"Well its not like you were born in the Bronx, but...."
- Julia to Krista
Janelle: "Squares don't go bad do they? These have been in the fridge a long time"
Krista: "No they're fine"
Julia: "Wait!! Are they meat squares?!"
"I don't care, I'll spread em for whatever"
-Janelle
"She's tofu!! She adds nothing to any dish, she's got no taste. She's not even a bump on a log, she's a log without a a single bump!" - Andrea
"Wow, I'm a little bit offended. You don't even want to see my junk out of your peripheral?!" - Brendan
Julia: "Krista, do we have any spare lightbulbs in the house?"
Krista: "Yeah, in the storage room"
Julia: "Oh good!!......Krista, have you ever changed a lightbulb before?"
Laurel: "We need to think of a sexier nickname for Krista to replace Mom"
Julia: "How about milf?"
Jer: "Yeah, I like these gummy bears almost to the point where is my wife cheated on me and bought my 3 packs of these, it might be all good."
Krista: "Wow Jer"
Jer: "Okay, maybe 4 packs"
Janelle: "I feel like all the cool people do yoga, but I just can't find my inner self!"
Laurel: "One of my yoga teachers was super prego"
Janelle: "Oh my God!! I'd be so worried to sweat my baby out!"
"I'll have an extra drowned moose, like medium rare, just a quick dip" - Jon
"If someone wrote Iran in the place of Australia, I'd be confused" - Lindsay
"Well I'm not putting my pants back on" - Emily
"They're obviously fornicating" - Kenny
"Like snowballs, those aren't snow testicles" - Jon
"Wait, ALL CORN COMES FROM THE COB?!?" - Hannah
"Moon me!" - Emily
"He's a big black guy! Just have sex with him!" - Lindsay
Josh: "So what you're saying is that for an adult or child the point of the pocket mask is to go over their mouth and nose, and when its an infant the pocket mask goes on me?"
Krista: "No Josh haha, that is not at all what I'm saying"\
Hannah: Douche means shower!!
All: No Hannah no! (explains actual meaning)
Hannah: Oh no! I call people that all the time!!.........Shoot, what does tool mean?!
Kenny: "Luke, lick my wenis, apparently I shouldn't be able to feel it"
Kenny:"I definitely felt that"
Luke: "That's the first time I've ever licked a wenis"
Stef: " I feel closest to God when I'm nude" *Andrew walks in*
Andrew: " When you feel close enough to God, come join us in the loft"
"80 years, I think that's enough life" - Lindsay
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Le fermier et la vache
Once upon a time there was a cow that lived wild and free in a meadow. Nobody owned her and she didn't owe anybody anything. Sometime though, the cow was lonely and this state was made ever more unfortunate by the fact that she was full to bursting with the most wonderful gift of milk that she longed to share.
Only a short distance away was this farm, I'm not sure what kind of a farm it was, only that it wasn't a dairy farm. On the farm, naturally, there lived a farmer, and wouldn't you know it, one day the farmer and the cow crossed paths.
Initially the cow was pretty stand-off-ish, and the farmer let her be, but continued to visit the cow from time to time in her meadow. He even made it possible for the cow to graze on his farmland whenever she wanted. Now the cow recognized quite a lot of goodness in the farmer and began to view him as a friend. He wasn't the same as a cow-friend, and he couldn't possibly ever know all their was to know about being a cow. He was a different kind of friend, but a friend nonetheless.
Gradually over time the cow began giving the farmer some milk. He never asked for it, but it just seemed like the natural thing to do, and the farmer always seemed very appreciative. Every so often the farmer would reciprocate the friendly kindness, in the form of an apple or other treat, or in the form of a heartfelt word. These occasions were much rarer than the milk-giving reverse, but each time they came to pass they would reassure the cow that there was a mutually beneficial relationship and that she wasn't being manipulated or taken advantage of for her milk. The cow often felt relieved in these instances, because truth be told she didn't want to stop giving away her milk. But she also didn't want anyone to accuse her of no longer being a wild and free cow.
She was still free. The farmer didn't own her now anymore than he did before. However, the cow knew that a change had taken place. She would miss the farmer is he moved away to another farm, or she to another field. And she would miss that fleeting feeling that occurred every so often when she grazed on the farm land. The feeling of belonging to someone besides herself. In a contrary fashion, (because she was a very contrary cow), she also hated these fleeting moments because they exposed her own vulnerability. A most confusing, terrifying and detestable state to be in.
Upon reflection the cow realized 2 things. Firstly, that over time she had come to depend on the farmer in a way, just for his very presence in her world. Secondly, she realized that over time she had given quite an awful lot of milk. Now, of this second point the cow felt no regret. After all, milk would do the cow no good just to keep it all bottled up inside. The point had always been to share that milk with others. But on that first point the cow sometimes fretted. Did the farmer feel any level of dependence on her and her presence in his life, or was there some inequality in that part of their friendship? The cow sometimes wondered why it seemed she was always the one giving and the farmer didn't seem to do a very equal job of returning the kindness. She wondered whether he had nothing to return, or whether he did and hadn't thought of it, or whether he did, and had thought of it, and decided against reciprocation. And then she wondered why she wondered all of this. She wondered why any of it mattered. She wondered whether she would or should have done anything differently to prevent the possibility of an imbalance.
Then she wondered something else, something altogether unlike her. She wondered if the farmer was receiving milk from any other cows. Her logical conclusion was that certainly yes he was, and this irked her for some unknown reason. Shouldn't couldn't figure out if it bothered her because she was therefore not an essential part of the farmer's world, or whether it was because there was the possibility other cow's milk might be preferred to her own. Or maybe she worried that she in fact just been a very naive and inexperienced business cow who had given her milk away for free while all the other cows were charging, or expecting something in return. She hadn't even considered that as an option. Why would she change for her milk? Wasn't free milk the best kind? And what if the farmer wasn't willing to pay anything for her milk? Well wouldn't that put a damper on things. And isn't that every cow's greatest anxiety? That no farmer would ever be willing to pay for milk?
And so what? She had a limitless field to graze in. She could go wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She could give her milk to whoever she wanted.
So why not free, to this farmer, for however long they remained in this friendship. And why not push aside all these confusing feelings and wonderings, they just get in the way, and to really delve into them could be dangerous or disappointing. Why go through that? Especially when no one's asking you to. Surely that would be stupid, and if there's one thing she was not, she was not a stupid cow.
Only a short distance away was this farm, I'm not sure what kind of a farm it was, only that it wasn't a dairy farm. On the farm, naturally, there lived a farmer, and wouldn't you know it, one day the farmer and the cow crossed paths.
Initially the cow was pretty stand-off-ish, and the farmer let her be, but continued to visit the cow from time to time in her meadow. He even made it possible for the cow to graze on his farmland whenever she wanted. Now the cow recognized quite a lot of goodness in the farmer and began to view him as a friend. He wasn't the same as a cow-friend, and he couldn't possibly ever know all their was to know about being a cow. He was a different kind of friend, but a friend nonetheless.
Gradually over time the cow began giving the farmer some milk. He never asked for it, but it just seemed like the natural thing to do, and the farmer always seemed very appreciative. Every so often the farmer would reciprocate the friendly kindness, in the form of an apple or other treat, or in the form of a heartfelt word. These occasions were much rarer than the milk-giving reverse, but each time they came to pass they would reassure the cow that there was a mutually beneficial relationship and that she wasn't being manipulated or taken advantage of for her milk. The cow often felt relieved in these instances, because truth be told she didn't want to stop giving away her milk. But she also didn't want anyone to accuse her of no longer being a wild and free cow.
She was still free. The farmer didn't own her now anymore than he did before. However, the cow knew that a change had taken place. She would miss the farmer is he moved away to another farm, or she to another field. And she would miss that fleeting feeling that occurred every so often when she grazed on the farm land. The feeling of belonging to someone besides herself. In a contrary fashion, (because she was a very contrary cow), she also hated these fleeting moments because they exposed her own vulnerability. A most confusing, terrifying and detestable state to be in.
Upon reflection the cow realized 2 things. Firstly, that over time she had come to depend on the farmer in a way, just for his very presence in her world. Secondly, she realized that over time she had given quite an awful lot of milk. Now, of this second point the cow felt no regret. After all, milk would do the cow no good just to keep it all bottled up inside. The point had always been to share that milk with others. But on that first point the cow sometimes fretted. Did the farmer feel any level of dependence on her and her presence in his life, or was there some inequality in that part of their friendship? The cow sometimes wondered why it seemed she was always the one giving and the farmer didn't seem to do a very equal job of returning the kindness. She wondered whether he had nothing to return, or whether he did and hadn't thought of it, or whether he did, and had thought of it, and decided against reciprocation. And then she wondered why she wondered all of this. She wondered why any of it mattered. She wondered whether she would or should have done anything differently to prevent the possibility of an imbalance.
Then she wondered something else, something altogether unlike her. She wondered if the farmer was receiving milk from any other cows. Her logical conclusion was that certainly yes he was, and this irked her for some unknown reason. Shouldn't couldn't figure out if it bothered her because she was therefore not an essential part of the farmer's world, or whether it was because there was the possibility other cow's milk might be preferred to her own. Or maybe she worried that she in fact just been a very naive and inexperienced business cow who had given her milk away for free while all the other cows were charging, or expecting something in return. She hadn't even considered that as an option. Why would she change for her milk? Wasn't free milk the best kind? And what if the farmer wasn't willing to pay anything for her milk? Well wouldn't that put a damper on things. And isn't that every cow's greatest anxiety? That no farmer would ever be willing to pay for milk?
And so what? She had a limitless field to graze in. She could go wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She could give her milk to whoever she wanted.
So why not free, to this farmer, for however long they remained in this friendship. And why not push aside all these confusing feelings and wonderings, they just get in the way, and to really delve into them could be dangerous or disappointing. Why go through that? Especially when no one's asking you to. Surely that would be stupid, and if there's one thing she was not, she was not a stupid cow.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Your Apathy is Killing Me
Your apathy is killing me and that isn't killing you
You see no difference in your indifference
And it doesn't make a difference if I do
I haven't changed, but I wish I had
So your change would be due
This whole thing is changing me and I wish that would change you
Why don't you explain yourself
I offer you every excuse I can think of
But I'm not worth the effort of a good lie
Your half-hearted attempts hurt more than rejection
I'm digging out the mask you helped me bury
Now in exchange for all my smiles
You help me paint a line on this face of "perfection"
An illusion you will compliment in your ignorance
You are blind, and I unbreakable
But you came to close
I was too close
We were so close
And now its closed
You see no difference in your indifference
And it doesn't make a difference if I do
I haven't changed, but I wish I had
So your change would be due
This whole thing is changing me and I wish that would change you
Why don't you explain yourself
I offer you every excuse I can think of
But I'm not worth the effort of a good lie
Your half-hearted attempts hurt more than rejection
I'm digging out the mask you helped me bury
Now in exchange for all my smiles
You help me paint a line on this face of "perfection"
An illusion you will compliment in your ignorance
You are blind, and I unbreakable
But you came to close
I was too close
We were so close
And now its closed
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
As the Wind Changes
I'm trying to hold onto things more loosely, to not clutch everything so tightly to my chest. Still I'm terrified at any moment all of this will disappear. I've never been scared to start a new chapter of my life. Anxious-excited: yes, but not this gnawing dread. I fear that God's breath is just going to whisk away all of these plans, all of these people that I'm desperately trying not to become too possessive of.
A part of me knows that some of these people were only ever meant to be in my life for a season, to walk a leg of the journey with me, and that God will bring new people into my path as the wind changes.
I have to change my reaction from clenching my fists, to turning empty palms open, placing myself in a vulnerable position, waiting to see what's next.
A part of me knows that some of these people were only ever meant to be in my life for a season, to walk a leg of the journey with me, and that God will bring new people into my path as the wind changes.
I have to change my reaction from clenching my fists, to turning empty palms open, placing myself in a vulnerable position, waiting to see what's next.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Did you see the moon tonight?
I think it's really great that there's only one moon. I mean its great that there's only one sun too, but the sun isn't something you can just sit and stare at an contemplate. I think its really great that we don't live on Jupiter or Saturn with their multiple moons. That could just be confusing. I mean, you could be looking at one moon and someone else is looking at a different moon, and if you were talking about the moons you'd have to refer to their specific names and you couldn't just say "hey! did you see the moon tonight?" Right? One moon really simplifies things, which is nice because life and the universe really are complex enough as it is. Its great that on opposite sides of the planet we're still looking at the same celestial chunk of rock, even if one person is seeing it rise as the other watches it set. Its just nice that some things are consistent. As our world changes on the daily, the moon is still just hanging out up there, doing its thing, waxing and waning, pulling the tides around, just like it has been doing for thousands, or maybe billions of years. Kind of a nice reminder that God is also that consistent. Only having one God just simplifies things. That consistency, that singularity has the power to bring us all together.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Becoming Fearless
Steinbeck once wrote that if one is never afraid, one can never be courageous. That idea frustrates me because I've always wanted to be fearless. That seems like it would be such a free state of being, to never be held back from anything out of fear.
I really like extreme sports, at least the ones I've tried, para-sailing, scuba diving, zip lining, cliff jumping, rock climbing.....maybe its because they give me this idea that I am being fearless. But I don't think those activities every elicited true fear in me, and without true fear there cannot be true courage, which I think is what
Steinbeck is getting at.
There are certain fears I think are programmed into us. I don't think anyone is born fearless. We have fears for our physical well being, fear of heights, fear of dangerous animals. We have fears for our emotional well being, fear of rejection, fear of loneliness. We have fears for our spiritual well being, fear of hell, fear of the unknown. I think we are faced with low levels of fear inducing stimuli on a daily basis. Sometimes we don't even recognize our responses as fear, we call it anxiety, stress, reflexes, or personality quirks. Whether or not we recognize it I think there are a few underlying fears that heavily influence the way we live our lives. Fear of failure, fear of ending up alone, fear of loss, fear of aging, fear of looking foolish, fear of poverty, fear of disease, fear of conflict.
I think Steinbeck knew that everyone is sometimes afraid. Anyone who isn't is lying or a fool. But I think the point is that it is necessary for one to experience real fear in order to ever know or display real courage. Only when one has experienced true fear can one possibly understand the immense courage it takes to choose a fearless response.
Denying fear is not courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear - Ambrose Redmoon
Courage is finding a reason, and a means, to face fear. Courage is choosing not to be chained down by fear. Courage is recognizing fear, naming it, and overcoming it anyways, because we know that a life lived in fear is no life at all.
If fear is everything negative imaginable, all darkness, all sin, all terrible emotions, and if courage is everything good you can think of, then becoming fearless isn't about eliminating all fear from one's life. To be fearless is to be filled less with fear than with truth, hope, love, courage.
"For God did not give us a Spirit of fear or timidity, but a Spirit of love, power, and self discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
I really like extreme sports, at least the ones I've tried, para-sailing, scuba diving, zip lining, cliff jumping, rock climbing.....maybe its because they give me this idea that I am being fearless. But I don't think those activities every elicited true fear in me, and without true fear there cannot be true courage, which I think is what
Steinbeck is getting at.
There are certain fears I think are programmed into us. I don't think anyone is born fearless. We have fears for our physical well being, fear of heights, fear of dangerous animals. We have fears for our emotional well being, fear of rejection, fear of loneliness. We have fears for our spiritual well being, fear of hell, fear of the unknown. I think we are faced with low levels of fear inducing stimuli on a daily basis. Sometimes we don't even recognize our responses as fear, we call it anxiety, stress, reflexes, or personality quirks. Whether or not we recognize it I think there are a few underlying fears that heavily influence the way we live our lives. Fear of failure, fear of ending up alone, fear of loss, fear of aging, fear of looking foolish, fear of poverty, fear of disease, fear of conflict.
I think Steinbeck knew that everyone is sometimes afraid. Anyone who isn't is lying or a fool. But I think the point is that it is necessary for one to experience real fear in order to ever know or display real courage. Only when one has experienced true fear can one possibly understand the immense courage it takes to choose a fearless response.
Denying fear is not courage. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear - Ambrose Redmoon
Courage is finding a reason, and a means, to face fear. Courage is choosing not to be chained down by fear. Courage is recognizing fear, naming it, and overcoming it anyways, because we know that a life lived in fear is no life at all.
If fear is everything negative imaginable, all darkness, all sin, all terrible emotions, and if courage is everything good you can think of, then becoming fearless isn't about eliminating all fear from one's life. To be fearless is to be filled less with fear than with truth, hope, love, courage.
"For God did not give us a Spirit of fear or timidity, but a Spirit of love, power, and self discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Your love is like a waterfall.....
Overwhelming,
Uncontainable,
Unstoppable.
The Lord is our refuge and our strength, an ever present refuge in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth may give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3
Overwhelming,
Uncontainable,
Unstoppable.
The Lord is our refuge and our strength, an ever present refuge in times of trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth may give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Psalm 46:1-3
Monday, April 2, 2012
All Grown Up
I love still answering questions about what I want to be when I grow up. I definitely don't feel all grown up, I don't know if I ever will. But if I do, when I'm all grown up, I still want to have a youthful spirit....(I mean, as youthful a spirit as I can have for someone whose been called Mom from the tender age of 16). I don't want to forget my childhood, lose my imagination or sense of adventure. I still want to ride roller coasters, and indulge my sweet tooth, and laugh until I cry, and live life to the fullest.
I know some people who are grown up and they've managed to hold onto their memory of youth,and without undergoing surgery or pretending to be younger than they are, they still have that heart of a child, and its gold.
Then there's some people I know that are all grown up, but they've lost that part of their former self.
And then I know some people that think they're all grown up, and really really aren't.
And so to help people discern whether or not they fall into the last category, I have compiled a list on ways to know if someone is in fact grown up/growing up. I do not claim to be an expert on the matter. I do not claim to be a grown up. However, my twenty years of experience is enough for me to provide you with this.....
- being grown up is about more than cars and credit cards
- being grown up is sometimes doing things that aren't your favourite, that sometimes aren't fun, and that sometimes aren't convenient for you
- being grown up is choosing not to complain about the things you can't change, because its fruitless, and choosing not to complain about the things you can change because that's called laziness
- being grown up is learning how to settle conflict and learning the art of the apology
- being grown up is about taking responsibility for you, nothing more, nothing less
- being grown up is about living in a world with more people in it than just yourself
I know some people who are grown up and they've managed to hold onto their memory of youth,and without undergoing surgery or pretending to be younger than they are, they still have that heart of a child, and its gold.
Then there's some people I know that are all grown up, but they've lost that part of their former self.
And then I know some people that think they're all grown up, and really really aren't.
And so to help people discern whether or not they fall into the last category, I have compiled a list on ways to know if someone is in fact grown up/growing up. I do not claim to be an expert on the matter. I do not claim to be a grown up. However, my twenty years of experience is enough for me to provide you with this.....
- being grown up is about more than cars and credit cards
- being grown up is sometimes doing things that aren't your favourite, that sometimes aren't fun, and that sometimes aren't convenient for you
- being grown up is choosing not to complain about the things you can't change, because its fruitless, and choosing not to complain about the things you can change because that's called laziness
- being grown up is learning how to settle conflict and learning the art of the apology
- being grown up is about taking responsibility for you, nothing more, nothing less
- being grown up is about living in a world with more people in it than just yourself
Friday, March 16, 2012
Up before the sun in paradise this morning. I can't tell you when the last time I watched a sunrise was. It's kind of outrageous that every morning God paints this beauty into the sky, and the majority of the time it goes wasted.
Well, me and my trusty iPhone compass know that east is directly out across all that open water and this morning we're not gonna miss the show.
Well, me and my trusty iPhone compass know that east is directly out across all that open water and this morning we're not gonna miss the show.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Saturday
Our last breakfast on the base, followed by showers all around, goodbyes and a last minute photo-op before we headed back to the airport. People kept asking us how we felt about going home, whether we wished we could stay longer, and it was a tough question to answer. Although some of us we really starting to miss home, others of us thought we definitely could have handled another couple of weeks if we had been prepared for it....and if we were promised no more green paint. Who knows, maybe some of us will go back someday, there's certainly more to be done, and God's prescence is so apparent there.
It was a bit of a somber drive back to the airport, passing through the streets of Port au Prince again. We viewed it differently a second time through, faces that we almost recognized, poverty that was closer to home now. All of us were thanking God for keeping us safe through a week of driving in Haiti. After going the wrong way round a round-a-bout, we were more than ready to arrive at the airport.
The Port au Prince airport. Craziest airport ever. We thought it was crazy coming in.....its more crazy flying out. I'm convinced it is the most secure airport in the world. I'll just walk you through out time there. We arrive and immediately go through security. We send all our bags, even our massive expandable 400lbs suitcases through a scanner, and then we go through the metal detectors. From there we have our bags weighed, a few of our team scored 50.0lbs right on the weight limit. Then we waited in line for our tickets. Before we got our tickets however, we went through security checkpoint 2. All of the luggage that we were checking had to be opened and searched. Why were their 12 machetes in the guys bag? What is this strange thing called a diffuser? Thankfully the staff had a sense of humour. Once we had our tickets we went though customs and had our passports stamped. I wish every country would stamp your passport. What is the fun of having a passport if it doesn't even record where you've been. So thank you Haiti for being the first country other than the US of A to actually stamp my passport. Did we get to our gate after that? Oh no, not yet, security round 3.....put your carry on luggage through the scanner again, walk through a metal detector aaaaaand pat down. We sat at our gate for probably only 30-40 minutes before we were called to board. But between our gate and the one flight of stairs that leads to our plane, there is clearly a huge risks of us amassing illegal drugs and lethal weapons because we must go through security checkpoint #4. Open up your carry-on luggage, let us search through it again, and then just for safe measure they put you through another pat down. Feeling very safe, and very violated we boarded our plane.
After landing in JFK we all enjoyed some fast food and a quick lay-over before hopping on our short flight to Toronto.
Our parents worried that we would be sick, exhausted and unable to bounce back to school on Monday, but it was just the opposite. The trip left us energized and encouraged. Although it is always tough to resume life after an experience like this, we have to remember the power of prayer, and the continuing work God is doing. Haiti reminded me of my passion for missions. It reminded me that knowing French is actually useful, and that translating is very satisfying. I will definitely be exploring my options for future mission trips, whether that be short term or longer term endeavors. Also I think one of the most significant things that Haiti has done for our team is to reshuffle our priorities and broaden our perspective. The way we view our country, the fairly trustworthy government and stability. The fact that we have a waste disposal system. The fact that we do not often experience natural disasters. The fact that we have accessible health care and clean drinking water. The fact that we have food. It has also made me look at church a little differently, and appreciate the fact that all over the world God's people are shouting out praises to him. It has also made me see that in a lot of Western churches we're missing out on the Spirit. Going to Haiti obviously made us realize how much we have to be thankful for, but also how much about our world, and our lives that there is to learn.
Thanks for tuning in.
It was a bit of a somber drive back to the airport, passing through the streets of Port au Prince again. We viewed it differently a second time through, faces that we almost recognized, poverty that was closer to home now. All of us were thanking God for keeping us safe through a week of driving in Haiti. After going the wrong way round a round-a-bout, we were more than ready to arrive at the airport.
The Port au Prince airport. Craziest airport ever. We thought it was crazy coming in.....its more crazy flying out. I'm convinced it is the most secure airport in the world. I'll just walk you through out time there. We arrive and immediately go through security. We send all our bags, even our massive expandable 400lbs suitcases through a scanner, and then we go through the metal detectors. From there we have our bags weighed, a few of our team scored 50.0lbs right on the weight limit. Then we waited in line for our tickets. Before we got our tickets however, we went through security checkpoint 2. All of the luggage that we were checking had to be opened and searched. Why were their 12 machetes in the guys bag? What is this strange thing called a diffuser? Thankfully the staff had a sense of humour. Once we had our tickets we went though customs and had our passports stamped. I wish every country would stamp your passport. What is the fun of having a passport if it doesn't even record where you've been. So thank you Haiti for being the first country other than the US of A to actually stamp my passport. Did we get to our gate after that? Oh no, not yet, security round 3.....put your carry on luggage through the scanner again, walk through a metal detector aaaaaand pat down. We sat at our gate for probably only 30-40 minutes before we were called to board. But between our gate and the one flight of stairs that leads to our plane, there is clearly a huge risks of us amassing illegal drugs and lethal weapons because we must go through security checkpoint #4. Open up your carry-on luggage, let us search through it again, and then just for safe measure they put you through another pat down. Feeling very safe, and very violated we boarded our plane.
After landing in JFK we all enjoyed some fast food and a quick lay-over before hopping on our short flight to Toronto.
Our parents worried that we would be sick, exhausted and unable to bounce back to school on Monday, but it was just the opposite. The trip left us energized and encouraged. Although it is always tough to resume life after an experience like this, we have to remember the power of prayer, and the continuing work God is doing. Haiti reminded me of my passion for missions. It reminded me that knowing French is actually useful, and that translating is very satisfying. I will definitely be exploring my options for future mission trips, whether that be short term or longer term endeavors. Also I think one of the most significant things that Haiti has done for our team is to reshuffle our priorities and broaden our perspective. The way we view our country, the fairly trustworthy government and stability. The fact that we have a waste disposal system. The fact that we do not often experience natural disasters. The fact that we have accessible health care and clean drinking water. The fact that we have food. It has also made me look at church a little differently, and appreciate the fact that all over the world God's people are shouting out praises to him. It has also made me see that in a lot of Western churches we're missing out on the Spirit. Going to Haiti obviously made us realize how much we have to be thankful for, but also how much about our world, and our lives that there is to learn.
Thanks for tuning in.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
It's Friday...Friday...
Although a part of us was disappointed that our days of work were through, we kept hearing stories all week about the beautiful scenery at the beach we were going to. So when Friday rolled around there really wasn't any grumbling about getting into our bathing suits and heading to Wahoo Beach.
Now I'm been blessed or maybe spoiled to have had the opportunity to travel a few places already in my life. I'd been to the ocean before, I'd seen mountains before, and I'd been in the Caribbean....but I'd never seen all of that in one place. To be so close to where the mountains touch the clear turquoise water....breathtaking. Pictures and descriptions don't do it justice. We all just needed a second to take in our surroundings.
A local vendor talked us into doing some snorkeling in the morning. Some members of our team had never been to the ocean or done snorkeling before, so for $7, this was a must. An underwater camera made the whole thing that much better... Several large truck tires reminded us that this is still Haiti....garbage everywhere, I wasn't kidding
When we got back it was time for another authentic Haitian meal before settling down for an afternoon in the sun. After hiding out for the sun all week, it was great to be able to soak in some Vitamin D, and have the option of jumping in the pool or ocean whenever we got too warm.
We left just at the perfect time when our skin began to turn that unnatural reddish colour. Beautiful day, and made even better by the fact that the guys decided to pay to take our translators with us, so they got to enjoy a beach day as well.
That night was our evening on dishes....we were kind of dreading it to be honest. Dishes aren't so bad when you have a dishwasher, or even Hobart from camp....but dishes for 250 people done by hand is a daunting tasks. One of the guys from our team decided to make a game of it. Every single dish had to be named and no two dishes could be named the same thing. Beginning with blue bowl, moving to sunburn red plate, to robins egg speckled plate and two-toned Ronald Mcdonalds red and yellow happy-meal bowl.
A surprisingly fantastic way to end the day
Now I'm been blessed or maybe spoiled to have had the opportunity to travel a few places already in my life. I'd been to the ocean before, I'd seen mountains before, and I'd been in the Caribbean....but I'd never seen all of that in one place. To be so close to where the mountains touch the clear turquoise water....breathtaking. Pictures and descriptions don't do it justice. We all just needed a second to take in our surroundings.
A local vendor talked us into doing some snorkeling in the morning. Some members of our team had never been to the ocean or done snorkeling before, so for $7, this was a must. An underwater camera made the whole thing that much better... Several large truck tires reminded us that this is still Haiti....garbage everywhere, I wasn't kidding
When we got back it was time for another authentic Haitian meal before settling down for an afternoon in the sun. After hiding out for the sun all week, it was great to be able to soak in some Vitamin D, and have the option of jumping in the pool or ocean whenever we got too warm.
We left just at the perfect time when our skin began to turn that unnatural reddish colour. Beautiful day, and made even better by the fact that the guys decided to pay to take our translators with us, so they got to enjoy a beach day as well.
That night was our evening on dishes....we were kind of dreading it to be honest. Dishes aren't so bad when you have a dishwasher, or even Hobart from camp....but dishes for 250 people done by hand is a daunting tasks. One of the guys from our team decided to make a game of it. Every single dish had to be named and no two dishes could be named the same thing. Beginning with blue bowl, moving to sunburn red plate, to robins egg speckled plate and two-toned Ronald Mcdonalds red and yellow happy-meal bowl.
A surprisingly fantastic way to end the day
Friday, March 2, 2012
Thursday
On Thursday we lost one more member of our team - Lisa, to the vision clinic. We were thrilled that she and Olivia could have that opportunity, and the rest of us we excited to get back to the village for one more day of work projects. That day consisted of tying up loose ends. A lot of homes had the outsides painted but someone forgot to come back and do the insides, so that was our job. It was neat to see a lot of familiar faces and continue conversations from the previous day. I had my iPhone playing music in my pocket, and jamming to Chris Tomlin with everyone from the Mission and the village singing along, the day went by pretty fast. The families sometimes let us take pictures with them once we had completed their home. We gathered a few of the families we had the pleasure of meeting and assisting for a photo together before we ended off the day.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Wednesday
In the morning everyone except for Olivia hopped on a bus with the guys on our team. We dropped them off at Bercy to continue their noble fence-building project with the tarantulas and inescapable direct sunlight, and then we doubled back to the village of Leveque. We drove through the housing we had seen on Sunday, but continued over the hill to a separate part of the village. This was the deaf village Mission of Hope had developed there. In Haiti the deaf are treated like lepers, social outcasts who don't add anything to society. Following the earthquake the majority of the deaf community were living in the roughest ghetto in Port au Prince. Thanks to Mission of Hope's connections within the Haitian community they learned of this situation and relocated about a hundred families to Leveque. Now these families are better off than they were even before the quake. The houses they are given consist of 3 rooms, 2 bedrooms and and main room that is often used as the kitchen. The insides of the houses are cream or white, and the families get to choose what colour to paint the outside. And just when we thought we had escaped olive green, we discovered that was the colour of the day in Leveque. So we whipped out our paint rollers and paint brushes and motored through those houses. And this time we had eager little hands to help us.
For lunch we boarded the bus and passed around peanut butter sandwiches and Pringles. In the afternoon, some of us lucked out and got to paint the insides of some homes, a welcome break from the sun and the green paint. It was so cool to watch conversations go from English to French to Creole to sign and back again. Sometimes people from the main village in Leveque would come over just to chat with us, practice their English, and laugh at my French.
As we left Leveque that day, my second pair of sunglasses found their way onto some boy's head. Happy to have done my part in protecting the eyes of Haitian youth, we departed the village with the hope of returning the next day.
On the topic of eyes......Olivia had found out about a Vision Clinic being hosted at the Mission of Hope base to provide glasses for the surrounding community. With her future career path leading to optometry she took this as a really cool God opporitunity.
That evening we had some down time on the basketball court, tossing around a football, having a massage train, and a few of us actually played basketball.....truly though, Julia and I decided that out game of dancing football was more of our calling, and we were inspired to purchase a football when we returned home. That night we slept well. There is nothing like feeling physically exhausted. We had been longing for that kind of exhaustion.....mental exhaustion, emotional exhaustion - sure! all the time, but we don't really get the chance for any kind of physical labour whilst in university.
For lunch we boarded the bus and passed around peanut butter sandwiches and Pringles. In the afternoon, some of us lucked out and got to paint the insides of some homes, a welcome break from the sun and the green paint. It was so cool to watch conversations go from English to French to Creole to sign and back again. Sometimes people from the main village in Leveque would come over just to chat with us, practice their English, and laugh at my French.
As we left Leveque that day, my second pair of sunglasses found their way onto some boy's head. Happy to have done my part in protecting the eyes of Haitian youth, we departed the village with the hope of returning the next day.
On the topic of eyes......Olivia had found out about a Vision Clinic being hosted at the Mission of Hope base to provide glasses for the surrounding community. With her future career path leading to optometry she took this as a really cool God opporitunity.
That evening we had some down time on the basketball court, tossing around a football, having a massage train, and a few of us actually played basketball.....truly though, Julia and I decided that out game of dancing football was more of our calling, and we were inspired to purchase a football when we returned home. That night we slept well. There is nothing like feeling physically exhausted. We had been longing for that kind of exhaustion.....mental exhaustion, emotional exhaustion - sure! all the time, but we don't really get the chance for any kind of physical labour whilst in university.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday
Tuesday morning we grabbed another 100 or so cans of paint and headed back to the warehouse. We were obviously pros by day 2, much more efficient, much more professional...
But in all seriousness, we were productive....due to the unfortunate texture of the building, it probably won't be completely finished being painted for another couple hundred years, but we gave the next groups a really good start.
That evening we attended another worship service at the Church of Hope, which was incredible. There was something truly amazing about worshiping in two, sometimes three different languages. No one notices the difference, its all still praising the Lord. Such a blessing and encouragement to our team.
The best news of the night came when we found out for certain that Wednesday would not involved painting the warehouse. There would still be painting, but we were headed out to the villages.
But in all seriousness, we were productive....due to the unfortunate texture of the building, it probably won't be completely finished being painted for another couple hundred years, but we gave the next groups a really good start.
That evening we attended another worship service at the Church of Hope, which was incredible. There was something truly amazing about worshiping in two, sometimes three different languages. No one notices the difference, its all still praising the Lord. Such a blessing and encouragement to our team.
The best news of the night came when we found out for certain that Wednesday would not involved painting the warehouse. There would still be painting, but we were headed out to the villages.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday
Monday morning work projects begin. The girls find out that for the first two days we were going to be painting the old MoH warehouse that is going to be turned into a kind of trades school to provide additional learning opportunities for post-secondary students. Secretly we were all a little disappointed initially, painting didn't seem like a very important job, it didn't seem like hard work, or necessary with all the other needs abounding in Haiti. But we all put our best foot forward, and then we found out a few things. 1) Painting is in fact hard work, especially when you're painting concrete the texture of stucco, especially when your paint rollers suck, especially when you're using Haitian paint, especially when the wall wall is over 20 feet high. 2) Mission of Hope is kind of like an oasis in Haiti, and it represents what the rest of Haiti could look like someday. 3) (we wouldn't fully grasp this until Wednesday): Paint, and colour is a point of pride in Haiti. It's an expression of ownership and completion. The colourful buildings represent beauty.
So we got to work
That afternoon we also got a chance to connect with our two designated translators named Smith and Villarson. Villarson also goes by the name SOG (Son of God), and he liked to just occasionally shout out his nickname to no one in particular. We bit of an SOG pep talk about evangelizing and showing Christ through our actions, and standing firm in the faith. Very cool guy, gave us a lot to think about as we compared attitudes towards Christianity in Haiti vs. North America.
After we finished work for the day we decided to visit the orphanage on the base. Visitors are only allowed in the nursery (so kids under 5ish), but that was alright with us. Adorable kids, and we learned that certain things are universal - kids like being tossed into the air :)
That night we spent some more quality time on the roof, saw some shooting stars, and looked out over Port au Prince in the distance.
So we got to work
That afternoon we also got a chance to connect with our two designated translators named Smith and Villarson. Villarson also goes by the name SOG (Son of God), and he liked to just occasionally shout out his nickname to no one in particular. We bit of an SOG pep talk about evangelizing and showing Christ through our actions, and standing firm in the faith. Very cool guy, gave us a lot to think about as we compared attitudes towards Christianity in Haiti vs. North America.
After we finished work for the day we decided to visit the orphanage on the base. Visitors are only allowed in the nursery (so kids under 5ish), but that was alright with us. Adorable kids, and we learned that certain things are universal - kids like being tossed into the air :)
That night we spent some more quality time on the roof, saw some shooting stars, and looked out over Port au Prince in the distance.
Sunday - Day of Rest.....jokes.
Another bright and early 6:30am morning. Had our first experiences with powdered milk at breakfast which was surprisingly tolerable. Sunday was all about understanding the MoH vision.
After breakfast we were given a tour of the MoH campus...I don't have pictures from it all, but here are a few places of interest.
Although MoH has a clinic on site, and a few "Clinics in a Can" (essentially a portable), they are now building a hospital. From the outside it looked like a typical cement building, but inside it was just this huge maze of interconnecting rooms and hallways. I would love to see what it looks like when its completed.
Part of what Mission of Hope does is a nutrition program. They provide 50 000 meals a day to the Haitian people. Some of this is in the form of rice being brought in bulk to communities, and some of this is hot meals for every student at the school (2500). What MoH has been realizing, is that the rice economy has been suffering since so many organizations are importing rice from the US to feed everyone. MoH just built this new warehouse where they plan to store rice that will be bought from Haitian farmers, thus pouring into the economy, and then given back to the Haitian people. With the warehouse, they hope to be able to more than double the amount of meals/day they are currently providing.
We also saw the prosthetics lab, and the 3 cords workshop. For more information of MoH initiatives, check out their website http://www.mohhaiti.org/
After our tour, we went to the Church of Hope. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe our experience there. With approximately 2500 people in the congregation each week we were overwhelmed by the heartfelt worship, and presence of the Spirit.
Because the message was in Creole, we opted to join the Sunday School, which equally great. We discovered 3 things about Haitian children. A) They really like cameras, B) they really like sunglasses, and C) They (especially the girls) really like braiding our hair.
After lunch we headed out to see the off-campus villages of MoH: Bercy and Leveque. Currently these campuses are being developed so they have most of what the main campus has, a school, and orphanage, sports facilities, food programs, housing, and medical care.
Our first stop was Bercy, as we arrived the children poured out from amongst the plantain trees to greet us. We all took a walk to the ocean, with a child on each hip. It was here I realized what an asset French was going to be as I struck up a conversation with Liza (Leeza? wearing red). Being able to communicate, even if its a little rough, was such a huge blessing to me. The older kids and adults especially seemed excited to discover when a "blanc" spoke French. Admittedly, I had to often tell them to speak slooooowly, and more often than not, they laughed to themselves about my horrible accent. But language barrier was broken, and that was cool.
As we piled back onto the bus, my first pair of Crossroads sunglasses went to a fairly aggressive young girl, who may or may not have also been responsible for taking Julia's hair clips and Ashley's bracelets. Ah well, I brought them to give away.
Our next stop was Leveque, which was more developed with MoH's 500 homes program. Until recently the amount of Samaritans Purse blue tarp houses had vastly outnumbered the permanent houses, but now the colourful MoH homes are beginning to take over. Little did we know we would be spending some more time here later in the week.
On our way back to the base we stopped for an authentic Haitian meal at Gwo Papa Poul which translates from Creole to Big Daddy Chicken.
That evening the girls took some down time on the roof of our guest house. Time to journal, read, pray, reflect, and take photos of the beautiful sunset over the ocean.
After breakfast we were given a tour of the MoH campus...I don't have pictures from it all, but here are a few places of interest.
Although MoH has a clinic on site, and a few "Clinics in a Can" (essentially a portable), they are now building a hospital. From the outside it looked like a typical cement building, but inside it was just this huge maze of interconnecting rooms and hallways. I would love to see what it looks like when its completed.
Part of what Mission of Hope does is a nutrition program. They provide 50 000 meals a day to the Haitian people. Some of this is in the form of rice being brought in bulk to communities, and some of this is hot meals for every student at the school (2500). What MoH has been realizing, is that the rice economy has been suffering since so many organizations are importing rice from the US to feed everyone. MoH just built this new warehouse where they plan to store rice that will be bought from Haitian farmers, thus pouring into the economy, and then given back to the Haitian people. With the warehouse, they hope to be able to more than double the amount of meals/day they are currently providing.
We also saw the prosthetics lab, and the 3 cords workshop. For more information of MoH initiatives, check out their website http://www.mohhaiti.org/
After our tour, we went to the Church of Hope. Amazing doesn't even begin to describe our experience there. With approximately 2500 people in the congregation each week we were overwhelmed by the heartfelt worship, and presence of the Spirit.
Because the message was in Creole, we opted to join the Sunday School, which equally great. We discovered 3 things about Haitian children. A) They really like cameras, B) they really like sunglasses, and C) They (especially the girls) really like braiding our hair.
After lunch we headed out to see the off-campus villages of MoH: Bercy and Leveque. Currently these campuses are being developed so they have most of what the main campus has, a school, and orphanage, sports facilities, food programs, housing, and medical care.
Our first stop was Bercy, as we arrived the children poured out from amongst the plantain trees to greet us. We all took a walk to the ocean, with a child on each hip. It was here I realized what an asset French was going to be as I struck up a conversation with Liza (Leeza? wearing red). Being able to communicate, even if its a little rough, was such a huge blessing to me. The older kids and adults especially seemed excited to discover when a "blanc" spoke French. Admittedly, I had to often tell them to speak slooooowly, and more often than not, they laughed to themselves about my horrible accent. But language barrier was broken, and that was cool.
As we piled back onto the bus, my first pair of Crossroads sunglasses went to a fairly aggressive young girl, who may or may not have also been responsible for taking Julia's hair clips and Ashley's bracelets. Ah well, I brought them to give away.
Our next stop was Leveque, which was more developed with MoH's 500 homes program. Until recently the amount of Samaritans Purse blue tarp houses had vastly outnumbered the permanent houses, but now the colourful MoH homes are beginning to take over. Little did we know we would be spending some more time here later in the week.
On our way back to the base we stopped for an authentic Haitian meal at Gwo Papa Poul which translates from Creole to Big Daddy Chicken.
That evening the girls took some down time on the roof of our guest house. Time to journal, read, pray, reflect, and take photos of the beautiful sunset over the ocean.
Headed for Haiti
February 18th 2012: 5am - I leap out of bed to answer our wake up call, and we pack up and head down to the lobby. It was a wonderful surprise when the continental breakfast that opened at 6 was conveniently already stocked with donuts and yogurt and apples. Due to our 19 pieces of luggage (not including carry-ons), our airport shuttle had to make two trips. The girls and I took round one and began chatting it up with out shuttle driver. Wouldn't you know it, he's from Haiti. I guess you can read into that as little or as much as you like, but we just enjoyed chatting with him about our trip, and his growing up in Haiti. It was a good start to the day.
After a smooth check in, and some early morning gellato we boarded our 757 to Port au Prince. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of flying...especially the descent, so I took lots of pictures on the way down to distract myself :)
During our 3 1/2 hour flight we learned that there was going to be a Carnival going on in Haiti while we were there....apparently this is a typical thing that happens in Southern countries right around the start of Lent. We weren't going to be in the same area that the carnival was taking place, but people on our plane were PUMPED! Lots of excited French and Creole chatter as we arrived, and musicians serenaded us as we disembarked on the tarmac.
If you ever fly to Port au Prince, I have one piece of advice for you - BEWARE RED SHIRTS. These men may claim that its their job to look after your luggage, they may try to rip the luggage tags out of your hands...they may even call your sweetheart of a roommate a bitch, but whatever you do HOLD ON TO YOUR BAGS. On the other hand, some of the airport employees were super nice, and we chatted with one man who was showing us pictures of his kids, and I got my first taste of what the Creole/French/English language barrier would be.
By the time we made it to the school bus provided by Mission of Hope we were already sweating. While we waited for the other group that never arrived we snapped some photos of the airport still damaged from the 2010 quake...
....and we listened to the sounds of Haiti, including car alarms, car horns, car horns, car alarms, and car horns.
On our drive to the Mission of Hope campus which was about an hour out of Port au Prince we all were surprised by different things. In 2005 when I was in Oaxaca, Mexico teaching English I had my first experience with the Third World. The tarp and tin houses, the colourful buildings, the crazy driving, the markets, and the smell I was "used" to. Not that I was at all desensitized to it, rather I was prepared for those aspects. I was however surprised by a few things. First: Holy garbage! The streets are lined with it, the banks of the rivers are covered in it. There is no government funded waste disposal system, and the Haitians don't quite understand the idea of a dump, so the entire city is a dump.
As we got more outside of Port au Prince the country opened up around us, and I realized I also wasn't expecting Haiti to be so beautiful. It's an island in the Caribbean, its attached to Dominican Republic, but I've never thought of it as scenic. Well it is....
It really is...
In the middle of our trip, our bus driver pulled the bus over next to a mountain. He pointed to a little cross in the distance. He told us that the cross marked one of the mass graves just over the mountain that was filled with bodies from after the earthquake. Our stomachs churned a bit as we thought about that. Its only been 2 years, there are reminders everywhere of it. This is still a country that is mourning.
As we rolled into the MoH campus, we were still really uncertain of what to expect. we had no details on our work projects, or on what our living situation would really be like. We unloaded our extra suitcases in the donations room. We were so thankful to Ray of Hope in Waterloo that Julia and I have been fortunate enough to connect with this year, for their generous donations of clothes and shoes, as well as Grantham MB Church in St. Catharines which provided a lot of toiletries and 3 cords supplies.
On to the guest house. To our surprise, the accommodations were way more luxe than expected. Pillows - what?! Screens on the windows - what?! Working shower and toilet - WHAT?! So with our minds at rest about a few things, we went and explored the base before settling down for our first meal -- Lasagna made with tortillas, and the picky eater in me said "Alright...we can do this" :)
After a smooth check in, and some early morning gellato we boarded our 757 to Port au Prince. I'm not exactly the biggest fan of flying...especially the descent, so I took lots of pictures on the way down to distract myself :)
During our 3 1/2 hour flight we learned that there was going to be a Carnival going on in Haiti while we were there....apparently this is a typical thing that happens in Southern countries right around the start of Lent. We weren't going to be in the same area that the carnival was taking place, but people on our plane were PUMPED! Lots of excited French and Creole chatter as we arrived, and musicians serenaded us as we disembarked on the tarmac.
If you ever fly to Port au Prince, I have one piece of advice for you - BEWARE RED SHIRTS. These men may claim that its their job to look after your luggage, they may try to rip the luggage tags out of your hands...they may even call your sweetheart of a roommate a bitch, but whatever you do HOLD ON TO YOUR BAGS. On the other hand, some of the airport employees were super nice, and we chatted with one man who was showing us pictures of his kids, and I got my first taste of what the Creole/French/English language barrier would be.
By the time we made it to the school bus provided by Mission of Hope we were already sweating. While we waited for the other group that never arrived we snapped some photos of the airport still damaged from the 2010 quake...
....and we listened to the sounds of Haiti, including car alarms, car horns, car horns, car alarms, and car horns.
On our drive to the Mission of Hope campus which was about an hour out of Port au Prince we all were surprised by different things. In 2005 when I was in Oaxaca, Mexico teaching English I had my first experience with the Third World. The tarp and tin houses, the colourful buildings, the crazy driving, the markets, and the smell I was "used" to. Not that I was at all desensitized to it, rather I was prepared for those aspects. I was however surprised by a few things. First: Holy garbage! The streets are lined with it, the banks of the rivers are covered in it. There is no government funded waste disposal system, and the Haitians don't quite understand the idea of a dump, so the entire city is a dump.
As we got more outside of Port au Prince the country opened up around us, and I realized I also wasn't expecting Haiti to be so beautiful. It's an island in the Caribbean, its attached to Dominican Republic, but I've never thought of it as scenic. Well it is....
It really is...
In the middle of our trip, our bus driver pulled the bus over next to a mountain. He pointed to a little cross in the distance. He told us that the cross marked one of the mass graves just over the mountain that was filled with bodies from after the earthquake. Our stomachs churned a bit as we thought about that. Its only been 2 years, there are reminders everywhere of it. This is still a country that is mourning.
As we rolled into the MoH campus, we were still really uncertain of what to expect. we had no details on our work projects, or on what our living situation would really be like. We unloaded our extra suitcases in the donations room. We were so thankful to Ray of Hope in Waterloo that Julia and I have been fortunate enough to connect with this year, for their generous donations of clothes and shoes, as well as Grantham MB Church in St. Catharines which provided a lot of toiletries and 3 cords supplies.
On to the guest house. To our surprise, the accommodations were way more luxe than expected. Pillows - what?! Screens on the windows - what?! Working shower and toilet - WHAT?! So with our minds at rest about a few things, we went and explored the base before settling down for our first meal -- Lasagna made with tortillas, and the picky eater in me said "Alright...we can do this" :)
How it all Started
Last February my roommate Julia and I were bemoaning the way we had spent our reading week. That, coupled with the fact that we hadn't been able to get settled into any volunteer jobs made us feel a little restless to go and do something. We were chatting about the way it feels after a long day of hard work, like real physical labour, not just mental exhaustion. And then the idea began to form, we're young, we're fit, we're broke, and we're aching to serve. Our minds began to turn towards the idea of venturing to Haiti when Julia's aunt informed her of an opportunity. Things really began falling into place, and we could feel God directing us as we planned.
At the end of summer 2011, Julia and I had really been praying about what the trip was meant to look like in terms of other people. God had put some names on our hearts, and through a few conversations we realized some of those people felt God tugging their hearts in that direction as well. Soooooo when it all came together we had a team of 11 people who, for different reasons all signed on for a Reading Week trip to Haiti. Thanks to generous donations and church, family, and friends, it also didn't break the bank, and many of us were able to travel for free, or practically free.
February 17th 2012 at 11:30 am we met at the Vineland carpool lot, hopped on a limo bus and headed for the Toronto airport.
We flew from Toronto to New York that Saturday, and thanks to prior flight complications, we had to wait until the following morning to fly to Port au Prince. So we hit up a cheap Comfort Inn, ordered in some food, took what we thought we be our last shower for a long time, and got some solid zzzzzzs.
At the end of summer 2011, Julia and I had really been praying about what the trip was meant to look like in terms of other people. God had put some names on our hearts, and through a few conversations we realized some of those people felt God tugging their hearts in that direction as well. Soooooo when it all came together we had a team of 11 people who, for different reasons all signed on for a Reading Week trip to Haiti. Thanks to generous donations and church, family, and friends, it also didn't break the bank, and many of us were able to travel for free, or practically free.
February 17th 2012 at 11:30 am we met at the Vineland carpool lot, hopped on a limo bus and headed for the Toronto airport.
We flew from Toronto to New York that Saturday, and thanks to prior flight complications, we had to wait until the following morning to fly to Port au Prince. So we hit up a cheap Comfort Inn, ordered in some food, took what we thought we be our last shower for a long time, and got some solid zzzzzzs.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
I Love You
Well, happy Valentines Day everyone.
I'll admit that I have mixed feelings about the whole occasion....the fact of my singleness.... combined with the fact that it isn't actually a holiday so I don't get time off school/work etc....combined with the fact that I am no longer in elementary school where we all got to give out Valentines....makes the day less than anticipated in my world.
Not that I hate it, couples do cute things, cute movies come out, and there's an abundance of chocolate. I think its great that we have a day set aside to celebrate love (although the history geek in me wonders where this whole Cupid love thing came from when the origins of Valentine's Day are a tribute to saints that were martyred), but the bigger issue I have with the day is the narrow view of love that is taken. Perhaps more than just romantic love should be celebrated on this day....that way everyone would have something to celebrate.
But lets talk about love for a minute...I really wish we would stop devaluing this whole romantic "love" thing. I mean, I've only ever done this whole singleness thing, but I've observed a lot of relationships and let me tell you something....Let me tell you what won't be real high on my 'to-do' list upon entering a relationship: this. This whole saying "I Love You" business....and future man better have been given some insight into this, because I feel quite strongly about the matter.
I'm not saying we shouldn't love people, and act lovingly and speak lovingly. I just think our world has forgotten what it means to say "I love you" to someone. In the context I'm referring to, that phrase is pretty powerful. "I Love You" isn't just gonna slip out of my mouth one day, it won't be flippant, it won't be a surprise, and it won't be taken back the next week. To me, "I Love You" is the expression of a commitment. Saying it is a choice. I'm all about choices, and recognizing that almost everything in life is a choice, and owning the choices that you make. When I say "I Love You", it will mean "I am choosing to love you. I am choosing to love all of you. I am choosing to love you whatever the future holds. I am choosing to love you more than myself. I am choosing you to love, and only you". If that sounds intense, if those sound kinda like wedding vows, then I am communicating the message properly. Love is intense, and in my opinion saying I love you should be pretty much synonymous with saying I will marry you. Because if you're choosing to love someone, like really love someone, then there really shouldn't be anything that could break that commitment....not annoying habits, not time, not changes in appearance, not anything.
So future man I'm thinking about you today, and hoping that you aren't saying "I Love You" to some other girl. And when we find each other, please do not be offended or surprised if these three little words don't spill from my mouth on our 1 month, or 6 months. Currently the plan is to only say them to one person, every day, for the rest of our lives.
I'll admit that I have mixed feelings about the whole occasion....the fact of my singleness.... combined with the fact that it isn't actually a holiday so I don't get time off school/work etc....combined with the fact that I am no longer in elementary school where we all got to give out Valentines....makes the day less than anticipated in my world.
Not that I hate it, couples do cute things, cute movies come out, and there's an abundance of chocolate. I think its great that we have a day set aside to celebrate love (although the history geek in me wonders where this whole Cupid love thing came from when the origins of Valentine's Day are a tribute to saints that were martyred), but the bigger issue I have with the day is the narrow view of love that is taken. Perhaps more than just romantic love should be celebrated on this day....that way everyone would have something to celebrate.
But lets talk about love for a minute...I really wish we would stop devaluing this whole romantic "love" thing. I mean, I've only ever done this whole singleness thing, but I've observed a lot of relationships and let me tell you something....Let me tell you what won't be real high on my 'to-do' list upon entering a relationship: this. This whole saying "I Love You" business....and future man better have been given some insight into this, because I feel quite strongly about the matter.
I'm not saying we shouldn't love people, and act lovingly and speak lovingly. I just think our world has forgotten what it means to say "I love you" to someone. In the context I'm referring to, that phrase is pretty powerful. "I Love You" isn't just gonna slip out of my mouth one day, it won't be flippant, it won't be a surprise, and it won't be taken back the next week. To me, "I Love You" is the expression of a commitment. Saying it is a choice. I'm all about choices, and recognizing that almost everything in life is a choice, and owning the choices that you make. When I say "I Love You", it will mean "I am choosing to love you. I am choosing to love all of you. I am choosing to love you whatever the future holds. I am choosing to love you more than myself. I am choosing you to love, and only you". If that sounds intense, if those sound kinda like wedding vows, then I am communicating the message properly. Love is intense, and in my opinion saying I love you should be pretty much synonymous with saying I will marry you. Because if you're choosing to love someone, like really love someone, then there really shouldn't be anything that could break that commitment....not annoying habits, not time, not changes in appearance, not anything.
So future man I'm thinking about you today, and hoping that you aren't saying "I Love You" to some other girl. And when we find each other, please do not be offended or surprised if these three little words don't spill from my mouth on our 1 month, or 6 months. Currently the plan is to only say them to one person, every day, for the rest of our lives.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
I Do.........not think this is a good idea
I think it would be one of the more difficult things in life to attend a friend's wedding, whose marriage you don't support or see working out. Its hard enough to watch friends enter into relationships that don't seem right, let alone committing your forever to that person. But I'm worried that's what you're gonna make me do. I'm worried you're going to invite me to watch you make the biggest mistake of your life. When the invitation comes, because I'm guessing it will, I'm just going to cry. I'm going to cry for the difficult and less than ideal future you are choosing for yourself. I wish I could understand your choice, that would make this easier. Before the aisle and bells and vows I need you to explain to me what you see in that person. I've tried to figure it out on my own....but thus far nothing about them adds up to "The One". The whole situation gets me so riled up everything time I think about it. I pray that either my eyes are opened to the passionate, kind, personable, smart, Godly side of this person that I have never seen before. Or I'm praying that you have a change in heart....soon. And I'll admit that lately my prayers have more often resembled the latter.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Chivalry
I'm not going to say chivalry is dead, because I know that's not entirely true, and I want to give a few guys out there some credit. But I wish chivalry didn't surprise me and catch me off guard when I encounter it. I wish I didn't think twice when a guy opens a door, allowing me to walk through first while placing a hand on my back. Not in a pushy way, just as a common courtesy. Because it is just a common courtesy, it just isn't very common. Whatever happened to giving up your seat on a crowded bus, or walking on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street? What happened to opening car doors? What happened to holding out the chair? I'm not saying I expect all those things. I'm not even saying I would necessarily like all those things. I'm all for capable women. I can cut my own meat, tie my own skates and check my own oil. The point is general thoughtfulness. The point is that I don't expect those things....ever...and that's a little sad. I think there should be a minimum standard of etiquette between men and women. A baseline of courtesy and kindness that everyone is expected to adhere to. Then maybe guys would actually have to step up a little bit to impress a girl. Then girls might feel more widely respected and valued regardless of their relationship status. Maybe then this would translate into more self-respect. Women have kind of dug ourselves into this hole. I'm not a feminist, although I do agree with some of their aims. Feminism just takes this whole equality thing to the extreme sometimes. I don't want a man to treat me like a man. I want a man to treat me like a woman. An equal, but a completely different equal. I don't want to be babied, but I am impressed with good old fashioned manners. Chivalry isn't extinct, but it is on the list of endangered values.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat
So I'm heading off to Haiti in a couple of weeks. My excitement is tainted only slightly be a sense of anxiety over the whole situation that I've been trying to process. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and kind of alongside that comes the fact that Haiti isn't exactly safe. I take me safety for granted a lot I think. I can count on one hand the amount of times I've even seen a gun in real life, or witnessed a display of violence, or probably even the amount of times I've seen a movie with extreme violence. But I've been thinking lately of what it means to trust God with my safety, with my life.
I was thinking, (perhaps a little morbidly), what if I never made it back from Haiti? I realized how much value I place on my earthly existence, and how much of a stretch it can be to get me out of my elbow pads, helmet and airbags, bubble life. A passage from Shane Claiborne's The Irresistible Revolution keeps running through my head. The idea that God didn't call us to live safe lives. I mean, he also didn't call us to be reckless and negligent with the gift of life he gave us, but there are absolutely going to be times when God may call us in a direction that has some risk involved.
I would love to be in the head space where I think, "If God can be glorified more through my death and surrounding events, then in my continued life, then a) maybe my life isn't giving God adequate witness, but b) to God be the glory, take me home." I'm not exactly there yet, and I know that this whole train of thought is a little on the dramatic side, but bare with me. I don't think I'll ever be able to say I'm completed detached from this world as long as people I love are still here. But, what if I'm willing to concede that this journey I've been called on is maybe full of more risks and requiring more courage than I realized.
In Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Miller talks about the formula for the greatest life story. He says that the greatest stories involved characters that set near impossible goals and have to endure great personal sacrifice to achieve them. Am I willing to sacrifice my safety in order to further the kingdom and spread some love? And not just in Haiti, I means that's only a week of my whole year, which is just a year in a lifetime. Beyond that, am I willing to take risks daily? Social risks? Financial risks? Emotional risks?
The title of this post is the title of a book by John Ortberg. Probably 8 or so years ago, my old church did a kind of series of sermons based on themes from the book. Although I was a little young to fully appreciate the messages at the time, I am really game to dive into the book now. The whole idea is that we have comfort zones, and that we need to break out of these, specifically our spiritual comfort zones. Where our fears begin is one decent indicator of where our comfort zones end. We have to take steps of faith, like Peter, each day in order to expand our comfort zones and increase our overall usefulness. The first step is just having the desire and the willingness to step out of the boat.....check.
I was thinking, (perhaps a little morbidly), what if I never made it back from Haiti? I realized how much value I place on my earthly existence, and how much of a stretch it can be to get me out of my elbow pads, helmet and airbags, bubble life. A passage from Shane Claiborne's The Irresistible Revolution keeps running through my head. The idea that God didn't call us to live safe lives. I mean, he also didn't call us to be reckless and negligent with the gift of life he gave us, but there are absolutely going to be times when God may call us in a direction that has some risk involved.
I would love to be in the head space where I think, "If God can be glorified more through my death and surrounding events, then in my continued life, then a) maybe my life isn't giving God adequate witness, but b) to God be the glory, take me home." I'm not exactly there yet, and I know that this whole train of thought is a little on the dramatic side, but bare with me. I don't think I'll ever be able to say I'm completed detached from this world as long as people I love are still here. But, what if I'm willing to concede that this journey I've been called on is maybe full of more risks and requiring more courage than I realized.
In Donald Miller's A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, Miller talks about the formula for the greatest life story. He says that the greatest stories involved characters that set near impossible goals and have to endure great personal sacrifice to achieve them. Am I willing to sacrifice my safety in order to further the kingdom and spread some love? And not just in Haiti, I means that's only a week of my whole year, which is just a year in a lifetime. Beyond that, am I willing to take risks daily? Social risks? Financial risks? Emotional risks?
The title of this post is the title of a book by John Ortberg. Probably 8 or so years ago, my old church did a kind of series of sermons based on themes from the book. Although I was a little young to fully appreciate the messages at the time, I am really game to dive into the book now. The whole idea is that we have comfort zones, and that we need to break out of these, specifically our spiritual comfort zones. Where our fears begin is one decent indicator of where our comfort zones end. We have to take steps of faith, like Peter, each day in order to expand our comfort zones and increase our overall usefulness. The first step is just having the desire and the willingness to step out of the boat.....check.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Hot Air Balloons 2
I've written about them before, but I don't think I'll ever get over my love and amazement of hot air balloons....at least not until I cross riding in one off of my bucket list. I used to always think they were a Waterloo thing. When I was younger this is where I would see them, maybe 1 or 2 a summer on a visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Ever since then I've developed this fascination.
It's not that I love flying....I'm not exactly the Wright Brother's biggest fan. Because of them I've been forced to sacrifice my beloved road trips in the good old GMC Safari van for flights with less leg room, smaller windows, worse food and recycled air. But I think I could handle a hot air balloon. I think that would be more like flying for real, in the open air, able to appreciate the awesomeness of it. I think I would like the peacefulness of it. I want to be up in a balloon with a camera, a bowl of strawberries, and a boy playing an acoustic guitar...what a combo :) '
There are fewer and fewer moments in my life that make me feel like a kid, but hot air balloons do that. They make me smile. I can't take my eyes off of them, I also watch them for as long as I can, until they drift out of sight. And secretly they're like my own kind of wishing star.
It's not that I love flying....I'm not exactly the Wright Brother's biggest fan. Because of them I've been forced to sacrifice my beloved road trips in the good old GMC Safari van for flights with less leg room, smaller windows, worse food and recycled air. But I think I could handle a hot air balloon. I think that would be more like flying for real, in the open air, able to appreciate the awesomeness of it. I think I would like the peacefulness of it. I want to be up in a balloon with a camera, a bowl of strawberries, and a boy playing an acoustic guitar...what a combo :) '
There are fewer and fewer moments in my life that make me feel like a kid, but hot air balloons do that. They make me smile. I can't take my eyes off of them, I also watch them for as long as I can, until they drift out of sight. And secretly they're like my own kind of wishing star.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Red Meat
Today I was discussing the value of church with a friend who hadn't been in a while. We ended up comparing church to red meat. As students we found that its pretty easy to forget or eliminate red meat from one's diet. You can get protein in chicken, salmon, meat alternatives etc. But every time I have red meat after going without for a while my body just feels so energized. My body says "Thank you! This is what I've been missing!" Its kinda like that with church. As a student you either get in the habit of going to church, or you don't. Its not that hard to find excuses, forget, and go weeks or months without it. But then you go, and your soul says "Thank you! This is the spiritual nourishment I've been craving! This is the community that re-energizes me!"
So there you have it: Church is like red meat.
So there you have it: Church is like red meat.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Some 2011 Quotes
So the Cold War....was that in the winter? -- Laurel
I kind of just want to rip my clothes off when I'm around him -- Julia
Meg- Laurel do you like pulp?
Laurel- Who's Paul?
Niagara on the Lake! That's such a great place! I went there camping! We bought raisin bread! -- Ricky
Pink isn't even an ffffing colour! Its like Pluto!! -- Laurel
Luke, can we change your name to something more ethnic? Liiiike Zoga?! -- Laurel
Maybe he's planning a threesome? -- Julia
Its like capturing a leprechaun! Hard to do, but will provide a wonderful prize. -- Jer
If he went to a secluded restaurant inside a bedroom, then maaaaybe that's crossing a line. -- Laurel
Laurel - I just farted with my mouth
Megan - That's called a burp Lou
You know what kind of cars I really like? Red cars! They look so nice parked next to green grass! -- Mom
Krista: Well it doesn't matter anyways because its not like you have a lighter in your back pocket.
Jer: *pulls out lighter from back pocket*
Laurel: What country are Dutch people from? Scotland?......Ireland......England......wait guys....Germany!
Jess: what language do people in Germany speak?
Laurel: Germish? Okay... no.....are dutch people from Belgium? Whaleish? Walsh? Welsh? I think its near Scotland...Europe right? Dutch.....hmm....I watched a Dutch movie once....that girl with the curly hair is dutch
Krista: Annie?
Laurel: no
Krista: Shirley Temple?
Laurel: yes her!
Krista: Okay what do you know about Dutch people and their land?
Laurel: Do they make perogies? They wear wooden shoes, there's a dutch store in st. Catharines... Wait! Polish?...no that'd be Poland.....
Krista: 2 names....one starts with an "N"
Laurel: Norway?.......Netherlands!!!!
I kind of just want to rip my clothes off when I'm around him -- Julia
Meg- Laurel do you like pulp?
Laurel- Who's Paul?
Niagara on the Lake! That's such a great place! I went there camping! We bought raisin bread! -- Ricky
Pink isn't even an ffffing colour! Its like Pluto!! -- Laurel
Luke, can we change your name to something more ethnic? Liiiike Zoga?! -- Laurel
Maybe he's planning a threesome? -- Julia
Its like capturing a leprechaun! Hard to do, but will provide a wonderful prize. -- Jer
If he went to a secluded restaurant inside a bedroom, then maaaaybe that's crossing a line. -- Laurel
Laurel - I just farted with my mouth
Megan - That's called a burp Lou
You know what kind of cars I really like? Red cars! They look so nice parked next to green grass! -- Mom
Krista: Well it doesn't matter anyways because its not like you have a lighter in your back pocket.
Jer: *pulls out lighter from back pocket*
Laurel: What country are Dutch people from? Scotland?......Ireland......England......wait guys....Germany!
Jess: what language do people in Germany speak?
Laurel: Germish? Okay... no.....are dutch people from Belgium? Whaleish? Walsh? Welsh? I think its near Scotland...Europe right? Dutch.....hmm....I watched a Dutch movie once....that girl with the curly hair is dutch
Krista: Annie?
Laurel: no
Krista: Shirley Temple?
Laurel: yes her!
Krista: Okay what do you know about Dutch people and their land?
Laurel: Do they make perogies? They wear wooden shoes, there's a dutch store in st. Catharines... Wait! Polish?...no that'd be Poland.....
Krista: 2 names....one starts with an "N"
Laurel: Norway?.......Netherlands!!!!
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