We got home and went directly into a week of class on Christian Worldview. It basically talked about what we believe, why we believe it, and the history of our perception of reality. Interesting things, all of it. And absolutely mind-bending when you have just returned to Canada from a far-away place, and are struggling to keep you're eyes open due to 12 hrs of jet-lag.
Friday was Youth once again, and we had an ice cream sundae party, played some games, the girls shared their testimonies with the group, and we just had a chill time. It went really well. I was again reminded of how flawed this system is. I will be writing an evaluation of the experience working at this church, and I hope our leaders take it to heart.
Sunday was good. We did not go in to help with Sunday School this week, as the leaders there have told us on more than one occasion that they do not need our assistance there, and it appears to be just Pastor Doug that expects us to contribute to that aspect of the ministry. I have come to appreciate our church and this experience much more than I did at the beginning of the year, but I still struggle with a few key issues of how things happen here. I look forward to returning to my church family at home.
We left for surfing on Monday, and have been there until now. I rocked out some sweet waves, started getting sucked out by the current but made it back to a place where I could return to shore via some waves after some furious (and exhausting) paddling. It was super cool to think about how God watches us playing in his creation and enjoying it, and how right that is and how happy it must make him. I bet there's surfing when heaven comes (that's right, when heaven COMES...I'll tell you all about it).
That's my life till now, as I sit munching on a box of cheerios and continue to digest the goings on of the past month.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
1, 2, 3...India!!!
Well. It's been a while. I'll split this up into a couple of posts, so those whop aren't interested needn't peruse endless paragraphs.
We left for India, and had a rockin good time while we were gone. We hiked through mountains, and saw God's faithfulness and grace at every turn. Through sickness, weariness, inclement weather, dangerous situations, and every moment of every day we prayed and worshiped and saw God answer prayers. I learned a ton.
A few things that I learned in particular, or that were themes for the whole of the trip:
Joy. Abide in it. Allow it to be your motivation. It doesn't mean being happy all the time or enjoying your circumstance...it means worshiping God and praising him at all times, through the good the bad and the ugly.
Faithful. God is always....faithful! He answered little prayers like "please change the wind", and big prayers, like "please let Matt get better from his dysentery so we can all hike tomorrow". It's funny how we divide things up into big things and little things because we base it on how difficult it would be for such things to occur all by themselves. To an all-powerful God, what is big or small?
The word of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run in to it and are saved. Need I say more? We read the word together every day, prayed scripture, and did our best to live as the Body of Christ, and he blessed us in big ways for it.
Jesus is enough. I could live with nothing, and be pleased to have Jesus. I would be satisfied. That's a bold claim, I know, and I've thought about it a lot. Surrender to God is no small feat, though we sing about it like it's a jingle from television and not a life-changing act of submission. I've begun to understand what it means, and will continue to consider what it should look like in my life. I don't believe God has called us all to sell everything we own and move to a country we can't pronounce...but we should be willing to.
Truth. We prayed a lot of about the people in India and their ability to see past the lies that they live in slavery to. We prayed that they would see the truth in us, and desire it, and find it. Then we returned to Canada and took a course that spelled out what truth is and why we believe the things we do. It was interesting, and my mind is still reeling from the rush of "truth".
There are a million stories I could tell you, and I would be pleased to do so if you ask. Perhaps a little too lengthy to type out here; I'm still sorting through them in my brain anyway.
Cheers
We left for India, and had a rockin good time while we were gone. We hiked through mountains, and saw God's faithfulness and grace at every turn. Through sickness, weariness, inclement weather, dangerous situations, and every moment of every day we prayed and worshiped and saw God answer prayers. I learned a ton.
A few things that I learned in particular, or that were themes for the whole of the trip:
Joy. Abide in it. Allow it to be your motivation. It doesn't mean being happy all the time or enjoying your circumstance...it means worshiping God and praising him at all times, through the good the bad and the ugly.
Faithful. God is always....faithful! He answered little prayers like "please change the wind", and big prayers, like "please let Matt get better from his dysentery so we can all hike tomorrow". It's funny how we divide things up into big things and little things because we base it on how difficult it would be for such things to occur all by themselves. To an all-powerful God, what is big or small?
The word of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run in to it and are saved. Need I say more? We read the word together every day, prayed scripture, and did our best to live as the Body of Christ, and he blessed us in big ways for it.
Jesus is enough. I could live with nothing, and be pleased to have Jesus. I would be satisfied. That's a bold claim, I know, and I've thought about it a lot. Surrender to God is no small feat, though we sing about it like it's a jingle from television and not a life-changing act of submission. I've begun to understand what it means, and will continue to consider what it should look like in my life. I don't believe God has called us all to sell everything we own and move to a country we can't pronounce...but we should be willing to.
Truth. We prayed a lot of about the people in India and their ability to see past the lies that they live in slavery to. We prayed that they would see the truth in us, and desire it, and find it. Then we returned to Canada and took a course that spelled out what truth is and why we believe the things we do. It was interesting, and my mind is still reeling from the rush of "truth".
There are a million stories I could tell you, and I would be pleased to do so if you ask. Perhaps a little too lengthy to type out here; I'm still sorting through them in my brain anyway.
Cheers
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