Final Words!

This last journal entry will simply be a general reflection on the ministries I have been a part of over the past year and what God has been teaching me, in addition to personal stories and my next steps towards the future.

Serving at Warmland Centre has been a wonderful experience. It has been a privilege to be a Junior Youth Leader on Wednesdays along with the Preschool Leader on Sunday mornings. It was amazing to learn and volunteering alongside many Godly men and women. There were challenging times and difficult times while serving at Warmland, however there were many times to laugh, sing and dance.

At the beginning of the Kaléo year the Warmland Team (Tessa, Mitch, Mike and I) had the opportunity to meet with the staff of Warmland to discuss our areas of interest and participation within the church. I participate in the church worship band in my home church, in Sault Ste. Marie, and thought that I should continue to pursue my interest and love for worship during my time on the Island. Due to rather odd circumstances on our first Sunday at Warmland, I was needed as an assistant leader in Kidsland (Sunday school) and willing agreed to do so. Little did I know at the time, that I was going to be the leader of the Preschool class and actually not participate in the worship band at all. I did not know that God would be using this occasion to challenge me to step out of my comfort zone within the church and to really be a leader and role model to these children.

As I move on from my time here on the Island, I hope to bring all that I have learned and experienced with me. In previous entries I have mentioned that I need to view everything as mission – ministry is not confined to a church, camp or group of people – I am called to live a missional life. Next, I learned the importance of time. Make every minute of the day count! Additionally, I came to understand the significance of showing God’s love. The one thing that we cannot do enough of is demonstrating the love of God, in all its fullness. Spiritual gifts are also something in which God challenged my view. I had a very vague knowledge and understanding of these gifts, but after learning in class, reading scripture, and writing papers, it is very clear to me that spiritual gifts are not for the benefit of oneself but of the congregation of believers. I am curious to discover and learn more about my spiritual gifts and be able to bless others with the talents and abilities He has given me. Lastly, I learned the importance of viewing the children and teens I serve, as God’s precious sons and daughters. He has placed them in my path and I in theirs so that we may learn from each other and encourage the other to continue to grow in their relationship with God.

My personal challenge is to take all that I have learned on the Island and be able to apply it, no matter where I am in the future. Whether that is aiding the poor, oppressed and marginalized as a social worker or caring for the orphans and widows in Africa, God will guide me to where He wants me; it is simply my responsibility to go with a willing heart.

From Vancouver to Crofton!

This week’s questions are comparing the ministries I worked with on my Vancouver missions trip to the ones I am currently involved with on the island. I am to explain the differences and similarities and how I intend to apply what I learned in Vancouver to my ministry in Crofton.

The biggest difference between the ministries I partnered with in Vancouver – New Beginnings and Potter’s Place to Warmland Centre, was that on Vancouver Island I volunteer in the small community of Crofton in an even smaller community of believers. Not the eight most populated city in Canada. There was a greater difference in comparing Potter’s Place to Warmland Centre, since Potter’s Place ministers primarily to the downtown East Hastings residents – grown men and women enslaved by their addictions to drugs, alcohol and sex, whereas Warmland is known for its high energy and rambunctious youth.

The most obvious similarity between the ministries was New Beginnings compared with Warmland. Both churches are filled with disobedient, broken kids who just need to be loved. The inner-city Vancouver teens were dealing with neglect, abuse, and exposure to substance addictions while Crofton kids deal with boredom, bad peer groups and over exposure to negative media sources. Even though their experiences differ, the attitudes of the teens are the same. I would most certainly say that being at Warmland prepared me for the New Beginnings teens.

 Lastly, I intend to apply what I learned in Vancouver to my ministry in Crofton, by just viewing the teens differently. God taught me while on my mission trip in Vancouver that everyone is His precious sons and daughters. Everyone from the drug lords, the prostitutes and mentally ill to the celebrities, prime ministers, and English royalty with everyone in between – we are all this children. I no longer view the teens I work with as simply misbehaved, rude, or undisciplined, but as a struggling person finding their identity in Christ and trying to understand their purpose in this life – just like me. With this new perceptive, I can truly be there for these teens, in heart, soul and mind, ready to listen and be a older mentor for them, no matter what they are going through.