time after time

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11

hey everyone :)
this past week has seemed to fly by!

on monday we had our church ministry exam and staff dinner on tuesday and then wednesday i volunteered to help with the seniors lunch at the community centre in crofton! it was a wonderful experience to be able to serve the community and be a part of this christmas meal. from thursday afternoon to sunday night we went to the canadian youth workers convention in vancouver! soo amazing. the main theme was time. we stayed at oakridge baptist church which was a blessing! and we had small session series throughout the day and then big general sessions a couple times a day. there was such amazing speakers and worship and the session were very insightful! Some of the series sessions i went to included 'living a holy life in an unholy world'-Dale Winder,'sex,christ, and culture'-Sid Koop, 'relationally engaging the wired and connected generations'-Matt Wilkinson, 'resting in the Holy Spirit'-Amanda Falk, 'speaking to teenagers: how to think about, create and deliver effective messages'- Duffy Robbins and speakers for the general sessions which were amazing included:
Mark Buchanan
Darrell Johnson
Duffy Robbins
Joyce Rees
Rene Rochester
Mark Yaconelli
what a wonderful weekend. God Bless!

We are heading home on the 11th! SO exciting. lots to do before then though- we went to wild play today where we did a high ropes/ziplines in the tree tops and also had th option of going bungy jumping or on a giant swing! i went bungy jumping and it was so fun :) and then we have two papers due! one on reconciliation and one on women in ministry. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog :) i hope you have a wonderful christmas season and may God bless you!


(photocredit to Caroline!)


PR: please pray for the homeless in vancouver as the weather gets colder!!
pray for all kaleo students that they would be a light shining brightly for HIM as they head home for the christmas holiday- pray for their families and churches and that the birth of JC would be the centre of this season!
pray for the upcoming olympics.
pray for youth pastors!

"I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." Ghandi

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

this past week we had foundations of church ministry course with Dave Ernst. i loved the way he taught class and learned so much. Some of the main topics we covered include: what is the church? What is the purpose of the church? Who leads the church? What is my contribution in the church? and what if there are problems in the church? we thoroughly examined each one and everything was backed up by scripture in the Bible. We read "Whats so Amazing about Grace?" by Philip Yancey and "The Emerging Church" by Dan Kimball. Both were amazing books that i would recommend reading! The Ghandi quote is from Kimball's book and how there has become a sense of mistrust and caution toward Christians from emerging generations. Our world is constantly changing and the church needs to deconstruct and reconstruct the way it is to be able to reach out to younger generations. Even though our culture is always changing and becoming more postmodern, Christ will remain the same forever. We have our exam tomorrow, so lots of studying tonight! and then we also have a paper due in December about women in ministry.

this weekend i did a full weekend for the mens retreat that came to qwanoes! i helped out in the dishpit for every meal. it was a joy working alongside other Kaleos and staff serving these men. there was about 95 men ranging from 20-80yrs old. please pray for them and how God worked in their lives this past weekend.

i trust you are all doing well and im praying for you. hope you are blessed with the presence of Christ this upcoming week.
im looking forward to coming home soon!
love always.

PR: please pray for our churches and the emerging generations

Revelation 4:11

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things..."

GLORY HONOUR POWER BELONG TO YOU!

hey everyone :)
this past week we had 24/7 week of prayer which was such an amazing experience! God was so present in the room we had set aside for prayer. It was reassuring to know that throughout the week, there was always someone praying throughout the whole day. In the Bible it says "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Prayer is communicating with God! It is such a vital part of our relationship with Him. This week I learned how important prayer really is and how i need to be more consistent with my prayer life, fully surrender my heart, and just give all glory to Him. I made a list of everything to pray for each day and if you have any prayer requests let me know! I have drawn so much closer to God this past week after just talking to Him on a daily basis. God is SO amazing and through Him all things are possible! He hears our prayers!!!

this week we have a course: church ministry with David Ernst! we have already read two books which were really insightful. i think it will be a great week of learning!!

i hope you are all doing well :) miss everyone and looking forward to coming home soon! thanks for reading my blog.
LOVE :)

PR: please pray for Nate's sister (Kaitlin) on the 23rd, Mike Elrick, Jane, flood in Duncan, Steve's(CIT) parent who is in the hospital, Tyler Cassidy and his mom, and all the Kaleo students this week during our class!

Psalm 119:32

[Jess&I-filming star trek scene in OT vid!]
"I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free."

this past week we had a course- old testament literature! it was so sweet. i learned so much and feel that i know more about the old testament. don taylor was an amazing professor and made the class fun! we also made a video as a class about the OT and it should be up on the blog soon! :) it turned out great and it was so fun working asa team!
in ministry, this week at church, i taught sunday school for aged 3-6 year olds about Hezekiah. the main theme was that God hears our prayers and knows what's best for us. the memory verse was proverbs 29:25 and we did a craft! i was so thankful that God could use me in such a way that i can teach younger children about the hope they can have in Christ. an answer to prayer i observed this week was was that sunday school would go well and the children would be open to what i had to say ad learn more about God.
this next week is prayer week! ... we have a prayer room set aside and there was a schedule where we signed up for an hour a day (schedule goes all day and night until next sunday) and we go in there and just spend time with God. im really looking forward to this week!
i hope you're all doing well and hope you have a good week :) if you have any prayer requests please let me know! and dont hesitate to send me a message!
i love and miss you all!
God Bless!

PR: please pray for the children that i taught to in sunday school and that they would remember that God hears our prayers.

Romans 8:37-39

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am covinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, nether the present nore the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anyting else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that s in Christ Jesus our Lord."

:)
this past week was reading break!
we had gym night on monday and played floor hockey... SO FUN!
and then on tuesday we went into victoria for the day! SO FUN :) lol.
and then just lots of homework. which is also sweeet, definitely learning SO much and loving every second of it. this week we have a course- Old Testament Literature! - for sure looking forward to it. ooooo and a few of us went to Kristie's house to do work one afternoon... and are some cookies. SO yummy!=D
[thanks Krisite <3 ]
on saturday i helped out with the maintenance crew in the morning for the junior high retreat that was here this weekend! it was so fun. loved working as a team and getting to know Katie and John! as well as Steve and Joel.
This morning at church I was in the nursery and with help from Hannah, we looked after Micah, Hudson, and Ashton! and next sunday im teaching sunday school for ages 3-6 year olds which im really looking forward too! :)

PR: please continue to pray for the homeless

ps. here's a few pictures from when the olympic torch came to CROFTON!

Proverbs 27:19

heeeeeey y'all!
hehehe!

this past week was crazy! we went to ucluelet and stayed there in a church from monday to wednesday! we then went surfing in tofino which was sweeeeet!! SO fun. the first day was really windy but the next day was perfect... it was sooo beautiful there too! wow.
On thursday I did my QFX ministry with Mel and Abby! We cleaned out the storage closet that had decorations for retreats and stuff. We spent the afternoon doing that which was fun- i really enjoy organizing things! It looked so much better when we were done. good job team :)
We also had fireside thursday night which was really fun! I got to go to Ruth and Ralphs (camp grandma and grandpa) with Jess, Mark, and Josh and we got to eat dinner there which was amazing and then we played sequence after which was really fun!... it reminded me of going to my grandparents house back home!! i miss you both <3
and theeeen on saturday the olympic torch came through crofton!!
i volunteered to go early to help set up for this event- we blew up balloon and set up tables and when the kids came in there halloween costumes they painted pumpkins, made torches from flashlights and there was free olympic stuff and timbits and hot chocolate! it was so fun watching all the kids and setting up with Rivs, Abby, Caroline, Ellie, and Matt! :)
and theeen yesterday we had lots of assignments due for spiritual formation so that was nice to get handed in. and church went well yesterday! i went to church by myself(thanks for the ride Kristie!) since Trent was helping with the retreat here. Everyone at North Cowichan Alliance is so welcoming and friendly! I helped again in sunday school -they are still learning about Elisha and then next week im in the nursery which im looking forward too!

whaaaat an intense week!!! :)
this week we have reading break so that will be nice!
thanks for reading everyone- love you alll <3
smileee :)
God bless!

PR: please pray for my mom who just started a new job :)

Psalm 108:4

hey.

sooo. this past week we had a course- Hermeneutics (learning how to read the Bible) with Merrill Dyck. It was very interesting, insightful, and I learned a lot!
... This past weekend there was also a youth conference called Acquire the Fire back home in ON! (picture above) I really wished I could have been there, but I watched most of it online. The overall theme was Encounter and I learned so much about God's love for us. Ron Luce and Mark Gizzardo spoke and there was awesome worship from Unhindered. Manafest and Thousand Foot Krutch also played! It is so inspiring to see so many youth's of our generation on fire for God!! I was possibly thinking about volunteering at it sometime next year :)
... we are leaving for tofino(across the island) tomorrow morning until wednesday night to go surfing and wave watching!
It was nice to be back at church this morning! I helped again with sunday school and they are starting up a new program and different sundays i will be helping out in the nursery and teaching children aged 3-6 and 7-10 years old.
after church, Trent and I went out for coffee with a fellow believer and it was nice just to have a real conversation, share, talk, and hear their story.

hope everyone has a good weekend and thanks again for all your support and prayers ♥

PQ: please pray for the students and children at North Cowichan Alliance

Philippians 4:13

hello there.

what a wild week it has been! ...lol but then again every week is intense! ;)
I hope you are all doing well :)
so...last Sunday night i had the oppertunity to go into the town of Duncan with about 8 others from Kaleo and talk to the homeless. We met Bob and Brenda who were brother and sister as well as Heebee who was First Nations; they have lived there, their whole lives. They told us their story and more about the town and the conflicts between the whites and natives as well as the drug and alcohol abuse. They told us how they live from a van and they are better off then a lot of others who are homeless. They are unable to get anything like social aid so a bunch of them stick together as a small community and help each other out. Near the end of the conversation we asked if we could pray for them. They said yes and it was so amazing how God provided this oppertunity for us and their willingness to hear us out. It breaks my heart to know that there are so many homeless people around the world who have so little and live in poverty ... but God loves and cares about each and every one of them. There are over 300 verses in the Bible about the poor and it is our responsibility to reach out to them!
-James 2:5 “Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”
-Deuteronomy 15:7 “If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.”
This week our surf trip was cancelled and had to be rescheduled due to the weather forecast! So we went caving, shopping, and swimming instead. We also had a DTG (ditch the genders) night which was really fun! All the girls had the oppertunity to go to Oceanview (an old folks home nearby) and sing songs and interact with the residents there. We then went to Chemainus and had drinks from a local cafe and walked around town. We then went to Kristies's house where a wonderful meal was prepared for us and we spent time talking and sharing. The next morning we had some fun activities with our roomies!... Thank you so much for everything Kristie and Marissa! :) ♥
Also this weekend, from friday night to sunday afternoon, i had the oppertunity of serving at the women's retreat that came here to Camp Qwanoes! I served alongside the kitchen staff and other Kaleo students- preparing meals, putting away meals, and cleaning up the kitchen area. Many hours and hard work went into preparing meals for the ladies and it was such a blessing to work with a wonderful crew. I learned how important it is to work as a team to finish the tasks that need to be done. I have been learning a lot about community recently and what it means to be a piece belonging to a puzzle and the bigger picture. This coming week we have a course called Hermeneutics that i am looking forward to!
I hope you have an amazing week and God bless you :)
PQ: please pray for those who are lost and homeless

Romans 5:8

heeey.

so. this past week we went on the Pacific Grace with SALTS (sail and life training society). we left the Victoria harbour on Monday and returned on Friday! i loved it and it was such an amazing experience! we learned how to tie knots, raise and lower the sails, and parts of the ship. there was great food and fellowship. worship, games, and meetings at night were always fun and a pleasure. it was nice working as a team, being on watch, and getting to know everyone better.

this morning at church i helped again with sunday school which was exciting! we learned about thanksgiving and i got to help with the crafts and clean up.
Grace, made a turkey out of construction paper for me! :)
and i just want to say thanks again to Trent for driving me even though he has a sinus infection(please pray that he will get better soon). I talked again with Allison and they are still working on setting up the different age groups for childrens programs; i may be teaching/leading the 3-6 year old age group. After church we were able to talk with some of the members of the church and got to know them a bit better. One person in particular we got to talk to is living in the hospital: please pray for their recovery and that they will be open to God's calling.

i just want to thank you all again for your support, prayers, and mail! lol, i love reading your cards and letters. i hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving and is thankful for all that God has provided. i miss everyone at home and wish i could be there for turkey dinner! (L)

upcoming events: our surfing trip has been cancelled and will hopefully be rescheduled due to the weather forecast.... i am helping out with a womens retreat from the 16-18th and our herme
neutics course starts on the 19th!

PQ: please pray for those who are sick.

Zephaniah 3:17

hey hey hey!

This past week we had our first course! it was called 'Spiritual Formation' with Marv Penner. We read the book 'The Life You've Always Wanted' by John Ortberg which was faaabulous :) I highly recommend it! I learned a lot this past week and really enjoyed Marv's teaching. We also had a communion service on the dock which was really intense!

Over the past week we also had a fireside, met with our QFX supervisors and had a dance party!
A fireside is when we get to go in small groups to a staff members house for the night and enjoy fellowship with snacks and games :) I went to Brenda and Kevin's house and we played a game called 'Things' which was really fun! I also had a meeting with Mel, the Staffing Director, to talk about a 'Qwanoes Special Effects' where I will be helping with a special project with another Kaleo student, Abby! We had a dance party on Saturday night which was also really fun... I was in the country group! haha oh! and Rivera(my lovely roomie :) and I went for a walk near Maple Mountain and found these cool tree houses... we plan on going for a walk there again on another trail!

Church today went well! Trent and I usually go early to help set up with worship and I talked with Allison and got to help with Sunday School. The children were learning about Elijah, Elisha, and the whirlwind. We made a craft which was exciting where there go to glue Elijah and the whirlwind onto a page. They are starting there new program for the childrens church next week so I will be helping out with that :)

Tomorrow we are leaving on a big ship called the Pacific Grace with SALTS!

PR: please pray for all the Kaleo students! :)

Philippians 2:6-11

Yesterday I had the oppertunity to serve in the kitchen, here at Camp Qwanoes! I was in the 'Food Services' area and worked alongside the staff to help prepare meals for the guest group, Trinity Western University. I felt called to this ministry because of my experience working at several fast-food restaurants. It was an enjoyable experience joining the staff and working, allowing God to use me as part of a team to serve others. I was there from 7am to 12:30pm and in that short amount of time I learned more in depth about team work, unity, patience, and the importance of sharing the work load. I was shown how much work is put into a single meal and am so thankful for all the kitchen staff who are there on a regular basis serving us. I loved being able to help out where I could and serve others while also being a servant of the Lord.

Today was my second Sunday at North Cowichan Alliance! I was introduced to Allison Croswell who is the director of the Children's Ministry. They are starting a new program and I will be helping out with the nursery and younger children's classes. I feel so welcomed in this church and pray daily for their needs as a young and growing church body. Each sermon and worship session teaches me more about Christ and challenges me to grow deeper in my faith. I look forward to our gathering's each Sunday!

PQ: please pray for the members of this church as well as the kitchen staff at Qwanoes

Ephesians 2:8 + 10

((September 23rd, 2009))

:)
As many of you know, I am part of the Kaleo program- located at Camp Qwanoes in Crofton, BC on Vancouver Island. Kaleo is an 8-month leadership program and is a partnership between Camp Qwanoes and Briercrest College in Saskatchewan. I will be posting weekly blogs to keep you updated about my ministry experience and how God is working through me here at Kaleo this year.

This past Sunday, I went to North Cowichan Alliance with a fellow Kaleo student Trent McKone, located in Duncan. I prayed about it and really felt God calling me to be a blessing to this church. It was an awesome experience meeting people there who were so welcoming and inviting. I am excited to be helping out with the children's program and hope to learn from this experience and grow closer in my relationship with Christ. (Trent will be helping out with the worship team). I chose to help out with the childrens program because I enjoy working with kids and learning from them; I want to be a leader that they can look up to and teach them more about their Father in Heaven. I have been praying for this church and the pastors there, Joel and Marvin Croswell. This is a young church that was planted and has been growing steadily.

There are many guest groups that stay here at Camp Qwanoes. As Kaleo students, we have been trained to help run the Challenge Course which is high ropes, zip line, rock climbing, etc. We will have many oppertunities to help lead in this area of ministry.

From Monday-Wednesday, we set out for Mount Albert-Edward in Strathcona Park. It was a 34km hike! For me, it was really challenging both physically and mentally but I learned so much from other students, leaders, and God. I wanted to give up and stop hiking but I really felt God telling me to keep going; I had to trust in Him to give me strength! It was so amazing when we were hiking and at the top of the mountain to think of all the wonders of the world that He created. He is so mighty and powerful and His creation is an example of this. I enjoyed growing in my relationships, learning more about other students, and real conversations. It was such an awesome experience!!

I am excited for God's plan and direction for my life and I want to thank you for all your support, encouragement, and prayers!
God Bless <3

PRAYER REQUEST [PQ]: Please pray for me, that I will have strength and boldness to step out in faith and be a servant for the Lord!