Once apon a time... I love you alot!

Hey my family!! I have been wanting to post lately, but not too sure as to what to write. I wanted to give you all a gift, and to encourage you, then last night I was thinking about what I miss the most about everyone, and decided to tell you all not what I miss about you, but rather what I cherish about you! Some will be personality traits some will be memories, but all the same they are precious! So here it is. Merry Christmas K5 I miss you all so much!

Faithful Jim: Your known as one of the wisest men to many people but when I look at you I don’t see pride, I see a man of humility and a man so hungry to learn more about His Savior
Revolutionary Steve: You don’t just say that you want to do something and then sit back and wait for it to happen, you do it and make it happen!
Scotty Grace: (I do mean this in a masculine way) you are one of the most beautiful men I know. I think back to when you told your testimony and tears streaming down your face and it remind me of how beautiful God is!
Joyful Rob: You are so genuine. I have learned so much from you, you are truly a Hansom man of God!!
Preservation Matt: You don’t seem to hold on to the past, you take what is handed to you here and now and go with it!
Striving Katie: Girl you have a crazy strength!
Hopeful Andrew: First I cherish tea parties with you, and the hope that God has given you for His good and perfect plan!
Changing Dan: Our time serving in Columbia together gave me the sweet opportunity to get to actually know you, you heart for South America is incredible!
Creative Josh: Oh Joshy ~ Poo. You don’t seem to care what anyone thinks of you! You do crazy random things and after a while people start doing them with you!
Doer Downey: Your thirst for the Kaleo community inspired me all through the year, but you also strive for that community in other places as well. You long for the body of Christ!
Brother Mark: You have such a huge heart! You are always willing to share it with who ever needs to feel some extra love!
Ellanora the Brave: You are beautiful; the Beauty of Christ shines through you!
Anticipatory Joel: You are a behind-the-sence kinda guy. You have such humility and have crazy hidden gifts!
Discipline Jon: Right now I can just see you throwing your head back in a heart felt laugh! You have such an honest and sincere heart!
Free Kelsey: Ahh Kels I love your hugs! You are so intelligent and I love the memories of discussing our papers or what ever while writing them!
Alex Enough: I cherish that night in MW when God used your story to challenge and change us all! I look at you and I am challenged to embrace Him as you have!
Saint Catherine: You girl also challenge me, and love to be challenged, you are not satisfied with surface answers you want to go right down to the heart of things… What are you thinking ?!!?
Liberated Kurtis: Kurt your willingness to be broken is incredible. I remember at grad you telling me that you felt like you were allowed to be broken for the first time!
Supporting Wall: Wallers you are a stinkin’ funny guy! There is still so much that I feel there is to know about you.
Dig Arlan: Arls your carefree lift style is so sweet. Some may see it as irresponsible, but I see it as trusting Him with your life and not letting things hold you back!
Trusting Jess: Ok obviously Jess I cherish your laugh. But also your joy! Even when people make you mad or what ever you laugh.. Haha!
Jordan Faith: I can’t remember which Jordan this is, so I am guessing that it is Nielson… There was an incredible transformation in you on our Columbia trip! I love how we got to see that happen, and now when I come to camp you embrace me in you brotherly arms!
Dreamy Jordan: Jord!! Man I cherish our few talks in these last months! You are genuine! Also Jord you have the gift of Worship, and I have been blessed through those times!!
Longing Jahnaya: Girl I have appreciated (for lack of a better term), how genuine you are when you want to know how people are, and also when you tell us how you are.
Surrender Jenny: I think of you as a leader, but not one that is in your face, rather a servant leader!
Pursuing Dotto: Oh Dots! You are so passionate about others passions or gifts or whatever it may be, you are just a passionate person!!
Love Aimee: Aimers!! You care, and you support! I love you and thank you for all of the support you offer people!
Cautious Kevin: So “Status Quo” for HSM just popped into my head! Lol, but I think that it is fitting. You don’t just stick to the status quo you have a heart to change it!
Prophetess Amanda: Girl I miss you, where are you? You have spoken so much wisdom into my life over these last years. You lead with wisdom and though I strive to be half the leader you are, you won’t stop growing in Him you are striving to know Him more intimately!
Mercy Micha: My wonderful roomy! I cherish those times spooning on the window seat with you, both of us trying to figure out life. You challenge me more than I want to be sometimes, but it is so good.

Well that is it my dear friends!! I love you all so much and long to be in the safety of our community again!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
~ Sher Hope

Double Doozy Dunkin Donuts

Kaleo! Right now the sun is setting and from here I can see it stretching across the hugeeeee sky and it is beyond beautiful, and I'm wondering how each of you are, how was your Christmas Day? What did you do? But I suppose this isn't a very personal way to find out, so I'll fill you in on my last few months.
The first semester at Ambrose was good, and I genuinely mean good. There were some really hard times, it was definitely a hard transition for me, and having Al as my roomate was such a huge blessing from God. During the summer I such an amazing time working at camp, and arriving at Ambrose almost immediately my habit of reading the bible was one that I struggled all semester to get back into. One of the coolest things to happen was in my small group I am a part of. We meet once a week, usually for breakfast, and we did a Samaritan's Purse shoebox together, but it was such a good time of community sharing where we were at that week and praying for each other... often reminding me of Kaleo. I have to tell you about precious Nora, one week I put out my fist toward her and said "pound it!" and she tentatively moved her lips towards my fist and says "I thought you wanted me to kiss your fist!" Oh Nora is precious! I have learned much from Nora over breakfasts at Tim Horton's.
Volleyball was definitely very different from what I had imagined. If you remember when I first blogged oh so humbly how the other girls weren't looking too talented, while for a couple weeks mid season I never saw the court and that was soooo humbling. I have never played on a Christian sports team and it really cool praying before and after games, practices, especially after some pretty big losses, or losses where we never should have lost, but staying focused on how we could apply that to life, what God could be teaching us was really challenging and cool.
I loved my psychology and soc classes this semester, and I am excited to see how God will use my passions for these subjects, and learning in general in the future! I am not sure what I'll be doing next year, but I have a lot of time for God to reveal his plans for me.
Lastly please, please continue to pray for my mom. She had been diagnosed with a brain tumor in August, and then shortly after Thanksgiving (spending two weeks in the hospital) an MRI came back clear, since then she's been unable to go to work, church or anywhere and has been at home with no diagnosis. I guess being at school and talking to her on the phone I somehow forgot how sick she was, it was almost nice having her not at work I could call and talk to her anytime, and she always had time for me, but since being home I have been again reminded how weak and fragile she is. There is no official diagnosis as of now, she is weak, dizzy, her legs and face go numb daily, it isn't unusual for her to be unable to get out of bed for an entire day. Her own faith amazes me, but I know she is frustered, and physically, emotionally and spiritually exhausted.... I flip flop back and forth from being so thankful that this holiday my family is not in the hospital, and we are together and then feeling like life is so unfair. Other families are all together, healthy, their biggest problem is wether or not they got the gift they wanted for Christmas, taking their health, something as simple as being able to go to the CHristmas Eve service together as a family for granted. Please treasure the time you have with your family this Christmas, if you're parents ask you to do something try not to feel frustrated, if they want to play one board game too many don't be grumpy but be thankful they can play...Trust me I'm not saying I'm good at this, in a day my mom asks me to get her a glass of water more times than I can count and truth be told there are times I feel like I'm on the verge of saying something awful like "can't you get it", but the truth of it is she can't and I'm sure she would be more than glad to get her own. I really love you guys, e-mail me or call me I'd love to hear from each of you!

This day!

So ... I know that ALLL of you have checked this at least once today... if not more
SO knowing this i decided to post, Even though i have not much to say other then I miss you all deeply!
Christmas for me started about a week ago when i got home to PoMc. I have just spent my week getting the house ready for family coming and baking and cooking LOTS of food and yumy treets!.. Cookies will be the death of me. But sitting at home has given me lots of time to think and i think i have scared my self a little. You know when you just over think... about thing that you now you cant control..then you try to control them .. then it just kinda makes things sucky... Well that's my mind right now. Going crazy with thought.. like if i don't get a better job i may be forced to i don't know move or something.. Well to tell you the truth that's pretty much the only thing i have been thinking about... I tell my self over and over again to Give this up because i cant really control it.
So a prayer request for me would be that in this new year I would get a new Job .. or at least another part time... Because I on my own can not deal with this.

Being home has been kinda of hard for me this time. maybe because i am alone more this time, lots of my friends were not home or busy getting ready and what not. I find that thought of the past are creeping up on me sometimes and my heart hurt all over again. Then i remind my self of how i am not that person any more, I'm different, my heart is clean and White as snow. I feel spiritually exhausted here right now there is a battle going on in my mind and heart. I know the War has already been won, but the battle has caused some scars and I know there will be many more to come, For i have only just started to fight... and i already feel tired. But how Great is our GOD!!! SOOO great i need not worry.. but there are days (to many i think) when my human nature get the better of me.
You are all in my thoughts and Prayers.
Prays be to our God, father of our Lord Jesus Christ
May the peace of Christ be with you this Christmas
Lots of Love
your sister in christ
Michelle

Merry Christmas!

We love you all!

Holla-back from NB

Hey folks

I'm sitting here alone at home and I'm thinking: "golly it would be good to be prayed for"...so I'm going to pray for each of you tonight, and I would be oh-so-pumped if one or two of you were to remember me while I'm at home and in a whole variety of interesting situations. This is a good thing...things are good. I would like them to keep being good.

I put my mom's car in the ditch today. It was kind of fun, but quite frusterating..I'm fine and so is the car. but drive safe kids.

love you all.

Rob

from the stinker her self... and i just burnt the junk out of my hand it hurts a little... i spilt boiling water on it Good job michelle good job!

My dearest family,
Im sorry about the lack of posting, I had meant to post long ago and even had a few written out but could never seem to put them up, or something would go wrong then it would be gone.
My life these past few months has been strange but normal at the same time. The summer seems so far away but its only a few months. In sept. when i was on that crazy road trip i found that my heart couldn't wait to move in with Sheri and get settled in. For the first week or so i didn't have a job so that made things hard. But then i got one but just was unable to start for like a month, do to the fact that super store is well Stupid store. But God is good, One of the biggest things he is teaching me is that He will always purveyed. Well DUHH Michelle of course He will, I have always known this in my head but not so much in my heart.
God chose to purveyed through some sweet ways, our chruch gave us a food hamper, and my Grate Grandpa who died about 3 years ago put some money away for me when i was born and i only just found out about it. Crazy.

My hart at the moment is confused, I feel as if i'm not doing something that i should be doing... but i'm not sure what that something is. or maybe i do and i just want to see it yet. My mind has been full of questions of what will happen next. I'm confused about my future and a little scared, I'm not sure what is supposed to happen next. Please pray that God make it clear what my next step is to be (i'm not good with the small hints so I pray he makes it a big hit like maybe slapping me in the face with it or something.) Please continue to pray for Sheri and i as we live in L.C, pray for Passion and desire, That my heart my yearn for our youth. My heart seems to be atacted by such small thing, Some time i just get frustrated over the smallest thing. this i fear get in the way, so pray for patients that i would not be easily annoyed. And most of all pray that my heart would be fill with Love. A love that is not my own, for i know not the full meaning of the word. Pray mostly for love because every thing elts will follow.

I think of all of you often, and my heart long for the day when we will be together again. But i am filled with Joy when i think about how God is using you and what he is teaching you. I'm am so thankful and feel so bless that God chose to give me 30 beautiful gifts of friendship.

You will be in my Heart for ever
lots of love
Michelle

ScottyT in NYC

well hello everyone. so i figured that since i just emailed a short answer to my decision about new york, i thought you guys deserved the full meal deal. so i had been thinking all along that i would go home and do something, work, make money, do whatever i thought should come next. but when they actually asked the question to us, it really forced me to examine it and pray about it. and that led me up this past week. through praying and seeking God and through the wisdom of others, it was shown to me, and i fully and completely agree with it, that my place in life is ministry, and i will never be completely satisfied unless i'm doing this. nothing else can make me feel complete and whole, than if i'm in full time ministry. so i started thinking about what should be my next step, we're always talking about 'the next right thing' here. you always need to thing about, what is the next right decision to make. so in thinking and praying about it, it was shown me that if i go home, the friends (with the exception of the few of you that are around my area), i have literally nobody that will force me to grow and be challenged. the experiences that i've had and the way that i've given myself to ministry in the past year, none of my friends can relate to that. and in this time, i need, more than ever, a place where i can learn and grow until it's time to make that next right decision. so that place, for me, is here, in new york, until a greater opportunity comes along, and hey, it might never come. but just so y'all know, that's where i'm sittin right now. love it here, hopefully have big arls join me next semester, but i've been blessed out of my socks here. so i hope to see some of you in the time that i'm home, but until then, God bless and i love you all...(i'll be home in a week!)


scotty

Once upon a time...

There's not much to say other then that I've been blessed with the most amazing girl I've ever met! :)

Jordan Is there somthign you would like to share with the reast of the class.

so... i'm just chillin on my couch and heard from a little birdie that something was something... and i just would like to know if Mr. Jordan Neilson would like to share with us all... OHH YOU KNOW what i'm talking about Mr Jordan!

I'm all smiles right now by the way!!!

Love and miss all of you!!!!!!!!
Michelle

Some Exciting News!

........... AFRICA here I come!

There is some sadness in this news. All training requires I be in Africa for a month in the summer. Which means I will not be able to serve at camp Qwanoes this summer (or atleast in the Head Counseling position). I never in a million years thought God would call me to any other ministry than Qwanoes. I've been there for 8 summers! It has been the main source of spiritual and leaddership growth for me! Ohhh my heart!

A few weeks ago God started to prepare my heart! Isaiah says

“Seek justice,

encourage the oppressed.

Defend the cause of the fatherless,

plead the case of the widow.”

Isaiah is such an interesting book. It talks about God loathing the people's worship! And the Lord's soultion is what is stated above! Ohhh my heart! This verse is now a booming calling on my heart! I'm comming, I will seek Justice, I will encourage the oppressed and I will love thoes beautiful African Children!!!!!

My heart is getting stirred up! To follow God where ever he leads, even if it means having no bed to call my own for 15 months and living out of a suitcase! I will do it because what is better that passionately pursuing Christ where ever He takes you!?! (I'm kinda feeling like I did when you guys were all about to arrive at Kaleo and I had no idea what the year would have in store...but so stinking excited!) So good-bye to comfort, good-bye to the "normal life" , good-bye to control and here's to the start of a big adventure! Here's to the "More" that my heart has been yearning for! hahah totaly didn't mean that to rhyme!

Dotto in Pursuit!

p.s. I am getting really excited for seeing you guys all again at the weddings this spring! Like really really excited! You are all missed! Like a lot! And that's cuz your loved!

You can read more at my personal blog here

From the bus to/from Youth Quake (can't remember, I think from youth quake).

Enjoy

When you think about it....

So i suppose its kind of obvious to say that a year ago to the day it was almost christmas. But then think a little harder, that means like a year ago all of us were getting woken up by jim and jordan or dotto and amanda with hot choco! We all met down stairs and i was extatic becuase i got a giant disney princess coloring book from miss jessica and we all got our mugs!
Now think a little past this even. If a year ago was christmas and we saw eachother four months staill after then we have all been apart for only 8 months. we have all now been apart for the same length of time we wwere all together. I think it is becuase i love you all so much that it feels like it has been way way longer than that!
i propose that we give eachother all memories for christmas! That we each write a post of our favorite kaleo memory! It could be a quote a story a picture with explation, a long lost video (thank you kelsey). Because being able to read or see something like that everyday leading up to christmas would definily be a present to me:)

Joel that is so awesome! i will be praying for you in that position! And i shall say as well fam that i suck at reading but i have become a dilligent prayer which has been great! So prayer for me would be to get me back into my bible daily!!!

Now at the moment i have to get up in like 6 hours to go to work but i shal post a momory as well!!!

Oh and stevey!! Yay for videos!!! i still live at the same place send it my way i cnannot wait to see themmm!!!!!!!!!!! i'm sure i shall burst into tears!!!

love you all!!
Jenny

Team Yearbook Strikes Again

Hey All! It's great to hear from you who write, and i'm sure there's way more ppl reading this than those who write!
I'm doing great. I'm just working away at my camp in Manitoba, gearing up for summer 09, and the sweet kids min (metro-esk) that i'll be running starting in march. other than that i do a lot of hanging out with friends from camp this summer, reading and researching for my job, and i'm trying to learn how to play guitar, so thats a slow but fun process. oh, just as a side note, one of my biggest accomplishments this past while (i think anyways) was running a half marathon (with no training). it was fun, and i hope to keep that up, but dont let that fool you to think that i'm all dedicated and disciplined, but i still wish i was.

Now, about this yearbook stuff, i've been working on some videos, and i have compiled our talent show, the dance night, and some of our Pentateuch class projects. I have 2 dvds ready to be burnt and here's where i need your participation.
First- lets say i send the discs out in the next week and a half, where would you like them sent? If its the same as the address you gave in the yearbook, dont worry about it, if it's different, then give comment with the right address, or email me or something.

Other than that, if you really dont want some part of the talent show/dance night to be shared in this way, you'll have to let me know and convince me to take it out.

But....i hope you are all doing peachy. Stay focused on God, let him guide you life and see what amazing things he'll have you doing! I Love you all and wish you the best!

-Revolutionary Steve

Trying to fix a broken world

Hey friends and family! I want to give you a quick update on where I'm at right now. After getting back from the summer, I've been searching for a job. One friend I talked to suggested being an Educational Assistant, so in the beginning of September I applied for that. After the initial interview I wasn't hired so I kind of threw that option out the window. However, last week the school district called me back for another interview. It went well, and less than 24 hours later, I was working my first day at the Steinbach Junior High School. I was pretty pumped, I still am pretty pumped.

I just finished my first full week at school and MAN it's heartbreaking. The kids I'm working with were suspended for a fight that involved hospitals and court dates so this is by no means an easy task. I'm basically there to help these guys get through school without getting suspended. But just herding them from class to class and helping them get the right answers is so stale. These guys have rough worlds that they live in and I'm probably the only light that they can see. I feel like I have a tremendous, impossible task. I would call it a dream actually. I want to see these guys walking in light. I am totally not able to do this on my own and it's been ridiculously amazing to suddenly feel this wisdom enter me. I'll be faced with a tough situation and the Holy Spirit totally take the reigns. Something I would never think of pops into my head and diffuses this predicament.

The Junior High is pretty rough. I feel the same sort of darkness in there that I felt in India. There's this brooding blackness I see when I walk down the halls. The enemy clearly has a stranglehold on this school and dispite having an extraordinarily high percentage of believing teachers (my estimate is 50% +) , it doesn't seem to have a bright future. I remember going there myself as a student and it was super tough to get through and live Christ-like life as well. I can only see these troubled lives' potential in Jesus, and I can't let go of that, I'm aching to see their mindset changed from one of pride and self-fulfilment to one of humility and compassion. It seems totally impossible, but it's on my heart and I can't get it off. Can I count on some of your deliberate, consistent prayers to help me? I need an abundance of wisdom and love. Also pray for strongholds in this school to be shattered. Thank you so much! I love all of you, miss all of you, and can't wait to see you again!

Anticipating what God is going to do in broken places,
Joel

fuuuuuunny stuff i tell ya

I was just going through my kaleo videos and when I found this I nearly died.. matt you are hilarious and meesh I love your laugh. yeah its probably one of my favorite memories from the mt washington trips