Ok. So another shot at updating my blog.
I am always amazed at the teaching hand of God in my life. He constantly grows me. Pastor George likens it to God working out the hard crusty bits in clay. Occasionally I look at my life and I think, "Oh, there's another one!"
God has been definitely working on my faith in him. Amidst the prophetic words spoken over this place and given to people in (and not in) this congregation, we as the leadership team (and the church) have really tried to "lay hold" of the promises of God to move in power and in the miraculous, and in the transformation of human lives.
A couple Saturdays ago we had a work bee here at the hotel. We wanted to get some work done on the sanctuary (the former strip bar). George was sanding, sanding, sanding away, and as happens he was covered in drywall dust. God then gave him a vision of him putting drywall mud on Deb's eyes. Now Deb had been diagnosed with some major cataracts. She was scheduled to go into surgery yesterday. She had been squinting, and complaining that she couldn't see, everything was foggy - she could hardly read a piece of paper in front of her. I know. I had to read stuff to her.
So God gives this vision to George. He was to take two specific ladies and have them up there with Deb so that they could lead her to the bathroom to wash off the drywall mud. Initially George was like, "But God, that's kind of your thing, not mine!" But George decided that it was better to be a fool and have it not happen than miss out on what God was going to do.
So the next day at church, George does this. He calls up Deb and the two ladies, and he tells us what God had shown him, and applies drywall mud to her eyelids. He prays for her and the ladies lead her to the bathroom.
She tells me later that when she was washing off the mud, she looked up into the mirror and the fog cleared away as if a curtain was pulled.
George prayed for her again after she got out of the washroom, because it was not complete - but every time he prayed it got clearer and clearer. The other day she said, "I can see the stop sign up at the top of the hill!!!" I can see that only because I have contacts!
As someone who knows Deb and live with her (practically, she lives in the same hallway with me and we hang out all the time) I know that her eyes were not that good before. I know that God has healed her! Hallelujah!!
Here's where my faith is challenged. I know healings happen. I myself was healed of lactose intolerance. My friend had told me that through Christ's death on the cross we have healing (see Isaiah 53) and that I just needed to receive it. So that night I went home and thanked God for healing me of lactose intolerance. The next morning I had a bowl of cereal with normal milk - where before I could only drink Lactaid milk and have lactaid pills if I had anything even remotely containing dairy. When I got home from school that day, I had two bowls of ice cream. And I was fine. I never have had to drink lactaid milk or use lactaid pills again. But I have never seen healings of stuff like broken bones or missing limbs.
But I think: why not? Really. God can. And God has. And God IS WILLING. I struggled with that for so long. I thought, maybe God wants me (or whomever) to be sick so that they can learn something. Perseverance. Dependence on Him. Or whatever.
But you know what? I think I am changing my thinking on that. Just because God is amazing and can bring good out of the bad - because he is good and never misses an opportunity to show his love - doesn't mean that the bad originates with him. Like, if healing was provided through the cross, then why would God then go back on what he's provided? Suffering produces perseverance. But is suffering sickness? Not necessarily. So we don't have to accept it. As George explains, Jesus prayed "Your kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven"....and there is no sickness in heaven. So why should there be here?
So really, why not? God is willing to heal us (look at the dude who said to Jesus "You can heal me if you are willing" and Jesus said "I am willing") and he gives us his power through his Holy Spirit. All things have been given to us. We are to be armed with His mighty strength.
What I have been trying to do lately is pray for people's infirmities with authority. Like, no wimpy prayers of "please heal him, maybe, if it's your will, or help him to get better quickly"....but how about "that sickness is not supposed to be here so we command it to go in the name of Jesus!" You know? Like, get indignant in my spirit about the injustices put on the people. Of course pray with discernment and tact and wisdom....but not lacking in the spiritual authority that God has given me.
A couple months ago, while George was playing the drums in church, he felt the urge to call out with a word of knowledge that there was someone with a hernia (or pain in their side, and he described the spot). A woman in the congregation hadn't told anyone but she had a hernia and she was scheduled to go for surgery. He called it out, and it was healed. Like, bulge gone and everything. Praise God!
I don't want to lay down and roll over when there's a spiritual battle going on. If this stuff isn't supposed to be here, then I don't want it. I want the wholeness that God promised through his word - physical wholeness included! And I want to be obedient to pray for that stuff too!
I was reading the Local Church Constitution for the PAOC today. It is littered all throughout how we believe in divine healing and that we are to encourage and practice praying for the sick. Why would we bother having that in our constitution if we shouldn't do it? Why would Jesus model it if we shouldn't do it? I don't know about you, but I want to see people healed - not just for the "cool factor" but because it will display God's glory and his love as he heals people who were broken!!! I know several people within even my own family whom I would love to see physically healed.
So I challenge you: pray for the sick! Don't accept that it's supposed to be there so that you can "learn a lesson" or something else. Jesus prayed for the sick - so should we. It's part of discipleship. And you know what? Believe that it will happen!!! Because really....why not?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Thanksgiving!
So I made turkey dinner for the first time yesterday! Okay so I've made a turkey before, just not by myself and not alone. (They're not the same thing, by the way). I got my mom to email me directions on how she makes turkey and stuffing and cranberry sauce. I followed it pretty much to the T....except that I added my own personality to the stuffing. I made it with whole wheat buns (that's right! Booya for whole wheat!) and added fresh cranberries, chopped pecans, and apples. It was rather more separate and a little drier than Mom's usually is, but it tasted good. My gravy was too thin; I didn't have any corn starch so I used a flour roux (or however you spell it)...but it didn't turn out thick enough. But again, it tasted nice. It was more of a glaze than a gravy. Oh well. I burnt my cranberry sauce though. I burnt it good. I couldn't even salvage it, so I just chucked it. So unfortunately we had to use canned stuff. But again, it was still good. And I also made lemon cake with peaches (again, something I learned from Mom) with Cool Whip. Yummy... Oh yeah. And I brought a handful (armful) of oversized zucchini from the garden back home, so I split one in half and baked it with butter, fresh garlic, and oregano. Kari told me about that one. (She also told me about the brown sugar soy garlic spread to bake salmon fillets with. She knows, that one. She knows).
It was really great to have people come over and have Thanksgiving with me. During college, I was always fortunate enough to live in close proximity to my family, so I always went home for the holidays. But now I can't....so I'm especially thankful this time around for people to share holidays like this with. Thank God for church families. It was fun too!
We then watched a movie called Flywheel. It was quite a great story - so inspirational. I totally recommend it. Quality of cinematography is not that great, and acting is okay, but story is awesome. Totally encouraged me.
It was really great to have people come over and have Thanksgiving with me. During college, I was always fortunate enough to live in close proximity to my family, so I always went home for the holidays. But now I can't....so I'm especially thankful this time around for people to share holidays like this with. Thank God for church families. It was fun too!
We then watched a movie called Flywheel. It was quite a great story - so inspirational. I totally recommend it. Quality of cinematography is not that great, and acting is okay, but story is awesome. Totally encouraged me.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Red Mittens Inspired.
Ok Dad. Your blog did the trick. I officially want a pair of those Red Olympic Mittens. They look so warm and soft and Olympic-ish. I also wouldn't mind a Miga plushy. But if given the choice, I'll take the mittens. They're warmer.
I actually do support the Olympics. No, I don't like Vanoc's mismanagement of money or the gaudy construction on the banks of False Creek or any number of negative implications of Vancouver hosting the 2010 winter games. But I do like rallying behind young people who have worked extremely hard to do something that they love (or, in some cases, something that they are good at but have a more business-like approach to it) and supporting them as they represent me and my country.
Some people complain that the Olympics are all about money-grubbing and politics and that it's about the Big Man stepping on the little man, etc. But that's a negative implication that is caused by the money grubbers and the politicians (appointed or not...people can be political without being a part of the government, if you understand my use of the word)...not the athletes. Yes I know, athletes can be money grubbers and politicians themselves....but hear what I am saying. At the core of it, the Olympics are designed to celebrate the efforts of young people dedicated to excelling at the sport(s) they are in, by way of international competition. It is a chance to celebrate other countries' ethnicity and culture.
Look at the Beijing Olympics last summer. I was blown away by the performances put on, both by their athletes, and by their Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Being able to wake up to a call from my father, in Beijing, as he sat in the Opening Ceremonies, listening to the incredible drum beats pouring in through my cell phone, was an experience I'll never forget. Yes, the Closing Ceremony was extravagant by anyone's definition, but it was incredible to watch and exclaim over. Ok, so the money spent could be used to feed a small country. You're right. But the price we spend on our lattes every day could feed a child too. That's not my point. My point is that for what the Olympics are designed for - championing young people as they champion us, and celebrating the chance to connect with other nations and cultures - is independent of what people choose to do and how they want to misuse and abuse the Olympics. For myself, I want to support the efforts of young people and of my fellow Canadians, and celebrate in not only other nationalities and cultures, but my own, too. I love Canada, I really do. I don't love some things that the Canadian government does, or some things that my fellow Canadians do...but that doesn't mean I don't love my country. I simply refuse to be jaded by people's actions, so that I don't support all the hard work that these young people...and the work all the rest of those involved...have done and are doing.
So for me, I say, Go Canada!
And I really do want a pair of those mittens.
I actually do support the Olympics. No, I don't like Vanoc's mismanagement of money or the gaudy construction on the banks of False Creek or any number of negative implications of Vancouver hosting the 2010 winter games. But I do like rallying behind young people who have worked extremely hard to do something that they love (or, in some cases, something that they are good at but have a more business-like approach to it) and supporting them as they represent me and my country.
Some people complain that the Olympics are all about money-grubbing and politics and that it's about the Big Man stepping on the little man, etc. But that's a negative implication that is caused by the money grubbers and the politicians (appointed or not...people can be political without being a part of the government, if you understand my use of the word)...not the athletes. Yes I know, athletes can be money grubbers and politicians themselves....but hear what I am saying. At the core of it, the Olympics are designed to celebrate the efforts of young people dedicated to excelling at the sport(s) they are in, by way of international competition. It is a chance to celebrate other countries' ethnicity and culture.
Look at the Beijing Olympics last summer. I was blown away by the performances put on, both by their athletes, and by their Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Being able to wake up to a call from my father, in Beijing, as he sat in the Opening Ceremonies, listening to the incredible drum beats pouring in through my cell phone, was an experience I'll never forget. Yes, the Closing Ceremony was extravagant by anyone's definition, but it was incredible to watch and exclaim over. Ok, so the money spent could be used to feed a small country. You're right. But the price we spend on our lattes every day could feed a child too. That's not my point. My point is that for what the Olympics are designed for - championing young people as they champion us, and celebrating the chance to connect with other nations and cultures - is independent of what people choose to do and how they want to misuse and abuse the Olympics. For myself, I want to support the efforts of young people and of my fellow Canadians, and celebrate in not only other nationalities and cultures, but my own, too. I love Canada, I really do. I don't love some things that the Canadian government does, or some things that my fellow Canadians do...but that doesn't mean I don't love my country. I simply refuse to be jaded by people's actions, so that I don't support all the hard work that these young people...and the work all the rest of those involved...have done and are doing.
So for me, I say, Go Canada!
And I really do want a pair of those mittens.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Land legs
I am incredibly grumpy. I don't really know why. Maybe because these past couple weeks have been emotionally exhausting. Finding out that my aunt had sudden, terminal cancer...sucked. Calling my mom every day or two to find out how my aunt was doing...and how the rest of my family was doing...it sucked. Flying down to the mainland to spend 5 days with my grieving family, and going to the internment and memorial, dealing with family stuff and heightened emotions and stresses...it all sucked. Knowing that I'm never going to see her again in this life, not until I get to go to heaven...that sucked. Big time.
I didn't actually get it - the grief, the loss, the realization that this is real, my aunt really did pass away...until I saw the pictures of her at the memorial. The beautiful smile, remembering her laugh, watching a video of her dancing...that was hard. Seeing my family grieve for not only a lovely sister but a great, true friend...that was hard.
There were some "blue sky" moments though. Having my friends and colleagues here rally around me and support me and pray for me and my family...getting to spend a week with my cousin and his family from Saskatchewan and having a great visit, even though the circumstances were not the best...seeing my family (and my dog)...seeing my extended family and having brief but cherished visits...hearing stories of my aunt's courage and faithfulness to Jesus right to the end...hearing from both of her daughters that my aunt loved me very much and had a special place in her heart for me and talked often about me. Blue sky.
Well I am not as grouchy as I was. I guess it's a little bit of a shift to get my mind wrapped around life in Port Hardy again. I'm still reeling a bit - getting my land legs again, I guess.
I didn't actually get it - the grief, the loss, the realization that this is real, my aunt really did pass away...until I saw the pictures of her at the memorial. The beautiful smile, remembering her laugh, watching a video of her dancing...that was hard. Seeing my family grieve for not only a lovely sister but a great, true friend...that was hard.
There were some "blue sky" moments though. Having my friends and colleagues here rally around me and support me and pray for me and my family...getting to spend a week with my cousin and his family from Saskatchewan and having a great visit, even though the circumstances were not the best...seeing my family (and my dog)...seeing my extended family and having brief but cherished visits...hearing stories of my aunt's courage and faithfulness to Jesus right to the end...hearing from both of her daughters that my aunt loved me very much and had a special place in her heart for me and talked often about me. Blue sky.
Well I am not as grouchy as I was. I guess it's a little bit of a shift to get my mind wrapped around life in Port Hardy again. I'm still reeling a bit - getting my land legs again, I guess.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Jumping the gun
I cut off my hair. Again. It used to be down to the middle of my back. Now it's shorter than in my profile pic. I can spike it up in chunky bits in the back. I should post a photo.
The reaction of people around here was funny. Many people (girls) said "wow it looks so cute!" and many people (guys) said (after staring at me for a minute or so) "...you cut off your hair. Why?"
Why? Just cuz I wanted to. I do things like that. I'm slightly impulsive. I cut off my hair the first time (and it was just as long the first time) simply because I wanted to and because it was time for a change. Don't get me wrong; I looked up pictures of short hair styles and very deliberately chose the hair style that I got. (actually she cut it a bit shorter than I had intended, but it turned out well). This time, I knew that I liked it, my friend who cuts hair was in town, and she came over and snipped off all my hair. And then I went out the next day and bought a box of hair dye and streaked it. Just cuz I wanted to.
I got my nose pierced a couple years ago just because I wanted to, as well. There are limits to my impulsiveness though. I didn't get my eyebrow pierced, because I knew it would probably wreck my eyebrow eventually. (And having dark eyebrows, it would be pretty noticeable.) and I didn't get a tattoo. Even though I have wanted one for a long time. I just think about the long term things sometimes. Today's cool factor (and pain) would be tomorrow's regret. I can't undo a tattoo (at least not without some scarring and a lot of money)...so if I do get one, it will be accompanied by a lot of thought and consideration.
I was thinking about the concept of consequences the other day. Specifically, the concept of impulsiveness/thirst for "now" satisfaction without considering the consequences. It seems that a lot of the issues in society right now is due to the fact that people aren't being taught to consider the possible consequences or implications of actions taken. Things that we do have implications. Promiscuity has the possible (and very likely) consequences of pregnancy, or STD's...and definite emotional consequences. But I look at all the teen moms here, and I wonder, how did this happen? I think then, that the parents lacked wisdom, because they were probably caught up in the "good times now" way of thinking.
Is it worth denying yourself to wait for things? Is it worth not indulging? It's hard, definitely. And I am not even just talking about sex. We live in a fast food culture. Even eating. I've been snacking at night because I've not taken the time to prepare myself a proper meal at night. And so I go to the vending machine at 11:00 pm. I know it's bad for me, both what i am eating and the time I am eating it at. and it will catch up with me. It's just that right now, I am hungry, and I do not want to wait for morning nor make something proper. Same with the words we speak. We speak what we feel...yet later down the road those words may catch up with us.
Every aspect of our lives - if we implement that "fast food" mentality, we'll ultimately end up unhealthy.
I think that we need to take a step back and wait. Wait for the right opportunity; wait for what God has planned...don't jump the gun. In anything. and when He gives the go ahead, JUMP FEET FIRST!
The reaction of people around here was funny. Many people (girls) said "wow it looks so cute!" and many people (guys) said (after staring at me for a minute or so) "...you cut off your hair. Why?"
Why? Just cuz I wanted to. I do things like that. I'm slightly impulsive. I cut off my hair the first time (and it was just as long the first time) simply because I wanted to and because it was time for a change. Don't get me wrong; I looked up pictures of short hair styles and very deliberately chose the hair style that I got. (actually she cut it a bit shorter than I had intended, but it turned out well). This time, I knew that I liked it, my friend who cuts hair was in town, and she came over and snipped off all my hair. And then I went out the next day and bought a box of hair dye and streaked it. Just cuz I wanted to.
I got my nose pierced a couple years ago just because I wanted to, as well. There are limits to my impulsiveness though. I didn't get my eyebrow pierced, because I knew it would probably wreck my eyebrow eventually. (And having dark eyebrows, it would be pretty noticeable.) and I didn't get a tattoo. Even though I have wanted one for a long time. I just think about the long term things sometimes. Today's cool factor (and pain) would be tomorrow's regret. I can't undo a tattoo (at least not without some scarring and a lot of money)...so if I do get one, it will be accompanied by a lot of thought and consideration.
I was thinking about the concept of consequences the other day. Specifically, the concept of impulsiveness/thirst for "now" satisfaction without considering the consequences. It seems that a lot of the issues in society right now is due to the fact that people aren't being taught to consider the possible consequences or implications of actions taken. Things that we do have implications. Promiscuity has the possible (and very likely) consequences of pregnancy, or STD's...and definite emotional consequences. But I look at all the teen moms here, and I wonder, how did this happen? I think then, that the parents lacked wisdom, because they were probably caught up in the "good times now" way of thinking.
Is it worth denying yourself to wait for things? Is it worth not indulging? It's hard, definitely. And I am not even just talking about sex. We live in a fast food culture. Even eating. I've been snacking at night because I've not taken the time to prepare myself a proper meal at night. And so I go to the vending machine at 11:00 pm. I know it's bad for me, both what i am eating and the time I am eating it at. and it will catch up with me. It's just that right now, I am hungry, and I do not want to wait for morning nor make something proper. Same with the words we speak. We speak what we feel...yet later down the road those words may catch up with us.
Every aspect of our lives - if we implement that "fast food" mentality, we'll ultimately end up unhealthy.
I think that we need to take a step back and wait. Wait for the right opportunity; wait for what God has planned...don't jump the gun. In anything. and when He gives the go ahead, JUMP FEET FIRST!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A killer week...
Well yep. Haven't posted a blog for a while...strangely, I didn't know what to say. But now I do, so here you are.
I'm learning guitar. A young adult from the church has mad skill on the drums and is great on the guitar, so I enlisted his help. He's more than willing to teach me because a) it gives him someone to jam with anytime he comes to hang out at the church, and b) I have a fairly nice electric guitar that is on indefinite loan from my brother which, by all standards, should not just sit in a corner and look pretty. It should sit on my knee and look pretty while I jam. But all that to say, my fingertips are getting callused. I always wondered how fingertips get callused from playing guitar, but now I know: you press really hard on the strings, it hurts, you practice until your fingers can't take it anymore (in the case of my soft fingertips, 5 mins), and then your fingers decide that they don't like that and grow calluses to protect themselves. It's kind of marvelous, really, because I've never had calluses on my fingertips before. They're getting kind of knobbly looking, and when I type, it feels like I have very thin bandaids on. Or a layer of dried glue. Oh, the wonders of the human body.
I got a fishing license yesterday. I am ridiculously excited about it. I got an annual license for the ocean, with a salmon tag, for $28!! I'm sorry, the thrifty side of me is stoked just as much as the outdoors side of me, just because I have a daily limit of 4 salmon I can catch...you can't buy 2 salmon, or even one large one, for $28 at the store. Or halibut. I can fish for halibut!!!! And make homemade fish and chips!!!!! Do you know how excited I am about that???!!!! Dude. So stoked.
Along with my fishing license, I also got a guide on fishing regulations and whatnot. In it, there were pictures of halibut and salmon and trout, etc. Do you know, I had no idea what halibut looked like?? I did not know that they were a flatfish, a bottom-feeder. I totally thought they were fish like salmon or trout. And they have these weird mouths, that kind of remind me of the Predator, a vertical slit in the front of their face with what looked like teeth. Creepy, personally. If I didn't know that Halibut were tasty, I wouldn't be all that appetized at the thought of eating them.
Last week was killer. A team of youth and young adults from Surrey Christian Life Assembly (CLA) came up to bless and do ministry. Pastor George was on a much-needed holiday, so I got to step up and organize stuff for them to do. It was really fun, I have to say. Knowing at least three of them helped, but getting to know everyone better really rocked. They got here last wednesday and they left monday morning. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, they worked around the church doing manual labor, stuff that we needed to get done but just didn't have the manpower and time to do, and then in the afternoons we joined with the Korean Love Corps to help with their VBS on the Tsuquate reserve, and their worship service in the evenings, also on the Tsuquate reserve. I have to say, I had a blast, and I was so impressed with them. They dove right into anything I had them do, and they were so good at building genuine relationship with everyone around them. I got to know Love Corps better, and I got to build relationship with the parents, kids, and youth on Tsuquate, and built relationships and mentored people with Surrey CLA. The Love Corps left on saturday morning so it was sad to see them go. But CLA did a marvelous Sidewalk Kids Club Saturday afternoon. It was outside (thus "Sidewalk") and we had like 30 kids there, plus moms and dads with strollers, youth, and general passersby. It was energetic and creative and shared the love of God in a genuine and enthusiastic (and exciting!) way. So sweet. So stoked to get something like that going here.
Saturday evening Andrew took us on a hike, from the road leading to Port McNeil all the way out to Storey's Beach. It was a fabulous hike. We had like 22 people go. I had some great conversations on the way there, and I know that other people did too. At one point we were walking by this little lake, and it was gorgeous. Just a little piece of aquatic heaven in the middle of forest. Once we were at Storey's, we hung out, played games, danced, and watched some of the crazy youth we were with go swimming in the ocean. Although, truth be told, the creek we went swimming in with the Tsuquate kids was way colder. But still. Swimming in the ocean at dusk is all kinds of bold. We had tons of fun. Then a black lab appeared out of nowhere and wanted to fetch sticks out of the water (surprise surprise). It made me miss Sable, my black lab. Mom, you wanna send her up here?? ;) Luckily the owners came and got the dog before we had to leave. :)
On Sunday afternoon we had a tri-Port baptism service and BBQ out at Beaver Lake. It was supposed to be between Port Hardy, Port Alice, and Port McNeil, but Port McNeil was heavily involved with Orcafest, so unfortunately we didn't get to see them. But that's ok. It was fun, and great to connect with believers from other towns, and celebrate people's commitment to Christ through baptism!! We got to hear the stories of how these ladies (there were three) came to be in relationship with Christ. It was so encouraging to see people support and encourage others in their commitment to Christ...the sound of cheers as each lady came up out of the water was wonderful.
So CLA left on monday morning. I was truly sad to see them go...they were an encouragement to my heart and were tons of fun. I loved seeing youth and young adults so excited for God and living it out. That's one thing I have a passion for: seeing people passionate for God and living it out - and that doesn't necessarily mean only being involved with church. Ministry is a life-calling...however God has made you to be, whatever job you have, whether that is a construction worker or an artist or a barista or a stay-at-home parent, you are in ministry. Your relationship with God flows out into your lifestyle and into the relationships you have. The joy of the Lord should go with you where ever you are....the fruit of the Spirit should be seen in whatever you do...the love that God has for us should be reflected in us to other people. It's not easy, but a passionate relationship with God enables us to do that better. The deeper we go with God, the more natural this becomes.
So ok. I'm loving life in Port Hardy. I have yet to see whales, though I am going on a Whale Watching tour soon...the week after next, maybe. (WHEE!!!!!!!) And God is starting to put dreams in my heart, as he's starting to show me the heart and flavour of Port Hardy. He's beginning to give me a deeper love for the people of PH. I love it here.
Oh yeah! I saw phosphorescence on the beach the other night!!!!! It was sooooo COOL!!! every time I stepped or swished my feet or pressed the sand, these almost electric sparkles would shoot out from my feet. It was so amazing. It was gorgeous. I played in the sand for a good half hour just marveling. O man. So cool. And then I and my friend saw a bear and had to climb through someone's back yard to go around it back to the car. Hahaha.
Love love love.
I'm learning guitar. A young adult from the church has mad skill on the drums and is great on the guitar, so I enlisted his help. He's more than willing to teach me because a) it gives him someone to jam with anytime he comes to hang out at the church, and b) I have a fairly nice electric guitar that is on indefinite loan from my brother which, by all standards, should not just sit in a corner and look pretty. It should sit on my knee and look pretty while I jam. But all that to say, my fingertips are getting callused. I always wondered how fingertips get callused from playing guitar, but now I know: you press really hard on the strings, it hurts, you practice until your fingers can't take it anymore (in the case of my soft fingertips, 5 mins), and then your fingers decide that they don't like that and grow calluses to protect themselves. It's kind of marvelous, really, because I've never had calluses on my fingertips before. They're getting kind of knobbly looking, and when I type, it feels like I have very thin bandaids on. Or a layer of dried glue. Oh, the wonders of the human body.
I got a fishing license yesterday. I am ridiculously excited about it. I got an annual license for the ocean, with a salmon tag, for $28!! I'm sorry, the thrifty side of me is stoked just as much as the outdoors side of me, just because I have a daily limit of 4 salmon I can catch...you can't buy 2 salmon, or even one large one, for $28 at the store. Or halibut. I can fish for halibut!!!! And make homemade fish and chips!!!!! Do you know how excited I am about that???!!!! Dude. So stoked.
Along with my fishing license, I also got a guide on fishing regulations and whatnot. In it, there were pictures of halibut and salmon and trout, etc. Do you know, I had no idea what halibut looked like?? I did not know that they were a flatfish, a bottom-feeder. I totally thought they were fish like salmon or trout. And they have these weird mouths, that kind of remind me of the Predator, a vertical slit in the front of their face with what looked like teeth. Creepy, personally. If I didn't know that Halibut were tasty, I wouldn't be all that appetized at the thought of eating them.
Last week was killer. A team of youth and young adults from Surrey Christian Life Assembly (CLA) came up to bless and do ministry. Pastor George was on a much-needed holiday, so I got to step up and organize stuff for them to do. It was really fun, I have to say. Knowing at least three of them helped, but getting to know everyone better really rocked. They got here last wednesday and they left monday morning. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, they worked around the church doing manual labor, stuff that we needed to get done but just didn't have the manpower and time to do, and then in the afternoons we joined with the Korean Love Corps to help with their VBS on the Tsuquate reserve, and their worship service in the evenings, also on the Tsuquate reserve. I have to say, I had a blast, and I was so impressed with them. They dove right into anything I had them do, and they were so good at building genuine relationship with everyone around them. I got to know Love Corps better, and I got to build relationship with the parents, kids, and youth on Tsuquate, and built relationships and mentored people with Surrey CLA. The Love Corps left on saturday morning so it was sad to see them go. But CLA did a marvelous Sidewalk Kids Club Saturday afternoon. It was outside (thus "Sidewalk") and we had like 30 kids there, plus moms and dads with strollers, youth, and general passersby. It was energetic and creative and shared the love of God in a genuine and enthusiastic (and exciting!) way. So sweet. So stoked to get something like that going here.
Saturday evening Andrew took us on a hike, from the road leading to Port McNeil all the way out to Storey's Beach. It was a fabulous hike. We had like 22 people go. I had some great conversations on the way there, and I know that other people did too. At one point we were walking by this little lake, and it was gorgeous. Just a little piece of aquatic heaven in the middle of forest. Once we were at Storey's, we hung out, played games, danced, and watched some of the crazy youth we were with go swimming in the ocean. Although, truth be told, the creek we went swimming in with the Tsuquate kids was way colder. But still. Swimming in the ocean at dusk is all kinds of bold. We had tons of fun. Then a black lab appeared out of nowhere and wanted to fetch sticks out of the water (surprise surprise). It made me miss Sable, my black lab. Mom, you wanna send her up here?? ;) Luckily the owners came and got the dog before we had to leave. :)
On Sunday afternoon we had a tri-Port baptism service and BBQ out at Beaver Lake. It was supposed to be between Port Hardy, Port Alice, and Port McNeil, but Port McNeil was heavily involved with Orcafest, so unfortunately we didn't get to see them. But that's ok. It was fun, and great to connect with believers from other towns, and celebrate people's commitment to Christ through baptism!! We got to hear the stories of how these ladies (there were three) came to be in relationship with Christ. It was so encouraging to see people support and encourage others in their commitment to Christ...the sound of cheers as each lady came up out of the water was wonderful.
So CLA left on monday morning. I was truly sad to see them go...they were an encouragement to my heart and were tons of fun. I loved seeing youth and young adults so excited for God and living it out. That's one thing I have a passion for: seeing people passionate for God and living it out - and that doesn't necessarily mean only being involved with church. Ministry is a life-calling...however God has made you to be, whatever job you have, whether that is a construction worker or an artist or a barista or a stay-at-home parent, you are in ministry. Your relationship with God flows out into your lifestyle and into the relationships you have. The joy of the Lord should go with you where ever you are....the fruit of the Spirit should be seen in whatever you do...the love that God has for us should be reflected in us to other people. It's not easy, but a passionate relationship with God enables us to do that better. The deeper we go with God, the more natural this becomes.
So ok. I'm loving life in Port Hardy. I have yet to see whales, though I am going on a Whale Watching tour soon...the week after next, maybe. (WHEE!!!!!!!) And God is starting to put dreams in my heart, as he's starting to show me the heart and flavour of Port Hardy. He's beginning to give me a deeper love for the people of PH. I love it here.
Oh yeah! I saw phosphorescence on the beach the other night!!!!! It was sooooo COOL!!! every time I stepped or swished my feet or pressed the sand, these almost electric sparkles would shoot out from my feet. It was so amazing. It was gorgeous. I played in the sand for a good half hour just marveling. O man. So cool. And then I and my friend saw a bear and had to climb through someone's back yard to go around it back to the car. Hahaha.
Love love love.
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