My last post was an attempt to give an overview of what went on in Argentina. For the first little while I was there I could not believe that I was in South America. It blew my mind that I was flying there and that I was going spend 2 weeks there. I had an amazing time and it was a really impactfull trip for me. After spending a week back I have really processed what happened and remember stories all the time. It is a trip that has changed me. My biggest highlight was the retreat so I want to talk a little more about what that retreat was.
To be honest I didn't know how the retreat was going to end up. We planned a little bit for it and got a general idea of what was going to happen but I just didn't know what was going to happen or what to really expect. The kids came at around 4 and we left shortly after that. At first I felt that it was going to be a gong show, but it ended up being one of the best times I have had in a long time. I had an amazing time talking with the kids and building relationships. It was just a sweet time for the kids to bond and build relationships and it was sweet to be a part of it. I gave my all that weekend and it was sweet that the kids bounced off our energy and participated in the games and activities that we had. One cool thing on the first night was start tipping. It is where you look at a star and spin in circles for a long time and then someone shines a light and the object is to run to the light. However, you get disoriented and pretty much fall down. It was a great connecting point and we were really able to befriend everyone at the retreat. The second day there was a lot of things we planned and it went sweet. We had a long period of free time and it was really sweet to hang out with the Alloy kids. One of my favourite memories was on Saturday where with a group of kids I got to know really well, we were all laying down in a circle talking about how big God is and how has made every star. We ending singing songs of praise and it was just a sweet night. I really loved hearing the stories of people and where they were coming from. I thought that moving around from country to country would be a sweet way to grow up. However, after hearing their stories I began to realize the hardships that come with moving around from place to place. It is not an easy thing. One of the girls I was talking to said she has moved to more than 5 countries and was blown away that I have lived my life growing up in one place. I began to realize how much of a blessing it was to grow up in one place. At the end of the retreat I befriended so much of the kids that came from the retreat. I called them kids at the beginning of the retreat and by the end I was calling them friends. A lot of them where really mature for their age. It was a blessing being able to be friends. They really accepted us with open arms. There was a game named stephen working as a youth pastor down there so we helped with building relationships for him so that it would be a smooth transition. He did an amazing job with the talks we had and didn't force anything on the kids. It was great because it seemed like they got something out of what we were trying to accomplish. I had a conversation with one of the kids and they said that the last retreat they were on all they did was intense bible study. We played a lot of games, but the purpose was to build relationships. Having chapel after chapel is, in my opinion, not an effective way to reach out to kids. There are many stories that will forever be etched onto my heart. It was one of the best experiences that I had working in youth ministry. It went so smoothly and I really enjoyed what we accomplished.
This mission trip was about supporting the work of Youth For Christ and I feel we experienced missionary life with the Rendles. Jordan Rendle is the head of Youth For Christ America, so we came down to support what is happening in Argentina. It was different then your typical go build a house mission trip. It was about supporting Youth For Christ and about building relationships. I could go on and on about what happened, but like I said in my previous post it wouldn't do justice to what happened.
When I came back from Argentina I was the only Kaleo at camp. I thought it would be a good chance to get rest. I didn't make plans to go anywhere. It wasn't a good place for me to be. I didn't do anything and it was hard being back and wanting to be back in Argentina. I think God really softened my heart in Argentina. This year has been filled with a lot of struggle and in Argentina I was really able to be myself amidst a year where struggle has been so prevalent. When everyone came back it got a lot better. I learned a lot about myself in Argentina and now I know I have to be more obedient in my walk with God. Going through this year has been a blessing for me. I think I needed to go through struggle this year so that it would allow me to see that I need a lot to work on in my faith. This place called Kaleo has been a chance to step out of the world in order to be put back into the world with a firm grasp of who God is. This has been a learning year for me and I am beginning to put my trust in God. I don't know fully whats happening next year, but I am excited for it. I have allowed God to be the one leading my life and I'm excited to know where that is going to lead. I am on a journey and this year of struggle has been a learning curve for me.
3/27/11
Argentina Part 1: Overview
Writer's block - The condition of being unable to think of what to write or how to proceed with writing.
I tried to write this blogpost the other day, but I couldn't think of what to write or where to start. I tried by telling every little detail of what I did in Argentina. After pondering what to write for the past 5 days I realize it isn't possible to write everything down at once when talking about Argentina. Last night we had a sharing time to talk about each mission trip. There I realized it won't be possible for me to do justice in a blogpost about what happened. We talked for 4 and a half hours last night and in my opinion and much of the other Kaleo's opininons, we only got to hear a small fraction of what happened in India, Vancouver, Mexico, and Argentina. There are so many good stories to write down and to think about. After 5 days of being back I am still remembering things that have happened. It's a lot like talking about what has happened this year in Kaleo. There is so much to talk about that it is hard to know where to start or to know what stories to share. In this post I will try to give an overview of what I did down in Argentina, but know that there is so much more going on behind the stories. Don't think of this as a cheap way out of telling the story, but a small story of what actual happened. I'm not going to say the specific time slots of each story, but understand that the trip started on March 7 and ended on March 22. Here is my best attempt at explaining not only the story, but my heart as I was in Argentina.
Ready or not we left for Argentina on March 7th. I hadn't really thought enough about the trip or did enough to get myself ready for this trip. At Kaleo there is so much going on that it was hard to think that I was indeed flying to Buenos Aires. Much like my last mission trip I stepped with other into what seems like the unknown. After 30+ hours of travel we finally arrived and were greeted with warm weather and some of the family we were going to be staying with. Our leader, Melissa Holland, set up a trip with her sister and brother in law who is the current head of Youth For Christ America. So from that we knew we were going to be working alongside Youth For Christ in Argentina. The big thing that we had to plan for was a retreat that would be happening the first weekend we where there. We planned a little bit for it while in Canada but the planning really started the Thursday we were there. The first day was getting settled in and getting acquainted with the Rendel family. We went for a walk through Argentina and I still couldn't fathom that we were in fact in South America.
The next day we spent the day planning what would take part at the retreat we were going be putting on. We were going to be working with ALLOY, which is a youth group for third culture kids in Argentina. We had planned a kingdom theme and were going along with that for our weekend. We got a lot of stuff planned and planned on Friday as well. It was hard to plan because we weren't exactly sure where we were going. So on Friday at 4 a whole bunch of kids showed up and in an hour or so we loaded up a bus and were headed to the camp ground for our retreat. It was pretty crazy if you ask me. For one, I didn't know how this retreat was going to look like or end up being. I was a little terrified if you ask me. Anyways it ended up being a gong show at first, but after playing our night game, Capture the Canadian, it transformed into a smooth transition. It felt as though the gong show I thought was going happen was actually going be a pretty significant weekend for a not only the kids, but us leaders as well. I really felt that they opened up there arms and really accepted us as family. We built a lot of relationships and the weekend went so well. I will talk more about that after this overview. It was sad to have the weekend end, but that wasn't the end of the bond we made with those kids that weekend. We got back on sunday and then we went to go see a South American soccer game (so intense!) and then went to go watch Jordy, the rendals son, play hockey... Well inline hockey, which was still funny to me to have hockey in Argentina. Who knew.
Then on monday we worked at a place called Conviven, which is a drop in centre kind of thing that teaches skills such as photography and provides a place for kids for a day camp or something like that. It is in a pretty poor end of town so it was good to see that and to serve in this way. We took on the job of painting the computer room, which took two days. It wasn't a big room but it was a tricky room with all the wiring and what not. I got a little high of the paint fumes but nonetheless we did a pretty good job of painting the room. Tuesday was our day off and so we travelled the city of Buenos Aires. There is a pretty huge contrast in terms of the rich and the poor in Argentina so we saw that on our tour of the city. It was one of those "Were in Argentina!" kinda of days. It was good to tour around and to know a lot about the city. At night we went to go see Jordy's recital and go for Asado, which is all you can eat meat! Argentine's are known for their beef so we got to witness and taste it. So amazing.
On Wednesday we went to go look at a camp which was 45 minutes away, but because of Argentine traffic (13 million people) it took us a mere 6 hours of travel there and back. There was a lot of potential for the camp so it was good for us to go see it and it gives Youth For Christ something to ponder. The camp wasn't doing so well so we went there to support their ministry and to pray that something would change. We also went to a Starbucks (it's seriously going take over the world....) in South America! I really did miss Timmy's though. Thursday we went back to Conviven. Friday we stayed at the Rendals and planned what we were going to do for the Alloy youth group happening that night and for what we were going do at Conviven on Saturday. We planned sort of a debrief for Alloy to remember what happened at the retreat and continued to build relationships within the group. We made a slideshow and it was incredible to watch it with the friends we made on that retreat. I could go on and on about it, but I'll save that for part 2 of this blog post. Saturday we helped out with a day camp at Conviven for the kids that showed up there. We took some Alloy kids with us and they really helped us out because all the kids spoke spanish and well... you get the idea. They were phenominal at it and made it easier for us to talk to the kids. It was a blast, but I wish I could have learned spanish so that I could have related more to the kids. Saturday night we were invited for a bbq with some of the people we got to know at the retreat. It was a great way to end the week as we were trying to plan something with the Alloy kids all week.
Sunday came around really fast. It was the last day we were there and it was a sad day. It didn't feel like the last day, but unfortunately it was. It was sad to say goodbye to the friends we met on saturday. I don't know if I will ever see them again. Sunday we went to a spanish church where I learned nothing haha. Then we went out for lunch and headed home to go pack and finish saying goodbyes. We left Argentina on sunday night and I arrived back at home/camp after another 30+ hours.
This is my feeble attempt at sharing what went on in Argentina. There is so much more to talk about in which I will try to share in my next post that I will put up shortly. God did amazing things in Argentina and it was sweet to witness it while working with Youth For Christ. It was an amazing two weeks that I got to spend down in Argentina.
I tried to write this blogpost the other day, but I couldn't think of what to write or where to start. I tried by telling every little detail of what I did in Argentina. After pondering what to write for the past 5 days I realize it isn't possible to write everything down at once when talking about Argentina. Last night we had a sharing time to talk about each mission trip. There I realized it won't be possible for me to do justice in a blogpost about what happened. We talked for 4 and a half hours last night and in my opinion and much of the other Kaleo's opininons, we only got to hear a small fraction of what happened in India, Vancouver, Mexico, and Argentina. There are so many good stories to write down and to think about. After 5 days of being back I am still remembering things that have happened. It's a lot like talking about what has happened this year in Kaleo. There is so much to talk about that it is hard to know where to start or to know what stories to share. In this post I will try to give an overview of what I did down in Argentina, but know that there is so much more going on behind the stories. Don't think of this as a cheap way out of telling the story, but a small story of what actual happened. I'm not going to say the specific time slots of each story, but understand that the trip started on March 7 and ended on March 22. Here is my best attempt at explaining not only the story, but my heart as I was in Argentina.
Ready or not we left for Argentina on March 7th. I hadn't really thought enough about the trip or did enough to get myself ready for this trip. At Kaleo there is so much going on that it was hard to think that I was indeed flying to Buenos Aires. Much like my last mission trip I stepped with other into what seems like the unknown. After 30+ hours of travel we finally arrived and were greeted with warm weather and some of the family we were going to be staying with. Our leader, Melissa Holland, set up a trip with her sister and brother in law who is the current head of Youth For Christ America. So from that we knew we were going to be working alongside Youth For Christ in Argentina. The big thing that we had to plan for was a retreat that would be happening the first weekend we where there. We planned a little bit for it while in Canada but the planning really started the Thursday we were there. The first day was getting settled in and getting acquainted with the Rendel family. We went for a walk through Argentina and I still couldn't fathom that we were in fact in South America.
The next day we spent the day planning what would take part at the retreat we were going be putting on. We were going to be working with ALLOY, which is a youth group for third culture kids in Argentina. We had planned a kingdom theme and were going along with that for our weekend. We got a lot of stuff planned and planned on Friday as well. It was hard to plan because we weren't exactly sure where we were going. So on Friday at 4 a whole bunch of kids showed up and in an hour or so we loaded up a bus and were headed to the camp ground for our retreat. It was pretty crazy if you ask me. For one, I didn't know how this retreat was going to look like or end up being. I was a little terrified if you ask me. Anyways it ended up being a gong show at first, but after playing our night game, Capture the Canadian, it transformed into a smooth transition. It felt as though the gong show I thought was going happen was actually going be a pretty significant weekend for a not only the kids, but us leaders as well. I really felt that they opened up there arms and really accepted us as family. We built a lot of relationships and the weekend went so well. I will talk more about that after this overview. It was sad to have the weekend end, but that wasn't the end of the bond we made with those kids that weekend. We got back on sunday and then we went to go see a South American soccer game (so intense!) and then went to go watch Jordy, the rendals son, play hockey... Well inline hockey, which was still funny to me to have hockey in Argentina. Who knew.
Then on monday we worked at a place called Conviven, which is a drop in centre kind of thing that teaches skills such as photography and provides a place for kids for a day camp or something like that. It is in a pretty poor end of town so it was good to see that and to serve in this way. We took on the job of painting the computer room, which took two days. It wasn't a big room but it was a tricky room with all the wiring and what not. I got a little high of the paint fumes but nonetheless we did a pretty good job of painting the room. Tuesday was our day off and so we travelled the city of Buenos Aires. There is a pretty huge contrast in terms of the rich and the poor in Argentina so we saw that on our tour of the city. It was one of those "Were in Argentina!" kinda of days. It was good to tour around and to know a lot about the city. At night we went to go see Jordy's recital and go for Asado, which is all you can eat meat! Argentine's are known for their beef so we got to witness and taste it. So amazing.
On Wednesday we went to go look at a camp which was 45 minutes away, but because of Argentine traffic (13 million people) it took us a mere 6 hours of travel there and back. There was a lot of potential for the camp so it was good for us to go see it and it gives Youth For Christ something to ponder. The camp wasn't doing so well so we went there to support their ministry and to pray that something would change. We also went to a Starbucks (it's seriously going take over the world....) in South America! I really did miss Timmy's though. Thursday we went back to Conviven. Friday we stayed at the Rendals and planned what we were going to do for the Alloy youth group happening that night and for what we were going do at Conviven on Saturday. We planned sort of a debrief for Alloy to remember what happened at the retreat and continued to build relationships within the group. We made a slideshow and it was incredible to watch it with the friends we made on that retreat. I could go on and on about it, but I'll save that for part 2 of this blog post. Saturday we helped out with a day camp at Conviven for the kids that showed up there. We took some Alloy kids with us and they really helped us out because all the kids spoke spanish and well... you get the idea. They were phenominal at it and made it easier for us to talk to the kids. It was a blast, but I wish I could have learned spanish so that I could have related more to the kids. Saturday night we were invited for a bbq with some of the people we got to know at the retreat. It was a great way to end the week as we were trying to plan something with the Alloy kids all week.
Sunday came around really fast. It was the last day we were there and it was a sad day. It didn't feel like the last day, but unfortunately it was. It was sad to say goodbye to the friends we met on saturday. I don't know if I will ever see them again. Sunday we went to a spanish church where I learned nothing haha. Then we went out for lunch and headed home to go pack and finish saying goodbyes. We left Argentina on sunday night and I arrived back at home/camp after another 30+ hours.
This is my feeble attempt at sharing what went on in Argentina. There is so much more to talk about in which I will try to share in my next post that I will put up shortly. God did amazing things in Argentina and it was sweet to witness it while working with Youth For Christ. It was an amazing two weeks that I got to spend down in Argentina.
3/6/11
Exit Signs
It would be much easier to go through the exit. However God is alling me to pursue the rest of this year. I'm excited to see whats going happen in the next little while. I know I wouldn't be the person I am if I didnt' persevere this year. No one said it was going to be tough or easy. I can tell you it's been a hard year. Someone asked me if I learned anything here. I am confident in saying yes I have learned so much behind quiet struggle. It has been a year of growth. I struggled quietly this year, not letting people know truly what I was thinking or feeling. God has made it known that I have to let things go and to let people in on whats going on in my life.
This past week we had a chapel and in that chapel the girls initiated something to let the guys know how much they do care for us. They didnt do anything boastful or over the top, but something servently. They each encouraged one person, than proceeded to wash our feet. It was to say the least unexpected but nonetheless beautiful and encouraging. I didn't feel worthy to have my feet washed, but they did it out of love. Our community has lacked being open, honest, and trusting. For the whole year we have been waitng for something big to happen and in that we didn't know how to really talk to one another. we have to, in a way, go back to the start (que coldplay....now!) and become honest and trusting. Nothing big is going happen until we are able to come alongside one another.
It's never to late for a "do-over". This past week we had a guy named Matthew come and share his testimony and he challenged us with his story. He did bible school for a year and then turned away from God for 14 years and is now back for his "do-over". It struck a chord with a lot of people here because like I said, our community hasn't always been that great. This year for me has been a time to break down walls that I have come to surround myself with. I need to surrender myself and be open with not only the people, but most importantly the Lord. I lack in the prayer and reading department, but recently I have gotten back into it. When I am in tune with the Lord I have a lot of joy and when im not I'm longing for the joy that I have when I'm in tune with the Lord
This week we had to say goodbye to a brother. He was a difficult person to love and he admitted this before he left. I had trouble loving him, but through his question and attitude I saw a lot of who I used to be. He challenged me a lot and even though I didn't get to know him a whole lot he did challenge me. It was sad/hard to say goodbye to him because he was finally at the point to accept the community. It took a lot out of our community and it was hard to say bye. I'm regretting not getting to know him more. I can just imagine the pain at the end of this year. I have come to love this community and its going be tough to say goodbye amidst the hardship that this year has brought.
My brothers and sisters who are going to India had a pretty tough week this week. I urge you who are reading to take the time right now to stope reading my blog and to pray for my friends going to India. Even though you don't know them, I encourage you to pray. In the larger picture we are all family. Please pray for strength. Not only physical strength but also mental and most of all spiritual strength. Pray that they will be the hands and feet of Christ and that they will surrender to what the Lord has in store. Pray for boldness. Pray that throughout their struggle or whatever is hindering them that they will be able to persevere. They are going to be a light in a dark place in the world.
This week I had Gospels. We went through matthew while making pit stops in Mark, Luke, and John. There was SO much to be taught. I would have loved to have this class for a longer period of time rather than a week. There is so much to learn about Jesus and his teachings. We went back to essentially the very core Christian beliefs. It was refreshing to go into depth. It was like having a week long Bible study.
It has been a pretty hard week. I had a lot of class and then an exam and paper due on the weekend and on top of that I had to get ready for Argentina! I am looking forward to what God is going to do through me. We are going to be doing some pretty cool things. We are putting on a retreat, doing some "hands-on" things, putting on a day camp, and of course touring around Argentina. Nothing is set in stone, but I know that it's going to be an impacting trip in which God is going to challenge me. I ask you again to pray for me. Pray that I may take initiative to take every opportunity and use it for God's glory. Pray that I will go there not to be served, but to serve the Argentina community. PRay also that I may have boldness and have a willingness to serve with humbleness. I can't believe I drive out tomorrow to vancouver and fly out tuesday!
Although this week was busy I was still able to enjoy the company of my sister dorm. We haven't really done anything so we had a dorm date! Me and Erik too them to the Badke's house for a tea party (Yeah that's right a tea party) and then we made encouragement cards for our amazing interns. This hasn't been just a hard year for me or the other students, but also for all the leaders involved. The year hasn't gone how they envisioned it, but nonetheless it is a year of grace amidst the struggle. Anyways thats it until I come back from Argentina. I appreciate all your prayers. Peace be with you.
This past week we had a chapel and in that chapel the girls initiated something to let the guys know how much they do care for us. They didnt do anything boastful or over the top, but something servently. They each encouraged one person, than proceeded to wash our feet. It was to say the least unexpected but nonetheless beautiful and encouraging. I didn't feel worthy to have my feet washed, but they did it out of love. Our community has lacked being open, honest, and trusting. For the whole year we have been waitng for something big to happen and in that we didn't know how to really talk to one another. we have to, in a way, go back to the start (que coldplay....now!) and become honest and trusting. Nothing big is going happen until we are able to come alongside one another.
It's never to late for a "do-over". This past week we had a guy named Matthew come and share his testimony and he challenged us with his story. He did bible school for a year and then turned away from God for 14 years and is now back for his "do-over". It struck a chord with a lot of people here because like I said, our community hasn't always been that great. This year for me has been a time to break down walls that I have come to surround myself with. I need to surrender myself and be open with not only the people, but most importantly the Lord. I lack in the prayer and reading department, but recently I have gotten back into it. When I am in tune with the Lord I have a lot of joy and when im not I'm longing for the joy that I have when I'm in tune with the Lord
This week we had to say goodbye to a brother. He was a difficult person to love and he admitted this before he left. I had trouble loving him, but through his question and attitude I saw a lot of who I used to be. He challenged me a lot and even though I didn't get to know him a whole lot he did challenge me. It was sad/hard to say goodbye to him because he was finally at the point to accept the community. It took a lot out of our community and it was hard to say bye. I'm regretting not getting to know him more. I can just imagine the pain at the end of this year. I have come to love this community and its going be tough to say goodbye amidst the hardship that this year has brought.
My brothers and sisters who are going to India had a pretty tough week this week. I urge you who are reading to take the time right now to stope reading my blog and to pray for my friends going to India. Even though you don't know them, I encourage you to pray. In the larger picture we are all family. Please pray for strength. Not only physical strength but also mental and most of all spiritual strength. Pray that they will be the hands and feet of Christ and that they will surrender to what the Lord has in store. Pray for boldness. Pray that throughout their struggle or whatever is hindering them that they will be able to persevere. They are going to be a light in a dark place in the world.
This week I had Gospels. We went through matthew while making pit stops in Mark, Luke, and John. There was SO much to be taught. I would have loved to have this class for a longer period of time rather than a week. There is so much to learn about Jesus and his teachings. We went back to essentially the very core Christian beliefs. It was refreshing to go into depth. It was like having a week long Bible study.
It has been a pretty hard week. I had a lot of class and then an exam and paper due on the weekend and on top of that I had to get ready for Argentina! I am looking forward to what God is going to do through me. We are going to be doing some pretty cool things. We are putting on a retreat, doing some "hands-on" things, putting on a day camp, and of course touring around Argentina. Nothing is set in stone, but I know that it's going to be an impacting trip in which God is going to challenge me. I ask you again to pray for me. Pray that I may take initiative to take every opportunity and use it for God's glory. Pray that I will go there not to be served, but to serve the Argentina community. PRay also that I may have boldness and have a willingness to serve with humbleness. I can't believe I drive out tomorrow to vancouver and fly out tuesday!
Although this week was busy I was still able to enjoy the company of my sister dorm. We haven't really done anything so we had a dorm date! Me and Erik too them to the Badke's house for a tea party (Yeah that's right a tea party) and then we made encouragement cards for our amazing interns. This hasn't been just a hard year for me or the other students, but also for all the leaders involved. The year hasn't gone how they envisioned it, but nonetheless it is a year of grace amidst the struggle. Anyways thats it until I come back from Argentina. I appreciate all your prayers. Peace be with you.
3/1/11
God, You Are The Light In This Darkness
After getting back to Kaleo it was tough to get back into the swing of things. I had an amazing restful week away and it was tough to adjust to the busy pace that is Kaleo. I know it would be easier if it was over, but its not. I'm so glad that there is more. I know I'm not finished here and that I have a lot of growing to do within the last couple of weeks here. It was good to see people again. I have come to the point where I love the community here. In the next couple of weeks im going be more open to people and most importantly more open to God. It's been a long walk to get to where I am at and I know there is more trials to go through but I know it is creating perseverance. I honestly don't know what's next, but I'm content that I'm going find out. It has been a year of grace not only for me but for the whole group. It may not be what other Kaleo's have been but there has been lots of good. It's not good to dwell on what could have been but rather focus on whats right in front of you. I have been learning a lot to not dwell on things from the past. The people I have met before and have befriended before have been there for a reason at that time in my life. Redeemer was a good year for me, but it wouldn't be healthy for me to dwell only on the good without remembering the bad. I have been learning to let go of a lot of things which has been good for me to do. This weekend we had our second week of prayer and it was definately needed not only for me but for our group. We are all leaving on significant mission trips that are going be challenging and a test to our faith. Prayer is what strengthens us and allows us to have a intimate relationship with our creator. I am going to Argentina in a weeks time and I am so excited. Continued prayer and thought would be much appreciated.
Sunday I had the privilege of attending a beautiful church service. In my mind it was one of the best one's I have gone to this year at Kaleo. The worship was so good and I was enjoying that so much, which I usually don't on most occasions. Pastor Mark had a good message on worship and put it into a whole new perspective for me. He outlined his sermon to the Parable of the Good Samaratin and had a pretty impacting service. He said that when we grumble about going to church we are not doing the second commandment. He talked about how when we worship we are worshiping with a community of believers and when we don't want to attend we aren't lifting that person up who needs it. It needs to be selfless. I know when I was younger I used to grumble about going to church and especially grumbled when we had to sing. Over the past two sermon's I have listened to it made me realize that worship is about glorifying God and it is about loving our neighbour.
After the service we went to Pastor Marks house for an amazing time of fellowship. He talked to us about our mission trips and really encouraged us. He then prayed for our mission trips which was a huge blessing. I love hearing pastors pray and when it's specifically for you it is so impacting. I had the privilege of having my Pastor back at my home church be prayer partners with me. At first I didn't want that but it has worked out for the best and he has played a significant role in my walk with God. I enjoy going for coffee with him and catching up and it is always such a blessing to know he is praying for me as I'm out here. I'm excited to spend the summer at home and get to meet up with him.
At New Life we have met a pretty awesome couple, Jay and Michelle Brock, who are doing a church internship. Recently they made a documentary about Sex Trafficking and I had the chance to watch it tonight. They have started up Justice movie night at the church and tonight we got to watch there documentary. Michelle is really passionate for the issue and it has been on her mind for the last couple of years. Anywho, the movie was about sex trafficking in Canada. I didn't know it was so prevalent in Canada. I thought it was more of an issue overseas and in other countries. It was a very informative documentary and I recommend watching it. You can find it at their website http://www.hopeforthesold.com/ You can find it under resources. I am pretty passionate about social justice and ways to get involved so this was a good movie. Part of me next year wants to get involved with an organization to help in an area. Though it may not be sex trafficking, there are so many other ways to get involved with social justice. I hope to get a social justice movie night even in my own church this summer.
Next year I feel more and more content on taking a year off. I think I will work half and then half I want to work with an organization and like I said above I don't know what it will be. From watching the video it scares me to think of what goes on in this world, this darkness. It is horrible to even think of what man is possible. It makes me sick to think that people are trafficking humans and selling them as a commodity. It's all about power, money and greed and it sickens me. I want to bring light and the only way to do that is through God. Please pray for our government and judges as they are leaders of our country as they make decisions. Pray that they would put an end to sex trafficking in Canada and be able to fight for other countries. Pray for organizations and people like Jay and Michelle Brock. As a community of believers we have the power of prayer. Let us be a light and lead by not following the ways of this world.
Well thats all for this post. This week I have Gospels and so far so good. I feel its going be a pretty good week!
Sunday I had the privilege of attending a beautiful church service. In my mind it was one of the best one's I have gone to this year at Kaleo. The worship was so good and I was enjoying that so much, which I usually don't on most occasions. Pastor Mark had a good message on worship and put it into a whole new perspective for me. He outlined his sermon to the Parable of the Good Samaratin and had a pretty impacting service. He said that when we grumble about going to church we are not doing the second commandment. He talked about how when we worship we are worshiping with a community of believers and when we don't want to attend we aren't lifting that person up who needs it. It needs to be selfless. I know when I was younger I used to grumble about going to church and especially grumbled when we had to sing. Over the past two sermon's I have listened to it made me realize that worship is about glorifying God and it is about loving our neighbour.
After the service we went to Pastor Marks house for an amazing time of fellowship. He talked to us about our mission trips and really encouraged us. He then prayed for our mission trips which was a huge blessing. I love hearing pastors pray and when it's specifically for you it is so impacting. I had the privilege of having my Pastor back at my home church be prayer partners with me. At first I didn't want that but it has worked out for the best and he has played a significant role in my walk with God. I enjoy going for coffee with him and catching up and it is always such a blessing to know he is praying for me as I'm out here. I'm excited to spend the summer at home and get to meet up with him.
At New Life we have met a pretty awesome couple, Jay and Michelle Brock, who are doing a church internship. Recently they made a documentary about Sex Trafficking and I had the chance to watch it tonight. They have started up Justice movie night at the church and tonight we got to watch there documentary. Michelle is really passionate for the issue and it has been on her mind for the last couple of years. Anywho, the movie was about sex trafficking in Canada. I didn't know it was so prevalent in Canada. I thought it was more of an issue overseas and in other countries. It was a very informative documentary and I recommend watching it. You can find it at their website http://www.hopeforthesold.com/ You can find it under resources. I am pretty passionate about social justice and ways to get involved so this was a good movie. Part of me next year wants to get involved with an organization to help in an area. Though it may not be sex trafficking, there are so many other ways to get involved with social justice. I hope to get a social justice movie night even in my own church this summer.
Next year I feel more and more content on taking a year off. I think I will work half and then half I want to work with an organization and like I said above I don't know what it will be. From watching the video it scares me to think of what goes on in this world, this darkness. It is horrible to even think of what man is possible. It makes me sick to think that people are trafficking humans and selling them as a commodity. It's all about power, money and greed and it sickens me. I want to bring light and the only way to do that is through God. Please pray for our government and judges as they are leaders of our country as they make decisions. Pray that they would put an end to sex trafficking in Canada and be able to fight for other countries. Pray for organizations and people like Jay and Michelle Brock. As a community of believers we have the power of prayer. Let us be a light and lead by not following the ways of this world.
Well thats all for this post. This week I have Gospels and so far so good. I feel its going be a pretty good week!
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