Friday, March 14, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
the next step
After much discussion, thinking and prayer I will be leaving Vancouver and moving on. As much as it breaks my heart to leave this city, the place that has become my home and where my Canadian family and friends are; that God has broken my heart for, I know its time to move on. It will be tough in June when I finally leave, but I know I will back at some point, that I came to Vancouver for a reason and it has grown and stretched me. It will always have a great big chunk of my heart .. don't worry tom. I will never forget the city, that managed to draw me closer to God, stun me with the scenery and reconstruct me.
God has been placing lost and forgotten youth on islands around the world on heart. I see the move Im making as a start on that road and I am extremely excited that I that I have this chance to start to livng this dream into reality.
In August I will be moving to Phuket, Thailand. I will continue with the Pais Project and therefore still be doing schools and youth ministry. I will spend time in Thai schools, International schools, a HIV/AIDS children's home, another children's home - orphanage, and some work with Burmese Refugees and lots more. I am really looking foward to living in in Asia, experiencing a new culture and language - yes i will be learning trying to learn Thai!
Check out the Pais Thailand page for more information.
This video may give you some insight into some of the work I may be doing.
If you have any questions or feel you would like to support me or Pais Thailand financially or with your prayers please let me know.
God has been placing lost and forgotten youth on islands around the world on heart. I see the move Im making as a start on that road and I am extremely excited that I that I have this chance to start to livng this dream into reality.
In August I will be moving to Phuket, Thailand. I will continue with the Pais Project and therefore still be doing schools and youth ministry. I will spend time in Thai schools, International schools, a HIV/AIDS children's home, another children's home - orphanage, and some work with Burmese Refugees and lots more. I am really looking foward to living in in Asia, experiencing a new culture and language - yes i will be learning trying to learn Thai!
Check out the Pais Thailand page for more information.
This video may give you some insight into some of the work I may be doing.
If you have any questions or feel you would like to support me or Pais Thailand financially or with your prayers please let me know.
pais promo video
This video highlights some of the awesome stuff Pais does. If your interested or have any questions, please let me know!
www.paisproject.com - join the movement! Pais Project offers a free 1-year (or more) apprenticeship in youth and schools ministry. Free training and accommodation is provided in various nations across the world. Our pais apprentices will intern at a partnered church, working within their youth ministry and helping to build a relational bridge between the church and the schools within the community. Apprentices will work in small teams within the schools, offering services such as lunch-clubs, workshops, chapels, life-lessons and mentoring, while building life-changing relationships with their students. We are committed to seeing students raised up as leaders and M4 is our program that intentionally makes missionaries out of the young people we work with. We are missionaries making missionaries!
Thanks for all your support and prayers as I journey with Pais and the vision God has placed on my heart.
Monday, March 10, 2008
...paths...
in life we have to make a lot of decisions; do we decide to walk the easy well trodden path or go of the beaten track, try something new and take risks?
so many times when faced with a choice, we automatically pick a well trodden path, the boring, run of the mill life. we are afraid to take the risk, to step into the unknown to fully trust the God who gave us choice in the first place.
God didn't create us to lead boring life's, to never take risks and to be become so tied to a path that we never veer off. what i love so much about God, is that we CAN take risks, we can step out. he created me to be dangerous, to find out things about him that no-one else knows, to live a life that is completely missional, authentic and passionate.
it doesn't matter where in the world i am, who im with or where i am going as long as im following God.
we have become so concreted into life as we know it, when it comes to meeting God, we structure him in, and don't allow him to move how he wants to. he's screaming at us, to get of our bums, and have some authentic time with him, and all we can give him is church, and then a lifestyle that doesn't reflect what we say. we don't allow him to pick up our lives and move us to another place, physically or spiritually, we become afraid of growth and of new things. we encase our selves in a bubble and pretend that we have a real relationship with Him, yet he's there hitting the bubble, trying to get in, to have a small part of out lives. he longs for the barrier to be taken down, for us to be comfortable spending time with him and looking at our lives, not shamefully hiding them away. some of us, fool ourselves into thinking the bubbles protect us from hurt, the past, problems, yet instead it intensifies them and creates a separation between us and God. God isn't going to to dish anything out we can't take, or make is deal with a issue we aren't ready to deal with. he's gentle, kind, loving and patient. something i have been learning as i tear away the bubble from own life, dealing with of once and for all the crap in the past that i have put there and that has been created for me.
if we want to truly make a difference in this world, we need to wear our hearts on our sleeves, not hiding it away. we need to be vulnerable and real with the people we met, and with God. not allowing this world to taint us, to makes us unfocused and take us of track. we need to get real. we need to fight. to persevere. we are in war. lets not forget that.
so many times when faced with a choice, we automatically pick a well trodden path, the boring, run of the mill life. we are afraid to take the risk, to step into the unknown to fully trust the God who gave us choice in the first place.
God didn't create us to lead boring life's, to never take risks and to be become so tied to a path that we never veer off. what i love so much about God, is that we CAN take risks, we can step out. he created me to be dangerous, to find out things about him that no-one else knows, to live a life that is completely missional, authentic and passionate.
it doesn't matter where in the world i am, who im with or where i am going as long as im following God.
we have become so concreted into life as we know it, when it comes to meeting God, we structure him in, and don't allow him to move how he wants to. he's screaming at us, to get of our bums, and have some authentic time with him, and all we can give him is church, and then a lifestyle that doesn't reflect what we say. we don't allow him to pick up our lives and move us to another place, physically or spiritually, we become afraid of growth and of new things. we encase our selves in a bubble and pretend that we have a real relationship with Him, yet he's there hitting the bubble, trying to get in, to have a small part of out lives. he longs for the barrier to be taken down, for us to be comfortable spending time with him and looking at our lives, not shamefully hiding them away. some of us, fool ourselves into thinking the bubbles protect us from hurt, the past, problems, yet instead it intensifies them and creates a separation between us and God. God isn't going to to dish anything out we can't take, or make is deal with a issue we aren't ready to deal with. he's gentle, kind, loving and patient. something i have been learning as i tear away the bubble from own life, dealing with of once and for all the crap in the past that i have put there and that has been created for me.
if we want to truly make a difference in this world, we need to wear our hearts on our sleeves, not hiding it away. we need to be vulnerable and real with the people we met, and with God. not allowing this world to taint us, to makes us unfocused and take us of track. we need to get real. we need to fight. to persevere. we are in war. lets not forget that.
long awaited update...
The Team:
This term has been amazing, we have started new schools work and are in talks to start something after spring break. Every week the team has been seeing 70+ students at Lord Byng High school, and relationships are starting to form. We hand out free coffee and hot chocolate, to help start conversations and provide a place for students to hang out after school. After spring break, we are going to start opening up Westpoint Church to students from Kits High school once a week. This is an amazing opportunity as people work together from different churches and organizations for one common goal! Watch this space! I am really looking forward to this as we can use this to develop leaders from the various youth groups and we can start being missional as a team with them.
We waxed Robins legs to raise money for the team, so far we have $410, so if you want to help us reach our goal of $500 please e-mail: pais.westside@gmail.com. With the money we will be able to continue providing hot chocolate and cookies to students at Lord Byng and be able provide the team with resources like an an external hard-drive.
Pais:
For me this month has been figuring things out, looking back at what has happened while looking at the future and where I want to go. D-day - decision day - is on wednesday, which means my the next stage of my life is decided. I will let you all know as so as I make my decision, where i will be going, what, and how you can support me in prayer and financially. Being in Vancouver and being on Pais has changed me so much. It has forced me grow and experience things I never thought I would, in a safe environment and tons of support, I have come out of my shell and found something I love.
Me:
Well the last month has been tough. I finally got out and did something on my weekend - even waking up on the crack of dawn! and went snowboarding with Jess, Robin and Sarah. Well Im still concussed so it was a very expensive snowboarding trip as I buy drugs and have 2 doctors bills! I had a greta day, although the effects suck. I am still getting headaches and getting tired very easily, which is a pain. So I have been doing half days, thankfully my team is amazing, and I feel completely at ease leaving them to do tasks and schools work. This month has been crazy from another point of view, with decisions to be made, e-mails and chats about the future, all while hitting my head far to many times! It kind of feels like I have been living a dream and haven't got back to reality yet.
Prayer Points:
1. Wisdom
2. Finances
3. Team
4. Schools - intentional relationships, more doors opening.
5. Healing - for my head.
Thanks for all your support.
This term has been amazing, we have started new schools work and are in talks to start something after spring break. Every week the team has been seeing 70+ students at Lord Byng High school, and relationships are starting to form. We hand out free coffee and hot chocolate, to help start conversations and provide a place for students to hang out after school. After spring break, we are going to start opening up Westpoint Church to students from Kits High school once a week. This is an amazing opportunity as people work together from different churches and organizations for one common goal! Watch this space! I am really looking forward to this as we can use this to develop leaders from the various youth groups and we can start being missional as a team with them.
We waxed Robins legs to raise money for the team, so far we have $410, so if you want to help us reach our goal of $500 please e-mail: pais.westside@gmail.com. With the money we will be able to continue providing hot chocolate and cookies to students at Lord Byng and be able provide the team with resources like an an external hard-drive.
Pais:
For me this month has been figuring things out, looking back at what has happened while looking at the future and where I want to go. D-day - decision day - is on wednesday, which means my the next stage of my life is decided. I will let you all know as so as I make my decision, where i will be going, what, and how you can support me in prayer and financially. Being in Vancouver and being on Pais has changed me so much. It has forced me grow and experience things I never thought I would, in a safe environment and tons of support, I have come out of my shell and found something I love.
Me:
Well the last month has been tough. I finally got out and did something on my weekend - even waking up on the crack of dawn! and went snowboarding with Jess, Robin and Sarah. Well Im still concussed so it was a very expensive snowboarding trip as I buy drugs and have 2 doctors bills! I had a greta day, although the effects suck. I am still getting headaches and getting tired very easily, which is a pain. So I have been doing half days, thankfully my team is amazing, and I feel completely at ease leaving them to do tasks and schools work. This month has been crazy from another point of view, with decisions to be made, e-mails and chats about the future, all while hitting my head far to many times! It kind of feels like I have been living a dream and haven't got back to reality yet.
Prayer Points:
1. Wisdom
2. Finances
3. Team
4. Schools - intentional relationships, more doors opening.
5. Healing - for my head.
Thanks for all your support.
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