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| Outdoor rockclimbing with my twin Rach from Minnesota :) |
Thursday, April 18, 2013
In His Footsteps
Whenever you enter a new chapter of your life, you always try to be expectant, but try not to have expectations. When I first started being a part of the family of Warmland Community Church with Mike and Evan, I didn't know what to expect. I had never been in a small church that I had really enjoyed before, so this was a totally new experience. I also was not quite sure how the missions trip to Mexico was going to go, but I was filled with anticipation. However, I was quite prepared for the ministry which was going to take place working at Camp Qwanoes because I have been a part of this ministry for seven years now as a camper and staff.
Now, as I say my last goodbyes and reminisce on the year behind me, I am filled with so much joy but I can't shake the feeling of nostalgia. There is no way to clearly sum up the experiences I've had and the work that God has done in me, through me and around me, but all I can say is that it has been absolutely life changing. I have seen lives of my youth girls, campers on retreats, and families at the church in Él Papalote changed because of Christ's redeeming work! I am so blessed and honored to be a part of these miraculous works of God these past eight months. God used me to develop close knit relationships, share about his love, power and glory, and ultimately further his kingdom because I am obedient to him. He has also changed my attitudes in so many ways, highlighting my hidden pride, given me an appreciation for his body, the church, in whatever way it takes form and shown me the power that only he alone has in his world.
Over my wide ministry experience, I was challenged and stretched by being put into situations that required less of me and more of God. In the first Juniors Fall Retreat at Qwanoes, I was on the games team for the weekend, but one of the counselors had a tragedy in her family, so I was asked to take over her cabin for the remaining part of the weekend. Feeling totally unprepared, I embarked on the journey with these girls, completely relying on God and I saw him work through me as I shared with them the truth and treasure of the gospel that night. I was also challenged by my youth kids at Warmland quite substantially. Living in a small community, these kids do not have much exposure to Christianity, the gospel or Jesus and it was so difficult to communicate truth about God in a way that they would grasp it. There were constant distractions such as friend groups, phones and ipods as well as goofing off during the night that made it extremely difficult to communicate the message to these youth. The only consolation I had was that ultimately, God held them in his hands and that he was working in them, no matter how distracted they were. All I had to do was love them, show them that I care and model a godly life in hopes of those seeds falling on fertile soil.
I found myself growing immensely in my leadership, boldness, tact as well as love for God, his people and ministry, desiring his name to be glorified all over the world. During the missions trip in Mexico, I grew immensely as I was relying God to speak through me in this foreign language and culture and I saw that my gifts came from him and only him. On the missions trip, and in camp and church ministry I had to step out and just love when I was completely frustrated and see God in every situation. I learned to listen to his voice instead of trusting my own instincts and impulses and in the midst of that, I found myself making relationships that I will treasure for a lifetime. I will never forget my friends in Mexico, the youth and leaders at Warmland as well as the campers and staff at Qwanoes. God has shown me the riches of his kingdom in his people and I will forever keep them in my heart as evidences of his grace towards me.
The hardest part of leaving is who you leave behind. Although she will be in my heart forever, I will miss my thirteen-year-old youth girl Hannah from Warmland running up to see me each week and showing me her latest skateboard trick, her scraped hand from falling off her bike at the boardwalk. I will always miss standing with her in the worship service, arm around her, our fingers interlocked and listening to her singing God's promises and praises. Last night I said goodbye to her for the last time at youth group and as I sat there with her in the corner of the church, both of us caught in a tearful embrace, I knew that this was what the kingdom was about. God brings people together transcending ages, races, countries and experiences. As I remember my wonderful campers that I counseled this past year, all my kids at youth group, the families of Warmland that welcomed us into their homes and hearts and the wonderful relationships I formed with Mexicans from the church in Él Papalote, I know that one day I will be together with them in heaven and that brings me great joy.
God has richly blessed me over this year in the Kaléo Program in ways that I don't even deserve. I only have him to give the glory and the praise for allowing me to be his hands and feet, participating in this wonderful ministry to his people, tying hearts together, lives together and ultimately eternities together. As I go to carry on this ministry back in my city of Coquitlam and the Lower Mainland, this same God goes with me and ahead of me as I partake in the good works he has prepared for me in advance. "To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen." -Ephesians 3:21
"It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." -John 3:29-30
Now, as I say my last goodbyes and reminisce on the year behind me, I am filled with so much joy but I can't shake the feeling of nostalgia. There is no way to clearly sum up the experiences I've had and the work that God has done in me, through me and around me, but all I can say is that it has been absolutely life changing. I have seen lives of my youth girls, campers on retreats, and families at the church in Él Papalote changed because of Christ's redeeming work! I am so blessed and honored to be a part of these miraculous works of God these past eight months. God used me to develop close knit relationships, share about his love, power and glory, and ultimately further his kingdom because I am obedient to him. He has also changed my attitudes in so many ways, highlighting my hidden pride, given me an appreciation for his body, the church, in whatever way it takes form and shown me the power that only he alone has in his world.
Over my wide ministry experience, I was challenged and stretched by being put into situations that required less of me and more of God. In the first Juniors Fall Retreat at Qwanoes, I was on the games team for the weekend, but one of the counselors had a tragedy in her family, so I was asked to take over her cabin for the remaining part of the weekend. Feeling totally unprepared, I embarked on the journey with these girls, completely relying on God and I saw him work through me as I shared with them the truth and treasure of the gospel that night. I was also challenged by my youth kids at Warmland quite substantially. Living in a small community, these kids do not have much exposure to Christianity, the gospel or Jesus and it was so difficult to communicate truth about God in a way that they would grasp it. There were constant distractions such as friend groups, phones and ipods as well as goofing off during the night that made it extremely difficult to communicate the message to these youth. The only consolation I had was that ultimately, God held them in his hands and that he was working in them, no matter how distracted they were. All I had to do was love them, show them that I care and model a godly life in hopes of those seeds falling on fertile soil.
I found myself growing immensely in my leadership, boldness, tact as well as love for God, his people and ministry, desiring his name to be glorified all over the world. During the missions trip in Mexico, I grew immensely as I was relying God to speak through me in this foreign language and culture and I saw that my gifts came from him and only him. On the missions trip, and in camp and church ministry I had to step out and just love when I was completely frustrated and see God in every situation. I learned to listen to his voice instead of trusting my own instincts and impulses and in the midst of that, I found myself making relationships that I will treasure for a lifetime. I will never forget my friends in Mexico, the youth and leaders at Warmland as well as the campers and staff at Qwanoes. God has shown me the riches of his kingdom in his people and I will forever keep them in my heart as evidences of his grace towards me.
The hardest part of leaving is who you leave behind. Although she will be in my heart forever, I will miss my thirteen-year-old youth girl Hannah from Warmland running up to see me each week and showing me her latest skateboard trick, her scraped hand from falling off her bike at the boardwalk. I will always miss standing with her in the worship service, arm around her, our fingers interlocked and listening to her singing God's promises and praises. Last night I said goodbye to her for the last time at youth group and as I sat there with her in the corner of the church, both of us caught in a tearful embrace, I knew that this was what the kingdom was about. God brings people together transcending ages, races, countries and experiences. As I remember my wonderful campers that I counseled this past year, all my kids at youth group, the families of Warmland that welcomed us into their homes and hearts and the wonderful relationships I formed with Mexicans from the church in Él Papalote, I know that one day I will be together with them in heaven and that brings me great joy.
God has richly blessed me over this year in the Kaléo Program in ways that I don't even deserve. I only have him to give the glory and the praise for allowing me to be his hands and feet, participating in this wonderful ministry to his people, tying hearts together, lives together and ultimately eternities together. As I go to carry on this ministry back in my city of Coquitlam and the Lower Mainland, this same God goes with me and ahead of me as I partake in the good works he has prepared for me in advance. "To Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever! Amen." -Ephesians 3:21
"It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less." -John 3:29-30
Thursday, April 11, 2013
The Little Ones of the Kingdom
Ask a typical teen what his favorite memory was growing up and more often than not, the response will be "summer camp!" No matter where you are, the country, city, Prairies, Westcoast, farms or townhouses, there are a myriad of summer camps dedicated to giving kids the best week of their lives. Camp is a place away from home, away from rush, business and stress where kids can just be kids. There are adventure camps, but most camps are Bible or Christian based, reaching out to every child that comes through their gates with Christ's love.
As I took my final class in the Kaléo Program this past week, Camp & Youth Ministry, my eyes were really opened to all that camps and retreats entail, and what the realities are of the children that camps are reaching out to. Children in modern society are constantly surrounded and bombarded with media pressuring them to live a certain way. Many come from broken families dealing with deaths, divorce, abuse and diseases. These children are struggling to discover their identity, who they were made to be and are starting to form their perceptions on how they view the world.
I have grown a huge appreciation for the way in which the leadership of summer camps, especially Camp Qwanoes has understood these realities about children and have done everything they possibly can to make a child feel loved and accepted, hear about God and his love for them, and ways that they can shape their worldview around that. There is so much intentionality put into the planning of each activity, into the placement of cabin villages, into the theme of the summer and so much more. The staff at Qwanoes see the ways in which young people are searching for God and they don't pretend to hide the truth about God and life lived with him, but instead make it as readily available as possible.
This past weekend Qwanoes hosted a Juniors Spring Retreat for kids aged 7-11 with the theme of "Wired." Something that really stood out to me was how perceptive these children were to hearing about God and listening to his truth. I had read a book for the Camp & Youth Ministry class by George Barna called "Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions." Through this book I learned a lot about how children develop their worldview by age eight, and they are constantly using their surroundings to add to their perceptions on reality. These campers at the retreat really were searching. I was working in the kitchen over the weekend, cooking meals for the retreat, as well as actioneering for the chapel songs, but I was still able to see the way they searched for truth. Despite their young age, they were taking everything in, the words in the song, the activities and games, the way the staff interacted with them and what the speaker was talking about. Because of Qwanoes, their worldview is in the process of being formed to reflect that of the life and truth in Jesus Christ.
During the retreat, I really saw God at work. This past fall of 2012 I had the privilege of taking over a cabin for one of the other staff members just for the last day of the retreat for a family emergency. On that last night, still getting to know the girls, I was able to have a really deep conversation with them about sin, God's truth and what it means to have faith in Jesus. Three of these same girls returned last weekend for the spring retreat, Brandi, Kristen and Katie. I really saw God working through me as I was able to reconnect with them, watching their faces overjoyed to see me again. I only knew them for one day in October, but God used that connection to bring them back here again and show them more of the plan that he has for their lives.
My perception towards summer camp, retreats and children's ministry is constantly being changed and corrected to accurately perceive the work that God is doing in young lives. I know that God was doing something special this past weekend with these children who were at Qwanoes, and he is not with any of them, especially Brandi, Kristen and Katie! As I continue to pray for them, I know that God has put summer camp in place for the purpose of revealing his truth and drawing young ones to himself.
"But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left." -Matthew 19:14-15
As I took my final class in the Kaléo Program this past week, Camp & Youth Ministry, my eyes were really opened to all that camps and retreats entail, and what the realities are of the children that camps are reaching out to. Children in modern society are constantly surrounded and bombarded with media pressuring them to live a certain way. Many come from broken families dealing with deaths, divorce, abuse and diseases. These children are struggling to discover their identity, who they were made to be and are starting to form their perceptions on how they view the world.
I have grown a huge appreciation for the way in which the leadership of summer camps, especially Camp Qwanoes has understood these realities about children and have done everything they possibly can to make a child feel loved and accepted, hear about God and his love for them, and ways that they can shape their worldview around that. There is so much intentionality put into the planning of each activity, into the placement of cabin villages, into the theme of the summer and so much more. The staff at Qwanoes see the ways in which young people are searching for God and they don't pretend to hide the truth about God and life lived with him, but instead make it as readily available as possible.
This past weekend Qwanoes hosted a Juniors Spring Retreat for kids aged 7-11 with the theme of "Wired." Something that really stood out to me was how perceptive these children were to hearing about God and listening to his truth. I had read a book for the Camp & Youth Ministry class by George Barna called "Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions." Through this book I learned a lot about how children develop their worldview by age eight, and they are constantly using their surroundings to add to their perceptions on reality. These campers at the retreat really were searching. I was working in the kitchen over the weekend, cooking meals for the retreat, as well as actioneering for the chapel songs, but I was still able to see the way they searched for truth. Despite their young age, they were taking everything in, the words in the song, the activities and games, the way the staff interacted with them and what the speaker was talking about. Because of Qwanoes, their worldview is in the process of being formed to reflect that of the life and truth in Jesus Christ.
During the retreat, I really saw God at work. This past fall of 2012 I had the privilege of taking over a cabin for one of the other staff members just for the last day of the retreat for a family emergency. On that last night, still getting to know the girls, I was able to have a really deep conversation with them about sin, God's truth and what it means to have faith in Jesus. Three of these same girls returned last weekend for the spring retreat, Brandi, Kristen and Katie. I really saw God working through me as I was able to reconnect with them, watching their faces overjoyed to see me again. I only knew them for one day in October, but God used that connection to bring them back here again and show them more of the plan that he has for their lives.
My perception towards summer camp, retreats and children's ministry is constantly being changed and corrected to accurately perceive the work that God is doing in young lives. I know that God was doing something special this past weekend with these children who were at Qwanoes, and he is not with any of them, especially Brandi, Kristen and Katie! As I continue to pray for them, I know that God has put summer camp in place for the purpose of revealing his truth and drawing young ones to himself.
"But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children." And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left." -Matthew 19:14-15
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