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 only thing I'm sure of is the fact that I'm not sure

I am in a place in my life right now where nothing is sure. In fact, the only thing I am sure of right now...is the fact that I'm unsure. In no specific order:
- I have no job (or no fixed income)
- I have no place to live (other than my parents, thanks dad and mom)
- I have no idea when, or even if, I will be able to graduate
- I have no idea what community/church I am being called to be a part of
- I am not really sure how/where I am being called to use my gifts, heart and training

In short, NOTHING, in my life is sure. No, let's correct that: nothing, from a worldly perspective, in my life is sure.  But daily, even hourly, I am called to remind myself of the words "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added onto you." Now, I am not saying to do A ("seek the kingdom of God") in order to receive B ("all these things") - because if we are seeking A for the purpose of B, then we are not really seeking A at all. No, I am saying that God is calling me to a kingdom mindset, even more so in a time where a lot of logistical things can (and honestly, at times they do) make me anxious.

What does it mean to seek the kingdom of God, in a time where I don't even understand or can't count on certain things (such as income) in order to live? Well, isn't that really the question? What does it mean to really live? What does it mean to seek, to look out for, to search after the reign of God? In a time like this, it means that it starts in my own heart. To let God's kingdom come into my own heart. To allow Him to work on all those anxieties, that lack of trust, that fear, and to transform my heart. It means to become even more a citizen of heaven, a person who is concerned with the heart of him/her self, and the hearts of others. In short, it is about the type of person that I am in this time of uncertainty. Because the type of person I am will change the way that I live in this time, and in that, I hope I can begin to have a greater understanding of what it means to truly live.

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

"Sunday comes around...every week."

As my first foray into "official" preaching winds down (six weeks of sermon prep and service prep and leading straight) I reflect on a few things that I have learned in the process:

1) No matter what, every week, every seven days, Sunday comes around. Meaning no matter what, something needs to be ready and prepared within just over 144 hours. But whose counting?

2) A Sabbath is a must. God is a wise God - and His command to take a break is for our benefit. Let me put it another way: there should be a WHOLE 24 hour period where you do NOT think about the sermon - or where you repeat to yourself "I will not think of next Sunday's sermon - over and over.
3) Let go of your perfectionist tendencies. I know I had to. I am so self-critical that if I begin to reflect and knit-pick everything that isn't right or can be done better then I lose the hope that I am meant to embody in my message.
4) Keep your eyes fixed upward. The moment you start worrying about what people are going to say then something else has entered into the process of learning God's truth for that week.
5) It really is true "The heart of a man plans His step, but the Lord directs His paths." Many times I began my message by thinking I was going in a certain direction, and God almost surprised me by where I ended up.The steps I took through the sermon preparation process were the ones needed to keep me moving, but God had my course and destination a head of time. I just had to get there.
6) When you are weak, then God is strong.

7) I know that I want to see more and more people involved in worship - from prayer, to reading of Scripture, to collection, to greeting, to hospitality, to worship leading, to singing, etc. Why the same people doing the same things? Man! I loved it when people get to participate. (Plus it lets me focus more on the one thing I need to focus on in a worship service.)



\manda

3 weeks down...

We have just finished our third week of school and I have seen a prayer and a confirmation answered in regards to my return here. Last January when I was deciding whether or not I should return for another year one of the big pull factors for me staying here was the hope of more oppurtunities for me to minister to my students. In the past two weeks I have seen the start of many ministry oppurtunities for me in different areas: emotionally, spiritually, physically. I have seen a confirmation of this prayer. Please pray for wisdom now as these oppurtunities are presented to me.

\manda

The Blessing of Friends...

Gayle left last week Tuesday.


I miss her.


Thank you for ministering to me in so many little ways! I remembered what it felt like to be around someone who knows you better than anyone else in the country - it was a good feeling. (I think especially reminding me of how wonderful community is.)





I wrote the following for my friends. Thank you - you know who you are!!


I love my friends
they are a continual source of great encouragement & support to me,
They hug me when I need it - and sometimes when I don't.
They make me smile when I want to cry.


They make me laugh when I just want to punch something,
and when I need to throw things they create a place where I can do that.
They pick me up of the ground when I slip,
and pull me down to the ground when I get carried away.
They remind me that I am special,
especially when I forget that I am.
They know when to feed me chocolate
and they know when to feed me fruit.
They know how to listen when I need to talk,
and know how to talk when I want to listen.
They know when to rub my back
even when I am afraid to ask.
They know how to see my weaknesses in light of my strengths,
and choose to walk beside me.




Friends are to life
as words are to music.
Both exist apart -
but put them together
and something new is born.

Item of Praise...

Our visas need renewal every three months - and last week Tuesday marked the day that our passports needed renewal again. So a lady who worked at our school went down to "Tegus" (the capital) to renew them. I found out that she was mugged there - and the thieves took the bag with out paperwork but LEFT THE BAG WITH OUR PASSPORTS! This is the Lord - because she had all the foreign teachers passports with her - and if they had been stolen they would have been sold for a high price and we would have had to deal with being here with no passports. As it is - our co-worker is fine - and our passports as well. We might have a little more trouble with the paperwork - but that is nothing compared to what could have been.

Thanks Lord!

\manda

The Cross - Human Contridiction

Today marks the end of Holy Week with the celebration of the resurrection of our Lord.

Today I heard a solitary trumpet play through the Lord's Prayer and it was probably one of the most powerful things that I have ever heard. All the things that we plead for in that passage are possible because of Jesus' sacrafical life and death - and his victorious resurrection. I love how music can be understood in so many languages -

What I am really thinking about today is how Martin Luther (the following may be a gross paraphasology) talked about (or at least introduced the idea) of how at the cross everything that we humanly expect was turned on its head.

For example, victory over sin happened in weakness - Christ submitted himself to the atrocities of suffering for MY/OUR sin and in that submission won victory over it. We think we need strength to triumph - but truly our strength comes in our weakness (1 Cor.12) and this is when we let God do the work for us and let HIM give us victory.

Or think of how God's anger and God's love met in the symbol of the cross. God's wrath against sin was answered in Jesus' sacrafice of love on the cross. Anger and love met in the true form of justice on the cross. We see the beauty of God in this - and we see just how completely Jesus glorifies His Father in His submission. Oh, that I would have that type of sacraficial lifestyle for God!


\manda

I am still alive...

Mini-Olympics is over - done! And I am still alive. It went so well that we were actually ahead of schedule for most of the day - even though we started late!
Things went very smoothly - with a few small hiccups - some injuries, scheduling whatnots, and ...ummm I think that is it.
Can I also say that I have never been more thankful to have a good spanish teacher - who makes me feel that I can actually commuicate in Spanish. Because to plan for this - all I did was talk in Spanish. So language is also coming along - though I have a long way to go still!

Now I'm off to get my scuba license. Caribbean Sea + friends + fish = good!
\manda