Driving

This may come as somewhat as a surprise given my age but I do not yet have my full drivers license. For a variety of reasons I have never gotten around to having it, however, that time has passed and now for a variety of reasons I need to get it. So, while I try and contemplate things to blog about this came to my mind.

I have held a learners permit twice now and have actually transferred it into another province at this stage of the game. My motivation to get out and drive has always been a little sketchy and I tend to need some prodding along the way. So I had my first driving experiences on the farm driving a tractor, and then along some of Alberta's back roads driving this huge old car. The second time I got my learners I have been more successful and went with my uncle and one of my cousins (personal peanut gallery) and did the whole parking lot driving and then slowly some more street driving.

Since arriving here I have been out more and more and my aim is to have my full license by early May so that I can be fully mobile on my own which is necessary for where I'm headed in life - and that's going to be a literal heading not a metaphorical one. I went out driving today and had a great time. My instructor was very encouraging and pointed out some great areas for me to focus on for now. I was able to practice things that I haven't done yet in a safe environment and overall made me feel as though this isn't a lost cause.

Look for an update in May to see whether or not I make it through.

Olympics

I was pretty excited to be heading out to Vancouver last week even with the remnants of the flu hanging around me with great persistence.

I was excited for a number of reasons:

• it's always great to be out doing ministry,
• I was looking forward to seeing family,
• I was looking forward to the weather.

Living in Calgary and growing up in The Salvation Army Vancouver was somewhat of a common place for me to travel. My grandfather's family is there as well as several family members that I've picked up along the way. I also know several of the officers stationed in Vancouver and the surrounding area and it's always nice to see them. I had lunch with family, got to see some more family at both church services I was at, saw officers I've met in Vancouver and got to see a city I'm somewhat familiar with all decked out in celebration.

I was on teams that were serving coffee and hot chocolate at 4am and that was certainly an interesting experience. For all that Vancouver was incredibly warm during the day it was quite cold at that hour of the morning. The opportunities to chat and greet people was a lot of fun and man did they appreciate the warm drink before heading up the mountain.

I had the opportunity to wander around downtown Vancouver with some friends and had a blast. The energy down there was fantastic and people were clearly having a blast. I of course managed to fit in some quality shopping time and even in the mall the spirit of the Olympics was everywhere.

People in Our Lives

Well, this blog is in response to a very influential yet sometimes annoying individual in my life who is pushing me to blog more frequently and if you'd like to read his blog you can find it here.

I give credit to how I turned out to two things...The first of course is God. If He had not been present and working in my life from an early age who knows where my life would have gone. The second are those people God placed in my life, so there is really only one place to send the credit and that's heavenward.

When I am in conversation about family you will probably here me say things like: my second parents, a real father figure, honourary cousins, older sisters (I'm an only child), adopted grandparents etc...Well, when I was growing up it's not as though I didn't have family but it wasn't the most stable of environments, so I decided to adopt other family members as the need was there. Fortunately those people that I adopted were only too happy to have me as part of their families and I learned about total acceptance and love.

I grew up in a church and the term church family is very real to me. I have many wonderful friends and there have been a couple with me my entire life and subsequently their families have always been there for me as well. No matter what I was going through or for that matter am going through they have never failed to be there when I call. The band at my church was also a very nurturing environment for me and the constant prayer support that surrounded me made an incredible impact in my life.

I have also been fortunate in the pastoral support in my life. I have been blessed with officers (pastors) who were willing to work with me, put up with me and give me great examples of what pastoral care is all about.

This is just a small insight into a big part of my life and all I can do is offer thanks for those that were willing to take the time for me and still are willing today.

Think about the people in your life...Can you think of someone who has always been there for you? What about someone that you're always there for? It's the people in our lives that get us through every day.

The Second Semester is now underway

Well, I made it through one semester and now I've made it through winter assignment and my holidays. I had a great time in New Westminster for my winter assignment and learned a lot. I got to meet and work with some great individuals and I feel truly blessed to have been sent there. The weather was also a contributing factor as it was much warmer in New West than in Winnipeg.

My holidays were great and while not exactly restful they were refreshing. I spent the first three days with my mother in BC and then after an unavoidable yet annoying delay in Nanaimo headed out to Edmonton to hang out with Dad and family. Then it was down to Calgary where I was reunited with many of the friends that I have missed so much during my time here. It was so great to see them and to be around people that know me inside out and backwards but I did miss seeing my session mates. I also really enjoyed getting to watch the Flames beat the Oilers in their New Years Eve game.

After the holidays it was back here for a one week intensive on the History of The Salvation Army and that was really enjoyable and educational. This week has been spent attending our classes for the second semester and starting our field placements. In the first semester we went around to several of the field placement options and now we are placed at one of them for the rest of the year. I started mine and think it's going to be really enjoyable. The people I am working with are very happy and the staff are great.

So here's to a great 2010, a great semester and great anticipation for what is yet to come!

The First Semester

Well, it hardly seems possible but I'm within days of the end of the first semester here at training college. I had been warned that time flew here at CFOT but I don't know that I was fully prepared for that. I thought I'd jot down a few of the reasons why time has flown so fast and how they are affecting me.

The school aspect has been a combination of doors opening wide and severe frustration for me. It was anticipated that due to my lack of education before coming here that university level coursework would be a challenge for me, and while that is true I am happy to say that I am managing better than expected. In fact my two highlights in a week are Old Testament and Church History classes. I have really come to love the time spent in Church History and am going to miss it in the next semesters. Old Testament class has opened my eyes to some new ways of reading the Bible and learning what is has to teach us. As I have learned some of the context and culture of the times it has really helped my understanding.

Field has been a growing experience in every way. We are interacting with groups and people from all over the city and I feel privileged to participate in that program. Every time we go out as a group I learn some new aspect of the Army and how it works to provide assistance for those that require it. I am excited to be participating in a field placement next semester and look forward to the opportunity provided to me there.

They are about using your talents here that's for sure. I have done 5 dance performances, a duet twice, am up to sing a solo, play in the band and the list goes on. This is a great environment for that because no matter what your talent is - singing, speaking, administration - there is a place for you. What I've listed are just some of the many opportunities here, so I don't want people to think it's all about the music cause that just isn't the case.

These are just a few of the reasons why it seems like I just arrived. I still miss home an awful lot, well, more the people then Calgary itself, but am excited to be here and slaving away :). I'm sure the next few months to the summer will go even faster, but now to get through the rest of December.

Tribute

Here is what I read at my grandfather's funeral and I really can't think of another way to write it so I'm posting it on my blog as is.

I am the oldest of the 11 grandchildren and I have been living in Winnipeg since September when I joined the college for officers training just like my grandfather, and I just discovered what to me, is a very cool connection. Every group of people in this program is given a sessional name. My session is called the Ambassadors of Holiness and often just the Ambassadors, so when I looked at Grandpa’s college photo and discovered that his session was called the Ambassadors I was pretty thrilled. If I can express one personal wish it is that I can be an officer that my grandfather would have been proud of.

You’ve heard from his sons, and now it is my privilege to tell you about our grandfather. Well, finally after 6 boys Grandpa got his girls in his grandkids and he liked that. Shonda talks about how Grandpa made her so comfortable the first time he met her with his sense of humour and stories, and I know he always loved to cuddle on the couch with me and tell me stories for as long as I would stay there or until I fell asleep and sometimes even after I fell asleep. His stories whether true or not were always entertaining, and it seemed to bring equal amounts of happiness for him to talk to his granddaughters as it did for his granddaughters to listen.

Now, don’t think Grandpa only loved the girl’s because that just wasn’t true. Scott can tell you stories about going up the roof of the apartment building with him, and sending goodnight wishes and love from their house on signal hill down to Grandma and Grandpa’s. There were plenty of times where Grandpa leaned over to whisper a joke or express the wish that someone would stop talking, but I think Stephen really summed it up where he said “You could always see behind his eyes a wisecrack. He never didn't have something to say; now whether he said it or not was another matter entirely”.

Now always having something to say is a trait that has been passed down through his children and his grandchildren. This idea of whether or not he said what he was thinking is very unique and has not yet come through the gene pool.

I have so many memories of Grandpa that have been going through my mind this week and it’s hard to pick out the ones to share and to hide the ones that will get me into trouble. He always seemed to want to break the rules whether it was going after sweets or talking when he shouldn’t be. He is of course famous for falling asleep at the table and I remember many lunches in downtown Calgary and Grandpa snoozing away while Grandma and I chatted.

I could go into the stories and events involving my grandfather for a long, long time but really what I want to tell everyone is that he was great. It is a good thing, when, as a grandchild I can look back on so many times – his retirement, Easter in Abbotsford, many times in Calgary – and the list goes on – and they are all great memories. Ones that make me laugh, smile and always remember how loved I felt. I am so privileged to be up here speaking on behalf of the grandchildren about a grandparent who evokes grins and automatic story telling of all the crazy things that happened with him around. He used to lean over and whisper “I love you, you know, so Grandpa, you’ll be missed, and your legacy continues in us but most importantly I love you, you know.

Some Funny Moments

Well, I thought I'd write out some of the funny moments that have happened to me and around me and some even because of me since I've been here.

• On the day of my first time as the chapel leader I managed to catch the back of my pants on a chair and tear them. I then proceeded to tell everyone about it so they were aware of why I had my jacket tied around my waist.

• In pastoral care class when discussing about an internal process that shows outwardly I said "This rings a bell, I'm just not sure which one"

• I brought down the back door of the van onto someones head (accident I swear it)

• One of my session mates has an interesting time mixing up words of songs singing things like "High, high as the ocean" or "the world before me, the cross behind me". The last one came up when we were singing the chorus to Onward Christian Soldiers which contains the line "with the cross of Jesus going on before" and I leaned forward and said to her "note how the cross comes before you".

These aren't all of them but a few to start you off. I figure I'll continue this theme as the months go by cause we all know I'll have even more of these moments. I'll also say that any of these stories that involve other people are written with their permission.