it's over already?

I can hardly believe that Christmas break is over in less than a week! Where did the time go?

I went into this break knowing that it would not be easy to be with family and friends and not let my self get in the way of what Christ wanted to do in and through me. A friend told me that your living room is hardest place to allow the life of Christ to be lived out and I think she is right. We are so comfortable at home and I find that I expect more from my family than from others. It is not easy for me to be loving to my family always because of the expectations that I place on them. It seems nearly impossible to learn to respond in love to my family, but I know it is what Christ is asking me to do. I was thinking that it would take a lifetime to really show love to my family and friends, but that is what I have. Now I need to make the most of the time I have with each one of them and sometimes step out of my own comfort zone and just be with them in whatever they are wanting to do.

Please be praying for me to show love to everyone around me... the love of Christ. I realize that I need to be God-focused, not self-focused, please pray that I will put myself aside and look to God only to do it.

I am so thankful that God has allowed me to be a part of this training and I am really looking forward to getting back to it. I know that it is a common theme among missionaries and those training to be missionaries to have a tight budget. My roommate and I are both in fairly tight spots financially and will probably be extra stingy this next semester. We don't really have a summer in between years to save up money, so we really need to be conscious of our spending. Please pray that we will be wise about our spending and trust God to provide, we know that He does.

Thank you and have a wonderful new year!!

First Semester.

In one week, the first semester of training will be over. It is hard to believe it is over already. There are so many things that I have learned and hope that I will be able to look back and be reminded of these things for the rest of my life.

In class we have been talking about spiritual warfare. One day we discussed things that we associate with war or that are necessary for war. Not spiritual warfare specifically, just war in general. One of the things that was mention as being necessary for a war, was a general. Someone said a general can make or break the war. What a privilege to serve our heavenly Father, GOD! I was thinking about what it is like living life when you are under God's command. There is no need for fear or timidity, but I am still fearful and timid often. When we were discussing this in class, I could not help but think that as believers we are unstoppable if we allow Christ to work through us. It sort of blows me away.

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

- Colossians 3.1-4

winter is coming... maybe.

The weather has been really great here in Durham, surprisingly. Last year at this time, there was lots of snow on the ground, but it is taking its sweet time this year. The necessary preparations have been coming right along with the snow blowers ready and snowmobiling trails clearly marked. The school will be putting on a play here in Durham and many people have been busy getting organized for that. It will be on December 1st, so please be praying that many people will come in from Durham and surrounding communities.

We had a pastor appreciation potluck at the church I attend here, Clifford Community Church. There was a great turnout for the potluck and it was great to see everyone so appreciative of the pastor there. The pastor and his wife have a heart for rural towns in Ontario and have been ministering in Clifford for about ten years now. There is a wonderful body of believers there and it has been a blessing to get to know them all.

Also, kids club has been going well and we are just about to teach on the fall of man. Please pray that the kids will continue to come and be open to learning about God. Pray that God will teach these children about Himself and thank Him for using each of the helpers there to carry out His work in the community.

Thank you for praying!

Awayo

Here is a link to Awayo's story: http://vimeo.com/6854049

Climbing on the rocks.

The other evening, a group of students from the training here went to a place called Old Baldy. Since it is fall here in Ontario, the trees are getting quite colorful. Old Baldy is a crag that looks over a valley and hillside covered with these beautiful trees.

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

And the firmament shows His handiwork."

Psalm 19.1

//.God's grace is sufficient.//

This week in church planting class, we have been discussing our identity in Christ as a church and as individuals. As believers, it is important for us to understand what Christ has done for us and who we are in light of that. We have also been discussing God's grace, His unmerited favor, which He has freely given us. The Hebrew word for grace means to stoop or bend. Here is a quote that was shared in class that conveyed this well:

"Love that reaches up is adoration,

Love that reaches out is affection

Love that stoops down is GRACE!"

Grace is free, it is not at all deserved by us. If it was deserved at all, it would not be grace. There is nothing we can do to earn grace even though we often try to do something to make things right. Grace is not on a works basis, it is freely given us by God on the basis of what Christ Jesus accomplished on Calvary's Cross.

2 Peter 1.3 says, "...as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,". We are lacking in nothing. What an awesome God we serve and He is worthy of all our praise. Understanding and accepting what Christ has done for us and all that He has given us, sets us free from all of this garbage and these expectations that we have set on ourselves.

Today in class we have been discussing 2 Corinthians 12.9. - και ειρηκεν μοι αρκει σοι η χαρις μου η γαρ δυναμις μου εν ασθενεια τελειουται ηδιστα ουν μαλλον καυχησομαι εν ταις ασθενειαις μου ινα επισκηνωση επ εμε η δυναμις του χριστου -

- And He said to me, "My Grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. -

Our teacher said, 'We can trust God in the most difficult of times.'

WHY? Because HE IS ABLE.

2 Corinthians 9.8

"And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work."

grateful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. People start to talk a lot of about being thankful right around this time of year and it has me thinking. At Church our pastor has been talking a lot about prayer and being in prayer always. I notice that I tend to pray more when times get tough, but in the good times I forget to thank God for all He does. Even when times are not so good, He deserves thanks because He has given us life and provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him... and so much more. So many time when I pray, I am asking God to do things, but I forget about the things He has done for me already. Jesus accomplished many things on the cross at Calvary that we often do not realize or forget about. It is so good just to thank God for what He has provided for us. Just think of the first chapter of Ephesians...

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." - Ephesians 1.3-14

That just blows me away when I read those verses and see all that God has given me. Now I just need to remember to thank God continually for all that He has done.

To all of you who have been praying for me here in the training, Thank You. I really appreciate the prayers, they are always needed.

//Canoeing//

This past week I was able to go on a canoe trip on the Saugeen River here in Ontario. I had heard stories of people flipping their canoes last year and was a little nervous about going on this trip. The girl that canoed with me, Deanna, had not been in a canoe before and neither had I. The trip took a couple of hours not including the break in the middle. Every year the school goes on these canoe trips to help the students learn to work together as a team. As you are canoeing down the river, the person in front is telling the person in the rear which direction to steer and the person in the rear has to trust that the person in front is paying attention to the river. In spite of my concerns, Deanna and I survived the canoe trip and had a great time along the way. Some of the other canoers got a little wet or came close to tipping, but Deanna and I stayed dry and navigated our way neatly down the river. As I observed the other teams in their canoes, I could see how easy it would be to get frustrated at the other person in your canoe if anything went wrong. There were a few instances where I could tell that people were getting a little uptight and frustrated with their partner, but we all managed to work with our partners and make it to the end.

So often I find myself leaning to God only when times get a little scary or tough. Once I am out of my comfort zone, I realize that I need God to help me make it through the given situation. God is patient with His people and knows that we fail over and over again. But let us not forget that He is there and worthy of all praise. All glory belongs to our God. Since I attended a Chris Tomlin concert last night, the lyrics to his song 'How Great Is Our God' are brought to mind. "Name above all names, worthy of all praise, my heart will sing how great is our God." Let us give to praise and glory to Him when times are going well and when times are looking bleak. In Ecclesiastes it says,

"When times are good, be happy;

but when times are bad, consider:
God has made the one
as well as the other.
Therefore, a man cannot discover
anything about his future."

Also in Job it says,

"Naked I came from my mother's womb,

and naked I will depart.
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised."

God reminds us in Romans, 'that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.' Let's remember that God sees the big picture and provided everything we need for life and Godliness and He is able!

...He hangs the earth on nothing.

In class we have been learning about God's attributes as well as looking at creation and God as Creator. As we look around us or even at our own bodies we can see the awesomeness of God's handiwork. One example of God's awesome creation is the sense of smell. Humans can recognize around 10,000 different smells. Not only do we recognize smells, but smells can trigger memories linked with those smells that are stored away in our brains. Or how about the difference in size of creatures. The Blue Whale has a heart the size of a Volkswagen Bug, man has a heart the size of his fist and a hummingbird has a heart the size of a grain of rice. Man was created in man's image with the capacity to think. Just think of Adam in the garden when he was coming up with names for all the animals, what a huge task that would be. God created man with a great capacity to think and use our brains. We do not take advantage of what God has given us and we sell ourselves short. We serve an amazing God. He created the universe, the earth and all that is in it. Wow. What a privilege to serve Him.

Here at the training we have what is called the Christian Life Experience. This is just another name for ministry and it can take on many different forms. Please pray for me as I am looking for opportunities to serve God by building relationships with people in the surrounding communities. Please pray, too, for all of the staff and students here on campus and our relationships with one another. So far we are still getting to know one another and it can be exciting, but there will be hard things to go through in the future as is true of relationships.

Thank you all for praying for me, we serve an awesome God!

Job 26.7,14