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.