Surf trip week #2

Hello everyone,

Wow, I had another amazing week. It is getting harder and harder to leave this place! It’s funny because at Christian time I really was ready to go home and have a break, but now it is sinking in that exactly three weeks from today I will be at home in Ontario! That is so sad! I feel like it’s not enough time. I have enjoyed it so much. This past week was amazing and busy. We went surfing to Tofino again from Tuesday to Thursday. The surf trip was so much fun and it was so cool to see how everyone has become so much closer and better friends since our last surf trip in October. Wednesday was so beautiful the actual day of surfing. The beach was gorgeous and I was so thankful because I was able to stay in the ocean for so long surfing and playing in the waves without being cold. Seeing God’s creation was so amazing and I am always going to remember the beaches and cool spots we have visited. On Friday I shared my testimony with the group during chapel which was really hard because some of it was very personal, but it ended up being amazing. Everyone was so encouraging and so many people poured out prayers and love towards me. I think during that moment when everyone was praying was the moment I have been the most thankful for this community that I have been privileged to live in for the past 7 months. Because of the surf trip we missed youth again, but I had this whole weekend to serve at camp. It was the juniors retreat and starting Friday night till Sunday afternoon I have been working. I helped in Club Coco making drinks, helped with the challenge course, and helped Stevie G with all the games. I really enjoyed working at Club Coco because it was a good opportunity for kids to come and talk with us and a good opportunity to get to know the kids. Also playing the games some of the kids would want to stay with you and just talk to you at the station that we were placed. I enjoyed working this weekend because even though it was tiring and I have a whole book review to write now, I enjoyed getting to know the kids that came here and being to help make their weekend better. Thanks for all you prayers, this week was great and I am excited for this upcoming week. It’s our last class! Hopefully it goes well and I can enjoy every moment of it.

God Bless

FUN week

Hello friends,

This week was so much fun. The leaders planned an awesome girls night. We had a fun time together in Duncan and then all did an aerobics class together. Tuesday night we spent the night at the guesthouse and it we had a good talk and a lot of fun together. I think being away from the guys was good because it reminded all of us how much all the girls get along and love each other. Wednesday I had QFX (which is where we work with a full time staff member for a couple of hours) with Michael Down. He is a staffing directors assistant and we helped him put together staff packages. It was a lot of sorting paper but it ended up being kind of fun. Wednesday night we did not have youth AGAIN due to their spring break. I am finding myself actually missing youth but I have been able to talk to some of the girls during church and facebook. It is good to keep up with them. Thursday was an amazing day. We left camp really early and headed up to the mountain for some snowboarding. It was a perfect sunny day and the snow conditions were good. It reminded me how thankful I was to be in a place where I could enjoy God’s glorious creation.

On Friday, we all worked on our camp ministry papers and handed them in. Saturday some girls and I went on an adventure to Duncan. We biked all the way into town and almost all the way back, but then Justin came to pick us up. It was tiring but such a good workout and definitely a good memory. Saturday night we had a campfire and it was fun. Sunday church was good. It was my turn to stay up in the service and the service was on preparation for Easter. After church, we headed up to Ladysmith to watch the baptism service. Today I just worked on my gospels essay and got it all finished. Tomorrow we leave for surfing. I am really excited. These last four weeks are very sad to think that it is almost over but I really want to make the most of it and learn all that God wants me to.

Thank you for praying for all of us Kaleos, we really appreciate it!

God bless!

A week of lessons, good lessons

Hello everyone

This week we had 35 hours of class. The class was very intense but one of my favourite classes. Wes Olmstead was a fantastic professor and I learned so much through him. God really spoke to me this week about what it really means to be a disciple of his. I have made plans for next year to attend Brock University and I have a house with some friends but none of them are really Christians. I was a little worried about things and how things might turn out next year, but this class really grounded my faith and my belief that I want to live my life for God and not for myself. I want to step into that dark world and be a light and a disciple of Christ to all around me. So overall this week of class was so full but so beneficial.

On Saturday some of us went into Victoria and that was so much fun. It was a beautiful day and we walked around spent some time in Chapters and I had the best ice cream I had tasted in a while. Sunday morning we had church and Tim and I went up in front of the whole church to talk about our Olympics ministry trip. It was kindof on the spot but I think it went well and it was good to be in front of the church talking about God and even for myself remembering all the amazing stuff that He did. Today we had our gospels exam which went fairly well but it always feels good to be done an exam.

This week we are going snowboarding again and we have a girl’s night thing planned. I am excited. It is also going to be my first time back at youth I haven’t been for a while because of the ministry trip so please that it goes well and that they will be interested in what we have to say. Thank you again and again for praying I love seeing how God changes lives and attitudes while being out here. Have a great week God Bless.

I love the sunny weather

Greetings,

So this week was fabulous. It was very relaxing and three days were absolutely beautiful. So Tuesday and Wednesday were both days focused on my theology paper. I was in the library pretty much the whole day and Wednesday at 5:30 when I handed in my paper, it was a great feeling. The fun started. Wednesday night I did not make it to youth because I was scheduled to be in a gospels meeting with my group. Thursday a group of us drove 2 hours south and went to Mystic beach. It was so beautiful. It was a perfect day out and the beach was gorgeous. There were huge rocks to climb, waterfalls, a cave, and beautiful sand. The day was just overall so much fun and I was sitting on one of the huge rocks looking at the sun and across at the U.S.A and thinking to myself that this is one of the most beautiful places in the entire world and I am blessed enough to be here.

Friday was another beautiful day and I slept in, and then read in the sun most of the afternoon. Saturday Jade, Rivera, and I took an adventure to Salt Spring Island. It was a beautiful day and taking the ferry across the ocean was so much fun. Salt Spring Island was so cute and it felt like I was somewhere far away.

Sunday I helped out with the kids downstairs. I am actually really beginning to like getting to know the Jr. Church kids. I always thought that I would just get to know the youth kids and that would be my ministry. But lately I have been working downstairs a lot and getting to know the little kids. Most of them are very hyper but they are cute. I think that because they have gotten to know me better they listen to me and look up to me more. Today was the first day of gospels and it was very intense but so good. We are learning things that are actually very important to know. I am excited for the rest of this course.
Thank you for your prayers, God bless and have a great week.

Hello everyone,

The above picture is the whole sliding center team.
Well we are home sweet home. Last night was the best sleep I had in 17 nights. It feels good to be back here at camp but I already miss the Olympics! This afternoon we had a debriefing about both the Mexico and the Olympic trip and it was all amazing. It was so cool to see how God works all across the continent.

So this last week at the Olympics I actually only worked three shifts. I had four days off. My days off were great, very relaxing and I was able to get some homework done. My last shifts were great. I had good spots and I met really interesting people. I met a police officer who was a Christian. It was so encouraging to me. He was the only Christian I had met up to that point. It was encouraging because I was beginning to get slightly depressed about how Godless this world was and how it seemed that nobody really cared anymore about anything. So I met him and we talked about my school and his work and how he is making a difference in his work place. It gave me hope because so many think that they cannot work in certain environments because it would be too hard. Well I think that he was a perfect example of someone who lives for God and makes a difference in their workplace.

My last shift was my favourite one. Our whole group was placed in great positions. I got to work at the Olympic family lounge and meet see and pray for all the “important” people. It was pretty cool actually. Then I got moved up to this platform where all the medalist bobsledders walked by to talk to the press. After everything was over they let the volunteers walk on the track and Rivera and I slid down it. It was so much fun. It was so sad to leave but encouraging to know that we can go out into the world and be missionaries wherever we go.

I believe that this trip was so important for all of us because you can go to another country and culture and love them and try to tell them about Jesus, but being able to live for Jesus and tell people of all ages who are your co-workers about your faith takes courage. It was great that God gave us all courage and this gives me hope for when we all go back home. This ministry trip was truly amazing and I feel so blessed to have been a part of it. To have worked with my fellow Kaleos and see God work through them.

Thank you so much for all your prayers. We all learned so much about the power of prayer on this trip. We learned to be devoted to prayer and to know how to answer to people. God is our refuge and our strength and he was so present with us on this trip. This week is reading break and lots of homework has to be done and handed in. So hopefully we can all get it done well maybe having some sort of fun. Thank you again for your prayers, God bless, and have a great week.