Monday, May 16, 2011

My chains are gone, I've been set free

So a whirlwind of life has just come and gone in the last few months! I can't believe it's mid-May already... been in PEI for half a year and it hits me that I haven't done much updating. Well, practically none at all since Christmas! I'll try my best to do a "quick" summary... but for those of you who know me well, there's nothing "quick" about my jibber jabbering ;) I'll at least end with some photos!

Church Ministries:
(1) PEI Church: I started attending the sole chinese church on the Island since January, and have found myself to be wrapped up in it much more than I expected to be. Planted by Wendy, a Taiwanese sister from Calgary, God has just taken this seed planting and made this church grow. We are currently renting an english church for Sunday afternoon services and are allowed to use the same building for Friday evening bible studies, along with any other special events that arise like travelling short term mission teams. Jesse has joined Sara and I in serving the youth in the Friday evening ministry, and it has been a joy to see him grow! I am sure all of us enjoy the fellowship we have with Wendy on these Friday evenings before the craziness all runs around. We have also been blessed with willing workers to translate Wendy's mandarin sermons into English, and they have been doing quite a good job with guidance. Continue to pray for the growth and stability of this church in its ministries and the families, as we anticipate minimal with the strong likelihood that the new immigrants will leave our Island for the bigger Canadian cities, especially as their children are being accepted to various universities.

(2) Grace Baptist Church: This is a church I attend for spiritual growth. I also attend a women's group that meets every Tuesday night. Well, "every" should be in quotations, because in the recent month, we've had to cancel three weeks in a row due to pregnancy illnesses, child illnesses, and then travelling leadership (who have returned safely!). I had hoped to take on a two month leadership of this group until the official start up again in July, but I have been granted a vacation leave in mid-June so this won't really bode well! Pray for leadership to grow in GBC. Even though the pastoral team is strong, it is always difficult to find people who can serve consistently in ministries at a church, so even though I may not see it, I have a feeling that the lack in leadership continues to increase.

Work:
(1) Hospital: I'm certainly learning lots and getting around to various areas (got into the PACU for the first time...and second...today! long story...), though obviously not as intense as Carol's descriptions of the Toronto hospitals! It's been taking a toll on me how much I have learned to complain when I don't have to! I try to be 'optimistic', but I am learning that optimism is certainly not equatable to mirroring God's love. So, despite the lack in strength, especially currently, I am still happy to be reminded that I need His strength and love to be reflected, not my own.

(2) Sports Clinic: I've taken on some private clinic hours two evenings a week. You might say it's draining, and the trek between the hospital and clinic just seems to be every time, but once I am there, it's such a head spin! It forces me to do a 180 on things after seeing such elderly people at times even wanting to die, and really look to see that there are able bodied people willing to get better still in existence! I'm constantly reminded not to take anything for granted.
Relationships: Who's head did a spin on this one? ;) haha serves you right!
(1) Christian community: I have been blessed with Wendy, who is really a wonderful older sister to me. She reflects a heart for reaching out to God's people in such humility and readiness to serve God that I cannot even begin to explain how God has been using her. I have been also blessed with Sara, a priceless sister closer to my age. Sara is my sister and friend; from her, I receive continual spiritual encouragement and physical support and caring. I love serving with her and she is more than I asked God for in my prayers last December! God has gifted me also with Uncle Jeff and Auntie Vanessa. This young Christian couple is so fervent for God despite feeling inadequate and incapable of working for God, but who says you need to do big things for God to do big things, right? :) God moves the mountains, not us! Whitney and Cynthia take me time and again to/from church services at GBC, and without their generosity, I would not be able to fulfill my promise of corporate worship every Sunday.

(2) Co-workers: Can you believe, I am actually getting to know some of my coworkers on a more personal level? It's the first time I've stepped up to the plate and asked if I could pray for these people I care about in their ongoing problems, and then ask them about it! I pray that God would continue to use me as a witness, and that my actions or words would not be contradictory to my outward beliefs.

(3) Housemates: Reta and Maureen have been fantastic. So we're not all in undergrad, and I doubt any of us have been the super "girly" type to "bond" over things like doing each others' hair (!? clearly I didn't go through this phase...haha) Neither are the fawning, stick-my-nose-in-your-business type of people, but they are still sweet, sweet ladies who are lots of fun to be around. Reta is another physio who has been out of school awhile more than I have, and is always willing to go out of her way to help me! She is always offering to drive me somewhere, or help me pick up groceries if I need it, etc. Maureen is just fun to talk to, we both like flyer days (ok I'm a little crazier than her about it!) and both girls often invite me upstairs to spend time with their visiting friends.

(4) Family: it's been hard to keep in touch with family back home, but it's getting there! Mostly through talking on the phone with my parents and, now that my little brother is done school (yay!), Jonny too. Joseph and Em are hard to catch on the phone, though I did manage to catch them once at least to have a nice long chat :) Emails of course are through the roof, I can't get my gmail inbox to say anything short of 600 because it all just piles up!

(5) Friends: Of course I try to update friends from home as best I can. I don't do a very good job of it! I'll be soon on a plane home for Jonny's convocation, so hopefully I'll be able to see more of you in person than over this crazy internet stalking =P

Spiritual Life:
Don't ask me why, but I love leaving this one 'til last. Maybe because it lets me end on a positive note, maybe because it really forces me to filter my reflections, who knows :) One of the things that is slowly unfolding in front of me, that I am slowly seeing, is the reason for all my "training" growing up at NTCBC, in my particular family, in my schools (non-academia related, too!!) No, I didn't have to derive or integrate anything; none of those decision matrices or kinesin chain dances were necessary either. God really has a purpose for everything - even if it takes me twenty years to see how it is put to His use now!

Continually depending on God is and isn't hard. It's hard because I have this constant struggle to be in control, knowing that a part of me isn't God's, and then learning and re-learning to let parts of me go. It's not hard, because when I see God beckoning for me to let things go into His hands, I know the surety of who is holding my cares. People have often asked me why I seem like a 'who cares' type of person, why not finding a job where my family is doesn't phase me, or why not having a boyfriend doesn't make me scared, or even why not knowing where I'll be living next year doesn't kickstart me into planning my whole life out. The simplest answer I know to give is that I trust my God will give me His best for me in His perfect timing. I didn't make Jesus Christ my Lord for nothing, so I'm not about to give up now. Do I want certain things out of life? Sure. Am I willing to work for them? Absolutely. Will it all matter what little detail happened in the days when Jesus returns in all His glory? Nope. So why worry, why agonize over what I don't have at this moment? Because there's just something far greater that is already here. :)




p.s. If you want to visit me, speak soon :) My time with courses and my own trips are filling up my schedule!!

Labels: Church, Food, friends, Nature, PEI, Praise, Reflection

posted at 9:02 PM by Jo -