Today embarks the third day of me setting foot in the province of Manitoba. Things have been going quite well since being here, mostly everything has been a blessing.
When I arrived in Winnipeg, I was greeted by the pastor, who I will be working with, and his daughter, who is 2 years younger than me. I know this family from when I was living in Thunder Bay and going to University studying to be a teacher. It was nice to be reacquainted with them and to "catch up" so to speak. It was like we never left each other and it was great to be able to re-connect after 2 years of poor communication between one another.
I got to see a little slice of Winnipeg and I didn't expect it to be a big city. I was rather shocked because I didn't realize how lucky I am to be living an hour away from this city. Now, I know some people say that Winnipeg is a dangerous place to live in and I do have to be cautious of the areas that I go but man, this is a dream that I can't even imagine. With most of my life living 4 hours away from a city and then now starting a life where I am only 1 hour is totally a huge blessing!!
Yesterday, I went to church in Stonewall. This is where one of the churches are located. You see, I live in Teulon at the moment and there is a church that the pastor has opened up here, in Teulon, and then there is another church in Stonewall as well. This means that I will be dealing with two churches!! HOW COOL IS THAT??!!
Anyway, I went to church and there were people that were super excited for me to be there. It was very encouraging and very amazing to hear people have an interest in me. (Haha, just kinda sounds weird) There was this one little girl that I met and she told me that she is really excited for me to be here and that she is really happy for me. It was a confirmation that this is where I am supposed to be. Also, I was talking to her mom for a little bit and she also told me that she was super excited to see me. It was very encouraging and welcoming for me.
This family also has talked to the pastor and is willing for me to come into their house and to live with them. They have three kids ages 3-10 and I have been really thinking about it. I feel as though God wants me there in that family. It makes sense but I will see what happens and where God really wants to take me.
You may be wondering why the family talked to the pastor about me coming into their home. Well, I am living with the pastors family but the thing is that I am sleeping on a cot in the basement sharing it with a washer, dryer and a bunch of boxes. A part of me wishes I can have my own room and my own place but at the same time I need to count my blessings and be thankful. And so I am thankful!! Praise God that I am in a house with a family who is taking care of me and helping me out! Praise God that he is providing me with a lot of great things! But, only time will tell how tired I will get for rooming with the washer, dryer and boxes and would like my own room with my own privacy. Only the time and waiting will tell to see God providing me with what I need.
I am at this point of waiting on God and just seeing Him answering prayers. Trusting that His plan will conquer and not mine. I am thankful!
Much love!
Monday, September 17, 2012
Sunday, September 16, 2012
With Everything - Hillsongs
This is a song that I encourage you to listen to. It is something that really speaks to me and it is something thing that I feel as though us as a church and us at Christians can make a real difference if we follow and serve God with everything that we have. We can make a difference in this world if we give God everything that we have. It is amazing what God will do in our lives if we are obedient and follow HIM!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq_z_i9XQZc
Here are the lyrics for you to read and ponder them. They are not in the order of how it is sung.
Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen
Break down our pride
And al the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet
So let hope rise and darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised
God of all days
Glorious in all of Your ways
The majesty the wonder and grace
In the light of Your Name
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gq_z_i9XQZc
Here are the lyrics for you to read and ponder them. They are not in the order of how it is sung.
Open our eyes
To see the things that make Your heart cry
To be the church that You would desire
Your light to be seen
Break down our pride
And al the walls we've built up inside
Our earthly crowns and all our desires
We lay at Your feet
So let hope rise and darkness tremble
In Your holy light
That every eye will see Jesus our God
Great and mighty to be praised
God of all days
Glorious in all of Your ways
The majesty the wonder and grace
In the light of Your Name
With everything, with everything
We will shout for Your glory
With everything, with everything
We will shout forth Your praise
Our hearts they cry, be glorified
Be lifted high above all names
For You our King with everything
We will shout forth Your praise
Friday, September 14, 2012
And so it begins...
As you know from my last post I will be going to Manitoba. I will be leaving on a jet plane tomorrow and honestly don't know when I'll be back again. Ahaha.
But yes, I will be leaving tomorrow morning and will be setting foot for the first time in Manitoba!! This is a crazy exciting adventure to be on and I know God is going to do amazing things through me and in the church!
I was wondering if those who are reading this can help me out! I have a couple of prayer requests that I ask of you to take some time in to pray.
First is that I will have safe travels and an easy transition to a new place. It is weird for me to think that I will be going there and settling down for a bit but at the same time it is a good feeling.
Second, I don't have a place to live. This is one of the things that I will be doing when I first arrive and I know that God will provide for me. Plus there is a family there that I know well that is helping me out as well, so I am not alone. Pray that God will give me a place to live and that it will be a fun and safe place to live in.
Thirdly, if you can pray that God will provide me with a vehicle that would be amazing because I will be needing one but am not able to financially afford one so again, I am trusting that God will provide.
Lastly, if you can pray for the church and the youth that would be amazing. Pray that they will be open to what I bring and that their hearts will be open to God. I am the first youth pastor and am not sure of what this year will look like but I know that God is going to do amazing things!!
I really appreciate the prayers and would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will continue to update as much as I can.
Much Love!
But yes, I will be leaving tomorrow morning and will be setting foot for the first time in Manitoba!! This is a crazy exciting adventure to be on and I know God is going to do amazing things through me and in the church!
I was wondering if those who are reading this can help me out! I have a couple of prayer requests that I ask of you to take some time in to pray.
First is that I will have safe travels and an easy transition to a new place. It is weird for me to think that I will be going there and settling down for a bit but at the same time it is a good feeling.
Second, I don't have a place to live. This is one of the things that I will be doing when I first arrive and I know that God will provide for me. Plus there is a family there that I know well that is helping me out as well, so I am not alone. Pray that God will give me a place to live and that it will be a fun and safe place to live in.
Thirdly, if you can pray that God will provide me with a vehicle that would be amazing because I will be needing one but am not able to financially afford one so again, I am trusting that God will provide.
Lastly, if you can pray for the church and the youth that would be amazing. Pray that they will be open to what I bring and that their hearts will be open to God. I am the first youth pastor and am not sure of what this year will look like but I know that God is going to do amazing things!!
I really appreciate the prayers and would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart! I will continue to update as much as I can.
Much Love!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
The next chapter... Another adventure...
Last night I booked my plane ticket and had everything all set and ready to go. This morning I woke up, checked my emails to find out that West Jet is having a seat sale just after I booked my flight!! Ugh! WHY???
Yup, that is pretty much my life and I have bad luck with travelling.... But I am taking off and moving to Manitoba! I will be leaving in about 9 days and will be having a grand ole time!!
Some of you may think, "Why the heck are you going there?" Well, I am going there to be a youth pastor. I feel as though this is a calling from God.
You see, when I went to Thailand, I was working with youth and it was difficult for me to get to know them because of the language barrier and I really wanted to know more about their life. I also was able to share my heart with some of the youth about my story and about my challenges in this world. I challenged them to be different people and to shine their light even if their family aren't Christians because eventually we will be able to change our families/friends if we continue to be different from the world and continue to show God's love that is planted inside of us! This is something that God really pressed on my heart and it was amazing to see their reaction that they can make a difference in their families and in their country.
When I came back from Thailand, I had made my goal to work with youth for the summer. The thing was that I was going to Dawson City, Yukon and we were doing an out reach and the church was closed for two years; so no youth. It was really difficult because I really wanted to be around youth but God was working other things in me this summer. Whenever I would stop and think about youth a fire kept sparking within me. I really wanted to be a youth pastor. I remember praying to God, I feel like you want me to be a youth pastor. I would call people up and tell them, I feel like I want to be a youth pastor and I would be so excited and so wanting to do it right then and there but again, I felt that God had other plans for me this summer.
I was focusing on a lot about my future, which I try not to do, but it was really difficult for me to not know the unknown (which a lot of people deal with). But even though I didn't know the unknown, God put everything in place for me and gave me the decision to make and so I made it.
I feel as though I have made the right decision and I feel excited and at peace with this decision. I feel like this is something that I get excited over and can see myself doing this for many years to come. I am excited to see a generation be built up and a generation that has so much passion for Jesus that THAT is their main focus when they go into school, go into their hockey team, go into their broken families, go into their troubled friends and show HIS unfailing love to them. When they are constantly WANTING MORE of Jesus and constantly WANTING to know more of Him! I see a new generation with a new light and a new passion in this world. I see amazing world changers happening in different countries, in different provinces, in different cities and in different communities! I am excited to start this new adventure and am excited to see what God will do!
So I ask a favour for those who are reading. Please pray for me as I go. Pray that God will provide me a place to live and that He will provide me with a vehicle. Also, pray for the church in that they will be open to what God is going to be doing and that their hearts, eyes and ears will be open to Him! And one more thing is pray for the youth. I don't know what I am walking into and I am unsure if there is any youth. Pray that they will be attracted to a light within the church and that they will come without hesitation. That they will come with an open mind and that God will just radically change them.
I know this may seem crazy as you are reading but I feel like God is just wanting me to DREAM BIG! And so I am DREAMING BIG because everything is possible with Him! Just taking it one step at a time!
Much love!
Yup, that is pretty much my life and I have bad luck with travelling.... But I am taking off and moving to Manitoba! I will be leaving in about 9 days and will be having a grand ole time!!
Some of you may think, "Why the heck are you going there?" Well, I am going there to be a youth pastor. I feel as though this is a calling from God.
You see, when I went to Thailand, I was working with youth and it was difficult for me to get to know them because of the language barrier and I really wanted to know more about their life. I also was able to share my heart with some of the youth about my story and about my challenges in this world. I challenged them to be different people and to shine their light even if their family aren't Christians because eventually we will be able to change our families/friends if we continue to be different from the world and continue to show God's love that is planted inside of us! This is something that God really pressed on my heart and it was amazing to see their reaction that they can make a difference in their families and in their country.
When I came back from Thailand, I had made my goal to work with youth for the summer. The thing was that I was going to Dawson City, Yukon and we were doing an out reach and the church was closed for two years; so no youth. It was really difficult because I really wanted to be around youth but God was working other things in me this summer. Whenever I would stop and think about youth a fire kept sparking within me. I really wanted to be a youth pastor. I remember praying to God, I feel like you want me to be a youth pastor. I would call people up and tell them, I feel like I want to be a youth pastor and I would be so excited and so wanting to do it right then and there but again, I felt that God had other plans for me this summer.
I was focusing on a lot about my future, which I try not to do, but it was really difficult for me to not know the unknown (which a lot of people deal with). But even though I didn't know the unknown, God put everything in place for me and gave me the decision to make and so I made it.
I feel as though I have made the right decision and I feel excited and at peace with this decision. I feel like this is something that I get excited over and can see myself doing this for many years to come. I am excited to see a generation be built up and a generation that has so much passion for Jesus that THAT is their main focus when they go into school, go into their hockey team, go into their broken families, go into their troubled friends and show HIS unfailing love to them. When they are constantly WANTING MORE of Jesus and constantly WANTING to know more of Him! I see a new generation with a new light and a new passion in this world. I see amazing world changers happening in different countries, in different provinces, in different cities and in different communities! I am excited to start this new adventure and am excited to see what God will do!
So I ask a favour for those who are reading. Please pray for me as I go. Pray that God will provide me a place to live and that He will provide me with a vehicle. Also, pray for the church in that they will be open to what God is going to be doing and that their hearts, eyes and ears will be open to Him! And one more thing is pray for the youth. I don't know what I am walking into and I am unsure if there is any youth. Pray that they will be attracted to a light within the church and that they will come without hesitation. That they will come with an open mind and that God will just radically change them.
I know this may seem crazy as you are reading but I feel like God is just wanting me to DREAM BIG! And so I am DREAMING BIG because everything is possible with Him! Just taking it one step at a time!
Much love!
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Dawson City, Yukon 2012
I had the opportunity this summer to go up to Dawson City, Yukon. I arrived there in the beginning of June, 2 weeks after I came back from Thailand. It was crazy how I ended up being here.
I was leaving to go to Thailand in May with my OMEGA family (if you haven't checked my OMEGA Thailand 2012 you should after reading this). I was freaking out before leaving because I didn't know where I was going when I came back from Thailand and I had no clue what I was going to do over the summer. I know I needed to make some money but I wasn't sure where I was going or what I was going to do. I was getting really bummed and so I talked to the dean of woman at my school. I told her that I didn't know what I was going to do this summer and that I didn't really want to go home. She told me that maybe I should do the internship and go to Dawson City with the team. And so I talked with the man who put this all together and said that I was interested. He said that it was a go but to pray and ask God what His plans for me were.
And so I prayed and God told me that He wanted me to go but the thing was that I had no place to live. So I left for Thailand unknowing if I was going to go and as I was in Thailand I found out that I had a place to stay. I then booked my plane as soon as I got back and stayed home for two weeks before heading back out again to do ministry.
I arrived in Dawson not really understanding why I was there. I didn't know my purpose but I was willing to do what God had in store for me. I also had to know a new team. There were 6 of us in total and it was great to meet and get to know new people but at the same time it met many challenges.
The North was a very different place to live. There was no rush to get things done. People took their time and the life style there was very relaxed. It was pretty sweet! It was kinda like a retreat ministry in a way. I really dove into the word and really took my time to be with God. It was an amazing time and I was able to pray more than I ever did before. I really felt God calling me to be a prayer warrior and I did the best I could for my self, the team and for Dawson City.
This internship was a different internship because we were not being paid through the church because we were opening up the church and doing outreach to the people. I found a job my third day in Dawson and it was difficult at first to balance ministry and work. I had to be aware to set aside time to be with God and once a routine was set I felt I was settled knowing that I needed to be flexible any day and any time.
I found myself becoming more dependent on God and asking Him to help me through some of my days. My job is a challenge to face and seeing hurt and broken people everyday was something that I needed to get through daily, with the help from God. I found myself praying for the people while working and to just have a hope that there will be a change somewhere and somehow in their life.
Ministry was a challenge but I felt as though we were giving our all and we were making small things happening. I felt as though we were showing people a different side to Christianity and that we are different and that we love them no matter what they do or what they have been through. It was amazing to see a community just beginning and people enjoying conversations with one another, followed by smiles and laughter!
Before I left, I felt like ministry just began but it was good to know that there were two people staying to continue out-reach. I felt that it was wise for us to adjust in the beginning of this adventure. To see and observe the people and to see what it was like up in the North. It was a different experience and I felt as though it is a similar experience to what I see in some small towns.
I felt that what we planned and the ministry opportunities that we started fell into place. It was a huge learning experience in ministry for all of us and it is something that I will take with me while I continue my adventure with God and with the different church communities that I encounter.
I have been able to learn and see more of what a church is like and more of what ministry involves. Starting ministry is challenging but if you continue to pursue and be obedient to what God has in store for you and the church, amazing things will start to grow.
I was leaving to go to Thailand in May with my OMEGA family (if you haven't checked my OMEGA Thailand 2012 you should after reading this). I was freaking out before leaving because I didn't know where I was going when I came back from Thailand and I had no clue what I was going to do over the summer. I know I needed to make some money but I wasn't sure where I was going or what I was going to do. I was getting really bummed and so I talked to the dean of woman at my school. I told her that I didn't know what I was going to do this summer and that I didn't really want to go home. She told me that maybe I should do the internship and go to Dawson City with the team. And so I talked with the man who put this all together and said that I was interested. He said that it was a go but to pray and ask God what His plans for me were.
And so I prayed and God told me that He wanted me to go but the thing was that I had no place to live. So I left for Thailand unknowing if I was going to go and as I was in Thailand I found out that I had a place to stay. I then booked my plane as soon as I got back and stayed home for two weeks before heading back out again to do ministry.
I arrived in Dawson not really understanding why I was there. I didn't know my purpose but I was willing to do what God had in store for me. I also had to know a new team. There were 6 of us in total and it was great to meet and get to know new people but at the same time it met many challenges.
The North was a very different place to live. There was no rush to get things done. People took their time and the life style there was very relaxed. It was pretty sweet! It was kinda like a retreat ministry in a way. I really dove into the word and really took my time to be with God. It was an amazing time and I was able to pray more than I ever did before. I really felt God calling me to be a prayer warrior and I did the best I could for my self, the team and for Dawson City.
This internship was a different internship because we were not being paid through the church because we were opening up the church and doing outreach to the people. I found a job my third day in Dawson and it was difficult at first to balance ministry and work. I had to be aware to set aside time to be with God and once a routine was set I felt I was settled knowing that I needed to be flexible any day and any time.
I found myself becoming more dependent on God and asking Him to help me through some of my days. My job is a challenge to face and seeing hurt and broken people everyday was something that I needed to get through daily, with the help from God. I found myself praying for the people while working and to just have a hope that there will be a change somewhere and somehow in their life.
Ministry was a challenge but I felt as though we were giving our all and we were making small things happening. I felt as though we were showing people a different side to Christianity and that we are different and that we love them no matter what they do or what they have been through. It was amazing to see a community just beginning and people enjoying conversations with one another, followed by smiles and laughter!
Before I left, I felt like ministry just began but it was good to know that there were two people staying to continue out-reach. I felt that it was wise for us to adjust in the beginning of this adventure. To see and observe the people and to see what it was like up in the North. It was a different experience and I felt as though it is a similar experience to what I see in some small towns.
I felt that what we planned and the ministry opportunities that we started fell into place. It was a huge learning experience in ministry for all of us and it is something that I will take with me while I continue my adventure with God and with the different church communities that I encounter.
I have been able to learn and see more of what a church is like and more of what ministry involves. Starting ministry is challenging but if you continue to pursue and be obedient to what God has in store for you and the church, amazing things will start to grow.
Dawson City, Yukon
One thing that I ask of those who are reading is to pray for the town, pray for the people; that they will be able encounter God again in a different kind of way and that their hearts will become soften, and pray for two members of the team who are staying there this winter to continue ministry.
Much Love!
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