Y'know, it's amazing what God is doing here. Not only is there amazing fellowship, friendly people, and a drivenness to do what God wants us to do...but God is here. God is active in Port Hardy.
Take this story for example. The apartment building of two of my new friends is managed by a young Christian man. The other night, a fellow got stabbed, twice, in the chest, right under the collarbone. He stumbled over to the apartment manager's door, spouting blood, and knocked. 3 AM. The manager comes to the door, sees the guy, grabs his keys and takes him to the hospital. The guy who got stabbed just kept on saying, "I forgive this person. I don't want to press charges. I forgive this person." The doctor said that the steak knife (cuz that's what it was) missed the heart by an inch, the lungs by half an inch, and the major arteries by like a fraction. Any higher, lower, any direction side to side, and this guy would have been dead.
Sunday morning, this stabbing victim is in church, telling his story, praising God, and praying for the person who stabbed him...and this guy wasn't the closest to God that he could have been before.
To see God use a terrible situation and make the best out of it...man. God is GOOD! Even just having the Christian manager there to take him to the hospital, pray with him, support him...I mean, God used a stabbing to connect this fellow to the church, put a Christian in his life to pray and support him...I mean, even the protection God gave the guy from being killed!! God is GOOD.
Last night my new friends, and the apartment manager, got together for prayer. It was cool. And every tuesday is intercessory prayer that anyone can come to. I am learning - and relearning - a lot. I am very much learning to be active in my faith - to have faith in what God says - and be active in my trust in Him. To listen to what the Spirit is saying, pray what God is leading us to pray. To pray with faith, and authority, and with conviction. With power. God is good. Even just being here this short amount of time has strengthened my faith and brought me closer to Him.
God is GOOD!!!!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
And having arrived....
First of all, I have to say that my basil made it. It survived being crammed in the back seat of the truck for nearly 24 hours. It's now sitting on the windowsill of (one of) my room(s) craning towards the sun. Hurray!
I say "one of" just because I have stuff spread over 3 rooms (sound familiar Mom?)...but it really isn't my fault this time. I have my food in my kitchen-to-be, and most of my stuff in a bedless hotel room, and my sleeping stuff in another hotel room (with a bed). My suite isn't ready yet. So in the meantime I will be in another room, which is quite okay with me. :)
The drive up was long, even though we made smokin time. Drove for just over 4 hours once we got off the ferry. Dad and I were musing about the fact that 30+ years ago, Dad was driving down from Port Hardy (having lived there for a summer), listening to stuff like Fleetwood Mac...and now we were driving up, listening to stuff like Lynrd Skynrd and Bruce Springsteen as he was driving his daughter up there. lol. Kind of like poetic irony I suppose.
Everyone is super nice here. They're so friendly and welcoming. A team (from down Island, I think) is here helping out with the renovations, and Dad and I came in just as they were sitting down for lunch. And man, it is so cool to see people working together for a common goal, and eating together and joking and laughing...I think it is the sense of commonality and unity here that is so wonderful. Not that everyone is the same - but that everyone is working for the same goal. Even as I get to chat with the people here, and the people in the neighboring churches - to know that we're all laboring for the same cause, for the same Maker...it strengthens my soul.
I love how the Kingdom of God reaches across nations, across culture, and across every barrier. A fellow I know just broke the world record for bycicling across Canada (24 days!!). He posted almost every day about his journey. He did it as an act of worship to God and as an expression of who God made him to be - not really for the purpose of breaking any records - and the support and encouragement that I saw poured out from those who followed his journey via his posts was incredible. People literally across the globe were following his journey, and celebrating with him as this trip brought him closer to God and deeper in relationship with Him. And I just think, wow, God used one man's journey to touch people across hundreds and hundreds of miles. It astounds me just how God unites hearts all across the globe, even people who haven't met, in this one goal of reaching the world with the love of Christ. I just think this is mind-blowing.
I say "one of" just because I have stuff spread over 3 rooms (sound familiar Mom?)...but it really isn't my fault this time. I have my food in my kitchen-to-be, and most of my stuff in a bedless hotel room, and my sleeping stuff in another hotel room (with a bed). My suite isn't ready yet. So in the meantime I will be in another room, which is quite okay with me. :)
The drive up was long, even though we made smokin time. Drove for just over 4 hours once we got off the ferry. Dad and I were musing about the fact that 30+ years ago, Dad was driving down from Port Hardy (having lived there for a summer), listening to stuff like Fleetwood Mac...and now we were driving up, listening to stuff like Lynrd Skynrd and Bruce Springsteen as he was driving his daughter up there. lol. Kind of like poetic irony I suppose.
Everyone is super nice here. They're so friendly and welcoming. A team (from down Island, I think) is here helping out with the renovations, and Dad and I came in just as they were sitting down for lunch. And man, it is so cool to see people working together for a common goal, and eating together and joking and laughing...I think it is the sense of commonality and unity here that is so wonderful. Not that everyone is the same - but that everyone is working for the same goal. Even as I get to chat with the people here, and the people in the neighboring churches - to know that we're all laboring for the same cause, for the same Maker...it strengthens my soul.
I love how the Kingdom of God reaches across nations, across culture, and across every barrier. A fellow I know just broke the world record for bycicling across Canada (24 days!!). He posted almost every day about his journey. He did it as an act of worship to God and as an expression of who God made him to be - not really for the purpose of breaking any records - and the support and encouragement that I saw poured out from those who followed his journey via his posts was incredible. People literally across the globe were following his journey, and celebrating with him as this trip brought him closer to God and deeper in relationship with Him. And I just think, wow, God used one man's journey to touch people across hundreds and hundreds of miles. It astounds me just how God unites hearts all across the globe, even people who haven't met, in this one goal of reaching the world with the love of Christ. I just think this is mind-blowing.
Friday, July 24, 2009
About this basil!
My basil has the worst luck ever for a plant. I planted literally around 30 seeds this spring of basil. I had a ton of seedlings, for which I had lovingly mixed the soil...they came up fast, and it was very exciting. They got a little bigger, and then I decided to transplant some and thin out the rest. I planted some in bigger pots, and I planted some outside in the garden. I went away for almost a week, and came back to discover that 70% of my basil were dead from lack of water. And so I collected the remaining basil and put the pots on the stairs, watering them frequently, and even nipping the new leaves so that they would grow sturdy, not weedy. And then I went away again, for two weeks. I came back, and only two plants remained! And those were in one pot. So, I watered them and took care of them, and placed them on the rail of the balcony so they would be more easily accessible for me to water. Then two days ago, a huge windstorm came and knocked it down, spilling the dirt and breaking a few of the stems. So....I collected it up, put more dirt in it, and didn't put it back on the balcony. It is now packed in the truck. Let's see if it will make it.
And tomorrow...
Tomorrow I go.
I'm all packed up; Dad came by today and packed all of my stuff into the truck. There was so much stuff that Glenn and Dad had to build sides for the truck. (It's not my fault the truck is miniature! Really! I don't have too much stuff at all!) But hey, it's pretty good that most of what I own (minus some significant pieces of furniture, and a whole closet full of stuff) can fit into a Toyota Tacoma, sides or not. I'll probably do some "paring down" once I get there anyways. I do have to give Dad kudos for a great packing job. He's pro. He even managed to pack my ferns, and my cacti...and my basil. (I'm going to make a mini-blog after this one about this basil.)
It doesn't feel like I am moving for good. It feels like I am going on an extended camping trip. I actually did move out of my parents' house - for good! (Hurray!) It's slightly surreal, and very exciting.
And now, tomorrow, we make the 7 hour commute to Port Hardy, where I will, as of tomorrow, call my place of residence. YEAH!!!
I said goodbye to my flyball club on monday. That was sad...sad because I won't be doing the sport anymore (or at least for a couple years, until I get my own dog), and sad because I've come to love and appreciate these people. They're great, funny, fun-loving, and they love dogs and flyball! I've only been part of Matsqui for three years, and have only been racing for a year....but I'm gonna miss them! :'(
Yeah. I'm gonna miss people. But I am excited to meet new people and make new friends. I'm gonna have fun. :)
I'm all packed up; Dad came by today and packed all of my stuff into the truck. There was so much stuff that Glenn and Dad had to build sides for the truck. (It's not my fault the truck is miniature! Really! I don't have too much stuff at all!) But hey, it's pretty good that most of what I own (minus some significant pieces of furniture, and a whole closet full of stuff) can fit into a Toyota Tacoma, sides or not. I'll probably do some "paring down" once I get there anyways. I do have to give Dad kudos for a great packing job. He's pro. He even managed to pack my ferns, and my cacti...and my basil. (I'm going to make a mini-blog after this one about this basil.)
It doesn't feel like I am moving for good. It feels like I am going on an extended camping trip. I actually did move out of my parents' house - for good! (Hurray!) It's slightly surreal, and very exciting.
And now, tomorrow, we make the 7 hour commute to Port Hardy, where I will, as of tomorrow, call my place of residence. YEAH!!!
I said goodbye to my flyball club on monday. That was sad...sad because I won't be doing the sport anymore (or at least for a couple years, until I get my own dog), and sad because I've come to love and appreciate these people. They're great, funny, fun-loving, and they love dogs and flyball! I've only been part of Matsqui for three years, and have only been racing for a year....but I'm gonna miss them! :'(
Yeah. I'm gonna miss people. But I am excited to meet new people and make new friends. I'm gonna have fun. :)
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
And then she goes...
Okay. So I'm taking a page out of a friend's book...or url...and I've set up a new blog (this one) so that I can give a semi-regular account of my doings in Port Hardy. This is so that all you, my family and friends, can keep track of me, since I'll be at least a six-hour (well okay, more like 8 hour) drive from you, making it rather difficult to have regular visits and updates with y'all. Yes, I know there is Skype, and Facebook, and telephone, and email...but this is fun. You get to see life in PH from Sharon's point of view. Muahahaha.
Just in case you didn't know, I am the new youth pastor for Port Hardy Christian Fellowship. Sweet, eh!! And where's Port Hardy you ask?? Um, it's up at the very top of Vancouver Island...just about the end of the road. It's the gateway to the Queen Charlotte Islands, and it's right next to Cape Scott National Park. It has a population of just under 5,000 people. It's cosy. ;) And it's beautiful. There's tons of wildlife - bears, cougars, seals, sea lions, eagles - and whales!! Its economy is supported by the logging, fishing, and mining industries, as well as a great tourist industry. (I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to experience the wild BC coast??)
I haven't left for PH yet; the moving date is tentatively set for Saturday, but life is complicated and we're all busy, so it may be later. Or it could be earlier. I have no idea. But I'm packing. I've been packing for at least the last week. This is a rather difficult task, as my stuff is spread over an entire house, though concentrated mostly in two spare bedrooms. And especially since four years of dorm life has had me sort through my belongings, each year taking only the essentials, and leaving behind multitudes of papers, old clothes, bits of souvenirs and odds and ends. This is as much a task of sorting as it is anything else, which really doesn't make for fast work. It's a little overwhelming at times. But never fear: I have a plan! At least in regards to my clothes, and that is: leave out a week's worth of clothing, and pack everything else. And I think that translates over into the other stuff too: leave out the essentials for living for the next week, and pack everything else. I think I am about halfway done.
I'll end on this note: I'm excited to move.
"Dude, whales!"
Just in case you didn't know, I am the new youth pastor for Port Hardy Christian Fellowship. Sweet, eh!! And where's Port Hardy you ask?? Um, it's up at the very top of Vancouver Island...just about the end of the road. It's the gateway to the Queen Charlotte Islands, and it's right next to Cape Scott National Park. It has a population of just under 5,000 people. It's cosy. ;) And it's beautiful. There's tons of wildlife - bears, cougars, seals, sea lions, eagles - and whales!! Its economy is supported by the logging, fishing, and mining industries, as well as a great tourist industry. (I mean, come on, who wouldn't want to experience the wild BC coast??)
I haven't left for PH yet; the moving date is tentatively set for Saturday, but life is complicated and we're all busy, so it may be later. Or it could be earlier. I have no idea. But I'm packing. I've been packing for at least the last week. This is a rather difficult task, as my stuff is spread over an entire house, though concentrated mostly in two spare bedrooms. And especially since four years of dorm life has had me sort through my belongings, each year taking only the essentials, and leaving behind multitudes of papers, old clothes, bits of souvenirs and odds and ends. This is as much a task of sorting as it is anything else, which really doesn't make for fast work. It's a little overwhelming at times. But never fear: I have a plan! At least in regards to my clothes, and that is: leave out a week's worth of clothing, and pack everything else. And I think that translates over into the other stuff too: leave out the essentials for living for the next week, and pack everything else. I think I am about halfway done.
I'll end on this note: I'm excited to move.
"Dude, whales!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)