I found this and it made me smile!

.....lot's

Hey Guys,

Sorry if this seems a bit garbled, falling asleep while writting thi...zzzzz

So a bit about where I am at: So I'm almost done this semester, one week of exams left, then I'm done school for a while. I start full time working with elementary kids after they're done school after next week. Basicly I get paid to play with kindergarteners for 4 hours. I'm droping electrical engeneering and going into a math and physics program next September to go into teaching highschool math and physics. I've been fealing that this is where I'm supposed to be for a while, but couldn't have droped out of school earlier, I just missed the date to drop out without academic penalty by 2 weeks.

All this year I've been leading a grade 7 small group at my church full of hyper active boys that resemble a group of untrained puppies more than middle school boys. The group can range from a 5 to 18 but I've been leading it with 2 great guys, Ross Borden and Evan Hagerty. But even though the kids are crazy and hard to deal with. I'm loving it. They kids are really challenging at times (Not listening, randomly running out, taking off their shirts...) but there are times that remind me why I do it and why I come back every week when some weeks I go home and bang my head against the wall. Funny story: So most of my group goes to Pacific Christian School (Where I graduated from) and they had Pastors Day there a few weeks ago and the kids invited me to come, so me and the other lead Evan Hagerty went and we walked into their class room and they all cheered our names and ran and gave us hugs, it was really cool, then we skiped their class to play tag. If was awesome.

Now some prayer requests: So I got home from youth tonight and my dad told me that my grandpa had a mild heart attack down in Mexico. A few days ago he was hit by a car down there and was put in ICU and apparently he was complaining his chest was hurting today and he had a mild heart attack. Their flying him home in a few days (Don't know the details) and my parents are flying down there tomorrow morning to drive back up with my grandma. Its kind of hard having this all happen 2 countries away and not being able to go down there. I am really close with my grandparents. Its also really hard having it all happen just before exam week.
You're prayers are much apreciated.


Thanks Guys, miss you all greatly. If any of you find yourselves in Victoria give me a call.

Josh

The Dust has Settled

Hello Everyone!
First off I want to apologize for the suspence suffered on your part. I dropped a big load with a large ? at the end and didn't utter a peep afterwards.
Although to be honest my experience hasn't been much better, "should I stay or should I go." One couldn't count how many times I thought that the last week.
My family is slowly but surely picking their lives up; one baby step at a time. Their was a small cabin in the Ranch yard that had been vacant for a couple of months. They will live there till the end of June, afterwhich they are moving away from the Ranch to begin a new life. A much fresher start than intended now that everything is gone.
Mom is stuck in a deep, deep, depression. She was a real packrat so loosing all her treasures has hit her hard. Mostly its her thousands of photos of us kids all through the years. Along with hours of home videos of us being goofy toddlers.
She will struggle, but at this point we don't think she will be going back into the hospital at all.
So I am staying; I will live in the U.K. until sept, and travel as intended. I'm relieved! I didn't want to loose the life I've established here. I live at a pub, I'm a barman and waiter. You can google it at The Queens Arms, Corton Denham, Somerset, U.K.
I have such a brilliant circle of mates in and around the village that are so good to me and take me out. I'm just me around them, and they love it. I love it when I feel comfortable to be myself. Like with you guys.
It is extremely dissapionting thinking of everything I left in MB that is now gone. All my souvenirs from all my travelling. I sent all the stuff I bought in Africa, "to be safe while I'm in Europe." Heh! Ironic eh. The journals I regret loosing the most, anyone on Team India knows how much time I wasted writting the bleedin stuff out.
Its been simply irritating trying to remeber all of my rubbish and how much it was all worth! Insurance ballocks! None the less, I think decades down the road our family will look back and laugh. My parents nearly broke-up three weeks before the blaze. The stress of money and plans for leaving the Ranch. Where were they going? what were they doing? It almost broke them!
Now all they have left is each other and us kids and they can't believe they were getting so worked up over so many daft things! I think God really does have a sense of humor in all of it. They new they needed to leave the ranch and start a new life. They'd hesitate, get scared, loose trust, fight, repeat cycle. I think God just went, poof! "There you go, if your not going to burn your bridges I'll do it for you."
Our entire family has been overrunned with prayer and e-mails, you lot included.
Its been emotional, yet I'm excited at how my family has and will grow through the experience.
Now, I'm absalutely shattered I've worked 36hrs in three days. Mothers Day weekend here. With gorgeous weather as well, holidays and good whether always mean a bombing for us in the catering buisness. Need to recover before my b-day bash on Wednesday.
I love you all so much, thanks for the prayers. We needed them
"THE SHOW MUST GO ON"

Heeeey Kaleeeeooooo

Hey Kaleo...

So there've been a few developments that some of you know about, but some of you dont, and I figure this is the best way to tell you all about it! Plus, I'm a little bored, and Dotto compelled me to do this a few days ago.

First off, a brief synopsis of my year: Working for Cal MacFarlane = great, but time consuming. Working in the dorm as an RA = even greater, but more time consuming. It's been a real learning curve, but it's been a privilege. Taking 42 credit hours of classes this year = VERY time consuming, almost all-consuming. Truly an exercise in time-management, and learning to be faithful in the little things. At the moment, I'm in Winnipeg doing a practicum at the University here. I'm teaching Academic English to foreign exchange students, and it's been a very cool experience. It's involved a lot of alone time, which has been both refreshing and challenging.

This summer, I'll be tree planting again in BC, then flying to my brother's wedding in Newfoundland, and then flying to Kabul. I'll teach in Afghanistan for six weeks as a part of my program at Briercrest...I'm pretty excited about the opportunity; things have been lining up and the path is being made straight, and I'm kind of just following a little blindly but trusting that this will be part of God's work, in me and in others. Don't worry, it's a safe northern part of the country, I'll be fine...but some prayers would be swell.

Finally, may as well make it official and let you all know that I'm dating a cool girl named Keltie, who is currently backpacking in Australia with her brother. No, it isn't on my facebook status, but I like you guys and want you all to know about the important people in my life.

Things I'm learning, of varying importance:
Chinese. It's difficult.
Prayer sustains me. When Jesus is my center, I think I will be okay with not knowing precisely the details of his will for me.
Adverbial time clause subordinating conjunction is a complicated way to say "when."
Sometimes I'm motivated by pride instead of glorifying God, and I can fool myself to think it's okay.
Shockingly, I'm not always right.

I love you guys

Rob

ps. Kurt...update?

Team Vancouver!

Check out this nice article on "Inner Hope"(go to the World Vision Article) also check out the sweet drawing int he article, "God Bless this house", on the art wall we put up............obviously done by a 5 year old right?

Disaster has struck the Hoff Household

Hello, Kaleo family
I got up this morning and gon to work, rather tired having been up to the wee hours of the morning at a birthday party in the next village last night. My Nanna, (moms mom) left a message on the pub phone. It sounded urgent.
I Don't have mobile phone coverage in my flat, so I took me phone to the one window in the pub that gets one bar. there were six messages left on my phone stringing back over two days.
To cut it short, our families house has burned to the ground and everyting in it. I struggled to do my job properly for the lunch shift. I feared the worst. I've spoken to them now.
My mom was home alone sleeping when it lit, it started in the bathroom. We have an electric heater in there, so? We really need prayers right now. As you all know my mom had enough problems as it is with her mental illness. She was the only soul in the yard when she ran out into the manitoba winter in nothing but her PJs and a pair of socks on.
Her and Jessica are devastated at the loss. they are stayin next door with our cousins at the moment. Moms an emotional wreck. High as a kite one minute; glad to be alive and her family is fine. Next minute suicidal. William is arriving home tonight from Bible School in Camrose to render them support.
I am torn and frustrated, if I quite my job here and go home. All my hopes and asperations in europe will be over. Yet will I be of any help, their tight for space, theirs nothing left to go home to I may very well become just a nusance than any aid after a short while. Yet, this is a major obsticle for our family. I don't want this to be something that haunts me for abandoning my family in their time of need.
Dad and I agreed we will monitor mother closely, she may crumble into turmoil and need to be locked up in the institute. Or she may level out and be able to get through this experience.
I have a very big decision coming up within the next fort night. The biggest I have ever made.
I'm scared and uneasy, our belongings mean nothing. Just the emotional well being of my loved ones. Praise God Their all Alive. I need his guidance right now.