This might be a temporary revival

Well, it is reading break right now. And it has been a while since I was active on this blog. There are a few things I want to share that have happened since October.

Life at 49-20 Kitty Murray Lane has been really good. The guys I have been living with and myself have been thinking a lot about how to live our life, thinking about community, trying to be a group of people welcoming to others. Matt V, Steve, and I have been going to First CRC downtown Hamilton which has been awesome for us.

Last semester ended in a very good fashion, I was able to visit Jen, Rachel, and Cheryl in Vancouver, and went to Calgary to celbrate Christmas there.

This week (reading break) offically means that we are halfway through the second semester, and this means there was time for some relaxing. The last 4 days I went to New York, which was an amazing trip where I was very impressed with the city and that it has to offer. Today, I went home, and tomorrow I am going to my first Leafs game which is also something I am really excited about. To top it all of I am going to the True City conference on the weekend - which is something really exciting - since there are so many churches working together on the city of Hamilton.

Earlier this semester I was also able to enjoy my time at the Calvin Worship Symposium, the Faith and Social Justice Conference, the Marva Dawn lectures, and the winter retreat. There are so many stories behind all these events, that listing them really doesn't do them justice, but hey, I am making up for 4 months of not bloggin. Anyway, expect more posts soon.

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Facebook has killed my blog...


Perhaps there will be some random musings here... but, I would consider those more as after schocks or spur of the moment blog writing attempts.

My life, it is going great, for those who want to know more e-mail me or get ahold of me through facebook, it is now the quickest way I respond to most things. Peace and love, Willem

Songs telling a story

1. put your music player on shuffle
2. press forward for each question
3. use the song title as the answer to the question even if it doesn't make sense
no cheating!

how are you feeling today? Fu-Gee-La

how do your friends see you? Let it Rain

will you get married? Who am I?

what is your best friend's theme song? Sticks and Stones

what is the story of your life? Great is Thy faithfulness

what was highschool like? Numb Encore

how can you get ahead in life? Closure

what is the best thing about your friends? Papa

what is tonight going to be like? Is This Love

what is in store for the remainder of this weekend? Do you remember?

In between

YouthWorks is done, it has been for the last almost 2 weeks, but I am just slow with updating people on my life. Redeemer doesn't start for another 2 weeks for me, so right now I am in between. I like being in Barrie, I always have, but it somehow has become a place where I am always longing to go somewhere else. I used to go to Canada (on vacation) more specifically Barrie, and I would love it everytime. It was time to relax, spend time with family, enjoy nature, and be in Canada (all great things). Today when I visit Barrie, I often take the go up to Newmarket where my mom will pick me up, and after a couple of days of saying hi to family and some people in church that is about it. It is weird how the exact same place has become something completely different to me, Barrie does kind of feel like home, but it is not where I grew up and it is not where I want to be right now... Thus far for my thoughts about Barrie.

In the meantime, I am trying to keep myself busy. Finding a job in Barrie when I don't know that many people and have only limited time (about 3 weeks) is hard. And so I have been doing a lot of reading lately. I think 2007 is the year that the great secret of reading books has been revealed to me. This summer I was still able to read quite a few books, even though YW schedule didn't always allow that, but so far this is my summer reading list.

My summer of 2007 Reading list:
-Already Read
Irresisteble Revolution - Shane Claiborne
Amazing book, goes beyond an amazing story of God's love, and challenges us to be that love to others
The Cross and the Switchblade - Rev. David Wilkerson
Amazing story of How Teen Challenge came to be and how Rev. Wilkerson was lead from being a small town preacher to leading gang leaders to Christ in NYC
Three mini biographies on D.L. Moody, Billy Graham, and John Wesley
Fun to read, not very in depth, but a great overview of their lives
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling
The series have ended, will there be a series in like 10 years about Albus Severus?
Under the Overpass - Mike Yankoski
Living on the streets, learning from Mike's experiences - is quite challenging

-Reading
Sidewalks in the Kingdom (New Urbanism and the Christian Faith) - Eric O. Jacobson
Something I am really interested in, basically a Christian framework for understanding Cities, Suburbs, and Urban life.

-Still to Read
Velvit Elvis - Rob Bell
Cries of the Heart - Ravi Zacharias
Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller (I got 2/3 durin Christmas break, then I lost the book)

Anyways I feel like I am all over the place, so I will end. Peace.

I am not in the groove

Well, I guess I might be in the groove. My back is feeling better after a week of pain and horrrer (my back was out due to sleeping on an air matress for 7 weeks, and it really really hurt). The unfortunate part about it is that I felt really disconnected from this group all week long. Besides monday and some part of tuesday I wasn't really able to interact with the youth all that much. I was going to sleep Wednesday evening, but then Jen didn't know I did not come to the evening actvity, which of course meant that the alarm went off... while I was trying to take it easy. But, luckily I decided to go to the chiropractor on Friday, and that really helped. One of the very positive things this week was that I was able to look in at kids club a bit more. I was able to kind of see what was going on and that was really encouraging.

There are a few really adorable kids and a few just crazy ones and together they make for an awesome bunch.

Logan is 3 years old, and he loves the attention, especially from young ladies like Saige

Alaska is a really quiet, but sweet girl her older sister Paris also comes to Kids Club and they live right across from our building, so often they are around the building looking for us.

Tamara is also a sweetie and a trouble maker, she is really sweet though.

As I was saying it was really cool to see Kids Club for a bit, it is encouraging to see all these kids have a fun time in the summer, and to see their mothers being so releaved to be able to drop of their kids for the afternoon. Cheryl is here for the weekend, which is always exciting news. Yesterday we went out for Indian and Thai food which was really good. Tonight we are going to be going to O'Conner church for a campfire. Just a time to relax and spent some time before tomorrow's youth come in again.

Next week is the first week we don't have any Minnesota natives, and in fact we have people coming from Winsconsin, Arkansas, and Alabama. The people from Alabama left yesterday morning already... wow what a long drive. The team and myself included in that would really appreciate prayer as this coming week feels like it is so much routine, and we are quite tired. Pray for God to do the stuff through us that we can not do ourselves anymore. That these from all over the states may have an awesome time.

I guess when I look at it, I am in the groove. This summer has been very exciting and challenging. A lot has happened in my personal life, within my family, while working at YouthWorks, and and so many different levels. I am learning that I don't know that much at all yet, that there is much, very much to learn. I have the feeling I am just on the edge of some of the things God is going to show me immeasurably more of.

Another Dave Walker Cartoon

I really appreciate this guy's humour.

Check out his blog

Sunday afternoon

Well, we are halfway through our mission trips. Today group #5 comes in, which means that we will be in for an other exciting week. This is the first week that we will have some Canadians here, which is kind of exciting. This week there will be 61 youth, and I am excited. Our last week was very encouraging. We had groups from all over the states, and it was really cool how God brought them together.

This morning I had the chance to go to First Christian Reformed Church in Thunder Bay with Steve. And we both felt that is was kind of like a homecoming, being in a reformed church surrounded by dutchies. After being in so many different churches in the last months, it was kind of nice. It was so reformed that we even had an elder reading the sermon that the pastor had written. It all ended with a great "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" and a "three-fold Amen". It was a great reformed morning.

This weekend was all in all very relaxing. We listened to the blues festival from a distance, we watched a movie in our new van with DVD player (I don't know why it is there, but it is). We had our own church service on the top of the bluffs in the rain, overlooking Thunder Bay. We had Panzerotti's, Thai Green Curry, Samosa's, Persians, and leftover BP from adult leaders. We went to a second hand bookstore, picked up some books there. All in all it was a great adventure.

The Blues festival from a distance...

Mid-Week Mania

Well, it is the forth week of mission trips, and that means that after this one there are only four weeks left. Right now we are already starting mid summer evaluations for ministries and our own development and stuff. To me that is always a sign, that summer is almost gone.

This week we have an awesomegroup, we have got Baptists from Colorado, a Faith community from Winsconsin, and Lutheran's from Minnesota. All together there are probably 60 youth here, and things are going really well. Monday was a really crazy day, because of July 1st many of our ministry sites were not able to have volunteers and so we had a group of about 20 go through marina park and pick up trash. I was really praying for nice weather and good spirits. But God surpassed my imagination, because it was a tiny bit rainy that morning, but not cold. And never have I seen so many youth excited about serving their community by picking up garbage. We must have had close to 20 garbage bags full by lunch time, with hundreds or cigarette buds, and many other pieces or garbage, you imagine it, they probably picked it up. The park people really appreciated it, and the youth had an awesome experience.

The rest of the week has moved along great as well. I have been able to give a lot of the events that have been happening recently a place, and even though I will have lots and lots of reflecting left to do at the end of the summer. God is taking care of me. For those who want to pray for us as a staff, we would really appreciate it. At this time we have been busy with YouthWorks for almost 7 weeks, and there are only 4 more weeks left after this. A lot of us our really tired, and all 4 of us don't feel 100% fit and healthy, it would be really awesome if you would pray for continued strength as we try to engage these youth.

For some more random information about YouthWorks
You can find some pictures here
You can find some videos here
You can find our team blog here
You can find YouthWorks info here

Craig Vanderveen

---Original message from Justin Cooper---
We are saddened by the tragic news of the death of Craig Vanderveen on Thursday evening, June 28. While visiting his family in Manitoba, he and his cousin were killed in a car accident while traveling to Winnipeg to see their grandfather. Further details of the funeral and any contact information will be provided when it becomes available. In the meantime, please pray for the Lord's grace and comfort for family and friends, particularly those in the Redeemer community who knew and worked with Craig.With resurrection hope,President Cooper

Please pray for both these families, friends, and the communities that both Craig and his cousin were part of. Until we get to meet again.

June in review

Months are flying by...

Half of my time in Thunder Bay is gone now. And it is going faster than I can even imagine, right now I am very tired. Meanwhile I stopped writing this blog, went to bed, slept for 11 hours, did laundry, and have started processing a lot of things that have been going on in my life in the last week and a bit. My last week was a harder week than before, I was very tired, when the week started, and many emotions and challenges from the youth and Youthworks experience just added to this. Hearing that Craig died, is something that seems non-realistic, realizing that tomorrow the youth are going to come again, is also crazy. So, this week has been a whirlwind of events.

However, I have had the chance to have some amazing conversations with some of the youth, to spend time with them, work with them, and grow and be challenged with them. We were able to find a few new ministry opportunities, and it looks like the coming week, we get a new start, in which we will be able to see where God is taking us as a team.

Recent highlights include;

Having a very challenging, but awesome group with Justin bowling 216 (see picture)

Hiking through Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

Putting up Sheet Rock at O'Conner Baptist church

After the week with the Lutherans

Well, my first real week of YouthWorks is done. After 1 week in Denver, 2 weeks of prep the last week was our first one running a mission trip. It was an amazing and humbling experience, all of our groups were Lutheran and most of the churches were quite familiar with each other we had two groups from Grand Forks, ND and one group from Bemidji, MN. The youth were all between 12-14, so basically this week the trip was for junior high youth. The week was absolutely amazing. We as a staff still had some small details to work out, especially around dinner times. But, even though not everything went perfect the week was amazing. Part of the reason for that was that the adult leaders we had were very willing to help, and backed us up when needed. The youth was amazing, by wednesday they were coming back with stories about how they were part of changing the communities they were serving in and, the stories we heard on Thursday, were similar: amazing! The footwashing service was emotional, and was an amazing time of reflection of our first week as a staff, and the youth's work this week serving God and the community. For more stories throughout the summer check our very very new blog... http://www.t-bay007.blogspot.com/.

Yesterday, after all the kids left, we had to do our friday duties, which included shopping. Our 30 minute trip ended up taking us 180 minutes (that's 3 hours). So, after, no printer, dropping of Cheryl at the airport, picking up laundry, buying groceries at both the Canadian wholesale and superstore, going over our debit card balance, desperate calls, writing cheques, packing in a mini van, and a malibu full of groceries and laundry. We came back and decided we wanted pizza.

Today, we wanted to go out so we went to Mount McKay. It was quite the thrilling adventure, with an amzing view of lake superior and all of God's creation. Steve nearly fell of the cliff. And it was just an awesome time of bonding. All in all, my saturday so far has been quite relaxing, I am just very tired now.

From Mount McKay with the Sleeping Giant in the background.
Me on top of Mount McKay with the Thunder Bay (bay) of lake superior and many trees in the background

Well, we are still in Thunder Bay

We are still rockin' it in Thunder Bay. Well it is Thursday now, and Sunday our first youth are coming. So, basically things really need to come together now, and I'll tell you something they are coming together. However, since I started typing this blog about 2 hours ago, someone has cancelled on me for monday, but that is part of my job, and I think I can figure it out for Monday. So to give you a bit more detail my job in the last 2 weeks. This is what I have been doing.

A lot of business like...
*Trying to schedule about 20 meetings with ministry contacts
*Having about 15 actual meetings with those contacts
*Trying to schedule all that stuff into a neat looking week
*Making, editing, and creating Directions, "crew books", notes, and much more to make other people understand all the ramblings that go on in my brain

On the less business said of my body and brain, I have been having lots of fun
*Having Root Beer Floats, or other Ice-cream creations
*Goofing of with my awesome staff
*Having many SB's DQ's TH's MCD's KFC's or other delicious snacks with awesome people
*Loving Jesus, and realizing that he did a much better job at a lot of things than even those things I think I am really good at.

Then between business and fun, God has been changing my life
*The weekend was really hard for me, I was feeling a bit down, and wondered why the keck I was in Thunder Bay of all places
*I also had one of those occasional desires that (unfortunately) pops up in my brain to decide how the rest of my life is going to look
*Meeting with a guy named Pastor Sky was a pretty good remedy to those kind of thoughts, hearing his story of trusting God, even when God brought him to T-Bay, where he now has an amazing vision to set up this youth centre and career area, for disadvantaged youth

And all of this just happened in a bit more than a week, seeing that God has about 8 more in store for me with YouthWorks! this summer, it will be quite the adventure.