Freaking Out

Training is flying by. When I left home two months in Abbotsford seemed like it was going to last forever, now I find myself with six days left at the Mark Centre, and the last couple of months seem like a bit of a blur. Today I woke up and realized in a week from now I will be in a plane that is going to take me half way across the world, and suddenly my stomach felt like there was something in it that didn't belong there. I realized I am incredibly nervous!! For almost eight months I am leaving everything familiar to me, from food to ettiquite, and going to a country completely foreign to me. I knew that all along, but suddenly it became a bit more of a reality. Don't get me wrong, I am still so excited, I feel like this is where God wants me to be, but right now that's a little bit tainted with nerves. Earlier this week my team met with the team TREK sent to Chonburi last year, and they were very helpful to us, they shared with us some of their experiences, what their roles in ministry were, what their experience with the culture had been, and some of what they enjoyed and didn't enjoy. While I know that my experience will be different than theirs, it was helpful to hear a little bit. Please pray for our team as week pack up and prepare to leave this week. We feel incredibly ill-informed about what we will be doing this next year, and that makes the idea of packing up and flying away a bit daunting! Pray that we will continue to grow in our excitement and that we will be ready for what God will do in and through us!

Oh, and on Friday (the day before I leave) there will be a commissioning service at Columbia Bible College at 7:00pm in the chapel. It would be great if you could join us!

LIFE

As the date for my flight to Thailand steadily approaches (I'll be there two weeks from yesterday), I find myself wondering where all my time goes. The purpose of TREK training is "to encounter Jesus," so they remove us from the daily grind, and place us in beautiful accommodations, and bring in fabulous speakers to encourage us in our walks with God, and still I find myself caught up in whirlwind of life. Don't get me wrong though, I'm LOVING it, I just wish I knew how to take moments and savor them more fully.
Thanksgiving weekend I had the opportunity to go home for three days, for the first time since TREK began. It was incredible. I had some amazing times visiting with my family and friends, and was commissioned by my church. (the picture to the right is me and my family at Willingdon) I also had the opportunity to reconcile with a friend whom I hadn't spoken with in several years. I was sent back to the Mark Centre feeling so utterly blessed, and so full. God blew my mind that weekend with how good he is.
This last week at the Mark Centre has been less intense than past weeks. Part of our training is participating in work duties, however in past weeks because of the way scheduling has worked out with speakers, it hasn't worked out for us to do them, this week we made up for that. We went to a hazelnut orchard- owned by the people who own the Mark Centre- and raked hazelnuts off the ground. Another day we went to the gleaners (a big warehouse where you prepare vegetables for soup mix that is dehydrated and sent around the world- the picture to the left is us sorting tomatoes), and we did work around the Mark Centre, raking leaves and landscaping. It was really nice to spend some time with the TREKers outside of session, just serving together.
We also had some awesome speakers come in and talk to us about several topics, but one that stood out to me was the topic of Cross Cultural Scenarios. We talked about the differences between "hot" and "cold" cultures. Canada is a typical cold culture, and while there are many different aspects of this, one that stuck out to me was our obsession with time. In hot cultures, like Thailand, they tend to do this less. I realized that this is going to take some serious adjusting for me to get used to. Coming from a place where schedules are valued, it will be an interesting shift to go someplace where people think nothing of it if you come half an hour late to a previously arranged appointment. But, at the same time, I'm ecstatic to learn from these people- who take time to stop in the streets and chat, who value relationship, who take life as it comes- about how to not be stressed about time, maybe I can learn from them about moments, about how to enjoy moments for all they are worth!
I'd like to leave you with a verse that I've been meditating on for the last week
John 10:10 - The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

I almost forgot, I need you to pray PLEASE; the leader of our Mexico team, Ying, is an amazing girl who came here from Thailand to participate in TREK, however, because she has a Thai passport there are some issues in getting her a Visa, at this point for her to get a Mexican Visa will take a miracle, but we serve a God who is capable of anything, so I ask that you would join us in asking God to work this out!