Kaleo Ministry #11

So...this past week completed our last class of the semester. Okay, we are not completely finished, there are still a few assignments to complete, but we are finished sitting in class listening to lectures. This course on the Foundations of Church Ministry gave us all new insight into the church and how God intended it to be. This class challenged me in many areas. Often we look at church and wonder what we can get out of it, yet, really we are need to look at church and say, how can I give to others while I am here. Church needs to be first and foremost for God. when He is at the center, everything else will fall into place.

Stockings. I never would have believed they could bring a class of 27 so much joy. On our last day of class, we walked into the room and placed on our desk we found a small knitted stocking filled with candy. After squeals of excitement, we learned that our Professors wife hand knitted each of the stockings with our name on it and then filled them with goodies for us. The love and work behind each of those stockings brought me more joy than the stocking itself. She said that while knitting our stocking she would pray for us. Wow, that made it even more special!

I have no complaints regarding the weather out here. Just one suggestion, Christmas needs snow! This past Thursday night, as a Kaleo group we travelled to Ladysmith to watch the Ladysmith Light-up. As we walked down the street, Christmas carols playing, watching the lighted floats pass, seeing Christmas decorations and lights everywhere I could not help but miss big white snowflakes lightly falling to cover the ground and stick to my eyelashes! Everything is starting to look festive, except the fact that there is not a speck of snow to be seen, and probably will not be seen for most of the winter. It is funny looking back and thinking how much I was looking forward to a year without snow, but now that I am here, I have to admit that I actually really miss it! Not so much the coldness that accompanies having snow, just the atmosphere, mood and character it provides with its presence. What I am really trying to say is if Thursday night had snow...it would have been complete!

So it seems like every town has their own light-up show. Consequently, for part of youth on Friday we walked to watch the Duncan light-up! I don’t think I have seen so many fireworks in the space of two days. For the past few youth group nights we have slowly being piecing together a future event in helping the homeless. It started with one night buying the food, this Friday putting everything in bags and hopefully next Saturday actually handing the bags to homeless people of Duncan. To be honest, this Friday I really was not looking forward to youth. It was the first week I entered with a bad attitude. Thankfully God showed me my mistake, but in a way only He can do...He completely changed my attitude around. I don’t even remember how or what caused it to change. It was not anything I did, only through God’s grace did I become joyful. If this change had not occurred, I do not think some of the conversations I was able to have with people would have taken place. I cannot believe that next Friday is the last youth group we attend before leaving for our Christmas break! I know I say it a lot, but, this fall has just flown by. I look forward to next semester and continuing to pour into the youth at St. John’s.

Here are a few prayer requests. Could you please pray for...
~A cheep flight for returning in January.
~That I make the most of the last few weeks before Christmas.
~The Kaleo girls night on Monday night. That it will be a great bonding experience as we are in a girls only setting.
~Focus while completing the last two assignments of the semester.
~Direction for University next year. It looks like I may not be eligible to attend where I had hoped. Please pray for guidance and peace regarding the whole situation.

Thanks again for all your prayers. I would not be where I am without them!

Much love,
Kylie

Here are a few picures from our Thursday night adventure...

Jesse, Myself and Jayme

Waiting for the Parade to start.

The best view of all!!!

Walking to the fireworks

A little glimps at the lights...



Just chilling with Malayne, Alivia, Jeremiah



Jake, Jesse, Eric and I!

Kaleo Ministry #10

Wow...
I cannot begin to expresses how amazing this past week has been. This picture is from a sunrise during one of my prayer hours. I have learned so much through our 24/7 week of prayer. Discovering that I can spend 1-2 hours with God and wish that I could have more time, was the craziest feeling and encouragement ever. Last Sunday, I was not sure how I could spend a whole hour just praying; but now I am really excited to continue spending time with God. This year has been a continual growing experience, especially realizing that prayer is not just talking, it also incorporates listening and thinking. I loved just going into our prayer room and listening, actually listening to God... even at 4 in the morning! During one of our morning chapels, I had the opportunity to share my testimony. Although I feel exposed and open, sharing my story brought down any walls I created with others. Could you please pray that I continue to be open with everyone. That God continues to reveal Himself to me throughout the year.

Youth this Friday was incredible! The boys and girls split...although weird at first, it was extremely refreshing. The boys stayed at the church and did boys things, including video games. And the girls traveled to Kathryn’s house and did...well...girls stuff! We had a very hard yet, exciting conversation on the car ride. Hopefully, because of it, it will bring us girls closer together. Amazing, peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate chip cookies followed, along with a hair salon. Hence the picture:) Could you please for my relationship with the youth girls. Pray that the conversation we had in the car will bring us closer together. That they feel safe enough to share what’s going on in their lives and minds. I hope we have a more of these guys/girls nights. Connecting to the girls on a “girly” level brings opportunities to talk that we would not have when the boys are around.

Tomorrow is the beginning of our final class of the semester. It is hard to believe that 2008 is coming to a close. These months at Kaleo seem to fly by. Although it is starting to hit...that we go home in a few weeks, I am really excited for this upcoming week, to learn more about the Foundations of Church Ministry.

A few other prayer requests:
-For focus during this class and while completing assignments
-For a new understanding o f the church and where I fit
-For relationships with the other students - that we continue to love each other and enjoy our last few weeks together
-For my Church St. John’s Anglican, as they seek to find a new pastor
-That I never take for granted the beauty of God’s creation surrounding us
-Monday night worship – that we continue to learn what it means to worship God

Thanks so much for all your prayers. God is working in all our hearts and I am extremely blessed to be here and to witness this transformation in both my heart and the hearts of others.

With love,
Kylie

Kaleo Ministry #9

Reading week...well, not so much reading happened on my part. But that honestly does not really matter since my Mom was the main reason for my lack of reading. Seeing family again after two whole months was extremely refreshing. Here is a picture of us at the Butchart Gardens in Victoria. We spent a few days at camp Qwanoes where I live and then we headed down to Victoria to visit with her cousins and just be together.

Youth this past Friday night brought many smiles and laughs. First, Kathryn split the 6 youth into two groups, the boys with Ryan and the girls with me. Giving each group a gift certificate for the grocery store and instructions to buy food for the homeless (food we would handout in two weeks) we spread across the store in search of food and an end receipt that was as close to $50 as possible.

Once back at the Church, Kathryn taught a practical lesson about the body of Christ. For each team, one person was the encourager, one the head, one the feet and one the hands. The hands and feet were blindfolded. In this manner, each group had to bake a batch of chocolate chip, peanut butter cookies! The head gave instructions and the feet carried the hands who prepared the cookie batter. This part of the night brought many laughs as peanut butter covered hands and baking ingredients covered the counter. In the end, the youth learned the importance of working together in order to complete a task. In our case, it meant baking and then eating cookies but in the Church, it means using everyone’s different gifts to glorify God as one body.

Next week the guys and girls have separate nights. I am excited to have a night with just the girls together. Could you please pray that Kathryn and I will connect with these girls while just enjoying each others company.

This week, starting tonight actually, is Kaleo’s 24/7 week of prayer. This is one week that I have looked forward to since my acceptance into the program. We have a room set aside as the prayer room. This room has paper on the walls and desk as well as a picture of each of the students. I am really excited to see what God teaches each of us this week as we enter His presence for at least one hour a day. Tonight from 10-11 is my first slot. Could you please pray for this week. That God’s reveals himself to each of us in a new and powerful way.

Love

Kylie

Kaleo Ministry #8

Hey friends, since my last blog a few exciting things happened: my roommates and I had a roomie night filled with laughter, fun, food, girl talks and much more including a photo shoot, below are a few pictures from our shoot! At youth group this week some regular attendees from last year made it out for the first time this year! My Mom arrived safe and sound and met almost everyone out here. Some man played “Amazing Grace” on the bagpipes in Church for Remembrance Day, we went to visit the camp sheep (I did not know they had any until the other day) and we have reading break until Thursday, yay, although I do have a lot of assignments to complete, all of which are very interesting but often time consuming.

Back to youth group...as the youth grow up, along come jobs, homework, more and different friends and sports in addition to life and family. It is very hard to fit everything into one week. These two boys who came to youth for the first time this year were overjoyed that they actually made it. It is funny; youth group is often what is cut in a busy week of school and activities. Could you pray for the youth, that they realize the importance of Christian community, especially if they are not coming to Church on Sunday mornings due to work or just because they do not want to.

On Friday night, even despite the slight rain and possibility of more, we gathered around a huge fire at Kathryn’s house. Talking about their weeks, roasting marshmallows and hotdogs, making smores and playing glow stick hid and seek, provided a great setting to enjoy each other’s company. Recently and through conversations with Kathryn, it has started to occur to me why one of the girls opens up more than the other. Since she is a foster child, life is not private. Consequently, talking and opening up about life and what she is thinking and feeling is not as hard as compared to others. It seems that no matter how hard I try and befriend one of the girls, she keeps me at arms length. This past week, I have started to realize that I am not in control of the situation - God is. I don’t need to worry, just be available in case she needs me. This realization helped bring my focus back on the youth instead of focusing on me and what I am doing. Thanks for all your prayers on behalf of these girls. They are amazing and beautiful and I am loving them more each week!

Some prayer requests for this week:
-Focus to complete some of my assignments, especially since my Mom is here and I want to spend as much time with her as possible
-Continued building of friendships with the other students at Kaleo, and that we will not be afraid to open up so we can have a deeper relationship
-That everyone will come back to Kaleo after this week off refreshed and ready
-Continued hunger to know God and discover Him in profound and wonderful ways

In Christ,
Kylie

Photo's from our roomie night! (Including the one above) L to R: Alivia, Amelia, Erin, Kylie

Room three-one-two


One of the many fun faces we made

First-time Quests!

Hey Friends! Over the past weeks, I have continuously discovered that I enjoy adventure. This is not a new discovery, only one that continues to be proven through our exciting activities. Two more firsts...yesterday caving and today helping with homeless on the streets of Victoria. Below are some pictures of our adventures in Horne Lake Caves about two hours north of Crofton...

Before the caves...

The girls, ready to be brave

Phil, Jon and I


Looking at cool rock formations




Picture time...




The pitch blackness



Having the best of times!


One of the tiny spaces we crawled through

Yes, there were lots of spiders

The mud and water that accompanies climbing in small crevices

Jumping on the suspension bridge

A huge bug we found in the caves

Today, Tuesday, we headed to down town Victoria. Backpacks filled with sweaters, socks, toques, blankets and food. Everyone was split into groups of three, and spread across the city in search of homeless people to talk and spend time with and bless them with food and clothing. My group had many great conversations with people. It was crazy the number of people who were on the street because of illness and inability to work due to health. Another thing that we discovered was their lack of teeth; we are so blessed to have adequate dental hygiene. On many occasions we offered them granola bars and they declined saying, “I can’t eat those”. It was really neat hearing their various different stories, even learning that five out of the seven were born in Ontario!

On the car ride down, I was slightly nervous, wondering how the day would play out. In the end, God showed me so much through these people. They have such hard lives, and yet they persevere. Some of them have faith in God, and even amongst their trials they have trust and hope in their Creator. Listening to them challenged me to have trust in God’s plan for me, knowing that He has ultimate control and loves me beyond anything I can imagine.

In all, it was a day to remember. I am really excited for the Mission Trips in the spring where I will probably have more opportunity to minister to the homeless. Serving them, brings me joy!
Much love,

Kylie

Kaleo Ministry #7

hmm. This past week brought many moments... some encouraging, some uncertain, others stretching and some humbling. Although many people thought not much happened, little things started adding up, making quite a busy week filled with all sorts of discovery.

As usual on Monday night, we had worship. The weather out here continues to change, and typical to British Columbia, it is changing to rain and dampness. Although the previous weekend was wet, the crisp night shone bright with a beautiful, clear, star filled sky. It seemed fitting to take advantage of the beauty of the outdoors and enjoy God’s creation. Sitting around a campfire on the beach, singing, praying, silently marvelling and praising God while listening to the waves lap the shore, all the Kaleo students worshiped in the presence of God. Planning these nights is easier than I originally thought. God is definitely good...He always pulls through even when we have given up hope or try to plan on our own strength. I have been learning a lot, trying to understand the concept of worship outside just singing. Please pray for these nights as we continue to bring our praises to God. Pray for willing hearts and attentive, focused thoughts.

Yes, we did have class again this week! If I based my thoughts on the course strictly to the pre-course work, I would have strongly disliked the whole week. Thankfully the professor’s character did not correlate with that work. Although sometimes hard to concentrate, over all, I have never been stretched or learned as much as I did this week. Never again will I look at a passage of scripture the way I did before this week. Hermeneutics changed how I think and read – definitely for the good! One of the projects included a group project on either 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John or James. These groups were pre decided from our pre-course work. My group decided to make a movie. God had a different plan. Looking back upon that decision, we were extremely prideful. The night before presentation day, the video footage would not upload to the computer so we could edit. At 1:30 AM, we prayed, giving the presentation to God. The final live presentation of the original script proved to have way more of an impact, more than anything we imagined with the video. This experience brought great humility. It was a well needed lesson, especially for me - God’s ways are absolutely, always better than mine!

Since one of the Kaleo students from last year who attended our Church, came for the week, St. John’s youth met at Coffee on the Moon (a little coffee shop right near our Church) so the youth could see him. It was neat seeing how he interacted with the youth even after not seeing them for many months. One thing troubled me though, one of the girls opens up and we have great conversations, the other seems to keep at a distance. I know what she is going through, but she will not talk. Could you please pray for patience on my part, that I will not push anything out of her and trust and vulnerability for her. I really want to help these girls but cannot without their consent.

Tomorrow we go caving and then on Tuesday we are heading to Victoria for a day of helping the homeless. More details to come upon return! In the meantime, please pray for safety and strength as we try new and exciting escapades. Pray especially for our experience helping the homeless. I have never really done street ministry before and am really excited and slightly nervous.

Much love,
Kylie

A few shots from our movie experience:

The set and cast

The camera man and woman

The stage help :)



A few Pictures from helping S.A.L.T.S winterize their boats (happened a week ago but have not put pitures up yet!) :

Taking down the sails

Yes, they are very heavy!

Jesse and I

Attemping to carry the main sail - all girls...we did it!