About six weeks ago, I was feeling very alone in the world. Since I hadn't been to church in, well, months, I decided it was time I started going back. So, I went to a student church called The Embassy. I didn't know anybody who would be there, and because of that I almost didn't go. Anytime I've ever gone before I've gone with friends, we've shuffled in and then immediately shuffled out at the end, only ever talking amongst each other. Occasionally I'll see a few people I knew from camp and I'll awkwardly catch up with them for five minutes. But that has always been the extent of it. So I wasn't expecting much.
I was really intimidated at first. I chose a seat in a row where nobody was sitting yet and I sat right in the middle. Then some guy came and sat on the very end of the row on one side and another guy came and sat on the other end. Goody, I thought, pretending to read the book I happened to have with me. I figured I'd be sitting alone all night.
But then! Then a girl and her friends came in late and for some reason they all split up. She sat near me, and at "mingle time" (that awkward hand-shaking time that I usually loathe) we really hit it off! She introduced me to her friends afterwards and I ended up meeting like nine people that night! I stayed for an extra hour or so meeting various people! It was excellent.
And now, long story short, I'm going to be one of the leaders in The Embassy Student Association (ESA) at the University of Waterloo come the Fall. I'll be one of three people in charge of the missional aspect of the ESA, the mission being to serve the students of the univesity emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Among other things, we're going to attempt to set up communities of students, where everyone who wants to participate will be notified of the other students in their area and we'll all have an open-door policy towards each other. And we'll be intentional about using that open-door policy too. The focus will be to do life together - boring life, like eating and reading and studying and fixing stuff and making stuff and whatever! As well as doing exciting life together too, obviously. The goal is, more or less, to set up Christian communities (where people who aren't Christian are also very welcome) who live out redemption together. We're kind of basing the idea off of this sermon, which, though long, and slow to begin, is totally worth the time it takes to listen to it.
To me, this is pretty exciting, because my friend (coincidentally the head of the ESA) and I want to start a Christian community house the following year, so this is very much a step in the right direction for that!
I've also met another girl at church passionate about homelessness. We've decided that this year, every week we're going to find someone homeless and take them out for lunch. I love it!
In conclusion, I'm really looking forward to the Fall, and the explosive potential of everything I'm getting involved in.
There is also much more that is new with me, but that would take a lot to type out.
Ta ta for now!
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Adventures in Port Burwell
The "Dinosaur Tree" (because it looks like the bottom of a dinosaur, no?)
Drying the dishes!
Umm... yes.
An Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind kind of day
Matt thoughtfully reading
A kerfuffle waiting to happen
Me and some girl I met at camp once with Port Burwell's infamous lighthouse in the back
Pretending we don't know how to smile because that's just our sense of humour.
Port Burwell's Summer Festival
Summer Bliss
Shortly After pretending to be Venus in Botticelli's Birth of Venus
Drying the dishes!
Umm... yes.
An Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind kind of day
Matt thoughtfully reading
A kerfuffle waiting to happen
Me and some girl I met at camp once with Port Burwell's infamous lighthouse in the back
Pretending we don't know how to smile because that's just our sense of humour.
Port Burwell's Summer Festival
Summer Bliss
Shortly After pretending to be Venus in Botticelli's Birth of Venus
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wedding Dress
As a bridesmaid to my former roommate who is getting married in November, the two of us have discussed wedding ideas a LOT. My favourite idea of ours is an LOTR themed wedding, complete with elvin cloaks for the wedding party and the use of a fog machine as we all walk down the isle to Enya at a midnight ceremony. Obviously the wedding ring would have elvish on it and would be presented by two small men dressed like hobbits. She likes this idea but only in theory.
Anyway, all this talk has got me thinking a bit about what I would like one day.
My friend wanted "fairy sleeves" on her wedding dress and when I googled that, I found a dress I fell in love with!
Here it is:
Now, all I need is a groom.
Anyway, all this talk has got me thinking a bit about what I would like one day.
My friend wanted "fairy sleeves" on her wedding dress and when I googled that, I found a dress I fell in love with!
Here it is:
Now, all I need is a groom.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Not Tiptoeing... Or Something
In a word, I want to do something crazy.
Having just gotten back from a wonderful week of camping, I've had a lot of time to reflect on who I want to be.
I want to be counter-cultural. I want to be radical. I want to appear insanely awkward by following my convictions with absolute purity.
Part of this is my selfish desire to show off, to shock and awe while spitting in the face of convention. But I also really do want to follow a Savior who was known for being offensively counter-cultural too.
I have a very strong urge to:
1) Be homeless for a while.
2) See if I can arrange to live with an Old Order Mennonite family for an extended period of time to see what extreme unapologetic simplicity looks like in action.
But I think realistically that all needs to wait until I finish school.
But I want to be insanely awkward NOW!
And I can be insanely awkward now.
Bah. I have commitment issues.
Basically, what I'm saying, is please pray for me.
Having just gotten back from a wonderful week of camping, I've had a lot of time to reflect on who I want to be.
I want to be counter-cultural. I want to be radical. I want to appear insanely awkward by following my convictions with absolute purity.
Part of this is my selfish desire to show off, to shock and awe while spitting in the face of convention. But I also really do want to follow a Savior who was known for being offensively counter-cultural too.
I have a very strong urge to:
1) Be homeless for a while.
2) See if I can arrange to live with an Old Order Mennonite family for an extended period of time to see what extreme unapologetic simplicity looks like in action.
But I think realistically that all needs to wait until I finish school.
But I want to be insanely awkward NOW!
And I can be insanely awkward now.
Bah. I have commitment issues.
Basically, what I'm saying, is please pray for me.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Downside Up
"Fuck! We're all here! Share!" - a youth in Downside Up
At work on my break yesterday, I was in the staff room reading the paper, and this picture caught my eye because I thought I recognized the location. A similar place is one of my favourite "secret" places to go off to sometimes.
Anyway, I read the article and it was about how this man made a documentary on local homeless youth. There was a screening tonight, so some Bible study friends and I went.
The documentary was about nine people, all under 25ish, who live on the streets. Its about their opinions, their experiences, their dreams. I placed my favourite quote from the movie at the top of this post. He was talking about how silly it is that our country has the money and resources, individuals have the money and resources, but there is still extreme poverty in Canada and huge inequities.
What tugged on my heart the most was that I recognized one of the women in the documentary from my high school. I know her by name. She was in my Grade Nine French class, and was one of the few people nice enough to talk to me. Because it was a lower level course, as in, the "smart" kids took a higher level of French in Grade Nine, there were a lot of rambunctious sex-obsessed boys in that class, and I was harassed a little. As a scared little girl fresh out of private Christian school, this was terrifying. But she was one of the people who took me under her wing. It was because of her and a couple other compassionate girls that I didn't dread that class every week.
Seeing her there, this person I would have never guessed would ever end up in that situation, really made me hurt for her. It also helped me realize that the stereotypes we put on street people are stupid.
Another thing that really stuck out for me was one guy talking about how hurtful it is to ask someone for change only to be entirely ignored, and how low that makes him feel. I know I've ignored street people asking for change before. And now I'm really sorry I have.
Anyway, the documentary is being sold in a local cafe starting tomorrow. I'm definitely picking one up. Its definitely worth showing people. Its a fantastic film.
At work on my break yesterday, I was in the staff room reading the paper, and this picture caught my eye because I thought I recognized the location. A similar place is one of my favourite "secret" places to go off to sometimes.
Anyway, I read the article and it was about how this man made a documentary on local homeless youth. There was a screening tonight, so some Bible study friends and I went.
The documentary was about nine people, all under 25ish, who live on the streets. Its about their opinions, their experiences, their dreams. I placed my favourite quote from the movie at the top of this post. He was talking about how silly it is that our country has the money and resources, individuals have the money and resources, but there is still extreme poverty in Canada and huge inequities.
What tugged on my heart the most was that I recognized one of the women in the documentary from my high school. I know her by name. She was in my Grade Nine French class, and was one of the few people nice enough to talk to me. Because it was a lower level course, as in, the "smart" kids took a higher level of French in Grade Nine, there were a lot of rambunctious sex-obsessed boys in that class, and I was harassed a little. As a scared little girl fresh out of private Christian school, this was terrifying. But she was one of the people who took me under her wing. It was because of her and a couple other compassionate girls that I didn't dread that class every week.
Seeing her there, this person I would have never guessed would ever end up in that situation, really made me hurt for her. It also helped me realize that the stereotypes we put on street people are stupid.
Another thing that really stuck out for me was one guy talking about how hurtful it is to ask someone for change only to be entirely ignored, and how low that makes him feel. I know I've ignored street people asking for change before. And now I'm really sorry I have.
Anyway, the documentary is being sold in a local cafe starting tomorrow. I'm definitely picking one up. Its definitely worth showing people. Its a fantastic film.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Life is Beautiful
This summer I decided I wanted to learn how to quilt. It turns out quilting lessons are not in bounty, but my Mom suggested I call up a family friend, a woman in her sixties, because she knows how to quilt. I did call her up, and she's been teaching me to quilt for a couple of months now.
This lady and her husband have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. She used to teach with my Mom when I was a toddler and they've been friends ever since. Now, she's still a good friend of both my Mom and my Mom's ex-husband, my Dad. So she is intimately acquainted with many of my family's tumultuous issues that have occurred over the last twenty years.
We've had some amazing discussions while stitching together. We've talked about my family, ministry, faith, the evolving church, our passions... Its been a beautiful time we've shared.
She's a wonderful lady but last week, she received the results of some medical tests, and found out she has skin cancer. She told my Mom.
My Mom told me that evening, a few days before my next lesson. I wasn't sure what to do or say when we met again. I decided to not say anything about it at all, since she's not in the habit of disclosing her troubles to me.
For this particular lesson, she took me to her friend Rita's house. Rita happened to be about to set up a quilt she's making for one of her grandchildren and agreed to wait until I could make it before she commenced.
Rita is amazing. She's about 80, 85, and her husband died five years ago. She lives on a granny flat on the side of her family's farmhouse and she still home school's two of her grandchildren. Her house is immaculate and lovely, with well-nurtured plants and quilts hanging up everywhere. She served us lunch and while it was simple: quiche, salad, garlic bread and tea, it was a beautiful meal, You could tell she was very intentional about incorporating beauty into every aspect of her life.
Rita captivated me. She was so with it mentally, and though she was hunched over and clearly quite arthritic, she pressed on, making beauty a priority in her life. I want to be just like her.
Rita and my quilting teacher broached the subject of my teacher's cancer briefly, talking of cat scans and MRIs. When they did, my teacher looked me right in the eye. I gave her a sympathetic half-smile, because I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't a part of that conversation anyway.
On the way back home from Rita's house, my teacher and I talked about Rita, and the wonder that she is. We talked of the importance as Christians of incorporating beauty in life and never letting that go if possible.
This story doesn't really have a conclusion. It is simply what happened that day, and I've been thinking about it a lot.
Since then, my Mom has told me more about my teacher's situation, and its a bleak one. My heart goes out to her but I'm not sure what I should do. I'm trying to figure out if it was helpful for me to avoid bringing up the topic that day or not, whether it was helpful to discuss beauty instead of cancer.
I don't know. I've never dealt with terminal illnesses before. Basically, the situation really sucks and I don't know how to love her through this.
This lady and her husband have been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. She used to teach with my Mom when I was a toddler and they've been friends ever since. Now, she's still a good friend of both my Mom and my Mom's ex-husband, my Dad. So she is intimately acquainted with many of my family's tumultuous issues that have occurred over the last twenty years.
We've had some amazing discussions while stitching together. We've talked about my family, ministry, faith, the evolving church, our passions... Its been a beautiful time we've shared.
She's a wonderful lady but last week, she received the results of some medical tests, and found out she has skin cancer. She told my Mom.
My Mom told me that evening, a few days before my next lesson. I wasn't sure what to do or say when we met again. I decided to not say anything about it at all, since she's not in the habit of disclosing her troubles to me.
For this particular lesson, she took me to her friend Rita's house. Rita happened to be about to set up a quilt she's making for one of her grandchildren and agreed to wait until I could make it before she commenced.
Rita is amazing. She's about 80, 85, and her husband died five years ago. She lives on a granny flat on the side of her family's farmhouse and she still home school's two of her grandchildren. Her house is immaculate and lovely, with well-nurtured plants and quilts hanging up everywhere. She served us lunch and while it was simple: quiche, salad, garlic bread and tea, it was a beautiful meal, You could tell she was very intentional about incorporating beauty into every aspect of her life.
Rita captivated me. She was so with it mentally, and though she was hunched over and clearly quite arthritic, she pressed on, making beauty a priority in her life. I want to be just like her.
Rita and my quilting teacher broached the subject of my teacher's cancer briefly, talking of cat scans and MRIs. When they did, my teacher looked me right in the eye. I gave her a sympathetic half-smile, because I didn't know what else to do. I wasn't a part of that conversation anyway.
On the way back home from Rita's house, my teacher and I talked about Rita, and the wonder that she is. We talked of the importance as Christians of incorporating beauty in life and never letting that go if possible.
This story doesn't really have a conclusion. It is simply what happened that day, and I've been thinking about it a lot.
Since then, my Mom has told me more about my teacher's situation, and its a bleak one. My heart goes out to her but I'm not sure what I should do. I'm trying to figure out if it was helpful for me to avoid bringing up the topic that day or not, whether it was helpful to discuss beauty instead of cancer.
I don't know. I've never dealt with terminal illnesses before. Basically, the situation really sucks and I don't know how to love her through this.
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