Foundations of the church!

This past week, we took a course called, "The Foundations of the Church Ministry." I absolutely loved this course! It was incredibly informative, and I feel so much more informed about how I can contribute to Christ's church and be part of the solution for a healthier church. Our professor's name was David Ernst, he himself had spent ten years as a pastor in the church ministry, so he had tons of stories and experience to share with us. One day, we had a panel of pastors and their wives come in to share their experiences and opinions about the church. I totally enjoyed their insights and honesty. This was so helpful as we as Kaleo students begin to contribute to God's church ministry in a big way. One of the biggest things that my eyes were opened to is the fact that God has given us the church as a vehicle to spread his word. It is kind of like a tool, and God gave us a special design to follow in our churches! Its important to stick closely to that design as we strive to change to adapt the times and be seeker sensitive. I really enjoyed being poured into this week and soaking in this class! It was a real blessing and I truly believe it has changed my view of Christ's church, and of individual church organizations all over the world. I am preparing to go home on Saturday December 5th, and its beginning to sink in that I am actually going home. I am going to miss this place SO much! But am looking forward to coming back in January with great stories of what God teaches me as I head home! God bless!

Take It To The Lord In Prayer

This past week was a week of 24/7 prayer. I absolutely LOVED this week! each student signed up for at least one hour of prayer every day. We used one room for these special prayer times where students placed writings and pictures on the wall to express our prayers. I truly believe that God moved in a miraculous way this week among the hearts of kaleo students and leaders this week! It was really cool for relationships here to be built and strengthened while we paired up for prayer sessions for some of the time slots. I appreciated better getting to know some of the girls here through this experience as we shared our hearts and hopes and dreams for kaleo. I felt like the week went ridiculously fast as I have been battling a cold for a while now and there was lots of homework to be done, so for me the week went by in a blink! I spent most of it in the library or in bed. I can't believe it is nearly December! I am looking ahead at only 2 weeks left here in my first semester at Kaleo, it is so crazy to think about that! When I look back to the first week, it is absolutely crazy how far we have all come, as a group and as individuals. I think back to SALTS and Strathcona as we were all just getting to know and understand each other. Funny how hearing each other's testimonies has helped immensely in getting to know each other. As I look back over the semester, I see the marks of Jesus hand in my life, helping me through tough times and enjoying the good time with me. God is so so good, and is at work at this place. I am looking forward to next week's class: The Foundations of the Church with David Ernst. I think it will be a very good class!

Back To The Bible!

This week we were blessed to have Don Taylor and his wife Tracy grace us with their presence coming all the way from sweet Saskatchewan. Don did a wonderful job of presenting old Testament Literature to us in a modular class. We spent long days Monday to Friday in the classroom soaking in goodness from God's word before the birth of Christ. It was a challenging week for because we had long days, and we were working on a video project every evening, and sometimes through the night. However, all in all this class was an absolute treat and a great blessing! On Friday night my church group and I were invited to dinner at a family from our church's house. It was such a treat to be in a home setting and enjoy a meal with them. We then attended the youth group bible study which was based on John chapter five. In this chapter Jesus heals a blind man, it was great to explore this text with the group. I am definitely enjoying the youth at Cobbel Hill, they have hearts of gold and I am blessed to be a part of their lives. Many of us here at Kaleo are sick with cold/flu symptoms, so prayer would be greatly appreciated! We are heading into a week of 24/7 prayer, which is going to be a really special thing. God bless!

1...2...3.... break! here and gone.

Hello everyone! Last week we as a group were blessed with a reading break! Some people took off for various destinations, but most of us stayed around the camp. It was a quiet, restful week filled with homework. One day some of us ventured into Victoria, and the city was gorgeous. I was reminded of just how very blessed I am when I saw some of the less fortunate people on the streets of the city. On the way home we stopped at a massive waterfall. I was lost in its brilliance and might power as the water came crashing down on the rocks at the bottom of the fall. What incredibly strength and beauty the waterfall possessed. I was reminded of God's incredible beauty and strength. I spend the remainder of the week catching up on homework, and sleep. It was such a needed and appreciated break. This week, we are taking the Old Testament course. I have been busy reading many many chapters of the old testament as pre-course work. I am really enjoying diving back into the old testament, as it has been a long time since I paid close attention to those stories. I found it interesting reading the stories that I've heard since I was young in Sunday school straight out of the bible. I actually learned many things that I didn't know. I was also reminded of how much God detests sin. Many cruel things happened in the old testament, and some would even say harsh punishments were carried out by God. I was reminded that we serve the same jealous God that the Israelites did, and he hates sin just as much today as he did then. I was also thinking about Jesus' brutal death on the cross and how harsh of a punishment God did not withhold from even his own son in atonement for the entire world's sin. This should never be downsized. God's love for us that was displayed on the cross is so huge! I have also been so appreciating the direct access we now have to God that the Israelites did not have before Jesus died to pave the way from man to God. Reading about the Holy of Holies reminds me just how Holy and Just God is, and how incredibly fortunate I am that God poured out his grace on me, and I can speak with him at any time, any day. I am greatly anticipating the class!!

Time for a break?

Wow. All I can say is wow. I can remember being a little girl and imagining in my mind what it would be like to splash in the giant hold of water I had only heard about. Last week, Kaleo hit Tofino with a slash! This was such an incredibly experience! The drive there was stunning, as the yellow, red, and orange leaves were brightly decorating the trees. We were blessed to stay at a nice church in the town of Uclulet, which is near Tofino. It was so nice to just hang out with everyone and not be worried about homework or anything like that. The day that we went surfing was crazy! It was so windy that it was hard to walk to the beach with our boards. But I couldn't believe how warm I was in my wetsuit! It was so much fun to try and surf, but unfortunately I didn't get up once. Later in the day, some of us decided to ditch our boards on the beach and just play in the massive waves God was making. It was so much fun! I loved every moment of it, I couldn't stop laughing and smiling and standing in awe of This vast ocean. The ride home was rainy, but there was something beautiful about the rain refreshing our surroundings. We were also blessed as a group to hear some of our classmates testimonies on the trip, this was a real blessing and created lots of group bonding! Tofino was by far my favorite trip this year! I loved this experience.