7-Things Are Great!

After a short sence of "what next," and frusteration with not being able to go to Bolivia, (as my flight was delayed until January) I came to the blessed conclusion that life is life, no matter where I am! I'm still in Caronport for a reason. Or rather reasons, as I can see so many things that have happened so far that would not have happened if I was in Bolivia at this point. Now, of course, things would have happened in Bolivia-amazing things that I could be there for, but I'm kind of ignoring that, as I can't be there now. I'm going to let myself be blessed with the present and when I get to Bolivia, I will say the same thing.

I suppose not much has changed since I last blogged. Friendships have grown, my mind has grown, I've had growth in faith... and I guess there's some reasons right there why I guess one could suggest benifits reguarding why I've remained in Canada for another delay. People always tell me I'm so optimistic. I guess they do have a good point in saying that.

Prayer Requests:
-Health for Ken, as he tries to fight his typhoid.
-That I will remian optimistic and look on the positive side of my delay.
-Pray that God reveals lots to me both now, and when I'm in Bolivia.

6-More Than Coping

So I recieved news a couple of days ago that I shouldn't expect to leave the country on Friday. Not long after, I came to discover that Ken's struggle with typhoid is rather intence and other situations suggest that now is not the best time to go down. So with the thought of having to wait again, this time until January to depeart. I do admit disappointment. For the first six hours of finding out, I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I felt more prepared to be in Bolivia for this next month than in Canada. As it was Tuesday, I thought it might be best to skip out on the Love Bus once to get everything figured out in my mind. After some encouraging time and talks with friends, I came to terms with the situation, and now I`m feeling like there is something good that will come of this. Maybe this is being delayed for purposes explained in 1 Peter 1:3-9 (thank you Colton), and maybe also, God is protecting me or preparing me, or strengthening me through lack of being prapared, as I wasn`t prepared to not go (thank you Matt).

Whatever happens happens.

So I was going to have a `Goobye Tim Fondu Night` but it turned into a `Fondu Night` alone. It was such a nice time though. I got to just relax and enjoy some fondu and games with friends. Thank you to all that could come out!

People are cool. It`s amazing how each individual of the hundreds of billions to have lived or are living have all been created, atom for atom, specifically, given a character, affected by nature and nuture. Everyone has their own little life! Sorry, BIG life! So intricate. And God loves each of us for who He made us to be, and knows every little thing about us. I think that`s cool.

5-Merry Early Christmas

I had a wonderful early Christmas yesterday, thrown before my departure to Bolivia. We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, that orange stuff my mom makes, and a table full of goodness. I recieved gifts of shoes, sandles, and money which will go towards the mission. I am blessed with such great friends and family.

I've been keeping busy with the psycologically well aquainted date fastly approching, though still I've had a fair ammount of time to give to a social life and whatnot. I've realized that I've been consentrating a lot on going to Bolivia (which is good, and I wouldn't get there if I didn't work towards it), but what I'm doing right now is life too, and as thankful as I am to go to Bolivia and to be busy with volunteering in an orphanage and working with Ken's boys, I'm thankful now as well for the time I've been given to prepare for the future. I'm so thankful for the friends I've been rekindling relationships with-even faces I haven't seen in 11 years have become common. I'm thankful for the people I only met in late August but will miss when I leave. It's so amazing to just walk back into town and make 20 new friends. Friends who challenge and build. I'm thankful for lifetime friends. I suppose this paragraph is appropriate for the season of American Thanksgiving in the air.

So...

I recieved an e-mail earlier today which simply stated that the tickets for the flight had not yet been purchased. I am hoping it isn't to late to get them, as airplanes do have a max. So it would be good to be in prayer about that.

Prayer Requests:
-Pray for my family, as they will have one less voice in the house.
-Ask God to help me leave my friends and family once again as I head off.
-Pray that everything will work out for me to catch this flight on Friday, or whatever His will is, to be done.
-Pray that I will be at ease about whatever happens.

4-Thanks!

Wow. Thanks so much to my supporters. I am over half way percentage of finances wise, and more is in the mail. So that means that right now, I've got about $336 after the ticket purchase. Now that's not quite enough to live off of for 5 months, but we're doing well, and I have rights to be thankful!

With everything coming together for my missions trip, it's becoming more and more of a reality to me that I'm actually going. Now I've known I would go back basicly since I left. I was reading my travel journal the other week and is said, "I can't wait to come back." Now I did end up waiting. I waited for 2 years! Now that's not long, but when you're 20, that's a 10th of your life! Man I feel young right now. The thought is to drive up (maybe Greyhound but hopefully not) to Saskatoon on December 2nd, and stay the night at Mike's. He hasen't confirmed yet, but since our flight will be at 6am, that's probably going to be the best option.

I hope to include pictures on my blog in the future. God blessed me with a camera, and I think I'll get some good use of it down in Bolivia... That is if my computer will cooperate and go on the internet. I've had that computer for about 6 or so years, and Acer is not a name with duribility behind it. For whatever reason, it says that it has a great internet signal, but when I enter a browser, it says I don't have a signal! A little frusterating. I'll blog in an internet cafe if I really can't get it to work, but it'd be nice to not have to pay a boliviano for every 15 minutos I'm on the computer.

6 more days, and I'll be lathering on the sunscreen and fixing to make a Godly impression on young adults and orphans.

3-Almost Ready

Well I'm happy to say that my seven minute speech last week went well, and my prayer and support team is growing. I made a group on facebook if you would like to join, if you are willing to pray for me and my mission and maybe even give financially to me. As of now, I have enough money to get there, and enough to fly back, but not enough to actually live there. I'm very excited about the future, whatever it looks like.

So now, I'm heading off to church, where I'm going to speak once again about Bolivia. I didn't have many coppies of my support letter, as my printer wasn't being kind to me. Not kind at all. But it looks like I'll have enough... I think. If you didn't get one, just facebook me, and I'll get one to you.

So any update on my departure?
Oh that question... knowing ahead of time is what Canadians are best at... most Canadians... I don't have a date set in stone still. I thought it would be the 5th that I would leave, but the 6th is Mike's birthday, and I'll be flying with him, and who wants to spend their birthday in an airport? So we might be leaving on the 3rd, or some other day around then. These are days in December I'm talking about, that is. So most things are all ready for the trip. Minus getting the tickets and having enough support to stay there, everything that can be done before going is done. I think. And that's exciting to say.

Snow! My brother, Nathan, left a warm winter coat here in Caronport, and I left my winter coat in Airdrie, thinking I'd be in Bolivia before the snow was on the ground and the air froze my latte to my coat... It's clean now though, Nathan!

I've kind of been feeling like I'm in transition right now. I've been getting a little involved with the Love Bus in Regina, and a tiny bit involved at Joe's Place in Moose Jaw, but I still feel like where God wants me is Bolivia, so I don't feel like it's fair to give myself to a misison in Saskatchewan. I'll be off soon! As soon as 12 days, and as late as 14 days... Wow! I'm so excited!

2-I'm Alive and Well

Well I haven't blogged in a while, but I'm still alive, and I am still well. I was posting some videos on youtube, as you may know. But my computer decided it didn't feel like being connected to the internet anymore, so I haven't be able to edit or post my videos. I suppose it's a good thing in a way, as it allows me to concentrate even more on getting to Bolivia.

Speaking of Bolivia, I have a site up! International Teams set up a website for updates and donations for my missions trip. A big thanks to those who have already donated.

If you would like to get involved in prayer and/or donating financially, you can visit http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=1019565

So I just got back from a meeting with some members of the missions committee with my church. It went quite well, I think, as I got to share with them about what I'll be doing in Bolivia, how I'll be getting there, and so on. Later today, I'll be meeting with Pastor Rick to fill out a form of some sort for Bolivia. I think it's just a written consent form saying that the church agrees with me going. There sure are many things to be done in preparation of a trip such as this... Learning a new language, getting a new passport, lots and lots of forms, raising money, maybe a health check-up... And so on.

At the meeting, they posed the idea of me speaking at a Sunday night service, and possibly a Sunday morning service to. I don't consider myself much of a public speaker. In fact the idea of it alone freaks me out. But I'm willing to do it. We'll see how it goes. That probably won't be this Sunday, but the Sunday after. So you should come check it out if you can! It'll be at the Golden Age Center.

Last Tuesday, I was able to go into Regina and hop on the Love Bus. I'm not sure how long it's been running, but more than a couple years I think. So basically what we did was ride a bus around inner-city Regina, and talk and pray with people. Many people in the area know about the bus, and hop on happily. There were some prostitutes, ex-street people, and street people. It was really cool to hear their stories and what God's done in their lives. They've been praying for more girls to join the bus because a lot of the people who come on the bus are women. Cool enough, my sister's friend was praying for an opportunity to talk to prostitutes, and my sister has had some experience talking to ex-prostitutes in the past, and the both of them are excited to join the Tuesday night team. Unfortunately, the Love Bus is canceled this week. Hopefully, they will be able to join us next week though.

1-Complications

At the end of June, I finished my work at Starbucks, and set off to work at camp for July. I had plans to go to Santa Cruz, Bolivia after camp with the EFCCM. Camp was different this year on some personal levels, but in the end, my job as a counselor had been fulfilled, and I guess that's what's important. With 3-8 young boys a week, I was a busy man! I didn't think it would be good for my personal life to negatively affect these young kids and their camp experience. I have a heart for the kids, and though it's most often not the easiest job in the world, I do enjoy counseling them.

I hadn't done much planning for my trip to Bolivia, but I knew that it would all fall into place. After camp, I received an e-mail that explained that it had fallen, not in place, but apart! Apparently I was confused, and though I thought I had been unofficially accepted, the agency I had applied for did not accepted me, bringing some concern as to how I was going to get to Bolivia after all! I knew I was going, but apparently not with them. What to do? Camp was done, and I was just hanging out with friends, and doing whatever, wherever.

I got a chance to talk to Ken Switzer through facebook messages, and I explained that I couldn't go with the other agency. He suggested that I go with his missions organization, ITCA. Best give it a try, I thought.

As a side note, I know that not everyone reading this has the same ideas and beliefs as I do, so I'm just going to try to write this blog as factual from evidence as possible, if that makes sense.

So after the hospitality my cousin and his wife offered me, I came back to Saskatchewan for a camping trip. There were six of us total, and we were pumped for this trip! So we got everything ready, and head up to Chitik Lake, Central Saskatchewan, and camped in Graeme's tent. Most nights were kinda painful with the rocks and dirt jutting into my back, but overall, the trip was just great! It was so nice to relax with old friends once again, just like old times.

Not to mention the fact that I caught the biggest fish, off shore none the less!

One very memorable event was as fast as a flash, but rather excited and comforted me. For a while before the camping trip, I didn't feel as close to God as I have at other times in my life, I guess one could say.

One morning at the campsite, I was reading my bible, and all the woodland creatures were flying and crawling around me. Since I was a child, I have always been a little bugged by the fact that animals are just so frightened by people, they won't come close. I didn't know about Bolivia, as to how I was getting there, or anything, and I was just overall, tired of the complications, and I needed to know that God had it all under control. I prayed, "God, please just get one of these animals to land on me or something unusual like that, just so I can have a sign that You're here, and have this under control."

Not long after, others started to wake-up, and they were sitting around and I was just talking with them. THEN a dove flew and landed on my head! It soon flew off, but to me, it was just a little message saying, "I've still got this under control." Yay. :)

So on the 17th, I received an e-mail with some forms to fill out for ITCA, and I e-mailed the last one back today, the 22nd of August. I hope to hear back from them soon, and I guess I'll have more information about Bolivia and my trip when I do!