Things I miss about Sauble Beach & the Bruce Peninsula

Well, its only been two weeks since I left Sauble/the Bruce but there are certain things I notice about being in the city that I did not really pay attention to before. And I have to say, for all you city folks, we need to take a chill pill. (Sorry: learn to relax.) In no order, I miss:

-  families spending time together, facing each other. In the city it seems like we are too busy doing everything, rather than being together.
- the beach & the water (need I say more?)
- people drive here way more aggressively. note to city drivers: SHARE THE ROAD PLEASE!
- in general I miss biking everywhere
- it seems to me that when one has to commute in the country, the journey is part of the experience. In the city, it seems that commuting is an inconvenience. And therefore, naturally, everyone else who is commuting is also an inconvenience. 
- the fact that rest is expected when one is at the beach. life has a slower pace. in the city, rest is considered lazy
- trees
- being able to see the stars at night
- the quiet
- campfire
- snorkeling
- am I allowed to miss outdoors in general.

Yes. I am feeling nostalgic.

The Nature of Waiting

In this season of the unknown, I have been led to reflect on the nature of waiting. Psalm 27 says that we are  to "Wait on the Lord. Be of good courage. Wait on the Lord. And He shall strengthen your heart."

I think society, and if we are honest - our human nature, is uncomfortable with waiting. Waiting is what you do before a meeting with a friend. Waiting is what you do when you are in line. Waiting is what you do for the bus.Waiting is what you do when you can't do anything.

But is that really true?

Scripture tells us that "waiting" is not inactivity; waiting is an activity. Waiting is a choice, not a consequence. Waiting implies intention, even in inaction. Waiting is a decision, not a default motion. Waiting, is an act, of hope, not hopelessness.

In short, waiting is doing something. The choice to wait, is in and of itself, a choice. It is not indecision; it is a decision. To hold out for something...or someone...is to decide for that thing or for that person.

So when I choose to wait, I choose to hold out for, to hope for, God. For His plan for me. Even if I feel that I am doing nothing, I am doing something: I am waiting.

What I (Re)Learnt this summer

I can't believe it was the last day of summer camp...already. It has felt long, but short, at the same time. It was fun, but tiring; easy, but hard.

We went out in true style with a pancake breakfast with toppings that only a kid could come up with. Everything from apples, strawberries, whipped topping, cookies, jujubes, (yep, you read that right), gummy bears, chocolate chips...and syrup on top of all of that. (Really, I'm just sending them home on a complete sugar high to thank the parents for all the energy I got this summer.)

But I am thankful for a number of things that I (re)-learned this summer: (in no order, and with expansion to come in further posts)

1) Life is fun, especially when you expect it to be fun.
2) Celebrate the small stuff. It's important. And many small things make big things
3) The Gospel should NEVER get lost in our attempts to theologize...the pain of the cross can speak for itself, without us having to create four syllable words to describe it. The excitement of the resurrection shouldn't be forgotten. It was (is) the game changer
4) Never underestimate the importance of having your own time with God before you spend time with others.
5) Singing never goes out of style
6) Neither does a good game of Capture of the Flag
7) It's important that we learn to listen to each other and that everyone gets a chance to be heard.
8) Prayer. I had the goal of teaching the kids to pray out loud by the end of the summer. (Some did not even know what prayer was.) I saw this goal come to pass, thanks be to God.
9) The phrase "I love you" is not said often enough.
10) Don't forget to say "thanks" to those who impact you. It goes a long way to encouraging them to keep doing what they are doing.

an unexpected glimpse

My experience  and expectation of building relationships with people, and working with them (such as I have been doing this summer) is that more often then not, you don't get to see the impact of your time together. More often then not, we pass each other like ships in port, harboring each other for a time, and then move on to different seas. So it has been rare for me to see or hear how what I have done/am doing has affected someone....even more so in a summer/seasonal ministry.

You never know...
            what seeds you plant
            what sprouts you water
            or what fruit is being born

This week I was blessed with a little bit of encouragement from one of the parents of two of the boys at North Club. For the past seven weeks her sons have attended North Club almost daily, and over the course of those weeks, have learned what prayer is (talking and listening to God), how to pray (closed hands, open hands, closed eyes, open eyes, etc.), what to pray for (thanksgiving, other people, yourself, etc.) and to pray aloud and in front of others.

So I was immensely encouraged to have a mother tell me that because her boys have been praying at North Club, they are now eager to pray at home, with her. They now pray together.

You just don't know what the Lord is doing behind the scenes.

a (bitter) sweet moment...

The past few weeks at North Club (the kids day camp I run in July & August) we have been doing Christmas in the summer. (Yes, you read that right. And it has been an amazing way of drawing on what kids know or don't know about Christmas, and using that to build how to have a relationship with this baby in a manger. Plus, hopefully this will change the way they see Western symbols of Christmas. Look at at Christmas tree: its wood. Jesus learned to work with wood. He died on a cross of wood...these kinds of connections will hopefully stay in their head.)

We ended this week with the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus - and it was one of the most powerful lessons/moments that I have had with these kids to date. For all the theological education and training I have had, I was reminded by the kids reactions to the story of the crucifixion, about the rawness (bitterness) and simplicity (sweetness) of the suffering of Christ. As I was telling the story, some of them wouldn't even look up - you can tell it really bothered them. And they asked such good questions! Like why Jesus did not come of the cross when He could of. Then we talked about what this said about the character of God - and they concluded with: He must really love us. When I asked them the next day what they felt after the story they responded that they felt sad.

I told them that something special happened - and then shared the story of the resurrection. About how at first Mary didn't recognize Jesus. About how Thomas didn't believe until Jesus came and showed him the scars in his hands. And about how He went into heaven - AND IS STILL LIVING. (Which they all thought was SO cool. A good reminder, eh?) Then one girl asked a question: would a girl in her class, who didn't believe in Jesus, still be able to see Him when He comes back? And then the moment: one of the other kids looked at her and said "Of course. Jesus will go to her in the same way He went to Thomas."

I just thought that was such a beautiful moment: them helping each other to understand - and teaching me more about the character of God. Who is teaching who?

A shout out....

This past weekend I got to hang out with a youth group from the Owen Sound First Christian Reformed Church. Now, these are group great teens and I was blessed not only by their hard work, but also by their sense of fun and their willingness to learn. They spent two days scraping, painting, and working outside in the hot sun, then coordinated a concert and a pancake breakfast, and helped lead a Sunday service.  Just wanted to thank you guys (and your leaders) for all your hard work! On behalf of North Sauble Community Church

27 reasons to be thankful to be....27 (so original)

Here it is - two days late  - but in honour of my birthday I want to celebrate the things I've learned/gotten to do/am thankful for. In no particular order (or maybe in some sort of order...) and some serious and some not...here they are.

27. SOFT contact lenses. I did have hard. They felt like you had two pennies in your eyes.
26. Soccer (dear Netherlands, sniff...what are we going to do...)
25. Sushi of any sort
24. Volleyball - competitive - I admit I'm a bit of a snob
23. Hagelslag - not a swear word - and if you don't know what it is click here
22. Theodore
21. Jacob
20. Hetty
19. Laurence
18. Candace
17. Rachel (yes, some say that is cheating, but what else can you do with six siblings?)
16. My parents
15. the invention of scuba diving (I mean think about it, HOW, did that happen?)
14. that I learnt early that lying is not a good idea (yes there is a story here and it involves velcro shoes...hahaha)
13. Living in Honduras
12. Learning Spanish - I say "learning" intentionally.
11. That for once in my life having a name as dutch and a long as mine could be fun - I am still written down in the books through Central America as Amanda Van Helsing.
10. guitar
9. piano
8. my health - which seems to have a mind of its own - but I am still thankful
7. a growing desire to find something (not someone unless its me) to laugh at
6. friends - whom I am continually blessed to know and journey with
5. that I have gotten to study more and love it - yes I am a nerd -
4. traveling
3. sushi - did I mention that? - oh I must really like it
2. Afterbite
1. On a serious note, I am thankful to live in a country where the is freedom to openly worship Christ, and to have grown up in a family that follows Him as well.
\manda

Happy 28th Anniversary to my wonderful parents!

Dear Dad & Mom,

On this day of all days, the day that marked the start of your life together, the sibs and I want to take a moment to say thank for of the following:
 
 - thank you that there are enough of us to have:  our own volleyball team with subs, enough badminton teams for round robin tournaments, enough people to have our own band, and how we can double the size of any party we attend.
- thank you for making us believe that there was a Grinch in the world so that every night we would check our closet and under our bed to make sure he wasn't hiding there.

- on the flip side, thank you for being there to protect us from the Grinch
- thank you for making us eat our vegetables and liver - so that now our friends think we are weird because we like brussel sprouts, though we still hate liver
- thank you for making us get over our fear of heights by refusing to go home until we all had jumped from some high height into Georgian Bay
- thank you for instilling in us an appreciation for long road trips and "the scenic route"
- thank you for teaching us not to take ourselves too seriously. Now we don't take you too seriously either.


Laughing aside, in all seriousness, thank you very much for your love and care for us these past years, for your generosity in your time and with your money, for your encouragement as we ventured far from home and into some not-so-safe situations, for your examples of godliness and sacrifice in your love for each other. Thank you for your continued encouragement for each of us to seek the Lor.

 Lots of love from the crazy squad:
Amanda, Rachel, Candace, Laurence, Hetty, Jacob & Theodore

My summer job....which also just so happens to be at the beach

Yep, I was really blessed this summer. Believe it or not I got employment, which just happens to mean I have to live on the beach, but the best part is I GET TO PUT TO PRACTICAL USE MY M.DIV!

This means:

-  I learned how to preach, and now I have an opportunity to practice it. For six Sundays. (And before you get any ideas of this being a huge church, let me say I think I maxed out last Sunday at 15+ people, and will likely have less than 10 this week.) But I like that, because it allows me to start small.
- I get to put together an entire order of worship - from the call to worship, right until the benediction. This puts to use a bunch of skills I have learned in the classroom and outside, from leading worship, song selection, text selection, prayer, etc.
- I get to interact and visit with people here in the community. I LOVE this. Just getting to know people in a relaxing environment, because people come here on vacation.
- For July and August my priority is to plan and run a kid's club. Spent three years studying theology? Now's a good time to be reminded that the Gospel is very simple; we make it complex.
- Get to interact with guest speakers from different denominational background. Its a little of Tyndale, minus the study part;)

Oh, and I get a bit of R & R. I mean, I am after all, at the beach

\manda