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.

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. 

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!!

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:)

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. 

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!!!!!!!




 

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!