Monday, August 31, 2009

Simple pleasures... Gotta love 'em.

Before the “training week” for the camp ministry team all the members were asked to fill out a “personality profile”. It was a bunch of questions and from your answers they try to dig into your personality type a little bit. I’ve never thought mine would be so accurate. It was crazy; I don’t remember a lot of what it said about me except for this: “this personality type enjoys life’s simple pleasures. Immediately they looked at me and said in one voice “chocolate milk”. It was a funny thing, but true. I do enjoy something so simple as chocolate milk, but after that I began to look for more of the things I enjoy that I didn’t pay much attention to usually. Since the summer began I’ve noticed so many things that I absolutely enjoy seeing, hearing, doing and possibly consuming. Perhaps you have some simple pleasure from life you enjoy too. It’s a good time, I know for me personally it has helped me look at things in a slightly more positive view.

I’ve noticed, that I love hearing others laugh, I love hearing others sing songs. Watching someone dance no matter how good or bad they are can always bring a smile to my face. I love listening to bird’s sing their songs, I love watching the clouds go by over head and watch as they change shape. I love listening to the wind go through the leaves, I love watching wind sweep through a field and watching the grass (or whatever is growing) dance. I love listening to water on the rocks.
I love when someone shoots me a kind smile or in some rare circumstances shoots the gun or a wink. I enjoy hearing a good story.

There are so many things big and small that I enjoy; it was one discovery I made of myself this summer. Since being home I’ve discovered more. I enjoy exchanging stories with family and friends; I enjoy my own bed in my own house. I enjoy sitting down to a good drink either alone or with a group of family and friends. One thing I discovered just today, on the way to get a slurpee (another pleasure I enjoy) is I enjoy listening to the sound of my dogs paws on the sidewalk as she walks with a springy sort of smooth going trot. Walking is something I hope to keep doing with my ol’ pooch; it will be good for both of us, probably better for me…

I can’t deny I enjoy simple things, but who doesn’t? Maybe you have some simple things you love too, Cherish them.

Shine on…

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Summer Experience

Ah, back from a long but quick summer of camp. Three different camps to be exact; Covenant Heights Bible Camp (My personal favorite, but I am bias), Kootenay Covenant Bile Camp, and Covenant Bay Bible Camp. This summer was definitely an interesting one. To say I loved every-single-minute of it would be a lie. To say I didn’t like it would be extremely far from the truth. To say I had mixed feelings while at camp, times of joy and times where I wanted to scream… Possibly like a little girl, but probably not… ANYWHO. I joined this Camp Ministry Team and began to make expectations which were not met. I wasn’t disappointed. I was just, at times, overwhelmed.
Before the whole summer started I was ready for what I thought was going to be a “spiritual mountain top”, a summer to break bad habits, to be strong enough to fight all kinds of temptation. Turns out I thought wrong. Instead, what I got was one tough summer. Fatigue hit me like a rock...A big tired rock. I got a summer of trying to haul ass through temptation while I was at my weakest moments, a summer that surprisingly brought forth a huge lack of confidence. I had no self-control and I was mad at myself for it, I had no judgment. There were times I felt like a total dumb ass and rightfully so. My lack of judgment and self-control lead to many stupid and inappropriate comments leaving my mouth. I missed my home, my parents, my bed I missed everything about home and that seem to bring me a big lack in confidence. I was struggling with a lot of sin, and I couldn’t seem to shake it off. At times I was feeling so overwhelmed and I was, for some strange reason, unwilling and too shy to talk to anyone about it.
However, through all of this, now that I look back, I was learning, I was maturing (though it did not feel like it at the time). I was challenged in many ways especially in patience. I feel that I have become a more patient person through all of this.

One thing that was said stuck with me and will continue to stick with me, it was a thought on the field of ministry and I love it. “It’s easy to give someone a glass of water; it’s hard to give someone a glass of water when we are thirsty.” I find this to be a brilliant thought. To minister to the people at the camps demanded me whether I was feeling fresh and energetic or burdened and tired. Ministry is a hard job, and I discovered that a little more this summer. We need to be willing to be used no matter what state we are in, it’s part of serving Christ, it’s part of being a disciple.

At every camp I went to I was struck by something in someway, whether it was something that was said or an experience I had. One thing I found encouraging was at the camp in Kootenay. The activity was to find a stick or piece of wood and to write a sin on it then we threw the sticks into the river mouth and watched them float out into the lake. It seemed like such a “nursery” thing to do or something so small, but it really encouraged me to fight through the temptations I was experiencing.
Quite possibly my most memorable moment was going to a soup kitchen with some folks from Covenant Bay, the dealio was, 3 groups went on 3 days to a soup kitchen in Wetaskiwin (a small city in Alberta), while there we served the people breakfast, we gave them clothes and then we sat with them and had conversations. The table I happen to sit at was one full of great individuals. It was really hard for me to sit there at one point, not because I was uncomfortable in fact, I was quite comfortable, but while I was there one of the ladies had to give a murder report on her son. Her son was 17 years old and was killed in Edmonton recently before we were there. To watch her struggle through the interview was a difficult sight, but to watch all the people at the table be there and to comfort her was an amazing sight. The community they had among them was one that I believe we should all strive for. They knew each other, they cared for each other. It was eye opening experience, one that reminded me that I am NO better than ANYONE, I bet most of the people there were far nicer and better people than I am. It was an experience that reminded me we are called to love not to fix. We should approach people with love and befriend them, not come to them like we have it all together and they don’t. These people, though most addicts, are good people. They have souls, they have minds, some of them are absolutely brilliant. One man I was blessed to meet was named Tony, he was a great guy. He loved art, he loved to draw and write things for others. His drawings weren’t the best I’ve seen, they were nothing special, but the passion and pride he poured into his art was what made me love it. Simple drawings, Simple quotes but they struck me. He told me that one of the workers at the soup kitchen had bought him oil pastels, he told me he would draw with them all the time and he loved them. He went on to tell me that he had put them in a duffle bag, when he set it down it was stolen from him. This small story, that at sometimes wouldn’t come as a surprise to me almost made me tear up.
He wrote down some verses I should look up, I knew them all and he mixed up the references, but the fact that he was pouring himself into having a faith was encouraging to me. Sure he’s made some bad decisions in his life, but God still loves him and all of them, and so should we.
Another guy there came in limping very badly, turns out he spent the night in the hospital after almost being run over by a gang that went by the name HH (Hobbema Haters). They tried to run him over but he jumped out of the way and they clipped his leg. It was a tough thing to hear. It made me think of how little I and our community do to reach out to these people. We see them as a hindrance, they are people and creations of God, they are beautiful people, and we need to meet them at a face to face level, not a level that makes us look like some “good Samaritan”. We need to love them not fix them.


It was a great summer, I grew, matured and I will always remember this ministry team I had the opportunity to serve on.
It's good to be back
Shine on.