Last night was soooo refreshing and needed! These past couple weeks have been really tough. I think God has been really teaching me certain things and He's not afraid to let me be pushed and pressed. . . like a tube of toothpaste... when I'm squeezed what's gonna come out? I tried to push through. I've been praying and fighting to hold things together. . . on the outside I think it's been ok (no one else seemed to notice). But on the inside, it's been a challenging fight. Bitterness had definitely crept in and I felt very dry and running on empty. I think most of my team has been feeling the same way, so we've kind of been fueling each other on in our frustrations . . . nice to have support but probably not the best to move forward. We all recognized it and we tried to encourage better attitudes in each other and we prayed every morning together to be free from this and to bless those whom we felt we had frustration toward... yet we just could not kick it. Saturday I was asking God a lot of questions and went to bed feeling defeated and joyless. Sunday night God responded and I went to bed having tasted freedom, a release of so many burdens and had joy and passion restored and increasing. Thank you Jesus!
Having finished working over fifty hours again this week. . . early morning music practice, another church service, setting up and cleaning and sanitizing the whole church for the summer camp-- I was exhausted Sunday evening and DID NOT want to go to another church service that night. . . especially one that was in another language!
But I had to. . . and I'm so thankful that Leanne and I went. The Brazilian Foursquare Church had a visiting youth missions team from Brocton, Massachusetts ministering tonight. They had come up for a few days to do street evangelism in their community. Again because they all spoke Portuguese in the service, Leanne and I did not understand anything. But, wow the Holy Spirit sure speaks the same language! We couldn't join in on much of the singing (first led by the church team (adults)), but we could in the dancing (there's always so much freedom in dance!) The pastor spoke and then he invited his youth band to come and lead in worship. There was such an anointing on these kids. God's presence was tangibly felt in that room. They were so sincere worshiping (beautiful hearts). Again, I did not know what they were singing, but I felt compelled to pray. I then began to pray for cleansing and sanctification of Canada. Seconds after that, I overheard a lady beside me translate to Leanne that they were now praying for that very thing! So yes, the Holy Spirit speaks a beautiful language understood by all tongues. But this is what really got me: they brought out a large Canada flag and the congregation flooded to the front. They reached out to touch the flag and began interceding for Canada! I was so moved because here are mostly people native from Brazil praying for their new home country and a group of youth from the US who had never visited Canada before, now weeping for our nation before the Lord! I feel alive whenever I intercede for Canada. Freedom came at this point.
Joy came as we talked for hours with these youth. They are awesome! It's so inspiring to see kids so pure and passionate about Jesus and missions. This ministered so much to my dry and worn-out spirit. Thank you Jesus that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom and the Joy of the Lord is our strength!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Team's arrival, Hottest day of the year, Birthday Celebration, Gay Hairdressers, Power Outage, Car Breaking down-- interesting weekend!
The entire team is here!!! Christy and Kaylyn arrived tonight! :-) Anneli (our local intern) came back from her trip to Estonia. We are now complete! The first camp begins on Monday. . . we are inundated with things to do but excited to get going.
We worked all day Saturday. Sonia & the interns surprised me with an exquisite German chocolate cake and candles. . . soooo good! We were all so exhausted, but they convinced me to go out to celebrate. So the interns + Liz & Merilene (from the Church) went bowling and out for dinner at East Side Marios'. Leanne is amazing at bowling!! She whooped us all!
It was so fun going to eat at East Side. Both Mark and I worked there in BC. We critiqued everything secretly! The food was about the same. The bathrooms were horribly kept. The layout was similar but I liked this one a lot better. Haha, we tried to figure out the "board" and name the table numbers--when we got the bills we were right (cuz it says what table you are at)! Lol, it was all silly fun but very amusing for us. Also interesting was that all the staff here reminded us of someone we worked with back home. Oh! I had already had 3 pieces of cake that day so I told them I DID NOT want any from there. However, of course I jump 3 feet when the entire restaurant staff comes out and belts their ridiculous birthday jingle to me and presents me with (another) absolutely amazing chocolate delicacy (we shared. . . )
Sunday, Mark went to his Jamaican church. They love him there! I went to help decorate the church with him last week and I noticed that they were dotting all over him and feeding him like crazy! I'm glad. . . because it is quite a challenge for him to be there, but at least he is well liked. He is preaching back to back for the next two weeks, running (well building) the youth program and helping to evangelize for their upcoming camps. We both tried the equivalent of a Jamaican Pop-Tart--- it was excellent... a bit spicy though.
Leanne, Tyler and I went to Hope 4 Tomorrow in the morning. Then Tyler went to the launch of the Everlasting Life Church Plant in their new building.
Leanne and I went to the Brazilian Church at night (IEQ). It was a very interesting experience. . . everything was in Portuguese!! It helped to have the words up during worship. We stood there and tried to translate as much as we could together by using our bits of knowledge of Spanish, Latin and French mixed together-- we actually understood the main concepts and key words! It's a beautiful language, but they speak much too fast. Thankfully we had a translator during the preaching. It was looonnng and looouuud! I think that's cultural. This will be Leanne's "home" church where she will be working with the youth and doing outreach. It's a VERY culturally Brazilian church. It was a very neat experience and they are lovely people (friendly) but it will be extremely challenging to work with. Presently they only have one youth girl and a few children. It's not reaching the young generation. If they continue in this same manner, it will be very difficult (if not impossible) to bring in and bring up the next generation-- how do you say that without offending them? Their hearts for serving Jesus are beautiful. We are hoping to see Leanne begin a summer youth program on a separate night and focus on building that for now, as well as look for leaders to invest in for follow up in the fall. I admire these interns. They are stepping into very scary and unchartered waters! They are nervous but they are faithfully stepping out and working as hard as they can. God sees their willing hearts and hands and is able to do the impossible.
We had Monday off and were planning on visiting Canada's Wonderland. . . but decided not to because it was 45 degrees with humidity! It was unbelievably hot! And I, silly me, decided to drive downtown with no air conditioning in the car to get my hair done and came back in rush-hour traffic!
It was a very interesting conversation with this Torontonian hairstylist. First of all, he's amazing... he's practiced in Vancouver, London, NY, Milan, France etc-- all the top places for the past 43 years. He's a big 'man's man'-- bit intimidating but friendly. Anyways, right away he asks me if I'm married-- "no" boyfriend? "no"-- silence... then we get into why I'm here- so I tell him about the interns and the church plant etc.-- "hmmm he says". "Do you have a faith?" I ask-- "Yes, I worship Mother Earth-- I'm aboriginal. Grew up Catholic, but what Aboriginal hasn't grown up Catholic?" he chuckles. He had heard about the "Forgiven Summit" last month, but didn't offer to share his opinion on it. So then I ask him where he enjoyed working best-- "I liked New York best, but I met my husband here in Toronto 25 years ago and am happy here now." "Oh!" There was a bit of a pause-- I knew he was checking to see if I'd judge him or get awkward so I maintained composure and kept making little jokes and small talk. He seemed to like that. We got along really well after that. I wanted to show acceptance, share a bit of my own testimony and pray for him. I could sense the Holy Spirit--hopefully he could too! Later the conversation gets a bit odd but funny. He boldly asks "so what kind of guy are you interested in?" (do ALL hairdressers ask this? I was rather surprised!) I looked a bit shocked, laughed and checked to see if he was serious... he was. So ok, I shared a bit. He nodded and agreed. Then he began giving me advice on how to meet someone with those qualities and then when I was married-- here's some advice... I was totally flabbergasted and laughing on the inside (this was hilarious!). He was actually giving really good advice (I guess he's knows what it's like to be with a man!). He was telling me stuff about commitment and sticking it through and loving through the ups and downs-- but don't rush into it, you need to know who you are first before you can share a life with someone else, etc. Anyways- he obviously was missing a lot because he doesn't know Jesus personally (yet) but I respected most of what he said (and his hairstyling abilities). I will continue to pray for him... you never know why certain people walk across your path and I believe that God uses His people to pray for others before they get saved.
More interesting things happened that day. I rushed back to Mississauga to pick up the boys and Leanne. We went to meet Pastor Barry and Susan Buzza for dinner. However when we got there all the power was out! NOTHING was opened. All the restaurants in the
city were closed. A transformer had blown up like a bomb... it was caused by an overuse of air-conditioners that day! So we were blistering hot, hungry and watching traffic at a standstill as people tried to figure out the 4-way stop procedures (seriously where did these people learn to drive??). Anyways, so we walked to a nearby mall to wait out the traffic. There was some salvaged air conditioning trapped inside the mall (lasted for about 20 min then got hot like everywhere else). It was so nice to sit and talk though! I love my pastors! They are so amazing! They are encouraging and wise and caring. We were so honoured that they would take the time to spend with us. We left so encouraged (yet rather hungry and sweaty).
THEN (oh there's more to this day!)-- on the way home my car starts smoking (A LOT!). People are yelling at us telling us that are car is smoking (Obvi we know! haha!). So we have to pull over and call Pastor Ron. He comes and says "well this doesn't look right"... as he pulls the radiator off the ground! I guess his son (who owned the car before) tried to put it on himself to save a few bucks (never worth it).
OH! i have not introduced you to my new car! God is so amazing in the delivery of cars. This is my 5th free car. I never ask for them, people just give them to me! I was not expecting to have a car here, but one day Pastor Ron pulls up in this cute little red hyundai and hands me the keys. He said she's insured under my name and I can pick everyone up for work now (I was ok with that! This means I can finally stop by Sbucks and get a real coffee on my way there!). Leanne and I named her. Every car deserves a good name. . . which they don't seem to do here. Everyone we tell in Toronto thinks we're mental. I don't understand-- i thought everyone named their cars and computers and GPS'? Her name is Teia Dottholomew (short form is T-Dot). My GPS is Bridget Jenkins (she's British). Teia should be ok-- she's in the shop but should be ready again soon. Pastor Ron was very nice and picked us up today and then gave me his car to drive until Teia is ready-- he's challenging to communicate with, but he's got a soft inside there! I really appreciated that.
Ok, I think I'm caught up with the blog. . . gotta get to bed. Christy said she'll wake me up at 6:30 cuz she's never done tae-bo and wants to try that with me! Haha, that should be fun!
Busy, busy week ahead of us as we prepare for all the summer camps and get all our curriculum ready for the different youth clubs we're running. Soccer club on Thursday! :-)
Good night!
We worked all day Saturday. Sonia & the interns surprised me with an exquisite German chocolate cake and candles. . . soooo good! We were all so exhausted, but they convinced me to go out to celebrate. So the interns + Liz & Merilene (from the Church) went bowling and out for dinner at East Side Marios'. Leanne is amazing at bowling!! She whooped us all!
It was so fun going to eat at East Side. Both Mark and I worked there in BC. We critiqued everything secretly! The food was about the same. The bathrooms were horribly kept. The layout was similar but I liked this one a lot better. Haha, we tried to figure out the "board" and name the table numbers--when we got the bills we were right (cuz it says what table you are at)! Lol, it was all silly fun but very amusing for us. Also interesting was that all the staff here reminded us of someone we worked with back home. Oh! I had already had 3 pieces of cake that day so I told them I DID NOT want any from there. However, of course I jump 3 feet when the entire restaurant staff comes out and belts their ridiculous birthday jingle to me and presents me with (another) absolutely amazing chocolate delicacy (we shared. . . )
Sunday, Mark went to his Jamaican church. They love him there! I went to help decorate the church with him last week and I noticed that they were dotting all over him and feeding him like crazy! I'm glad. . . because it is quite a challenge for him to be there, but at least he is well liked. He is preaching back to back for the next two weeks, running (well building) the youth program and helping to evangelize for their upcoming camps. We both tried the equivalent of a Jamaican Pop-Tart--- it was excellent... a bit spicy though.
Leanne, Tyler and I went to Hope 4 Tomorrow in the morning. Then Tyler went to the launch of the Everlasting Life Church Plant in their new building.
Leanne and I went to the Brazilian Church at night (IEQ). It was a very interesting experience. . . everything was in Portuguese!! It helped to have the words up during worship. We stood there and tried to translate as much as we could together by using our bits of knowledge of Spanish, Latin and French mixed together-- we actually understood the main concepts and key words! It's a beautiful language, but they speak much too fast. Thankfully we had a translator during the preaching. It was looonnng and looouuud! I think that's cultural. This will be Leanne's "home" church where she will be working with the youth and doing outreach. It's a VERY culturally Brazilian church. It was a very neat experience and they are lovely people (friendly) but it will be extremely challenging to work with. Presently they only have one youth girl and a few children. It's not reaching the young generation. If they continue in this same manner, it will be very difficult (if not impossible) to bring in and bring up the next generation-- how do you say that without offending them? Their hearts for serving Jesus are beautiful. We are hoping to see Leanne begin a summer youth program on a separate night and focus on building that for now, as well as look for leaders to invest in for follow up in the fall. I admire these interns. They are stepping into very scary and unchartered waters! They are nervous but they are faithfully stepping out and working as hard as they can. God sees their willing hearts and hands and is able to do the impossible.
We had Monday off and were planning on visiting Canada's Wonderland. . . but decided not to because it was 45 degrees with humidity! It was unbelievably hot! And I, silly me, decided to drive downtown with no air conditioning in the car to get my hair done and came back in rush-hour traffic!
It was a very interesting conversation with this Torontonian hairstylist. First of all, he's amazing... he's practiced in Vancouver, London, NY, Milan, France etc-- all the top places for the past 43 years. He's a big 'man's man'-- bit intimidating but friendly. Anyways, right away he asks me if I'm married-- "no" boyfriend? "no"-- silence... then we get into why I'm here- so I tell him about the interns and the church plant etc.-- "hmmm he says". "Do you have a faith?" I ask-- "Yes, I worship Mother Earth-- I'm aboriginal. Grew up Catholic, but what Aboriginal hasn't grown up Catholic?" he chuckles. He had heard about the "Forgiven Summit" last month, but didn't offer to share his opinion on it. So then I ask him where he enjoyed working best-- "I liked New York best, but I met my husband here in Toronto 25 years ago and am happy here now." "Oh!" There was a bit of a pause-- I knew he was checking to see if I'd judge him or get awkward so I maintained composure and kept making little jokes and small talk. He seemed to like that. We got along really well after that. I wanted to show acceptance, share a bit of my own testimony and pray for him. I could sense the Holy Spirit--hopefully he could too! Later the conversation gets a bit odd but funny. He boldly asks "so what kind of guy are you interested in?" (do ALL hairdressers ask this? I was rather surprised!) I looked a bit shocked, laughed and checked to see if he was serious... he was. So ok, I shared a bit. He nodded and agreed. Then he began giving me advice on how to meet someone with those qualities and then when I was married-- here's some advice... I was totally flabbergasted and laughing on the inside (this was hilarious!). He was actually giving really good advice (I guess he's knows what it's like to be with a man!). He was telling me stuff about commitment and sticking it through and loving through the ups and downs-- but don't rush into it, you need to know who you are first before you can share a life with someone else, etc. Anyways- he obviously was missing a lot because he doesn't know Jesus personally (yet) but I respected most of what he said (and his hairstyling abilities). I will continue to pray for him... you never know why certain people walk across your path and I believe that God uses His people to pray for others before they get saved.
More interesting things happened that day. I rushed back to Mississauga to pick up the boys and Leanne. We went to meet Pastor Barry and Susan Buzza for dinner. However when we got there all the power was out! NOTHING was opened. All the restaurants in the
city were closed. A transformer had blown up like a bomb... it was caused by an overuse of air-conditioners that day! So we were blistering hot, hungry and watching traffic at a standstill as people tried to figure out the 4-way stop procedures (seriously where did these people learn to drive??). Anyways, so we walked to a nearby mall to wait out the traffic. There was some salvaged air conditioning trapped inside the mall (lasted for about 20 min then got hot like everywhere else). It was so nice to sit and talk though! I love my pastors! They are so amazing! They are encouraging and wise and caring. We were so honoured that they would take the time to spend with us. We left so encouraged (yet rather hungry and sweaty).THEN (oh there's more to this day!)-- on the way home my car starts smoking (A LOT!). People are yelling at us telling us that are car is smoking (Obvi we know! haha!). So we have to pull over and call Pastor Ron. He comes and says "well this doesn't look right"... as he pulls the radiator off the ground! I guess his son (who owned the car before) tried to put it on himself to save a few bucks (never worth it).
OH! i have not introduced you to my new car! God is so amazing in the delivery of cars. This is my 5th free car. I never ask for them, people just give them to me! I was not expecting to have a car here, but one day Pastor Ron pulls up in this cute little red hyundai and hands me the keys. He said she's insured under my name and I can pick everyone up for work now (I was ok with that! This means I can finally stop by Sbucks and get a real coffee on my way there!). Leanne and I named her. Every car deserves a good name. . . which they don't seem to do here. Everyone we tell in Toronto thinks we're mental. I don't understand-- i thought everyone named their cars and computers and GPS'? Her name is Teia Dottholomew (short form is T-Dot). My GPS is Bridget Jenkins (she's British). Teia should be ok-- she's in the shop but should be ready again soon. Pastor Ron was very nice and picked us up today and then gave me his car to drive until Teia is ready-- he's challenging to communicate with, but he's got a soft inside there! I really appreciated that.
Ok, I think I'm caught up with the blog. . . gotta get to bed. Christy said she'll wake me up at 6:30 cuz she's never done tae-bo and wants to try that with me! Haha, that should be fun!
Busy, busy week ahead of us as we prepare for all the summer camps and get all our curriculum ready for the different youth clubs we're running. Soccer club on Thursday! :-)
Good night!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Happy Canada Day!!! I love this day because it's the birthday of the country which I love! AND... it's also a much needed day off :-) Everyone is out BBQuing or at the beach... I was gonna go but then thought it was much more appealing to sleep in past 7am, exercise, enjoy my breakfast and coffee with no rush and then just relax at home! glorious, glorious day... :-)
It's been really busy, but a wonderful week. I really appreciate these two Vir
ginian teams being here. They are here on a missions trip and making really good use of their time. They are out talking to people and inviting them out to their events during the day. Any spare minute they have, they always ask me if they can help in any way (which of course I took full advantage of!) Then every night, they've put on a fun youth rally. They do lots of games, and music, and give out prizes & food and then one of their youth shares their testimony. One girl got saved last night! They had parents come by the next day wanting to meet this group because their kids came home so peaceful, yet full of life! Isn't that an amazing testimony?! One of the teams has been living at Sonia's with us and although getting into the bathroom has been a challenge it has been such a blessing to have them and get to know them and eat breakfast together etc. :-)
It's really neat how God brings people across your path. I have two beds in my large room, so I was rooming with one of their leaders this week. A lovely lady named Vicky. We got along so well and had some phenomenal conversations. She has an incredible testimony that I hope she is able to share with many people. Something funny that came up, was that we discovered her son's birthday is the exact same day and year as me! I've never met anyone else like that-- we thought that was neat. She's going to visit him in London, Eng in a few weeks. She has 7 children!! Also interesting was just as she was telling me about her experiences running marathons, my dear friend Carly texts me that there's a half-marathon in October and I should start training for it. Lol, so Vicky was able to share her experiences and tips in running. It was cooler this week so we've both been able to run every morning outside. This morning we went together... and wow I was challenged! Haha, it's funny what your pride can make you do.... there was no way I was gonna stop or slow down. . . just kept on going at her pace with a smile... but wow I felt it later!
Mark, Tyler and I have been working well as a team so far. I'm so glad they're here. I'm excited for Leanne to arrive tomorrow! They could tell you better, but I can sense they are enjoying it, yet being quite challenged in certain areas (as am I). To be honest, after my first week here, I was really nervous about the rest of the summer. I hadn't figured out how to communicate and thus work well with some of the Toronto team and would go home really frustrated and need to just fall in Jesus' arms and pray for grace and strength. However, prayer sure changes things (especially my own perspective). I did not want to pray for God to take the challenge away, but for Him to teach me how to discern others better and communicate & listen effectively to others and work with grace. It seems like the other person has been doing the same thing. I've noticed this week that both of our communication and understanding of the other has been much more positive and effective. I think we will work really well together the rest of the summer, but the challenge will always be there. I'm really glad to learn new interpersonal skills and again to be reliant on the work of the Holy Spirit.
I am learning a lot here. There is so much wisdom behind this 2010 Toronto Challenge and plans beyond this. It's phenomenal to be a part of this and hopefully to glean wisdom, out-of-the-box ideas and what the behind the scenes looks like in such a large project.
We need to take time to prayer for out nation especially today
"And He shall have dominion from sea to sea and to the rivers end. . . " Psalm 72:8
It's been really busy, but a wonderful week. I really appreciate these two Vir
ginian teams being here. They are here on a missions trip and making really good use of their time. They are out talking to people and inviting them out to their events during the day. Any spare minute they have, they always ask me if they can help in any way (which of course I took full advantage of!) Then every night, they've put on a fun youth rally. They do lots of games, and music, and give out prizes & food and then one of their youth shares their testimony. One girl got saved last night! They had parents come by the next day wanting to meet this group because their kids came home so peaceful, yet full of life! Isn't that an amazing testimony?! One of the teams has been living at Sonia's with us and although getting into the bathroom has been a challenge it has been such a blessing to have them and get to know them and eat breakfast together etc. :-)It's really neat how God brings people across your path. I have two beds in my large room, so I was rooming with one of their leaders this week. A lovely lady named Vicky. We got along so well and had some phenomenal conversations. She has an incredible testimony that I hope she is able to share with many people. Something funny that came up, was that we discovered her son's birthday is the exact same day and year as me! I've never met anyone else like that-- we thought that was neat. She's going to visit him in London, Eng in a few weeks. She has 7 children!! Also interesting was just as she was telling me about her experiences running marathons, my dear friend Carly texts me that there's a half-marathon in October and I should start training for it. Lol, so Vicky was able to share her experiences and tips in running. It was cooler this week so we've both been able to run every morning outside. This morning we went together... and wow I was challenged! Haha, it's funny what your pride can make you do.... there was no way I was gonna stop or slow down. . . just kept on going at her pace with a smile... but wow I felt it later!
Mark, Tyler and I have been working well as a team so far. I'm so glad they're here. I'm excited for Leanne to arrive tomorrow! They could tell you better, but I can sense they are enjoying it, yet being quite challenged in certain areas (as am I). To be honest, after my first week here, I was really nervous about the rest of the summer. I hadn't figured out how to communicate and thus work well with some of the Toronto team and would go home really frustrated and need to just fall in Jesus' arms and pray for grace and strength. However, prayer sure changes things (especially my own perspective). I did not want to pray for God to take the challenge away, but for Him to teach me how to discern others better and communicate & listen effectively to others and work with grace. It seems like the other person has been doing the same thing. I've noticed this week that both of our communication and understanding of the other has been much more positive and effective. I think we will work really well together the rest of the summer, but the challenge will always be there. I'm really glad to learn new interpersonal skills and again to be reliant on the work of the Holy Spirit.
I am learning a lot here. There is so much wisdom behind this 2010 Toronto Challenge and plans beyond this. It's phenomenal to be a part of this and hopefully to glean wisdom, out-of-the-box ideas and what the behind the scenes looks like in such a large project.
We need to take time to prayer for out nation especially today
"And He shall have dominion from sea to sea and to the rivers end. . . " Psalm 72:8
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Yesterday was a lovely day off! I was craving sleep, exercise and a solid time of devotions. . . thank you Jesus for a Sabbath day! The morning was spent doing that. Sonia lent me her van for the evening- Juliana (her daughter) and I picked up Mark & Tyler and we headed for Square One (a huge mall). But... it was closed at 6pm (on a Saturday)! We were so surprised! It's open till 9 every other day (odd...) anyhow... so we saw "Toy Story 3" in 3D instead... good times. Then we were able to meet up with Doug & Rebecca Friesen for a late dinner. It was so nice to connect and see them! They were out for the Nigerian Church Banquet and some new Pastor ordinations. This summer is a lot easier than previous trips away because of having interns here that are friends and lovely visitors from home spend time with us.
We came to Toronto as missionaries. . . I need to learn how to do that! We joined a small team from the church for their Friday night Outreach. . . As the Intern leader I put on a brave face and encouraged the interns to participate, but honestly I was so scared-- I've actually never walked around a park before handing out tracts. Never been comfortable with that mostly because I didn't think it was an effective means of evangelism. I prefer doing it through relationship and mentoring or putting on programs etc. Handing out tracts seems so unnatural. . . None of us from BC had ever done that before. Thus, perhaps it's not as effective in Vancouver (? or maybe we've just never tried it?), but it seems to be in Toronto. The church here does it quite frequently and enjoys doing it. People pass out tracts all the time while they're shopping or on the Subway etc. Anyhow, it turned out great and I actually enjoyed it a lot! We split up in groups of 2 and headed to High Park (very large). We prayed, walked around and approached people who looked like they would be relaxed enough to talk. Mark and I had some really great conversations with people. We talked to 4 older Croatian Catholic men for about 30min. They were really open to talking; we talked about everything! But we prayed for them after because they seemed to be really set in their ways and I believe only the Holy Spirit can bring true revelation to them. They 'believe' in Jesus but basically also believe that because they worked hard and they are 'good' men they will go to Heaven. The people who will not go to Heaven are those who are poor-- I interacted with a homeless man at one point and they basically said he wasn't going to Heaven because he didn't work hard enough on earth! We had a quite a few points of disagreement, but it was a phenomenal and deep conversation. They really listened as I shared personal testimonies of my personal relationship with Christ- because they'd never heard of those before. They called the Bible good 'children's stories'. We encouraged them to get back into the Word- so I pray they would do that and the Holy Spirit would speak clearly to them. We met some other people who at first thought we were G8 protesters when they heard we were from Vancouver! lol-- then we told them no, actually we're here to tell you that God loves you and desires a relationship with you. We all laughed and were able to tell them a bit about the different churches around the city and what we were doing there this summer. People are a lot more open here to talk it seems. They even take tracts... even I don't t take tracts from people back home! It's still scary to approach people, but once we start talking it's really great to have these meaningful conversations publicly and then pray for them after.
with bread and chicken and vegetables and more bread and sauce- the icing was mashed potatoes. I designed a Maple Flag out of cut up cherry tomatoes on top. Very neat... we had a LOT of leftover cuz it was so big and so filling.
Tomorrow Pastor Ron and I will be driving around Toronto to nail down a location for our Youth Explosion event. The Interns will be decorating the churches for the upcoming VBS. The US teams are doing outreach during the day and putting on a youth crusade (service) at night. Tyler and I are joining the Hope 4 Tomorrow music worship band practice tomorrow night (excited but nervous about that!). Should all be interesting... :-)
We came to Toronto as missionaries. . . I need to learn how to do that! We joined a small team from the church for their Friday night Outreach. . . As the Intern leader I put on a brave face and encouraged the interns to participate, but honestly I was so scared-- I've actually never walked around a park before handing out tracts. Never been comfortable with that mostly because I didn't think it was an effective means of evangelism. I prefer doing it through relationship and mentoring or putting on programs etc. Handing out tracts seems so unnatural. . . None of us from BC had ever done that before. Thus, perhaps it's not as effective in Vancouver (? or maybe we've just never tried it?), but it seems to be in Toronto. The church here does it quite frequently and enjoys doing it. People pass out tracts all the time while they're shopping or on the Subway etc. Anyhow, it turned out great and I actually enjoyed it a lot! We split up in groups of 2 and headed to High Park (very large). We prayed, walked around and approached people who looked like they would be relaxed enough to talk. Mark and I had some really great conversations with people. We talked to 4 older Croatian Catholic men for about 30min. They were really open to talking; we talked about everything! But we prayed for them after because they seemed to be really set in their ways and I believe only the Holy Spirit can bring true revelation to them. They 'believe' in Jesus but basically also believe that because they worked hard and they are 'good' men they will go to Heaven. The people who will not go to Heaven are those who are poor-- I interacted with a homeless man at one point and they basically said he wasn't going to Heaven because he didn't work hard enough on earth! We had a quite a few points of disagreement, but it was a phenomenal and deep conversation. They really listened as I shared personal testimonies of my personal relationship with Christ- because they'd never heard of those before. They called the Bible good 'children's stories'. We encouraged them to get back into the Word- so I pray they would do that and the Holy Spirit would speak clearly to them. We met some other people who at first thought we were G8 protesters when they heard we were from Vancouver! lol-- then we told them no, actually we're here to tell you that God loves you and desires a relationship with you. We all laughed and were able to tell them a bit about the different churches around the city and what we were doing there this summer. People are a lot more open here to talk it seems. They even take tracts... even I don't t take tracts from people back home! It's still scary to approach people, but once we start talking it's really great to have these meaningful conversations publicly and then pray for them after.
During the summer we have several short-term missions teams coming to Toronto to help with Outreach and Programs. They are mostly from the US. I LOVE that they see Canada as a missions field and are coming here! Yesterday, 2 different teams (both from the state of Virginia) have come to do Outreach. It's a bit more cramped in Sonia's house tonight (15 people living here; many more spread around other homes and church floors); it's great to meet everyone! We all joined together and held a community festival in the plaza after church today. Fantastic day!
Also at the festival.... I helped make a table size Brazilian cake! Sooo yummy! Lol, this 'cake' is not what we think of as 'cake'-- it's like a "Shepherd's Pie". It was layered 
Each team performed excellent and powerful dramas and drimes; some shared testimonies; we had guest bands and singers perform. The church worship team did a set- which was well received. The young Filipino church band played (they are PHENOMENAL!! 13-16 yr olds and they are absolutely incredible! I'm def using them at the Youth Explosion event).
Hope 4 tomorrow church has a Performing Arts ministry on Saturdays. So one guy heads up this ministry and is basically the pastor of all these teens and young adults who want to sing and rap and dance and need a place to do it. They practice at the 'Hope Centre' and he finds them places to perform. So they performed at the festival (none of them are Christians yet)-- thus their music was not 'Christian'- but I was so impressed that this happened! Because this event was an Outreach- so it was for them as well. We listened to them and they listed to the church people play and there was interaction. Some people might see it as controversial to give them the mike cuz they might drop some nasty words, but I think in the long run it was a very positive thing
that occurred. I was so encouraged to see them there and even dance around with Canadian flags at the end when the worship team sang the closing song! It was a really neat festival.
Hope 4 tomorrow church has a Performing Arts ministry on Saturdays. So one guy heads up this ministry and is basically the pastor of all these teens and young adults who want to sing and rap and dance and need a place to do it. They practice at the 'Hope Centre' and he finds them places to perform. So they performed at the festival (none of them are Christians yet)-- thus their music was not 'Christian'- but I was so impressed that this happened! Because this event was an Outreach- so it was for them as well. We listened to them and they listed to the church people play and there was interaction. Some people might see it as controversial to give them the mike cuz they might drop some nasty words, but I think in the long run it was a very positive thing
that occurred. I was so encouraged to see them there and even dance around with Canadian flags at the end when the worship team sang the closing song! It was a really neat festival.
with bread and chicken and vegetables and more bread and sauce- the icing was mashed potatoes. I designed a Maple Flag out of cut up cherry tomatoes on top. Very neat... we had a LOT of leftover cuz it was so big and so filling.Tomorrow Pastor Ron and I will be driving around Toronto to nail down a location for our Youth Explosion event. The Interns will be decorating the churches for the upcoming VBS. The US teams are doing outreach during the day and putting on a youth crusade (service) at night. Tyler and I are joining the Hope 4 Tomorrow music worship band practice tomorrow night (excited but nervous about that!). Should all be interesting... :-)
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Driving and Leading in faith (in scary and often unknown places)
We are moving forward! :-) Mark and Tyler arrived last night. . . our first two interns. Our team was so busy at that time, so Sonia handed me her keys and told me to fetch them from the airport. That would be no problem for me anywhere else, but in Toronto? Driving here is crazy!! I'm a fairly aggressive driver in Vancouver, but that means nothing here. The "average" speed is like 120 km/hr-- I love driving fast, but wow that rule they taught us about leaving a couple car lengths in between you does not apply here. People have to bully themselves in and out of lanes. We are constantly merging here and there not waiting to see if they'll let you in, cuz they won't unless you just go for it, all
at ridiculously fast paces. I was driving a van that couldn't adjust the mirrors and we had luggage piled up so I couldn't see out of the windows and thus... it was truly driving and merging in faith the whole trip! Lol, AND my GPS still thought I was in Vancouver so it thought we were heading to Richmond! My navigator (the only one free!) was an 11 year old who really didn't know where anything was (but I'm so glad she was with me). Haha, so we did eventually get there and back, but my stomach was in serious knots and my heart pounding slightly more than is healthy.
That morning I had traveled by Subway to Markham to visit Pastor Gina. Inside the terminal, I must have looked so lost and confused that random people stopped to help me (which was really nice!) Coming home was rushour... I felt like a sardine packed in there. You are ridiculously close to everyone around you, but nobody talks! We all stare ahead as if no one is there, even though you feel the sweat of the person next to you on your arm (ya... gross). However, being new and lost I had to ask some people for help. Some were not so friendly, others were. I talked to one sweet lady and she was open to chatting most of the trip home. I found out she lives really close to the Hope4Tomorrow church and that she has two little kids. So she might come to our community festival this Sunday afternoon. I then found out she is from Jamaica and a Pentecostal Christian-- so we were able to encourage each other the rest of the journey (that was nice!)
Meeting with Pastor Gina was nice. She is an incredible woman! She pastors a large Filipino church here. They are continually growing and their building is so small. She works everyday (except Mon) from 7:30am-7pm (sometimes later) at the church. The intern that stays with her will have an INTENSE summer! However, they will also have one of the best experiences of what ministry actually looks like.
I would be nice to see this Pastor (and most of the Pastors here) focus on raising up young leaders to share the workload. Having an intern is a huge change. I admire these local pastors so much; they really are heroes of the faith. All of them are bio-vocational (do not take a salary) and also work more than full time at the church. I admire them; their conviction, dedication, sacrifice, work ethic, love for the Lord and for people is incredible. Yet. . . their method of ministry is not sitting right. It's hard because I do not want to come in here as a young Bible College graduate know-it-all or be critical. Or even simply as someone from the West imposing "our way of doing things" upon them. They are working so hard and I pray that God would bless them and their work and multiply it. But, it doesn't make sense to me that the Sr. Pastor needs to be out at 10pm putting up a banner at the church or waking up early to set up chairs or be the one to pick up all the members at 5am for a 6am prayer meeting! Obviously the pastor does need to have a servant heart and be willing to do anything, but s/he does not need to do EVERYTHING! They actually laugh at me when I bring up the concept of Sabbath and a balance of life, family and ministry. I see them during the week, and I can pick up that many of their healths are not good; they do not take care of themselves and are suffering for it. They are burning out... all of them have admitted that to me. That is not good! They are fighting the good fight which is tremendous, but we need to be wise and strategic about it. Who is behind them to carry on the work of the ministry? Would they trust someone to take on some of their responsibilities? Would they allow them to do it, even if they fail or don't do it to the caliber that the pastor would do it at? I'm really speaking freely here (so you may want to disregard what I'm saying). I wonder if the issue is less about needing more servants (volunteers) and more to do with 'control' and a type of 'co-dependency.' I struggled with that overseeing certain programs and ministries, because of my tendency to be a perfectionist. It's hard to trust others to do things that you know you are good at, you just need to sacrifice a bit more time to get it all done on your own. I imagine it would be very difficult for a pastor... especially in ministry areas and a church that s/he cares so much about and wants the best for. A simple answer will not solve this; it's really a paradigm shift that needs to occur.
Our elders need to be honoured. We must learn from them and appreciate them. However, the next generation needs to be equipped and released to continue the work of the ministry or it will stop. This has to happen in harmony. Inter-generational ministry is so effective and powerful when done right. I am so excited for the steps forward that we ARE taking. This is the first 'official' Canadian foursquare internship program. We have 26 interns working under the supervision and mentorship of a pastor this summer. It is very exciting to see in Toronto. No doubt this will be challenging, but immensely strategic on a number of levels. I (hopefully 'we') are praying for the cities of Toronto to be transformed in Jesus name, the 4square GTA unit to be working in unity for their cities and growing healthily, experience and growth for the interns, a blessing and health for the pastors as their ministry shifts to allow for the raising up and release of leaders.
Wow. . . I didn't mean to write all that. I guess I've bottled it up a bit lately cuz I can't express that freely here, but am praying for it to happen. Jesus take control! May your Church be effective in what You call us to.
at ridiculously fast paces. I was driving a van that couldn't adjust the mirrors and we had luggage piled up so I couldn't see out of the windows and thus... it was truly driving and merging in faith the whole trip! Lol, AND my GPS still thought I was in Vancouver so it thought we were heading to Richmond! My navigator (the only one free!) was an 11 year old who really didn't know where anything was (but I'm so glad she was with me). Haha, so we did eventually get there and back, but my stomach was in serious knots and my heart pounding slightly more than is healthy.That morning I had traveled by Subway to Markham to visit Pastor Gina. Inside the terminal, I must have looked so lost and confused that random people stopped to help me (which was really nice!) Coming home was rushour... I felt like a sardine packed in there. You are ridiculously close to everyone around you, but nobody talks! We all stare ahead as if no one is there, even though you feel the sweat of the person next to you on your arm (ya... gross). However, being new and lost I had to ask some people for help. Some were not so friendly, others were. I talked to one sweet lady and she was open to chatting most of the trip home. I found out she lives really close to the Hope4Tomorrow church and that she has two little kids. So she might come to our community festival this Sunday afternoon. I then found out she is from Jamaica and a Pentecostal Christian-- so we were able to encourage each other the rest of the journey (that was nice!)
Meeting with Pastor Gina was nice. She is an incredible woman! She pastors a large Filipino church here. They are continually growing and their building is so small. She works everyday (except Mon) from 7:30am-7pm (sometimes later) at the church. The intern that stays with her will have an INTENSE summer! However, they will also have one of the best experiences of what ministry actually looks like.
I would be nice to see this Pastor (and most of the Pastors here) focus on raising up young leaders to share the workload. Having an intern is a huge change. I admire these local pastors so much; they really are heroes of the faith. All of them are bio-vocational (do not take a salary) and also work more than full time at the church. I admire them; their conviction, dedication, sacrifice, work ethic, love for the Lord and for people is incredible. Yet. . . their method of ministry is not sitting right. It's hard because I do not want to come in here as a young Bible College graduate know-it-all or be critical. Or even simply as someone from the West imposing "our way of doing things" upon them. They are working so hard and I pray that God would bless them and their work and multiply it. But, it doesn't make sense to me that the Sr. Pastor needs to be out at 10pm putting up a banner at the church or waking up early to set up chairs or be the one to pick up all the members at 5am for a 6am prayer meeting! Obviously the pastor does need to have a servant heart and be willing to do anything, but s/he does not need to do EVERYTHING! They actually laugh at me when I bring up the concept of Sabbath and a balance of life, family and ministry. I see them during the week, and I can pick up that many of their healths are not good; they do not take care of themselves and are suffering for it. They are burning out... all of them have admitted that to me. That is not good! They are fighting the good fight which is tremendous, but we need to be wise and strategic about it. Who is behind them to carry on the work of the ministry? Would they trust someone to take on some of their responsibilities? Would they allow them to do it, even if they fail or don't do it to the caliber that the pastor would do it at? I'm really speaking freely here (so you may want to disregard what I'm saying). I wonder if the issue is less about needing more servants (volunteers) and more to do with 'control' and a type of 'co-dependency.' I struggled with that overseeing certain programs and ministries, because of my tendency to be a perfectionist. It's hard to trust others to do things that you know you are good at, you just need to sacrifice a bit more time to get it all done on your own. I imagine it would be very difficult for a pastor... especially in ministry areas and a church that s/he cares so much about and wants the best for. A simple answer will not solve this; it's really a paradigm shift that needs to occur.
Our elders need to be honoured. We must learn from them and appreciate them. However, the next generation needs to be equipped and released to continue the work of the ministry or it will stop. This has to happen in harmony. Inter-generational ministry is so effective and powerful when done right. I am so excited for the steps forward that we ARE taking. This is the first 'official' Canadian foursquare internship program. We have 26 interns working under the supervision and mentorship of a pastor this summer. It is very exciting to see in Toronto. No doubt this will be challenging, but immensely strategic on a number of levels. I (hopefully 'we') are praying for the cities of Toronto to be transformed in Jesus name, the 4square GTA unit to be working in unity for their cities and growing healthily, experience and growth for the interns, a blessing and health for the pastors as their ministry shifts to allow for the raising up and release of leaders.
Wow. . . I didn't mean to write all that. I guess I've bottled it up a bit lately cuz I can't express that freely here, but am praying for it to happen. Jesus take control! May your Church be effective in what You call us to.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Jesus is with us in the kitchen
I just had the neatest conversation! I was sitting at the kitchen table reading my Bible and journaling about it (S.O.A.P. method... fairly simple). The little Chinese home-stay girl came over very intrigued as to what I was doing. She had never read the Bible before and was so interested that I was studying it and had highlighted it etc. She sat down and she continued to ask me question after question about the Bible and Jesus and Heaven. We went through my journal entry from yesterday. She was very interested in hearing about how Jesus speaks to us and that He is still alive today. I'm very passionate about the Bible and Jesus, but I don't think I'm a very good evangelist. It was a great chat and I hope we have more, but I did not lead her to the Lord. It's challenging, but quite fun, with her very beginner English level. I then asked her about her history and religion. Her family is Muslim, but she chose to become a Buddhist. She became a Buddhist because she was looking for peace inside. I asked if she found it in Buddhism... she thought for a moment and then said no... no she had not. Then she got uncomfortable and changed the subject (I thought that was a bit interesting).
Anyhow, we chatted some more. She is such a sweet girl and I'm impressed how much she attempts to interact with us in English. She also translates for her dad who only knows "coffee, tea, juice and hello" in English.
They are going to BC for a week to visit a friend-- you might see her! I gave her a list of all the amazing places they have to visit in Vancouver-- she's very excited! :-) Home really is the best place on earth!
Work today was pretty good. I contacted most of the pastors today to set up meetings with them and the interns coming. Pastor Ron had not yet told them that they are having interns this summer! I was rather surprised... so now I have to convince them that this is a good thing and how the intern will help them this summer! Lots of surprises I'm discovering... but it's all good :-P
One of my tasks is to organize their first ever Youth Unit Rally among the 4square churches here ("Youth Explosion" event). I've got contacts now with a missionary and recording artist Gary Keane. He actually grew up in Toronto before moving to Nashville to record CDs and then as a missionary to Kenya. He's back here on furlough and wants to help! So that's great! I just need a venue to hold several hundred people... none of the local 4square churches here do.... so that is a prayer point!
Jesus is good :-)
"We [I] do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 2 Chronicles 20:12b
"Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's". 2 Chronicles 20:15b
Anyhow, we chatted some more. She is such a sweet girl and I'm impressed how much she attempts to interact with us in English. She also translates for her dad who only knows "coffee, tea, juice and hello" in English.
They are going to BC for a week to visit a friend-- you might see her! I gave her a list of all the amazing places they have to visit in Vancouver-- she's very excited! :-) Home really is the best place on earth!
Work today was pretty good. I contacted most of the pastors today to set up meetings with them and the interns coming. Pastor Ron had not yet told them that they are having interns this summer! I was rather surprised... so now I have to convince them that this is a good thing and how the intern will help them this summer! Lots of surprises I'm discovering... but it's all good :-P
One of my tasks is to organize their first ever Youth Unit Rally among the 4square churches here ("Youth Explosion" event). I've got contacts now with a missionary and recording artist Gary Keane. He actually grew up in Toronto before moving to Nashville to record CDs and then as a missionary to Kenya. He's back here on furlough and wants to help! So that's great! I just need a venue to hold several hundred people... none of the local 4square churches here do.... so that is a prayer point!
Jesus is good :-)
"We [I] do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you." 2 Chronicles 20:12b
"Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God's". 2 Chronicles 20:15b
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Father's Day, too much air conditioning and Brazilian pudding & soccer games
Another Father's Day away from my dad (why do missions trip always have to land around this time?) To keep Dad in shape throughout the summer, I bought him a boxing punching bag and set a new record before I left for our hike that he can work on achieving. Thank goodness for Skype! Absolutely amazing to communicate; almost felt like I was right there in the kitchen talking to my family. Lol, my dog started looking for me outside all the doors and windows! I miss Honey...
But really, I have nothing to complain about. . . I love my dad and am so thankful for our relationship, his love, wisdom, spiritual guidance, and his good health. I'm now living with a lovely lady and her two daughters. This must be the most difficult day of the year for them. Her husband (the girls' dad) died in a motorcycle accident a year ago. The last time their extended family saw him was last Father's Day. I can't imagine the pain and loss and loneliness they must be feeling. All I can do is pray for them and look for ways to bless them.
Interestingly, I read today Psalm 82: "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (vs. 3-4).
On another note. . . when I was in Regina I thought THEY were crazy sports fans (Roughrider's) but I found a new breed of intense passion, competitiveness and ear-piercing cheers! I was inundated
with gold and green everywhere! The Morin's are SERIOUS Brazilian soccer fans. His son is actually planning his vacation time around the games! The whole family (30 ppl? even "Nannie") was over today to eat KFC and watch the game for Father's Day. I was relieved to see that Brazil won, because if they were that passionate about them doing well, I didn't want to see it go the other way! To be honest... haha. . . I enjoyed all the food they brought over the most... especially the Brazilian pudding and a delicious cake made by a Caribbean Baker.
I loved all the energy around me today... the Nigerian's at church this morning know how to praise the Lord with all they have! Oh! I just found out that some of my "jobs" here this summer is to help with the church's pre-teen girls's soccer club and lead Aerobic classes at the Hope Centre! Lol, I LOVE that!
Today, I moved out of Pastor Ron & Joan's house and into his daughter Sonia's basement suite. It's beautiful! I love it (I'll attach pictures). It's so big. There's 3 separate bedrooms down here for the girl in
terns. My room is huge and even has a nice fireplace (not that I'll be using it...). We have our own living room with a media centre and treadmill etc. We share our meals all together upstairs. They also have a home-stay girl from China living with them. Her birthday is next week so her dad came out to visit her (so he is living here too). He made us a delicious authentic Chinese dinner... I didn't know what all we were eating, but it was good!
So, supposedly it's blazing hot outside... but I'm sitting inside wrapped in sweatshirts, blankets and double socks freezing from all the air conditioning (doesn't make sense to me... we'd pay a fortune to find the sun in Hawaii, but we turn on the air conditioning here and
make it colder than winter. . .brrrr)
I'm getting a track record (already!) for packing too much and sleeping in (though I've never been late!) so I'd better go to bed
Night!
But really, I have nothing to complain about. . . I love my dad and am so thankful for our relationship, his love, wisdom, spiritual guidance, and his good health. I'm now living with a lovely lady and her two daughters. This must be the most difficult day of the year for them. Her husband (the girls' dad) died in a motorcycle accident a year ago. The last time their extended family saw him was last Father's Day. I can't imagine the pain and loss and loneliness they must be feeling. All I can do is pray for them and look for ways to bless them.
Interestingly, I read today Psalm 82: "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked" (vs. 3-4).
On another note. . . when I was in Regina I thought THEY were crazy sports fans (Roughrider's) but I found a new breed of intense passion, competitiveness and ear-piercing cheers! I was inundated
with gold and green everywhere! The Morin's are SERIOUS Brazilian soccer fans. His son is actually planning his vacation time around the games! The whole family (30 ppl? even "Nannie") was over today to eat KFC and watch the game for Father's Day. I was relieved to see that Brazil won, because if they were that passionate about them doing well, I didn't want to see it go the other way! To be honest... haha. . . I enjoyed all the food they brought over the most... especially the Brazilian pudding and a delicious cake made by a Caribbean Baker.I loved all the energy around me today... the Nigerian's at church this morning know how to praise the Lord with all they have! Oh! I just found out that some of my "jobs" here this summer is to help with the church's pre-teen girls's soccer club and lead Aerobic classes at the Hope Centre! Lol, I LOVE that!
Today, I moved out of Pastor Ron & Joan's house and into his daughter Sonia's basement suite. It's beautiful! I love it (I'll attach pictures). It's so big. There's 3 separate bedrooms down here for the girl in
terns. My room is huge and even has a nice fireplace (not that I'll be using it...). We have our own living room with a media centre and treadmill etc. We share our meals all together upstairs. They also have a home-stay girl from China living with them. Her birthday is next week so her dad came out to visit her (so he is living here too). He made us a delicious authentic Chinese dinner... I didn't know what all we were eating, but it was good!
So, supposedly it's blazing hot outside... but I'm sitting inside wrapped in sweatshirts, blankets and double socks freezing from all the air conditioning (doesn't make sense to me... we'd pay a fortune to find the sun in Hawaii, but we turn on the air conditioning here and
make it colder than winter. . .brrrr)
I'm getting a track record (already!) for packing too much and sleeping in (though I've never been late!) so I'd better go to bed
Night!
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