So much excitement and anticipation for what is to come

Hey

Not much is new with me. I started classes this week and am really looking forward to the semester. Also I experienced bus ministry for the first time and am super excited about next week. We were unable to ride the busses this week because there were complications and we had to play with the kids as they were arriving in intervals since we were short busses. Next week we will be riding the buses and helping to run the Preschool program, this week we were observing more than doing so that we could learn the format, etc.

Tuesday we are opening the Fuse Box which is a hangout for youth in Langley after school. I am excited since we are planning all the activites and starting off the program for the year. All the groups that run it after us will be following our example and plan. Terrifying but also exciting.

I thank that Lord for everything that is occuring in Maple Ridge and the growth that we are experincing as a youth ministry. In the last two weeks we have had 45 new youth come to REV and expect to continue to grow. (Langley had 11 new people last week, so they are growing as well). I am excited to see these youth return and grow in relationship with the Lord. Right now many are coming out of curiosity and for something to do. We expect them to return because they had fun and felt welcomed. We had a number of skaters show up this week, which was awsome - we had gone to the skate park to invite them and they decided to come and check it out. They were then called and followed up with by some of the interns (something that we do with all visitors) and invited to come to different hubs (small groups). In my hub we had two come and in Steve and Kenny's cell (which is for younger boys) they had at least 8 new ones show up. I am so excited to see what the Lord has in store, He is moving in the lower mainland.

On another note here is a great video that we were watching this week at REV - something random and amusing (just like we are). It speaks for itself so enjoy. (the guys were joking that it was the inspiration for the REV albums).

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=7-NOZU2iPA8

I hope that it worked, my first attempt at adding a video.

I have been having many conflicts with my mom latey since we are such different people and have difficulties asjusting to the others personality and lifestyle. I am reminded of Paul Brandt's song "That's Worth Fighting For" and especially the following lines:

• "We've been around in circles 'bout a thousand times"
• "I can't believe I spoke to you that way"
• "how our two hearts are holding this much hate and blame I don't know"
• "I know I can't remember No I don't know the reason why we ever started fighting anymore"
• "If we could just loose the temper and find a way to be more tender"

Half the time we are fighting and I do not know what started it or why we are fighting, it is so petty but I do not know how to stop. I feel as though the only way that we communicate is by fighting and that really sucks. Please pray that I learn how to communicate more effectively and learn to adapt to mom's personality. Thanks so much.

I have my second interview at Starbucks on Tuesday and I am so excited but also rather nervous, I have never had a job before that requires two interviews. I just have to keep reminding myself that God is in control and has a plan for me that includes where I am to be working at this stage in time.

Well I best go and get some more reading done for classes, I have to read a book and do a report on it but it is not due until the end of the semester. I want to get it done now before I get to busy but it is hard to get motivated to do it when it is not due until after Christmas. Oh well at least it is a book that I think I am going to enjoy reading unlike many books I have been forced to read in the past. The book is The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey, for those of you who are interested.

Take care and God bless. Have a great week and I hope to hear from all of you soon.

no more burgers but lots of excitement

Hey everyone

So I have quit A&W after two shifts since I was not being trained at all and the job was more stress than it was worth. I have an interview at Starbucks on Friday so am hoping to get that job. I really should have listened to all those horror stories everyone was telling me about that specific A&W. Oh well you live and learn.

I started classes yesterday and am really looking forward to the semester. We have three classes each semester. So this semester I have Personal Bible Study, Life of Christ, and Basic Doctrine 1 (we will do part 2 next semester). I am so stoked. My first ministry link is Bus Ministry, which is the same idea as Metro Kids Ministry in New York. Every Saturday morning we will ride the buses and pick up kids, most from non-christian, broken homes, and bring them to CLA for a service and fun time. We then take them back home. During the week each of these kids are visited (although I do not think that we will be involved in that part simply because of time and the fact that we are on 6 week rotations so we would just establish a relationship and then be moving on). I think that this will be an amazing experience and am looking forward to starting on Saturday.

In other news I had a Sunday School leaders meeting last night and discovered that the person who I was team teaching with is no longer teaching so until a new teacher steps forward and volunteers I will be teaching every week. Which is okay since it is only for the second half of the service that I will need to be downstairs so I can participate in the worship service. Also I will be going over to Langley for the evening services so I will still be able to attend a church service weekly.

Last point for any of you who are in the Maple Ridge or Langley areas and are looking for somehting fun to do on Wednesday (Maple Ridge) or Tueadsay (Langley) nights you should come and check out Revolution at Christian Life Assembly. It is an amazing time and I can guarantee that you have never experienced church like this before. Come and see.

Take care and God bless, have a great week, until next time.

update

Long time, no post

So what have I been up to, hmm where to start.

I have been accepted into the CLA REV Internship so will be busy with that for the next year. This last weekend we had a retreat together to get to know each other and what the Internship will involve. We went to Seymour - it was absolutely amazing and so much fun. So it looks like we will be in Langley Monday and Wednesday and in Maple Ridge on Thursdays and a combination of the two on Sunday's. I am so excited for the year and to see what God has in store for me and the others. I am looking forward to seeing where God will lead me as well as the others and to see how much we grow. I believe that God is going to take us farther than we can imagine. So stoked.

In other news I have been promoted to Grade 5 in Sunday school - which is exciting because I will have the same group of kids that I had this summer. I was just starting to get to know them and their personalities and am really looking forward to getting to know them more and watch them develop.

I spent today applying for jobs and was hired on the spot at A&W and start tomorrow. It will definatley be interesting. I will be starting in the kitchen but will also recieve training for the storefront. I am not really excited about the job so far but am going to still give it my all. I beleive that God has opened the door and given me this opportunity for a reason so I want to be obedient to His voice and leading. So I will stick it out until something else comes up and I know that I am to move on. Then again once I start I might find that I absolutely love it and never want to work anywhere else, but I am not going to hold my breath.

God bless all and I will update you more later. FYI - comments are appreciated

Where has the time gone

Wow I find it difficult to believe that it is already August. I am now settled in Maple Ridge again and am adjusting to living back with my parents. So far it has been pretty good but then I have not been home that much either. I spend most of my time at my sister's taking care of my nephew. I love spending my days with him, they are rarely boring or predictable. I feel very blessed to have been given this opportunity to spend time with him and bond with him since I missed so much of his first year.

I have started teaching sunday school again and am having a ball. I continue to be amazed at the wisdom of children, they can be so profound sometimes. This week coming up is VBS with the theme of Power Lab and I am so excited and glad to be helping out. Although I know that I will be exhasted by the end of the week with helping with the VBS in the mornings and then taking care of my nephew in the afternoons. But it will be fun and I will enjoy every minute of it.

I will crash on Saturday and sleep most of the day then head to REV camp on Sunday for six days. REV camp is the talk of the church in the summer and I am looking forward to going, as I have never been before. Since I am to old to actually go to camp I am going as a volunteer in the kitchen which will be great, reminicent of Timberline. Ahh memories.

September 5 I start the REV Internship that I applied for and I am so excited but also a little apprehensive as it will stretch me and challange me so much but I am ready. More info to follow on this program once I get started and settled into a routine.

Life is great and I am loving every minute of it. God Bless

hey from me and the kid

'l,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,............gfg][gg Hey all
hope everything is good with you. If this post id strange it is nn because my 1 year old nephew is helping me type.

I am doing great and am having a blast with him this summer. Tonight we are staying at my parents and will probably go to the water park tomorrow for the first time. He loves his pool and bath so he should have a good time. We have errands to do tomorrow as well. We will probably take the bus into town, which will be an adventure.

I started teaching Sunday School today and it was amazing. I ha0d 9 kids in grade 4 which was lots of fun. It is such a joy to teach them again. It is interesting mm nsince I had many of the same kids in my age 4 and 5 class that I taught before I moved away for school. 0.

Well the family is leaving for the night after a f2amily dinner for all the bir0th2017days aroun0d th2is 22222time. So we better go and say goodbye.

Talk to
you later. Love 5you a5trnd hhhhGodBless.

hope this wasn't too hard to


read0.

settled and busy

Okay so I have been back for a week now and am finally feeling settled in. I spend three days last week with my nephew. It was a ton of fun although he is teething so is kinda cranky. I am looking forward to starting a regular schedual with him next week since last week was crazy and messed up with it being my sister's first week back at work and this week is messed up with the holiday. I am so busy the next few days I do not know when I will get all the errands done that I need to. Lets see here is my schedual, so far, for the next week.

Today - Canada Day - family BBQ from 2-5, also need to finish a paper
Tomorrow - help dad with papers during the day and REV in the evening
Thursday - meetings with Doug, Justin, and Pastor Antonio (hopefully I can catch all three) then to my sister's in the evening
Friday - babysit all day and spend the evening at my sister's
Saturday - scrapbooking for Autism with my sister
Sunday - Church then to my sister's for the night
Monday - Wednesday - babysitting all day and spending the nights at my sisters
Wednesday night - REV

Busy but should be fun. Sometime before saturday I need to get my Japan pictures printed and buy a scrapbook for them so that I can start it at the scrapbooking day. I also need to get into my storage unit and organize it as well as pick up some things that got dropped off there by mistake, such as my coffee cup, my jewlery, and all my hair stuff. I also need to apply for jobs. I am planning on working at Tim Hortons near my sister's house (since I have been told that I am basically guaranteed a job there) Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights since I will be in that area. Then I need to get another part time job closer to my parents for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday while I am in that area. Hopefully this will give me enough to put money into savings to start paying off student loans and to pay the bills in the fall cause if I get accepeted into the intership I will not be able to work more than 10 hours a week so need to save as much this summer as I possibly can.

Well I better go and work on my paper but I will touch base with you later. Love you and God Bless.

sorry

To my family

I am sorry if I hurt any of you in the last post. I was upset and frustrated and was not very nice. I am sorry. I love you all.

family frustrations

So I am moving in two days and it has been planned for three weeks that mom will come and help me on friday and dad and my brother will come on saturday to load and move everything. Well then my brothers girlfriend wanted to come and that meant three vehicles, so then mom wasn't going to come. Then this morning my mom calls to tell me she is coming even if it means that there will be 3 vehicles because she doesn't want to cause conflict and put my brother in the middle of it. But yet it is apparently okay to put me in the middle of it since I have recieved calls from basically every member of my family complaining about the situation and wanting me to deal with it even though I am no where near any of them. I also do not understand why my sister is involved and is so uptight and stressed about it when she has nothing to do with the moving and has never planned to come and help so it does not affect her plans at all. As much as I love my family there are times when I wish I could just walk away and no longer have a family. But then I miss them and I love them to much to leave them.

So I move in two days but I am not sure exactly how it will work or who will be here to help maybe I should just sell all my stuff and move back to the coast on the Greyhound so that there is no conflict for the family to deal with and no one is inconvienced or left out.

hurt and confused

I am amazed at how you can be friends with someone for years and then discover that they really do not know you at all. They have a version of you in their head and chose to remeber things that you say and do to support this vision rather than actually listen to what you are telling them. Since doscovering this I have been analysis my friendships and the views that I have of people and I can not honestly say that I know all are 100% acurate, but then I guess that is the thing - you do not realize you do not know someone until something happens. Although even with the events of the last while I do not know if this friend realize that the image held of me is not acurate. While I was enlightened that this person does not know the real me, is this person being enlightened that they do not really know me? I do not know. Sorry I realize this probably sounds very strange and crazy, but hey that is me so what do you expect.

I am reminded of the song by Jaci Velasquez that goes "This is the real me, am I the girl that you want me to be? This is the real me, Can you face it, Can you feel it, Can you take it, Can you deal with, The real me" (and yes for those of you who know the song there is a line missing because it does not fit with what I am saying). I have spent the last few years discovering for myself who the real me is and I must say I was rather hurt to discover that my friend (maybe more??) does not know who I am.

Now I must get back to packing, oh that is right I am going to watch a movie and have some fun instead. Take care and God bless.

Finally something to do

So the SL marks finally arrived so I have been able o finish most of my stuff for work there is a bit that I will have to leave up to my partner to do on her own though but it should not too bad.

Packing is moving so slowly, I had forgotten how much I detested packing. I do not mind moving I just hate the preparation leading up to the packing. Oh well it is part of life.

Further than that my heart is breaking for my friend and her family right now as they are going through so much. I wish that I could do more to help, but I will do what I can and that is pray and let God have control of the situation. Please join me in prayer for this family.

I am getting super excited to move back home and reconnect with family and friends - I feel like I have been gone for so long. I know that I have changed in many ways but I am still the same as I always was just older and more sure of myself and my path. It will be interesting to see how everyone else has changed over the past four years as well.

where did it all come from

So I am starting to actually feel like I am accomplishing something. Yeah. Other than that not much is new except that I forget how steep of a hill MacIntosh is then I walk up it and remember. It feels great to be able to walk to and from campus though, very refreshing.

One other question, who brought stuff into my house while I was away because I am pretty sure that I did not have this much stuff when I left. I am not sure where it all came from. I think that I will blame Adam though, it feels like a good day for everything to be the cousins fault. Love ya anyway Adam.

Well talk to you later
God bless

too much free time

So far it has been a very frustrating week. First not having a computer at home sucks, I had not realized how much I used it and for how many different things. Oh well I can survive for another week and a half. Secondly, there is nothing that I can do for work since all the forms are saved on my partners drive, that I do not have access to, and she has yet to show up as things keep happening so that she can not make it. This would not be that big of a deal were I able to progress with the non computer side of things. But we have not recieved the rest of the marks in yet and those that I do have I already have done all I can with them. We do not have marks yet since neither I or my boss were around much for the past month to make sure that they were sent, since the department, as per most, have to be hounded to keep up with requests.

So nothing has been happening on the work front and little has been happening on the school front since I am having trouble finding the motivation. Ah well I will buckle down and get it done. It is very easy to procrastinate when you do not have much to do, which is unusual for me. Usually I can not procrastinate much at all since there never is a later in which to do things. I most definately prefer being over busy to having little to do especially since I can't even catch up on sleep since I have none to catch up on.

Oh well I am having a nice time relaxing even if relaxing is driving me nuts. Soon enough I will be too busy to know what to do with myself again; and for a bit I think I will actually appreciate it but then I will want a day to do nothing again.

On a further note I have entered the world of facebook, I know finally gave in. So if you are on there look me up.

Take care and God bless.

out of place in Kamloops

It is so weird to be back in Kamloops and know that this is it. I have been having very mixed emotions about moving back home. I still believe that it is what I am supposed to do but there is so much here in Kamloops that I am going to miss.

I am at the school now, since this is the only internet access that I have, and am trying to motivate myself into getting work done. So far it is not working so well although I have checked my emails and am now posting here.

There is not much new with me other than remembering how much work packing is. I forgot how much stuff I had so I am trying to sort through things and get rid of stuff that I do not have any need for rather than pack it down to the coast with me. I am trying to organize my packing so that as my things are in storage I will be able to easily find what I am looking for if I find that I am needing something that is packed away. It is an interesting time.

Yesterday was miracle sunday at church and we had a visiting pastor from Glad Tidings in Chilliwack preach, he was amazing. Listening to him it is easy to see why Glad Tidings is succeeding so well, God is there and is the leader not man. Both services yesterday were amazing and I am very glad that I was there but it was weird I no longer feel as though I belong at BTC which was further confirmation that I am supposed to move on to the next stage in my life. The church that has felt like home for so long no longer does, it was a very weird experience. I realize now that I was a place in my life where I needed to be ministered to and not have a leading role. These past four years have been a time of searching and learning who I am and what I believe and as such I was in a position of needing ministering rather than giving. I now believe that I am ready to reenter the ministry realm. I was talking to the Children's pastor at the coast about becoming invloved with the sunday school again once I am back down there. He was very open to it and apparently there is a position with the grade 4's opening up this summer and that is the age group that I would love to work with the most. God is good, he keeps giving me these signs of confirmation that I am heading in the right direction and he is preparing the way for me. I am so excited to see what will come next.

Love you all, take care and God bless.

going back to the 'Loops

Hey all

So I am heading back to Kamloops in a little while, once my ride gets here and we get packed up. It feels very weird to know that this will be my last trip to Kamloops for a while and that I will be paciking everything up while I am there. It feels weird but right, this is what I am supposed to be doing.

Time is flying so fast it is hard to believe all that has happened and all that I have done over the last few years. Sometimes I feel like I am watching a movie of someone elses life or am having a dream and will wake up soon and discover that all this has not actually happened and I am still a little kid. In some ways that would be great but for the most part I do not want to live my life over again or go back and redo anything since everything that has occured has made me who I am and I rather like who I am. I will continue to live life to the fullest, follow God's leading, and have regrets as I begin this next stage in my life. I am excited to see what happens.

Love you all and God bless.

back in Canada and I have no clue what time it is

Hey everyone

So I am back in Canada and my body is totally messed up with a combination of Jet Lag and cold. I woke up around 3 this morning wide awake even though I had not gone to bed until 11. We will see how the rest of the day goes and hopefully I can get onto a normal sleeping schedual soon.

I have decided that I will spend June in Kamloops finishing up SL stuff and school work. Also packing up my apartment. The weekend of June 21 I will be moving back to Maple Ridge and will spend the summer between my parents and my sister's places, which will be rather interesting but should be enjoyable. I will be taking care of my nephew since my sister is done her materninty leave and if I look after him daycare can be put off for a while longer. I am excited to take care of him since I have already missed so much of his life and do not know what is coming next to know if I will be around for much of his years to come.

After the summer I will remain here on the coast working part time, doing my last two courses through Open Learning, and participating in the internship at the church (as long as I am accepted). That is roughly the plan for now although I am sure that it will change at least a little bit as time progresses.

Well that is all for now but give me a call or drop me a line cause I want to see you all.

Love you and God bless.

coming back to Canada

Hey all

So I have made it to the airport and have about 7 hours to wait until my flight leaves. I will be able to check in for the flight in a couple of hours until then though it is killing time and shopping.

I am glad to be coming home it has been fun but I am ready to return to my real life, if there is such a thing.

See you all soon, I will be in Maple Ridge until friday then will be in Kamloops again. Will post more specifics later.

Love you all. God bless and take care.

Hemeji

Hey Everyone

So it is almost time to come back to Canada, I am ready but there is also so much more that I would love to do here. Ah well guess I will have to come back again. So I spent the last day and a half in Aso hiking the volcano and relaxing, it was beautiful and amazing. However, today I forgot to put on sunscreen and am a little burnt but that is okay.

Now I am in Hemeji, back on Honshu Island. I will spend the night here and then see the castle first thing in the morning, I have been told by a number of sources that it is the best one in Japan. It is still the original wood castle that was built so many years ago, most of the others are concrete replicas cause they burned down. I am excited it should be interesting since the inside is unchanged so I will be able to see how ppl lived there as well as see the museum stuff. Apparently there are all these hidden passage ways and staircases for defence. I am hoping that there will be an english guide available since there are apparently some that work there but you can not book one ahead of time.

After the castle I am going to head back towards Tokyo, I will have to see how time is going for whether I stop in Osaka for a bit or not. Then Monday morning I will hang out around Tokyo then head to Narita airport to check in then fly home. I leave here at 7pm local time on monday and land in Vancouver at 12 noon local time there on monday. So does that mean what I do from noon to 7 here does not exsist since I redo the time in Vancouver? what kind of trouble can I get in to (just kidding).

So I left my wallet on the train in Miyazaki but thankfully got it back right away since the train went out to the airport then returned to the station I had got off at and the ticket seller who was helping me contact the train ran out and retrieved it for me. Thank you Lord. Another interesting Japan memory and experience.

Well this will probably be my last post from Japan but we will see. Once I am back in Canada I will update on what will happen then since I have reached a desicion (at least I am pretty sure that I have reached a decision). Love you all, miss you, see you soon. God bless and take care.

Oita

Hey Everyone

So　I am in Kuyshu now in a place called Oita. I have not yet gone to Aso. I am still deciding if I will go there tomorrow or go farther south to another volcano and then make my way back up to Aso via Nagasaki. Last night I stayed in Hiroshima since I did not get away from Tokyo until 4 which was okay since I really enjoyed exploring Dream Island but made it too late to come all the way to Kuyshu. I am having a lot of fun and only got completely lost once today. Well will post more later got to go have some dinner.

Love you and miss you. Take care and God bless.

end of course and out on my own

Hey everyone

This morning we are going to Dream Island then the course is officially over. After that I am hopping on a train for about 7 hours and heading to Kyushu. I am excited but also a little bit scarded. Tom has taught me a lot of practical stuff about the trains and travel in Japan which will definately be helpful.

Well I got to go and write a quiz but I will talk to you all later. Take care and God Bless.

Tokyo is crazy

Hey Everyone

We survived Tokyo station, the largest in Japan, however we did loose Tom, the teacher. It was crazy how many people there were and how congested everything was. I am not so sure that I like Tokyo, there are too many people in such a small place for my likings.

Last night we went to a buffet where we had to cook our own food on the grill in the centre of the table. It was good and I was glad to have a break from rice and noodles. Actually it was all you can eat and there was a bunch of fruit so that is mostly what I ate. My stomache is felling much better now, the fruit definately helped.

Today we are meeting the president of Tokyo University, then exploring Tokyo a bit, and at 2:30 we are going to the Canadian Embassy for a tour. It should be fun.

Tuesday we have a quiz in the morning and then are going to Dream Island, made of garbage. The course officially ends at noon and then I am heading to Kuyshu, very excited.

Well I got to go but I will post more later. Take care and God bless.

heading for Tokyo

Hey Everyone

We will be leaving Hamamatsu this afternoon and heading to Tokyo. I got really sick last night from lack of sleep and dehydration. Also it is raining really hard and is super muggy so I do not think that that helped any. I am feeling some better this morning and ate breakfast (I skiped dinner last night). I am hoping that the beds in Tokyo are much thicker than those that we have been sleeping on thus far as most night I feel as though I am sleeping on the floor even though there is a futon between me and the floor.

The four material things that I am missing the most over hear are my bed, brown bread, fruit, and beef.

Yesterday we went on a zip line trolley thing over lake Hamana it was great although I would have enjoyed it better had I been feeling better. Oh well. I got to go and pack to leave, we are going to yet another castle before we catch the train to Tokyo.

Love you all and miss you. God Bless.

Hamamatsu

Hey all

I have reached Hamamatsu after being on the train from 11:30 to 5 yesterday. It was a great trip with lots to observe. We are staying at a private highschool in their dorms, it is very interesting. The school is unique and very strict which I think is a good thing although it must be hard to be away from family.

Today we are going to a Yamah factory and will learn how motorbikes are made, it should be good. We are also going to a limestone cave, I am very excited about that. Tomorrow we are going to the ACT tower which is 45 stories high and then we will be heading to Tokyo. I am looking forward to seeing Tokyo but also am a bit worried about the congestion and the amount of people since I do not enjoy crowds and am running on sever lack of sleep which is beginning to make me touchy and grumpy. Oh well it will be an adventure.

The Hiroshima dome and museum was amazing, I wish that I could have spent more time there exploring the museum, as it was we were rushed since we had gone to Miajima the day before rather than that morning as was the plan cause some of the others did not want to be rushed at the island, which I can understand, but I think that the museum was much more interesting and geographical than the island. In short I would have liked more time at the museum and been rushed at the island. I am starting to get very annoyed at group decisions that do not involve the group, such as changing the events for the two days in Hiroshima around.

I am gald that I went to Kobe on my day off cause I actually learned something related to geography where as in Hiroshima we were more tourists and relaxing cause the others were tired and did not want to learn so Tom gave in especially since Cara, the TRU teacher with us, was also complaining. There is a lot of negativity and gossip occuring and I do not like it but yet do not know how to put a stop to it without causing more tension in the group. I generally just try to ignore it and if possible pretend the I am asleep because I do not want to be sucked in to the gossip.

Well I got to go now as we have a seminar for an hour before we head out for the day. Miss you all. Love you, and see you when I get back. God Bless.

in Hiroshima

Hey Everyone

I am in Hiroshima now and am having a blast. We are going to the bomb museum tomorrow and I am so excited, it should be great. Around noon we are leaving for Hamamatsu, where I will have to do my presentation. I am almost done organising it and will finish on the train tomorrow.

Today we went to an island that is designated as one of Japans 3 most scenic sites. It was beautiful and relaxing I had fun. Yesterday I went to Kobe and it was amazing, I visited the earthquake meomorial and museum it was crazy to see the devistation and to be able to see how much they have rebuilt.

We will be in Hamamatsu for 2 nights then on to Tokyo until the end of the course which will be Tuesday. After that I am on my own and will be heading to Kuyshu. I am so excited and am feeling more confident by the day that I can do this. It is going to be a blast, I already have over 1200 pictures, so we will see how many I end up with. I think that my camera and backpack were the best investments that I made for this trip as I am fine walking with my bag full and heavy, unlike most of the class.

I will be sending postcards in the next couple of days so if you would like to recieve one please email me your address and I will try to get one off to you.

Miss you all, love you and God bless.

Kyoto

Hey Everyone

I am now in Kyoto, it is huge and exciting. Today we travelled to Uji, the sister city of Kamloops, where we met the mayor and took a tour of the gold Buddha and temple and a tea factory, as Uji is the tea capital of Japan. It was amazing. We also went to Nara, the oldest city in Japan, and saw the great wooden Buddha, it is the largest in the world.

The place that we were supposed to stay at last night, tonight, and tomorrow night (here in Kyoto) has a bed bug infestation so they made other arangements for us however, it means that we are changing inns daily rather than being stationary for three night. Oh well.

Tomorrow we have a free day and I am not sure what I am going to do yet. It would be nice to explore Kyoto, but I am a little afraid I will get lost since it is so big and I definately do not want to stay with the group since I am getting rather irritated with them for a number of reasons. Tom is going to Kobe, one of the major ports in Japan, so I think that I might go with him and learn something as well as sightsee. I am discovering that I am not much of a tourist type traveller, I am sick of temples and castles already and I want to learn about the places and see the non-tourist side of things rather than just the tourist attractions. My other option for tomorrow is returning to Uji (and possibly Nara) and exploring them a bit more since we did not have much of a chance to. One thing that I would really like to see is a museum in Uji, that I have no clue how to spell it, but it is a dedication to the first novel and novelist, who just happens to be female, ever. It is the 1000 aniversary of the book this year so there is many special events occuring.

I am doing very well and am enjoying myself very much. Those that I am with are starting to get on my nerves but I think the day away from them tomorrow will really help with that. I am hoping that most of it is just the result of too much time together in such a fast paced atmosphere. I had better go now since I have to get some writing done and I want to have a shower and get to bed. I will post again when I can find a computer (some places, such as this one, have a computer that we can use and if not there are internet cafes). Well I will talk to you all later. God Bless and have a great night. Miss you all.

Oh yeah Happy Victoria Day.

on the other side of the world

Hey everyone

All is going well in Japan, I am having a blast. We left Tsukuba Friday morning and drove to Kasatsu, a hotspring. Along the way we learned about many differnt towns and villages that we passed through and stopped at. In the evening I got to experience first hand a public bath, nude. It was great so relaxing and hot. This morning we left Kasatsu and drove to Joetsu (on the coast of the Sea of Japan). We are in a traditional Japanese inn meaning that we will be sleeping on the floor on futons with all the girls in one room and the guys in the other. The inn is situated on a man made lake that is so beautiful. Along the way to Joetsu we stopped to see Mt. Asama and went to the museum to learn about the eruption in 1789 (I think that is right). It was amazing but also slightly depressing since so many died in the eruption. Tomorrow we head down the coast to Kakagara (not spelled right at all) once we arrive there the Japanese masters students that we have been travelling with will leave us to go back to Tsukuba for class on Monday. We will then be travellling on the bullet train, so excited.

I am loving every minute that I am over here and trying to experience as much as possible. I am starting to get a little annoyed with many of the other students who seem to think that this should be a vacation and a sightseeing trip rather than a course. There are a couple with us that feel the need to complain about every little thing. So if you could pray for strength and wisdom to know how to respond to them that would be appreciated.

I am learning so much about Japan, the culture, and myself. I am very glad I am able to come on this trip. Love you all and miss you. See you soon. Take care and God bless.

First Message From Japan

Hey Everyone

So　I have made it to Japan. We arrived at 4pm local time yesterday which was about midnight BC time. By the time we got to the BC time. By the time we got to the university where we are staying until Friday morning and had something to　eat it was 10pm local time so about 6am BC time and we were ready to crash. Everything has been great so far it is 12:15 Wednesday right now and we are heading to lunch. Then will be exploring the Tsukuba area (we are staying at Tsukuba University) this afternoon. So far the jet lag has been fine, hopefully it will be fine for the day.

It feels very much like Vancouver right now as it is raining and is damp. I am absolutely amazed at the amount of green space there is around as well as the amount of bicycles. We have not been to Tokyo yet so I have not experienced the big metroploitian areas yet. Tsukuba is like a suburb of Tokyo and we will be leaving Friday for the mountains and then onto the Sea of Japan so I will experience rural Japan. I am looking forward to it.

Hope everything is going great with all of you and I will keep you posted as to what I am　doing. Talk to you later. God Bless.

Off to Japan

Well I am leaving tomorrow morning for Japan, so excited but nervous as well. Keep me in your prayers and I will be praying for all of you back here in Canada. I will post as soon as I can once I arrive in Japan to let you know how the flight went and how I am finding Japan. For those of you in Maple Ridge I am thinking of having a get together Thursday June 12th in the evening but will confinrm and give you more details later. If this night does not work for you we can get together at another time. Love you all. Have a great night and God bless.

things are progressing

So I almost have everything ready for Japan just have a few more things to pick up then I can start to pack the actual bag. I am a little worried that I do not really have a plan for the week that I am on my own, which is not like me at all. But I will work on it more today so that I can book accomodations otherwise I am not guaranteed a place to stay, even hostels have to be booked (didn't know that).

Things are going good here in Maple Ridge connecting with family and friends. It is so weird to think that I have been gone for four years, it does not feel that way at all. It will definately be a big adjustment if I move back here when I return from Japan, especially since my room is being used as the storage room and I am living out of a suitcase and a laundry basket. But hopefully this will change if I am back for a while. I am hoping to be able to set up my computer once I am back so that I can start on my paper, since my parents do not have MS Office on this computer. So hopefully my mom will get in a clean sweep mood while I am away and sort through all the stuff that is in my room. She organized the books today in the living room so that they are easier for the kid. Now if I could find a way to make it seem like cleaning the paperwork on my desk benefits him then it get done now. I won't hold my breath though, any suggestions.

Well I should get ready to go into town and spend more money that I do not have, oh well it will be worth it in the end.

Take care and God bless.

On the move again

So I am in Maple Ridge for a week to finish getting everything ready for going to Japan as well as deciding what I am doing after I am done the stats and reports for SL when I return. I am getting super excited but also a little nervous - am I ready for this? Well ready or not here I go. For those of you who are in Maple Ridge I am busy on Wednesday night but other than that I have nothing planned thus far until I leave on Monday so let me know if you want to get together and what day and time work best for you.

I leave Monday around 2pm for Japan and will be back in Canada June 2 around 2pm. I will be returning to Kamloops either the following Saturday or Sunday.

Take care for now, and God bless.

Wasting Time

I have my final final exam in one hour. I hate last minute studying and figure if I do not know it now I am not going to learn it. Plus I got 87% on the practice exam and have 85% in the course right now. So I am wasting time but trying to feel busy for the next hour, what to do? I was thinking of planning more stuff for Japan but then I might get confused with Japanese, English, and French in my head (my exam is French). I contemplated posting this blog in french and then being able to claim that I was 'studying' for my final but I do not know how to say half of what is on my mind in french.

I am hoping to have figured out what I am doing for the next year before I go to Japan, I have a tenative meeting with Justin to discuss the internship program in the week that I am in Maple Ridge before I go to Japan so hopefully that will help me know what I am supposed to do. This week I need to make appointments with advisors here on campus to confirm that I only have the two courses left and to evaluate options.

I am glad that these last few days are finished, I do not recommend writing 5 exams in 6 days and finishing a paper while studying for said exams. This semester has definately been my toughest one yet, I feel like I have been through a battle, which in many ways I have been and am still going through one, on the spiritual front.

In other news I cut my hair, it now very short. I can no longer put it up in any way as the longest pieces are at the base of my neck. I really like it and it is so easy to take care of. Since I have such fine hair I can literaly roll out of bed and shake my head and my hair is ready for the day. I will try to post a picture this week so you can see what it looks like, but first I have to figure out how to upload the pictures off my camera and then how to post them. Guess now is the time to learn.

Well that was a good 15 minutes wasted. Take care and God bless.

Almost done

Three exams are down and two more to go. Yeah. I am getting so excited as plans are comming together for Japan. I still have no clue as to what I am doing once I get back but we will see what happens.

I went to the doctor this week cause I found a lump in my ankle. Thankfully it is nothing serious, just a syst (sp?). But I might have to get it removed because of the location so that will kind of suck depending on when I can get in to have the surgery and how long I would be on crutches for. But I am not going to do anything until I get back from Japan anyway.

Other than that nothing new has been happening in my life other than exams, essays, and figuring out the future. Thankfully, I am done essays now and will be done exams on Monday then I can relax. Not, then I have to clean my house and get everything in order for leaving town for a month.

Hope that all is going well with all of you out there and I will talk to you soon and keep you posted on developments in my life.

God bless and have a great day.

contemplating life

I am getting so excited, I have one week of classes left then exams. I am finding it difficult to believe that in less than 3 weeks I will be done my fourth year of university. Where has the time gone it feels like I just moved to Kamloops a few weeks ago and here we are four and a half years later. Have I learned anything? Doesn't really seem like it but I know I have. I have definately got a clearer vision of who I am and what it means to be myself instead of what others want you to be and I have learned to rely on God more than myself. But as for in class learning I feel as though I still have not learned enough for a job, granted it has been fun and I have enjoyed it for the most part but it is feeling pretty useless right about now. I think that I have actually learned more than I realize but an english and geography degree seems rather pointless especially since I will most likely end up working at Walmart, Tim Hortons, or some other similar location for the next year. Why have I aquired so much debt and stress to be back where I was four years ago when I started my university journey? Where is life heading? What am I to do next? What is God's plan for my life?

Wow hows that for some heavy questions at 8 in the morning.

Little lonley

Feeling rather lonely today. It has been one of those days when I really dislike being single. I know that I do not need a guy to complete me but still it would be nice to know that there was someone to spend my friday night with. It seems like everyone around me is pairing off and I am feeling left out. I ask myself what is wrong with me? Then I am reminded that God is in control, not me, and it will all work out in His time and I have to be patient. There are days when I really feel ready to be married and start a family then other times were I definately am not.

I think that part of the problem is that I am the age that my sister was when she moved in with her partner, although they did not get married for 5 years, I am the age that she was when she settled down and so I think that subconsciously I am feeling like I am behind again. I think that it is all coming back to comparing myself to me sister and feeling insecure and not good enough because I am not her. I then have to remind myself that this is an issue that I have taken care of before and it is not for me to reawaken all the hurt associated with it. When I start feeling as though I am going to reopen the door on hurts that I have dealt with already I turn it over to God and tell him to answer the door and deal with Satan. I need to remaember that it is not mine to deal with God can.

I know that there is someone out there for me that is hand chosen by God and when the time is right I will meet him. Until this time I must focus on my relationship with Christ and allow him to direct my path. Living in communion with Christ is the way to fulfill all my desires.

Well that is all that I is my insight for the day and I am feeling better for having written out my thoughts and in doing so reminding myself that I am not in control but God is and He has a plan for me that is greater than any plan I have for myself.

Perhaps I should have put a warning label on this one that it contains some rather intense theology and reasoning. Oh well guess you will all have to suffer through it.

Times to come

So I have a week and half left of classes then on to exams. The next three weeks are going to be crazy this is what it looks like so far:

Thurs April 3rd classes, write 7 page research paper
Fri April 4th classes, work semester wrap up meeting/party
Sat April 5th research for my Milton paper (topic to be decided)
Sun April 6th Church, finish research
Mon April 7th classes (quiz on a novel I have yet to start reading), work
Tues April 8th classes
Wed April 9th classes
Thurs April 10th classes, meeting for work, review session for work (still need to plan this)
Fri April 11th last day of classes - yeah - Milton paper due (still need to determine topic, research, and write)
Sat April 12th work 1-3 final review session (still need to plan)
Sun April 13th church
Mon April 14th nothing yet
Tues April 15th nothing yet
Wed April 16th 8-10 Geography of Japan final, 2-5 Milton final
Thurs April 17th 2-5 Early Modern Brit Lit final
Fri April 18th observe two review sessions for work
Sat April 19th 2-5 Attitudes toward the environment final
Sun April 20th church, observe two review sessions for work
Mon April 21st 2-4 French final (yeah last final)
Tues April 22nd observe review session for work
Wed April 23rd-Mon April 28th write paper on land readjustment in Japan, study for quiz, get everything ready for trip, clean house, start stat analysis and reports for work, organize office for work
Tues April 29th pre-trip quiz for Japan
May 3rd ish go to parents and see everyone
May 12-June 2 Japan

So that is what my life looks like so far for the next two months however, I am sure that I have left many things out and will be adding many more things.

Hope that your life is slightly less hectic than mine is feeling right now, but it will definately be fun. I am getting so excited for Japan and for a break from school. However, I am also becoming more stressed by the day with not knowing what I am doing after about the middle of June.

Have a great day, God Bless, Talk to you soon.

better now

Okay so that was a totally new experience for me and not one that I really want to experience again. Emotional breakdowns are not fun I do not endorse them in anyway. I think that after I am done this semester I need to see a shrink and make sure that I am still sane cause I am pretty sure that this semester is making me crazy. I have spent almost the whole day today research psychoanalysis so that I can do a psychoanalytical interpretation of two of the short stories we have studied this semester, my head is spinning. I have nopw done my research and can start writing the paper. I am supposed to have it done for tomorrow, think I can do it?

Well I got to get to paper writing God bless and have a good day.

help

I am pretty sure that I am having an emotional breakdown, possibly a mental one too. How am I supposed to finish the semester? I just want to crawl into a hole and not be seen or heard from for a very long time.

Sick and Tired

I am so sick and all I want to do is sleep however, I can't since I have so much work to do. Oh well I will get through as per usual. It is times like this when I really wish that I lived closer to my parents so I could be taken care of and be babied (only when I am sick do I feel like this).

Other than being sick I am stressed out of my mind since papers are now overdue and I am really struggling with writing them since the topics are not all that interesting and I just need a break from school. This weekend was a total bust and I should not have gone to the coast since I got nothing done. But unfortunately I can not rewrite the past. The one good thing that came from the weekend was that I had a meeting with Justin, the organizer of the discipleship program, and learned more about the program. However, it was not super helpful since they are stilll working out almost all the details that affect my decision the most. I will not know the details until late April or early May which is when I wanted to have everything sorted out. So I am not sure what to do and that is added more stress to my life (like I need more). Well I should stop procrastinating now and get back to writing papers.

Take care and God bless.

Unfullfilling Easter

So this weekend has not turned out as I thought that it would at all. First I am having trouble consentrating on writing papers since I just want to sleep and take a break. Then to make matters more complicated my dad had a gout attack so they did not go to Nanimo on Saturday instead they stayed around the house making it even more difficult for me to consentrate on papers. So needless to say it is Sunday afternoon and I have three papers due on Wednesday that are no where near being completed which means little sleep when I get back to Kamloops.

Also my parents have not really been that helpful whatsoever with my decision as to what to do next year. For mom it is all about the money and she thinks that I should take 3 courses no matter where I am so that I can get student loans, which I can see her argument but I do not want more debt if I can avoid it. Also I do not want to get stuck in a rut of making decisions based on finaces. I think that this will lead to many regrets in the future.

One benefit of coming down here though is that I am meeting with Justin tomorrow to find out more information about the discipleship program next year. Hopefully, this will help with the decision or at least make it so I can make a more informed decison.

I was hoping to get more school work done this weekend however I do not think that will happen since my sister and nephew were here when I got back from church and the rest of the family and a number of friends will be arriving anytime for dinner. Then tomorrow I will go to work with my dad so that I can talk to Justin, which I am not sure how long that will take. Then Brian is picking me up at my parents around 1:30 to head back to Kamloops. Oh well at least once I get back to Kamloops I can do what I want when I want with very little disturbances.

Well I should go and see what else needs to be done before company arrives. Talk to you all later.

Easter plans

So I have decided that I am going to my parents for the long weekend even though I have finished papers, I need a break. Also I want to talk to my parents about next year and get their opinion and comments on what I should do. Also I think that they will be the less selfish of everyone with their opinons since my friends seem to think that I should go/stay where it benefits them the most. Love you guys anyway.

Now that I know that I am leaving tomorrow afternoon for the coast I am having trouble concentrating and just want to go now, but I have to get lots accomplished tomorrow. Sigh.

I am also getting super excited for Japan and that is making it incredibly difficult to consentrate on what I have to get done now. To make matters worse my friend gave me a large wall map of Japan and a phrase book for trip prepartation and the trip itself. So now I just want to look at them, however, I have packed them at the bottom of my bag for the weekend so they will not distract me (hopefully).

While in Japan we are spending two nights at a hot spring which will be awsome the only problem is that is nude only to go in the springs (since this is the Japanese version of a bath). It is divided into male and female so that is not a concern. However, I still do not know if I am comfortable with this idea. What do you think, would you go in the hot springs? I might just get there and be like ahh well I only live once so I'm doing it. We will have to see, the shy modest one might become a nudist - hey it is not that far fetched (okay maybe it is).

Well this Johnny Cash Junkie and Buck Owen freak needs to go finish packing and get to bed since 5am comes very early.
Love you all and God Bless.

just wasting time

Wow, what is going on? two post in as many days. haha :)

So in reality I am posting because I am sick of writing papers and this is the most convient way to waste time right now. I have class in an hour and am basically done the paper that I am working on and do not want to start the next one just to leave it again almost as soon as I start. Also I am trying to decide which paper to work on next, Waste Disposal in Japan, Toponynmy in the Canadian Arctic, or The movement away from Christian Symbolism to Esoteric and personal beliefs as displayed in Early Modern British Poetry. None of which sound very appealing to me at this point in time.

So I am feeling as though I have been run over by a semi's multiple tires and just want to crawl into a hole and forget about the world for a while. It is times like this when I hate being an adult and having to take care of myself. But I think that I have decided that I am going to the coast for Easter whether I am finished my papers or not. I think that I need the break and can use a change of scenery. Also my parents are going away for the whole day Saturday so the house will be quiet and I can write papers then as long as my sister and mother do not decide that I should go to Vern's for the day so I have company - I do not want company I want quiet and a nice hot bath.

Well that is all for now.

update on life

Wow it has been forever since I have posted :). Life has been good so busy with school and work though. Right now I am in the midst of writing 4 papers (shortest of which is 1500 words) all due the week after Easter, in order to go to the coast for Easter and see my family I have to have all 4 rough drafts done. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Other than that I am wrestling with a major decision right now. After this semester I have two english courses left to recieve my BA. I have four options as to what I will do in the fall, but I have to figure it out asap since it will influence this summer. First option, remain in Kamloops and do the courses I need on campus and work here full time. Second option, move back to Maple Ridge and participate in a discipleship training program thru CLA and complete the courses that I need through Open Learning then transfer them to TRU to graduate. Option three, very much the same as option two but I would take the courses through Kwantlan or UCFV and then transfer them, with this option I do not know if I would be able to do the discipleship program it would depend on timing. With both option 2 and 3 I would also be working part-time in the Maple Ridge area. The fourth option that I have is to move elsewhere and work full time and take the courses through Open Learning. To make this decision I need to resolve many unknowns. Feedback and prayer as to what you think I should do would be appreciated.

Not much is happening in my life right now; just classes, work, homework, church, and occasionally sleeping. I am also in the midst of planning my trip to Japan in May, I have about 6 days where I am on my own and need to determine what I am going to do. I want to head south to Kyushu and see Mount Aso but other than that I am not sure what I am going to do. As the time gets closer I will post a detailed itenerary of where I will be for the three weeks that I am there and will try to post updates from Japan and let you know how everything is going.

Well I had best get back to those essays, what fun.

New Semester and Classes Same Stress

So I made it through the first week at school. It looks like it is going to be an intense semester with heavy reading. I am already behind and overwhelmed and it is only the second monday of the semester. Oh well I will get through as I always do.

For Christmas I got gift certificates for London Drugs to get a digital camera so I do not have to worry about film when I am in Japan. However, I know nothing about digital cameras or their features so I am going to have to do some serious research before I decide which one to buy. Anyone have any advice?

I am getting really excited about going to Japan, I think that it will be what drives me on and gets me through the semester. I am hoping that I have early exams so that I can have a few days off before starting the course in Japan.

Well back to homework

Back to the real world

So Christmas was interesting. I arrived in Abbotsford on Friday December 14th arouond 8pm. My brother picked me up and drove me to my parents house so I could pick up pjs and a change of clothes (I sent them down with Wendy the year before). We then went back to his house in Mission where I spent the night. Saturday morning around 7am we left to go shopping in the US. Thankfully I was able to purchase most of my Christmas presents. We arrived back in Maple Ridge around 6pm, dropped my stuff of at my parents, then went to the mall to be trained for the booth. Sunday I went to church and hung out with my parents for the day. The remainder of the time prior to Christmas was spent working at the mall, helping my dad with papers, baking, and finishing shopping and holiday preparations. Christmas morning I spent baking while my parents went to the church to scrub the pans from the community dinner the night before. We had our family christmas on boxing day. After christmas my time in Maple Ridge was spent seeing friends and cathching up. It was nice to see everyone again but it also hurt that so much of the focus was on Kaeden and Veronica and in many instances I felt almost completly ignored around people that I have not seen since the summer or even last christmas. I was definatly glad to get back to kamloops and have my own space again.

This semester looks to be decent. So far I have had one class and a four hour break. Got to head to my second class now (yeah Brit Lit).