Maritime Madness.

This last week I've had the amazing opportunity of traveling the Maritime Provinces of Canada. I've always heard that these provinces have a culture of their own, but nevertheless I was blown away when the team and I arrived here. By the hospitality, the Maritime Pride, the history, and of course, the beauty. So here's a quick overview of some of the things we've had the privilege of seeing over the past week.

Moncton NB: A beautiful city with some of the most hospitable people I've ever met. A Tim Hortons on every corner (almost...), the James family, hard core American Idol fans, the cheapest second hand store I've ever set foot in, and Uplanders Baptist Church, one of the most welcoming church communities we've visited yet!

Halifax NS: A city of history, BEAUTIFUL universities, and a wonder board walk. We accidentally walked in on a free clothing give away at King's university in the girls dorm, and weren't apologetic about taking what we like. (Don't worry we were very much allowed to) We found there the most amazing second hand bookstore, visited Theodore the Tugboat, and had an amazing Thai supper!

The Bay of Fundy: I'll let the pictures speak for themselves on this one.

Cavendish PEI: The site of Anne of Green Gables, the birth place and resting place of LM Montgomery, and a beautiful walking path through 'The Haunted Forest.'

Charlottetown PEI: Canada's birthplace. We were able to visit the parliament buildings, and the PEI government happened to be in session. We witnessed a hot debate about price fixing in the Lobster Industry, and also got to see the Womens Olympic Gold Medal Bobsled team be acknowledged by their provincial government and given a standing ovation. We enjoyed some fresh lobster close to the beach, and then took a drive down to the North Shore!

Needless to say. A stellar couple days off.

Jessica

A Letter to the Undecided

You need to start living for God. I am unapologetic about being straight forward about this. You need to let him in. He’ll fill the holes. You’ll sleep. Actually sleep; feel rested like you never have before. You need to stop running. You need to stop minimizing and attempting to discredit him. You are hurting him. He created you, and the way you are living breaks his heart. Not because of the decisions you make, but because of the hurt and the emptiness YOU are experiencing as a result of those choices. When you hurt, he hurts more. When you feel alone and thrown aside and not appreciated or cared for, he feels all that too and is devastated because that is not the kind of life he created you for.

The things you are looking for; companionship, (True, constant, loyal, and unchanging companionship) passion, (Unwavering drive and excitement, a goal that fulfills you and moves you forward) purpose, (A knowing that YOU are the solution and contributor to a certain and specific SOMETHING, that you are not here to simply take up space and then disappear) and acceptance. (The knowing, and never doubting, that you are valued, cared for, loved, in spite of anything you might do intentionally or unintentionally to sabotage it) These are things you will never truly experience in full unless you acknowledge the one who created them as YOUR creator.

And the SECOND you acknowledge that he is who he says he is, you give him permission to come into your life and begin to work. To fill that which was once empty. To heal that which was once damaged. To reclaim that which was once abandoned. To restore what was destroyed. To comfort what was hurt. To breathe life into the parts of you that feel lifeless.

I ache for you to experience this life. I was so badly for you to know this fullness. An existence free of doubt, torment, fatigue, loneliness, and helplessness. That is the kind of life I long for you to experience. But my longing pales in comparison to God’s.

He would do ANYTHING for you to be able to live this way. In fact; he already has. And now the only thing standing in between the awe inspiring God and the life he desperately wants you to have, is you.

I want you on my team!

This will be short.

So over the last couple months, I've been working really hard at learning how to speak with God, and actually converse with him. Like I would a person. Sometimes I write down my questions, and then write down what I think he's telling me. Sometimes we just chat. Today, we were chatting and I told God that I wanted him on my team. Then he said... So does everybody else. I will never know if he MEANT to reference Timbaland... but I will choose to believe so.

Jessica

Quest for Mitts...

If you’ve been paying attention during the last couple months, you will have noticed that it is almost impossible to walk down the street without seeing someone wearing a red pair of Olympic mittens. Now I’m usually not one for bandwagons, but I can actually see no down side to hopping on this one. Red is a nice color, you’re showing support for our country’s Olympic team, they’re affordable, you’ve got an Olympic souvenir, and your hands are kept nice and toasty! So this week I went on a quest to find a pair of Olympic mittens. It proved MUCH more difficult than expected.

There are three places you can go to buy such a pair of mittens in Canada. The Bay, Zellers, and Home Outfitters. So my first stop was The Bay. I stepped up to the counter and asked the lady if there were any more in stock. She looked at me and gave a sad little chuckle and then said “Honey. We’re all out. We’ve been all out for weeks. There aren’t any mittens left at any Bay in this city.” To which I said… “Will you be getting any more in?” She shook her head sadly. Strike one.

Next it was off to Home Outfitters. I didn’t even get through the door. Posted outside the store was a sign that said “ATTENTION SHOPPERS All HBC stores across Winnipeg are currently sold out of Red Olympic Mittens. Sorry for the inconvenience. –Management” I refused to be discouraged. It was off to Zellers.

I stepped in a Zellers and asked if they had any Olympic mittens. I was met with a sad shake of the head. “All sold out. Have been for a while.” I was beginning to potentially begin to think about accepting defeat. That was when I heard a voice behind me. “Are you looking for Olympic mittens?” I turned around and saw a young mother pushing her son in a stroller. She continued, “My mother in law was at the Zellers on Henderson Highway yesterday, and she said they got a huge unexpected shipment in yesterday afternoon. I bet if you hurry there would still be some there.” I thanked her and immediately headed to the Zellers on Henderson Highway. And they had some! The search was over!

What did I learn from this? “Never, never, never, never give up.” – Winston Churchill

Reading makes me think about other things...

God strips himself bare and comes as a man with no possessions, no reputation, no 'wow factor.' Why? Because we humans love a good show. We love celebrities for their style. We love politicians for their policies. We love athletes for their ability to perform. And there's nothing wrong with that. But God didn't want to be perceived by his creation, by his people, as yet another public figure. Love reduced to appeal of the eye and the mind was not the kind of love he was looking for. He wanted us to fall in love with HIM. Just HIM. Nothing else. Not the package, not the presentation. Simply who he was. So he stripped himself down. He stripped himself of his glory because he knew people couldn't handle it. He didn't want people to fall in love with the 'wow.' He didn't want us to fall in love with yet another show. I love the most basic God who ever offered himself to man kind and live according to a very basic truth. I love my father and the father loves me. No show here.

Taste of Sante Fe.

So the BUGirl teams are about to head out on the road. It is a matter of weeks now, and everyone's beginning to count down. The two teams have been living together for the last couple months, so being separated is going to be quite a change. I never thought I'd be used to sharing a kitchen with 12 other people, having an open door bedroom policy, and coordinating the schedules of 12 other people. But I will miss it when we hit the road again.

Because our time together is short, the BUG house has been a place where last minute bonding is taking place almost 24/7. The last week has been a whirlwind of working out together, making meals together, bunking up in each others beds, late night talks, team devos and reading time, etc etc etc. Last night was no exception.

Myself and Natalie Elliott decided to hang out with Jillian Michaels right after work, and she kicked our butts, in a good way. (google Jillian Michaels if you're confused...) After shredding it up we decided a good meal was in order. We researched sweet salads, and made a special trip to Sobeys to create the best Sante Fe Salad known to man. Some may call it epic. The meal came to a close with cheesecake fondu. And yes. It was as good as it sounds. The rest of the evening was filled with music, kitchen dance parties, cleaning bathrooms, reading...etc.

I am having a hard time imagining what life will be like without these kinds of evenings. I will definitely miss them when we hit the road.

Intimacy is honesty
Without fear or rejection.
Why is it that I know
You are infinitely aware of my thoughts,
My inner conflict,
My fear, feeling, frustrations.
Yet I shy away from speaking them
To you, directly.
It is that honesty
That I withhold because somehow
My thoughts seem wrong.
Unjustified, infantile, lacking.
To me they tell me to do more,
Try more, be more, bring more.
....
Come alongside me.
Teach me.
Be in me.
I am not enough.
I am not efficient.
But you are made perfect
When I fail.
You turn my embarrassments
Into acts I am in awe of.
I can't understand or predict you.
You are uncomprimisingly good to me.
You take delight in me.
You love me in my honesty.