Spring Ministry Trip

Hey all... this spring we have the opportunity to serve Christ on a two week Ministry Trip to one of four locations: India, Columbia, New York or Cowichan/Vancouver. At the moment I am struggling, trying to hear where God is calling me. I want this trip to be for him and not me. Could you please pray for direction, that I will hear God's voice and that what I want is what God wants or that He changes my heart to His will. Could you also pray for peace regarding the uncertanty of finances and that I will trust God, knowing that He will supply my every need.

I am really excited to see where God places me and how He will use my gifts and abilities to continue His work. It is neat to see how God places people in certain groups, matching different personalities to create a community. Could you also pray for everyone else at Kaleo as they seek God's will in this opportunity.

Thanks for the prayers,
In Christ,
Kylie

Kaleo Ministry #6

Hornby Island provides a perfect location for a youth retreat. St. John’s youth enjoyed a weekend of fun, learning, relaxation, adventure, great food, prayer, games and communion on the beach. Even though we (the other Kaleo students and I) helped plan the devotions and games for the weekend with Kathryn, coming into the weekend, I had no idea what to expect. One thing I looked forward to was relating to the youth away from the normal routine of life.

One of the neat things about arriving at a place after dark is the adventure and excitement the next morning when the beauty of your surroundings is revealed. Nestled in the forest and a block away from the ocean, the little cottage we called home for the weekend had electricity but not pluming. That fact alone changed the dynamic of the group. Taking kids away from the need to have showers and spend forever getting ready in the morning and instead, making them walk outside to use the bathroom creates an environment of community and openness.

The devotions in the retreat focused on loving others; loving others ensues from the outpouring of God’s love for us. We talked about understanding God’s love for us and the gifts and abilities He has entrusted to us and how to use these gifts for His glory. It was neat seeing God work in the lives of the youth, stretching them, encouraging them and teaching them about their gifts and how use their abilities to love others. Not only did the weekend stretch the youth, it challenged me. Could you please pray that God will give me a clearer understanding of what it means to love Him and to love others. And, for the youth, that they will embrace their newly discovered gifts and learn to use them for God’s glory. In addition, could you please continue to pray for Cassie and Rebecca (the two girls in youth) as our relationship continues to deepen. Pray that God will continue to give me opportunities to love these girls.

“For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20

Saturday night, everyone gathered around, including our cook who is a mighty prayer warrior, and prayed for one another. You could feel the power of the Holy Spirit move as we prayed; the presence of God as promised in Matthew 18:20 was evident in the room encouraging and challenging everyone.

There is so much more I would like to tell you about this amazing weekend it would take pages to paint a complete picture. One thing that keeps repeating over and over in my mind is, wow, God is awesome, we could have not managed without His power, strength and love.

Thanks for all your prayers and love as I continue to seek after God.

Much love,

Kylie

The Girls shadows!

The wonderful Cabin

The Boys!

On our hike

The gorgious view

Rebecca and I climping a tree

Rebecca, Cassie and I

The whole group

Pumping our water

Cleaning up the cottage

Communion on the Beach

Kaleo Ministry #5

Swimming. Yes, I finally swam for the first time since coming to British Columbia. Okay, well that is not quite true - we did have two beach days with everyone at Kaleo, but Friday was my first swim in a pool! I did not realize how much I missed it. It was with St. John’s Youth Group on Friday night that we swam at the new Duncan pool. A lap pool, wave pool, diving boards, lazy river, two huge slides, sauna and steam room, it is quite the pool for such a small town. Jake, Ryan (the other two Kaleo students at my Church) and I manned the ship for the first while– Kathryn, our youth leader, was away until later in the evening. Spending time swimming and chatting with the kids and just getting to know them better, created a memorable night. I had a great time with Rebecca, she is one of two girls who regularly attend youth. Could you please pray for her and for our relationship; that we will have some great opportunities to talk about life and God and everything in between.

I am really excited for our youth retreat this upcoming weekend. In addition to the regulars, many youth who only occasionally attend Friday nights are coming to Hornby. From what I understand, we are staying together in a little cottage on an island for the weekend. We are helping Kathryn plan the weekend probably on Tuesday night. Could you pray for wisdom as we strive to create a fun, safe, insightful weekend for these kids? This retreat is another great opportunity to build relationships with the youth. Please pray that Ryan, Jake and I will take every opportunity God gives us to love these kids and help build them into men and women of Christ.

At Church today one of the ladies asked if we could teach Sunday school in two weeks! This will be quite the adventure as there is only one class for all ages (4-15!). Pray that everything runs smoothly and the kids learn lots, even with such a wide age span.

Thanks for all the prayers.

Much Love,

Kylie

Girls Night

Look out...Girls Night! On Thursday night, all the Kaleo girls and our two amazing leaders headed off property for a well deserved surprise night of fun, food, fellowship, worship, girls talks and games. Before leaving, the only information given us was what to bring, a sleeping bag, pillow and extra clothes. What could this possibly mean? Well, we would soon find out. Dinner at an Indian Restaurant, DQ, sleeping at a friend’s house in Nanaimo, scrumptious brunch, a walk on the beach, shopping, amazing friends, what more could a girl want. All in all, it was a night to remember!

Erin, Daneille and I

yay, the leaves are finally changing!

Our walk on the beach

Erin, Alivia and I

Alivia and I

Through the gate!

Kaleo Ministry #4

hmm...Thanksgiving is one of my favourite times of the year. Although I was not at home this year for the celebration, I was able to spend the weekend with family from my Mom’s side. We had a nice relaxing weekend, a little homework, a little shopping, hide-and-seek and many turkey dinners!

As you all know, last week we went surfing in Tofino! It was amazing! Our campsite was 15 steps away from the beach. Tuesday we watched huge waves, Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning we surfed and all other opportunities we played soccer, ultimate Frisbee, walked on the beach or sang and ate snacks around the fire. Many of us had never surfed in our lives before, so it was an exciting new adventure. Although I did many a face-plant trying to stand up, the times I did manage to ride the waves totally made up for any previous uncomfortable moments of salt water up the nose! My favourite moment while surfing, besides actually riding a wave to shore, occurs during the second of uncertainty as to whether you will ride the wave or nose-dive to the bottom and get tossed in the wave.

Last Monday we had another worship night, instead of singing we mixed it up a little. Many students were unsure at first, but we basically just drew pictures. We had music playing and opened it up to others to read scripture. The idea was to draw for God, something he placed on your heart, something that caught your attention either through the music or the scripture. For the most part, it went extremely well. It seems fairly basic for a group of college students to just draw, but many of the drawings blew me away. It was neat seeing what some of the students drew...it was refreshing.

Tofino Surf Trip - Pictures

Watching the huge waves

Kristie and I enjoying the view

Erin and I

Our first moment on the beach

Having fun taking pictures

Our van ride up to Tofino

Enjoying the sand

Devotions on the beach

Jumping for Joy

The view from our tent

Pictures on the beach at night

Fun with flashlighs and a camera!

The van loaded with our surfboards

Room 312 sporting the wetsuits


Pre-surfing excitment

Surf it up - practicing the moves :)

Heading out for the waves

We got up!!!

Surfer chicks

Lifeguard duty

The ride home - sleep, no way!

Kaleo Ministry #3

Classes, worship, homework and youth group filled the week with excitement and thoughts. Looking back, there were many firsts for the year and even firsts ever:
First class
First paper due
First time of extended solitude with God
First Church luncheon
First 9-hour power outage
First shopping trip
First time being sick away from home
First fireside
First student led worship
First major wind storm
First whole month away from home
and many others. Firsts are exciting. I love experiencing things for the first time - it is an adventure.

Dr. Marv Penner arrived Sunday night and taught our Spiritual Formation course from Monday to Friday 9-4. By the end of the week, my brain felt as though it would explode with all the information and ideas he presented to us. One question that started during the week and continues to run repeatedly through my head is, “What does it mean to live finding my identity in Christ instead of in other people?” I am still not sure exactly what that means for me. Could you pray that God will reveal more of what that means in my life? I am excited to see what he will show me.

On Friday, the St. John’s Youth Group had a photo scavenger hunt. This was not a normal scavenger hunt though. Yes we did have the traditional “fun” pictures, like everyone in a phone booth or making a pyramid, but many of the tasks involved helping others. This year the focus of the studies at youth is serving and loving others as Christ loves you. For the past few weeks, we’ve been learning how God loves you. As the year progresses it will turn into loving others and possibly even some street ministry with the homeless in Victoria. So, one of our tasks was giving three different people we didn’t know bottles of water. I had no idea it would be so hard! At first we just asked random people if they wanted water. Wow, the hard words and stares people gave us were crazy! After a few tries I suggested to my group that maybe if we introduced ourselves and told them our name and what we are trying to accomplish they might react differently. The change in peoples’ reactions blew us away. The two girls in my group became confident and less afraid to ask people if we could help them. It brought joy to my heart seeing them asking many different strangers if we could pay for their cart, carry their groceries or give them water. Could you pray for these two girls, Rebecca and Cassie? They are the only two girls who regularly attend youth. Pray that I can be an example and build trusting relationships with them. They are great girls but hurting inside. Pray that God will give me opportunities to talk with them.

This week brings more new and exciting first adventures – surfing for three days in Tofino! Everyone is extremely excited. The waves forecast for Tuesday is 8 meters. If you are wondering...no, we will not surf the first day! We will watch the waves though. In addition to surfing, we are camping on a beach. It just sounds like an all round thrilling trip. Presently, I am recovering from a cold. Could you pray for health as I tackle the waves and cold water this coming week. I am excited for another adventure.

Thanks for all your prayers. I really miss the beautiful fall leaves that most of you are probably enjoying at the moment! If you have any pictures I would love to see them.
Love from the to be surfer!
Kylie

Rebecca, Cassie and I

Helping load groceries into a ladies car

Our victory stance for winning the Scavenger Hunt!