prayer request

Hey guys!

You may or may not know that i totally busted my knee skiing over reading week. That means that i have been on crutches for the last 5 1/2 weeks. I finally had my MRI last Wednesday, and on Friday I have a doctor's appointment at which time I will find out the verdict. I may just need intensive physio (please pray for this) or I may need reconstructive surgery (which would suck!). I am sure God is trying to teach me something through all this, but I am hoping that surgery is not in His plans... If I have surgery it will mean no flying for me this summer, I will have to find a completely different job, and I likely won't be going on exchange to France next year (which, by the way, I just got accepted for!).

So please for a good result on Friday. I will keep you guys posted.

Love, Selena

so. i just finished my first on time major paper in a very long time...atleast 3 semesters i guess. so im pretty excited and just wanted to share that. haha.


and i have a mustache. and my hair is getting really stupid long.


AND IM ASSISTANT HEAD COUNSELOR AT CAMP THIS SUMMER!!!

Team India!!!

May you all receive this with as great of joy as I have...

Upon finishing the trek this year in India, I received an email from Nicki informing me of 4 new brothers!!! Two of which you will remember..(names abbreviated) J. (whose wife gave me her coat as we had tea in their home for the first time) and who helped lead us to the high point of our destination. If you remember, N. had given him a NT and though he had many questions, he had yet to join the family--he is now our brother! Pr his family joins as well!! G. (whose home we stayed in twice) he traveled with us the entire way as the manager of our donkeys (his daughter also returned with us to town if you'll remember, as did he). He is now our brother as well! Praise Father for His mighty hand in this! Our prys were answered!

REJOICE!!!

the trip happened.

Hey guys so last week the trip did happen it was a lot of fun and God blessed us with an amazing day of fellowship and riding. here is a link to a video I put together from the trip. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHsZAD

and quick update please pray that i will get the postion at joes place for the summer and that the grant will go though so i can get paid. I will be organizing maintiance around the building to be done by at risk youth filling there community service hours and then rewarding them with trips for a job well done. building relationships and leading a student leadership program. on week ends.

LOVE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey guys, ive decided that its time to let you all know whats been happening with me. Life has been amazing and I have been blessed in many ways in the last while. After Christmas I went on a c&c retreat which was great because I got to know a bunch of my friends at a whole new level. Plus it was tons of fun going tubing in the middle of the night down this huge ramp with 8 people piled on this intertube while trying not to fall off or scream

.

After Christmas I also started working at a family support centre along with the daycare. It has been a challenge but one of the families I work with has been a big blessing to me even when I am there for them. It is a single mom who is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict. She has 3 kids and you can tell how much she loves those kids and wants to turn her life around and provide for her kids. The conversations ive had with her after the kids have gone to bed have been challenging for me because of the way I have grown up compared to the way she has. We have talked about culture and beliefs and where we come from. So ya we have had some pretty cool talks.

Ive been working with the youth at my church since September and it has been a challenge to say the least. The groups were well established when I started so they all knew each other and it was hard to push my way in you could say. But the group of girls that I have had the privilege of having in my group are amazing. They are the complete opposite of me but it has made me learn and kept me out of my comfortable spot. They are all seeking God and want a more intimate relationship with him so its pretty cool to see in girls at that point in their life.

Well over reading break as you all know I went to do gym nighs on a couple reserves. It was amazing. I got to see old campers, go to reserves ive never been to and just love those kids. The team I went with was amazing they love God and those kids so much, it was an encouragement to see. The youth pastor that came from Ontario pushed me so hard throughout that week with my relationship to God, it was something that I had been praying for. Everytime I go back to the reserve I continue to learn and my heart keeps breaking for them. No kid should have to go through what they do on a regular basis. Tessa who is 7 should know where she is sleeping that night and where she is getting her next meal. Precious who is 10 should not be cutting herself because that’s how she has learned to release the pain. Dale (orange shirt below) whos 5 should not be smoking, and his mom should be around for him, seeing as she is most of the time pasted out somewhere drunk. Dales onlder sister wonders if she can still go to heaven because her little brother smokes. These kids need teachers who actually care about them so that they will pass there grade and hopefully go to Winnipeg when its time for high school (there are no high schools on the reserves). They need people on these reserves that care about these kids so that they can stop the cycle that continues from generation to generation.

One of the nights that we were in bloodvein we had the opportunity of going into one of the homes for a traditional meal and to learn about the culture and beliefs. It was amazing to just listen for probably 3 hours about how it works. We learned about sweat lodges, sun dances, spirits, residential schools and the problems with alcohol and drugs. Hearing about the residential schools impacted me the most because I had never fully understood what happened there. The stories and some of the outcomes that came from them are not something that people should be proud of. Ya there are some good things that came out of them but from everything I have learned and heard over the past while I feel like the bad out weighs the good, but that’s my opinion I could be totally wrong. I still have a lot to learn about their culture and history but its something that I need to do to better understand where they come from.

Then a couple weeks ago I got the chance of going up to little sask just for the day to play in the gym. One of my friends actually came up with me because I want them to understand why I keep going back since they don’t understand. I also got to see some old campers there but the ones from there were 16 so they were a little older but im always happy to see them.

Today I had an amazing day. I went on a half day retreat with the youth sponsors up to this little cabin in the boonies that has no power, etc. I loved it. We spent a lot of time in prayer and reading our bibles. But one of the parts that I loved the most was when we did this banner thing. We would pick a person and ask God to speak a word or paint a picture in our mind or give us words of encouragement for this person. We did it for each of us and someone will write it down so that we can keep it. But it is so powerful to see what God wants you to know and to see what God is going to do in your life.

But ya life has been amazing and I love what God has planned in my life for this next stage.

Oh and for crystals benefit so she doesn’t go crazy cuz she has been bugging me for awhile to tell you guys. Im on a conditional acceptance to university of lethbridge for next for nursing. So ya.

Love you all.

- Michelle

Please pray..

my friends dad was found dead in his apartment last night. Her name is Janessa; she was pretty close with him. This is all I know at the moment. Please pray for her and her fam.

REJOICE!

hey guys

some of you may know i was dating this boy. we broke up last week... i know that God has a plan, and that this is probably for the best. but i am having a hard time seeing that right now... i am sad. hopefully i will be able to say what you said alayna, being glad we moved on!

in the meantime i am trying to rediscover the joy of the Lord. i want to know: what daily events cause you to REJOICE!? what small miracles make you wonder at the amazingness of God?

love you all.

ps - i had the great opportunity to take some of my kids cross-country skiing. it was a great weekend. i can REJOICE in that! keep praying for my cadets and that i will be able to pour love onto them.

thank you Jim Badke!

its true after a long awaited 2 and a half years i am able to post on the blog.
HAHA victory
anyways
so basically ive been living in caronport since september with sam!
im currently working in the Caf. as a cook.

ok
so the other day i was thinking about all you guys and i was wondering if there was anything that i could pray for you at this time?????

and i kinda want to see what everyone's up to these days seeing as i may be on either coast for the end of april!!let me know where you are in this great big world?


In Christ
Andrew

about time?

Well, so it seems that I haven't posted anything on here in awhile. I guess it's time for an update!

I think I'll start from the end of school last year. It was actually a really rough semester. I found that I was wanting to hang out with people less and less, and just didn't care about doing anything. I didn't care about school, friends, family, even eating. I actually got to the point where I was considering suicide, and that definitely caught my attention. I made an appointment with my doctor, and last April was diagnosed with Depression... and was Anemic... and later found out I have I.B.S. as well. Anyway, I definitely am glad that I caught it before I did anything stupid, and that's also thanks to my mom for telling me to watch for signs of Depression because it runs in my family. My health has been a lot better after finding out a lot about what's wrong with me haha.

So moving on to the summer. I was working at the Travelodge Hotel as a banquet server from May to September, although it was only Part-Time. This influenced my decision about school a lot (which comes later), and also gave me tons of experience with wedding banquets, so Jam and/or Nick and Jenny, if I come to your weddings and they're catered, I'm definitely going to be judging the staff on their skillz. I really liked some of the people that I worked with, and we had a good time, but others weren't as easy to get along with. The system was also really disorganized, so it was frustrating to work there because things would always get messed up and we would have to rush or something like that. I also met a guy there who I started dating (Josh, I broke my record again!) and all I'll say is that he was way WAY too wrong for me, and it was a big mistake on my part to ever agree to go out with him. I stopped seeing him at the end of September.

So during August (I think) I had been thinking about school, and was still planning on going back, but because of money issues, and wanting to get out of the Bubble for awhile longer, I decided to take a semester off. This was a blessing because that meant I got to go on a sweet road trip with Crystal, which was one of the best trips I've ever honestly been on. We had a blast. I also got another job offer about a week after I quit my job at the Hotel too. One of my mom's friends is the manager of a day care, and offered me a position to take care of 5 little 2-year-olds until January. I definitely said yes.

Working at the day care was amazing and totally frustrating. Every day I fell in love with the kids I was looking after, and every day I wanted to lay the smack-down on them. I definitely learned a lot about my relationship with God from doing that though. I mean, taking care of children teaches you a lot about God's love, care, authority, wrath, and our disobedience. When I had to leave there after my final day, it definitely broke my heart when I realized that I wouldn't see their faces every day anymore, but the experience will definitely stay with me for when I have my own kids.

Also during this time, in about mid-November, I met a guy... on eHarmony. Go ahead, laugh, sneer, whatever, but I have no problems with it. Anyway, we talked for a little more than a month online before I actually met him in person, but it was well worth it. Jason is like the guy version of me, but still different enough so that we're not identical. When we went for coffee on our first date, we definitely talked about poo (since my roomies know it's an excellent ice-breaker ;) haha) and laughed about Demitri Martin's joke about a glass (of babies' blood) being half-empty or half-full. He actually was a non-practicing Catholic after being disillusioned about things during Catholic high school. He's definitely regained his faith though, and comes to church and prays with me regularly. He just is new to the Protestant side of things. Oh, and he lives in Regina and works at Sasktel. And I love him.

And then...January I guess was the most hectic month so far. I came back to school for a week, then went to Cuba for the second week of school, then came back and tried to catch up on notes and such. Before you ask, it was really cloudy there the entire time, except for maybe one day, during which another resort dumped sewage into the ocean. I found myself constantly comparing it to India though, which I think ruined it a bit, since it was definitely not the same. It was still good though. I made a friend named Enrique who was amazing at playing the guitar, was blind, and only had 4 fingers on his left hand. He sat on the beach in the same spot basically all day singing songs. It was definitely too tourist-y in the area I was in, so I would love to go back and get into the culture more, but that can be for a later date.

And that's about it.

So this one time I went to Africa...

I do realize that you all know I went to Africa and I have talked with some of you about it; but lately God has been showing me some of the things He has done in my life and I would love to share one of them with you!

I don't know if any of you remember, but mom and I have never really gotten along. In fact, at one time our fighting was literally ripping our family apart. We couldn't even be in the presence of one another without having a squabble. We had tried many MANY times to sit down and rationally talk it out, and even try to figure out what started it all; but it seemed useless. Here's what I'm trying to say....

(insert theme music here)
It all begins this time last year...
I was sitting on the floor of our dorm hall on the pay phone with mom when she started asking me about what I was doing in the summer. I mentioned something about working, but that was about all I knew. Mom had gone to Africa the year before and took this time to try to convince me it was a good idea that I go with her this time. My first response was a blunt "NO!". I couldn't see this going well. My mom was going as one of the leaders and I had enough of a hard time respecting her at home, I didn't feel the need to go to another country to fight with her there....

Five months later we stepped off the plane onto the Malawi tarmac, went through the sketchy customs lines into a truck thing and made our way to our home for the next 3 weeks in Lilongwe. The first day was full of an overwhelming amount of information of do's and don'ts. Day 2 went to church in Chilombo village knowing none of the language and looked like fools, but what a testimony was shown through the way they worshiped. For the sake of time I'm gonna try and speed this up. Our group got split into 2 groups of 10; one went to the village Njewa, and mom and my group went to the Mgona slum of 5,000. Intense and epic and stretching would be 3 of many describing words. I was able to learn enough of Chichewa to make friends which was a great comfort. Our hearts were broken every day for the people of this slum.

Mom and I didn't share a room, which was planned by us..but I found myself seeking her out and we were able to confide in one another. During the time before we left for Africa we were both making an effort to get along and to truly love each other, but I felt at that time that we were not getting anywhere. In Africa, I don't know what it was, but something was different, and it wasn't just the location. There's many things I could guess it was, maybe seeing each other in ministry and working together everyday, being there for one another when we needed to vent; all I know is God did it. We found healing there. Not that everything is perfect now, and not that it was then, but wow we've come far. There were things that came up when in Africa that mom and I were able to spend a lot of time talking about. When I was sick, mom did my job for me, we went to a funeral of a man we were supposed to visit together, spent time with the chieftess and her family together, we did so many things together you'd think we would be sick of one another! But as always God is good.

I was able to hear the majority of mom's story and we were able to share our hearts with one another. We didn't argue for days on end! I cried..no balled, in front of my mom for the first time in I don't know how long. We supported one another, worked well together, we were a team.

yeah, it's long, but there's so much more! All that said, praises be to our Lord and Father Yahweh for His goodness to us in our undeserving state. Let us not forget to thank Him for what He has done and remind one another of His goodness in our lives. REJOICE!

Keerstin Tavia JOY Chikondi

"Run when you can, walk when you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." -unknown/Starbucks cup

A Selection from "Of the imitation of Christ"

If each year should see one fault rooted out from us we should go quickly on to perfection. But on the contrary, we often feel that we were better and holier in the beginning of our conversion than after many years of profession. Zeal and progress ought to increase day by day; yet now it seemeth a great thing if one is able to retain some portion of his first ardour. If we would put some slight stress on ourselves at the beginning, then afterwards we should be able to do all things with ease and joy.

It is a hard thing to break through a habit, and yet a harder thing to go contrary to our own will. Yet if thou overcome not slight and easy obstacles, how shalt thou overcome greater ones? Withstand thy will at the beginning and unlearn an evil habit, lest it lead thee little by little into worse difficulties. Oh, if thou knewest what peace to thyself thy holy life should bring to thyself, and what joy to others, methinketh thou wouldst be more zealous for spiritual profit.
- Thomis a Kempis

Bald and Proud

Hey Guys & Gals,

I wanted to say throw down my two cents because that I have to give! Anyways I got a sweet new hair cut, which again I did myself! Question Mark? Well I just finish this paper in that due tomorrow, which took about 10 to 11 hours! I never thought I could write 2500 words in one day! Okay I only wrote 2250 words because I had an introduction started... I am so relieved that I finished the paper well I still need to edit the paper so I guess I am not quiet done yet! I just wanted to celebrate the hard work that I placed in this paper! Oh yeah I lost my keys to pretty much everything and were found by my good friend Gage now that brings tears of joy because I lost them during my winter break and Carla (Ms Negative) said gave up, but I refused and said "no way hoe say!" And here I am almost done my paper and having my set of keys right here in my pocket! 

Mark says God Bless! while Rubbing hand down face! =)

Mangry!  GRrr!

Full Faith to make a trip happen.

Hey Guys

It's probable been a while since I posted. I have loved reading the blog and see the work that God is doing in your lives. I write today not to update really but to ask for prayer as in the next week and a half I am attempting to organize a ski trip to a near by slope. I got everything figured out except how to raise 500-700 dollars to make it happen. I have intrest from kids but nothing confirmed and at this time of year the weather can change so quickly that condition will not allow for the trip to happen.

please pray that conditions will be good. and that the money will come in if any one wants to donate or knows of poeple that could donate a couple bucks there is a web donation at
http://joes-place.ca/Donations.htm make a note for ski trip.
Thanks for prayers and being such amazing people.