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

Move Your Feet to the Olympics

In two days we will leave Qwanoes early in the morning, head over to the mainland on the ferry, pick up our accreditation and uniforms, and go to the Dress Rehearsal of the Opening Ceremonies. (+ Bria!)
Meaning.... the Olympics are almoooooooost HERE!
So if you don't know, the majority of us Kaleos are working at the 2010 Olympics (and the rest are going to Mexico). We applied through the Youth Participation Program and will be working in the area of Event Services. Basically we will be doing jobs such as ticketing and ushering, etc.
How is this a missions trip you may ask? Well let me tell you.
The Olympics are a great opportunity because instead of going out to the world, they are all coming to us. With the world on our doorstep, we will be encountering people of all kinds of different backgrounds. Now this ministry will be strongly driven by prayer, because apparently it is banned/illegal to openly preach the gospel or anything to do with 'religiousy things'. However, we can show Christ in the way we act, the way we serve, and also if anyone asks us why we do what we do. It's crazy to think that it was even before Kaleo started that we applied to do this. All leading up to this part of the journey. Here we go.

So this week we had Theology class, as I had mentioned before. Almost every topic we talked about went back to the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate. I learned quite a bit though! Jim Paulson was also pretty hilarious. (Read his quotes here--> http://kaleoseven.blogspot.com/2010/02/he-said-what.html)

Last Thursday I also shared my testimony in chapel. It felt really good to get it off my chest and everyone's response to it was so encouraging to me. I love each and every person here so much!

So Friday rolls around and we realized that we needed to plan a dance routine because we were the kickoff group for So You Think You Can Dance? -- Youth Group @ New Life Style. After some scrambling and attempts we ended up going with only a little bit planned. We arrived in dance garb, practiced a little, and danced our faces off; the kids loved it. The song is now stuck in my head-- Move Your Feet by Junior Senior. Since this was only for Jr. High, a few of us ended up having to hurry outside to find our stations for the Sr. High Mission Impossible game (urban style).
I`m not sure whether to place this part in the fun or not-so-fun category.
I sat alone on a fence overlooking this street:

With a glowstick to show the kids where I was:

With marker, in hand, to mark the kids' papers:

I really didn`t get to chat with the kids because they were all very intense playing the game and ran away as soon as I marked their papers. (At least they enjoyed playing). Despite that, I got to people-watch (in a non-creepy way), fiddle with my camera, and hum as I rocked on the fence. I probably freaked out the whole neighbourhood. Fun stuff. Ok, I did have fun. When we got back to the church, it sounded like the Jr. High had a great time dancing and they made us do an encore of our dance. Even some of the kids joined us on stage when we pulled them up. So much fun.


At the end of the week we had a 48-hour prayer time for our missions trips. I always enjoy the times in the prayer room and I`m glad we will continue to do this throughout our trip.

And last but not least, Sunday was church and the young-adults group. Loved it, as always. This time after homeless ministry we had a Superbowl party at Shane's house which turned into 'Katie and I watching Mamma Mia with his daughter time'.

I will end this here.
So main thing, pray for our mission at the Olympics and that God would shine through us.

See you later, alligator!

-Genuine Jade

P.S. We played Ultimate Frisbee this week. Dressed like this in Feb. Whoohoo!

Kidnapped! (I can feel the Chronos passing, tick tick tick)

So tonight as I was writing out my blog post, I was suddenly taken hostage, tied up, blindfolded, and thrown in a van.
Honestly.
I am 100.5% serious.
Now I assure you, it was my roomies doing the kidnapping and Marissa driving the van. So you're probably wondering to yourself, "But Jade, it's not your birthday" and "why would they do such a thing?!". Well to answer that, they wanted to surprise me with some extra-special quality time and I always wanted to experience one of those special kidnappings (shhh, don't let them know that though, haha!). At the time, I realized that I could probably take on both Abby and Caroline in a fight (it's questionable). However, deciding that it was for my own good, I gave up fighting and sat in the van blindfolded plus pillowcased over the head and hands tied. Feeling the familiar twists and turns, I knew we were headed to Duncan. Whoo! Long story short--after some fun times together and good talking, it turned into such a wonderful evening. Gotta love Kaleo.

The rest of today (as in the beginning of today) was filled with INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY with Jim Paulson. It's in capitals because I imagine it being said with a big, booming voice (don't ask, I don't really know either). So far, it's been good; challenging, but pretty easy to understand.

Coincidently when I reflect on each day to write this blog, it reminds me of the sermon on Sunday (Another nice segue). Pastor Mark spoke on the topic of time. One of the things that stuck out was how he emphasized that each and every day was a gift. Now I had heard this before, but the way he explained everything put it into much better perspective. Basically, most people would go through the week thinking, Sunday is church; oh no, not Mondays; well today is garbage day; can't wait till the end of the week, etc. repeat repeat again again again, hey it's Sunday again. However, each day is unlike any other. Each day is special; it's a gift from God, but we chain ourselves to schedules; to time. It's challenging not to prejudge the day before it happens. I will try to CARPE DIEM!

For lunch on Sunday, we went again to one of our favorite places, the Unrau's! After rushing to camp after a lovely meal and chat/games, we rushed back to Duncan for our Young Adults/homeless ministry. Every time I go, I feel the oppression and darkness that has come on the people we talk to, but at the same time I sense a hope there too. My hope is that their hope will be found in God; not relationships, not alcohol, and not drugs (you get the idea). Continue to pray for them as they conquer the everyday struggles and destructive habits that they fall into.

Friday was an amazing day (again with the weekday naming). It was the Cowichan Valley Youth Worship Night at Qwanoes! Right here on home turf, meaning our youth came to us (pretty cool, eh?). I slapped some bass on the worship team and got to carry a massive water gun and look very menacing for the night game. Our very own JLen was ze speaker and overall the kids had a lot of fun. So many kids came; I would say it turned out to be a success! It was nice meeting youth from other youth groups too. (I became a mass-producer of origami to a group of little girls from Warmland, haha).
To sum it all up, it was another great week.
Pray for Kaleo as we prepare in all ways for our missions trips!

-Genuine Jade


(Unlike Garfield, I don't mind Monday air so much. It's just rainy)

A Somewhat of a Name Change

So as I am writing this, I'm sitting in the lobby listening to Disney songs. Awesome.
Anyway, as all of you know, this week I was at Mount Washington for our snowboarding trip! I loved it so much! The trip started off with a bang-- with a power-outage and most people half-asleep since we left very early in the morning. Most people dozed off in our van and when we woke up, TADA! there was snow everywhere! When we got there we stayed in this beautiful place called Wintergreen Lodge. During the week, we ate amazing food, hot-tubbed (We had three. Yeah, you heard that right), went tubing, went snowshoeing, built snow caves, had snowball fights, made a snow-slide at the lodge, and (of course) Snowboarding! The first day I fell and hurt my shoulder/arm so I only managed to go on one run the second day before I realized that I would have to sit that day out. It worked out pretty nicely though because I was so stiff and sore from the first day anyway so I had a nice, long nap and homework session. The rest of the days that I got to snowboard were awesome though. Since the only place I've ever boarded before was Table Mountain, here I got to experience fresh powder. So nice.
Each night we had a chapel session where we picked out names for each other. Not just ordinary names, but names with meaning, picked carefully. Just like when God changed Abram's name to Abraham, Saul to Paul, or Jacob to Israel. These are names that are to reflect our character, but also ones that we can grow into. We picked them all one by one, with consideration and debation. Mine is Genuine Jade. I hope to grow into it more as well.
We didn't go to youth group the friday we got back, but I think that was a good thing because I was so exhausted!
What else have I been up to...hmm...well.. Kaleo is not just fun and games, I also have quite a load of homework. Oh, but I do like fun and games... I just wrote a paper on a book we had to read, Kingdom Come by Allen Wakabayashi. It was a pretty decent book.
On Saturday, a bunch of us decided to hike out to the Point. It just turned out to be a gorgeous day so of course we couldn't stay inside. Marissa, Rivs, and myself decided to bush-whack the way back and it was quite the adventure. Lately I've had the urge to be really active so I'm really glad there's so much nice weather here.
Also I've come to really appreciate my New Life crew. So much! I know I say this a lot, but I mean it. Another great day of church and went again for Homeless Ministry. We walked along the railroad tracks and talked about life and prayed for the conversations with the people that the other groups encountered.
So that's about it.
Pray for Haiti and the people there. Pray for Kristie (she injured her shoulder on the trip too). Pray for homework-working.
Auf wiedersehen!


Me and Maris at the Point

I Hope to Dream of Snowboarding Tonight. Oh, yes indeed.

SNOWBOARDING GNAR SHREDIN MOUNTAIN CARVING TUBING SLEDDIN'
FRESH POWDER EXTREME RIDE MT. WASHINGTON WE WILL ARRIVE
Well anyway, you get the drift (get it? HAHA...so..)

I'm going to make this sweet and short because I have to wake up super early tomorrow for our Mt. Washington trip. I'm so pumped!

This week we had two days of Camp Ministry class, which I really enjoyed. I found it really interesting to hear about other camps and the way they do things when our group compared the ones we work at.

This weekend our wonderful staff took off on a retreat so our Kaleo-sitters took over! It was so fun hanging out with Nicki and Tyler. We also had an epic birthday celebration for Emma's birthday.

I loved having hang-out-with-Katie time. Had some good walks and talks.

I went on a little solo adventure to the Point. It was a very wet trek but the scenery was great.

Friday was the Hunger again. This time seemed a little more crazy than normal as the kids would all talk very loudly during the songs and not participate. I had fun hanging out with Grace (Kaleo's official unofficial biggest fan) and Sarah during it and prayed with a group of kids for the situation in Haiti. The day before we went to a meeting to plan for the hunger and tested out the game we were going to play during it, so...success?

Today on Sunday we went to the Dixon's for lunch. Guess what else I did today?? I made it to our young adults homeless ministry! Finally! This time our group talked to a guy named Dave who had real beef with the people in charge of the shelters (where he lives) and also at the political figures in the city. I liked hearing his view on things because it reminded me of how much the people on the streets are seen as "less of a person". One thing he said stuck in my mind, "I'm sixty years old and they treat me as if I was four." Well they might have their reasons, but I hope he felt more like a person today. Afterward we went back to Pastor Shane's place again and talked about living for the present vs. living for the future.

Well I really need sleep now, so goodnight!

Much Ado about EVERYTHING

Everything is fresh; coming back for round 2 here at Kaleo. Fresh in that wonderful metaphorical sense, but also in the sense that it is raining all the time. Gotta love BC [sidenote-- there have been a lot a great sunrises lately as well. Love it]. As much as it was good to be home for Christmas, I did not enjoy the snow aspect. Oh well.

It seems here I have been swept up in busyness again, but it's been really good. I was so ecstatic-- from the moment stepping off the plane and getting the best greeting posse of my life to everything these couple weeks have brought. I was looking forward to going back to New Life and it was really refreshing seeing everyone again. [There was no friday youth, so really looking forward to next youth]. Class started very soon with Theology of Mission with Tim Stabell. He had such a heart for missions [most likely from experience-- he did missionary work in Congo!] which made the class much more interesting. To end the week of class very nicely, we went to Vancouver for Missions Fest. Overall, I think I am more open to the idea of long-term mission work possibly in the future and there was a lot of eye-opening things I learned from class as well as being at Missions Fest.

Missions has a lot to do with justice and righteousness and there is so much injustice in the world that it is sickening. During the weekend, they had various films playing as a sort of missions-themed film festival to add to the schedule. We watched a few of them, and there was one about the genocide in Rwanda and the story of a couple that married despite their opposite ethnics-- Tutsi and Hutu. They survived by fleeing the country as refugees, but as we know, so many people didn't make it. I heard about the Rwandan Genocide before but honestly, I had no idea the extent of it all. This world is filled with injustices; child soldiers, homelessness, hunger, slavery and sex-trade, racism. We tend to think "Oh that's too bad" and continue with our life; falling into desensitization and ignorance. Although we may not all go to Africa to feed the hungry or do any overseas missions, things can always be done by us all the time. Even right here at home with actions or relationships with the people. Pursuing righteousness. All in all, there is one thing that everyone can do and that is PRAY.
Also with the thought of missions, the decision for 'yes' or 'no' to the India Trip is coming up and missions work is on the mind [to be redundant], how convenient.

In other news, I appreciated the extra-long ferry ride back to the island. It turned out that we had to turn around about halfway through the trip because of a medical emergency on board so it took a lot longer to get back. [I guess a guy had a heart attack and I really hope he is ok]. Looking on the bright side, if there is one to be said, it made into some great hangout time that wouldn't have been the same otherwise.

Today we had an olympics meeting and it's making me excited for what's in store for us. [Including free pass to the Dress rehearsal of the Olympic kick-off ceremonies, whoo!]. I will most likely talk about the olympics in blogs to come so I won't drag this out.
Well that's about it. Tonight we had a worship night and we are starting to do them more regularly. However, at this moment I am quite tired. Camp Ministry class tomorrow with our one-and-only Jimbad.
Please pray for our preparation for the olympics, injustices, and insight for decisions to be made.
Adios!