Roll the End Credits

Greetings from the homeland.
I write this as the dust settles from the 'end of Kaleo landslide'. And that's what it was; a landslide that escalated quickly and ended swiftly. I am so thankful that the end really isn't the end, but rather a new chapter of the story. (These analogies must be making up for the one's that Jimbad would normally be making, ha). Saturday night/Sunday morning back at Qwanoes was the hardest; we stayed up all night just so we could stay in each other's company longer and to say goodbye to those leaving in the early hours. Overall, lack of sleep combined with tough goodbyes make processing difficult and I've only been able to think about it and appreciate it all now.

The last week was an amazing one. We returned back to one of our favorite places, Mt. Washington, for our Kaleo retreat. This time was much appreciated; no homework, no big agendas, just good quality time with each other. The boys took on the job of cooking and dishes, which was again much appreciated. I think my highlight was climbing the mountain itself. During the retreat, we had a solo time that we were to spend with us and God. If we were going up the mountain, we were to go with company, so that's what we did. Rivs, Jess, and myself set out a little early and attempted the hike (or 'climb' up a black diamond run). By the end it was Jess and myself and every break we took, we used it to share, pray, and read bibes. We prayed for strength and a way up the hill and we got it, in the form of footprints of our brothers, James and Bob (you could tell from the cowboy boots, ha). We followed in the footsteps all the way to the top. There were breathtaking views as always, and funnest part? We slid the way back down via garbage bags and snowpants.


Wherever we find a playground, we instantly put it to use (And perhaps find more entertainment than most children). We stopped in Parksville on the way back from our Kaleo retreat and had an epic time at the beach and on the playground. We even made a few little friends (That turned into bullies...sorry Matt). Also, can't forget the time at Transfer Beach before picking up Bria (more great games of grounders and tag, playground and beach).

Friday we had our last chapel together and that night we had our Grad night out. We went to Just Jakes to eat and afterward headed to Vic to spend time at the breakwater. I treasure those last moments together. Then all too soon came Saturday; filled with baptisms, prayers, worship and music-playing, grad ceremonies, pictures, banquets, a few goodbyes.


Sunday was leaving day. I went to church one last time with my mom. It was hard leaving the ministry there, but it will be in my prayers. Saying goodbye back at camp was hard as well and I am so thankful for the prayers and love of the people that were left. My mom and I went to Coombs where we saw Nick Vansnick! What a pleasant surprise! Then what followed was the long trek home.

So here I am. Writing of a small story of events that are really filled with so much joy, sadness, love, and hope that my heart aches even now. God has not only worked in my life, but in the lives of the people we met. From snowy Olympic parks to smokey fires past the train tracks, God will continue to be with those people when I'm not and dearly wished that I could be. This is most likely my last blog here. Thank you for reading and for your prayers. Can't wait to see a lot of you next year at Briercrest and elsewhere in the future.

So just like at the Olympics...
Goodbye, thanks for coming, au revoir, auf wiedersehen, tschuss, dasvidaniya, adios, ciao, adieu.

-Genuine Jader

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
-Philippians 1:3-6

He Is Risen

The greatest day in history, Death is beaten
You have rescued me
Sing it out Jesus is alive
The empty cross, The empty grave
Life eternal You have won the day
Shout it out Jesus is alive
He's alive

I love Easter. That day I woke up with a joy in my heart and I was thinking about how small that would probably be compared to the joy that the disciples felt. We have the full story-- we know how it ends, but they didn't. I think I take too much of that knowing for granted.

So diving into my week, This past one we had Christian Worldview class. I really liked this class even though there was a bunch of philosophical reasoning that took a lot of brainpower to get through. Cal is a great prof and I learned a lot from him. Rob B. also came with him to mark our papers. Great guy.

Tuesday was my birthday! (Yay birthdays). The whole week before I resisted opening my cards in the mail so I finally got to open them (thanks). Marissa made me a cake and after class we all went to BP's formally dressed. Best birthday ever! Thanks guys!

On Thursday we started our Easter celebration with a Passover Supper or Seder (Hebrew-- Order, arrangement). This was the first time that Kaleo had a Passover meal and it was so amazing. The food was so good and I really appreciate how the cultural tradition, stories, and meaning were passed down many generations this way. If only 21st century tradition was like that...

On Friday it was very stormy so we didn't do our Hike to the cross. We also had no youth group so our crew decided to have a "New Life Extravaganza". It was quite an adventure full of bonding time.

On Saturday most of us Kaleos took a trip over to Saltspring Island for the day. A bunch of us went to this seafood restaurant that I love and checked out different shops. It was a great trip. When we got back I decided to break into my acrylics and paint one of the canvases I bought at Coombs. I love painting; missed it. That evening we watched the Passion of the Christ and I was once again stuck speechless by the rendition of Jesus' punishment and crucifixion. I was thinking about something that Jim said in chapel; that the movie could only depict the physical suffering that Jesus was going through, but could never capture the spiritual suffering.

And back to Sunday. Great day at church. Afterwards, for lunch we went to the Wood's house and the Buchanans came as well. We also decided to do the homeless ministry even though it was Easter Sunday. A group of us went down to the bridge and met with James and Darryl. They are two guys that hang around there everyday around a fire they built. We got to talk to them for a while and pray for them. James is going to have hip surgery, I hope that goes well.

So that's about it.

-Pray for the strengthening of the young adults homeless ministry group especially after we leave
-Pray for us Kaleos to finish strong
-Pray for safety with our whitewater kayaking tomorrow

Cheers!

-Genuine Jader

I JUST LOVE SURFING

Well, well, well. Another week and another blog post to talk about it.
This week has been good and busy busy busy. (Wow, I realize that I'm being redundant so I will stop).
So anyway, Tues. we loaded our stuff into the vans to travel once more to Tofino! Whoo. We stopped at the same spots as we did last time; Coombs-- where I bought some paint and canvases and now I'm so excited to use them. A few of us also talked to the guy that always sits outside the ice cream hut to play his red and black guitar-- Rev, I believe his name is. I enjoy his music and conversation. We also stopped at Cathedral Grove and the Rapids once more. On this trip we were privileged to have a few people come and hang with us: Cal Carter, Aaron Denninger, and Melissa Dotto. It was fun just spending time with all of them and Cal even taught me a few surfing tricks when I was failing miserably to stand on the board. During our chapel times in the evening we often got guests such as the youth group in the area and also the Livingstone family. There was quite a few musically talented people so we got to hear them play for a bit. It was also cool because we all had the chance to tell them about Kaleo, so I really got to reflect on the things that mattered to me and any changes taken place.

One morning we went for a hike to this beach with a bunch of nice rocks to climb on. Me and Nicole ventured out on the rocks to the end where you could see the ocean stretch out to the horizon. The water splashed on the rocks and we saw a sea otter; it was very peaceful. The actual times of surfing were great! Even though the rip current and waves were really strong and tiring to paddle against, it was very fun and I JUST LOVE SURFING. Oh, and it never fails that I end up talking to a random, creepy guy as I'm walking back from the beach on the last day (just like the last time, ha). Don't worry, it turned out to be an interesting conversation. The entire time he was doing stretches as his dog ran around on the beach. His name was David and he was from Nova Scotia and wanted to see the Pacific, so that's why he was there. He talked a lot about fulfillment and asked me about surfing and our group, so in return I asked him about his views on fulfillment and God. He wasn't a Christian, but he was happy to share his views and I shared mine. Then finally Jim and Ben came walking by so I joined them.

Friday was intense. In the morning I had an interview with Chantelle from Briercrest about this year and advice for next year. Then after chapel and lunch we got together to take a group picture of Kaleo and portraits once again. I had a yearbook meeting, then a Juniors retreat meeting, then worked the Juniors retreat from Friday to Sunday. A full weekend. I helped Stevie G. with Allstar Games, played bass, worked the tuck shop, made popcorn, worked challenge course, and did dishes. It was very busy and I still had to fit homework in between. I was disappointed again to miss youth and church like any other full weekend. Aw. Finally the burden of the retreat-working was lifted and I went to homeless ministry. Anna and Mary came with us (future K8's, ooooo) which was great. A few of us went down to the bridge area and met up with a group of people that were sitting around a smokey fire. Got to hear a few stories from people such as Kit-Kat and Vicky. Vicky lead a tough life and it was heartbreaking hearing her story. She was so appreciative for people that listened to her though. She had been hurt a lot and that make her dead-set on relying only on herself in life. We spoke hope into her life and my hope is that she will not live in the metaphorical pit she digs herself into any longer.

Today was our first class of Christian Worldview with Cal Macfarlane. I'm really liking this class as it's a mix of history, philosophy, and spiritual formation. Ultimate combo!
Tonight was our last gym night. :(
Thanks for the great fun everyone!

Please pray for:
-Vicky and the rest of the fire crew
-My classes that I'm picking tomorrow for Briercrest and clearer direction for future decisions
-Meaningful conversations during these last days

A Narrative of Rambles

A figure sits in darkness with a soft rectangle glow of faux light. The clicking of computer keys can be heard as a blog is written. She pauses.
Narrative of Things Done and Things to be Done
A.K.A. Rambling about Random Things

Tuesday
Was DTG. We stopped at Safeway for some grub and then ate it at Big D’s at New Life. We then went to a salsa sweat workout, which was hilarious fun. Afterward we went to the guest house for the night and were surprised with our photos from the first DTG scattered around the house. We shared stories, went crazy, and made some lil’ pizzas.

Wednesday
Woke up at the guest house. Katie and myself stayed in this cozy little room; it was fun. Had some breaky to eat and then some reflection/bibes time on the porch. Love the view.

Thursday
Wake up early because we’re going to Mt. Washington! Great day of boarding; I’ve improved! Yay. I was very proud that I rode a run switch.
Back at camp the Scrapbookers come for their retreat. Dun Dun dun!

Friday
Chapel on the dock. Lovely weather. Writing camp min paper. Youth group! It’s the game smugglers and spies (kind of like Hijackers for any MLBC people possibly reading this). Devon J. and Myself hummed the MI and Pink Panther theme as we tried to look inconspicuous while acting sneaky behind various objects. Stopped at Timmy’s. My cup didn’t win. Oh well, better luck next time! Came back to find people watching Planet Earth. Joined in watching Planet Earth. Dolphins are crazy cool!

Saturday
Woke up earlier than any sane person should wake up. Worked the kitch from 6-10 am with Ruth and Dave. There was a gorgeous sunrise outside the window. That made it worth it. Later did a photoshoot with Matthew, then played beach volley and barefoot ball-hockey with some K-fam. Had a campfire that night. Sang and chatted; loved it.

Sunday
Church day. Shane spoke for the service-- it was about sin and grace. He spoke with the analogy of a whitewater rafting experience he had. I liked what he said-- that grace is ruthless. Went to Mark and Cheryl’s for lunch. Talked about the Olympics and Mark shared some wisdom with us. Always blessed by their ministry; great people. Homeless ministry was abounding with people. Three of us girls went with these newcomers that came and it was really fun chatting with them and seeing their eagerness to join our crew and to pray. We were previously talking about how to grow our group so this is a great answer to prayer. Went back to Shane’s house afterward and talked theology.

Monday
Is today. Stayed up very late last night working on my gospels paper. Woke up for chapel which we had down at the beach. Wrote my paper all day and felt very satisfied with it. It was about Fulfillment in the Gospel of John. Love the feeling after you hand it in and the world is slightly more carefree and wonderful again. Good work. 7:45 was time for gym night and we played dodgeball and basketball.

Next Few Days
Going surfing in Tofino!
Whoo!

Pray for fun, safety, and good weather for surfing.
Pray that time and actions can be purposeful. Because I don’t just want to finish from the momentum of the year, but instead from being intentional in every aspect, etc.

She sits back and reads the blog.
Publish Post. Click.

Room in the guesthouse.
Ha.

Sonetimes I Have a Propensity for Words

You know when someone calls your name, except it's not you they are calling? You turn your head around trying to find a familiar face, but it ends up being some small child with your name. Or maybe when you see a sign with your name on it [Your-name-here-Ave.]. It catches your eye and you chuckle to yourself reading it. That's what this week felt like. And no, those exact things didn't happen, yet there was something that caught my attention. My name was being called; my Kaleo name to be exact. This week was an amazing week filled with Gospels class. This class was so good and I really appreciated the insight Wes gave to our understanding of the story of Jesus. He even read out of a Greek Bible as he taught us. [Now that should be the new definition of cool. Ha.] Perhaps it was only myself that noticed, but a reoccurring theme that seemed to be mentioned daily was genuine obedience (and sometimes the genuine forgiveness of God, genuine worship, and so on.) Of course, this caught my attention right away.
Genuine.
Let's see what Merriam-Webster has to say on this subject!

gen·u·ine (jny-n)
adj.
1.
a. actually having the reputed or apparent qualities or character
b. actually produced by or proceeding from the alleged source or author
c. sincerely and honestly felt or experienced
d. actual, true
2. free from hypocrisy or pretense : sincere

(I actually prefer pronouncing it jen-u-wine myself, instead of "win")
I like what letter b. has to say. Which would lead me to conclude that true genuineness is bearing the image of God.
Interesting.
For other things, I realize now more than ever I have a thirst for words and languages. For example, this past Saturday we took a trip into Vic. Abs, Care, Maris, and Myself had a lot of free time so we sat in Chapters and read books. I was really into the Greek/Hebrew/Spanish/'everything else you can think of' books and tried to teach myself languages in that short time. Maybe I will take Greek or Hebrew at BCrest next year. [p.s. If you ever go to Vic, go to the NoodleBox to eat. It was sooo good!]
So this last Friday, there was once again no youth because of spring break. Sunday was a great day of church, lunch at Edgar and Dixie's (great family), and homeless ministry in the evening. Even though some of us didn't necessarily talk to anyone that day, I think I am learning a lot more about the importance of prayer. Just like at the Olympics, I am falling more in love with prayer than I ever have and seeing the effects of it is definitely sweet.
Tomorrow is DTG! Finally, we can ditch those guys!
Just kidding.
I can imagine that it'll be fun though.
That's all I have to say, so I will end before this gets more random.

Genuinely,
Jader

Monday. It's a Blog Day

Greetings to Mom, Kristie, and all the randoms who try write advertisements in Chinese on my comments.
So today we started our new class-- Gospels with Wes Olmstead! I think I would consider this to be my favorite class yet. I will not go into details, so you will have to wait until next week to hear all about it.
This past week was once again Reading Break! (whoo!)
Earlier in the week a bunch of us went to Coffee on the Moon to work on our papers and we also stopped by Gallowglass Books, a used bookstore in Duncan. I made a great find and ended up purchasing a bunch of classics-- three C.S. Lewis books, Confessions (St. Augustine) and The Pilgrim's Progress (John Bunyan), I'm so excited to read them!!...when Kaleo is over because school work seems to trump my recreational reading. Something to look forward to I suppose.

On Thursday we took our white, unmarked vans and headed on a trip to Mystic Beach. After some crazy twists and turns on the drive there, our Estrogen+Jim filled van arrived. Since our group got there earlier, we went for a stroll down China Beach. I met an old couple on the beach who were from Saskatch and we knew a few people in common. Small world. Afterwards we all took the hike to the beach and it was phenomenal! We also had a great game of beach soccer. What a beautiful day!
If you thought that was enough hiking, you thought wrong. The next day after a homework-filled morning, Marissa, Rivs, and Myself went for a hike on a trail by Lake Cowichan. The whole hike looped around this river, complete with bridge. Amazing.
So Saturday was also filled with hiking....of a different sort. Caroline, Rivs, and I took a trip on the ferry to Saltspring Island for the day. We didn't want to wait for the bus to Ganges.... so we hitchhiked! Fortunately for us, we got picked up by a lovely old lady named Sally (who was originally from South Africa--> Toronto--> Saltspring). She told us a little about herself and we told her about our year of school. She also gave a small tour of Ganges.
On Saltspring Island I found my favorite store-- Rainbow Road Trading Co. The lady that owns the store makes regular trips to India and Thailand, so the whole place was filled with neat stuff from those places. The most exciting thing-- I bought a hammock and I am writing my blog post in it. I like it. Oh, and don't worry, we took the bus back. It was a sweet trip on the ferry too; we could see the dock at camp. Since the tide was out, we thought we would have a nice stroll on the beach all the way back to camp. However it was very mucky. Extremely mucky. Mucky enough that our shoes got stuck and we had to pull them out and walk barefoot. It turned into an adventure.

So since Friday we did not go to youth (since they were on a ski trip), I was very stoked to be back at church on Sunday. Once again we went to homeless ministry that evening. Me and a few people went to visit Dave. Now I had talked with him quite a bit before, so as we walked up he saw me and said, "Hi, sweetheart." Ha. He was pretty happy and asked what we had been up to so I got to tell him about our time at the olympics. At the end of our conversation he commented “I see you all have noble intentions. You like to see that people are well off and cared for. Thank you! I enjoy our chats". Wow. I think he pegged that exactly right. Later on we prayed for this lady named Phyllis. She was very upset and gripped my hand tightly as she sobbed and told us how she hated her life and wants to change. I really hope she goes to chat with Shane at the church this week like he told her. I also hope to get to know her better.
That night instead of going back to Shane's house, we all went back to the church for an Aboriginal Worship Night. I really liked what the speaker had to say; it helped me put things into better perspective. Things such as assimilation in Christianity and freedom to worship with your own cultural aspects.

So that's it. I am now going to go play soccer in Q-Town.

-Pray I get over this little cold I have (because it makes my head want to explode when I try not to cough in class).
-Pray for Phyllis and Dave-- that they would have a hope and see beyond their current circumstances.

Aloha goodbye!

I've Become Somewhat of a Collector of Pins Temporarily

Hello Bonjour, madam and mister. Welcome to the Olympic Park here in Whistler!
The Olympics are over!
I'm now back at Qwanoes and so much has happened that I wish I could tell every bit and piece of everything. But I'll tell all I can.
Well, it started with a bang. First we picked up our accreditation and uniforms. Later we went to the Dress Rehearsal of the opening ceremonies which was full of hoopla and almost made my brain implode from such visual display awesomeness. It was so good, but throughout watching I could not help but think how much of a worldly thing it was. As we walked back that night to the skytrain (which was an organized gongshow of finding and losing part of our group) we started singing worship songs in the streets. We even started singing 'Oh Canada' which resulted in a mass crowd of people singing along. Gotta love Kaleo.

The first day I actually had off. Everyone came back that day so pumped, it made me so excited to work the next day.
So this is what an average day looked like:

-Roll out of my lovely air mattress at 3:45 a.m. and get ready. Put on uniforms (and remember the creds!)
-Quickly eat breakfast or grab some to go
-Jump in the van as Jimbad would drive us to the bus and pray for us
-Get on the bus for a 45 minute trip to Whistler Olympic Park
-Arrive in perpetual darkness
-Check in and get job assignment for the day
-Work entire day
-Usually help with egress (when the people leave)
-Hop back on the bus to Squamish
-Go back to Squamish Baptist Church (where we were staying)
-Eat supper
-Have chapel
-Sleep

The jobs we usually did were ticketing, greeting, ushering, access control, egress, and pacing. The days we did pacing we worked with a security team. We would stand in front of the magnetometer (the big metal detectors just like at airport screening) and let people through and give them instructions. This job could be pretty busy based on where you were placed, but it was sweet chatting with the security team and bringing them joy. Most of the security were downcast because of the conditions of the place they had to stay and most of them missed their families. They thought it was so crazy that we were there volunteering when they themselves found it hard to be there and get paid.

I was surprised at first because I thought most of the ministry would be focused on the spectators, but instead it was on the people we worked with. There was such a consistency of the same people we got to see everyday. Whenever we couldn't finish an important conversation with one person, it seemed to be picked up by another Kaleo later on. After a while people we never even met before would recognize us just from the way we acted. "Oh you're from the bible school" or "You must be a Kaleo kid" was something I heard a lot.

Some days I was stuck doing access control all day, which was usually a lonely job. However, it was also a great time for prayer (and sometimes singing, haha). Prayer was answered so much on this trip. Even one time on the bus I was sitting next to this lady and we hadn't spoken a word to each other. At this point we were halfway into the ride and I really wanted to say something, but it seemed a little late to burst out with a "hey how's it going?!". So I prayed about it. Something simple-- that God would make it clear if I should talk with her. Right at the amen, she got a phone call. Well I guess that's a no. Ha! She got off the phone, turned to me and said, "We got 1-0!". That then turned into a great conversation.

There were so many times that we had great conversations with people. For example, Nixon, the crosswalk guy was always a friendly guy. He always said hi as I walked past, with a big smile on his face. One day Trent and I were walking to break and we stopped and chatted. That turned into an amazing conversation about God, church, and prayer. He asked about the Lord's Prayer and Trent explained it line-by-line for him (haha). At the end he exclaimed, "Oh, we just prayed!" and was so joyful. We also told him that we would be praying for him and he was so happy and thankful! He asked that we could pray for God to reveal himself to him. Pretty cool, eh?

There were so many amazing people we met and I was so surprised that I could remember so many names! I think I could honestly list off 50 on a first name basis right now.
Today we did a debrief and shared all our amazing stories and pictures. As well as the mexico team! I'm so happy for all the experiences we had and the things done. I feel well accomplished.
So all in all, it was tough, it was tiring, but it was so worth it.

Pray for the people we met.
Pray that God would work his way into Whistler (which is a big party town).
Pray that our work would not just end here, but continue on

(Dress Rehearsal we got to watch)

(On our days off we went to cool spots like this one-- Shannon Falls)

(Some Kaleos off to do some work)

(Crazy Norwegian fans)

(Me and my new-found buddy, Shanel)

(Watching some biathlon)

(Ski jump-- When I worked at an actual venue, I usually worked here)

(Nixon, the crosswalk guard)

(Me w/ Megaphone, I had too much fun with it)

(Kaleos+Quatchi and Miga=Too much fun)

(Me and Carly the amazing supervisor)

(Medals Ceremony in Whistler -- Bobsled Teams!)

"God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure."
-Hebrews 6:10-11