the paths we take

How often I found where I should be going only by setting out for somewhere else.     B.Fuller

I recently asked a talented friend of mine if she'd consider doing a series of images (any media or canvas) for me to hang in my office. I'd been keeping a list of ideas on a very precious pink sticky note for the last year or so.  The ideas are relevant to both counselor and client; metaphors or symbols that might speak to anyone who happens to be sitting in that office. She enthusiastically agreed, even though I can only afford to pay her a pittance.  The first image was done last week.  

Apparently, as soon as she knew 'path' was one of the ideas, this whole painting sprung immediately into her mind. 

This week, I've been contemplating the path our life has taken over the past few years. Walking around in the peaceful, sleepy village of Caronport reminds me of our first year in another Saskatchewan town a few years ago. At first I couldn't put my finger on the sense of familiarity I kept noticing every time I was outside, but then I remembered that these feelings of safety, peace, and hope were with me in our first year in Hepburn.

Tonight I walked past the student housing on campus and chuckled when I remembered our tour here before we decided to move to Flatlanders.  Our kids didn't want to live in such a small house... They ended up living in a much, much smaller space!
   I remembered my son's face lighting up when he saw the bus the high school students travel around in for sports events ... I think he'd have done well here.               
        But our path took us back to Winnipeg, back to the North End we thought we'd left behind two years earlier. 

In class, I'm thinking about thesis and research, and being encouraged to narrow, ever narrow the topic.  It's so hard, because there are so many things I want to study, so many possibilities for future research and community work. I reflect on how much has changed since I sent in that tentative application for a Masters program, and wonder where this path is leading .... 

                                                              For who is God except the Lord?

      Who but our God is a solid rock?

 God is my strong fortress,

      and he makes my way perfect.

 He makes me as surefooted as a deer,

      enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

 He trains my hands for battle;

      he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

 You have made a wide path for my feet

      to keep them from slipping.

2 Sam 22, NLT

resonating lyrics

Your grace is sufficient for me

Your strength is made perfect when I am weak

All that I cling to I lay at Your feet

Your grace is sufficient for me

 

(Martin J. Nystrom)

 

This is a song I have heard a couple of times lately (Thank you, Bethany College Point of Impact Team!)
 
I really want to mean them and live these thoughts ...

Reminiscing

We moved from a great community a year ago.  We didn't just like this place a little bit, we adored it.  We all had great friends, great stories, and envisioned a long and happy future there.... As we are considering and weighing and praying about WHAT THE HECK we are going to do come summer, I just found myself reminiscing....

so, instead of the powerpoint I'm supposed to be working on for this Sunday, or the exegesis I should complete for Sam, I am flipping through old photos and being more than a little weepy...

Here are a few of the best shots....

enjoy!!!

The BAND  -   notice;

a) my son is not wearing skinny jeans

b) the t-shirts in winter

c) how crazy young the boys look!!

after students had left campus for Christmas break, the staff had a fun potluck!

I loved, loved, loved my job!!!

I forgot sheryl and I met when we worked together!

(Sheryl, I wear that sweater all the time, it was in a bag of hand me downs from you. 

 It must be time for more soon?!)

these two shots are from a youth banquet.

notice:

a) the glittery wigs that are present at so many church functions ?!??!

b) the talented group of musicians that were hired for entertainment...

This is quite likely the first group photo of the praying ladies...

how could this be less than three years ago?  These girls went from 10 to 16 overnight.

again, look how young!!!

i don't know if I've ever publicly admitted that I cried the first time my son wore a jersey that was blue and not black, that had a dog instead of a hawk... i think i loved the team sports in our old school MORE than our kids did ... maybe.

so many suppers with friends.. We loved every minute!

:)

One thing we don't miss .... saying goodbye to our awesome family.

This group shot was taken post-Christmas at Cora's as we pulled out of town one year. 

This was a fun stroll down memory lane.  Thanks for joining me!

A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen.

~Edward de Bono

Life is a rough biography. Memories smooth out the edges.

~Terri Guillemets

2009

Welcome to a year end photo post -

only got to august.. due to lack of patience and very poor internet at Flatlanders!

... in summary... a year of:

• loving bethany activities and students, grieving the great sadness that this is not a regular part of our life anymore
• loads of awesome family times and visits
• exploring creativity and finding that some kind of artist dwells within me (albeit often requiring help!) (even a chocolate artist!)
• welcomes and goodbyes
• purple haired children
• exploring community and communal living
• studying like mad, learning more than I thought possible in one year (a year ago, i rarely contemplated justice themes, nor did i try to understand the ways that we regularly abuse power in our society, nor had i ever even heard of Narrative therapy...and there is so much more that I've been learning about...)

A central theme, hopefully for all of life and not only 2009;

a way of life that embodies open hands, examination...

intentional resistance of the compulsion to hoard, grab, feel entitled, or self protect

Happy 2010, friends.

Team Winnipeg, Final update...

I am not wearing mittens to type this, and I've had a long, HOT shower in the last 24 hours ... so I'm not at the Vineyard in Wpg. anymore, I"m sitting on my cozy, soft bed!!

We came home late last night, and my final job as leader of Team Winnipeg was to return our van to S'toon this morning. (well, almost afternoon!!) - which was followed by a nice breakfast out with my husband. (actually, I think there are a few more responsibilities this semester...)

In our debrief, we tried to come up with one word to summarize our thoughts/insights after the week... here they are:

Present... Fulfill.... Unity... Evident... Community ...

Active... Presence... Responding...

Processing... Love.... life changing...

awakening... growing

It really was a great time of learning and serving.

A couple of other random thoughts, especially for the team :

• Tori left a snickers bar in the front seat of the van, which I am presently enjoying. Snickers DOES satisfy. I will reluctantly share the bar with my nice husband.
• Harvey, you better be logging on to Facebook on Monday.
• I hope there are no UNPLEASANT experiences as you return to studies on Monday. A booter, for example, would be quite unpleasant. And I hope you all wear your seatbelts at all times.
• Thanks for your kindess and love for Sydney, you guys facilitated a wonderful experience for her!!
• The 'north side' has left an impression on each of you... I feel really thankful to have been part of the experience.

Who can guess what the "M" is for?!?!

Team Winnipeg update #3

Hi everyone! Team Winnipeg is in the middle of Wednesday and we are still having a great time here in the -50C weather! No joke, its really that cold with the wind chill. Since we haven't blogged since Monday, it seems we have a little catching up to do! By the way, if you want to feel sorry for us, we've been staying in a wonderful OLD building that is quite drafty. Some of us walk around with blankets and mittens when we're chilling out in our 'off' time. It IS that cold inside the building. The bathrooms are the freezing-ist places of all.

Hey its Tori! I have been having an amazing week here in Winnipeg and I have learned a whole lot about myself, the Church and about inner-city. After doing a lot of learning and processing the team has had many chances this week to put our passions and desires into action. On Tuesday morning we hung around the drop-in right here at the Vineyard. We got the chance to talk with a lot of people and to hear some great stories. For most people, all they need is someone to listen and they will begin to pour out their life story. They have incredible stories and lives. The evening was spent at Inner-City Youth Alive, where we hung out at their youth drop-in. The kids there are so tough, or at least their masks appear that way. I got the chance to go hang out at the Car Club that was happening downstairs. Car Club is a place where people from the community get to build race cars and ice racers. The kids that are involved in the club are from the community; kids that get picked on or don't really fit in at the drop-in. The atmosphere in that place was so different from the drop-in. The kids loved talk and I made a sweet connection with a girl named Caitlyn. I am excited to see her again tonight at a hockey game that some of us are going to with the kids from Car Club. I love being on the "North Side" and I am going to have a hard time leaving here on Friday. I can't believe there is only 1 1/4 days left!

Nick here,
I just wanted to say how amazing God is... the things he is doing in winnipeg and the way he is working in the lives of our group members is just amazing. We have been all over the place working with all ages and yesterday was one of the best days of the trip. We started off the day with by going to the drop-in centre and drinking coffee and having lunch with some of the people living around the vineyard here, and it was 'meat' day. Once a month the vineyard church gives away meat to the guys and girls around the community that come to the drop-in. They really blessed me, I got to speak with a guy named Bryan and he was a native man who taught me his language. He started telling me some of the bible stories, and he would start off by saying them in his own language and then he would tell it to me in English. He told me the story of Noah, and of Samson, and he wrote down some of his alphabet to share with me. I hope to be able to see him on Thursday again and learn some more of his stories, as well as connect with some of the other people at the drop-in. Then after this in the evening we went to the 13 and up drop-in center, which normally cuts off at 18 but some they let keep coming. Anyway, so they organized a floor hockey tournament and a pool tournament and also have a car club in the basement which Tori has already touched on. I was a goalie in the tournament and it was a real blessing for me, because they really reminded me of myself as a young teen, and growing up in sports and wanting to be all the pros and living in another reality almost. It really blessed me to see these kids as myself looking in a mirror. So that was kind of the day yesterday and with only one full day left I am excited to see what else God has in store for the rest of the trip.

Thanks everyone for reading (This is kelly posting now).. we're really blessed by the encouragements we've gotten from the Bethany staff and community!! We appreciate your prayers and have a strong sense of how important they are. There have been some tough things happening in the North End recently; a couple of shootings affected many of the youth involved at the drop in we were at, and it was such a blessing to hear the staff and regular volunteers discuss how the kids that were present seemed to be gathering together to grieve and escape some harsh realities. One of the kids I knew from a long time ago.. not so much of a kid anymore; a 23 year old woman with a very sweet daughter - was grieving the loss of her boyfriend who was killed on the weekend - joined the drop in youth to catch up with me and we had a great visit as well as a chance to pray and cry together. I was so blessed by the opportunity to be with her!!
More than anything else, the team has had the chance to see where and how God is very much at work in the inner city. There has been as much education and exploration as there has been service and volunteering.
We will be tired by Friday - but I'm not sure anyone is ready to leave!

Winnipeg update #2

Hey it's team Winnipeg again! AKA Cel and Kel here to give you a genuine update on the life and times of the bustling city. :)

So it's Kelly (Bart) here. The missions trip has been a huge learning experience thus far. I feel so blessed to have a team that is so supportive throughout all the experiences we've had. There have been times of encouragement where God's presence has been clearly evident, and other times when our team has witnessed things we never thought we would. It has all been a time of learning and our team will usually have a community journalling time at the end of the day when we are able to have some intense discussions. Most of these revolve around love, justice, and the church. A highlight of the trip was spurred by the conversation we had the first night. It came on the third night when the guys surprised the girls by buying us roses and telling us how loved and beautiful each of us is. We are learning how to incorporate love into our everyday lives and what being a Christian truly involves, which is more than most people had thought at first. The trip has been a turbulent mixture of emotions, trying and uncomfortable times, and fun team bonding and I am excited to see what the rest of the week will bring! Over and out.

Eh it's Celeste! Oh my lanta I don't even know how to start talking about this trip. As Kelly said we've already had so much fun and a plethora of "revelations" (according to Nick), I can't even believe that we've only been here for three full days. So while me and Kelly are all nice and warm in this office the rest of the team is in the garage of Inner City Youth Alive sorting old bikes and things that have been in storage since they had a fire in their workshop a few months ago. Tonight I think the plans are to meet with some friends of both Kelly D. and Harvey (our sort-of-tour-guide-leader-guy for this trip). I think one of the biggest lessons I've learnt on this trip is how God's plans are so seldom our own. The biggest blessings have happened when we've stopped what we're doing and just listen to God and adjust our plans accordingly. Last night was a good example. We went to a couple's house who had both previously worked at Inner City and we had dinner and just hung out. I don't think anyone expected anything more than that but as we were getting ready to leave people just started opening up and the night turned into an intense time of prayer and connections. Well I'm too tired to think of anything else to say so I'll hand it over to our fearless leader. Peace.

This is Kelly D.. and ... fearless? not so sure if that is fitting, but I must say I LOVE THE NORTH END OF WINNIPEG!! This trip has reconnected me with some intense emotions from back in the day when I worked with the organization our team is connecting with.. My heart is so at home here, and I've been startled at some of the events our team feels unsure about, because my steps in this place are sure and confident. THis is the place where I learned to rely fully on the Lord each and every day... Re-establishing that familiar connection on familiar streets - even with familiar faces - feels right and good.... but also brings many other mixed up emotions, too!!!

Keep reading and checking the blog .. we've still got many things planned. We're looking forward to making a meal for a group tonight.. pray with us that we'd learn from the people we meet and have sweet fellowship together. (By the way, that has been an intense lesson for us on this trip.. realizing that our time is much less about bringing or offering something we possess, but instead learning more about the depth and beauty of God from people in very different circumstances. We've quickly realized that much more is being offered to us than we could offer to others....)

Appreciate your prayers!!! Please pray for all the teams in Calgary, Saskatoon, Kelowna, northern SK, and Peru. If we can pray for you, let us know!! Take care..

Team Winnipeg Update #1

Hey Everyone;
Thanks for checking in to see what we're up to. I've asked two members of Team Winnipeg to share a few thoughts of the trip so far...

hey its Aleah, i am really enjoying my experience here in Winnipeg. This is my home city so it has been really great to see another side of Winnipeg even though it is a very broken part of it. But I also feel that there is a sense of hope and it is great to see the way that God is working in this place. I am a bit nervous and excited about the things that God is going to do with our team on this trip if we have ears to listen. Please keep us in your prayers.

Yo it's Chris, what to say about Winnipeg? Well so far it's been a real eye opening experience. There is so much that i did not know about inner city communities and poverty. There is so much history in an inner city community about how they came to be filled with poverty and why they are the way they are. It was interesting to go on a tour of the north end of Winnipeg and have Harvey tell us the history of it. Another thing that this trip has been showing me and a lot of the rest of the team is how the church is doing stuff in the inner cities, but there are so many churches that are just standing by and doing nothing or very little. That is very sad to see and most of us on the team feel it needs to be changed. It's only been less than 2 days and we have grown so much as a team and have learnt so much. I'm excited to see what is going to happen in the rest of the week.

Of course.. I have to add my 2c....
I'm writing this from the office of one of the Vineyard Pastors. He happened to pop into the kitchen as we were preparing our lunch. He asked us what the rest of the day holds... we told him we're making our lunch, and a few extra sandwiches to go and deliver to some of the folks in the neighborhood around us.
In a very gentle way, he reminded us that there is less dignity in delivering sandwiches than there would be in, say... sharing lunch with someone. After chatting with him for a second, I aske the team how we could change our plans to respond better to the community around us... we envisioned ourselves sharing a sandwich in the freezing cold with someone, and realized that offering a warm and cozy place might be an even better response. So, we're reorganizing our plans, and three of us are just going to go walking and see who we can invite for lunch back at the Vineyard.

I think the way the pastor we spoke to put it was something like this: always remember to look for the hidden beauty in the 'poor' --- and while you're at it, don't forget about the hidden brokenness in the 'rich'....

We're two days in and we have already made many connections (with people and in our own minds). We are on a beautiful journey.. thanks for your prayers. We have already learned much about the three things we're trying to explore on this trip:

• Hope
• Poverty
• Relationships

Until next time...
Kelly, for the team

Show all

a mission-y update :)

Very bright and very early Thursday morning, there will be several teams of students from Bethany College heading out to various inner city communities in Western Canada... equipped and ready to serve, learn, observe, and experience.

I have the privilege of leading team Winnipeg, and we are looking very forward to our time in that city!!! Our service starts with a scavenger hunt and neighborhood tour on Friday morning. (Yes, we are going the farthest... we will be in the van for about 10 hours on Thursday!!!) (Although, Kelowna has to be about the same distance? Maybe Dave is a crazy driver who won't obey speed limit rules like I plan to?!)

We'll be based out of Inner City Youth Alive, with a wonderful host named Harvey to show us the sights and make sure we're on schedule and kept busy. We look forward to hanging out at the Vineyard, ICYA programs, meeting with inner city missionaries and residents, working at drop in centres and even a DEMOLITION project!! Whoo-hoo! (You can be sure there will be pictures of THAT shown in chapel!!)

Some notes about Team Winnipeg:

We are: Chris, Thea, Aleah, Kelly, Sydney, Celeste, Nick, Richard, Kelly, and Tori.

During our team times, we made a word picture of our experiences/relationship with God: (a one word description)

Beautiful, Redeemer, Faithful, Love, Provider, Indescribable, Cool, Constant, Love
(Thanks Chris!)

Some of what we're hoping to explore and learn about is:

• understanding what poverty is (or isn't)
• how is God at work in the inner city of Winnipeg?
• how can we support that work during our short time there?
• what can we learn from the experiences of missionaries and residents of the inner city community?

Check this blog a few times in the coming week... we'll keep you updated on our time. Who knows... there may even be guest bloggers....

We'd love it you'd pray for us on our trip!

Also: Stay posted on the Bethany senior students trip to Peru....

Sustainer

God is our sustainer.  We know this.  We sing about it, we listen to sermons about it, if we are preachers or teachers we tell stories about it.  Its part of our christian speak, its one of the things we believe,  yet often skate right over grasping deeply.  Our cultural practices aren't helpful either, we don't leave a lot of room for being 'sustained'.  We ensure all of our needs are met, our plans are carefully exectuted, t's are crossed and i's are dotted.

In spite of us,  God intrudes into our independent and insulated lives.  He speaks, He moves, He guides, He teaches.  Maybe we miss it more than we observe it.

This is Leadership Week at Bethany.  All of the student leaders (RA's, interns, and student council) are on campus for a while before everyone else comes this weekend.  It's been great having these amazing young people around.  The campus is alive.  there is learning in all sorts of spaces, mostly not classrooms!  Students are praying and talking in quiet little groups, they're singing worship songs accompanied by a lone guitar, they're seeking out mentors from staff and faculty, they're preparing spiritually for the year ahead.  Finally, we remember why we're here, and all petty worries about the papers on our desk and the mountain of work is put into perspective.

Into this context God has made it clearer than ever to me that He is our sustainer.  In our lives, in our families, at Bethany College, he sustains and provides for it all.  He holds it all together, and that is for some reason so much more than a sunday school lesson today. 

It is a privilege to be part of the Leadership team at Bethany College.   Today, we were invited to join the end of a footwashing service, where young leaders dedicated themselves to the task of serving the students who have not yet arrived on campus.  As I walked into the chapel at the end of the service, my eyes were immediately teary, there was something heavy and beautiful and ALIVE in that room.  There was a pulsing, vibrant sense of love and dedication, of surrender and faith that could only be missed by the hardest of hearts.  I was humbled by the privilege of praying into the lives and ministry of future world changers who long to be trained and prepared for a life of service.  I was deeply and poignantly reminded why I'm at Bethany, why any of us is at Bethany, and what all of us are working toward.. and how much bigger than Bethany that purpose is.

a repeated message throughtout the week and the day: And God Sustains It All.

I've found my theme word for the year.

a wee bit disappointed...

After not having internet for a week, I arrived at Brendan's parents place excited to log on - partially because I'm addicted to the computer and can't even make financial decisions without consulting my online account, but also because I really expected to check my emails and find that there were a few applicants for 2 jobs we posted on Bethany's website last week.... The flood of responses I expected (haha) wasn't there, so here I am, wondering if anyone knows interested persons who are dying to work at Bethany... in the business office or in facilities.. feel free to encourage friends and family to check out our website, http://www.bethany.sk.ca/. Click on jobs...
I'll be checking my emails...
:)