Online Ministry Journal #9

       Coming into this year at Camp Qwanoes one of the things I was most exited for was being plugged into a church and being given a great opportunity to serve in the body of Christ. This year didn't disappoint! Looking back as the year is coming to a close and I am graduating one of the things I am most thankful for is being given the opportunity to serve at Camp and in my Church. It has been a great season of growth and learning for me and I am so appreciative. Over the last eight months between my Pastor and the students who also went to my church, we ran an Awana program  (childrens club) for grades 3 to 6. That has been at times a little challenging a little stretching but most of all so rewarding. It has been so neat to so kids come out of their shell and enjoy this time so much, and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to build into these young Kids lives. In my camp and youth ministry class we read a book called raising spiritual champions and one of the facts in the book was this; which said, between the ages of 8-12 is the most instrumental time of growth and that by the time kids hit around11 or 12 they have already formed their own worldview. Between my time serving in my church and consoling kids at Jr.s retreats I am so thankful for the time I got to spend pouring into this important stage in kids lives.
      I was defiantly stretched quite first semester when I counselled Jr.s retreat in the first semester. It was a wild and crazy experience being accountable for 8 energetic, hyper children. I found it difficult to earn the respect and get on the kids level to show my care for them, however one of the most rewarding things was having the ability to have a second go at councoling Jr.s and seeing the growth in my capability to minister to kids. In general I my patience was also stretched but wven this was another thing I could thank the lord for, to have the ability to work in a way that cost me something (my sleep specifically) which made doing kingdom work feel so much more worth it.
      Another way I was stretched was just being continually pushed outside my comfort zone through the Kaleo program year in general. Sounds cliché and vague but it would impossible to list all the ways I have been pushed outside my comfort wether speaking in front of a crowd of strangers either during camp weekend or on missions trip, or going and talking to a homeless person on the missions trip, or in my church Awana program or others, all this is to say I have been pushed outside my comfort zone a lot. This is however one of the things I defiantly most thankful for and I hope to seek out being pushed outside my comfort zone in the future. This being pushed has made me so much more confident in my self and understanding that my identity is in christ. I no longer fear failure or rejection nearly as much as I used to and I can very clearly see a transition of maturity in my life happen over this time and I am so thankful for this pressure cooker of growth I have lived within for the last Eight months.
       What I am going to miss the most is also very cliché, but it is so true and something is messed up if you you went through this program and agree on some level. What I am going to miss the most is the people. I have built so many close friends who have supported me and pushed and I am so thankful for them. I am so thankful and going to miss the leaders I have had who have lovingly pushed us to our limits. And I have fallen in love with the Church I have been attending. There has bee so many people who have lovingly poured int my life this year and so many people I have been able to pour into as well and I have as you can expect built up an attachment to many of them and I am going to miss them all so much!

Trip to Van City

Hey Everyone,
      I have appreciated your prayers throughout this year so much especially during the missions trip. I know I have already posted a blurb on missions trip but if you are interested here is a lot better recap in my opinion. Just click on the link below.

Mission To Van City



Ministry Journal #8: Missions Trip

         Thank you to everyone who supported me in their Prayer for my missions Trip to Vancouver. It was in my mind defiantly a success. So what we did on the trip as I am sure so many are wondering was basically every thing aha. One of the reasons a lot information was given about what exactly I would be doing was because I didn't know and it would be difficult to explain everything we did. So I'll try to be brief in my explanation. The first five days were spent at New Beginnings Church on the inner city east side of Vancouver. The first ministry I was involved in was helping out a little bit with a touturing program that happened after school for the children in the area. Then we also put on a few different dinners and events for the people within that and looked after children and youth did classes for them and helped out with the youth group. Another thing I got to do that first few days was work in the moving ministry the Church does that allows people of the Eastside who move a lot but don't have a means to move their stuff a way to do that. Also one of the nights I was able through the church with a few other students and some church members from New Beginnings to serve food right on east hastings street. Form Monday to Friday we spent it at Potter's Place Mission right on the heart of East Hastings, where we ran two services a day where people from the street can come here a message and receive food. Also potters place we did several prayer walks on and around East Hastings Street were we able to just talk, and pray for people as well as give out some sandwiches. After these Five days we were back at New Beginnings where we again helped run several evening events and suppers. During the days I got to one day help an old lady stella pack up here house to move and on another got to go on the home makeover ministry and paint the walls of a very deserving family who goes to and volunteers in the church. Wow! I feel like I have said so much and I really have only scratched the surface. One thing that was really cool was to see God atwork when we went on our prayer walks at potters place a lot of people didn't open up or want to be prayed for but it was really awesome to actually of people at the same time who did. that just talking to a lot of people and talking the time to talk and pray for someone was really powerful. One highlight that was especially cool was on one of our evening prayer walks we were handing out roses to women on the streets and one lady, Shirley, was so incredibly thankful it brought so much joy to here that I would give here a rose a was able to pray for here and give her a hug and it was so sweet to see that by doing such a simple act it brought so much joy to her. One thing that was hard though was being able to pray for so many people and in most cases not see the fruit of our prayers. It was just difficult to see such a hurting world and not be able to do a whole lot except trust in the Lord and know that he is all powerful and that He is at work. One funny memory was one guy on the street who was quite creepy and seemed fairly interested in the girls on our team was trying to come and flirt with them, then immediately Isaiah a very tall strong man on our team laid his hand on his shoulder as if to pray for him then asking if he could pray for the man pushed the this guy away from the girls. Isaiah's reaction was perfect and priceless. Anyways this was just a taste of my trip  and I know I have already probably heard enough so I hope you enjoyed and thanks again for all who  were praying for me. :) 

Ministry Journal #6: Half Way

        With Half of the year over and half left to go it is good to reflect and see how far I have come. More importantly, how I can seek out to make this half even better than the first. A task that seems ludicrous if you compared it to how well the first half of my year has been! When I look back on the ways in which I have grown it is unreal. I have learned so much from class, I have really been able to form my own faith and theology, and Own It! I have gained confidence in myself, in the sense that my identity is in christ. Now looking forward on the year, to truly make the most of my year these are areas I am seeking to grow in; pushing and feeding off my roommates, Independent devotion time, exercising, and managing my time well.

       Pushing and feeding off my roommates in the last semester was sweet. With my roommates I would often talk about what we I was learning both in and out of class and how that would affect real life. We read through the book of James together  and in this year we are already planning on reading through Ephesians together. In this semester I want to seek to support, push and encourage them more and more.

       In the last semester I had a good season of waking up early to do my personal devotions however this did eventually die out and in a sense get lost when things got really busy. A problem I found with this is is in order to complete my devos before breakfast it required I woke up decently early. Sadly being a morning person is not really a quality I possess. Since the start of this semester something I have been doing is not necessarily waking up super early but just taking a few minutes to read on chapter from my bible and say a short prayer. This I think is setting my up more so for success. Although I am learning so much and studying the bible daily in classes, the reason I am am seeking out to hold this practice is so that it might be something that is still natural to me when I leave this place and that I might not be replacing what I am learning with my personal relationship with God.

       Exersize seems like a strange thing to highlight when talking about making this year better but I seriously think it makes a big difference in my daily life. So I have just started going to the gym that is here at qwanoes and it is rally something I would seek to continue with throughout the whole year. Living at a camp and doing an adventure program one might think that I am extremely active however this is not the case. Due of this  I had notice that I had become lethargic and tired, but taking that time to go the Gym I have already noticed that I have become more energized and Focused. Also when I go to the gym I play worship music and Its really great to have the time to take the focus off myself and all the trouble of life and to clear my head. Going to the gym is something I look forward to everyday that I go and it seems lame but it has made a impact on my daily life.

       Managing my time well has been something I have always had problems with. It will be a challenge. Now this does not mean keep track of what of due dates and events and scheduling and stuff as that is not necessarily my weakness. What I would seek to do, especially in terms of school, is to work on things and prepare more in advance so that I am not cramming at the end. This seems simple and it is, all this is going to take is simply me doing it cause I know what I need to do! That is tackle my problem of procrastination.

      So these are the ways I would seek to improve and make the most of my year here at Qwanoes. Also these are ways in which you could pray that I am growing and seeking out to push myself. I am so exited for what this half of the year has to offer and am exited for the ways in which I can serve and Give. 

Ministry Journal, The Church

22 November 4:00

           The past week I had the pleasure of having David Ernst as prof in the class Church Ministry. I was really exited for this class for David has preached at my home Church on occasion and I had always really enjoyed when he had. So after taking a class on the Church It would be nice to reflect on home church in Coronach. 

          Probably the thing I am most thankful for in my home church is the people. Looking back it really was a great church to grow up and be apart of, because I was surrounded by so many people who loved and cared for me. Learning in our Church Min. class you could really gain the understanding that it is the people who make all the difference. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I grew up in Coronach Alliance Church and it might be kinda of selfish, but one thing I miss is being surrounded by so many people who know you and are good at showing they care about you. I am in no way saying that I don't feel Loved or accepted at my church on the Island cause I do and I am very grateful for that, however there is defiantly something to be said for being around the people who you grew up with. 

           Another thing I have really grown to love about my church at home was the music. It may seem counter cultural to a seventeen year old but I miss the semi older hymns and more original music we played. Now I do love upbeat christian music and I do listen to it regularly on my computer and laptop but there is certainly something great about the older worship music that gives me great joy. Also I miss my Mom's beautiful piano playing every Sunday. :) 

             My Church back home is not perfect but no church no church is but I am really thankful that this was a place I got to grow up. I think being away from your church makes you realize how much you appreciate it and I am thankful to have the ability to have gained an even better perspective of my church. as they say "absence makes the heart grow fonder." 

Characteristics of a Good Leader

Nov 10th, 12:46

      Through out the year being that I am in a Leadership program I have been continually being stretched and have been growing in my leadership qualities and ability to lead. We have had opportunities to learn from others and their experiences in Leadership, as well as we have had the ability to follow others and opportunities to step up and lead ourselves. Some of The charecterestics that have really stood out to me and have been learning more and more in my life are Integrity, Patience and Humility.
   
       Just being in a group of students who are working under authority and have rules I have really respected others and been able to follow others in the way they have been intentionally following. Being able to feed off of them and lead others in the right path has been really cool. Integrity can be contagious and its a lot easier to follow someone who has Integrity than to follow someone who isn't doing what they are preaching. A leader without Integrity reaks havok on those who are following him. For why would someone faithfully follow a leader without integrity, there would be no point for why would you follow the rules if your Leader does not. It has been great to see great integrity in the leadership we have here and a great example in that is having an intern who is really down to earth and relatable. For Integrity is doing the right thing, but also just as much or more importantly is admitting when you screw up and making an effort to fix it. That is true Leadership in a very vualnerable way which in many ways I think inspires a greater response in that it shows that you are human but you are really doing your best.

      So after consoling at the Jr.'s retreat one way I was pushed and something I needed a decent amount of was patience. Patience is something I think so often we lack, but the results that come from someone who is patient are super beneficial. Having Patience is in my opinion one of the best ways of showing you love someone who may not necessarily feel loved. Showing unconditional love to people again and again where others would have lost it shows that you really care about people, and people are way more inclined to follow someone who cares for them. This was so really cool to see as in the Jr's retreat I had some very crazy kids and even though I had to tell them things again and again and again,  and having patience with them was tough when your a tired consoler, but they respected me more and more as the week went on. I think my highlight of that week was one of the kids who was wearing my hat and pretending to be the new "consoler" said he wanted to be a consoler like me one day. It was like the coolest moment for me and seeing them listen to me little bit more and more without having to change the way I talked to them was really cool. I know that would not have been possible without patience and would have been received as well without the patience I had, I think that was only do to God putting it in my heart.

      I think something that I have been pushed with more and more in my spiritual life and in life in general is Humility and also seeing how powerful it can be in leadership. In my life one way I have been understanding leadership greater and greater is that it is only in christ that I can have the ability to do any good, and understanding that I am not a great person but that God can do great things through me. Understanding this creates a greater reliance on God and I belive this allows for you to do greater good. In a non spiritual way I have seen when I have been following people who lead with humility my willingness to follow them has sky rocketed. I can think back to times in love croften when I have had leaders who lead from a real point of humility my enjoyment in working for them skyrocketed cause I wanted to the best of them not because they demanded it but because that was the type of person you really wanted to work for. Some one who is humble in their Leadership is more approachable and  more willing to hear your opinion even when it sucks and so even when they denie it you still want to do it their way.  I know in two of my experiences of love croften I could have been a little more humble in my leading. Becuase I had pride I didn't address certain situations correctly and although they were small things in the way I demanded stuff they hit me right when it happened and it was humbling to see my pride come out. I think this is great thing to strive for becuase of all the gentleness and respect that is associated with hummility and one person I think of when I say that right away  was our prof Dustin Resch and how he lead his class it became so engaging and sparked lots of good conversation I believe because he lead from a gentle humble stance. These are all theings I can see happening here at camp and characteristics I am striving for.

Loving Croften

   October 25 at 4:15am 

     This week we as students had the opportunity to go out into the community and serve. we put together a volunteer group, to go out and just find ways to serve the people in the community of Croften. Our hope was that they would, through our servent hearts, see the love of God shown through us and ultimately our goal was to get people connected with the local church.
     Through the week we were all delegated leaders of projects and it was really cool to see the people in our group lead well and also too see everyone follow and listen so well, it was really encouraging to see. It was also really cool to lead groups and it was encouraging as a leader to see people listen and work hard, that made being the leader of a group very easy. My first day I washed windows, with Sam which didn't take long luckily, becuase then I got to help a group in which i got to see the fruits of my labour right away. We were helping an elderly lady named Rona who was the sweetest woman alive and it was just so rewarding to be helping someone like her.
     For the next three days I would be trimming blackberry bushes, two of which groups I would be leading. It didn't take long to relize how much trimming blackberries sucked, as they are thorny disgusting bushes. However it also didn't take long to see a big impact on the peoples lives we were doing it for. The first day we helped a couple who were just so sweet and just so appreciative that the lady was almost in tears, because of the work we did. The last day I got to leas the project for a lady from my church who is an elderly German, woman and it was so nice to lead team for a woman I knew and would see again, also she invited us for potato pancakes and sour crout so I am exited for that.
     It was so phenomenal to see how much impact we could have on peoples lives just by doing a little work for them. seeing how we were impacting these people made working for them all worth it. It was a blessing to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus and show our love to the community. I am exited for they ways in which God will have me serve in the future, such as concelling this weekend for the jounors retreat.