Depedendable as the Canucks

A little under a year ago we were all preparing for a program called "Kaleo"; I don't think any of us really knew what to expect. How crazy. My camp ended for me three weeks ago, it was honestly the most amazing summer I've ever spent at camp. God hugely answered my prayer that I wouldn't become content, or stop growing when I left Kaleo. I had the most amazing director this summer who really encouraged me, like hugely encourage me, mentored me. We fought some huge spiritual battles this summer and the power in the name of Jesus Christ was displayed incredibly, filling me with a fresh desire to truly KNOW Jesus, how to better become like Jesus, to follow Jesus. A huge passion to disciple younger Christians, to encourage growth in them was something that was ignited in me. Something I've been praying for is to love people, maybe that sounds really simple, but to genuinely love them, and as nurse, counselor and program director there was definitely a ton of opportunity to work on that. I had a camper with Lukemia and God taught me so much through her, as scarred as I was was to have her in my cabin it was an amazing blessing. One night with my director and another staff member God talked to me in the most real way and guide my words in a way I've never experienced before, I got to share my testimony with our entire camp once a week at camp fires, it was just an incredible summer.
I got home from BC yesterday, an 18 hour drive that was such a blast, I loved driving through the mountains, God's beautiful creation. It was really sweet to see Qwanoes in action, and to see so many of you serving so selflessly.
The day before I left for BC my dad had a diabetic seizure during this sleep, it was the most terrifying moments of my life no exaggeration. We called the ambulance, if my mom hadn't woke up he would have passed away. It was such a weird realization how fragile life is, no matter how certain things seem we aren't gauranteed to live until tomorrow. My mom has been sick for a long time (years), dizzy daily, weak, nauseas, so it's just become normal that she's sick, but this summer she has had several tests and yesterday when I got home I found out she has a tumor (we're not sure yet if it's cancerous or not) on a gland near her brain that has been causing all of this. I don't really know what comes next, surgery or treatments or what, I just feel so overwhelmed, everything that once seemed so certain now seems flimsy. I know God is eternal, never changing, my rock.. If you guys could pray for my family, and for me, my mom really looks to me for strength and comfort, pray that I can be that for her and not afraid.
I love each of you

Catching up

Hello Everyone!

Well it has been quite a while, and I was going to start reading a book but then I felt I should write on here. I tried to make an excuse saying I wasn’t ready and didn’t know what to put and well ya, I knew it was excuses so here goes. I want to catch you all up on my life. For those who I haven’t seen…I did 6 weeks at Qwanoes, which were amazing. Three weeks of counseling and one week of assistant head boat driver. It was so cool to see everything I learned come into practice and I can honestly say right now looking back that I love those boys I had. I don’t think I have ever felt the same looking back as I feel about those cabins, I love them so much, maybe it’s because I only had three cabins…but maybe it’s because of what I learned about love this year with you guys.

At the end of July I left camp, had one week to recover, and then started work at church. Work at church has been incredibly amazing. It has been so stretching and yet so good for me (when is stretching not good, eh?) It was so hard sitting in that office from 9-5 every day and just planning things. Not a pleasant switch from camp ministry to office youth ministry!! But now things have gotten rolling and today I hardly spent anytime in the office at all! The youth pastor I’m working with (by the way I got named assistant instead of intern, booya=) flies home from Africa this weekend and I am so excited. It will be amazing to catch up and start catching a vision for this year together. As much of an introvert as I can be when I have work to do (not that you guys would have seen any examples of that), these past weeks were super hard. Next Monday I head out to Abbotsford to register at Columbia Bible. I am so excited to sit in class and absorb!! I don’t know how you guys have felt but I have missed it so much. There is lots of stuff though to keep my mind running as I think and pray about new ideas for youth group. It is also really exciting recruiting new leaders and seeing their excitement for working with Middle School Youth.
Also new that I’m sure all you guys at camp know, but that Bethany and I are no longer together. I’m not really sure what to write about this, it wasn’t my decision, although I can definitely see the good in it. It certainly does hurt though. If you guys could be praying for us both that would be awesome. It’s not easy going from full on relationship to nothing!!

So that’s life. I’m excited for what’s ahead. I have this sense that I’m not going to be in one place for long. I don’t know if this is for my whole life or just for the next couple years. If you could be praying for that, I want to be kept at the point of reliance on God and yet it feels like there is this plan just right there, so close, and yet I don’t know it yet. Does God want me to simply know and trust in Him that He has a plan, or am I to know what it is now… that I don’t know.

This feels like a lot of rambling but I wanted to get all this written down and out to you guys because I love you all and miss you so much. It was amazing to see so many of you at the Kaleo BBQ.
Hey do any of you guys have some sweet texting plan?? I’m looking at getting a fav 10 plan with nationwide txting…let me know, that’d be awesome!!!!!
Take care guys
Doer Downey

Bored on time off

Yeah so I was bored on my time off and I was looking through my photos on my computer and found this, not sure if I ever put it up here but here it is now, and without further adieu BAM NEW COMIC!

More Than Potatoes

Hey! Sarah and I just got back from visiting Amanda in Idaho, along with our two boys. What a amazing time! It was one of the best times together we have had as a family, and it was wonderful to hang out with Amanda and see the blessing and grace of God in her life. And we had a bit of fun...

Amanda's proved to be a perfect place to rest and be restored, and now I'm back with 34 CIT's for three weeks, and (at this point) 26 Kaleo students to arrive on my 50th b-day!

We hope to have a Kaleo barbeque at our house again this month, and we will post details soon. Hope that many of you can come! We love hearing from/about you who are not at Qwanoes this summer, and miss you terribly. May God bless your adventures.

my family,
i really hope that apart from seeing you all again several times, we continue to write on this blog to update each other and because i know i truly truly want to know whats goin on and how your summers are going.
this summer continues to be crazy. and when i say crazy i dont really no what that means but i feel as though theres no better word and maybe thats because my vocabulary is lacking or because its just been a crazy and weird summer. i had an opportunity to counsel this last session and kind of do that as well as part time sports as suppose to full time and it was unreal. i've been struggling a lot with finding sports repetitive and wanting God to strengthen me to pursue excellence in my area at camp and so counselling was crazy because it was so refreshing to be back in a cabin with kids rather then on staff hill where leadership team stays and now being back this session its allowed me to kind of get back on track. this summer i have struggled in wanting to be on the island so bad at times and even in these times of difficulty God has been good. in my doubts, in my selfish desires he continues to be good and he continues to provide me with what i need to get through the day.
me and justin lenny were able to plan an ultimate frisbee game between our two camps the other day so like 15 of us guys travelled to their camp which is like 40 minutes away and rolled in with beats pumpin and retro basketball jerseys on our backs, ready to compete against the infamous muskoka woods. (cal mcfarlane also works there) they had a good amount of people out to support them which was pretty cool and it was an awesome time to kind of hang out with our brothers from a different camp and have lunch with them after. i dont no if they'd invite us back as we kind of destroyed them but it was definitely a good time.
i think peeps need to start posting how their summers are going cause if not, then thats just lame you no soo ya some verses that have challenged me these last few weeks are these,
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
wooord brederen, i miss you all a lot
jon