ECUADOR Bound!!!

It has been a very long time since I last provided an update on my life. I find that I am on here so much, reading everyone else's post and whatnot, that I forget that I myself haven't written.

My life is really good right now. The second semester is well underway and i am enjoying nearly every aspect of it. I am so busy most of time and struggle to find time to just be quiet and be in the presence of God, this is especially difficult when I am spending my time doings that I see as good and necessary like all of my school work and volunteering, and spending quality time with others. What do I cut out in order to pursue my Father?
The exciting news right now is that I am leaving for Ecuador in a little under 2 weeks!!!!! and have such great excitment for that fact. I am going to Guayaquil, Ecuador for a week over my reading break to help run a children's camp and also doing building work on their church. I have been planning on going on this trip for awhile now, but it has always just been rather in the background with all the other things of life. But now it is almost here and I am so very excited for the opportunity to return to South America and hang out with a bunch of children, who are so loved by our Father. Now what I didn't mention is that this is a socceer camp, which is quite obviously out of my element, based on how frequently I played socceer last year in the regular games. :) Although I know that there are going to be many ways for me to contribute to this camp, I will admit I'm afraid of being quite useless there.
I know that the decision to go on this trip was impractical, in terms of it costing more money than I have to spend and the schoolwork I'm going to get behind on and the timing being right before flying out to Ellie's wedding and that I don't kn ow a thing about soccer. But despite all those things I felt that God was telling me to go for it without looking back, so that is what I'm trying to do, but it is somewhat hard.
If you could be in prayer for my team and I as we do final prep and as we are down there, I would appreciate it so much. Just for God to be given all the glory, and for all our actions to serve that purpose.
I truly love all of you and love hearing about what is going on in your hearts and lives through the blog. I am so much looking forward to seeing a good deal of you in just over a months time.
Love and Peace In Christ,
Catherine

hey guys.
i just found out last night that my grandpa has cancer. he's really not doing well...
please pray.

ADK going to Metro

Hey Guys Arlan here probably many of you already know but for those that do not the choice has been made.

Pastor Bill made a very profound statement, "The need is the Call." The need to do something is the call. Now I have a dream to do something involving bicycles for the kingdom, so the need here is to learn about the bike industry and fixing bikes in order to get a better vision on how to go about involving bikes into a dream that is dedicated and devote to God. Working at a bike shop would be a great way to fulfill this need. So perhaps the call is to work at a bike shop?

Secondly I have a dream to evangelize and teach about God effectively in ministry or mission where you not only learn but go out and do. So the need here is to learn and do evangelizing and teaching, and Metro Ministries has a awesome internship program for this. So perhaps the call is to go to Metro Ministries. So What is the greater need? This is a good question.

I have decided to go for possibly the greater need and head down to New York this March. I still have my days where I wish I would have worked at the bike shop this summer and head to NY in Sept however I had to make a commitment sometime and so I have booked my flights. Does it really matter weather I would go to Metro this March or in Sept? Maybe, maybe not? I must now go this March trusting God in the choice that was made.

I Can't wait to see Scotty T. and the Kims, oh and I hear I'll be seeing Jordan Neilson and Jen Lee woot woot, and the kaleo students who decide to go on the best mission option for kaleo, haha.

Tomorrow I will be...........

......in North Carolina for the Welcome weekend with the African Children's Choir!

I am so excited!  This has been in the works for like a year!  Please pray my plane doesn't crash and I make it there (and back)

I love you all (like acutaly) and would love to give you all a "slightly violent but always loving" HUG right now!

If you think of it please pray for all us applicants and ACC staff.  That we would make decisions that will bring God Glory.  And that the Holy Spirit would lead the ACC Staff in making decisions about what is best for the kids and the tour!

Can't wait to see lot's of you at some weddings that are actually happening really really soon now!!!!! (that is if my plane doesn't crash!)

Love!

~Dotto~

Hey, see all those people along the top of the blog? See if you can say all their names.

Back to Canada!!!

Guess what??!! Okay maybe the title gave it away...

I'm heading back to Canada!!! After much deliberation and prayer, the Lord has opened the door for me to return to Qwanoes for a season. In just two weeks, I'm heading back to assist in recruiting staff and follow-up and then diving into the Head Counseling role for the summer! Timing has been so incredible as God has provided in wonderful ways these past months and then prepared the way for me to return to a position and place that I hold so dear. I wish so much that this meant I was able to see you all, but somehow I feel closer being in the same country...hmm, funny how that works ;) Anyway, wanted to share the news before this got around and had some photos I wanted to share as well! I'm already going through some nephew withdrawals as I started nannying this week for two little girls and don't get to see the boys ALL day...don't know how I'm going to survive...

Love you all!!

Quote

here is a sweet quote. some good food for thought.

“The pulpit calls those anointed to it as the sea calls it’s sailors. And like the sea it batters and bruises and does not rest. To preach, to really preach, is to die naked a little at a time and to know each time you do it, that you must do it again.” – Bruce Steelman

Look! It's Dhatmir!

For those who went to India or those who care... I went hunting on Google Earth for the path we hiked on in India. It took me quite a while to find this, but the coordinates of Dhatmir are:

35*01'03"N
78*16'34"E



Have fun virtual exploring!

Short and Sweet!

I love you all a lot!...that's all :)

ehhh everybody! wsssup!? mm just what i expected. ok here's the deal. i feel like i haven't posted in a while...i kinda forgot how to post, not gonna lie, and i've been gettin a lot of you asking about my future and when things happen and such, sooo instead of 26 individual and personalized messages (which would be nice, but i haven't the time for that), i'll put a mass update on here. I, Scott Thiessen, am now a new yorker, soooo get used to it! haha for at least a year i will be. so that means, leaving in march (the week after ellie and lewis' wedding), i'll be heading back down, joined by ARRRRRRLAN! so pumped for that. my job will be the same as what i did, except less stressful! figure that one out...and i'll get paid for it!!! mercy me, how can i go wrong. so i will be doing sunday schools again, likely in a different area, and no longer on ryan wood's team, as delightful a time as that was - SOOO good. but time has come for me to move on, to a different area, new people and a new team. it actually isn't my decision at all, that's just how it owrks out.

now, in the meantime, (i've been home since the 23rd of december) i've managed to enjoy momma T's baking, go to the qwanoes staff retreat, and start working on the farm for hopefully the last time of my life! it's been great. since my bank account currently holds 43 dollars, i figured i should get a move on that, the whole 'insufficient funds' thing at the cash register is kindof embarassing.

in prayer request news, i have been given the opportunity to share for half an hour to an hour on 'experiencing God' through new york mostly, but i'm gonna throw in the rest of my life as well, figure it'll take up more time. so that's this weekend with our college aged group at my church, so extreme prayer would be appreciated for that...yes EXTREME, i'm asking you to take it to a new level haha. but i think that's all for me...

aside from that i'm listening to 'one in a million' by none other than the backstreet boys and my mind is flooded with thoughts of daniel smallhorn and jon lefave. figure that one out....shooooot!

scotty T!

we're famous... sort of

Hey, not sure if any of your schools/churches get a magazine called "Options" but its all about christian schools and such and there is a kaleo add on the back page, and we made it on! that's right, proudly in class is k5!
Just wondering if anyone else has seen it yet. And i just found the photo on my computer so i loaded it if you dont get the magazine.
Love you all!
Revolutionary Steve

Rain, rain, rain

Well, many of you may have heard that much of Washington is under water and unfortunately my bros house backs up to a river! We've had quite the week!
My brother was out of town this week, so Amber and I woke up early Wednesday morning and packed the boys a bag and each of us some stuff as well as all of their keepsakes and literally headed for high ground. We were praising the Lord later that day, because Amber had a doctor's appointment in the morning which quickened our departure...had we not left that early, we would have been stuck in the havoc that happened only an hour after we left. People were scrambling to get valuables out of their homes before the roads closed and sure enough, every road in and out of Orting closed by about 11am. After much hassle in deciding where to stay and how to keep 4yr. old Carson from been frightened, we ended up at some friends' house that night ready to camp out for a few days! Meanwhile my brother was sitting in his truck waiting for the mountain passes to open so that he could get home and ended up spending two nights on the mountain due to avalanches. With so much irregular snowfall this season preceding the rainstorm, the danger of avalanche and flood raised to unusual heights. Amber, Carson, Brady and I camped out in some tight quarters for 2 days, but praised the Lord for some wonderful friends that made us feel right at home. Carson prayed with Amber and I for God to stop the rain and sure enough, Thursday night the rain stopped and the sun came out today. Much of the water has soaked in or dried up and praise the Lord none of the water reached their home! This picture is what the trail behind the house looks like. We were blessed as just down the road a bit some homes were not so fortunate.
If you haven't guessed, I moved back up to my brother's house last month and have enjoyed the opportunity to be back with these beautiful boys. The Lord has been so gracious in allowing much time with my family to build and re-build where it didn't seem possible. Your prayers would be appreciated as God directs and opens doors for where I'm heading. Love you all so much; it has been so wonderful to hear from so many of you on the blog. Though I wish we could be speaking in person, it is great to here where the Lord has taken you in these past months.

Much love,
Amanda

"I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now...It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace." Phil.1:3-5,7a

Heeey everybody

I'll echo jonny and say how good it is to read about your lives and the things you're learning. I wanted to let you celebrate with me in passing through my first time at home totally substance free! Still a couple of days to go, but I have high (no pun intended) hopes. It's incredible to look at the ways God has worked. I mean, definately a lot of refining and purifying still needed here, but God has been pretty darn gracious to me during this break.

My other news is this: after a whirlwind of a talk with my pastor and a meeting with my deacons, I have been given a License to Minister. Basically, in the Convention Baptist world, that's a first step toward ordination in that it affirms God's call on my life and approves me to speak in churches within my home church's reagion (vouches that I'm not a heretic, essentially). Ordination takes like a long stinkin' time and this is just a little baby step and does NOT mean I will be a pastor, but it is kind of neat and it's an open door I really didn't see coming. So it's been really encouraging to be having these meetings and talking with folks here about the good things God is doing and is going to do. I've been pretty uncertain about my church's direction over the past year, but this return home has been incredible.

Finally, for those of you who don't know, I was planning to take a semester off to work in the oil fields to make some money but it didn't work out, what with the crashing economy and all that jazz. So I'm returning to Briercrest with da boyz to work on a Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies and TESOL (teaching english to speakers of other languages). Now you know.

Love you all, and love hearing from you. I hope you've had awesome Christmases and really, really blessed 2009s. take care.

Joyful Rob

my kaleo family,
What an amazing encouragement it was to log on here 10 minutes ago and read the last few blogs. As my brother left to go back to Kaleo and as our family got an awesome chance to pray for him as he went, I so desperately want him to live these last three months receiving everything our perfect Father wants to give him. Like I can't even imagine last year and the goodness, the joy and the growth that took place. I had no idea then what I was doing like in the present sense a year ago and to be quite honest with you guys, would love to be back there right now.
God is faithful, and perfect, and all knowing and so in this time of my life and this last month, He has called me to know, like to know what this firm Rock that I stand on, really is. At the beginning of the month some incidents happened at school where I think it's fair to say that I became very aware of the spiritual warfare going around on me. There were some very scary times in that and times of real struggle and real fear, but I don't tell you this without wanting you to know that our Father who is faithful, perfect, and loving, was right beside me and with me throughout that entire time. In God's ways that are so much higher then ours, He knew to equip me with some Godly men who live in the same room, the room beside me and in other rooms in the dorm. While the thought of being together again the same way a year ago definitely crosses my mind, I am so thankful for the powerful blessing in Jord, Kev, and Rob. So this last month has been maybe the hardest month of my life and I don't say in any cliche way but the reality of this last month was that it was hard, tiring, and I truly was so weak, and so in this being such a hard month, I saw God work in the biggest ways I've ever seen him work in my own heart and mind, and He Truly is strong when we are so weak.
I find myself wanting to understand his grace so much right now and what it means to live in freedom everyday.
This Christmas break has been such a blessing in being with the family and doing so many fun and enjoyable things. Being able to be with Jake after a semester at Kaleo and then to be home with Kristen after being at school with her has been amazing. Being with my youngest brother Nate and just spending time together has been so good.
The amazing thing I've learned and actually today as I sat down to listen to a speaker my mom was listening too, she talked about when we mess up and go through tough stuff, ya the enemy may have tempted us and ya we may have fallen, but because God was victorious and we can live everyday victoriously, he uses what we have struggled with to actually relate to those who are struggling with that in darkness.
Eph. 5:13 "But everything exposed by the light becomes visible- and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. "
Crazy to think that when our sin is exposed and brought to light, it can be used as a light for other people. And I think in learning this today I got a taste of God's grace. And please know that the God who is in control of our lives and whatever is going on, that same God calls us to draw near to him because HE loves to draw near to us.
peeeeace out.
jon

And 2009 begins...

Well, it's Sunday night, the night before I head back to school and I've actually forced myself to sit down and write a post. I've been putting this off for a while, because I really don't know what to write. The holiday was good, still feel a little too tired to be heading back, but it was an awesome time with family, friends, filled with relaxation. I was very excited to actually get to read a couple books for my own enjoyment! I think it's been a very long time since I've written so.... school ended well, was very glad to be done that semester. Church is great, the youth portable is up and running (I'll get pics up later this week of it), and now we get to figure out how to get the word out and get kids in for the drop-in times! The youth night is sweet, and some big things are coming up in the next two weeks! Got our leaders training retreat next weekend, and then the next weekend is our lock-in (all-nighter). So those are pretty big things, and I've been a big part of the planning for it, which is awesome and exciting, but a little freaky when it comes to stuff like the travel itinerary for the retreat! Things aren't always easy, down-right discouraging and frustrating at times, but the holidays have helped to refocus.

My heart has been good, I think... the busyness definitely takes its tole; however, the holidays have been a great time of thinking, reflecting, time with God, and reading books that have caused me to think a lot. Definitely a time of recharge. Being at camp for new years retreat also helped so much. Going back to camp, and the conversations that happen always seem to bring everything back, you could almost say back into reality, and everything into focus. It was so good to have those chats with some of you, even though some weren't long, they are always so encouraging and refreshing for me. I long to have that with the people here at home, but it's just not all there yet... it's such a beautiful thing though.

But now it's back to school, and back to church. I'm excited to start again with this focus, and refreshed vision. I've been thinking a lot about seeing and recognizing the gospel story in people's lives. I think this is a lot easier to do at a place like camp, or Kaleo, but it is hugely important that we see the work that God is doing in someones life, and how He may use us in that.

If you want to pray specifically for me that would be so awesome,
I think mostly that I would persevere in the time where school and church are tiring and discouraging, and not just go into auto-pilot in those times. Also that I would know where God wants me to be, and have a continuing, and frequently replenished passion for that place.
I'm sure a lot of you guys are looking ahead to the future as summer, and next Fall draws closer. My prayer for you guys (and very much so for myself) is that we would continue to declare that Jesus is enough, and that we would surrender our desire to have everything figured out, and that instead we would seek God's plan.
God bless,
Take care,
and I'm praying for all of you as this new year kicks-off

well hello dear friends.

It has been too long time hasn't it? I’m sorry I haven’t kept in better contact. When I think about it I see myself being a really great blogger, but apparently I’m not. I do read this blog constantly and love hearing updates about you all; God is doing some pretty miraculous things in your lives, big and small.

Let me fill you in. This fall has been interesting to say the least. About a week before school started I decided to live in res with Jay as my roommate. It was a decision that I am really glad I made, having the ability to meet new people quickly and also be there with Jay as she dealt with her moms sickness. It was precious times to be able to be together and feel like we were all each other had. I also had a lot of doctors appointments trying to pinpoint a lot of pain and tiredness I had been dealing with. I found out a couple weeks later that I had anemia. It isn’t like life threatening or anything just means that because of extremely low levels of iron in the blood I am constantly tired and at times have poor concentration. I’ve been on medications for the last couple of months, but it is a slow process to get normal levels of iron again.

Classes were okay, there were some I loved, some I dreaded and one that I have been so challenged by. One of my profs, Charles the Great (as I like to call him sometimes) was incredible in not only teaching, but stirring a passion in me to know and understand the roots of Christianity. The class was tough, like brutally. Classes were packed with information and readings of many great church fathers and outside of class I spent the majority of my time working on this class. Its literally been a mind blowing experience to know how ignorant I was before this class about Christianity. Many, many times throughout the class I felt like instead of feeling more aware, I was really just recognizing my lack of awareness in so many other areas. I was happy to have the semester over and done with feeling burnt out and exhausted yet so appreciative of my profs.

Its been hard, to be oh so honest, to stay in the Word. I have been humbled many a time this semester realizing again and again my inability to have the ability to be righteous without Christ. It is a good reminder to be sure, but slightly exhausting. Its frustrating, as you all probably know, to go from a place of such recognition of the Holy Spirit working in your life, to one where you don’t recognize it anymore.

I feel anxious. Not like in a nervous way, but in the way where I feel like I need to be moving on again. I haven’t really lived in the same place for a long period of time, other than kaleo, for the past 2 years. There are so many opportunities that are given to me, so many places to see, so many needs...I just want to go. God has clearly placed me here for now, this semester at least, but other than that I’m just not sure how long I’ll be here. I am anxious to go, which may very well mean I am meant to stay.

I love you all and think of you often. May the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life be rediscovered.

Al

“I shall be satisfied with your likeness” Psalm 17:15