The best things in life don't fit in boxes-Linds

Music doesn’t fit in little black dots with sticks like awkward corn stocks
Love doesn’t fit in a love letter written with flowy calligraphy
Summer camp can’t be contained a photo album, even if it’s got sweet stickers
I haven’t married a gold band
Or given birth to a cute set of osh-kosh-b-gosh overalls, even if they are covered in front yard mud
A commentary can’t explain friendship
I can’t describe the warmth of knowing I’m not alone
Autumn doesn’t fit on a post card
Mountain air can’t squeeze into an air freshener
Love doesn’t stay in the coffee shop, sipping the hot chocolate, even if I lick the whip cream off the mug and get in on my nose
Hope isn’t flat like the horizon
And you can’t buy spring in the store
A textbook doesn’t hold history
Love is not contained in their kiss, or in between their clasping mittens
Trust isn’t the diameter of a climbing rope
Enjoying cheesecake can’t be portrayed in emailed instructions
Love can’t stay on the beach watching the waves tease the dry surf board
It doesn’t give a recipe, but bakes a batch of gooey cookies
You can’t paint sky blue on a wall
Or make passion fruit juice from concentrate
You can’t just read a book about ballroom dancing
Or toss a foot ball on a computer program
God doesn’t fit in a box

Logbook-7

Wow, another week has flown by already!? I'm not sure that I could ever get used to time moving so quickly. Even though it did go by really fast, it was a great week.
Monday was a regular day, classes and homework.
Then Tuesday was busy! Spiritual Formation class in the morning, then a great discussion time at Isfeld with Sonya and Randy, then I headed off to voice lessons which went well and were a ton of fun. After that I drove out to Cumberland to pick up Julia K. for D-team. We had a good talk on the way back and D-team went really well. When the small group time came my girls and I just hung out and played a game so that we could try and get to know each other a little better. After D-team I did some homework and studied with Jade, Karen, and Josh for the English exam that was coming up on Thursday.
Wednesday was a busy day too! We had a class with Sarah Pasciel on communication, then set-up for Underground, Drop-in (at James and Sonya's), and then Underground. It was a great time to connect with different youth and hang out with them. Linds, Karen and I also studied some more that night for the exam the next day.
The exam went okay on Thursday morning. The best part was the fact that Lindsay, Jade, Josh, and TJ all dressed up for it. After the exam I finished up all my homework for the week. My family came over for dinner, which was great! After that Mom, Susan, Lindsay, Karen and I went to the Sound of Music production with Lindsay's Mom and Julia, and a few other people from YU. It was a lot of fun and we got to see Julia K. who was a Nun in the play.
Friday brought rest. I didn't have much homework to do, so I spend the day just hanging out and doing nothing much.
Saturday was basically the same as Friday, except that we had the D-team Ye-Haw in the afternoon. It was a ton of fun!

We had a progressive dinner and it went really well. We started at Hamps to get everyone together, then we went to my families house, then Janzens, then Bowlers. It was such a great evening!

After the Ye-Haw was over us TREAD students hung out for a while and Karen, Lindsay, TJ and I talked for a long while. It was great to get to know each other a little better! We had a lot of fun.

It's been a great week!

family times

This week has been good. That sounds simple, and un-profound, but it's true. Good clases, I'm really liking our Spiritual Formations homework. One assignment on our ideal "ministry" job, and another about how we want people to perceive us, what we would like said about us. Interesting to think about...
D-team and Underground went well, and I enjoyed haning out again with Joanna on thurs. Around the house we've had fun this week with dance practices, and goofy times. It definetly feels like we're sibblings around here.
It was a blessing this week to talk with Sonya and Jen quite a bit. To confess stuff to them, and work through stuff together is amazing. Being honest and real is hard, but the opposite is worse. It was good to talk over stuff that had been chewing me up inside. I really do need Christ expressed through his body.
Thrus, went to see the Sound of Music,and then babysat at James and Sonya's till fri. after lunch. Good to see little boys be boys.
"And a boy is, the only thing that God can use to make a man...." band-Jonah 33
Then, I got to visit with my friend Robyn, who's home for the weekend from SFU. So good to see her and her family (like family to me) again.
Sat, did homework, after a nice sleep in, and then D-team " ye-haw" progressive dinner. Good times together. I liked sitting beside my sister...I miss her.
On Monday I went with my mom to Vancouver to visit my Grandpa in hospital. Enjoyed the chance to visit with my friend Robyn as we drove her over to SFU, and with my mom. Hard to see my grandpa very frail, weak, and old looking. But neat to hear him talk, his same old sense of humour. He thinks he's as "healthy as a baby squirell". And, I found out he was posted on York Island during the fourties. I went to visit the ruins of the military base when we went to Hardwick. So neat to ask him questions, and find out where the barracks were, etc. I could lead him on, since I knew the place a bit.
verse: "Let no one look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in the way you live, in your life, your love, your faith and your purity."1 Tim 4:12

Try a little CrAziNesS

Hey all!
Things have been busy, crazy, insanity, mooch-0-ness! Or at least that's what my brain feels like. Other then that, things are great. Maybe I need to reboot my brain or something. I mean it's not even like we got a lot of homework this week. In fact hardly any. But somehow I still seem to be going into over-load-mode! (I'm-having-fun-using-the-dash-y-things-can-you-tell?)
Anywho, so this week has been good yet for some reason, unknown to me, my brain is failing. I must be getting old or something? Help my brains are coming out! Ya, so like I said, "Try a little craziness."
But in order to make this post worth reading, because up until now I have been giving totally random, useless information, so much in fact, that you might have already quit reading, but anyways...this blog will be worth it because there's pictures!!!!
Just kidding. None of my pictures would upload. So instead you get to listen to me blab on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on..................
Hehehehehehe
I'm a little crazy tea pot right now! ;-)

As you've already heard about from K and K, this weekend at Hardwick was like a deep breath. It was refreshing to not know, or care what time it was. Oh, that life would have more of that peace, family, comfortable, unhuridness. Highlights were time to read, time to talk and share stories, soaking in the hot tup, singing in echo-y ruins with K and K and playing football/baseball pass with Jade.
D-team was good last week, and comfortable dinner at my mom's. Wed. night was I think the best yet. I enjoyed connecting with Erica. Jade did agreat job on the lesson, good to be reminded of the impotance of the community of the Church.
Thursday I visited with Joanna again, and then hung out with a friend from school.
This week I've been thinking about dreams, and how God's dreams don't seem to come true. I used to thinkg that if I lined up my dreams with God's they'd come true... but maybe God's dreams don't always come ture...Like when the Israelites disobeyed in the wilderness...Because we aren't puppets we can make choices that don't please God. Does He cry when our dreams don't come true, because of us, or others?...Maybe heaven is where there is no dissapointment...

It must be a dream!

This weekend was a blast. So many things to do, yet so relaxing. God is great and He made that very evident this week. On Friday we got up and left for the Island, Hardwicke. We traveled by van and then we took a big boat over to the Island. The view on the boat was breathtaking. We saw seals and whales as we sat on the top front end of the boat. The cottage we stayed in was just amazing; it overlooked the ocean and across from the ocean stood tall mountains. There was also a cool hot tub made from a boat. The place is just too hard to put into words. Later on in the afternoon a couple of went to another Island. We went threw ruins of an old military base. It was so cool to see the sights from the ruins. We went to the Island by boat and once again it was an amazing view. We played a lot of card games.
On Saturday we helped around the cottage with firewood. Working felt so good. With good team work we got the job done fast. The work that I did reminded me of home; the log splitter, stacking of wood, raking of sawdust, and the assortment of small pieces of wood. After we worked we had a wiener roast and then a couple of us played darts. After we played darts we went down to the beach and hung out there for a while. Later on in the night we played cards and then a couple good games of kick the can. It was great, and to end the night we went into the hot tub and talked.
Sunday morning; do we have to go home? I woke up having no sense of time. We had an amazing breakfast. After breakfast we had group devotion. It was a good way to end the last hours at the cottage. On the way back in the boat there were huge waves and it was so neat to watch. We were on a boat out among the big waves that were all around. It was fun going up and down on the waves. The ride home was also relaxing because I had a little snooze and then we played the ten fingers game.

Logbook-6

Stars, Kick the can, good visiting, lessons learned, encouragement, and beauty; my week in a nutshell.

(Part of the group on our way to Hardwicke. I think I was wearing about seven layers including the life jacket.)
A group of us, Hamps, TREAD (Jade, TJ, Josh, Jeff, James, Karen, Lindsay, and me), Lyndene and Barry, went out to Al and Elaine's place on Hardwicke Island for the weekend. It was a great time away and I enjoyed the time out there thoroughly! We had a lot of fun just relaxing, playing games and enjoying the beauty of God's creation.
We got to play a lot of great games, see some really cool sights (including an old abandoned military base from World War Two), have an exciting wet boat ride, discover our personality types (apparently I am a type I & A), hang out, do a little bit of homework (somehow it seems to follow us wherever we go), burn some brush piles and split and stack firewood, along with a thousand other fun things. All in all the weekend was great!

During the week I was working through some hard stuff. I was facing a lot of indecision and uncertainty on some major things. God was so good to me and provided me with opportunities to open up to others and share my burdens with them. Lindsay and James and Sonya where a great encouragement to me and helped me to see things through another set of eyes and showed me God's gracious love. I am so thankful that God has designed for us to be in a community and with Him, not alone in this world.

Underground, D-Team and discussion group went well this week. My school work load this week wasn't too big so I was able to focus a little more on these thing a little more without the worry of homework in the back of my mind the whole time. God blessed me with encouragement by others and it has helped me to see that I need to be more of an encouragement to the people around me and I hope that I was able to do that even a little bit this week.

So here is just a little glimpse of my amazing week!

Hey, everyone! Wow what a great past few weeks. Today was a good day. I made cookies with a friend for Sunday School for the 9-12 year olds. Latley I have been going for jogs. I love to stop by the river and walk in the water and marvel at Gods creation.

We went surrfing last Friday, AMAZING!!!!!! I got up on the surf board, I was so happy to be able to ride the waves. Lindsay and I spent most of the time as surfing buddies. It was fun to hang out with her while we did and just be girls having a good time surfing the waves. God was so good to us today. We had a hot lunch on the beach and God brought us great weather as well as great waves. Surfing was so refreshing and so good.
We girls had date night again. We watched the movie Everafter. It was such a good movie. We then talked late into the night. It was wonderful.

Today I plan to go kayaking and then we are heading to a friends for supper. Even though the past few weeks have been very busy I have been able to enjoy a little bit of spare time here and there. Well I hope everyone elses weeks have been going as well as mine have been. I am going to start to write some letters to friends.

Logbook-5

It seems like it was just yesterday that I posted Logbook-4 up here, but another week has passed already and I'm onto Logbook-5.
My exciting highlights this week were:
- my visit in Kamloops this last weekend
- re-crocheting my toque so that it actually fits now!
- having a great time leading worship at Underground
- date with Lindsay and Karen
- an amazing English lesson with Devon dePutter
- fun role playing in Intercultural Studies class

There were other great parts of week as well. One of the greatest blessings was how much more orginized and ontop of school I am. This has definately helped my stress level to go down.
God has blessed me with finally being able to get thing orginized.

Julia and I

Linds: and He holds my hand

Colossians 3:14-15 "But above all these things put on love, which is the bondof perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one bdoy; and be thankful."

Highlights of this week: lunch at Jerry and Jeanette's in Bowser, long walk and honest talk with Sonya, visit with Jen :D, d-team capture the flag game, connecting with Joanna, "date" night with Karissa and Karen.
As I look back over that highlights, and remember the frusterations of this week, the verses above from the passage Colosians I've been pondering come to mind. It was hard to love many times this week, and I didnt always "put on love".
Through pain, and frusterations and anger and questions this week, God granted me peace as I came to him. God reminded me of the importance of unity amougst us as Christians..we are all part of the same body.

The photo scavencger hunt in Bowser on friday was a good night. I was enthused to see my team work well together.
I'm also glad that I got to hang out with a friend from school on the weekend.
Excerpts from a poem I wrote:

He throws me up from His strong arms,
And I fly through the particles He made
Giggle, He catches me
His hands embrace my potential

Rips the band-aid off my knee
Same needle that patched my favourite shirt now digs in my wound
It was healing just fine
With pebbles inside
Like maggots in my heart

Is it worth flying to fall?
Is it worth loving to ache?

And I talk
He hears it all, the words I want to shout
The tears I wish would vent
The fear I don’t even understand

And He doesn’t explain much
Enough clarity that I don’t crash into the maple tree
But not enough that I can see the trail ahead
Why did we take this route?
Is He leading? Or just coming along?

He rolls up my smoky plaid button-up shirt
My pretty pink sweater
So He can hold my soft hand

Like when He holds my hand at the dentist
And clenches His teeth as I wince
And offers me His hand to squeeze

Logbook-4

Another week gone by and things are going well. This week has been really busy, but really good too. Classes have been hard, yet I am enjoying the challenge they bring. Us TREAD students have been spending a lot of hours together in the Garage and are getting to know each other better and better everyday (sometimes you’ve got to wonder if that is for the better or not, just kidding!).
I got to have some great ‘ministry’ times this week and have found God blessing me in everything. I got a bit of a cold near the beginning of the week (and am still fighting it) and have been learning how I need to be more dependent on Him. On Thursday night I got to take Elsah out for coffee and we sent an hour or so just chatting. It’s been great getting to know her better and we had a lot of fun talking about one of her favourite movies, Napoleon Dynamite. I think that Elsah makes the movie 10 times better!
This weekend I got to go up to Kamloops and see my sister and her husband for Thanksgiving. Traveling up with Dad, Mom and Korey was lots of fun and we even managed to catch an early ferry and get to Kamloops much sooner then we thought we would.
Talk to you again next week. :)

Proud Surfer

Definetly the best part of this week was surfing at Long Beach. I've never had such a good time surfing!! I was actually warm! and Karen and I had a blast trying and doing several tricks...standing up and holding hands, double skiing :) It was a beautiful sunney day...definetly my kind of school...

This week I had more learning to do...God pointed out pride in me.

Classes went well, enjoyed learning more Old Testament stuff. What stuck out to me in Deuteronomy: that God kept placing rminders in yearly festivals and feasts to remind the people of His faithfulness in the past. He commands the people to bind his commandments on their foreheads, wrists and ankles and on their doorposts, to talk about them on the road, at home, with thier children, all over. God know how soon we forget. This is a good reminder for me, to not forget His faithfulness, and to set up reminders for myself of what he has done in the past.
"Ministy wise" a highlight this week was talking to a young girl. Surprisingly she told me of things she admires in me. A blessing to be encouraged. God had been challenging me to be honest with people this week, so it was neat to be honest with her about the struggle behind the strength she sees.
Regular YU activities went well. Bowser last night was good. I'm encourage that the kids are glad to see me. It's been neat to see different kids softening up. They soak up the attention I give them for posititve things, and then respond better when I tell them to "cook their jets" and not flip out. I'm thankful that God's given me a love for them, even when I don't FEEL like playing dogeball....
Big thought: heard this week of two guys who grew up in YFC, and have been envolved in ministry who are now not on track with God. If they, who a one point seemed so strong, can get off track, what's going to keep me on track?

the jazz of this week

I started this week sick, and enjoyed taking it easy at my Mom's house. My body knew that my mind and heart needed a break, and kicked in to sick mode.
It was good to have down time to read, cry and think.
Tuesday d-team, it was neat to have two girls join the team. We had time aloted to spend by ourselves with God, which was a blessing. Then super fun time at my mom's house, with an impromptu water fight ( I lost sorely to Jade) and play time in the living room.
This wednesday was the "best one yet". God blessed me with His love for the kids that came out. Looking at them as we played pool, or talked by the river, or sat in our small group, I saw faces of kids that God dearly loves. It was really neat to watch Katie lead our group well. I've watched her develop spiritually and in leadership over the last three years. Also, I was blessed to hear of Julia K, and EIlish's concern and love for the "lost" kids at school.
Academically, we had a busy week. Our Old Testament course had a heafty assignment this week, along with out other three courses. I really enjoyed what we were studying though. Different things really came alive to me as I read Geneis , Exodus and Leviticus. So many neat things...Neat to read the whole big picture of the development of the nation of Israel, and see God establishing his covenatn with people, and from generation to generation, reminding his people of his promises. The ided of Leviticus hit me afresh, "You must be holy because I am Holy". Spiritualtiy and loving God our not confinded to one little sector of our lives (or shouldn't be) but affect every area.
Thursday night it was good to have some solid hand out time around a camp fire at Riverbend, us live-in treaders. Friday, after finishing homework I enjoyed hangin out with Natania. Cool to connect with her again (we led a group together when I was in gr. 8), then go stocked up on songs from Jado :) for my trip to Bowser/Victoria. Julia came with me to Bowser on friday, since we drove straight through to Vic afterwards. I continue to be excited about the opportunity to love the Bowser kids. It was neat to indroduce Julia to them. Beneath they're hard shells that their rough lives have necesitated, theire is a softness and a lonigng to be loved.
Saturday at my dad's was o.k. Not spectacular or terrible.
I enjoyed the drive south and north, and Bowser church on Sunday was good. It was neat to meet a few more people. Then it was really neat to go over for lunch at Jerry and Jeanette's. They are a really neat older couple who help out with YU. Their love for kids inspires me. Neat to hear some of their family history. I'm blessed to work with them.

Logbook-3

Another amazing week has gone by already, but it's been so great!
As a class this week we had a lot of great discussion, although I must say that I don't often say anything and that is a problem on my part. I know that I should engage in the conversation more, yet for some reason I often fail to do so. I was putting on the excuse that I didn't really know everyone very well and so I was just waiting to get to know them a little better, but that doesn't work anymore. I guess it is just a bad habit that I've gotten into. Lame excuses; its something that God has been telling me to work on. Now I just need to get my self into action.
discussion groups, D-Team, Drop-ins and Underground all went really well this week. I'm really enjoying being part of the music team on Wednesday nights. Josh has joined onto the music crew now and things are going really well. Barry did a great job talking about Jesus as the Son of God and part of the Trinity. He showed a clip about the greatest picture of the world, Jesus Christ giving up His life for us and displaying His love for us.
As I mentioned in the post bellow God has been talking to me this week about how great He is and how much He deserves our glory. It has been neat to see how much He has blessed me with the beauty of creation.
Karissa