Go East Young Woman!

My dear Kaleo Family,
First of all I would like to remind you all just how much I value each of you, regardless of how often we talk and that God has used each of you to teach me in some way.
So my life right now. I just recently finished up my exams and so I am done my second year of University! As crazy as it may sound I love all my courses and the things that I am learning. I have been really blessed with the people around me, and how God is stretching and growing me even in everyday things.
As soon as I was done my exams I was able to head out to the island for a week to be with Ellie through this tough time. It was really good to be there. She is doing well but keep the prayers coming. God is faithful.
On another note I believe that last time I posted on here that I was considering whether or not to go on a missions trip to Thailand, well I decided that God was saying the answer was yes after a great deal of going back and forth over whether this was God or just me wanting an adventure. So now here I am several months later ready (well getting there) to head off. And that is God behind this has been confirmed through the incredible financial generosity and support that has come in to fund this trip. I have had my socks blessed off! Once again God is faithful.
I have a week of training here in Ontario first, starting on Friday and then will be flying out to Phuket, Thailand with 5 other young women from the church that I attend while I am at school. I’m going with Mennonite Brethren Mission Service International (MBMSI). We are going to be in Thailand for a month and while there working alongside long term missionaries, doing a variety of ministries, including doing VBS with street kids, teaching English to University students and Lord willing working with women who are coming out of prostitution. I would value your prayers for our time there so much. I’m really excited about this incredible opportunity but would be lying to say I wasn’t pretty nervous as well. This is much longer than I’ve spent in another culture and I know that I going to be challenged in huge ways. I don’t know if you have been following the news but there is a great deal of civil unrest in Thailand, specifically in Bangkok. As of a couple of days ago the Canadian embassy said that it was too dangerous to enter Bangkok, which is where our flight is into. Phuket, where we will be for the majority of the trip is in the south of the country, a fair distance from Bangkok, but the situation is still one of concern so prayers around that would be wonderfully appreciated! My team has a blog and so if you would like to follow along with what God is doing over there and specific ways you can pray please check it out: yasinthailand.blogspot.com (The ya stands for Young Adults, it took me a bit to get that so I thought I would help you out :)
Be blessed my friends,
Catherine

Go West Young Man

Hello family!

I'm so excited about what's going on right now, I've got to tell you all. But first, let me catch you up on what's happened so far.

Last I wrote, I was working at a school with 'the tough kids'. That ended up going really well. I learned a lot, and felt like I was making an impact on these guy's lives just by hanging out with them (and making them do homework). There was a radical shift that took place in my life during that year. I went from being apathetic towards people, to really loving them, and believing a fool's love (in the best biblical sense) can change a person. My outlook on what I wanted to do with my future changed completely. Before, I wanted to do something that would make me feel good. But I began to realize that shouldn't be my goal if I wanted to serve Jesus. I needed to sacrifice what I wanted to do and rather think what I can do to serve Jesus and love others.

I began to search for ways that would allow me to fulfill Jesus' prayer of "thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." I spent hours pouring over mission organization websites and programs that college age people can do. In the end, I found exactly what I was looking for, a way to express my love for Jesus in a practical way. But this was not before the "oh-no-what-am-I-doing-next-year!" panic struck and I enrolled at Briercrest.

(Intermission) [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwGFalTRHDA]

It was such a sick year! I think I learned a lot (I'll find out once the hype has passed and real life kicks in) and made some good friends. It feels like a blur, but a good blur. Now, here I am, finishing exams tomorrow. I go home for two weeks (and a 4 day stint in TO to visit my bro, anyone in that area want to hang out for a bit?), then rip out back to the Q to be the photographer again this summer.

I'm stoked for whats happening after summer the most though. It will be the hardest for sure, but it's what I want to do. Remember the organization I found right after I enrolled for B-crest? It's a small program called Urban Promise. [urbanpromise.ca] This is a Vancouver based not-for-profit organization trying to help those in need in inner-city Vancouver. Mostly it runs after school day camps for elementary kids, but it also does other things (which I'm not sure of yet until I get there). It kind of has the feel of Metro I think. So that should be fun, but I also don't know what I'm getting myself into. If any of you guys want to pray for me over this next year, that would be much appreciated.

So that's what I've been up to. Maybe I'll try to do more posts with less info-dumping in the future. I hope all you guys are doing well. Ellie, you and your family are still in my thoughts and prayers! I wish I could have come out.

Oh man! It's 1:30! I have an exam tomorrow! Night all...

Anticipating the future eagerly,
Joel

Don't you love these people?

They are a little Crazy, but dearly loved! It was a great joy amidst a very sad day to get a bit of the K5 family together and we though you may enjoy this video we took waiting at Ellie's house.

And the funeral ......well Ellie has Christ in her! Everyone who went to the funeral encountered Christ that day, you couldn't miss Him, He was shinning, a sweet aroma out of Ellonora the Brave. It was a bit surreal to see Him show up that evidently! Let's continue to support her and bring her to the throne of Christ! That she may sit, rest, battle and heal there!

We love ya KALEO!

Hey everybody. I've been preparing myself to post an update on here for probably a couple of weeks now. Little did I know that I would be sharing this news with you.

Most of you probably know already, by way of Sheri's updates, etc, but for those of you who don't... Saturday night my wonderful, sweet, troubled daddy took his own life.

I've had a hard time even saying those words: I've lost my father.

Sunday morning, at about 7:20am Lewis and I were woken up by the phone ringing and since we were slow, my mom started shouting into our answering machine: Ellie please pick up the phone, please pick up the phone.... so Lew ran to get it and my mom and sister were panicking on the other end, 'Please come here now, daddy's hurt himself, he's in the back shed"... So of course I try asking them if they've called the ambulance, and all that... She hung up before I could even get the full story of what happened. So Lew and I hurry out the door, thoughts running through our heads like he's had an accident with one of his tools, or something... so I called my brother (who lives in Surrey) and he picks up, turns out he is on the other line with my sister, and he said he would call me back. So it takes a couple of minutes for him to call back, and at this point I didn't know what happened fully yet (I had a gut feeling though) so I asked him and he told me.

We arrived at my parents house and there were cop cars outside, oh my goodness it was so surreal and ... just TRAUMA. The coroner arrived not too long after that as well as family members, had us all sit down & explained what the process looks like after someone commits suicide. That word... even... I keep seeing it in my head, that word spoken over my dad's life by the enemy. I kept thinking, this will be the most defining moment, the hardest thing I will ever go through in my life... and how do I live without my father? What will life look like now? For my mom, my sister, my brother, myself...

The last two days we have been surrounded by family, friends and PRAISE THE LORD His Church. We have stayed at this house, and I think it has been so good despite the fact that he did it here, the shed is still out back and everywhere we look we are reminded of him... but I think it has been really healing. It's been really hard for my sister though. Please pray that she would be comforted and feel peace as we prep for my mom and her to move to another home.

Last night was really hard. Everyone who slept here squeezed into my mom's room (three of us on a bed, two beds... that makes six) and just took turns comforting, weeping, sleeping...

What I find a bit of closure in is the fact that I know if my dad could turn back time, he wouldn't have done it. What it comes down to is that he made a bad choice - one that was greatly influenced by the lies of the enemy and feeling deep despair and hopelessness. He has been going through an extremely diffcult time for the last few months especially and admitted to being depressed but wouldn't reach out for help and didn't know how to get out of the pit. My mom had been struggling with this as well, feeling so burdened but also so unable to do anything to help him... the choice to get better had to come from him.

I think the hardest part in all this is accepting the finality of all of it. He made a choice in a moment of desperation and it is irreversible. While were sitting in the living room the first morning and watching all of this happen around us like in a movie, I kept thinking that maybe it was all a mistake, that he hadn't really died, that he had gotten really low but decided to come out of it... I don't know if that makes sense. I guess what I have really been struck with is the reality of our choices, that they can be so easily influenced by the enemy and that we must choose to seek the TRUTH spoken over our lives.

"Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth"

The funeral will be this Friday at New Life, I'm not sure about the time yet but I will keep you posted because thats kind of an important detail. You are all welcome.

Yeah I don't know what else to say except we so appreciate your prayer support. I love being carried by you guys during this time.

Love.... really... yeah

Ellanora the Brave