MX Journal Entry

Yet another journal entry from my trip to the North.

January 14, 2012. Second full day in Split Lake.

            I think I’m still adjusting to a different pace of life and the impact that adjustment plays on my expectations of what ministry looks like here in Split Lake. Coming in I had certain expectations of what it would look like. In southern Manitoba we would have done a whole list of activities already and a schedule would have been absolutely essential. Up here though, life is different. I’ve been trying to adjust to the realization that likely our most effective ministry here will be our contact with the Christians here. It’s hard not to feel guilty about sitting around at our host homes when in our culture we would be doing something.  But I’m beginning to see that our ministry here is living in the moment and building relationships with whomever happens to be around at the moment.

            Today was a pretty laid back day but it ended really well. With it being Saturday we enjoyed the local culture and slept in. We headed to rink around noon and watched the community high school team play a team from Thompson. Split Lake killed them, 13-3. I thought this was actually a very effective way of connecting with kids. We ran into a few from the school and got some exposure in the community as well. After lunch we spent a good chunk of the day at Sophie’s house. Eventually we decided to drive around the community for a bit and drive over some ice-roads as well. I’m proud to say that I’m officially Canadian now. Ice-road driving I’m pretty sure is an essential requirement for that. Our team is getting stronger every day and I’m encouraged by them. We had supper with Sophie and played some Blitz with her as well. She is a hilarious lady.

            After supper we went out to visit some of the local Christians. We stopped at the home of Margaret Keeper. We sang some songs for her and prayed with her. We prayed for her health and for her husband, who is a believer but is addicted to alcohol. It was definitely an eye-opening experience of seeing God at work here. Her husband, Walter, came in drunk while we were singing and sat and watched us. When we were leaving everyone shook his hand and introduced themselves. When I told him my name he paused and said, as only a drunk man can, “That’s a stupid name.” It was excellent.

            Following that we stopped by the home of the local pastor, Eli, and his wife. The Anglican church he pastors is the only church in the town of about 2500. He and his wife were really encouraging. They are a vibrant example of serving God no matter the cost. Everyone here is very genuine and their hurts are never hidden. This particular culture trait I think has much potential for Christianity and faith takes on a new perspective through that lens of authenticity as well. Much could be accomplished in the North American Church if only everyone was genuine and authentic. 

MX North Journal Entry

Hey Guys!

Here is entry number 3 from my journal taken on my recent trip North. Bonus. Here are a few pictures of our group and our time up there. 

                                         A few of the kids in the school with the frogs we made

                                               The girls with Sophie, our main contact

Our team with Sophie and Mary Jane

January 13, 2012. First Full Day in Split Lake.

            Today is officially day #4 without a shower. Party hats are on and even tilted sideways for emphasis in the sticky body department. In other news, the shaggin wagon our team drives is an absolute hoot. It’s essentially a tin can tank, which is its new name now. What’s not to love?

            The events of the day revolved around Sophie, our host, getting us into 8 different classrooms in the school for about a half hour each. We did fun camp songs, skits, stories, and games, or a variation of all of the above in each class. It’s been neat to observe the people oriented culture as we did our program in the classes. We pretty much went into each class without a solid idea of what exactly we were going to do. We had a list of things that we were prepared to pull out but we did not have an order of events. For a list-maker like myself I was surprised at how well I handled it. We calmly came up with a game plan that fit each particular class really well on the fly. This allowed us to read their interests and I think we were able to direct each session more successfully as a result.

            After school we headed back to Winston’s for supper. Talking with him has been challenging and fun. His hurts are real and he doesn’t hide them. The beliefs he has been sharing sound like a mix of Christianity, universalism, and a little native spirituality as well. It’s tough to find a balance between listening  and jumping in when he says things that we know are wrong and we can prove them so with Scripture. So far though, our approach has been to listen and build our relationship with him without condemning him or his views.

            Faith has definitely been connecting with him in the area of guidance for his life and in the area of God’s calling on his life. He talks freely about being where God wants him to be and about finding his way or his path. I think this could prove to be an excellent connecting point for the Christian faith to his life.

            My personal experience so far has been somewhat surprising. Driving up I was definitely nervous and would have been willing to turn around at any point. Those feelings have since disappeared and although I probably won’t be sad to go home I’m loving how I’m learning to appreciate these beautiful people and their culture. I think I was a little down because I didn’t know what to expect and our flexible preparations are becoming even more so. Being here I’m slowly grasping the idea that our biggest impact will likely be on our hosts and the established Christian community. As such it isn’t a waste of time to spend much time Winston and his two sons Brian and Anthony. Even though I feel like we should be planning or doing events with kids instead of hanging out with people I think this is likely our goal and will be our biggest impact. 

MX North Journal Entry

Hello World.

Here is the second entry of my journal on my recent trip North. Enjoy!

January 12, 2012. Travel to Split Lake.

            Already this trip has been interesting, challenging, frustrating, growing, stretching, and adventurous, along with a few other ‘ings’ I’m probably forgetting. Today we packed up our bags at the Thompson Bible Chapel and hit the road for Split Lake Cree Nation. After a brief stop to shop for food we were on our way just after lunch. The drive was about an hour and forty five minutes, mostly over gravel road, highlighted most significantly by impromptu pee breaks and an icy breeze blasting through the front of the van every time the lever moved to the defrost position. Upon our arrival in the community we were smacked in the face with the culture of the North. With no road signs to speak of and directions that went like ‘When you get to the community center you are about a kilometre from the house’ it took about an extra hour of driving around in the community before one of our hosts came and flagged down our van and lead us to the right house. Talk about being baptized by fire. This was a great icebreaker for the team in the community though.

            After dropping off the girls at the home of their host, Jeff and I headed to our own host’s place, Winston Roulette. We were made very welcome and most of the evening was spent having conversation. Right away its easy to see the emphasis placed on spirituality in Native culture and the effect that has on the Christian message here. Within three hours of our arrival we were watching a documentary on evil subliminal messages in popular media. The devil and his minions are a fearful reality here. It seems to me that maybe too much credit is being given to the devil, but that’s a first impression.

            I’m finding in myself an overwhelmedness and a worry that this trip will feel wasted because our time is so short in a place with such great needs. It’s going to be challenging to remember that we are only here for such a short time and because of that we will play a different role than we would in the South. My prayer tonight is “God free these people. Give me strength and love.” 

Mission X North

Hello Everyone!

You may or may not have heard about my recent trip to Manitoba's North. SBC does this missions trip to Native communities and I just arrived home from that. We were gone for 8 days and we have tons of stories to tell. I will be posting a few of my journal entries from my time there.

I went to a community of 2,500 people known as Split Lake Cree Nation. My team consisted of myself, Niki Dyck, Corrina Dyck, and Jeff Schalla. I'll post a few pictures of our team and our trip as I get them. In the meantime enjoy the journal articles. Thanks for your prayers while I was up there and feel free to ask questions if you have such. Hopefully you are encouraged by what God is doing among His people in Manitoba's true North!

Journal Entry #1. Pre-trip Thoughts.

Today we traveled by bus up to Thompson. It’s officially the furthest North I’ve ever been in Manitoba and I’m already feeling more Canadian and we’ve only just arrived. Bring on the adventures.

            Looking at our team as we prepare for ministry in Split Lake I’ve noticed some great team unity and I’ve been blessed already by the sense of one-ness and excitement that is brewing there. We’ve been blessed with a large variety of spiritual gifts and passions and I’m excited to see what this team will look like in action. I’m sure that God has some great adventures in store for us.

            Within the team we have been praying for sensitivity to Northern culture. We have also been trying to pray less selfishly, praying instead for others around us and for the needs of Split Lake rather than focusing our prayer times exclusively on ourselves. This has brought neat perspective to our preparation I think.

            Personally, in the days leading up to this trip I have been quite nervous and afraid. There may even have been a sense of dread floating around. Leaving my comfort zone is never easy. However, I know in my heart that this is exactly the adventure that God wants in my life and that this is going to be a great step towards growth in my life. As we traveled up and heard from some of the people here already my nervousness has been dissipating quickly and is being replaced with excitement. I’m looking forward to reporting the adventures and lessons God has taught me at the end of this trip.