting to tear your hair out frustrated-days. We each bring something to the table and it's amazing to me how we've made our differences work and even benefit each other. We've done some pretty awesome things this semester: build forts, make hammocks, buy a christmas tree (a little/fake one), have nerf gun wars, and most importantly begun a little tradition of reading a chapter of a book before bedtime (currently we're on C.S. Lewis' "The magicians nephew"--total bible school students, I know) and through all this we've learned so many things about each other - how to confront/admonish another (currently it involves a process with the nerf guns), how to encourage, how to listen and how to love one another.
Kaleo has taught me so much in this first semester and I pray that I can bring what I've learned home. For I've been in this little bubble for a while and there hasn't been too many distractions (or at least as many as there will be at home) so I've been able to focus my attention almost solely on seeking the kingdom of God and growing in that. Yet I know that my journey is not done, it will never be done. I still get to spend Christmas with family, something that I've been looking forward to, getting more excited as every day passes. I get to catch up with friends and make some more memories with them and I'll get to meet new friends and discover new memories with them as well.
I'm falling asleep again so I think this will be a goodbye - but there will be more coming.
See some of you in a few hours!!!!!
Tuesday 13 December 2011
Monday 28 November 2011
A Light in the Darkness
Crazy how the week seems to fly by and suddenly we're back to Monday again! That's basically how I can sum up what's been happening lately...it's been a whirlwind of adventures, studying and trying to catch up on sleep. Last week we had both monday and tuesday off! Well kinda, there wasn't anything scheduled for those days but they were filled with frantically finishing papers and group projects so it came as a relief when wednesday came and we headed off to a little town called Ladysmith where we had an amazing time caving!!
It definitely was an adventure, especially climbing up a small waterfall and praying that we wouldn't fall down any steep slopes. God really taught me several different things through this particular out-trip, for one thing I never really thought that I would ever go caving and here I found myself doing something that was out of my comfort zone. I have to admit, I don't really like caves. Why you ask? Precisely because they're dark and unknown and I don't like the dark and unknown at all. So it was an interesting time when our leader Andrew instructed us to turn off our headlamps all at once and I was engulfed in darkness. I could blink and I couldn't tell the difference, I could move my hand in front of my face and all I saw was black. My eyes eventually started to hurt because they couldn't adjust to the blackness. It was with this awareness that Andrew began speaking to us about how we are supposed to be a light of the world to those walking in darkness, and now with us having experienced the utter blackness we can understand how it's difficult to make way through life without having a light to guide. This is my call, to be a guiding light on the hill that gives glory to God my Father, so that all may see my good works and know that He is the one who guides me.
As we walked around, we kept asking Andrew how far we've gone into the cave considering we had been on the move for about 45 minutes. It wasn't until we had reached the entrance of the cave did we understand that we had walked in one giant loop! As we thought about what we had traversed through, we realized that there had really been no need to climb up the waterfall or tentatively make our way along slippery slopes with Andrew telling us where to place our feet for the most sure route, because the easier path was just feet away. But this is what Andrew's point was, God leads us to places not because He wants us to take the easier way, but because He wants us to show us that He is there with His love and peace and that He will guide us through even when we're trekking through the dangerous valleys and we feel alone. God has never told us that we won't escape pain or suffering just because we call ourselves Christians, but He has promised us that through that pain and suffering He will never forsake us.
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| Before heading in! |
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| The crew getting a little wet |
This past thursday we headed back out to Ladysmith for their annual Ladysmith Lightup! The town of Ladysmith will light the whole town and they have a parade of the local businesses, clubs, churches and schools which roll through town on various floats. It was really quite fantastic with all the participants (we weren't really expecting all that much) and how many people showed up to watch, which apparently added up to 25,000 people!
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| Just one of the many lighted "floats" |
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| A snapshot of the wonders |
It was actually really fun, specifically at the end when we followed the very last float...which surprisingly was not a santa one, but rather the Nativity Scene which was really awesome and the whole crowd gathered around the city hall and sang "Joy to the World" (A personal favourite carol!). After they lit the giant tree and then proceeded to have one of the most spectacular fireworks show I've seen, it was quite amazing!
And to top off the night, our whole entire group decided, so that we wouldn't lose anyone, to walk 15 minutes back to the vans holding hands...it received some strange looks but I think that it really made my night because of how much fun we made it.
Finally, we've come full circle to Monday where I've begun another class: Gospels. Everything I had heard from other sources had lead me to believe that our teacher Wes Olmstead was terrifying...and after spending all day, from 8:30 to 5:30, with him I have to say that I am the most eager I have ever been for class, and I would have absolutely no problem with having more classes with him. He really knows his stuff, teaches it so well and is quite personable. The only thing that I'm worried about is his marking...he apparently has this reputation for being a tough marker, but I'm not really convinced that he's unfair, rather it's because he knows his stuff that he can mark in the way that he does. So be praying that I can take full advantage of having such a privilege of him teaching me and that I can absorb everything that he is teaching and store the words that I'm studying in my Bible in my heart.
And the countdown begins...15 more days and I'm on my way back to the mainland for christmas break!!
Sunday 20 November 2011
Meet the Cast and See the Set
So I thought I'd let you know who's been here at camp, I want you to meet those who I spend every single day with!! It's quite exciting and every single person is amazing in there own way!
So first, I'd like to introduce you to my roommates:
They are amazing people, they encourage me to push myself and kind of break out of my mould. It's so awesome to be able to laugh about almost anything and the very next second to be asking the hard questions and really testing each other, trying to ground each other in our faith. These girls are the ones that I spend the most time with and I'm so grateful and thankful for them.
Next for all the ladies:
These are equally phenomenal people. They are all so beautiful and caring and different! They each bring a different gift to our group that helps to make living on a girls floor not only better than bearable, but uplifting and so much fun!!
So in the picture on the very left in the pink shirt is Alisha, the taller girl right behind her is Erin, and right next to Erin is Tessa (Not sure if you can see the dreads, but she's the one with dreads), Stacey is the shorter blonde in the black dress in the front and beside her with the redder hair is Hannah. The tallest blonde in the back is Kathleen. Nancy is front and center with Lindsey tucked away right beside her. Nicole is the one in the blue shirt and floral skirt. Bec, our female intern (she lives right across the hall, and is awesome!) is a quarter cut off by Nicole, with Erin Karklins, our Assistant Kaleo leader in the Hollister Sweater and Makayla is right behind her in the very back. There's me (who I hope that you know!) and then there's Toni!! These are all the Kaleo ladies that I have gotten to know very well and love very much!
Now for the Guys:
So there are 9 guys in the program, and the picture does show 8 (just in case you were wondering if I couldn't count), I actually couldn't find any picture with all of the guys, so this one will have to suffice. From left to right, there's Matthew, Michael, Mitch, Tanner, Keith, Graedon, Cody, Jon. Trevor is the one who isn't pictured.
These guys are really awesome brothers, they often bring the comedy relief and the necessary characteristics to keep us level headed and still on our toes. They're all really intelligent and fun to hang out with and I would have to say that life here at Camp Qwanoes would actually be quite boring without them because they love to prank and get into all kinds of mischief - and it most of the times ends up becoming a group joke, but there is the occasional time where it gets taken too far (thankfully it hasn't been that often!). Just like the girls, they are all different in their personalities and it's been such an amazing time getting to know each of them and their unique gifts.
Now for my room!! (Don't worry, it was semi-clean when I took the pictures!)
The Tour:
We'll start at our door (Exciting, I know!):
Then we move into the bathroom area (Even more enthralling!):
Keep moving until we head into the actual sleeping quarters (Where it gets a little more exciting...)
Then my bed area (duh, duh, duh...it's actually clean!!!)
Then you get the awesome view from my seat at my desk. (You don't really get to see the actual ocean in the picture, but it's there)
I wanted to wait to do this particular post because I wanted to wait until I had gotten to know the people here better. I love being here at Camp Qwanoes, it's been a remarkable time these past three months studying, adventuring, laughing, playing, crying, and going crazy! I haven't regretted one single thing about being here and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me for the rest of this month and the new year...He's been patient with me while I've been solidifying my biblical foundations and building upwards from there. I've learned so much about His grace and I've been reorienting my identity to be the one that He loves, It's been hard, but it's rewarding to say the least.
I hope to be doing another video sometime soon, so stay tuned!!
Thank you all so much for coming alongside me through all this, if there's anything you would like to know more about, please let me know!
Love, Marissa
So first, I'd like to introduce you to my roommates:
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| Nancy, Makayla, Lindsey and me! |
Next for all the ladies:
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| Looking lovely for the Thanksgiving Dinner! |
These are equally phenomenal people. They are all so beautiful and caring and different! They each bring a different gift to our group that helps to make living on a girls floor not only better than bearable, but uplifting and so much fun!!
So in the picture on the very left in the pink shirt is Alisha, the taller girl right behind her is Erin, and right next to Erin is Tessa (Not sure if you can see the dreads, but she's the one with dreads), Stacey is the shorter blonde in the black dress in the front and beside her with the redder hair is Hannah. The tallest blonde in the back is Kathleen. Nancy is front and center with Lindsey tucked away right beside her. Nicole is the one in the blue shirt and floral skirt. Bec, our female intern (she lives right across the hall, and is awesome!) is a quarter cut off by Nicole, with Erin Karklins, our Assistant Kaleo leader in the Hollister Sweater and Makayla is right behind her in the very back. There's me (who I hope that you know!) and then there's Toni!! These are all the Kaleo ladies that I have gotten to know very well and love very much!
Now for the Guys:
So there are 9 guys in the program, and the picture does show 8 (just in case you were wondering if I couldn't count), I actually couldn't find any picture with all of the guys, so this one will have to suffice. From left to right, there's Matthew, Michael, Mitch, Tanner, Keith, Graedon, Cody, Jon. Trevor is the one who isn't pictured.
These guys are really awesome brothers, they often bring the comedy relief and the necessary characteristics to keep us level headed and still on our toes. They're all really intelligent and fun to hang out with and I would have to say that life here at Camp Qwanoes would actually be quite boring without them because they love to prank and get into all kinds of mischief - and it most of the times ends up becoming a group joke, but there is the occasional time where it gets taken too far (thankfully it hasn't been that often!). Just like the girls, they are all different in their personalities and it's been such an amazing time getting to know each of them and their unique gifts.
Now for my room!! (Don't worry, it was semi-clean when I took the pictures!)
The Tour:
We'll start at our door (Exciting, I know!):
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| That white paper on the bottom is one of the many quote walls throughout the building |
Then we move into the bathroom area (Even more enthralling!):
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| The toilet and shower are in the reflection of the mirror (not actually, I just didn't want to take a thousand pictures) |
Keep moving until we head into the actual sleeping quarters (Where it gets a little more exciting...)
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| This is actually what my room looked like 2 weeks ago... |
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| This is what it looks like right now |
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| This is the inside of it! (with a little of Nancy) |
Then my bed area (duh, duh, duh...it's actually clean!!!)
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| There's actual books open on my desk = Studious! |
Then you get the awesome view from my seat at my desk. (You don't really get to see the actual ocean in the picture, but it's there)
I wanted to wait to do this particular post because I wanted to wait until I had gotten to know the people here better. I love being here at Camp Qwanoes, it's been a remarkable time these past three months studying, adventuring, laughing, playing, crying, and going crazy! I haven't regretted one single thing about being here and I can't wait to see what God has in store for me for the rest of this month and the new year...He's been patient with me while I've been solidifying my biblical foundations and building upwards from there. I've learned so much about His grace and I've been reorienting my identity to be the one that He loves, It's been hard, but it's rewarding to say the least.
I hope to be doing another video sometime soon, so stay tuned!!
Thank you all so much for coming alongside me through all this, if there's anything you would like to know more about, please let me know!
Love, Marissa
Monday 7 November 2011
something a little different
So this time I thought that I'd do something different as opposed to writing everything down. It's a short little video, but I promise that more will come soon, I just am running out of time on my study break (and I'm in the library) so I can't really do an extended amount in this video.
Also, during our last class we did this creative project on the Old Testament. It's on our school blog so here's the link if you want to check it out: Old Testament Creative Project
Monday 24 October 2011
Something's Different Here
Life here at camp always feels like an adventure...so here's this weeks crazy, chaotic happenings, from surfing, homework, juniors retreat, and OT literature!
Ahh, surfing...well for one thing, I know that I'm never ever going to be a pro surfer, but I do know that I can stand up on the board! We roadtripped and stopped at this little (but cool) market place called goats on a roof, then we stopped at Cathedral Grove provincial park. We made it finally to Ucluelet (the town near Tofino) and stayed in Christ's Community Church. The first day we went to Green Point where we played some ultimate frisbee and ran around in the water and had quite a lot of fun there. The next day we got to actually go surfing and we went to Chesterman Beach. We had these two instructors who were really cool and easy going and gave us pretty good instruction. We were rearing to go once we got our wetsuits on and had our boards. The instructors kept us waiting for a little while, but finally we got into the water...and it took me from about 1-4:45 and I could barely get up on my knees. It was SO MUCH FUN though!! Although I didn't really get that chance to stand up, I wasn't totally bummed out because we had some really fantastic weather that day (it was actually warm!) and everyone just enjoyed themselves. After all that surfing, we went back to the church and cleaned up and got to watch soul surfer---great movie to watch when the next day you're going to go surfing..not!! (I actually prefer the documentary over the movie personally!) We had some really awesome devotions that night too, we had separated in to boys and girls and really delved in to different issues. And the next day we headed out earlier in the morning and ended up at long beach. It was quite a bit cooler out, and it was slightly overcast. And to make matters worse, we had to put on cold, wet wetsuits! That was definitely an experience, but I got it done! But there were so many more waves, and they were bigger! There was just one problem...we just couldn't catch a break 'cause all the waves kept coming! However, we were able to battle the waves and actually found that because there were so many more waves, it allowed for more chances to practice standing up. I finally stood up!!! In fact, everyone who didn't stand up the day before got to stand up, it was just a day of accomplishments! The only trophy that I really got to take back with me is the nice rash across my neck from the wetsuit. Everyone else just looks like they were hanged because of the bright red line across their neck, but mine actually looks like a hickey...how embarrassing!!
We really experienced different things along this trip. For one, being in the ocean and feeling so small was something that I encountered, and really coming into understanding about how great God really is - for although the ocean is majestic and wonderful, how much more glorious are we, mankind, whom He formed to be the pinnacle of creation because He loves us so immeasurably more. So it was quite an adventure! With all the travelling, and surfing, we arrived back to camp quite worn out, but so grateful for the opportunity that we had to actually surf - I never actually thought that I'd surf in my lifetime, so it was really fantastic to realize that I quite enjoyed myself!
Finally, we've come full circle to the next week...and our next class: Old Testament literature. This is a class in which I was really interested to see what I would learn, but also kind of unsure of our professor, Don Taylor and what he would be like. We had this pile (or more like heap) of pre-course work (that we're still working on): 2 papers, one book, 1 large creative project and an exam + all the class material. I was expecting someone who was a lot more strict that what he actually was, so I was really caught off guard when he turned out to be really flexible, quite knowledgable with the skill of making OT quite interesting (I love OT, but still, it's more interesting now), made Jesus and his story more relevant, and he was actually funny! I feel so much more less stress now that he's cleared up most of our work and I'm excited to see what we're going to learn, and it's quite sad to think that we only have 4 more days left with him :(
Although in this past week there has been a roller coaster of emotions and different happenings, I have been able to stay somewhat sane and my devo time with God has really helped me to stay centred on Him and to give me a place of refuge when I'm lacking in sleep, strength and understanding. So thank you to you who have been praying for me, I definitely have been revelling in God's love and grace - He has given me so much more than I could ever be worthy of.
Ahh, surfing...well for one thing, I know that I'm never ever going to be a pro surfer, but I do know that I can stand up on the board! We roadtripped and stopped at this little (but cool) market place called goats on a roof, then we stopped at Cathedral Grove provincial park. We made it finally to Ucluelet (the town near Tofino) and stayed in Christ's Community Church. The first day we went to Green Point where we played some ultimate frisbee and ran around in the water and had quite a lot of fun there. The next day we got to actually go surfing and we went to Chesterman Beach. We had these two instructors who were really cool and easy going and gave us pretty good instruction. We were rearing to go once we got our wetsuits on and had our boards. The instructors kept us waiting for a little while, but finally we got into the water...and it took me from about 1-4:45 and I could barely get up on my knees. It was SO MUCH FUN though!! Although I didn't really get that chance to stand up, I wasn't totally bummed out because we had some really fantastic weather that day (it was actually warm!) and everyone just enjoyed themselves. After all that surfing, we went back to the church and cleaned up and got to watch soul surfer---great movie to watch when the next day you're going to go surfing..not!! (I actually prefer the documentary over the movie personally!) We had some really awesome devotions that night too, we had separated in to boys and girls and really delved in to different issues. And the next day we headed out earlier in the morning and ended up at long beach. It was quite a bit cooler out, and it was slightly overcast. And to make matters worse, we had to put on cold, wet wetsuits! That was definitely an experience, but I got it done! But there were so many more waves, and they were bigger! There was just one problem...we just couldn't catch a break 'cause all the waves kept coming! However, we were able to battle the waves and actually found that because there were so many more waves, it allowed for more chances to practice standing up. I finally stood up!!! In fact, everyone who didn't stand up the day before got to stand up, it was just a day of accomplishments! The only trophy that I really got to take back with me is the nice rash across my neck from the wetsuit. Everyone else just looks like they were hanged because of the bright red line across their neck, but mine actually looks like a hickey...how embarrassing!!
We really experienced different things along this trip. For one, being in the ocean and feeling so small was something that I encountered, and really coming into understanding about how great God really is - for although the ocean is majestic and wonderful, how much more glorious are we, mankind, whom He formed to be the pinnacle of creation because He loves us so immeasurably more. So it was quite an adventure! With all the travelling, and surfing, we arrived back to camp quite worn out, but so grateful for the opportunity that we had to actually surf - I never actually thought that I'd surf in my lifetime, so it was really fantastic to realize that I quite enjoyed myself!
There has been one thing so far here at Camp Qwanoes that has had me terrified out of my mind, and it has not been any of the adventures, or the classes...in fact, and it's quite surprising, it's actually the Juniors Retreat. Why, you ask? Although I absolutely love kids and investing into their lives, I have never counselled before. And my job this past weekend was to look after 6 girls of 11 and 12 years old and attempt to create relationships that model Christ's love for them and to show them that something's different here (the theme of the weekend). I really can't explain why I was so afraid, I just was - and my fear was increased when I realized that I knew 2 girls in my cabin. They come from the church that I attend during the week at Lake Cowichan Baptist, and they are 2 of the most craziest, unpredictable girls that I know (they almost remind me of boys with ADHD because they're just that incredible). So thus, the weekend full of 120 junior campers commenced on Friday and took off! It was absolutely crazy with all the games, activities and trying to wrangle my girls together. I kid you not when I say that almost every time I looked up, one of my girls from Lake Cowichan would be gone, and we would have to go looking for them, and then try to persuade them to return to the current activity. However, it was actually an enjoyable time to actually get to know these beautiful young girls and really develop a surprisingly quick and strong relationship with them. They were so responsive in the cabin devotion times, and really interacted during the activities (when they weren't distracted with wanting to go to the park or something similar). It was really interesting to see a certain maturity amongst some of them and how they accepted each other without any sort of hesitation (you could call it child naivety, but I don't think so). And on top of all this I belayed at the climbing tower during free time and got to get to know so many more kids. I loved it!! I love to love kids and this gave me a chance to encourage them and challenge them a little more than what they think they can achieve. I even had one child say to me, "That's the first time someone has ever told me how proud they were of me!" and it made me really step back and realize how powerful my words could be to a child, even one simple sentence. So that was quite an afternoon! And to top it all off, every girl in my cabin said that they didn't want to leave, they wanted to come back again (music to my ears!!!) and so when it came time to leave on sunday afternoon, they were quite brokenhearted - so we ended off on a lot of hugs and goodbyes and see you soons...hopefully I'll be seeing some of them in the spring for the next juniors retreat!
I have to say that although I was so scared before this weekend started - I know now that I'm ready to do it again, and to learn from my mistakes and to experience actual camp life here at Qwanoes again.
Finally, we've come full circle to the next week...and our next class: Old Testament literature. This is a class in which I was really interested to see what I would learn, but also kind of unsure of our professor, Don Taylor and what he would be like. We had this pile (or more like heap) of pre-course work (that we're still working on): 2 papers, one book, 1 large creative project and an exam + all the class material. I was expecting someone who was a lot more strict that what he actually was, so I was really caught off guard when he turned out to be really flexible, quite knowledgable with the skill of making OT quite interesting (I love OT, but still, it's more interesting now), made Jesus and his story more relevant, and he was actually funny! I feel so much more less stress now that he's cleared up most of our work and I'm excited to see what we're going to learn, and it's quite sad to think that we only have 4 more days left with him :(
Although in this past week there has been a roller coaster of emotions and different happenings, I have been able to stay somewhat sane and my devo time with God has really helped me to stay centred on Him and to give me a place of refuge when I'm lacking in sleep, strength and understanding. So thank you to you who have been praying for me, I definitely have been revelling in God's love and grace - He has given me so much more than I could ever be worthy of.
Friday 14 October 2011
5 Weeks in!!
I'm back! I know it's been a little longer since my last update, but there's been a ton going on and really no time to sit down and do a quality post for you all.
Let's start with the S.A.L.T.S trip. It was amazing, fantastic, incredible, sensational, stupendous, unbelievable (I think I covered just about all of it). It was such an awesome experience that I want to do it again, and this is a mutual feeling that is shared with the rest of the group. Once we settled in, we were split up into different watches (designated groups). We were assigned to different times when we were in charge of the boat (stern, bow watch, radio watch, steering, or standby) with our watch leader. This also meant that we would be on anchor watch for 1 hour during the night time (It would be with just two people each hour). We ate breakfast, cleaned the deck in the morning, and did cleanup of the dining area together in our watches. The girls and boys were split up in to two sleeping quarters: The girls were in the hole (which doubles as the kitchen and dinning room), and guys were in the fo'c'sle. There was a lack of privacy everywhere, but we managed to work around it and actually use it to our advantage as some really awesome bonding time. There was a lot of singing and a lot of learning. We had the opportunity to raise and lower the sails on many occasions and actually sail, and were able to go out on the dories (the little boats) once. We did have lessons in which we learned different aspects of the boat, from terminology, wind directions and driving patterns - which was also really interesting. We had night games, which were quite an adventure in themselves (I ended up with quite a few bruises - curtesy of the various objects aboard the ship). We also docked one night and got to play a large night game which provided us the chance to stretch our legs and our stealth techniques, it was staff and leaders against the students, and I'm almost positive we won, but the leaders say otherwise!
The food...oh my goodness was absolutely phenomenal! Everything was made from scratch, it was so good, and Kailey (our cook) had actually done Kaleo before, so it was really cool to hear from her what her experiences were like. Talking about food, we also got to have the chance to stop at an open orchard where we picked apples off of a tree and then brought them back to the boat in order so that we can have some apple pie! After a couple of us had finished peeling and cutting up all the apples that we had, Kailey then baked them in to a beautiful apple pie which we had for mug-up that night (or night time snack) it was spectacular, and apparently one of the guys wanted to propose (We couldn't lose such an amazing gift of cooking!).
In our watches, while we would be having meals together, we would also have devotional times, which was definitely a great way of reminding us of our focus and just being thankful for what we are and being aware of our calling as leaders.
One of the most coolest things was how much the staff of the ship really were a part of the whole trip. I know that really seems trivial, but they were almost always there and were always so willing to answer our questions and make this our trip - they did every devo with us, they would make sure that we were not idle, and provided us with all the "off-boat" excursions. They also did all the night games and actually wanted to get to know us, and talk to us and they even stayed up late at night (even when they had to get up early the next morning) to hear our testimonies that we shared in the last 3 nights (some of the testimonies were really awe-inspiring, and even some were heart-breaking; thanks mom and dad for providing a home where I grew up very healthy and blessed). Their desire to invest in us just made us feel valued, and not just another guest group.
So this sailing trip has so far been the absolute, no doubt about it highlight (probably for this year possibly)...there's so much that I could go in to detail with, but that could take all night! Our group really got to know each other, what each of our stories are and how to work with one another. We had some amazing weather and really powerful one-on-one time with our friend who we were partnered with during our night time shift and got to really be still and just revel in God's creation and in the dark and silence. By the time we had to pack up, we all realized that we could have probably continued the trip another week if not two and still have had fun, but we also understood that we really needed to shower after 5 days of basically living in the same clothes and not having any showers (apparently we looked pretty greasy and smelt really bad) - and that we needed to get back home so that we could start up our next class!!
Camp and Youth Ministry. Our prof, Sid Koop was so cool! He was so easy-going and really rolled with everything, and although this course was very material loaded, it made it easier for us to handle. There was a TON of reading that needed to get done, and we had spent an entire week (which included most of our down-time on the ship) trying to get the reading and the papers for the reading finished. There was definitely quite a lot of stress this week, but I'm glad that I had a chance to experience it, because I know now how to handle the pressure better. Our exam today actually surprised us with how easy it was...because of our amount of curriculum that we had covered these 4 days, we had expected that there was going to be a lot more, but Sid said that he was more concerned about our learning to apply what we've learned, rather than needing to know it just because it's for a test (isn't he just the coolest?!). But it made us remember that what we've learned here is something more than just academics, it's life, and it teaches us how to make disciples of the children that God brings in to our lives to invest in.
This weekend is the women's retreat, and already I've made some friends! I love how we are able to immerse ourselves in to ministry, even though we don't really have to! But since I'm not helping there, I'll be helping our program director, Jay (who did my interview for the school) move with some other students, so it'll be nice to actually get out of my room - where we've spent the last week, holing up so that we can get the work done!
Tonight was also our first night of youth! Finally we get to really begin our church ministry. It's definitely going to be a place where we are going to have to listen to God on this because we have already experienced the different personalities that we're going to have to teach and learn from. We know that there is a reason that God has put them under our care on Friday night, but right now we're unsure. All we know is that God has called us to love them, and love them we shall. So I am just asking for some prayer right now in this area that God will continue to provide for us the means to do His work in these kids lives.
I think that about sums up our past couple of weeks, and I'm pretty sure that there's a lot that I've missed, but I know that this is probably a good amount that I've covered.
A couple more prayer requests: Nancy (one of my roommates) is not feeling well and we're kind of thinking that it might be some sort of food poisoning, so please pray for healing! Also, please pray for protection, one of the girls that I've been talking to have really been feeling attacked spiritually and are just mentally and emotionally tired. I've been praying for her constantly here, and talking with her. We know that God is sovereign in this and that He will use this to His good, but right now she's feeling a little more in the valley. So prayer would be absolutely welcome!
God is so good, I've been really able to see Him in so many things here and I've never felt so at peace. I know that I too may be attacked spiritually, and I know that those are going to be trying days, but right now I'm not taking this for granted, this is amazing peace that I'm feeling. So may the peace that I have right now be passed on to you, so that you can also experience it throughout your week. That is my prayer for you.
If you want to see some of the pictures from the sailing trip: Keeping it P.G.
Let's start with the S.A.L.T.S trip. It was amazing, fantastic, incredible, sensational, stupendous, unbelievable (I think I covered just about all of it). It was such an awesome experience that I want to do it again, and this is a mutual feeling that is shared with the rest of the group. Once we settled in, we were split up into different watches (designated groups). We were assigned to different times when we were in charge of the boat (stern, bow watch, radio watch, steering, or standby) with our watch leader. This also meant that we would be on anchor watch for 1 hour during the night time (It would be with just two people each hour). We ate breakfast, cleaned the deck in the morning, and did cleanup of the dining area together in our watches. The girls and boys were split up in to two sleeping quarters: The girls were in the hole (which doubles as the kitchen and dinning room), and guys were in the fo'c'sle. There was a lack of privacy everywhere, but we managed to work around it and actually use it to our advantage as some really awesome bonding time. There was a lot of singing and a lot of learning. We had the opportunity to raise and lower the sails on many occasions and actually sail, and were able to go out on the dories (the little boats) once. We did have lessons in which we learned different aspects of the boat, from terminology, wind directions and driving patterns - which was also really interesting. We had night games, which were quite an adventure in themselves (I ended up with quite a few bruises - curtesy of the various objects aboard the ship). We also docked one night and got to play a large night game which provided us the chance to stretch our legs and our stealth techniques, it was staff and leaders against the students, and I'm almost positive we won, but the leaders say otherwise!
The food...oh my goodness was absolutely phenomenal! Everything was made from scratch, it was so good, and Kailey (our cook) had actually done Kaleo before, so it was really cool to hear from her what her experiences were like. Talking about food, we also got to have the chance to stop at an open orchard where we picked apples off of a tree and then brought them back to the boat in order so that we can have some apple pie! After a couple of us had finished peeling and cutting up all the apples that we had, Kailey then baked them in to a beautiful apple pie which we had for mug-up that night (or night time snack) it was spectacular, and apparently one of the guys wanted to propose (We couldn't lose such an amazing gift of cooking!).
In our watches, while we would be having meals together, we would also have devotional times, which was definitely a great way of reminding us of our focus and just being thankful for what we are and being aware of our calling as leaders.
One of the most coolest things was how much the staff of the ship really were a part of the whole trip. I know that really seems trivial, but they were almost always there and were always so willing to answer our questions and make this our trip - they did every devo with us, they would make sure that we were not idle, and provided us with all the "off-boat" excursions. They also did all the night games and actually wanted to get to know us, and talk to us and they even stayed up late at night (even when they had to get up early the next morning) to hear our testimonies that we shared in the last 3 nights (some of the testimonies were really awe-inspiring, and even some were heart-breaking; thanks mom and dad for providing a home where I grew up very healthy and blessed). Their desire to invest in us just made us feel valued, and not just another guest group.
So this sailing trip has so far been the absolute, no doubt about it highlight (probably for this year possibly)...there's so much that I could go in to detail with, but that could take all night! Our group really got to know each other, what each of our stories are and how to work with one another. We had some amazing weather and really powerful one-on-one time with our friend who we were partnered with during our night time shift and got to really be still and just revel in God's creation and in the dark and silence. By the time we had to pack up, we all realized that we could have probably continued the trip another week if not two and still have had fun, but we also understood that we really needed to shower after 5 days of basically living in the same clothes and not having any showers (apparently we looked pretty greasy and smelt really bad) - and that we needed to get back home so that we could start up our next class!!
Camp and Youth Ministry. Our prof, Sid Koop was so cool! He was so easy-going and really rolled with everything, and although this course was very material loaded, it made it easier for us to handle. There was a TON of reading that needed to get done, and we had spent an entire week (which included most of our down-time on the ship) trying to get the reading and the papers for the reading finished. There was definitely quite a lot of stress this week, but I'm glad that I had a chance to experience it, because I know now how to handle the pressure better. Our exam today actually surprised us with how easy it was...because of our amount of curriculum that we had covered these 4 days, we had expected that there was going to be a lot more, but Sid said that he was more concerned about our learning to apply what we've learned, rather than needing to know it just because it's for a test (isn't he just the coolest?!). But it made us remember that what we've learned here is something more than just academics, it's life, and it teaches us how to make disciples of the children that God brings in to our lives to invest in.
This weekend is the women's retreat, and already I've made some friends! I love how we are able to immerse ourselves in to ministry, even though we don't really have to! But since I'm not helping there, I'll be helping our program director, Jay (who did my interview for the school) move with some other students, so it'll be nice to actually get out of my room - where we've spent the last week, holing up so that we can get the work done!
Tonight was also our first night of youth! Finally we get to really begin our church ministry. It's definitely going to be a place where we are going to have to listen to God on this because we have already experienced the different personalities that we're going to have to teach and learn from. We know that there is a reason that God has put them under our care on Friday night, but right now we're unsure. All we know is that God has called us to love them, and love them we shall. So I am just asking for some prayer right now in this area that God will continue to provide for us the means to do His work in these kids lives.
I think that about sums up our past couple of weeks, and I'm pretty sure that there's a lot that I've missed, but I know that this is probably a good amount that I've covered.
A couple more prayer requests: Nancy (one of my roommates) is not feeling well and we're kind of thinking that it might be some sort of food poisoning, so please pray for healing! Also, please pray for protection, one of the girls that I've been talking to have really been feeling attacked spiritually and are just mentally and emotionally tired. I've been praying for her constantly here, and talking with her. We know that God is sovereign in this and that He will use this to His good, but right now she's feeling a little more in the valley. So prayer would be absolutely welcome!
God is so good, I've been really able to see Him in so many things here and I've never felt so at peace. I know that I too may be attacked spiritually, and I know that those are going to be trying days, but right now I'm not taking this for granted, this is amazing peace that I'm feeling. So may the peace that I have right now be passed on to you, so that you can also experience it throughout your week. That is my prayer for you.
If you want to see some of the pictures from the sailing trip: Keeping it P.G.
Saturday 1 October 2011
School. Silence. Judas. Love.
Ahhh...the first week of school has been completed and I can now breathe, at least for the next couple of hours. It's definitely been a real eye opening process from the beginning to the end, but I'm glad I've learned the lessons that I have. The first lesson that I've learned is that getting a head start on things really diminishes the stress during the week, and I'm so thankful that I prepared ahead of time our different memory verses (which by the way I got perfect on most of them and 99% on only 3 of them, so I'm pretty satisfied with that). The second lesson I've learned was that I can't really treat the things that I'm learning as part of my academics, but rather part of my life. It changes the perspective completely and allows me to really put in to practice what I've been taught; so these memory verses are not just for grades, they're for me to store in my heart and to use on a daily basis. Thirdly, I've learned that though I may be ahead and all organized when it comes to prioritizing the work load for the next three classes, there are other students who are struggling with just trying to keep up. It's such a benefit for everyone to be in this program because we're all taking the same classes and we're all there in the same building so it's easier to keep people accountable when we're supposed to be doing school work. Anyways, it's just amazing how much I can relate to people when they're feeling overwhelmed because our work load looks daunting (Andrew, our leader did warn us that we would feel overwhelmed...they did that on purpose apparently!), and understanding that feeling, it helped me to be able to get a couple of them settled down and focusing on the work that is most important rather than watching them drown in a pool of despair.
The most important lessons of this week I learned, were while we were fasting. We went from lunch time to breakfast the next morning, putting aside the distractions and all of our complaints and had some silence and solitude (we didn't have to be silent, we just couldn't talk to people, just God). It was quite difficult for me to focus for the first couple of hours, but eventually I was able to put off some of the different issues that I was having and was able to concentrate in reading my Bible. I began reading John 13, where Jesus washed all of his disciples' feet and then revealed to them which one of them would betray him that night.
But there was something that I just knew that I just had to learn from this passage. The act of servant leadership astounded me, but I had this inkling that there was more to this than what I was reading. Since I wasn't seeing it, I decided to go further in the forest that I was in, and stumbled upon a path which I followed until I came upon a bench that I ended up sitting upon. It was there that I had this "vision" (for lack of a better word), where Jesus was washing my feet right there on that bench and what really got me was the fact that he kept calling me Judas. There on a bench, I was convicted and humbled at the same time. His love is so great that he would wash the feet of his very own betrayer, knowing full well that it is because of Judas that he would suffer the most painful death. I realized something that has really opened my eyes to who I am in comparison to who Jesus is, and I wrote it in my journal:
"Jesus is washing my feet,
Even though I've betrayed him.
He knows what I've done, yet he
still chooses to wash me clean.
He humbled himself for me so
that I may experience true and
unrelenting grace and mercy."
It's amazing how much I've grown to understand more of God's love for me through this one class and I feel all the more at peace. I know that there are more hard times to come in this program, but I know that God's love is steadfast and eternal, and abide in that I will.
So we finished our first class with a 3 hour exam with 3 essays - I have to say that I'm very glad that that portion is over :) And to top it all off, right after the test I was told that I had packages waiting for me!!! It felt like Christmas morning as I was opening these two amazing gifts. Mom...thank you so much for the food (don't worry, I do get fed over here - maybe a little too well!) and for your letter, I love it. Melissa Jackson, I do miss you!! I love the surprise gift, your amazing baking and beautiful jewellery were so special! So here's some shameless advertising just for you:New Fashioned Whispers :)
Thank you all for continuing to follow me on this journey and for praying for me and my friends here at Kaleo. I appreciate all of your love and for all of your time that you take to read my rambling blog.
Thursday 22 September 2011
1 Week in
3 days. 21 students and 5 leaders. God's creation. 1 mountain. It was indescribable, but I'll do my best to tell you what it was like.
As I said, it was a 3 day trek, and the first 2 days were absolutely beautiful - sunshine and tons of green! We started the first day 5:30 in the morning with a 3 hour commute to the mountain. They split our group in to four: group A, B, C, D. Groups A & B went on one path and C & D went on another. My group (D) spent a lot of time hiking, eating and talking together. There was Hannah, Tessa, Michael and Jon with our Leader Viktor and it was really cool to get to know these people even better and have the chance to see their strengths and weaknesses in play during this trip. The first day we hiked 8 km and it took us 4 hours. It was incredible being in such beautiful nature with crystal clear (but not clean - it was soo tempting!) lakes. We made it to the 1st campsite by 1:30/2 and then decided to hike to the viewpoint, where I got the picture that you now see here. That was spectacular and another hour of hiking! We settled down for a delicious sidekick spaghetti dinner and went to bed for 8:30 which became 9:15 after all the talking and prayer :). 6 am wake up the next morning to hike to the other campsite to meet up with groups A & B so that we could summit the mountain together. After 2 hours we made it, and our friends were just waking up...I guess you could say we were a little envious. Thus begun our trek up towards the summit, and it was difficult, but phenomenal in what we saw. Our spirits were quite high for most of the trip, and those that struggled were only encouraged more by those in front and behind. We had this group mentality of getting to the summit together...we could not let those around us lose heart and turn back, so there was a ton of support in what ever direction we turned.
*side note: We have these memory verses which we have to memorize for monday, so we're all trying to commit them to memory together - which is still hard, even though we're all doing the same thing.
So when I thought of losing heart, my mind kept going back to one of our memory verses: "Therefore, do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So fix our eyes not on what seen, but what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18. It gave me such hope, not just for the summit, but in general with our daily struggles and obstacles.
So we finally reached the final stretch, the crawl up to the peak. The hardest part, but the view at the end was breath-taking. I could see forever and still some. In fact I could see the Rocky Mountains on the Mainland...I waved at you guys over there, but I don't think you saw me :) So anyways, after climbing nearly 6,000 ft our entire group (minus a few who couldn't climb 'cause of health issues) made it to the top and right before we descended we sang the doxology - what a moment!!
On the way down we overshot the trail quite a ways and couldn't find our way back, causing us to become a little more worried because it was getting darker, but God proved faithful in keeping us safe and we made it back in time for a late dinner. After 10 hours of climbing/hiking that day we were physically exhausted but still in fantastic moods because of what we were witness to up on the mountain. However, the next day seemed to stretch us all a little more than we could have thought as is poured rain on us all day long. It was miserable trying to trudge through the mud and the flooded paths, but we managed to have no injuries or casualties. Erin, one of our Kaleo Interns has this chronic lung condition, so the elevation was really terrible for her, so Viktor (her husband and our leader) carried her pack for 6km on the way home. For me it was such an act of service that it quite humbled me - for I was struggling with just having a heavy, wet pack when he had the same thing, but was willing to carry someone else's burden. Eventually I noticed that he was past the point of exhaustion so I sucked it up and volunteered to carry Erin's pack, even if it meant that I would be worn down even more rapidly then I already was. I have to say that it was hard, but I was able to take my mind off of my own troubles and fill the needs of others - and that was enough for me to make it to the point where someone else was willing to carry the pack. 6 hours later we finally made it to the parking lot, soaked to the bone but so happy to be getting in to the warm, dry vans (where we discovered that we stunk very, very bad). 3 days, 20 hours of hiking over 40 km, 6000 ft up - together we accomplished what we thought we could not do, together we revelled in the footprints of God and together we realized that we are a part of this creation. Michael did bring forth a profound thought that really has stuck with me: "Looking out over the mountains, I get this thought: That God is jealous for me, He wants all of me, even though He created all of this." how amazing and true that was.
Thus ends our adventure to the mountain, but there are so many positive repercussions of this trip - we've bonded, created fun and lasting memories and friendships. Thank you for praying for us, God surely answered many a prayer on this trip.
We've recovered well - now that we've showered, been fed and slept. Only a few sore bodies...thank goodness nothing worse has happened, we are definitely thankful.
Now I'm off to prep for our upcoming class...now that I have some downtime I can actually get some things done, like laundry, organization and best of all getting time to skype with mom and Elliot (so glad that the mullet is gone!). Also, the phone lines are still not up and running, so email, facebook or the written word is your best bet.
Till next time :)
Ps. Here's some photos of the trip: Mt.Albert-Edwards - Enjoy!!
Saturday 17 September 2011
Here We Go!!
So here I am again...just after 4 days I'm back again! It's been a whirlwind time here and I can't believe how much has past since. (It's actually incredible that I remember what day that we're on!) We've gone from learning the about the different directors and what their role is over to becoming certified belayers! I've been keeping very busy and thankfully it's been so much fun!
I've had the greatest time getting to know my fellow Kaleo-ers and it's been the coolest thing figuring out who each of them are and how we're similar and so completely different. Just being in this environment-one where we all have the same beliefs is just so encouraging. Being able to talk to so many people on the same level about our faith is new for me, but it's something that I'm interested to learn from.
We've spent almost 3/4's of our time in orientation, learning more about our school and it's mission and the different people involved in camp and in school. I haven't minded in the least getting to know the different people and all the staff- there are brazilians here and they are so much fun to hang with, they have so much energy and love to have a great time! There are so many parts to this place and it requires so many dedicated people to make it work.
I've also been linQed (linked) with a staff member as well, Laura who is the head chef here at Qwanoes is going to be my "mentor" for the next 8 months. I've figured that it's going to be a different relationship that I've ever had, but I'm praying really hard that we can learn to have a friendship that delves deeper and that I can learn from her and that she can learn from me. We've also been joined to a church. This is also going to challenge me in a very large way. It's a small little Baptist church with an average of 35 people - 5 in the youth group and 3 in the children's ministry and none in the nursery. I'm helping lead the youth and the children's ministry so it's definitely going to be an interesting time for me learning to adapt to that since I'm used to 20 two year olds in 1 sunday school class. It's definitely an older generation church, so I'll be learning a lot from the elders there. We did get a chance to meet the pastor of the church yesterday (i think it was yesterday!) and it was just so interesting because he brought his granddaughters with him. The older's name was Hannah and she actually remembered me from anvil days and the other one was Casey. Casey, I learned was brutally bullied in public and private schools so her parents pulled her out to homeschool her instead. But as I talked to her more, it became apparent to me that she has so many passions, and I was so excited to see that she opened up even more about herself in the little time that we talked. Even if I only have 5 kids in the youth group, I know that with the one on one time that we can invest so much in to their lives more than we could ever do in a larger setting. We can show them the love that God continuously shows to me and the couple other of Kaleo students that I'm working with.
Already I'm learning so many things, and I'm hoping that I can manage to take it with a humble spirit what God is choosing to give to me. I'm also really interested to see what my role is here at camp and how I fit in to this whole thing.
That's just a tidbit of what's been happening around here, and hopefully it'll be even more exciting and adventurous. In fact it just might be, Monday morning we're heading off to Mnt. Albert-Edwards for a 3 day hike....Wish me fun times and bonding time:)
I've had the greatest time getting to know my fellow Kaleo-ers and it's been the coolest thing figuring out who each of them are and how we're similar and so completely different. Just being in this environment-one where we all have the same beliefs is just so encouraging. Being able to talk to so many people on the same level about our faith is new for me, but it's something that I'm interested to learn from.
We've spent almost 3/4's of our time in orientation, learning more about our school and it's mission and the different people involved in camp and in school. I haven't minded in the least getting to know the different people and all the staff- there are brazilians here and they are so much fun to hang with, they have so much energy and love to have a great time! There are so many parts to this place and it requires so many dedicated people to make it work.
I've also been linQed (linked) with a staff member as well, Laura who is the head chef here at Qwanoes is going to be my "mentor" for the next 8 months. I've figured that it's going to be a different relationship that I've ever had, but I'm praying really hard that we can learn to have a friendship that delves deeper and that I can learn from her and that she can learn from me. We've also been joined to a church. This is also going to challenge me in a very large way. It's a small little Baptist church with an average of 35 people - 5 in the youth group and 3 in the children's ministry and none in the nursery. I'm helping lead the youth and the children's ministry so it's definitely going to be an interesting time for me learning to adapt to that since I'm used to 20 two year olds in 1 sunday school class. It's definitely an older generation church, so I'll be learning a lot from the elders there. We did get a chance to meet the pastor of the church yesterday (i think it was yesterday!) and it was just so interesting because he brought his granddaughters with him. The older's name was Hannah and she actually remembered me from anvil days and the other one was Casey. Casey, I learned was brutally bullied in public and private schools so her parents pulled her out to homeschool her instead. But as I talked to her more, it became apparent to me that she has so many passions, and I was so excited to see that she opened up even more about herself in the little time that we talked. Even if I only have 5 kids in the youth group, I know that with the one on one time that we can invest so much in to their lives more than we could ever do in a larger setting. We can show them the love that God continuously shows to me and the couple other of Kaleo students that I'm working with.
Already I'm learning so many things, and I'm hoping that I can manage to take it with a humble spirit what God is choosing to give to me. I'm also really interested to see what my role is here at camp and how I fit in to this whole thing.
That's just a tidbit of what's been happening around here, and hopefully it'll be even more exciting and adventurous. In fact it just might be, Monday morning we're heading off to Mnt. Albert-Edwards for a 3 day hike....Wish me fun times and bonding time:)
Thursday 15 September 2011
1st Day!
So I was unable to post this last night, so I'm posting it today...just imagine this was posted yesterday :)
So I've been here all of 7 hours and already I'm feeling at home. There are so many awesome people here it's outstanding. I now have had a chance to put names to faces and meet a couple new people who I didn't know were coming.
There are 4 of us in a room, each with a loft bed and a desk beneath (I have to say that I have never had a desk this big...it's awesome!) and we get to have the awesome opportunity of sharing the washroom facilities. I think that the best part of the room is the view...some beautiful green trees and ocean front!!
Already I'm feeling very comfortable with my roommates, it's been a good time getting to know them and I can't wait till we're really, really friends (maybe by that point we'll be ready to strangle each other, but only time will tell:) Most of the other students that I've met thus far have been really awesome and I also can't wait to learn from them and develop really great relationships.
My roommates are 3 very different but quite similar girls. We have labelled ourselves the seniors room due to the fact that we are the oldest girls and possibly the oldest students in general. Nancy (who I accidentally called Nicole in my email...whoops!) is 23 (nanny Nancy we call her 'cause she's the only one in her 20's) and hails from the far regions of Newfoundland and she's a newfie that doesn't have an accent - it's only a little disappointing. The there's Makayla who's from Alberta and we've already bonded over our love of basketball, in fact we're going to train this year together and then think about playing for Briercrest next year...so epic!! Finally there's Lindsey, and Lindsey in fact brought her violin (awesome!) and a 2 stringed guitar - with the hopes of learning to play it this year, she may be successful once she gets more strings!
Life here is already busy, the day hasn't stopped since we got here so there hasn't been much time to really think about what I've gotten myself into yet. Right now it just feels like a week at camp, and so I'm hoping that homesickness can really hold off for a little while, at least until I'm ready to deal with it - which will probably be never, but I know it'll come eventually. I do miss my family a little bit so there's still going to be that little feeling in the back of my mind. We had a good time touring around camp, becoming familiar with our new home and begin to get to know the other students outside the vicinity of our room. We got to do the ever famous name games - where everyone sits in a circle and tries to avoid being hit by a towel while still trying in vain to remember our fellow kaleo-ers names (too much pressure for me, but still fun!). Finally we wrapped up with mug up (aka snack time) and an awesome introduction from our leader Andrew, who by the way just became a first time father to a baby girl at 4 am this morning- Aubrey Grace, (aka the Kaleo Baby!). I'm really excited to learn from him, he's so passionate and I can see that he tries to live what he teaches. Our other leaders are fantastic as well - Erin, Vicktor, Bec and Jay- they seem so eager to be a part of our lives that I'm so excited. And one of the better parts is that Erin, Vicktor and Andrew have all been through the Kaleo program themselves, so that's going to be a fantastic resource for all of us!
It's creeping towards bedtime so I'm just going to close with a simple thank you for taking the time to follow along with me and I hope that I can keep you all informed so that you can experience this year as much as possible with me.
Sunday 11 September 2011
Preparing
My walls are bare, and there's very minimal in my closet. It's like those scenarios in the movies where the college kid packs up and leaves all the luggage by the door ready to go off to school--and I'm finally getting to experience it myself.
It's definitely a situation that comes with 2 very different emotions: Excitement & restlessness for the journey,
and
fear.
Indeed, I am admitting that I do have fear, but not the "terror" kind of fear, but more of the fear that has a nervous quality to it because I don't know what to expect. And for me, uncertainty is, well...uncertain.
So I'm asking for prayer right before I start: Please pray for my ability to adjust, not only to an entirely different environment of life (going from city life to camp life), but also to the schedule, the classes and also to the many different people that I'm going to spend a majority of my time with. Also, please pray for my heart. Kaleo is translated as "to call" (Greek) and what God has called me to at Kaleo (and beyond) has not been revealed but I pray that whatever it is I can receive the task with a willing and servant heart. One final thing that I would love you to do is pray that God humbles me by breaking down the walls that I have built. How or when He plans on doing it, I will not know until it happens- but pray that I can praise Him through those storms.
With only 2 days left there is still so much to do so my mind and my body are kept very busy. But I'm now at the point where I'm ready to get going...ready to get out the door-thankfully I have a wonderful mother who keeps reminding me to enjoy these last two days for what they are and what they'll give me.
I'm packed, and rearing to go. Bright and early Wednesday morning I leave...SO VERY CLOSE!!!!!!!
It's definitely a situation that comes with 2 very different emotions: Excitement & restlessness for the journey,
and
fear.
Indeed, I am admitting that I do have fear, but not the "terror" kind of fear, but more of the fear that has a nervous quality to it because I don't know what to expect. And for me, uncertainty is, well...uncertain.
So I'm asking for prayer right before I start: Please pray for my ability to adjust, not only to an entirely different environment of life (going from city life to camp life), but also to the schedule, the classes and also to the many different people that I'm going to spend a majority of my time with. Also, please pray for my heart. Kaleo is translated as "to call" (Greek) and what God has called me to at Kaleo (and beyond) has not been revealed but I pray that whatever it is I can receive the task with a willing and servant heart. One final thing that I would love you to do is pray that God humbles me by breaking down the walls that I have built. How or when He plans on doing it, I will not know until it happens- but pray that I can praise Him through those storms.
With only 2 days left there is still so much to do so my mind and my body are kept very busy. But I'm now at the point where I'm ready to get going...ready to get out the door-thankfully I have a wonderful mother who keeps reminding me to enjoy these last two days for what they are and what they'll give me.
I'm packed, and rearing to go. Bright and early Wednesday morning I leave...SO VERY CLOSE!!!!!!!
Friday 2 September 2011
Almost Time!
We are finally in to September, and there are 12 days left until the start of Kaleo!! There is a buzz in the air (at least for me there is). I've become a little more restless the closer and closer we get to the big day. Kaleo will mark the first time I've been away from home for longer that 2 weeks...it's going to be a tough road dealing with all of the homesickness but as of right now I'm more than ready to get started. I'm beginning to get all of my gear together for packing which is slowly making me realize what I've managed to get myself into, and it's going to be mighty interesting.
It's funny how quickly the time is winding down here at home. I had months and months of time and that has now dwindled down to a meager few but busy days.
Please pray that God prepares my heart properly for Kaleo and that I'll enjoy these last 2 weeks with friends and family (and if you're wanting a little extra: pray that I don't forget to pack anything important!!).
Thank you my dear family!
Saturday 6 August 2011
2 Minutes
I have this issue with procrastination. It's a very bad habit and I'm afraid that it will become more and more of a problem, especially as I'm working my way through piles of paper work and large amounts of lists. I don't like dealing with these things, where it requires me to handle the "office work". I just don't function that way and when I absolutely have to, I can become overwhelmed quite easily. Like today for example, I sit down in order to organize what needs to be completed, bought or packed and I take one look through the pile and my brain just quits. It refuses to be handed more then one thing at a time and if I proceed to increase the work load it will thus halt all further functions except to keep the ol' heart beating. However, there was something different about this familiar bought of brain freeze. I took 2 minutes to just sit outside to pray and breathe and there I found the very faint whisper of hope. To you, 2 minutes of breath may just be that time of relaxation in order to get thoughts in place or just to gain a clear head, but for me it was something more: a moment.
One Sunday we heard a sermon about sin. I won't go into details except for the important point that I believe that God wanted me to really hear and understand. Pastor John talked about our reactions to sin, or mainly what do we do and where do we go when we sin? Do we turn away because of our shame, or do we continue on as if nothing ever happened or do we turn and run straight for God because that is how He instructs us to do. It really convicted me, made me realize that my actions no matter how naive, were not righteous in any sense and were not what God was calling me to do through His Word. Not only that, but I also applied this to most other areas in my life. When I'm feeling content/blissful/elated, in a state of anger, sadness, anxiety or just feeling overwhelmed, where do I go and who do I turn to?
It's so easy to be in an attitude of praise and worship when everything is going right, but when something gets upended what's my first reaction? To be honest- Just to stop functioning, or in worse case scenarios: cry (yes, it's sad I know). But as of late I have been attempting making it a discipline to turn to God in whatever situation or mood I'm in.
It's a tough battle I must admit, but one that I'm all the more willing to fight. I want God to be the absolute number one in my life- not at all the quiet, put on your shelf God that I have had collecting dust for probably three quarters of my life, but instead, the God who is Grace, the God who is Love and the God who should be feared because He is Power. To make God a first priority does not come without sacrifice and already I have begun to see relationships that I thought were of importance, begin to erode and for that my heart is saddened. But there is always God's good promise and that is what I cling to.
Now to my moment, that whisper of hope (side note: I do tend to ramble, so bear with me because I'll get to my point...eventually). This moment outside was truly profound because, indeed, my first reaction was to pray! Isn't that just so exciting?!? At least to me it is. It gave me an understanding: When I do something as simple as a call on God amidst a small episode of anxiety and He hears this meager prayer and calms me and gives me the peace of mind to tackle something that 2 minutes ago was so overwhelming to me. Just imagine what'll happen when something a little more out of control presents itself in my life. I have more confidence now than ever before in knowing that when those times arise, I can call on God at any moment, in any situation. And in all of those situations, I pray that God is my first reaction.
On a final note, all the paperwork and lists (except one) have been tackled. I feel more prepared and ready to take on the next project (and I do hope that I can keep up this enthusiasm, for it certainly helps to get the jobs done!). I guess I posted this to kind of give you an idea where I am right now spiritually and mentally, I do hope that you enjoyed it though. But sleep is finally calling me to the land of the dreams. So with that, I bid you adieu.
Much Hugs, Marissa
One Sunday we heard a sermon about sin. I won't go into details except for the important point that I believe that God wanted me to really hear and understand. Pastor John talked about our reactions to sin, or mainly what do we do and where do we go when we sin? Do we turn away because of our shame, or do we continue on as if nothing ever happened or do we turn and run straight for God because that is how He instructs us to do. It really convicted me, made me realize that my actions no matter how naive, were not righteous in any sense and were not what God was calling me to do through His Word. Not only that, but I also applied this to most other areas in my life. When I'm feeling content/blissful/elated, in a state of anger, sadness, anxiety or just feeling overwhelmed, where do I go and who do I turn to?
It's so easy to be in an attitude of praise and worship when everything is going right, but when something gets upended what's my first reaction? To be honest- Just to stop functioning, or in worse case scenarios: cry (yes, it's sad I know). But as of late I have been attempting making it a discipline to turn to God in whatever situation or mood I'm in.
It's a tough battle I must admit, but one that I'm all the more willing to fight. I want God to be the absolute number one in my life- not at all the quiet, put on your shelf God that I have had collecting dust for probably three quarters of my life, but instead, the God who is Grace, the God who is Love and the God who should be feared because He is Power. To make God a first priority does not come without sacrifice and already I have begun to see relationships that I thought were of importance, begin to erode and for that my heart is saddened. But there is always God's good promise and that is what I cling to.
Now to my moment, that whisper of hope (side note: I do tend to ramble, so bear with me because I'll get to my point...eventually). This moment outside was truly profound because, indeed, my first reaction was to pray! Isn't that just so exciting?!? At least to me it is. It gave me an understanding: When I do something as simple as a call on God amidst a small episode of anxiety and He hears this meager prayer and calms me and gives me the peace of mind to tackle something that 2 minutes ago was so overwhelming to me. Just imagine what'll happen when something a little more out of control presents itself in my life. I have more confidence now than ever before in knowing that when those times arise, I can call on God at any moment, in any situation. And in all of those situations, I pray that God is my first reaction.
On a final note, all the paperwork and lists (except one) have been tackled. I feel more prepared and ready to take on the next project (and I do hope that I can keep up this enthusiasm, for it certainly helps to get the jobs done!). I guess I posted this to kind of give you an idea where I am right now spiritually and mentally, I do hope that you enjoyed it though. But sleep is finally calling me to the land of the dreams. So with that, I bid you adieu.
Much Hugs, Marissa
Monday 1 August 2011
Join the Journey
Welcome to the beginning of a brand new adventure! I just want to thank you all for supporting me in this new avenue of my life and I can only hope that you will be able to see the fruits of your labor begin to blossom as you continuously pray and follow along with me during my year at Kaleo. I'm so excited about this program and I can't wait for it to start, yet I know that I still have a month left, in which I need to take the time to slow down and enjoy the opportunities that I have around me. In concern for the Kaleo program, I'm beginning to pack and work out all the different details that goes along with beginning at a new school. There are so many things to be thankful for right now and there is very little that is causing me stress, for that I am truly grateful and not willing to take that for granted. I've had time over the past couple of months to really strengthen relationships with friends and family, I've been able to reflect on my relationship with God and how much He has revealed to me in this span of time. Overall I feel at peace. I know that God has His plan for me, and He has provided for me in such unthinkable and amazing ways that saying thank-you is not even close to being sufficient.
There is always that agonizing issue about cost, and I know that God wants me to be a part of this program because through His good grace, I have been taken care of (mostly) in the financial area. I'm still not fully covered, but I know that it is something that needs to be given completely to God, and I have no problem doing that considering I know that I have no control in any aspect of this concern. Even still, I'm asking for prayer in this matter. Please pray that I will continue to solely rely on God for providing for any and all of my needs and that this situation with money will not be a plaguing problem.
As part of my family I am so filled with gratitude that you are willing to take the time to pray for me, my classmates and the program. Thank you so much, you have no idea how much your support means to me. I can go in to the program knowing that I have people at home who care enough about me to include me in their daily devotions.
Thank you once again,
Much love, Marissa
P.s. If you want to know more about the program (or if I haven't told you enough) check out the website: http://www.kaleo.ca/
There is always that agonizing issue about cost, and I know that God wants me to be a part of this program because through His good grace, I have been taken care of (mostly) in the financial area. I'm still not fully covered, but I know that it is something that needs to be given completely to God, and I have no problem doing that considering I know that I have no control in any aspect of this concern. Even still, I'm asking for prayer in this matter. Please pray that I will continue to solely rely on God for providing for any and all of my needs and that this situation with money will not be a plaguing problem.
As part of my family I am so filled with gratitude that you are willing to take the time to pray for me, my classmates and the program. Thank you so much, you have no idea how much your support means to me. I can go in to the program knowing that I have people at home who care enough about me to include me in their daily devotions.
Thank you once again,
Much love, Marissa
P.s. If you want to know more about the program (or if I haven't told you enough) check out the website: http://www.kaleo.ca/
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