This week we had a week of class, Church Ministry. I was looking forward to this class. We had to do pre work on two solid books so i was excited to see what the prof had to say. I don't like church polotics but it was good to learn about roles of elders, deacons, etc. It was pretty sweet to learn and talk about, as there are so many views on what it is. On tuesday we had another fireside (where students go to full time staff houses for a little bit). IT was just a fun time playing games, tim tam slams, oreos and milk, and talking about pranks. It's so good to just get out and just have fun.
On thursday night we went to the festival of lights in Ladysmith. It was a sweet parade but the firework show was even better. We were right under them so it was the closest I've ever seen fireworks. It reminded me of the end of camp where we had fireworks at the end of youth camp and it was just a peaceful thing. The parade reminded me of christmas and I'm so pumped to go home and get rest. It has been a long 6 months for me and im just really ready for a break.
We ended the week off with just having class. I really enjoyed it and it was good to learn about the church. We had a pastor panel and 6 people came to answer questions. It really moved me to be more involved with my church and even tho it isn't like my home church it is the church I'm helping out for the year.
On friday i got to babysit the staff kids as they had a staff christmas party. There were 14 kids! and 4 of us. IT was so much fun but at the end of the night i was dead. My shoulders hurt so much from so many piggy back rides! but it was worth it. I love hanging out with kids as they bring so much joy. During lunch on wendsday i was having a hard day and when i saw jay's kids i just had to run around with them. They give me so much joy.
On Saturday some people went to Mt. Washington to go skiing while others of us went to Nanaimo to hang out. It was good to get out again and I got to see harry potter which was pretty sweet. I havent been able to see a lot of movies in theatres so it was good to go see one. I just hope i end the semester off well!
12/6/10
Homework blues
AFter playing out in the snow for a couple of hours in the middle of the night I have finally gotten sick this year. I've caught the dreaded cold. This week there was nothing that really stands out other than doing, well procrastinating, homework. It's the week before the final course of the year so there was pre work to do and yeah hanging out and just having a homework week really.
On wednesday we had DTG which was ditch the girls and the girls had ditch the guys. We went to Nanaimo to go swimming at the pool for a bit. IT was really relaxing and then we came back and went to Jim's for an amazing steak dinner. I'm going give a shout out to my dad because he still makes the best and i hope to get some steak when im home haha. But yeah it was so nice to just have a good meal away from camp. We then came back and made a fort in the lounge and watched some movies. We ended it off by having good cereal in the morning. It was a good chance to hang out with the guys so it was pretty sweet.
Yeah i can't think of anything else about this week. We all had a paper due on friday so it took some time to do that. on friday i helped out with youth group. thats going good but i feel im not very connected to it yet. We go almost every week but its very hard to stay connected because there is so much going on. Saturday was a day off pretty much so I didnt do too much. Sunday was church and for the first time i really enjoyed the pastor. It took me a while to get used to his preaching as I have been blessed with an amazing pastor back home. Besides that homework stole the spotlight of this week.
On wednesday we had DTG which was ditch the girls and the girls had ditch the guys. We went to Nanaimo to go swimming at the pool for a bit. IT was really relaxing and then we came back and went to Jim's for an amazing steak dinner. I'm going give a shout out to my dad because he still makes the best and i hope to get some steak when im home haha. But yeah it was so nice to just have a good meal away from camp. We then came back and made a fort in the lounge and watched some movies. We ended it off by having good cereal in the morning. It was a good chance to hang out with the guys so it was pretty sweet.
Yeah i can't think of anything else about this week. We all had a paper due on friday so it took some time to do that. on friday i helped out with youth group. thats going good but i feel im not very connected to it yet. We go almost every week but its very hard to stay connected because there is so much going on. Saturday was a day off pretty much so I didnt do too much. Sunday was church and for the first time i really enjoyed the pastor. It took me a while to get used to his preaching as I have been blessed with an amazing pastor back home. Besides that homework stole the spotlight of this week.
11/22/10
White As Snow
This week of Kaleo we had a 24/7 week of prayer. We set up one of the rooms to be the prayer room for the week. Each day someone would have an hour slot to pray and to have some down time with God. It was pretty awesome. There was something like this at redeemer last year but i never went. This was really refreshing for me. My devotional life was really lacking prior to this week. It was good to have a set time. I want to take that hour and expand it into the weeks ahead. I hope to set aside more time in prayer and devotions. I knew it was something I had to change and I've really realized it this week. There was a lot going on in the prayer room with words of encouragement, prayers, scripture, and a lot of heart. The week was really good for the community as we laid everything down. We had chapels everyday and a lot of people are able to share their story. I haven't yet but I think my time is coming soon. It also poured into our chapel on tuesdays as we spent a lot of time in prayer and listening and encouraging. I've been listening to a lot of Jon Foreman latley and his one song "White as Snow" has been a constant theme in my life. I need to be washed white as snow and it is happening here. It's been a long 6 months for me.
Summer/Fall has officially come to an end in BC. IT feels like ontario right now but it sure doesnt look like ontario. On Friday night I experienced my first BC snow fall. It was quite ironic as one of the staff members presented a snow watch plan for us and told us rarely would we have to do it and that night it SNOWED! It was pretty exciting. On the way back from the youthgroup I help out we got stuck going up a hill in one of the big vans. It didnt really phase me but to others it was pretty scary. We got saved from a couple fire department guys. It was pretty fun. Reminded me of Ontario. When I got back I got my roommate Erik to come outside and we truly experienced an Ontario winter birthday in BC. It was Erik's birthday so we decided to stay up. Our snow watch was at 2 so we were just like whatever we will stay up. We slid everywhere, made a snowman, through snowballs at each other and others and just had tons of fun running through the snow. We ended up staying up till 4 which was pretty costly as me and erik both got sick :(. I've been fighting off this sickness for a long time and yeah it hit me.
The snow really got me excited for Christmas. As much fun as it is out here, I'm excited to head back home and spend some quality time with the family and friends. I'll be home for a whole 3 weeks so I hope to get lots of missed sleep and rest up and not be tired all the time. Yeah im just excited for christmas. I'm also very excited to see my nieces! I thought I would only be gone for two months and its been 5... I got some pictures of them today so it was pretty exciting. I'm missing out on them growing up. Well until Christmas I have lots of homework to do so hopefully I'll feel motivated to do it all :)
Summer/Fall has officially come to an end in BC. IT feels like ontario right now but it sure doesnt look like ontario. On Friday night I experienced my first BC snow fall. It was quite ironic as one of the staff members presented a snow watch plan for us and told us rarely would we have to do it and that night it SNOWED! It was pretty exciting. On the way back from the youthgroup I help out we got stuck going up a hill in one of the big vans. It didnt really phase me but to others it was pretty scary. We got saved from a couple fire department guys. It was pretty fun. Reminded me of Ontario. When I got back I got my roommate Erik to come outside and we truly experienced an Ontario winter birthday in BC. It was Erik's birthday so we decided to stay up. Our snow watch was at 2 so we were just like whatever we will stay up. We slid everywhere, made a snowman, through snowballs at each other and others and just had tons of fun running through the snow. We ended up staying up till 4 which was pretty costly as me and erik both got sick :(. I've been fighting off this sickness for a long time and yeah it hit me.
The snow really got me excited for Christmas. As much fun as it is out here, I'm excited to head back home and spend some quality time with the family and friends. I'll be home for a whole 3 weeks so I hope to get lots of missed sleep and rest up and not be tired all the time. Yeah im just excited for christmas. I'm also very excited to see my nieces! I thought I would only be gone for two months and its been 5... I got some pictures of them today so it was pretty exciting. I'm missing out on them growing up. Well until Christmas I have lots of homework to do so hopefully I'll feel motivated to do it all :)
11/15/10
This And That...
Hello there
As I'm sitting here I dont really know what to type. This week we had another class. We had a class called Hermenuetics. I wasn't to sure what it was going to be about, but i learned that it's interpreting the Bible which was pretty sweet. For a long time I really wanted to read my Bible more but the more i thought I just didnt know where to start. What I learned in this week was to read the Bible for all its worth. I thought it was just reading the text and getting something out of it. Now i know there is so much more. We looked at John 3:16 and yeah there was just so much more there than what i thought before. It was really refreshing to know a little more how to read the Bible. I'm excited to take what I've learned and apply it to my devotional life.
hmm week highlights. Monday I had class pretty well all day and then we had a gym night and it was just good to get some exercise. Tuesday night was pretty sweet. It was the first time we had chapel without leaders so it was really awesome to see the ideas bounce of one another of what direction we are going head into the year. This year is an amazing opportunity to share in community with one another. It's exciting. On wednesday I had the chance to go to the Chemainus theatre to go see a christmas carol. I usually dont go to plays but for some reason I decided to go and I enjoyed it. Maybe someday I'll go and see one on broadway. mmm nothing really stands out from thursday. Friday we finished class early and I had a chance to go out with Jay, one of the kaleo leaders. It was really good. That night I helped out with youth group and watched Toy Story 3. On saturday i helped out in the challenge course, hopefully for the last time. haha.
Sunday was a fun day. I got to babysit! It was Jay's wife birthday on sunday so i volunteered my roommate and I to babysit his three kids. Kiai - 4 Titus - 3 and Koen - 1. As you can see by the ages it was a gong show! but it was so fun. Those kids were such a blast. We were running around for a couple hours and just having a good time. We made chicken fingers,... i mean nuggets. the kids got confused because i said fingers.. and KD for them and it was just fun. Koen, who usually doesnt eat that much, ate 4 nuggets and a plate full of KD. it was impressive. The most challenging and new thing was changing a diaper. I must say me and erik did a good job with a little help from kiai. It was just soo good. I miss my nieces like crazy and im really sad about not spending a lot of time with them. i'm missing out on everything and they will be so big at christmas!
Im getting pretty excited about christmas. Its going be good to see the whole family and friends when I go back. This week is a week of prayer so everyday I get the chance to pray for an hour in the prayer room. I'm really looking forward to what conversations I'm going have with God and what I'm going learn.
- mike
As I'm sitting here I dont really know what to type. This week we had another class. We had a class called Hermenuetics. I wasn't to sure what it was going to be about, but i learned that it's interpreting the Bible which was pretty sweet. For a long time I really wanted to read my Bible more but the more i thought I just didnt know where to start. What I learned in this week was to read the Bible for all its worth. I thought it was just reading the text and getting something out of it. Now i know there is so much more. We looked at John 3:16 and yeah there was just so much more there than what i thought before. It was really refreshing to know a little more how to read the Bible. I'm excited to take what I've learned and apply it to my devotional life.
hmm week highlights. Monday I had class pretty well all day and then we had a gym night and it was just good to get some exercise. Tuesday night was pretty sweet. It was the first time we had chapel without leaders so it was really awesome to see the ideas bounce of one another of what direction we are going head into the year. This year is an amazing opportunity to share in community with one another. It's exciting. On wednesday I had the chance to go to the Chemainus theatre to go see a christmas carol. I usually dont go to plays but for some reason I decided to go and I enjoyed it. Maybe someday I'll go and see one on broadway. mmm nothing really stands out from thursday. Friday we finished class early and I had a chance to go out with Jay, one of the kaleo leaders. It was really good. That night I helped out with youth group and watched Toy Story 3. On saturday i helped out in the challenge course, hopefully for the last time. haha.
Sunday was a fun day. I got to babysit! It was Jay's wife birthday on sunday so i volunteered my roommate and I to babysit his three kids. Kiai - 4 Titus - 3 and Koen - 1. As you can see by the ages it was a gong show! but it was so fun. Those kids were such a blast. We were running around for a couple hours and just having a good time. We made chicken fingers,... i mean nuggets. the kids got confused because i said fingers.. and KD for them and it was just fun. Koen, who usually doesnt eat that much, ate 4 nuggets and a plate full of KD. it was impressive. The most challenging and new thing was changing a diaper. I must say me and erik did a good job with a little help from kiai. It was just soo good. I miss my nieces like crazy and im really sad about not spending a lot of time with them. i'm missing out on everything and they will be so big at christmas!
Im getting pretty excited about christmas. Its going be good to see the whole family and friends when I go back. This week is a week of prayer so everyday I get the chance to pray for an hour in the prayer room. I'm really looking forward to what conversations I'm going have with God and what I'm going learn.
- mike
11/7/10
Wild Goose Chase
Hello all
This week we had a reading break! The Garners, who i knew from the summer, opened up there home to me and my roommates. John and I were the only ones who went while Erik stayed back, which would have been a good idea because there was a LOT of homework i needed to catch up on. I opted to go because I really needed to get away from camp. WE are blessed with a really nice piece of property, but at the same time you just need to get away. It was such a blessing :)
Sunday after i finished working with Qwanoes i left for Surrey to get out of camp. I met Amy over the summer and briefly met Nancy, her mom. We went out for supper and it was a chance to meet the people who i would be staying with, the craziest, funniest family i have ever stayed with.
Monday I slept in. it was so good to just sleep and do some homework and watch movies and just relax. Monday didn't really consist of anything productive. We had steak that night so that was good!
Tuesday was a pretty sweet day. I slept in again and I got to drive to trinity western. I knew a couple friends from the summer so i went to go visit. I also have a high school friend who now goes there. It was so good to see her as it was almost a year since the last time. I didnt even know where to begin. She didnt know why I was out in BC so i got to tell her the story of how i got here. I wish i could tell all my friends back at home why i was here, but i havent had the chance yet. It was good to catch up on life with a friend. We have both significantly changed since the last encounter so it was good to touch base again. That night another friend from the summer came to the Garner's so it was a day of meeting people.
Wednesday and thursday were pretty similar in just relaxing and sleeping and watching moives. After three months of waiting i finally got to see inception. It was definitely worth the wait :D. sooooooooo goooooood!
I would have to say on a homework level the week in Surrey wasn't very productive. However i got the rest I so desperately needed. Since the summer i havent really had a break. When i went home before kaleo it was a lot of running around. This week was definitely a week of emotional rest for me. Returning to kaleo i felt refreshed and reenergized. Now to be more productive in homework.
Friday was just the exam for OT. It wasnt too bad. I felt pretty confident about it. Friday night I helped out with youth. To be honest I havent been had the best mindset towards youth. I want to have a different attitude so i went in with a different mindset and actually enjoyed it.
The reason why my title is Wild Goose Chase is because of a book I read. On saturday I went to the office to do homework when I saw this book. I just picked it up and started reading it and before i knew it I had read over half the book. I decided to just finish it and I'm so glad I did. I know I should have been doing homework, but i was so intrigued with this book that I had to keep reading. It really spoke into my life and really it helped with whats been going on. It talked about us chasing our wild goose which is an image for God. We are chasing after God's calling and its going to lead us to different places and let us meet new people. The summer was hard but it lead to me going to kaleo. I think my Wild Goose Chase has led me to this place. I am hungry for God's word and I am getting that here. I still don't know for sure why I am here but I do know I am growing and that im learning tons :)
This week we had a reading break! The Garners, who i knew from the summer, opened up there home to me and my roommates. John and I were the only ones who went while Erik stayed back, which would have been a good idea because there was a LOT of homework i needed to catch up on. I opted to go because I really needed to get away from camp. WE are blessed with a really nice piece of property, but at the same time you just need to get away. It was such a blessing :)
Sunday after i finished working with Qwanoes i left for Surrey to get out of camp. I met Amy over the summer and briefly met Nancy, her mom. We went out for supper and it was a chance to meet the people who i would be staying with, the craziest, funniest family i have ever stayed with.
Monday I slept in. it was so good to just sleep and do some homework and watch movies and just relax. Monday didn't really consist of anything productive. We had steak that night so that was good!
Tuesday was a pretty sweet day. I slept in again and I got to drive to trinity western. I knew a couple friends from the summer so i went to go visit. I also have a high school friend who now goes there. It was so good to see her as it was almost a year since the last time. I didnt even know where to begin. She didnt know why I was out in BC so i got to tell her the story of how i got here. I wish i could tell all my friends back at home why i was here, but i havent had the chance yet. It was good to catch up on life with a friend. We have both significantly changed since the last encounter so it was good to touch base again. That night another friend from the summer came to the Garner's so it was a day of meeting people.
Wednesday and thursday were pretty similar in just relaxing and sleeping and watching moives. After three months of waiting i finally got to see inception. It was definitely worth the wait :D. sooooooooo goooooood!
I would have to say on a homework level the week in Surrey wasn't very productive. However i got the rest I so desperately needed. Since the summer i havent really had a break. When i went home before kaleo it was a lot of running around. This week was definitely a week of emotional rest for me. Returning to kaleo i felt refreshed and reenergized. Now to be more productive in homework.
Friday was just the exam for OT. It wasnt too bad. I felt pretty confident about it. Friday night I helped out with youth. To be honest I havent been had the best mindset towards youth. I want to have a different attitude so i went in with a different mindset and actually enjoyed it.
The reason why my title is Wild Goose Chase is because of a book I read. On saturday I went to the office to do homework when I saw this book. I just picked it up and started reading it and before i knew it I had read over half the book. I decided to just finish it and I'm so glad I did. I know I should have been doing homework, but i was so intrigued with this book that I had to keep reading. It really spoke into my life and really it helped with whats been going on. It talked about us chasing our wild goose which is an image for God. We are chasing after God's calling and its going to lead us to different places and let us meet new people. The summer was hard but it lead to me going to kaleo. I think my Wild Goose Chase has led me to this place. I am hungry for God's word and I am getting that here. I still don't know for sure why I am here but I do know I am growing and that im learning tons :)
11/1/10
Beginning To Break
This Week was pretty big for me. We had a chapel in which we could share confessions and yeah it brought Kaleo closer yet again. Like I said in my last post, I wanted this year to be a year of change in me. After the chapel I know this change is going to take place. Though I didn't say anything in chapel, it was after that really got me. For this post I just want to share what I wrote down after that chapel.
Beginning to break.
Well God, you have finally gotten me to break. This emotional build up of a wall has finally started to break. It was so good to cry God. It felt refreshing. I want to grow this year and I finally understand why I need to talk to people and more importantly You. Everything that was spoken tonight literally took the words out of my mouth. I am stubborn and reluctant to change. There is even a sense of disbelief. I need a prayer life God. I feel a sense of emptiness and sorrow. I want to be more like you. Bring in me a sense of joy; a joy i once had. Happiness is what I long for. A sense of peace to reign in me. I long for your Holy Spirit to enter again and remain. Mould me and shape me. To You I give my life. I am uncomfortable and long for comfort.
After the chapel i just broke down and needed to get emotions out. It has been a long summer for me and I havent been able to have the the downtime that I need to have every once and a while. I am beginning to change.
Last weeks post I posted Ephesians 4 and Matthew posted Colossians 3. After chapel I read this verse and yeah it just goes into detail from Ephesians. It was a pretty sweet verse and it really applies to my life.
Colossians 3: 5-10, 12-14
" Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator....Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
This pretty much summed up what has been going on. I need to take off the old self and put on the new self with God.
On another note we had OT. It was really good to study the OT because it is something I havent really looked at before in the last little while. We also made a movie of the OT in one week. It was hard work! Yeah until next time,
later days
Mike
Beginning to break.
Well God, you have finally gotten me to break. This emotional build up of a wall has finally started to break. It was so good to cry God. It felt refreshing. I want to grow this year and I finally understand why I need to talk to people and more importantly You. Everything that was spoken tonight literally took the words out of my mouth. I am stubborn and reluctant to change. There is even a sense of disbelief. I need a prayer life God. I feel a sense of emptiness and sorrow. I want to be more like you. Bring in me a sense of joy; a joy i once had. Happiness is what I long for. A sense of peace to reign in me. I long for your Holy Spirit to enter again and remain. Mould me and shape me. To You I give my life. I am uncomfortable and long for comfort.
After the chapel i just broke down and needed to get emotions out. It has been a long summer for me and I havent been able to have the the downtime that I need to have every once and a while. I am beginning to change.
Last weeks post I posted Ephesians 4 and Matthew posted Colossians 3. After chapel I read this verse and yeah it just goes into detail from Ephesians. It was a pretty sweet verse and it really applies to my life.
Colossians 3: 5-10, 12-14
" Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator....Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."
This pretty much summed up what has been going on. I need to take off the old self and put on the new self with God.
On another note we had OT. It was really good to study the OT because it is something I havent really looked at before in the last little while. We also made a movie of the OT in one week. It was hard work! Yeah until next time,
later days
Mike
10/24/10
Slowing Down
Hey there.
After a really fast paced time at Kaleo, it's time to go back to the grind. A month and a half in, I have gone hiking up a mountain, sailing on a boat, and surfing in the ocean. It has been an amazing time just meeting people and getting to know people. For the upcoming weeks we have 3 classes and not so much 'fun' stuff. It will be a change of pace for sure. I didn't think I would ever say this, but I'm excited to begin classes. Bring it on. haha.
This week was a pretty chill week. We had two days of camp ministry to begin the week. Sid Koop, a speaker at Qwanoes this summer, was coming so i was pretty pumped for that. I loved what Sid Koop had to say about teen culture and how rapidly its changing. He was such a good speaker. On a whole it was an okay class. A lot of the stuff that was talked about I heard before, but it was still a good two days of class.
On Wednesday we got to go caving! It was a pretty awesome experience. We watched the Chiliean miners the day before, so im not going lie I was a little freaked. It was so cool tho. I didn't even know what to expect. Just being underground and seeing such narrow passages in the rock was super cool. I really need to get myself a camera. We also got to spend some time at goats on a roof (no goats tho :( ) and we also got to go swimming in Nanaimo. It was Tyler's birthday so at the end of the day we kidnapped him and went out for sushi. First time ever having sushi! Never thought I would like it.
The rest of the week was just prepping for retreats and having some chill time. For the course of the year we are linked up with staff members and mine so happens to be a Leafs fan! They invited me and Anna over for supper which was so nice. It's really nice to get away from camp to enjoy some time at other peoples houses. The Kiezers are pretty awesome people. There two sons are full of energy so it was fun to play with them. On Saturday I got invited over again to watch some hockey night in canada! However, my Leafs got destroyed. But oh well, it was fun to go to the Kiezers house again.
One thing from the week that really impacted Kaleo on a whole was chapel on monday night. We went to the guest house, an amazing 100 year old building, to just share with one another. It was a really uplifting time. In my opinion, it brought Kaleo even closer. I just hope that it continues this way and we will be one big family.
The thing that I brought was a verse. Ephesians 4:20-24 "You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
What I really want to get out of this year is to take off the old self. This is a year of growth for me. I grew a lot last year, but i wanted to go deeper in my faith. I want to put off this old self which is really being corrupted and to put on the new self with God. I want to build a foundation for my life. At times I don't want to change. It's weird because I have been changing. This summer was a really hard summer for me. It was a good summer but now i feel really tired on all levels. I'm hoping that with this change of pace that I will be able to put my focus on God and to really listen to his call on my life. I'm excited for it. I know I'm supposed to be hear and I'm excited to be broken so that I can really be able to put on the new self.
Later days,
Mike
After a really fast paced time at Kaleo, it's time to go back to the grind. A month and a half in, I have gone hiking up a mountain, sailing on a boat, and surfing in the ocean. It has been an amazing time just meeting people and getting to know people. For the upcoming weeks we have 3 classes and not so much 'fun' stuff. It will be a change of pace for sure. I didn't think I would ever say this, but I'm excited to begin classes. Bring it on. haha.
This week was a pretty chill week. We had two days of camp ministry to begin the week. Sid Koop, a speaker at Qwanoes this summer, was coming so i was pretty pumped for that. I loved what Sid Koop had to say about teen culture and how rapidly its changing. He was such a good speaker. On a whole it was an okay class. A lot of the stuff that was talked about I heard before, but it was still a good two days of class.
On Wednesday we got to go caving! It was a pretty awesome experience. We watched the Chiliean miners the day before, so im not going lie I was a little freaked. It was so cool tho. I didn't even know what to expect. Just being underground and seeing such narrow passages in the rock was super cool. I really need to get myself a camera. We also got to spend some time at goats on a roof (no goats tho :( ) and we also got to go swimming in Nanaimo. It was Tyler's birthday so at the end of the day we kidnapped him and went out for sushi. First time ever having sushi! Never thought I would like it.
The rest of the week was just prepping for retreats and having some chill time. For the course of the year we are linked up with staff members and mine so happens to be a Leafs fan! They invited me and Anna over for supper which was so nice. It's really nice to get away from camp to enjoy some time at other peoples houses. The Kiezers are pretty awesome people. There two sons are full of energy so it was fun to play with them. On Saturday I got invited over again to watch some hockey night in canada! However, my Leafs got destroyed. But oh well, it was fun to go to the Kiezers house again.
One thing from the week that really impacted Kaleo on a whole was chapel on monday night. We went to the guest house, an amazing 100 year old building, to just share with one another. It was a really uplifting time. In my opinion, it brought Kaleo even closer. I just hope that it continues this way and we will be one big family.
The thing that I brought was a verse. Ephesians 4:20-24 "You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
What I really want to get out of this year is to take off the old self. This is a year of growth for me. I grew a lot last year, but i wanted to go deeper in my faith. I want to put off this old self which is really being corrupted and to put on the new self with God. I want to build a foundation for my life. At times I don't want to change. It's weird because I have been changing. This summer was a really hard summer for me. It was a good summer but now i feel really tired on all levels. I'm hoping that with this change of pace that I will be able to put my focus on God and to really listen to his call on my life. I'm excited for it. I know I'm supposed to be hear and I'm excited to be broken so that I can really be able to put on the new self.
Later days,
Mike
10/18/10
SURFING!!
Hey y'all. Like my new accent?
Well that has nothing to do with what happened in my adventure this week. After getting off the Pacific Grace, it was thanksgiving weekend! It felt weird not being home this time. I have to admit that I missed Ontario for thanksgiving. The whole family was home, but I did get to skype them :). Fall in BC is also very different than in Ontario. It's still green here and the leaves havent changed as much. But there is still ocean and mountains here so BC wins. Thanksgiving was really empty. Only six of us stayed behind, accompanied by our lovely interns. We went thrift shopping but I didn't find anything special to purchase so that was a downer. Well we did go to a nice restaurant so that made up for the thrift store upset. So yeah, thanksgiving was really different this year, a good different. The family here is starting to come together quite nicely now. So even though my immediate family is miles away, my family here is becoming very tight. We even got to enjoy a turkey dinner with the staff :)
The next couple of days we went on yet another adventure. This time we got to try our 'skills' (you know like computer haking skills, bow hunting skills...) at surfing. I didn't know what to expect at all. I just thought oh it will be easy, but it wasn't. We went during the cold water classic which was pretty sweet. There were pro surfers, surfing it up, and were making it look easy. We camped out in tofino which was pretty legit. Yeah we did camp out during the hiking trip, but this was a little better because we were allowed to have campfires. Now on to surfing. We got to enjoy a beautiful sunny day for surfing. We put our wetsuits and got our boards and we were ready to go. The waves were nice but because there was so many of us it was pretty cramped. I went on my stomach a couple times and was having a hard time with it. By the end of the day i could "surf" on my knees and stood up for like a second! YAY. After surfing it was just a time of relaxing around the fire. During our devotional, Jim told us that by letting people share a story we can better relate to that person. So Michael gave it a shot for the first time. It was sweet because we were able to know Michael better and it gave us a chance to encourage him.
The second day of surfing was a lot funner than the second. Although the waves were not as good, I was able to stand up on my board! It was such an awesome accomplishment. My goal was to stand up on the board and I was finally able to do it. Surfing was a workout tho. I was so tired and sore by the end of the day. It was a good tired though. Lately I've been feeling very tired, so it was a good time just to enjoy God's creation and just do something I've never done before. I also got to see three awesome people in Tofino. Those being the two awesome livingstones, Melissa and Kari, and the other was the BIRD. :) I love seeing people from the summer because it is so awesome to know what there up to. The staff were so amazing this summer so it was refreshing to see them.
During the weekend I got the chance to serve at the women's retreat. I was helping out in a lot of areas, maintenance, dishpit, and the good ol challenge course! woot woot. It was really good to help out. I have to admit I did have a negative attitude going into it, but what Jay told us really stuck with me. It was a mission trip, just one that was in my backyard. It was pretty sweet because I got to work with year round staff and build relationships with them. I didnt get to make it to church this weekend which was kind of a bummer, and I didnt get to help out with Kidstown but it was okay because i was helping out with the ministry of Qwanoes.
Welp, this week we've got Sid Koop here to teach us about camp ministry. So until then, latter days.
ps. Raisins ruin everything!
pps. Wool socks are probably the best thing I brought to Kaleo!
Well that has nothing to do with what happened in my adventure this week. After getting off the Pacific Grace, it was thanksgiving weekend! It felt weird not being home this time. I have to admit that I missed Ontario for thanksgiving. The whole family was home, but I did get to skype them :). Fall in BC is also very different than in Ontario. It's still green here and the leaves havent changed as much. But there is still ocean and mountains here so BC wins. Thanksgiving was really empty. Only six of us stayed behind, accompanied by our lovely interns. We went thrift shopping but I didn't find anything special to purchase so that was a downer. Well we did go to a nice restaurant so that made up for the thrift store upset. So yeah, thanksgiving was really different this year, a good different. The family here is starting to come together quite nicely now. So even though my immediate family is miles away, my family here is becoming very tight. We even got to enjoy a turkey dinner with the staff :)
The next couple of days we went on yet another adventure. This time we got to try our 'skills' (you know like computer haking skills, bow hunting skills...) at surfing. I didn't know what to expect at all. I just thought oh it will be easy, but it wasn't. We went during the cold water classic which was pretty sweet. There were pro surfers, surfing it up, and were making it look easy. We camped out in tofino which was pretty legit. Yeah we did camp out during the hiking trip, but this was a little better because we were allowed to have campfires. Now on to surfing. We got to enjoy a beautiful sunny day for surfing. We put our wetsuits and got our boards and we were ready to go. The waves were nice but because there was so many of us it was pretty cramped. I went on my stomach a couple times and was having a hard time with it. By the end of the day i could "surf" on my knees and stood up for like a second! YAY. After surfing it was just a time of relaxing around the fire. During our devotional, Jim told us that by letting people share a story we can better relate to that person. So Michael gave it a shot for the first time. It was sweet because we were able to know Michael better and it gave us a chance to encourage him.
The second day of surfing was a lot funner than the second. Although the waves were not as good, I was able to stand up on my board! It was such an awesome accomplishment. My goal was to stand up on the board and I was finally able to do it. Surfing was a workout tho. I was so tired and sore by the end of the day. It was a good tired though. Lately I've been feeling very tired, so it was a good time just to enjoy God's creation and just do something I've never done before. I also got to see three awesome people in Tofino. Those being the two awesome livingstones, Melissa and Kari, and the other was the BIRD. :) I love seeing people from the summer because it is so awesome to know what there up to. The staff were so amazing this summer so it was refreshing to see them.
During the weekend I got the chance to serve at the women's retreat. I was helping out in a lot of areas, maintenance, dishpit, and the good ol challenge course! woot woot. It was really good to help out. I have to admit I did have a negative attitude going into it, but what Jay told us really stuck with me. It was a mission trip, just one that was in my backyard. It was pretty sweet because I got to work with year round staff and build relationships with them. I didnt get to make it to church this weekend which was kind of a bummer, and I didnt get to help out with Kidstown but it was okay because i was helping out with the ministry of Qwanoes.
Welp, this week we've got Sid Koop here to teach us about camp ministry. So until then, latter days.
ps. Raisins ruin everything!
pps. Wool socks are probably the best thing I brought to Kaleo!
10/10/10
I'm On A Boat
Another week in the adventurous year of Kaleo gone bye. This weeks special focus, a 130 foot, wait for it, BOAT!! Not once in a million years did I expect to find myself on a sailboat. I was so pumped to become a pirate! Swabbing the deck and all. We had an amazing opportunity to go sailing with a ministry called S.A.L.T.S. I dont remember what it means but it was sweet. I didn't really know what to expect going into it at all. I was thinking it was going be so boring. The question that kept popping up in my head was, what I'm i going do on a 130 foot boat for 5 days? It's going to be so boring, but I was wrong. Everyone was split into watches, 3 groups of people who would essentially run the boat. The boat had 5 crew members who were just awesome people to know. I loved the simplicity of living on a boat. We slept in the bottom and ate down there as well. There was no getting away from people on this trip. haha. As much fun as sailing may sound it was an awesome opportunity for our group to get connected. We had the chance to talk with people that we wouldn't always gotten the chance to. God blessed us with amazing weather on the boat. only once did we have rain and that was on the last day.
We were split into watches so i got to know some more people on a deeper level. The watches would rotate throughout the day and each day was different. One of my favourite things we did with our watch was going onshore with the dories. haha. what an experience that was. everyone thought we were going tip into the cold water. I did have a chance to go in the water. I was the FIRST one to go off the rope swing that the crew attached. hoisting sails was also a new experience. It was hard work but so good. one thing I wish happend was to go faster with the sails up.
What I loved most about the trip was being away from the familiarity. We were sailing on the ocean! It really gave me a good glimpse of God's creation. Seeing porpoises also was so sweet. I'm not used to ocean or mountains so to be in BC I really see God's beauty. I loved just hanging out with people and hearing there stories. There is just such an amazing opportunity to grow as a group. I don't really know whats happening this year, but i believe I am building a relationship with God through class and through sweet out trips. Its going be a year of growth and im so pumped.
We were split into watches so i got to know some more people on a deeper level. The watches would rotate throughout the day and each day was different. One of my favourite things we did with our watch was going onshore with the dories. haha. what an experience that was. everyone thought we were going tip into the cold water. I did have a chance to go in the water. I was the FIRST one to go off the rope swing that the crew attached. hoisting sails was also a new experience. It was hard work but so good. one thing I wish happend was to go faster with the sails up.
What I loved most about the trip was being away from the familiarity. We were sailing on the ocean! It really gave me a good glimpse of God's creation. Seeing porpoises also was so sweet. I'm not used to ocean or mountains so to be in BC I really see God's beauty. I loved just hanging out with people and hearing there stories. There is just such an amazing opportunity to grow as a group. I don't really know whats happening this year, but i believe I am building a relationship with God through class and through sweet out trips. Its going be a year of growth and im so pumped.
10/3/10
THIS IS FUNNN!!
ahhh. another week in the books. It feels as though I've been here forever, which is semi true from working here all summer. This past week was a new experience for us all. It was our first ever class at Kaleo and to some it was there first ever college class!! Usually I just sat in the back during class but this week i was a keener and sat in the front row. I'm I ever glad i did. Cal, the prof, had amazing wisdom for us. The class was Spiritual Formation, not a very academic class, but a very foundational class none the less. I had spiritual formation last year, but it was amazing to have another prof's insight on the subject. What I learned a lot this week was to take solitude time and just praise God. Yeah, it was just a good week learning from Cal. I found it really awesome that both his TA and him were able to live with us for the week. There is ample opportunity to connect with the profs. We also had chapel everyday which was sweet because in that time everyone has a chance to speak and it just brings our group closer together.
This week I've really learned that I really have to soften my heart. This year is going be a year of grace, growth, and foundation. I've gotten to taste all three of those this week through spiritual formation. During the week i had to do a solitude retreat. It was a chance to spend a lot of quality time alone with God. I was kinda nervous going into it because i was like 20ish hours in solitude how am I going be able to pull that off? But it was really sweet because i learned that i have to really soften my heart and open my ears and eyes to what God is trying to get through to me. I'm excited to have my wall broken down so that I can rebuild it with God at the centre.
Also, during the year, we have been linked up to a Qwanoes full time staff member. We had the chance to meet them and share a night with them. I learned that the person who I'm linked with is also a leafs fan!!! I will even have the chance to watch hockey night in canada. :) It is pretty sweet that we can interact with the staff here and be able to grow alongside them.
With the church I'm with there is a program called Kidstown, which i got to help out with today. Its a ministry which goes into a poor nieghbour hood and puts on a vbs type dealio. it was a chance to hang out with kids and just build a relationship with the poor. It is an area in which im used to. Last year I would go out with a program with my school in downtown hamilton to build community. Now i get to do the same sort of ministry here, which im pretty stoked about. It's just a constant reminder for me that I have been blessed so much in my life.
This week coming up I get to be a pirate alllllll week long as im going sailing! How often do you go to a school with one week classes and get to do all sorts of fun stuff such as hiking and sailing? :) I'm so pumped. until then, later days (unless i get shipwrecked....)
This week I've really learned that I really have to soften my heart. This year is going be a year of grace, growth, and foundation. I've gotten to taste all three of those this week through spiritual formation. During the week i had to do a solitude retreat. It was a chance to spend a lot of quality time alone with God. I was kinda nervous going into it because i was like 20ish hours in solitude how am I going be able to pull that off? But it was really sweet because i learned that i have to really soften my heart and open my ears and eyes to what God is trying to get through to me. I'm excited to have my wall broken down so that I can rebuild it with God at the centre.
Also, during the year, we have been linked up to a Qwanoes full time staff member. We had the chance to meet them and share a night with them. I learned that the person who I'm linked with is also a leafs fan!!! I will even have the chance to watch hockey night in canada. :) It is pretty sweet that we can interact with the staff here and be able to grow alongside them.
With the church I'm with there is a program called Kidstown, which i got to help out with today. Its a ministry which goes into a poor nieghbour hood and puts on a vbs type dealio. it was a chance to hang out with kids and just build a relationship with the poor. It is an area in which im used to. Last year I would go out with a program with my school in downtown hamilton to build community. Now i get to do the same sort of ministry here, which im pretty stoked about. It's just a constant reminder for me that I have been blessed so much in my life.
This week coming up I get to be a pirate alllllll week long as im going sailing! How often do you go to a school with one week classes and get to do all sorts of fun stuff such as hiking and sailing? :) I'm so pumped. until then, later days (unless i get shipwrecked....)
9/24/10
Let The Wild Rumpus Begin!
Wow. I'm sitting here and I can't believe its been over a week since I have been back. I spent the summer working at Camp Qwanoes and I never thought I would be here for the whole year. Only God knows how I got to where I am today. Through Kaleo I hope to refocus my attention to God to be able to hear His calling on my life. Now Kaleo is not your normal college, it is a very unique place devoted to leadership, relationships, and ministry. The Week has been a week of meeting new people and getting used to what Kaleo is. Already through this week I sense such an amazing group of people knocking down walls and rebuilding a foundation brick by brick with Jesus Christ as the solid rock.
BC is a place that has my heart. It is BEAUTIFUL out here! We went on a three day hiking trip which was an amazing bonding experience and just a time to step out and enjoy the great earth that God has created. It was a challenge, but man i wouldn't have wanted to miss out on that. We went to Mount Albert Edward and tried to make it to the top. Because of fog we unfortunately we weren't able to make it to the top. It was a bummer but I made the most out of the experience. I saw some awesome landscape through lakes, cliffs, and even a little island. :) Defiantly need to get in better shape..
We have also got connected with a church that will become our home church for the year. I will be going to New Life Baptist church which is defiantly going to be a change but I am open to different denominations and im excited to learn from this experience. There will be lots of opportunity to help out with the youth, the poor, and the homeless. There is so much in store for the upcoming year and im so pumped for the ministry opportunities, relationship bonding, and even classes! I'm so stoked to see whats God's going do not only in my life, but the lives of the 24 other people that are along for the ride.
BC is a place that has my heart. It is BEAUTIFUL out here! We went on a three day hiking trip which was an amazing bonding experience and just a time to step out and enjoy the great earth that God has created. It was a challenge, but man i wouldn't have wanted to miss out on that. We went to Mount Albert Edward and tried to make it to the top. Because of fog we unfortunately we weren't able to make it to the top. It was a bummer but I made the most out of the experience. I saw some awesome landscape through lakes, cliffs, and even a little island. :) Defiantly need to get in better shape..
We have also got connected with a church that will become our home church for the year. I will be going to New Life Baptist church which is defiantly going to be a change but I am open to different denominations and im excited to learn from this experience. There will be lots of opportunity to help out with the youth, the poor, and the homeless. There is so much in store for the upcoming year and im so pumped for the ministry opportunities, relationship bonding, and even classes! I'm so stoked to see whats God's going do not only in my life, but the lives of the 24 other people that are along for the ride.
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