Headed off For Outreach!
Wow. Sorry. Its been a long while.
This last friday, my dearest and Oldest brother, Jeremy came to visit me. While it was a typical week with Jeremy (aka not extravagantly exciting) it was really good to see him, and have a face from home in this foreign country. I don't think he understands how great it was to see him. Actually... I know that before comming here I had no idea what lengths I'd go to to see someone even vaguely familiar, or how much I appricate someone visiting me that is vaguely familiar. I guess a foreign country is a pretty lonely place. I can't imagine what it is like for those immigrants in Canada who don't even speak english and go for years without meeting someone. I think that we should have a new program- greet an immigrant a day. I know that if I lived somewhere like Toronto I would get involved in something like that. But wait... do you know that there is an immigrant community near 20th street? yeah. Visit them sometime.
There are SO many things like that that I want to do when I get home. I want to work in a soup kitchen. I want to start working with white buffalo youth lodge. I want to work with youth- but take them out for coffee regularly. I want to start to make a difference in people's lives. Like.... I mean a real and meaningful difference. I want to get a sponsor child. or two. I want to support an organization with monthly donations. I want to volanteer with an organization. I want to help find a cure for Aids... or maybe make a difference in the aids breakout in africa. I want to stop poverty... or just feed a kid for their life. I just want to make my time on earth so much more worth while. I mean.. so far in life all I've done is WANT a shirt, or 'need' something else. but in reality... I have so much. I say I want to travel the world, when one kid will never get to leave a 20 mile radius of the place that they were born.
but then there are other things that I want to do. I want to learn to play the piano, but for real this time. I want to learn how to ballroom dance. I want to learn how to cook. I want to learn another language. I want to read books. about history. about romance. about cultre. about the future. about conspiracy theorys. about today. about real lives. poems. plays. fiction. non-fiction.
I dunno. there is SO much that I want to do... but none of it is a career. and I want all of it to be something that I do for life. but then I want to work as a waitress- because someone has to, and think of all the convorsations I could have with people, about their lives.
I want to become self-less.
I guess I've had some time to reflect this last little while and realized how much unlike Jesus I am. I want people to look at me and see Jesus.
anyways... that was a tangent I was not expecting.
Friday I leave for Barnoldswick to do my 10-day outreach. what am I? Scared? yup. Excited? yeah... a bit. um... I am just... haha, like I normally am. a bit numb. But I know it will be good. my team has been meeting EVERYDAY for like an HOUR, which is WAY more than every other team around here. but then again (yes mom) we are not like everyother team. We spend at LEAST half of that time laughing with each other, and that has been so good. They have become some of my best friends. and all the staff talk about how great our team is, and that really makes me happy.We do have alot of stuff to plan too though... and that makes me a littlestressed because we don't often get alot done. but I know we will be fine. one of our memory verses this term was
2 Corinthians 12:9- but he said to me 'My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weaknesss.' therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's Power may rest on me.
This has kinda become my motto for this outreach- because I feel so weak and ineffecient, but I know that God can do it if I just let him take over, and I'm working on that one.
This last week we had another prayer day, and I was able to work through some stuff that I haven't been letting God take over, and he kinda came in and took over, and showed me where he was in certain situations, and that was SO good for me. To let go. to move on. Alot of it came through a FABULOUS convorsation with my room mates.
My one room mate, Adrienne would not tell you that she is a christian. Certainly at the begining of term she was so hard, and its unbelievable what she is saying and doing now. Right now she is working through what she is going to do next year, because what she has been planning to do would be the easy road and she would fall back into her old habits, which she now realizes is not really what she likes to do. So then she doesn't know what she is going to do at all. Its been refreshing to have her in my room. to see what true transperancy really looks like when it comes to a relationship.
I guess I've had alot of life to think about the last little while. And I'm in a good place. Spiritually. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Its all good.
Although I am so ready to go to Africa for a month. That will be oh so good. I'm tired of being in this bubble. I'm ready to be in the real world. and see different people for a while. that will be so nice. I'm especially excited to see the world with Nathan. I wish I could have done what he is getting to do at his age. Maybe he'll be a world traveler. Although by the end of this experience all three of us will have been to the same places in the world... and I'll have one up- Cayman. but still, I"m telling you, Nathan is such a lucky kid. I'm so excited to see the world with him. And I'm excited to see my mom. As of today I haven't talked to my mom in like a week. thats a super long time. and I can't get ahold of her cause she's never in when I call her. that sucks. I'm not good at not talking to my mom. The opposite of most people here.
Well... thats pretty much all I have for now. haha. its pretty long.CONGRADULATIONS to all those who made it through! and THANKS for taking the hour or twenty out of your day to read this! I really do appreciate all you guys back home praying for me and encouraging me!
Please don't expect much over the next ten days, as I'll be on outreach. but I would VERY MUCH appreciate your prayers, more than you know. Specifically you could pray for:
-unity in the team (while I'm really not concerned about this there may be small issues that arise, and prayer for patience with each other would be great)
-Open hearts for those that we will be working with (in schools, youth clubs, church meetings, Cubs & brownies, etc.)
-Rest the week we are there (we will have very limited hours of sleep
-Patience and the words to say when we are approached with difficult questions.
Thanks so much! I hope you have a fabulous week, and God blesses you tremendously!
Much Love,
Laurel
This last friday, my dearest and Oldest brother, Jeremy came to visit me. While it was a typical week with Jeremy (aka not extravagantly exciting) it was really good to see him, and have a face from home in this foreign country. I don't think he understands how great it was to see him. Actually... I know that before comming here I had no idea what lengths I'd go to to see someone even vaguely familiar, or how much I appricate someone visiting me that is vaguely familiar. I guess a foreign country is a pretty lonely place. I can't imagine what it is like for those immigrants in Canada who don't even speak english and go for years without meeting someone. I think that we should have a new program- greet an immigrant a day. I know that if I lived somewhere like Toronto I would get involved in something like that. But wait... do you know that there is an immigrant community near 20th street? yeah. Visit them sometime.
There are SO many things like that that I want to do when I get home. I want to work in a soup kitchen. I want to start working with white buffalo youth lodge. I want to work with youth- but take them out for coffee regularly. I want to start to make a difference in people's lives. Like.... I mean a real and meaningful difference. I want to get a sponsor child. or two. I want to support an organization with monthly donations. I want to volanteer with an organization. I want to help find a cure for Aids... or maybe make a difference in the aids breakout in africa. I want to stop poverty... or just feed a kid for their life. I just want to make my time on earth so much more worth while. I mean.. so far in life all I've done is WANT a shirt, or 'need' something else. but in reality... I have so much. I say I want to travel the world, when one kid will never get to leave a 20 mile radius of the place that they were born.
but then there are other things that I want to do. I want to learn to play the piano, but for real this time. I want to learn how to ballroom dance. I want to learn how to cook. I want to learn another language. I want to read books. about history. about romance. about cultre. about the future. about conspiracy theorys. about today. about real lives. poems. plays. fiction. non-fiction.
I dunno. there is SO much that I want to do... but none of it is a career. and I want all of it to be something that I do for life. but then I want to work as a waitress- because someone has to, and think of all the convorsations I could have with people, about their lives.
I want to become self-less.
I guess I've had some time to reflect this last little while and realized how much unlike Jesus I am. I want people to look at me and see Jesus.
anyways... that was a tangent I was not expecting.
Friday I leave for Barnoldswick to do my 10-day outreach. what am I? Scared? yup. Excited? yeah... a bit. um... I am just... haha, like I normally am. a bit numb. But I know it will be good. my team has been meeting EVERYDAY for like an HOUR, which is WAY more than every other team around here. but then again (yes mom) we are not like everyother team. We spend at LEAST half of that time laughing with each other, and that has been so good. They have become some of my best friends. and all the staff talk about how great our team is, and that really makes me happy.We do have alot of stuff to plan too though... and that makes me a littlestressed because we don't often get alot done. but I know we will be fine. one of our memory verses this term was
2 Corinthians 12:9- but he said to me 'My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weaknesss.' therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weakness so that Christ's Power may rest on me.
This has kinda become my motto for this outreach- because I feel so weak and ineffecient, but I know that God can do it if I just let him take over, and I'm working on that one.
This last week we had another prayer day, and I was able to work through some stuff that I haven't been letting God take over, and he kinda came in and took over, and showed me where he was in certain situations, and that was SO good for me. To let go. to move on. Alot of it came through a FABULOUS convorsation with my room mates.
My one room mate, Adrienne would not tell you that she is a christian. Certainly at the begining of term she was so hard, and its unbelievable what she is saying and doing now. Right now she is working through what she is going to do next year, because what she has been planning to do would be the easy road and she would fall back into her old habits, which she now realizes is not really what she likes to do. So then she doesn't know what she is going to do at all. Its been refreshing to have her in my room. to see what true transperancy really looks like when it comes to a relationship.
I guess I've had alot of life to think about the last little while. And I'm in a good place. Spiritually. Mentally. Physically. Emotionally. Its all good.
Although I am so ready to go to Africa for a month. That will be oh so good. I'm tired of being in this bubble. I'm ready to be in the real world. and see different people for a while. that will be so nice. I'm especially excited to see the world with Nathan. I wish I could have done what he is getting to do at his age. Maybe he'll be a world traveler. Although by the end of this experience all three of us will have been to the same places in the world... and I'll have one up- Cayman. but still, I"m telling you, Nathan is such a lucky kid. I'm so excited to see the world with him. And I'm excited to see my mom. As of today I haven't talked to my mom in like a week. thats a super long time. and I can't get ahold of her cause she's never in when I call her. that sucks. I'm not good at not talking to my mom. The opposite of most people here.
Well... thats pretty much all I have for now. haha. its pretty long.CONGRADULATIONS to all those who made it through! and THANKS for taking the hour or twenty out of your day to read this! I really do appreciate all you guys back home praying for me and encouraging me!
Please don't expect much over the next ten days, as I'll be on outreach. but I would VERY MUCH appreciate your prayers, more than you know. Specifically you could pray for:
-unity in the team (while I'm really not concerned about this there may be small issues that arise, and prayer for patience with each other would be great)
-Open hearts for those that we will be working with (in schools, youth clubs, church meetings, Cubs & brownies, etc.)
-Rest the week we are there (we will have very limited hours of sleep
-Patience and the words to say when we are approached with difficult questions.
Thanks so much! I hope you have a fabulous week, and God blesses you tremendously!
Much Love,
Laurel
posted by Laurel at 1:19 PM
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