CHRISTmas

i asked my friend once what is the best advice you could give anyone and she said. do the hard things in life. so here i go..
first off MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! YEAH JESUS!! J-E-S-U-S YES! classic.
i love all of you! ! ! ! !
so life is swell for the most part, amean! what has been happening recentley is, i worked at the boys and girls club for 4 too long months ha ha and now am seeing a career counsellor,woot woot! also I'm also getting a learning style test done, party on! please don't judge me and presume im not trying to figure this out becasue i still don't know what i want to do.

anyway i thought i would write on this wall. for 2 reasons 1. being I'm probably going to see most of you never again.. so why not,
and 2. i need prayer on direction because i am praying, looking, seeking for guidance! and am in a fog a Haze if you would.
so ya i need guidance. i don't know how in the world this will help but you guys always seemed to help in the past.

P.S GOD IS GOOD and is always teaching us things.
sighning out as a physcian in need of something

Hello my family of k7. My last post was in September, so I figure that I have a lot of catching up to do. Here goes...

I have just come through a long and difficult semester at Eastern. It has not been an enjoyable one either. There have been many blessings that I can easily attest to however. Probably the greatest part of this semester is what I am learning in my classes. The material is so rich and I am reading all sorts of great books, and having great discussions with profs and classmates. I have had the opportunity to read Plato, Aristotle, Virgil, Boethius, St. Augustine, Dante, Shakespeare and the like. Other blessings have been a great roommate who I get along great with, we are a good fit for each other and we hang out a lot at school. So while this has been a hard semester, it has not all been bad. That being said, I have been frustrated a lot with Eastern. I like the honors college that I am in, but I do not like the Eastern. It is a social justice type of school, made famous by Tony Campolo and Shane Claiborne. It seems as though Eastern has locked onto social justice and this is evident in everything from the clubs that the school promotes to the speakers that they bring in several times a week. Don’t get me wrong, social justice is key to the kingdom of heaven, however it is not the gospel in its entirety. I feel as though Eastern has forgotten the rest of the gospel - Jesus Christ! - and has adopted a social gospel; one that is only concerned with social justice, where as the true gospel automatically incorporates social justice, but also so much more. This has been a main frustration, and there have been others as well. Such as people being part of a homeless ministry for no other reason than to have the image of an “ordinary radical” like Shane Claiborne, but in reality, they only want to be part of this group in order to hold an image. They do not focus on giving hope to those who have none. I have also been frustrated with the fact that I have still not found anybody who seems to share a similar heart as me, I do not feel as though there is anybody that I have met who is a kindred spirit for me. Consequently, I have been fairly lonely this semester, despite the fact that I have been surrounded by people. There are people to go to Philly with, people to go to church with, people around all the time, but still, I felt unknown by those around me and lonely. I decided to transfer to Briercrest because I felt as though it would be the best place for me to develop into the person that I want to become. I looked at the people that I knew from Briercrest such as the great profs that we experienced, and some of the students that we encountered throughout our year and I was attracted to their lives, and thought that Briercrest would develop me into that type of person. I thought that it would also be the best fit for me too. So I filled out all the paperwork, made rooming arrangements, pulled out of Eastern, transferred my credits and everything. I was all ready to go until I had a conversation with my dad. He didn’t talk me out of it, but I realized through it that I could not leave Eastern with a pure conscience, knowing that I had given it my all. I could not Eastern because in my decision to go to Briercrest to become the person that I truly wanted to be, I had moved farther from the person that I wanted to be. I want to be a man of faith, endurance, steadfastness and integrity, and I feel that in order for me to become these things, it was necessary for me to stay at Eastern. If I were to have gone to Briercrest, I would have done so out of a lack of faith, that when the going got tough, I would have given up and retreated due to my own insecurities. My dad reminded my of Abraham’s journey that when God called him away from his friends and family to go to a far off land, the first thing that happened when he finally arrived there was a famine. So he made a journey in faith and when he got there, things sucked! Things were never promised to be easy after he had made a difficult decision to move. So this is where I find myself. In an unenjoyable experience that I must persevere through. These were my thoughts as I was going through the semester.

Now that I have been home, which by the way has been awesome - really restful and low key, I have had time to reflect a lot on this semester and have some more things to add to this review. There was a quote in the valedictory address that said, “Whoever loves his idea of Christian community more than the community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even if his intentions are ever so earnest, eager, and sacrificial”. As much as this described our first semester together last year, I think this describes my last semester at Eastern. I had been holding on to my ideas of what community looks like and what my type of friends looks like and what my extra curricular life looks like all based on my experience of last year. Consequently, I see this semester now as one where I had been the source of my own destruction. I found it hard to truly love the people around me. I had the expectation that the institution I was apart of would provide the means for me to grow in my faith. In many ways, I was highly disillusioned. I think that this last semester I had been waiting for God to do what he had planned for me, but I was waiting with my head down and essentially my attitude was something like this: “this sucks...I don’t like it here...things will never get better...this isn’t the place for me...I wonder when God will come along and make everything great.” I feel the need to return to Eastern at least for another semester, however this one has to be different. I must wait for God with my head up, full of eager expectation, and full of hope. I must live each day thinking about how my words and actions that I do this day will contribute to what I hope to see happen in the future. I feel the burden on me to go back into this homeless club that frustrated me so greatly and to restore it, starting small, but being bold and faithful in this group. I know that I must go to Eastern not seeing it as an institution, but rather a collection of people all in very different relationships with Jesus. I need much prayer for this, because as of now, I am not excited to return. I do not have much hope at all for what this semester may bring. I am wondering how I am to love these people that frustrate me and how to be a beacon of hope to others when I do not have hope in me to begin with. I know that we have every reason to hope because of the gift of our Lord Jesus, and I know that we know how to love because of his example of love towards us, but perhaps I need to discover these things anew before I return. I am learning lots in all of this. Things like what the call is for a Christian who is a student, and things like what Christian community looks like in a “Christian university” setting. I would be excited to share with any of you these things if you are interested. It is a huge lesson for me to learn in all of this, but is one that I must walk through in order to become the person that I desire to be, and to be the person God calls me to be. But please be praying for me that God would fill me with hope for what he will do in me and through me and around me next semester, and that I would have an excitement and anticipation for January 17th (when I return). Pray that God would be filling me with a new vision and new eyes to see through - eyes that see the people around me the same way that Jesus sees them. And finally, pray that the word of God would dwell in me richly, and that it would be a natural disposition of mine to be in communion with God.

I trust that this break will be one of great celebration of our Saviour with friends and family, full of good food and good times. Rejoice for the light has now come to shine in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it!

Much love to you all,

Jer

K8

I talked to Dryden today at Church, he was my parakaleo until he decided to leave. It would seem that the whole quanoes take over thing is really putting a lot of pressure on the program itself and i am guessing Jim. Keep K8 in mind these holidays because it looks like the program is taking a huge turn, so pray for God to still work in these students lives despite the new changes in leadership and control.

Christmas Joy

I would love to share in the joy of being with all of you this Christmas but geography seems to be an issue. Maybe in heaven we'll have teleporters. The only other way for this to be possible is in spirit. Nick beat me to it (actually he inspired me) as he went around Briercrest asking for prayer requests from people like last year. I figure it would to a wonderful and binding way to do the same again this year, especially for those we may not get to talk to or haven't talked to in a while.

As far a prayer for myself, you all know the struggles I've had for a life of purity. I've noticed a pattern for it to be conditional though. The temptation strikes hardest when I'm in my familiar hometown setting. Maybe because I know the place like the back of my hand. Anyway, I'm headed back there again for Christmas break and as I've seen this pattern and sought to prepare beforehand, I also need the courage to go home with the confiden

ce of the Lord. These two things I ask prayer for as well as to apply what I've learned this past semester in the world of home with humility and steadfastness. Oh, (I guess I need a lot of prayer, it'll keep you guys busy, ha) and the courage to follow my Jesus in faith for what he has for me in the summer and next year (job, school, finances, aviation, missions, etc).

Well, it your turn...bombard me/us.

Also.

i forgot to mention that i am attempting to contact Coldplay, Kaitlin's favorite band of all time, to see if for Christmas, or anything, they would like to do or give anything to her which, as i know, would light her up like a Christmas tree. Pray for some fruit to come from this long shot because it would be an unreal Christmas for her if anything Coldplay involved would happen.

Guilt tripped.

Hello everyone ( made it double spaced, easier on the eyes)

I understand I have spoken with a certain amount of you all, but feel like everyone

else may be in the dark about things and with recent updates I am able to inform

everyone to the extent that I am, fully including everyone. First, to get the less

important things out of the way, I am quite enjoying my Briercrest time. I wanted to

have the Briercrest experience and I am having it. To escape once again from the real

world and try to bubble myself into an environment where I am able to further study

the bible and gain further insight into my faith, Briercrest is giving me more than I

can ask for and imagine. Loving the beauty of the prairies (unlike others) and the

winter (also unlike others), the being here, and the learning are both two things that

I am able to cope with and see as a blessing that I cannot repay or ever replicate.

Truly from YHWH these are given and truly are they good. Also, further in my schooling

location of this post I am seeing Briercrest as a point in my life which will end

after this year is over. I am looking into school at Lethbridge and working towards a

bachelor of science which is essentially “pre med”, to enter medical school as my end

goal. These are my plans which are prone to change but, oh well, its not as if I am

going to go on doing for eternity with nothing but changing plans. But that’s me.

Which isn’t really what I am getting at in this post.



Kaitlin. I do believe that those who say they are praying are. And your devotion and

setting your time aside to intercede for someone who you barely met at a point or

simply have ties through me is something that I am truly indebted to you. Because at

this point, Kaitlin’s situation has progressively worsened. There are times in the

week when I spend extensive time searching the internet for possible breakthroughs in

health concerning Glio-Blastomas. But who am I trying to kid. The statistics speak

what I need to know. 49% of patients live to the two-year mark after diagnosis, and

after that the percent dwindles to seven. Kaitlin recently, Wednesday, was rushed to

Calgary children’s hospital because she was sick in the days prior, and at the

hospital in Lethbridge had a seizure and on the way home from the hospital, to pack

for a Calgary trip had another one. At Calgary she was administered morphine to

release her from the pain from her headaches and has had her drugs significantly

increased. Currently she is at home but is suffering from terrible double vision where

everything, well, is doubled in her sight to the point where they both look tangible.

This is extremely frustrating for her as she now must cover up one of her eyes to do

anything, making reading and school unrealistically frustrating. Your prayers raised

to HIS ears are extremely encouraging for me and also for her. On Tuesday her team of

doctors are meeting to see what action will be taken next. It is between another

surgery and some more radiation, now focused on her entire head instead of the

original specific spot. For those who don’t know, the nature of the Glio Blastoma is

like that of a dandy Lion (the weed, not a lion who is feelin great), so to speak. You

blow it when it is in its seed state and its seed spread everywhere, and more Dandy

Lions sprout out where each seed lands. Now take the flower terms and place it into

cancer terms. Self-explanatory. To pray for YHWH to hear my distress, bow the heavens

and descend, covered in thick clouds, dark with water, with brightness erupting before

him simply from his glory to eradicate that which is causing her suffering, is true

hope, but right now it seems like something that only happens in dreams. It is like

reaching out, trying to grasp shadows and dust. But along with praying for a miracle,

pray earnestly for her double vision to be solved. Pray to HIM, that HE would place

insight and knowledge into the minds of men to ease her of this thorn in her side. If

you are praying, I can only ask that you make this a priority when it comes to Her.

This is what I know and is you update. Thanks to Kaitlyn, Cey that is, she guilt

tripped me into posting. I love you all and miss yall a bunch, and look forward to

being united in eternity, our true hope for life, our true hope for mercy and our true

hope for healing. What I recognize is in the gracious act and being of Jesus the

Christ, She is already healed, and HE is waiting to bring her home.


Yours truly,

Nate.

my dads case

well it finally went to trial, so if your interested in it or wanna hear whats up just search hells angels toronto trial on google or hells angels doug myles im sure you'll find something, the media is painting a pretty bad picture of him which sucks but the jury doesnt get to read it and i know its not true but there ya go, just a wee little update.

STRUGGLING WITH ALL HIS ENERGY

Hey guys, just wrote this on my own blog for my family and I thought I'd share it with my K7 family also. Love you.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

Being at Briercrest has not been easy. I have wrestled with God these past two months, finding it extremely hard to be living in the middle of nowhere, taking courses that seem to easy to be post-secondary education. I apologize for my lack of blog posts, for my lack of communication with all of you, the people that I trust, the people that pray for me so often. I have not been faithful to you and for that, I am sorry. I promise to do better.

Since I arrived here in September, I have struggled to understand the work in which God is doing within me. I know it's important work, I know it's significant but I don't yet understand it and that is so frustrating.

Weekends are especially hard and quiet here. There's not much to do so, thanks to Mom's job, I am blessed enough to come home every few weeks. This has been a huge blessing this year. Coming back to Ontario brings me refreshment and encouragement to continue running this journey that God has called me to, this race he has mapped out.

So here I am, asking for much needed prayer from all of you. I'm sorry I haven't been good at communicating with all of you. My parents are aware of this struggle and I feel them praying for me daily. In the words of my mom, "Keep your chin up, I will keep praying for you". These words mean more than you know. I am out of my comfort zone here and God is challenging me in that.

This past week I have felt strong in Him and confident that he is doing good work within me that will be carried on until the day of Jesus. As miserable as I can be at this place, there are blessings: soccer, my roommates (Kaitlyn and Ellie), books, trips home, my guitar and music. I know God is working and I trust that he is doing big things I just wish he'd make his direction for me clearer and let me know why he brought me to this place.

I feel almost bittersweet. I hold on to his steadfast love while I cry out to him in a near-angry tone. Although I am frustrated with this place, I praise him anyway. From the song Your Love Never Fails, "He makes all things work together for my good" and I am so very thankful for that.

So in this wrestle, I am growing. I am changing. On Tuesday my English professor Sean Davidson said God disciplines those he loves. I have to embrace this brokenness and understand that He knows best.

I thank you still for your prayers. I love each of you so much.

"Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me." Colossians 1:28-29

Kristie's Orchard Adventure

Well, my good friends, I am finally settled here in beautiful Kelowna. It has been a long, arduous journey for which, strangely so, I am grateful. It is incredible how the events in our lives that seem the most difficult soon become what we cherish. For I believe in those moments we see our Lord so much more clearly as we recognize His active Presence guiding our circumstances and shaping our hearts.

Just to give you a quick update: October was Road-Trip Month. I spent my time wandering from Crofton to Kelowna to Prairie Bible College to Briercrest to Home (in Manitoba); back to Briercrest to Frontier, SK to Banff and back to Kelowna. Whooo-eeee!! What a whirlwind. So sweet to see people at Briercrest. I'd have to say it was the high-light of the trip -- as fellowshipping with all of you refreshed my weary soul and brought such encouragement. I am so thankful to be part of such a sweet community!

As the dust still settles, I'm already busy at work with Marv and Lois Penner. Presently, I am working from their beautiful home with a window above my little desk overlooking the

beautiful Okanagan Valley. My job mainly consists of helping Marv on projects and Lois on admin. stuff, and then recruiting staff and youth groups for summer mission trips through a

program called YouthWorks (Ben led SportsCamps with YouthWorks last summer). If you're looking for a sweet youth/missions internship this next summer, let me know!!

Remember the sweet time we had at the Canadian Youth Worker's Convention from last year?! Well, this year I get to be involved in it. How cool is that!?!! Right now Marv, Lois, and I are bustling with preparations and are eagerly anticipating what God will do there. If you're out in Ontario, COME!! I'd LOVE to see you there! It is December 2-5 and is at the Doubletree by Hilton right close to the Toronto airport. If you're in college the cost is only $130 (till November 15th) - you can get the scoop at www.cywc.com . Oh, and if you're a girl - and like tea and bubble baths - I'd love for you to stay in my hotel room (for FREE!). Just let me know SOON so we can make arrangements.

So there's my little life in a nut-shell. Still learning to abide in my Lord; and would love prayer for that. I'm looking forward to discovering more of the Lord in this new season of life.

P.S. Come and visit!

SUNSHINE

hi guys,
so basically this letter isn't about me at all, its about a bunch of people who i really care for and love.
and a bunch of them are pretty discouraged lately,,, if you're not catching on i am talking about the kaleo 7 family, all of you.

um just felt the urge to tell you all to keep going.(random)
maybe you're going through hell right now..( she said what )
but... know that , your character is being built at this second and God is more concerned about your character than your comfort.

and have you all forgot how amazing you are, you are! and I'm not just some crazy encourager either. i don't encourage everyone, mainly you guys . because you know what you're all great, ya you.

so keep going and remember the name God has gave you and live up to it.
I don't think life after kaleo or life in general is going to be a joy ride but i do know that God is with us always and he cares for us so much.. actually think about that..

and honesty i feel like God wanted me to tell you all this,
great things are coming

Finished.

So its been a while….haven’t seen or really talked to a lot of you. Feeling rather lonely. I talked to a friend today. I talked to him about some things I am struggling with. We talked a little about last year, to which I think that perhaps my space should’ve gone to someone a little bit less like me and more like….well I don’t know…just someone not like me. I am not saying I regret doing Kaleo; I loved Kaleo. I got experiences I never would have had otherwise and I met amazing people I never would have. But alas it’s over, and life goes on, nothing ever really lasts it's all a piece of dust that gets swept away as soon as the wind blows. Those days are gone. Maybe I am a tad nostalgic for those days when I see the black hole of space and time that lurks a head of me for either direction I take.

Anyways we talked about some other stuff too. Like why I am feeling the way I am and my thoughts on things like God. He made an excellent point of telling me I am lonely because I have chosen to be that way, because I have chosen not to tell people about my struggles. To which I replied I have tried talking to people about the way I am feeling. They just don’t understand. And maybe some of you know that even when you try and reach out to others hoping they might understand you a little only to find out they don’t….it just leaves you feeling more isolated, alone, angry and frustrated. Well this is not to excuse myself from putting myself in a spot where I feel so alone, because I am positive I have done something that made me feel this way, for starters I have not really reached out to any of you to talk about this, and when I did something else came up, but that is life. I have always found timing a peculiar thing, or just time in general…it slips away far to quickly.

So here am I, in our chapel time opening up to you, a loved family (though I guess some would argue that what I am about to do does not really make me capable of loving) before I put up my walls again. I am tired. So very tired physical and mentally, all I want to do is sleep, but I can't sleep, it eludes me. So instead I push on, through school, family and work. I push my body hard doing as much physical activity I can...feeling exhausted is better then not feeling. But I am tried of feeling alone, so I am just going to tell you. I quit. I am done. This life is not one for me. I haven’t been living it. I am taking this step to tell you I am done pretending to have a faith that I don’t. You can tell me all you want of how I can find comfort and rest and restoration with God but I’ve heard it and I am not convinced. I’m done searching for something I cannot see, cannot feel and cannot trust. I’m not dealing with something that has left me hanging on out of fear for what might come.

That’s all. I’m done. I’m trying a different path, either way I see it, it all leads to the end right? Life and time go hand and hand they both slip away and can’t be reversed….

Dear Kaleo's

I hope all is well in your lives your are all in my thoughts and prayers. I don't think I have updated in a long time soo here is an overview of my life since Kaleo.

I went home after Kaleo and did absolutely nothing for two months. I played my guitar, my piano, sang and danced and hungout with my friends who were still at home. They are pretty big party animals so before I realized what was happening. I went to a few parties with them and well .. the next day was not a good one. I was going off to camp though so this only happened a couple times which was defiantly a good thing.

Most of you know how excited I was to go to camp. I had actually a really rough summer. After coming back to the real world of God and realizing what I had slipped into was wrong. I was facing something I had never faced before. I was very confused, the people I worked with had this knowledge of the Bible that was amazing and love for these kids which was incredible, but at times their lives and what they said wouldn't reflect what I had seen in them. I did not understand how someone like this with great knowledge and who apparently loved God could then turn around and say things completely inappropriate or act completely inappropriate and not be an example to the kids and other followers. Trying not to judge and trying to understand and love was something that was a huge struggle for me this summer. I was always frustrated. Not that long ago I sat down with my boss of the summer Mark and he explained to me that he and I have travelled from bubble to bubble so we are constantly getting fed into however a good chunk of the people who work there don't have that and roles for people who are blessed to be like him and myself are called to be at a place like Muskoka Woods to come along side those people and help them especially now that we are back in school. P.S as bad as my summer sounds it was amazing and I met amazing kids and saw a lot of them come to the Lord. God really does work at Muskoka Woods. Even talking to my girls now they see the difference and crave being back in that MW environment.

Umm.. I am at Redeemer. I am where I am supposed to be but its been a hard one. I am in second year dorms and so its hard to make friends outside of the people I live with. I have yet to find a church I like. I think I found one that I am going to try out next week where my friends dad is the pastor. But my housemates hate it because its extremely untraditional, the pastor wears jeans and stuff but I don't know it sounds free to me ... not horrible so I am going to try it out. My classes have been alright... um... I have been going to a mw bible study every week.

Right now I am taking 2 months completely no alcohol not even at dinner. My housemates will go out and get drunk and be like I have to get drunk this weekend. I asked them if they ever felt guilty about it and apparently they do.. but they wont change. I felt that taking these two months is a good way of protecting myself from this, its defiantly a hard one for me so I am trying to be extremely careful. Especially with my dads side of the family so close to me in distance right now. I didn't go again on their family drunk fest (family trip where the whole fam is drunk for 7 days). All else is good for the most part.

Oh and I have a boy. Its not on facebook or anything but we met at camp and have been together for .. a little over 3 months... He loves the Lord and he is great. Minor set back his hometown is in a different country. He goes back home in December for 5 ish months. We haven't really decided what we are going to do yet but lots of praying will be involved with that decision.

Miss you all
Your sister in Christ,
Mercy

Sunday, Oct 24, 2010

Hello My Beautiful Brothers and Sisters of Kaleo!

I’m living in London at the moment, working for Goodlife Fitness as a Personal Trainer…. What? Really? Yes, I went through the Canadian Fitness Professional certification, or Can fit pro. I spent an agonizing few days in training, My Body has never been pushed that hard before, well maybe Strathcona or strathAcona?? Anyways, My daily routine looks like: wake up, work by 9, train, train, meetings, workout, train, home by 7, study till 10, bed at 11, then all over again. I get Sundays off, and most of Saturday. There’s a lot to learn still, I have an exam Nov 30th, Nervous but I'm always studying, and I need to get into better shape, But I’m at a woman’s only club so to me it doesn’t feel like “work”. There’s some good benefits with working there, free gym membership and free Classes like Zumba (youtube it!!), free tanning, and 50% of all Adidas. So basically healthy insides, skin cancer, and Child labor, who could ask for a better job? “Livin the Dream”

I’m Church shopping, I’ve spent the last two months at a Baptist church that my sister and her husband go to, and I feel that’s a good amount of time to spend at a place to really rule it out. While going to that church I was also going to a community church on Saturday nights, there’s a Teen Challenge in London and that’s their church, and I can see why, Music was way to loud and I felt like I was at a Def Leopard concert. So the search is still on. Today I went to west park bap. In London, It has a “New Life” feel to it. Since New life was my first church outside of the Church of Christ, I find myself trying to find another “new life”, I really enjoyed that community. But it did take a year to feel comfortable there, so I’m sure that’s what it’s going to take.

I’m finding it really hard to find Christian friends here, I work with woman between 23-30 and they all have sailor mouths, and talk about things that would make Matthew go LALALALAALLAL! I really really pray and hope that I won’t fall into temptation. I’ve been invited to the bar a few times already, kind of annoying when I said no the first time said I was a Christian and I find drinking a big temptation for me, thanks but no thanks, but they keep wanting me to come out with them. I don’t want to give in, I can’t!

Hmm what else to update on… well I miss you all very much! I’ve been needing some chapel lately and I'm sure you all feel the same way. And … I miss BC.

I’d love to catch up with you guys! I’m on skype at random times, Facebook always! And just a phone call away! 5194666546.

Matthew 15:10
10Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. 11What goes into a man's mouth does not make him 'unclean,' but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him 'unclean.' "

Learned that in Church.



Prayer List:
Stress of the New job
Church Shopping
Christian Friends for me here
That my parents house sells in Sarnia, We have an apartment here in London because my mom has a job here and now so do I. We need to sell the house so we can get out of this building. And pay bills.

LOVE RIVS

Completely Shattered.

Those of you who were at the Olympics may remember the night I came into chapel in full blown tears because my lifelong friend, John's crones disease was getting worse and he was needing another operation. A few months ago he went to Africa on a missions trip with our church. He ended up in the hospital there. Now he is doing alot better and is off almost all of his meds. We are alot more hopeful for him now. In 2 hours he will be driving to Vancouver with our friend Nick and a few others, then on the 24th (His 19th birthday) him and Nick fly out on Vancouver and head for New Zealand. They will be living there and working on a glacier for about a year... maybe more. A few minutes ago I had to say my goodbyes to him and come home because I work in the morning. After a legit 15 minute hug, full blown tears, and a heart to heart, I finally stepped out the door. This will be my first Christmas with out him, the first year I miss his birthday, and many other firsts. He won't have internet, so we will phone and skype when we can. I feel like a piece of me has been ripped off. I worry about his health and his safety over there. I can't even think straight right now, so I will end it at that.

I love you all,

I don't really know what I'm asking.

Hopefully Yours,

Bria

Future????????

Hello my Kaleo family. This year I am in the process of figuring out what to do for a career and college and basically trying to get some grasp on what direction my life is going next. I really have no idea. I have a bunch of ideas bouncing around but I would love if you guys could just pray over this for me. I sometimes forget to trust God in this and so I figured if there were twentysomething more people trusting in God and praying with me that might be helpful. Thanks so much

Also if you know of any sweet resources or ideas that you think might be helpful that would be awesome. Thanks!

And then K7 invaded the theology prof's house...

The other comic...

Love all y'all!

M&N's Adventure

love,

Mark and Nick (aka MaN)

Please pray for my family.. thank you

love all your guts

Ellie

Thanksgiving's comming! Are you prepared?

A better one still, yet to come...

Just an up date on my dad case

just to clarify when i said my dad was going to court that did no mean it was a one day thing this thing could last till december and that would still be short, ANYWHO thats only if it stays a case, my dads lawyers are trying to get it thrown out because he was denied bail so many times and it took so long to go to court, both of these are violations of his rights, thats all i know right now but if that happened he could potentially be out tomorrow (probably not) but possibly! also the campus for christ thing is getting better i have my first small group meeting on friday so just pray that that goes well and people show up, cause some of the other groups only had 1 or 2 people there. oh and another update today is a good day because i found a volleyball team to play on and its nice out so i can ride my bike. thanks!

much love for all of you from me.

MATTHEW DAVID DESROCHES MYLES

ParaKaleo Program

Hey, check out the info on the opportunity to come alongside a Kaleo Eight student this year! Click here for all the details. We miss you, and would love to have you still involved in the ministry of Kaleo. Here is a way to do it! We hope to hear from you soon.

Where to Begin?...

What a whirlwind! If you would have told me at the end of Kaleo that I would be leaving Crofton, not leading Kaleo anymore, moving to the Interior of BC, and getting a "real" job, I would have thought you were CRAZY!

Now for the story.

Well by now you've probably heard bits and pieces. In June, Jim and I recognized that I wasn't "recovering" energy/emotionally-wise from Kaleo, and so we realized that something needed to change. Eventually that meant leaving camp for the summer, with plans to return in September. I found out that my iron levels were really low, thus explaining why I had no energy. I began taking supplements and am doing SO much better! I also received some counsel from a wonderful lady named Joy; the Lord accomplished an incredible work of healing in me through her words of truth and direction. I ALSO got to go home and visit my family and play with my nephew (SO FUN!) as I rested and waited on the Lord.

I was on my road to recovery when I received a call from camp informing me that they did not feel right in asking me back to the same position, because of the likelihood of becoming exhausted was high, and so I was let go from my job there. This deeply saddened me as I had been planning on leading the wonderful K8s.

...BUT THE LORD!

The LORD has been so good to me! So much grace! Seeing His hand at work in all of this. Providing for me, as well as for Kaleo, in ways that blow my mind!

I had the opportunity to take time in Ucluelet to sort through everything that had happened; a week of letting go, listening and "resting." Let me tell you: it was NOT easy. Spent most of my time wrestling through which plans were "my plans" and which were "God's plans." Surrendered my plan for missions. Submitted to His plan for my life. And so I came out with a little more clarity and a deeper delight in my Lord.

And so it began. My lesson in learning to... wait. patiently. Because I want this to be for Him and not just for me. I want this next step (whatever it is) to be Kingdom worthy and reeking of the Good News: Christ in us as we behold His Glory!

Along the way, some opportunities have opened up. Last Friday I was chatting with a good friend of mine, Jenna Coyle, who worked at Qwanoes during K6. Out of the BLUE she asked me if I wanted to move to Kelowna and in with her. Her roommate had just decided to move out. Well, the Lord nudged my heart and before the evening was out I had a new place to live and an answer to my prayer in that He would provide good friends and fellowship for this next part of my journey.

The second opportunity is still forming. A few days before I Jenna and I chatted, I was asked to consider a potential ministry position in none other than Kelowna!! Although this position has not even been created yet, I sense that this is a direction I need to move forward in. The position would involve coordinating mission trips for youth groups. We have just started the conversation, but it seems to fit with what the Lord has been teaching me. "Wait Patiently." "Walk forward in faith." "Be faithful in the Little Things." And "Trust me in this."

And so I go! I really have no idea what is in store for me in Kelowna. But I have my Lord's peace that this is a step in the right direction.

Currently I am packing up my apartment, praying that somehow my stuff will get shipped to Kelowna, and saying goodbye to people here on the Island. On October first I will start my cross-country road-trip. I am hoping to drop off some stuff in Kelowna and then keep going on to Manitoba so I can spend time with my family before I return to Kelowna in November (with hopefully a quick stop at Briercrest... but SHHH!! Don't tell anyone! It's gonna be a surprise!)

I would LOVE prayer for provision of all the little details:

• that the Lord would provide a way to get my stuff to Kelowna.
• for the perfect job(s) for this time.
• for good weather and traveling safety.
• for blessed times of fellowship in this new season of my little life.
• that I would continue to abide in the Lord - to "walk with Him" - through this entire journey.

My NEW mailing and street address will be:
925 Tataryn Road
Kelowna, BC
V1X 1N6

... but my email is still the same: messythrillinglife@gmail.com

And so, another chapter opens and the adventure begins!...

Dad

Hey guys,

So as some of you know my dad had a heart attack last Wednesday. He and my mom were just laying in bed getting ready to go to sleep when he had a sharp pain in his chest, he sat up and it went away so he laid back down. Another one came a little later and he told my mom he needed to go to the hospital. My mom jumped out of bed knowing something was wrong because he never wants to go to the doctors let alone emergency.

My mom took him to ER at around 11pm and she left at 1am. Anyways he was in the ER for most of the day on Thursday and they did several blood tests on him and a few other things. Finding his blood pressure was high and that his heart was working a little to hard they then admitted into OSMH to await angioplasty surgery. That is where the the basically stick a balloon on a wire and stick it in the artery to widen so that blood flow it easier. They were going to do this to one of his arteries so his heart would not have to work so hard. It is not a super invasive surgery so I was not overly worried.

They could not get him into New Market until Monday so he stayed in Orillia until then. They then transferred him SRHC where his operation would take place. After they operated on him my sister phoned me and told me that they found he is a little to blocked for this procedure to work and they have decided that he needs to have a by pass. This means they have to take a vein from either the arm or the leg and sew it onto the heart to bypass the blocked area. They will also use an artery from the chest wall as the main bypass and then the vein if they have to by pass more then one area.

It turns out though that he now has to have a double by pass. They will most likely use the thoracic artery (which is the best one cause it is closes to the heart) and then use a vein from his leg or arm. Which I am told is a good things because it means there as not as much damage to the heart as there could be and the success rater is high. The surgery from the time he enters the O.R. until the recovery room is about 3-4 hours. There is a lot of prep work and putting him to sleep. But once he is asleep the will open his chest and dissect the artery from his chest wall. Then they have to stop his heart and put him on a machine the works for the heart while it gets repaired. The by pass only take about an hour or so...the rest is just making sure there is no bleeding and then starting the heart back up. The he is taken to a cardiac care unit to recover. This is most likely to take place next Monday.

Thats the break down of what going on.

New Quote from Wes!

(James, Haley, and) Mark: Where are you going Wes?

Wes: I'm headed home and then straight to bed

Mark: Can we join you?

Wes: In bed?

Then a dog attacks James who freaks out and bumps into Wes who turns and rebukes the dog who runs away in utter peril.

children?

Hey.
I am going to share with you guys for tw0 reasons… 1. So you can join me in prayer for.. Myself. Ha-ha. And 2 so you can be inspired to see how God works in people lives.
I’ll start from the beginning.
My summer was a grand old time; I partially mirrored Jim’s teachings, and brought them to CIT’s.
I prayed and lived with many hurting children and showed them their worth and beauty. I actually lived. The director of the camp/ many others told me that I am gifted with being relationally and that he’s never seen anyone do a better job at being a head C.IT director.(don’t worry I am not bragging, I am just excited to show you what God did!)

Once camp had ended I was off to my brother’s wedding ;) which went sweet.
I was then planned to go straight in nutrition. But nope the school switched their location and so did I
well I am not sure how this happened but I am with children 24/7!
I am with 5 year olds every Sunday morning. I am youth leader. I am a preschool teacher for my job?, I am not even sure how I got the job because my employees all went to childcare school to get it.. Ha-ha suckers, Oo and one more thing I am helping out with New Brunswick election representing youth?

And I am expecting twins. Just kidding…
Anyway my current life situation was not my planed it kind of just happened…
I would love prayer. I want to be careful that I am 110% In God’s plan, even if it’s not mine.
Thank you.
p.s I 1. Cor 13.4-7 you .

Long time no post...

My dearest Kaleo gang,

I apologize for my lack of communication with you guys, I have been learning/experiencing so many things that I feel flustered to type them out. I am currently involved in so many things that I haven't been able to devote time to communication with friends from afar. Well, God decided to strike me with sleeplessness tonight so I thought I would at least attempt to tell you guys what has been up in my life. So here's my best shot.

My summer job was very tough on me, more so mentally and spiritually than physically. I struggled a lot with gossip and pride during that time. The hot topic on the site was about how poorly our employer / foreman would treat us. This is true to some extent, my foreman was very hard on me and I am still healing from the damage he did to me. But despite this, I was not setting a Christlike example by constantly discussing with my co-workers how my foreman was self-righteous and self-centered. Some would say that the things you judge in another person are most likely the things that you will struggle with yourself. And again, this is true to some extent. I am currently working very hard at demolishing my ego and learning to think of others first and I am proud to say that we are making progress (you know who I mean by we.)

I am reading a book called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" and I have learned so much from it. It is not really a book about dating but rather a book about how we are to please God in everything we do. Never has a book challenged me in so many aspects of my life. One such example is learning to be content with my current circumstances and to seek God in the now. As most of you may have observed, this is a very hard thing for me to do. I am always in pursuit of the optimal and I miss a lot of the good things that God wants me to experience. That stops now! As of lately, my mind has always been on the lookout for how God is working in the now. I have to admit, I have seen some pretty cool things happening! Another thing that the book has challenged me to do is strip off every bit of influence that the world has had on me, especially in the area of dating. The harmless suggestions that even kids-shows make about dating are completely wrong and dangerous. One of the principles, the author, Joshua Harris provides is that "The joy of intimacy is the reward of commitment." Not many of the dating relationships in our culture can be backed up by a decent amount of commitment. Thus, it becomes a game; "Let's see how much intimacy we experience with the least amount of commitment." As soon as the intimacy disappears, which was only intended for marriage in the first place, so does the relationship and a "mini-divorce" takes place. We all know what God says about divorce! The point is this, the motives for relationships in our culture are extremely selfish and undetectable. The world has done a great job in blinding us from them and I hope that all of us would be able to see beyond these lies.

My family is falling apart more and more every day. I hardly ever see my Dad, My sister hasn't seen him in 3 weeks. He is working 14 hours a day at work and is the saddest I have ever seen him. If I was in his shoes, I wouldn't see any point to continue on in life and this scares me a lot. Please pray that God would give him a reason to live and that he would be healed of the negative effects that this separation is having on him. Let me tell you, he has taken a beating! My mom too, it is hampering her spiritual walk.

The attitude at my house has improved quite a bit since my return. My sister told me that they hadn't laughed much while I was gone. That changed in a hurry. My presence has had quite a positive effect on my family I have been helping out with tutoring my brother and sister and working on a 50 item "Honey do list" that my mom gave me. Oh, and my car started leaking transmission fluid, needs new injectors, a baffle for the fan, the tail pipe fell off, the brand new paint job is starting to chip off in places, I need to install a trans axle seal kit and add second battery for the winter. Sigh, things like this seem to pile up everyday.

I really don't know what God has planned for me in the next little while. There is one small (by that I mean BIG) exception. The other day, my sister randomly handed me a verse that she was writing down for herself and said "This is God's will for your life." The paper had on it written Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." So I guess for now I am going through a period of mind-renewal which I am very excited for and I would appreciate your prayers in this process.

That's pretty much the extent of my patience right now (Please pray for more of it). Love you all lots and I would appreciate phone calls to rescue me from my busyness.

Your brother in Christ,

Masterpiece

Attractive eh?

An Intriguing Journey

I am intrigued with what God is doing in Kaléo right now. A number of people have identified this coming year of Kaléo as “a year of grace.” I have a couple of news items for you, in which God’s grace will continue to show itself. First, this is the statement that was made to the Qwanoes staff team on Monday morning:

A decision was made by Qwanoes, and accepted by Jim Badke, Kaléo Leader, that Jim will continue to serve as the Kaleo Leader until the end of May, and he has agreed to train a new person during the year who will become the Kaleo Leader after that point.

Jim and Qwanoes hope to maintain a close relationship in the future, which could include working in cooperation for possible new opportunities.

This current Kaleo year will look similar and be run similar to past Kaleo years. One difference will be that Qwanoes will be seeking to hire a potential new Kaleo leader as soon as possible. The plan would be for that person to observe and learn, and gradually become more involved as the year progresses.

Both Jim and all the Qwanoes leadership look forward to this new Kaleo year and are excited about how God will work in the lives of these new students. Jim and the Qwanoes leadership see this year as an opportunity to model a good transition for all involved.

Just to clarify, it means that I will walk through this year with you as your Kaléo Leader, beginning to end. Someone, yet to be identified, will join us at some point and learn the role over the year, taking it up fully in the Summer of 2011. I will conclude my time at Qwanoes at the end of May, and move into whatever it is that God has next for me after a break this summer.

At the same time, we are currently without a Student Life Leader at this point. As you may have heard, the decision was made not to have Kristie Voth step back into the role this fall. We will start this year with two interns and myself, along with assistance from Jay Kennedy, the Assistant Director, and we will trust that a Student Life Leader will be found soon. Your prayers are appreciated in this year of grace.

Hello everyone as you may or may not remember, my Dad's trial starts today, we've been waiting for this day for more than 4 years and it is such a blessing that it has finally come. we are hoping that he will be out by christmas and its also what we are kind of expecting. but we were also expecting him to be out within a couple weeks after going in. it seems everytime we expect something good to happen something goes terribly wrong. but that pattern has changed lately with his lawyer being paid for by the government and him having multiple secured jobs when he gets out. when he does get out the original plan is that he would be living with my family (i dont say me because i am going to school in st catharines) however he seems to have met a girl who is not a believer and she has put the idea into his head that he should go live with her. she is a nice woman and not a horrible influence but he is a new believer and living with a woman who doesn't know God and he is not married to might not be the smartest idea. if he didnt live with my family it would absolutly crush my brother. he has always been closer with my dad than i have and he has missed him in some very important years of his life he has been without a father to look up to for most of his life. so i guess this was a mix of good news and bad news. just wanna ask you guys to be praying for my family and that God's will will be seen by my Dad.

in other news last thursday i went to the first meeting for "campus for christ" one of the two christian groups at my school. i dont know why but for some reason i was expecting a lot more from it than i should have. i thought everyone there would just mesh together immediantly. kind of high expectations i guess. i hope that this group will grow into a family of believers who can turn to eachother in times of need and worship God without shame, together. so if you could just also be praying for that aswell :)

anywhoooo i think that is all peace out brothers and sisters. love you all.

With a little discouragement comes a lot of hope

So, this year is proving to be a very different year than what I'm used to. I came home from camp excited for what this year had in store. I was looking forward to catching up and spending time with friends I hadn't seen in a while because of Kaleo and then camp. I was excited to spend more time with my family and excited to get a job and just get involved with different things in my community and church.

As I came home there was a couple set backs that throw me for a bit of a loop but along with that there were some very clear blessing. I needed a job when I got home and the first place I went to was a coffee shop close to my house and they hired me on the spot. So far that job has been amazing. There is surprisingly a lot to learn but I'm starting to get more comfortable there. I absolutely love the people there. That was such a blessing for me. I also felt a little discouraged when i came home. because I am not going to school this year, I thought it would be sweet to get involved with my church more. I was pumped to be there with my friends again this year growing and learning with them. Shortly after realizing how excited I was, I found out that our church is going through a pretty hard time right now. What was two services is now joined again to one and and old paster we had years ago is back. Anyways this seems to be a problem for a lot of people. Lots of people have left the church including some of my closest friends. I am also realizing that my schedule is a lot different than a lot of my friends who are in school this year. Lots of them also live far away. So I guess I was hoping to really build my friendships stronger this year but that is proving to be harder than I expected. But like I said, with a little discouragement comes a lot of hope. I guess I'm learning that God has some big things in store for me this year. Not exactly what I had in mind but hey when is God ever predictable? With my friends being far away and busy I am going to have a lot more time to hang out with my sisters and my parents and maybe be able to reach other people in Bradford that I wouldn't have normally. I does feel lonely and kind of boring hear at times but I want to make the best out of this year.

Oh and by the way camp was awesome. I learned so much. I had 2 cor 12:9-10 set on my heart all summer as I faced difficulties and fears I was hesitant on overcoming. I prayed that God would give me his strength and he did! E tow! All my fears turned from huge mountains to small, insignificant ant hills. God was really at work this summer. Not only in me but in all of Widjiitiwin. Our numbers our going up for the first time in years and the camp is finally starting to move forward after many years of slowly falling apart. There have been lots of changes lives and renewed hearts and I love that I can give God all the credit. Seriously nothing we could have done would have accomplished the work God did there. Anyways thanks for your prayers for strength and vulnerability (the words I left you guys to pray for me leaving Kaleo) I would love if you could all continue to pray for me and my church this year. I love you all and miss you a lot.

This is me and my roommate for the summer, about to own at our camps famous full contact field game, Widji B-ball!!!

Also one more thing, MY SISTER IS GETTING MARRIED!

Tori, Looking pretty excited about her new ring!

Philly Cheese Steak!

Hello brothers and sisters. It is crazy to think that I left home more than three weeks ago to come to school. So much has happened, it is very hard to process it all, but I shall try. In short, my summer was one where I had to learn contentment. Jim and Nick talked about this after Kaleo and I realize that that was something that I had to learn as well. Not easily though. After Kaleo I had no desire to move on or go to a new place, but it is funny how a summer spent landscaping sure changes your perspective. After 14 weeks of slugging rocks around I was itching to leave, so ready for change. It was a good way for me to "come down" from Kaleo and prepare my heart for Eastern. It was a blessed summer though, and I am very thankful for some of the things that I learned and the time that I could spend with my family.

When I first came to Eastern I really did not want to be here at all. I was so hesitant, so reluctant. I asked my parents if Abraham would have felt scared or doubtful or reluctant even as he made his move to the land the Lord called him. They said that he probably did, and that if the decision was easy and he went without any notion of fear or doubt, then it wouldn't be a step of faith. I took comfort in that, however over the next few weeks I know that the Lord has been teaching me about faith. I made a decision in faith, but I still wasn't living in faith. I had been taking steps forward while looking back, longing for the place that I came from. I think that living in faith is more than just acting, but in having an attitude of faith. Hebrews 11:15 talks of this: "If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city."

The first week we went on a camping trip, which was so weird for me. It was like Strathcona round two. It was a good transition week for me and it was quite beneficial to bond with my cohort in a way that only camping trips can do.

I feel quite over my head here. Every single class that I come out of, I only feel less and less intelligent than when I went in. It as though everything that I thought I knew is being demolished. The classes are a cool format though. No exams, no notes, no lectures. Simply discussion for the entirety of the class. The entire class is just a dialogue wrestling with the huge questions of truth, goodness, piety, justice, and all things in between. Each class my mind is just working overtime to keep up with the discussion that is going on. It is quite exhausting and yet at the same time, invigorating. These classes make me really hunger for truth. Oh how I want to know truth! These classes aren't designed to teach me facts or knowledge, but to teach me how to be a person who asks these difficult, core questions and wrestling with them and find truth. I am excited to see the outcome.

Along with this journey of faith, I am learning again to hope. Like Jim's dog analogy, I have to wait with eager expectation of God's provision. I have several good friends here and we have great times together, yet I do not feel like I have anyone here that my heart is becoming knitted together with. I feel as though I am surrounded by many people who like to talk about God and wrestle with the bible, but I do not feel as though I am with many people who like to conversewith God. I have not had communion with the Father through others here. It is tough, but I am learning how to hope for these things. Hope that God will provide me with the community that I need, which may or might not be very different from the community that I had with you all last year. Things that I hope for: a mentor, someone to encourage and challenge me and teach me. A Barnabas, a close brother that would truly walk beside me, and one that would share the same heart and vision. And a Timothy, someone that I may encourage, challenge and teach. There is one fear in my heart that continues to surface, and it is the fear of not being a shepherd. I so desire to be a shepherd here, I really want to have the Lord use me in this way, however I just so don't see how this is going to happen. I am such a small fish in a massive ocean. This too is something that I must hope for.

So far, this has been a very positive experience though. I have enjoyed exploring a new city, learning the metro routes and finding a church in Philly. It is nice because I can get from Eastern to Philly in about 30 minutes. It is a lot harder to find a church this year, I think I need to have someone make me up a sheet with seven options on it. I've run the Rocky steps, had a philly cheese steak (which I really didn't like and probably won't ever have another one), met Shane Claiborne and bought a road bike. Last weekend a few of my friends and I took the train down to the harbour and watched Red Bull Flugtag, aka the Red Bull flying machine competition. Teams build flying contraptions and then push them off a ramp in the middle of the harbour that is about 30 feet high. Most of them just crash and burn, it was pretty funny. I should be off though, I am about to go to a YACHT club meeting. (Youth Against Complacency and Homelessness Today).

Much love to all of you.

Cheerio

My first love. Don't worry.

Flugtag. You can see one of the machines going off the ramp.

Roommate Rody in green, Jens, Leah and Alan

SALTS flashback?

Bunch of Scalleywags

Nasty Philly Cheese Steak

I feel like this is a "Matthew Newton" shot

"Aidweein!"

Rocky Steps

I'm keeping the tradition alive.

I am writing this with a sorrow filled heart. A heart that beats but wishes it would stop suddenly to keep anything else form happening to it. A few days ago Kaitlin had another MRI which results I have even a hard time typing out. Kaitlins tumor has returned bigger and changed. Not only has the tumor returned to its original state and position. It has also moved and spread to inoperable parts of her brain where it will continue to grow and further spread. And now I am faced with a decision. A surgery is going to be happening on either Thursday or Friday and as some of you now know, or all of you depending on how tight some of your lips are. I am heading out to Briercrest as well for this following year and this would set back my leave date significantly, probably push it back up until first day of classes. I feel unbelievably torn since I have been anticipating getting out of here for months now and I can taste the freedom on the tip of my tongue. I feel a slight peace about what’s happening but still feel like I should stay due to ties with my mother and sisters. I have yet to discuss this with Olivia but she is due to return home tonight from west coast trail. From this point there seems to be no hope at all. At first there always was some distant light but right now that light is diminished as we face this new reality. My only hope for life now rests in her salvation and the Lord. I guess sometimes the miracle itself isn’t the miracle we expected.

Just stopping by...

Hey Briercrest folk,

I will be driving through Caronport tomorrow (Wednesday) on my way back to Beaumont . I'm thinking I'll be there around 9 am and would stay for a couple of hours. I would really like to see you all so come find me if you can!

Trent

They're Here!

Quick note so as to not steal Matthew's thunder: The Yearbooks have arrived!! If you haven't done so already, please let me know where you want yours sent; otherwise it will go to the home address we have for you. Briercrest will get a box full, via Josh Whincup, who should arrive there on the 7th or 8th, which is how long it would take by mail anyway. Hmmm... will Haley and Ben be there, or not???

And a quick question: I could send with the Yearbook a couple DVD's with about 6 GB of photos, arranged according to topic. The masters are ready, but it might take me an extra day or so to make the copies. Go for it, or send the books sooner? Comment with your vote!

Hey everyone

Hello my brothers and sisters. Firstly I miss you all and wisht that you were al less busy so i could talk with you more often but I do know what it is like to work and see people before school and taking vacations so I can't blame you. I know that we are still very much so connected in prayer.

I will start with the lighter news. Two weeks ago my boss ran out of work and so i was layed off, being the only seasonal guy on the crew. I am fine with this because it gave me the chance to enjoy the last bit of my summer and I am doing alright with money so nothing really negative there. With some free time I got to go be a special friend to a challenged camper at my old camp in NB. I loved the week, saw many good friends, had a solid spiritual retreat and had a pile of fun. Something that might make you all excited is who I got to chill with all week. So Brady from K4 who came out to BC to visit with the guys from B-crest, he also went surfing with us, is playing in a band called Atlantic. This band happened to be playing all week at the camp I was at! I got to chill with him, talk about the year, hear about his life and his ministry, have a canoeing adventure and worship to his wonderful drumming. Praise God for extremely awesome meetings like this! Yeah really good week.

Now the heavier stuff I guess. When i got to my sister's apartement in NB I was told to call home. I called my mom and she told me that she got some test results back. They found cancer in her bone marrow. Basically it breaks down like this, she has "months" left and there is no real hope for a treatment that will work. They have tried 5 treatments and all of them have failed so now our chances are very small. This hit me pretty hard cause we all thought we had years not months. I now need to figure out some stuff about this year and I am still letting it sink in.

I guess I am just laying this out for you guys, keeping you all in the loop. This makes my heart hurt and i can say that I am blessed because this is a strange feeling. I guess pray for me and my family and my mom. And stop being busy and give a shout.

Love you family, cheers.

All my life I've just avoided talking about hard times. If they are things that need to be talked about I make them not so hard by joking and lightening up the mood of the subject. Today I don't really know how to do either...

My mom woke me up this morning to tell me it was time to start getting ready to go to my Auntie's father's funeral. My mother's brother married a woman... and said women's father... So he has no real relation to me, but I have known him most of my life because my Uncle and Auntie have always lived far away so when ever they come to town we hang out with her side and his side of the family. Before my mom exited my room she turned back and said, "Bria, I need to tell you something." She couldn't even finish the sentence before she started crying. She informed me that a friend of mine, whom's mother she is really close with, attempted suicide. She is now in the hospital here and has been since yesterday morning. No one is allowed to see her but her mom and her brothers (Her Father passed away a couple years ago) but her mother has said it's ok to ask for prayer. My mom turned to leave and again and turned back saying, "I guess I better tell you all at once." Then continued to tell me that my friend, Izaak's dad passed away this morning. Izaak is currently in Ontario filming a movie, so I'm going to call him after I finish writting this... but it has been a rough morning.

I don't really know what to do right now, informing you was really all I could come up with.

I love you all, please help.

Living in the Hope.

"Out of sight, Out of mind"

I started to flip through some Kaleo photos tonight... I had to stop about 25 pictures in. I miss you all so much. Any messages or Skype dates would be much appreciated.

Love you all,

Hopeful.

Hey fellas

I don't typically pray or ask for prayer for just any ol' thing and I would categorize the pulling of my wisdom teeth under that. I woke up this morning, the morning of my appointment and thought "Why not? Maybe I'm not engaging prayer enough". What's the harm in asking for prayer for something like this. I may have been thinking lately that praying everyday is enough. What if it's not? What if a big part of someone's personal prayer life is the requesting of prayer from others? Even for simple things. It's a good start anyway. I would appreciate this greatly. I don't know what specific things I would like you guys to pray for so I will leave that up to you. In addition, as another general prayer request, if you wouldn't mind continuing to pray for my Kaleo word of Courage. It seem the word is still very strongly applicable to my needs these days. Thank you all for your support and friendships.

David

Coming Soon To A Mailbox Near You!

The proof of the Yearbook arrived today! All I will say is... well, you will just have to wait! Some very minor adjustments and the order should go in tomorrow. This one took less than a week from the time I placed the order, so I'm hopeful we will have the works here soon. And then to you...

The blackberries are out!! YUM!

well this is long over due.

Many times have Marissa and I tried making videos for the blog and failed! And a little info bob doesn’t check the blog…. So Matthew and I have been keeping him updated. John is a dancing machine, and ellie is rock’n it being a counselor!

Last weekend I had 3 days off so I went to salt spring island to camp, by myself. It rained a lot! So Saturday I spent in my rain suit driving around on a scooter, went to the Saturday market and the library. Sunday it cleared up so I traveled the island and ate at some cute café’s. Headed back to camp Monday morning.

I’ve been around many great people this summer (many from Briercrest, which makes me what to go… but I’m not)

My minds all over he place so this will be too…

This summer I’ve gotten really close to the couples here at camp. They’re at a different point in life, which makes for different conversation.. haha. And they are older so I’ve been looking up to a few of them too. One of the couples I’ve gotten close to has just recently been brought into my “thoughts” I’ve opened up to the wife telling her things I’ve held back from a lot for you. We also share the same dream, living in community, sharing a big piece of land building our own homes growing our own food and making our own clothes. And having a small store on site of things our community makes. She is truly someone I want to keep in my life.

I’ve been offered a position here at camp to be a senior kitchen helper for the year. And well I accepted it. I’ll be here… for another year… Hahah it makes me laugh… but I’m excited to hangout with the staff I’ve gotten to know so well.

Because I’ll be here for a year, I’ll be heading home tomorrow… as in Tuesday. For a month. I’m not going home for the sake of seeing family.. I would’ of been here till Christmas if I wasn’t going through this again… and well my depression is hitting harder then ever.. I‘m not able to function at camp without braking down into tears, or having a panic attack.. Which is happening twice a week for me this past month. So yesterday I packed up my room putting everything into storage but my two suitcases and moved to the badke’s home till I leave. I really wish things were different. That I didn’t have to leave. That I could stay and say I did a summer at camp. Also something else is wrong …. I’m not too sure yet what it is.. But I had to get a blood test for 7 different things their checking on.. And now they want me to get some scans when I’m home too.

My dad has a job now.. He’s been living in Montréal for the past 2 weeks. And while I’m home my mom and I are driving down to visit him… and there is talk about me going to NB to visit my grandparents, they’re both not doing so well. And they live in Riverview… hello nick and Katie! I might miss nick… but Katie you’ll be around eh?

Then around the 15th of September I’ll be heading back here just before the kaleo’s arrive….

It’s going to be really hard for me to be leaving this place. I haven’t had the break from here yet. I left for a week but just hung out in vic, Courtney, and Duncan with my parents. I haven’t been “home” in 8 months. After that week I came back to camp and helped clean your rooms…. Hahahh that was hard!!!

So I hope I don’t break down even more and fall into the world’s traps. I’m going back to London.. where my mom, sister and sisters husband are living in a 2 bedroom apartment with my dog and their cat… and our home in Sarnia is up for sale but my mom is taking me there to live for a few days… but I don’t think being alone is the best for me, I’m to unstable. I feel numb

Crying Girl: [reading from paper] I wish we could all get along like we used to in middle school... I wish I could bake a cake filled with rainbows and smiles and everyone would eat and be happy...
[about to cry]
Damian: [shouting from back] She doesn't even go here!
Ms. Norbury: Do you even go to this school?
Crying Girl: No... I just have a lot of feelings...
Ms. Norbury: Ok go home...
[girl walks off stage]
Ms. Norbury: Next!