february 18

It's been a while since I've written anything. Sorry I haven't been updating, it's been super crazy over here, with not a lot of time to do anything. So a couple weeks ago now, we had a free weekend in El Salvador. Probably my favorite part so far. We just sat around all day, swimming in the ocean, and laying in hammocks. We got American food everyday, Which is something we all crave, basically all the time. It was just an amazing weekend all around. When we got back to San Juan, we stayed there for one night, and then got up early to leave for our service weeks in coban. We started the week out by visitin the schools we would be working with for the next two weeks. The put on a show for us, playing the marimba, and doing some dancing. The weekend came, and we had a 5 hour drive up to a small Mayan village. There we had some free time to swim in the river. We basically Hung out with the children in the village for the first day, and at around 6:00 we were put into host families to stay with for the weekend. I was put in a group with Erin ad Leah. We stayed with a family of about 10 people. The kids loved us so much, and they were so much fun. We has a lot of tickle fights that weekend. So this week has been incredibly long, and tiring. It started on sunday when we went to one of the schools, had a church service and played soccer for the afternoon. Then on Monday through thursday, we've been fillings little bags with dirt to plant trees. Ts been super repetitive, and really hard to keep a good attitide, but it's almost over. This weekend we are going somewhere hot and beautiful. I have no idea what it's called, but I'm super pumped, and ready for some relaxing :)

sick...

After a crazy weekend in Guatemala City, too much heat, and not enough water, i ended up with a bacterial infection. The past week has been a constant struggle to find foods that i wont end up throwing up, and tell my family what kind of food i can eat. So this week has not been that great so far, i'm trying to still take in experiences and do exciting things, but i keep having to miss out on things. I'm starting my meds today, so hopefully within a week or so i'll be back to my normal self, doing exciting things. So this weekend we're headed to the beach at Moterrico, where i will be sitting under the umbrellas in the shade, because the meds i take don't allow me to be in the sun. i'm super excited for this all to pass, and to go to El Salvador next weekend.

im finally here...

after an 8 hour bus ride, 6 hour layover, 2 hour flight, 1 hour layover, and another 3 hour flight... we finally got to beatiful Guatemala. The first 4 days were spent at Camp Adulum, which seems like forever ago already. While we were there, we basically jsut got reunited with the group, and learned a little bit of basic spanish. 2 days ago we were thrown into houses, with strangers, and expected to attempt their language. Its been super confusing, and difficult, but im adjusting and having a lot of fun with it. In my family there is a Madre and Padre (mom and dad), y dos hermanas. (brother and sister), Liz, and Ottoniel. they´ve been great so far, and im really happy that im with them. Rosa (madre) has a day care in her house, so everyday i come home from school i get to play with bonita (beautiful) guatemalan niños (chidren)
(just working on my spanish...)
So everyday i wake up at 6:54, get ready for the day, eat breakfast at 7:15, leave for Español escuela (school) at 7:50, start school at 8:00. school is over at 12:00, i eat lunch at 12:30, and then usually go to Antigua from 1:30 until 5:30. today will be my first experience at "La Pila" which is a washing basin for your clothes... im pretty pumped about that.
well thats it for now.

home...

Since being home, i've missed outtatown so much! its crazy.. i often find myself just sitting at home, when if i was still on outtatown, i would probably be doing something so much more exciting. So, the good thing is, is that we're leaving for Guatemala in 5 days! which is so crazy, and i'm honestly not sure if i'm ready yet. i have no idea what to expect from this experience, but i am incredibly excited, and ready to stretch myself, and learn new things. i know that i'm going to be learning something every day, and i am so excited for that.
so now, i just ask for your prayers as we travel to Guatemala on the 12th and 13th of January.
Adios :)

Vancouver Urban Plunge

The Vancouver urban plunge was considered the highlight of the first semester for most of us. It was incredibly impacting in so many different ways.

Day 1
today we got placed into groups, and went out to explore the streets of vancouver with nothing but bag lunches. We saw a man and woman on the side of the street, just standing there. They looked hungry, so we offered them a bag lunch. We made small talk for a couple minutes, they thanked us for the lunches, and they said goodbye. Some people really enjoyed company, and some didnt as much, so we respected what they wanted, and left. We walked down main and hastings then, which if any of you have been there, its unexplainable. you really need to see that street before you can really know what it was like. there are so many homeless people living there, selling drugs, or stolen products. As we were walking down hastings, an old man stopped us, and talked to us for quite a while. he talked about the addictions on the street, and told us never to get addicted to drugs, because we can see how that turns out. He told us part of his life story, how he had been addicted to alcohol, but never drugs. He had a house to stay in, and just came to visit his friends from the street everyday. I thought it was really cool and impacting that someone would do that.

One of our instructions for the day was to sit on a street corner, and observe people who walk by. I took my own corner of a street, and Ryan and Erin (my small group for the day) sat across the street from me, and we just sat, and observed. Almost everyone who walked past me avoided eye contact. they didnt even look at me, and if they did, they looked awkwardly away, or if i smiled at them, they hardly ever smiled back. it just made me think about the people who actually sit on the street and beg everyday, and the attention that they get. They don't get shown any respect because of the position they are in. There was one couple who walked past me who gave me a look that showed that they cared, and i honestly thought they would stop and talk to me for a while. They didn't, they kept on walking without a word, and i was pretty disappointed. I think i was getting angry at these people, because they didn't care, they didn't say a word, or even smile at me. But this couple, they looked like they cared. I saw them walk past the other way, and then they came up to me, with a bag of Tim Horton's cookies and offered me one. just as simple as that, i felt better. I never knew what such a small gift could do. it felt so good to be seen, and acknowledged.

What i learned today was that people living on the streets are people too. i had compassion for them because I was in their shoes for the day. I felt what life was like to live like that. It's horrible, and something as small as a Tim Horton's cookie can cheer them up.

Day 2
Today we went to Union Gospel Mission, a soup kitchen around Vancouver somewhere. For lunch, I sat with a man named Roger. He told me a lot about his life, and how he used to be an alcoholic, and he lost everything. He lost his wife, and his job, and i think that's what it took for him to realize that he needed to stop drinking. He ended up on the street, but after working at getting better, he now has a place to stay, with a bed and TV. He's also hoping that he can get a car soon to transport himself to work. It was amazing to hear a story that didn't end with the person on the street because of an addiction that they can't conquer. I really respected Roger for what he did, and how he turned his life around. He's happy now, and I could tell.

Day 3 "Impact Vancouver Day"

Today we were put in groups of 4, and werent given any instructions, excepft for Impact the city of Vancouver in any way you can. My group (Rachel, Kevin and Caleb) decided that we wanted to help the people of Vancouver to see people in need, and give them encouragement, and help them. We went to a dollar store and bought about 40 pairs of gloves, and paper and markers. We set up a table on a busy street in the "richer" part of Vancouver. We made signs that said "Send a message of hope", and of course wrote "free" all over them, so that people wouldn't think we're scamming them, or asking for money. Our idea was that people would write a message that they wanted to give to someone in need, and put the note in a pair of mittens, and hand them out to someone on the street. We gave some people the option of writing a note, and leaving it with us so we could return it later, and ended up with 26 notes in the end. The rest of the people took a pair a mittens with them, and we ended up with 7 mittens left, from the 40 we bought. It was awesome to see how people reacted to what we were doing. They were so pumped, and very excited to give someone something special. There was one girl who came who used to live on the streets, and now sees life so differently, and beautifully. She wrote on her note how she used to be there, and just encouraged the person who got the note to get off the street, because life is beautiful if you see it in the right light. It was definitely an amazing day all together, I left feeling so encouraged that 4 of us could start the day out with $20 bucks each, and possibly change some peoples lives.

Crazy Outtatown Adventure...

Since being away for 3 months, i feel like I've learned a lot about myself, and a lot about the world around me. I want to tell you a bit about what I'm learning on Outtatown, and how it affects who i am, and how i live. i wrote a few notes on facebook while i was in the midst of my first semester. here they are:

23/09/09
The first 5 days we were here, we stayed at Camp Assiniboia. I had a really hard time at first to get used to the fact that i wouldn't be coming home in a month, and I was in a group full of strangers. I was definitely homesick the first couple of nights. I think God has really helped me with the fact that I'm gonna be away from people for a while. I need to embrace what I'm doing, and take it all in, because I'm only with these people for a year - and i have the rest of my life with people back home. So yeah, God has definitely been working through me in that way. so, We got our textbooks, and the first one we're reading is "Blue Like Jazz". I'm really enjoying it so far. We haven't had a lot of classes yet, but the ones we have had have been really good. I'm really excited to learn a lot more this year through the different classes and experiences that I will have.

On the 5th day, we left for Pioneer Camp, and we went on a 4 day canoe trip. It was really awesome to get to know the people i'm here with a lot better. I feel like after that trip, I'm a lot closer with a lot of them, and it just brought us together a lot. Even though we were split into 2 groups, i feel like I'm almost closer with everyone, which is weird, but sweet. Oh, and peeing in the woods wasn't always that great. i stumbled upon some poison ivy. Don't worry, i didn't sit in it, but i got it on my face and stomach. Its been an annoyance, and I'm really sick of it already. Kind of scared its gonna spread! but I'm sure i will be fine :)

so after the canoe trip, it felt amazing to shower (i thought I'd just add that in there). Even though it was a cold shower. But yeah, we came to Altona, and now we're staying at a church called "seeds church", and we are hanging out with the Anishinabe people on a reserve for this week. The schedule is kind of crazy, and we often have no idea what we're doing next, but its kind of sweet to not really know. Yesterday we went to the reserve called Roseau River at 10:00, and there were a bunch of different Anishinabe people that we talked to, or that talked to us, and told us their stories about Residential schools, and the relationship that they have with white people. Its kind of weird to hear their side of the story, and to know that what the White people did to them with the residential schools, and buying their land, it still affects them like crazy, and they're not really that happy about it. They all are hoping that my generation will make a difference, and help them change the world pretty much. It's weird to hear that.

12/10/09
Hey guys. So i thought i should write a bit more about what we have been doing lately. After the week in Altona, we drove to the Wilderness Edge in Pinawa. We stayed there for a full week, and had sessions every day, twice a day. The first full day there was kind of a free day, we went to the rapids and slid down them. If you know me, i was so incredibly scared. haha. It was ridiculous, because it actually wasn't scary doing it at all, it was so much fun. It probably took me about 20 minutes to finally line up to go, and then once i got there, another 10 to let myself slide down the rapids.

 Before sliding down the rapids...

But anyway, in class we talked about theology and how you have to have the right theology, otherwise it leads to sin. We also talked about figuring out the bibles overall message, how it has 3 core parts. They are Kingdom, Community, and Creation. we talked about all three of them separately. In the afternoon sessions, we watched different movies about Christianity, and what it means to different people. Also just about keeping your religion, and living it out type thing. Every night we were at Pinawa we went in the hot tub, it became like a habit. We also jumped in the freezing cold river a couple times, and then ran back to the hot tub, which was always really stupid in the moment, but it felt so good afterwards to get into the hot tub.

So after Pinawa we went to inner city Winnipeg and did the urban plunge experience. We stayed at the Vineyard church in Winnipeg. The first day we were there we did a city tour type thing, where we walked around Portage and Main, looking at the different Murals, and going to different service places. One place we went was Siloam Mission, and they challenged us to give them the shirt off our backs. It was pretty hard at first to get used to the idea that we were giving them our clothes, and that i wouldn't get it back, but it made sense to me, because there are people who need my sweater far more than i do. I know that my sweater will be used so much more than i would use it. It felt good to give them something that they can use.

The next morning, we found out that that night there had been a murder, and a suicide, right nearby where we were staying. It was really hard for me to comprehend that. There's so much hurt happening in those areas that so many people have no idea about. It just really makes me want to make a difference in these peoples lives - to help them to not be angry, or depressed. I think those people need help, and no body is helping them. I don't know, it just really hit me hard, and i felt really sad for the people who live there, and go through hurt like that so often. I felt like i was questioning how so much hurt can take place there, and how God can just let it happen. I felt like i didn't understand at all, and it made me angry. I wanted to trust God, and know that He was taking care of things, but it honestly felt like He wasn't. I was asking myself, How can we help here? What can we do to make a change in this place? i felt like it was hopeless, like i couldn't do anything to make it better.
So we found out that there was going to be a funeral held at the church, so we decided to pack up that morning, and go to Camp Assinibioa that night, because that was our next destination. So we packed up, and then went to our different service projects. I was in a small group that went to serve at Siloam Mission. We helped clean up after the people eating there, and talked to them a bit. It was really cool to hear some peoples stories, and just let them talk to you. They love to talk a lot. It felt really good to make their day a little bit better just by listening to them, or smiling at them. The next day i went with a group to this place called the multicultural center, which is around St.Vital. That day there was a parenting class type thing, where moms would go and listen to someone speak about how to raise your children and such. So we played with the kids during that time. It was a lot of fun, those kids had so much energy and enthusiasm.

Winnipeg Urban Plunge was a lot different than i thought it would be. I thought it would be simple, and not that eye opening for me, because i'd been there, and done it all before. It definitely changed me more than i thought it would. I walked out of that weekend with a much bigger understanding of where God is in the inner city, and how He's working.

So the next couple of days we spent at Camp Assinibioa, and we had a speaker come in and speak for 2 days. We talked a lot about different bible verses, and just went more in depth with them. it was really cool. So this weekend we had our thanksgiving home stay, and we're off tomorrow for a 16 hour drive - the girls to Banff, and the boys to Canmore. We're having our guy/girl week there, and having some speakers come in. I'll let you know more when it happens.


24/10/09
These past two weeks have been great. last week we arrived back at CMU after thanksgiving break at 4:45 AM. we had a crazy long drive to Banff Alberta, where the mountains are absolutely beautiful, except we couldnt see the mountains until the next morning because we arrived so late. So we dropped the boys off in canmore, and then the girls kept driving for about another 20 minutes to Banff. We stayed at a really nice hotel, and we were all really happy to arrive and sleep in comfortable beds.

The speaker for the week was Sharon Peters, and she talked about being comfortable in our own skin, and how God made us very good. i learned to be happy with who i am, who i want to be, and how God wants me to be. It was inspiring to hear Sharon speak about things only girls can relate to. i think a lot of us looked at ourselves and each other differently after that week. we also had some good boy talks, where we asked the boys questions, and they sent two leaders to Banff to come and answer them for us. That was a good time all around :P we also had some good girly nights, like dressing up to go to a fancy restaurant, and having a spa night.

Spa Night :)

when we left the hotel in banff, the boys decided that girls were "gross"? was it? i'm not sure. but we extended girls week a bit by having a van full of girls on the way to camp Kawkawa in Hope, BC, our next destination.

It is so incredibly beautiful here. we're located on a lake with mountains all around us. its really a great reminder of how great and awesome God really is. We had a speaker all this week, Brad Fuller, who spoke about the bible, and how to read the bible. we looked into different books of the bible in detail, and just asked some questions that we had always wondered about. it was really interesting, and definitely gave me a desire to read my bible more often.