Soaring, tumbling, free-wheeling ...

This weekend I had, yet again, the pleasure of travelling to Denman Island, to stay at the property of my "arch nemesis" :) It's always so lovely to spend time up there, away from the city, enveloped in glorious nature (almost feels like a whole new world ;)) - pictures will follow shortly. We headed up Saturday morning (there were about 25 of us) and as my car was one of the first to arrive, we decided to head straight down to the ocean, and spent some time admiring the ferocity of the roiling sea (the tide was in, and there were some sweet whitecaps). That evening was spent drying off indoors, playing some games, enjoying the warmth of the fire, and watching some movies.
Sunday was a busy day, as much of it was spent outdoors, checking out a local hermitage, and then taking the usual trek through Fillongley Park. The skies actually cleared up, and for much of the afternoon the sun was intermittently stretching fingers of light through the clouds. Just down a path from the hermitage was probably the most stellar climbing tree I have ever seen in my life!! We had a lot of fun climbing around in that tree, and creating some interesting photo ops. And best of all, no one got hurt. Much. On the walk back from the park, I finally achieved one of my life goals of slapping a bull in the butt. Okay, so it was never a goal, and I think I may have done it before, but it made for some good times none the less. Turns out there is a wide variety of things I'll do to make people laugh.

So there you have it - pretty much what I've been up to lately :D I am now back in Victoria, as I had a hockey game I wanted to play tonight. I have the day off tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to get some good amount of school work done, as this project is just plaguing me, always there at the back of my head. Other than that, and actually even with that, things are going splendidly, as I am happy, healthy, and blessed!!!

Tempestuous November

I sit at our kitchen table, looking out the window at the torrential downpour ... and I love it! November and I have always been friends :) I love months that bring change, and this month is definitely doing so, at least in Victoria. The only unfortunate part of the rain, in my opinion, is that the kindergarteners I'll be walking to the pool will likely be less than pleased to be getting soaking wet. On the bright side (har har), it may mean they'll behave themselves on the way there and back. Too bad I don't have a 'one adult and 5 kindergarteners' sized umbrella. I'm sure that would be quite the picture - like a mother hen and her chicks! Aaaaaaaaaaaanyway, thisi is sounding a bit like some kind of country magazine column, so I'll cut with the waxing poetical.

It's a new day, it's a new world ...

So, it's been just over a month that I've been working, and I'm still smiling at the end of every day. One of the parents today commented suprisedly that we were always smiling by the time kids are getting picked up, but then they just figured that it's because they kids are then leaving. Not true, at least in my case. I still genuinely enjoy their company!
That being said, I'll be missing work Friday afternoon to travel home for Thanksgiving. I missed out the last two years, and really want to be home this year as it's sort of a time of a lot of change within our family ... also, I've always loved Thanksgiving, and I really want to get part of an Autumn of colour! It has grown a bit cooler here, and wetter, and there's occasionally some crispness in the air, but it's just not the same. I feel like I've said this a million times, so I'll leave it at that ...
Ummm, what else? NHL regular season starts Thursday, which is sweet! I'm looking forward to watching the Oilers, the Penguins, the Blackhawks, and the usual suspects of the Leafs and the Canucks. I'm also slightly more fond of the Flames this year that I have been in previous years. Must be the additions of Squid (Cammalleri) and Bertuzzi. I'm still playing hockey quite a bit (3-5 times a week, generally), and am also playing co-ed intramural indoor soccer once a week, both of which are tons of fun. Bible study, IVCF, and the twice-a-month ACF get togethers have also provided some very enjoyable times. All in all, I am feeling absolutely blessed in pretty much everything going on in my life. :D

Autumn's arrival

So, I've completed three weeks of work now ... I really love the job, and pretty much everything related. I feel like I am now settled in enough to be able to start looking past making sure routine things are getting done and learning about the kids and their behaviour, to look at applying some creativity to the position, and figuring out how to bring in more games and such that will create more unity than we currently have. The kids are really great, generally, and I am finding ways to connect with most of them. I am kind of concerned about some of the stuff going on with a few of the kids, but at the same time I have to remind myself that we are only 3 weeks in and I have many more months to spend working with this little society.
Outside of work I've also been really busy. I've spent about 5 hours each week cleaning, which has been nice, as it's at a nice place in Cadboro Bay where there are 2 lovely dogs that I can snuggle and play with. Here's a picture (they're a lab/daschund cross, and a labradoodle (who is a puppy in this pic)):

Anyway, so that's been good to make some $ to cover groceries. I've also been playing hockey (obviously), biking a lot, and started going to a Bible study on Genesis. I am also going to be playing intramural indoor soccer, which will be fun ... and yeah, my job means I have to get up at around 5:44am every morning, and it's getting late ...

An update, as requested (covering the end of August)

As mentioned in the title, this post is to cover the week at camp (August 24th-30th) ... the 24th was a crazy day as I had to get up quite early to catch a bus, to get to another bus, to get to my First Aid course by 8:15am. It was a good time, though, and I definitely feel I would now be more competent in case of an emergency.
From there, I caught a taxi in order to get to the Greyhound in time, as I needed to get to Chemainus to catch a ferry to Thetis Island, where Pioneer Pacific Camp is located. This are went fairly smoothly, and I was privy to a gorgeous sunset during the ferry ride (sorry, no picture of that one. However, here is a different sunset):The week was really great! Two other young women and I were "in charge" of a group of 23 teenage girls, and it actually went pretty well, I thought. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and there was a wealth of activities available, interspersed with meals and club (sort of an informal chapel). We were all definitely short of sleep by the end of the week, but what's new? :) I got to try a couple of new things, like tubing, wakeboarding, and kayaking (no, I had never kayaked before). Kayaking was probably my highlight, partly because I liked it so much, and partly because I got to see a lot of great wildlife, the cutest being the seals we saw lounging on the rocks. Or the dead jellyfish. Here's a pic of me successfully staying on the tube, while the other guy wiped out:It was really great to see some of the people I had met in Mexico again, and also great to see people I knew from UVic!! It was awesome to finally get to spend some time at a place that has been a big part of the lives of so many ... One more pic, of some mealtime hijinx:

It was a terrific, blessed way to end the summer, although the weather wasn't really summer-like (intermittent rain, and temperatures rarely above 22 Celsius). The kids headed home Saturday morning, and I stayed (with a small group of staff) to help clean up, as waiting around meant I could catch a ride back to Victoria, which was preferable to bussing, definitely. I made it back to Victoria Saturday evening ... and Sunday meant the beginning of packing and cleaning for another move.

And I say good-bye to being a student

I had a fantastic summer! It definitely qualifies as one of my favourites (although I think there are only one or two in remembrance that don't qualify for that ...), replete with family time - which among other things involved tennis, horseback riding, volleyball, singing/band, swimming, and cribbage - which was wonderful, as well as learning a bit about roofing and renovation.
And now I am back in Victoria, missing my family and animals, as always when I leave. It's a bit of a new start, this September, for a few of us in the family. My beautiful cousin Amanda is starting in a kineseology program at University of Guelph-Humber, my lovely cousin Roberta is starting a teaching job at a private school, in a spot that allows her to be closer to family, and I will be working while not attending school, for only the second year of my life that I can remember! I believe all of these changes are quite welcome.

So about my job: I'll be the program manager for an out-of-school care program, which means I'll be organizing the activity schedule (games, crafts, and out-trips) for the program, as well as being one of two persons there every week day (morning and afternoon) to care for the kids. I'm really looking forward to it, and believe it will provide some good practical experience for me. And as much as I miss everything back home (including the weather!), I am glad to be back, for at least another year, in the community I have become a part of here in Victoria.
This first almost-week back has been fairly busy, meeting my new bosses, unpacking and packing and unpacking, and taking care of some school stuff (long story) ... and next week I'll be at Pioneer Pacific Camp, as a counselor. Should be a great week!

Our trip to the Baja-ha (that second 'ha' is part of an inside joke)

(stayed in Vicente Guerrero, worked in Benito Garcia)

We arrived in Mexico after what seemed like a fairly short (it was about 5 ½ hours) drive from San Diego. That evening was spent meeting the Hero Holiday staff in Mexico (they also work in the Dominican and Thailand), checking out where we would be staying, and receiving a short debrief about what we would be doing while in Mexico and the situations of the families we would be building for. Both families live in tarp and cardboard homes, where the mother works at home and the father works out of the home. One family has 2 children and the other 6. The only member of the family of 8 who speaks Spanish is the oldest child, a 12-year old girl (the rest speak a native dialect). There is no electricity, no running water (a truck drives around selling water), and a lot of stray dogs. Yet, God is working in Mexico.


The first full day was spent meeting the families, hearing a lot about past work Hero Holiday has done in the area, and doing a bit of sightseeing (went to a beach and a local market; also visited a graveyard, where it seemed the majority of graves were of infants). Saturday we finally got started on the construction! I loved the whole building side of this trip, as it was something relatively new to me (although I’ve done various related odd jobs). We split into two teams: I was on the team building the house for the family of 4. The houses were frames of two-by-fours with plywood sheeting and tar paper roofs. Each of the days we were on site the family (sans the father) was there, along with an assortment of neighbourhood kids, all very interested in our sunglasses and cameras (and some of them took some pretty good pictures), and in getting piggy-back rides. :) Our teams cooperated very well, each filling in doing something that needed to get done, figuring out our strengths and preferences. My favourite day was probably the day spent working on the roof, as we were kept busy, and had a great view from up there. :D


The evening activities varied. We went out for supper a couple of times (excellent food, especially at the taco stand), played some volleyball and Dutch Blitz, had a bonfire, attended a birthday party (complete with a Bob the Builder piñata), climbed a volcano (now inactive), and had two chances to swim in the ocean. That wasn’t all, but those were some highlights.

One of the most amazing people we met on the trip (at the birthday party) was a man named Angel. I’m just going to fill in his story by quoting from the blog of one of the guys who was on the trip: “Angel is a silver maker in his forties who lost mobility in both his legs as a result of a car accident years ago. He got a wheelchair donated to him, but found it impossible to navigate the potholed dirt roads of Mexico with the hospital-style wheelchair he had been given. Always the inventor, he put mountain bike tires on it and otherwise improved the frame to make it possible for him to move about himself. Out of this his wheelchair ministry was born, and he now alters and distributes wheelchairs around Vicente Guerrero to disabled people who otherwise often spend their entire lives crawling on their hands and knees at home. He has continued with his silver jewelry business and now employs several physically disabled people, and is expanding his wheelchair ministry to other communities in the neighbourhood. Most of his wheelchairs are old, unused ones from hospitals in Canada or the US. In June he is going to Canada for the first time and will actually be meeting with Mayor Sam Sullivan (mayor of Vancouver). In fact, Sullivan was so impressed with what Angel is doing that he has booked two days off to spend with Angel and personally show him all the Vancouver sights.


A group of us chatted with Angel for some time – what impressed me the most was how he always interjected “God willing” into his language when he was speaking about his future dreams and plans (and he has many – this guy’s a visionary). Here is a man who has grasped the minuteness of his own work and his complete reliance on God. He provides hope and empowerment to many, many people in the area who otherwise are rejected from society, yet he sees that it is not him, but God at work.” (my thanks to Thomas)
I realized on this trip that even if I wouldn’t have gone other people would have likely filled in, as was the case for most of us who went(spaces were limited). However, though most people would think that the sole purpose for going on this trip was to provide a service to those people for whom we build the houses. Rarely to people see what is given back to the participants (as well as to those who are working in these communities year-round). For many of the students who travelled to Mexico, this was a life-changing experience. They gained a new perspective on how blessed they are to be living in Canada, to be well-nourished, and also to see first-hand what poverty looks like. We will forever have these families and children in our hearts, and hopefully that will move us to encourage generosity in those around us, to know that one person really can make a difference. We learned that we weren’t just providing a home – a place to live. We were improving health, life chances, and security for a family, and showing Benito Garcia that there are people who care, people who love them. There is no jealousy, no pettiness. The ongoing work there provides hope for the community, and not just for those who receive the houses.

Additional notes:
- The relationship between the wealthy (most Canadians) and impoverished people is not about us having less, bringing our level of living down to their level (sometimes the way people think when they start feeling guilty). Rather, it’s about bringing them up to a higher standard of living, where they can have access to education, clean water, have a safe place to live – having their basic needs met.
- We learned why many Mexican children don’t receive an education (usually lack of documentation or lack of finances, or both). Also, many parents are unaware of proper procedure.
- So many people go on vacation hoping to find even a little bit of the joy that these people have (despite the fact that it is rare that they can even afford what we would deem necessities). They find joy in hope, in family and relationships, in community. Their version of hospitality is giving of everything they have, while so often we are only willing to give of what we don’t want, or small parts of what we believe we can spare.

We were encouraged not to feel guilty for how good we have it, but instead to let this impact our lives positively, by becoming informed,by becoming active. And hopefully, by helping motivate others to become the same ...

It was an amazing trip! Much thanks to everyone who helped support me (financially or otherwise), I am truly grateful.

Meghan :)

“I will rise above, I will live for love, I will answer to the call.” ~ ‘Revolution’ by Starfield

playoffs and the rest

So, one NHL playoff series is over, as the Pens swept the Sens. I would've sort have liked to see the Sens win at least one, for the sake of Antoine Vermette ... but ah well. The Sens really seemed to be missing Fisher, and the return of Alfie didn't really spark them. I'm pretty sure the Pens and Habs (Price (sporting his new mohawk, courtesy of Latendresse) has been stellar) will be playing in the Eastern Conference final, which will be great to see, should it happen! I'm hoping that the Avs or Sharks will make it through in the West.

Playoffs means the end of university terms, and right now many of the people I know are wrapped up in studying and take-homes, and I'm just trying to be a source of encouragement and peace for them, as I have totally finished my course work, which is pretty sweet. If you are someone feeling worn down or spent, regardless of the reason, read this and hope:

"When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our Father’s full giving is only begun"
~ from He Giveth More Grace


So, what's left? Well, I have my project to gets some serious work done on and finish, yes, still. Nothing else too exciting going on, although a lot remains up in the air for me. Where will I be in the fall? I'm thinking one of Victoria, Ottawa, or Vermont. But I shall keep praying, and wait and see. There were 5 spiders in our bathroom this morning. I think when I get home I'll put 4 of them in a jar together and see what happens. Don't worry, if it starts coming to eye for an eye for an eye for an eye for an ... okay okay, bad ummm ... well, I don't even think that could be called a joke. Maybe a groaner. But yeah, I actually plan just to relocate them. I'm pretty sure our bathroom isn't really well-suited to their lifestyle.

Here I am ...

The morning after the Leafs suffered yet ANOTHER terrible (albeit meaningless) loss to the Senators (at least I wasn’t at this game) … and it is the last day of classes - for this year, and likely for my life. I actually had my last class yesterday, but whatever. :) So, what am I going to do with the rest of my life, now that I (well, almost) have 2 degrees? Same thing I’ve been doing all along: waiting on and trusting in God to guide me where he wants me. Sounds like a solid plan to me! I have applied to a few places, both for the summer and for the fall, and am still waiting to hear from anywhere. I really would love to get the job at Putney School in Vermont …

The rest of March was pretty busy although enjoyable, but I can’t believe my time here in Victoria is veritably at an end. Unless I am here next fall, which really, I have to admit, wouldn’t be all that bad. However, it would just be for a year, as I definitely am not that fond of being this far from my family. And I don’t really have any other news to share, except that Starfield is awesome and I’m excited about seeing them in a few weeks. And it’s not long after that that I head to Mexico with U.C.M!

Sucks to hockey: The Oilers and the Canucks (as of last night) are now both out of playoff contention. Guess they can join the Leafs on the golf course. Some consolation prize.

Ah well, “the road goes ever on and on” …

I'm not perfect

And this may be news to some people, but I KNOW I'm not perfect ... and I don't have delusions of amazingness by any means. Maybe it's not just me, but it seems like whenever I try to encourage people to walk more righteously or try to help them be accountable I get this sort of response of, "Well, you're not perfect." And I'm not going about it in a sort of "You're sinning!! Don't do (this)!" sort of way, either. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the Bible say that we should be helping our brothers and sisters to try and walk blamelessly. It's not the same as judging. Anyway, just thought I would let you all know that I do realize I'm not perfect and any time you want to let me know why this it true, feel free :)



In other news: It was my roommate's birthday yesterday, and as a number of other people had birthdays on or close to the same day, and bunch of us got together for a potluck and some games ... it was a great meal, and I played a few games of Dutch Blitz, which is always a great time! I may or may not have been scaring people with my level of competetiveness (sorry, Georgia) ;)

fighting the good fight

I did not get the Our Daily Bread for December - February until recently, so I have been sort of skimming through what I missed ... and yesterday as I was reading, one (January 28th - hey, the day Everest turned 4 months old) in particular connected with me. It was talking about how we continuously go out into the battlefield that is the world, and we are insufficiently armed. So often we venture out without any armour on and we wonder why we aren't protected from attacks. And it's not like we haven't been warned (Eph. 6:12). Anyway, I would just like to encourage anyone reading this to make sure that you are armed and ready, as no one likes to see casualties. Wow, I'm so cryptic :)

Anyway, aside from reading Our Daily Bread more than daily, things have been good. I've been able to get a leg up on my project work, and am looking foward to furthering the progress I've made. I'll probably put a bit on here about what I'm working on (evaluating a plan for education in Africa) when it gets closer to done - it promises to be interesting.

I was pretty worn out by the end of last week from all the physical duress I put myself under, but I'm feeling somewhat restored and nothing's going on today but reading, which will help facilitate the restoration. I don't usually have a problem with the time changes (probably because I have no set schedule :)), so that wasn't making anything worse ... Gareth Evans (not the politician or the philosopher) is an amazing speaker!!! It had to be proclaimed :D

The promised picture

POST #100!!

Wow, I feel like I should be celebrating or something ... and for those of you who don't recognize sarcasm, that was it :)

Anyway, not quite a month since my last post is doing pretty good, I think. And happy birthday to my brother John (who likely doesn't read this, but whatever)! This is the last day of reading week here at the University of Victoria, which gave me a reason to take a few days off work and, after last weekend's ski trip (we spent Saturday at Manning Park - it was a gorgeous day and the conditions were perfect) I spent said time off visiting with Jim and Deb and Arlene up in Quesnel. I took the bus, and am glad I got to travel in the daytime because some of the scenery was fairly breathtaking. I wish I had had a camera (I didn't forget to take one; I actually don't have one) with me, but ah well, at least I can see what I'm talking about. So yeah, the visit was awesome and it was lovely to be taken in with such open arms - they were wonderful hosts! Oh, and I can't forget Toby Mac (of whom I'll get a picture up soon) and Molly, the coddled dog and long-suffering cat - it was great to spend some time with animals again.

So I spent the majority of my time in Quesnel helping out at the Salvation Army, doing some sorting and cleaning and such. It reminded me a lot of the way things tend to go in Wiarton, and it's obvious they've made a lot of progress and changes for the better in the time they've been there .. wow, all of a sudden this is feeling a lot like those 'local news' columns in the Wiarton Echo ... and that's not a good thing. I better stop.

There and back again

The day after coming back to Victoria I received a phone call informing me that my beloved Grandad (pictured, with me and Maya, in the previous post) has passed away. It wasn't really unexpected - he had been in the hospital for over a week - and there was definitely a few indications that it was his time ... but of course there was still some sadness in hearing the news. I stayed in Victoria until Wednesday morning, and then flew back to Ontario so that I could be with my family for the wake and the funeral. It was wonderful to get to spend some more time with them, as always, and the service in celebration of Grandad's life went very well and smoothly. I love that he can finally breathe with ease. Nanna is thankfully doing well, and is nicely settling into a retirement residence (as is Gruffy, her cat :)).
As a side note - there's nothing quite like a fire to put one into a musing mode. That and the hottub ... I won't lie: they are two of the reasons I enjoy being home :) I flew back to Victoria on the Friday evening (the 11th) ... and was a bit glad to think I wouldn't be on an airplane again for a while. Since I got back my days have been an interesting mix of church-related things, work, school, and hockey, with a bit of other sport mixed in. I've been busy, but am working on more properly scheduling my time, because I definitely waste a bit too much of it ... and yes, I've been convicted of it.

a new year

Wow, talk about lax. Anyway, I guess since the majority of people who ever read this blog are in Ontario, there wasn't much point in me writing while I was there. That's my excuse for not having posted in over a month. The last month of last year went by pretty quickly, me muchly enjoying being back home, getting to spend time with various family members (Sam included :)), and even getting some skiing in (thanks, Dad!), which is something I didn't get to do last year because of lack of snow. It was a relaxing time - after I got my paper done - and it was almost nice to have a break from playing so much hockey ;)
It was great to be able to participate in a couple of advent services, and I actually didn't find that I'd lost my lip too much when it came to playing baritone in the S.A. band. Christmas Eve was a special time, as usual, and Christmas morning it was nice to once again be able to head over to Parkview and play carols for the residents as they opened their gifts. Then Dad and I graced Luke, Anne, Maya, and Everest with our presence for a nice Christmas Day visit. In the week following Christmas there were some lovely get-togethers and dinners and the weather was never such that it made driving very dangerous.
So yeah, a lovely vacation, and I came back to Victoria on January 5th ...