Transit through Vancouver's Eastside

I love the view of the city I get when on the bus. Driving down Powell, an area many people avoid because of the nature of the neighbourhood; I am given hope by all the beautiful organizations that exist to help the people of the neighbourhood. 

The old Chinese couple that hold each others hands as they clench their umbrellas, staying dry in Chinatown. 

The old man who gets on the bus with the cane, who smiles at the young girl in her grandmother's arms, receiving so much joy from her innocence. 

The bus driver who shows compassion on that same old man who took 30 seconds to make his way to his seat; the bus sat still til he was seated. 

After only begin back in Vancouver for a month, I've already learned to appreciate the sunshine in a BIG way when it comes out. The city sparkles. Today is one of those days. After days of fog, sunshine is glorious. 

There is so much beauty in this world, in this East Vancouver. Thank you lord for these gifts today. I love this city.

In preparation for disappointment

My last post, paired with a recent reading in Matthew, have spurred this life lesson that I'm learning.

The jist of my last post was this: being thankful produces joy.

Well that's all and well and easy when life is breezy, but what about when people disappoint you, your efforts are not fruitful, when your hopes are dashed?

Jesus. Son of God. Savior of the world. I would think that his ministry was pretty effective; was he ever disappointed in people? In his efforts? Does it ever talk in the Bible about Jesus being disappointed?

In Matthew 11, Jesus talks about Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum - three communities that he had visited, done miracles in and proclaimed truth. He then laments about how these communities "hadn't repented of their sins and turned to God". These are places that Jesus made an intentional effort to visit, reveal himself, invest and pray over. And they still turned away. From Jesus himself. 
Failed attempt.
Disappointment.
Hope, not availed.

The next paragraph in Matthew 11 Jesus prays to his father, a prayer of thanksgiving. He gives thanks to God for the way things had played out in Korazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum because he know God is sovereign and knows best. He also judges them, which, as Jesus, he has the right to. But this: In the face of failed efforts, of disappointment, Jesus is thankful. He knows that God is in control.

The next paragraph in Matthew 11 is Jesus saying this: "Come to me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens and I will give you rest. Take my yolk upon you, let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yolk is easy to bear and my burden is light".

I can't ignore the irony here.
1. Jesus recognizes failure. People have let him down.
2. He chooses to be thankful and recognize God's sovereignty.
3. He identifies himself as the source of finding rest for souls. He calls the disappointed, the discouraged, the tired to himself - to his arms of rest and protection. He invites us to lay our burdens and disappointments at his feet, to let them go. 

This is am amazing lesson to learn from Christ - he practiced it so clearly here. To the tee!

How are you feeling disappointed these days?
Who are you worried about?
Who has let you down?
Where have you failed?

What gifts has God given you amidst these situations - what has his grace been?
What can you choose to be thankful for?
Find the freedom in the fact that no matter our failures, God is not held back. WE NEED TO TRUST THIS.

Have you gone to Jesus with these failures and disappointments?
Give Jesus your burdens.
Let him hold you up and guide you through this.

It is very interesting that I am learning this now - now, when life seems to be rolling steadily and honestly, very nicely. God is really rolling out the carpet for us in Vancouver right now, there hasn't been any stumbling blocks in this whole process of starting up life here. For this I am thankful... and also realistic - this will not last! HA!
Getting back into the work and life that we're in, with East Van youth and people in general, life in general, I know that great challenges and disappointments and failure are just around the corner. I am in the business of doing life with humans. This is inevitable. I AM going to sin, fail, screw up and effect people in this way. Others ARE going to sin, fail, screw up and this will effect me.
I want to keep this lesson at the forefront of my mind and heart. To be prepared and ready for, well, humanity and life... Which is full of brokeness and beauty, challenge, truth, love and growth.

Bring on life, in all its everythings. 

Learning Thankfulness: just the beginning.

I've begun reading 'One Thousand Gifts' by Ann Voskamp, a local hero in the church Andrew grew up in. This book is about learning how to live fully, right where you are. To be thankful for life as it is. And to flourish because of that.

Eucharisteo.

Is another word for thanksgiving.
The root word in it is 'charis' which means grace.
It also holds its derivative, the greek word 'chara' which means joy.

Joy - this deep need that we all have, to have a deep, rooted joy in life. Joy carries us through life. It sustains us when life is stormy. It motivates, directs, and gives purpose.

We all seek it - in our work, in our studies, in our organic eating and healthy living. In our family time, in our recreation. In our relationships, in music, in how we decorate, in our health, in our clothing style.

We are all pursuing joy.

"But where can I seize this holy grail of joy? Eucharisteo. I look back down at the word. Was this the clue to the quest of all most important? Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo - the table of thanksgiving... is it that simple? Is the height of my chara joy dependent on the depth of my eucharisteo thanks?

"So as long as thanks is possible, then joy is always possible. Whenever meaning now - wherever meaning here. The holy grail of joy is not in some exotic location or some emotional mountaintop experience. The joy wonder would be here! Here in the messy, piercing, ache of now, joy might be unbelievably possible!"

Charis. Grace - God is constantly giving us gifts. They're not always flashy.
Eucharisteo. Thanksgiving - We can choose to recognize these gifts and be thankful.
Chara. Joy - flows naturally from thankfulness.

A simple thought, right? Be thankful - have joy.
I'm looking forward to how this book plays out. I want to learn to be more thankful; to be thankful in the face of heartbreak, discouragement and disappointment. I think it's a habit that must be learned... must be practiced. I want to live life through a lens of grace, choosing to recognize and be thankful for God's gifts.

So here I go.
Today, I am thankful for:
- a body that functions perfectly without me having to consciously think of anything.
- a husband that prioritizes supporting his sister over being on time for something.
- God showing his faithfulness by providing perfectly for us as we transition to Vancouver.
- the prospect of a new friend.
- the fact that our culture values organization in terms of transportation and city layout.
- God speaking to my heart this morning of my sin, in a loving, convicting way.
- the ability to read.
- new life.
- warmth (currently in the form of slippers, after a very chilly dip in the ocean today!)
- God's faithfulness in transforming his children - a messy, up-and-down process, full of joy and challenges - I'm thankful that he is sovereign and knows the big picture. That I'm not responsible for saving people - HE is.
- pretty flowers on my kitchen table, a piece of art depicting God's character.
- honest, gritty life conversations over dinner with Andrew.
- memory foam mattress.
- home made biscuits.
- my body that starts to heal as soon as it is injured (sore knees from skiing last night!)
- a mind that thinks, a heart that feels, hands to work, senses to experience.

2012 in Ten Parts

 10.  Family time with the Hartungs in Ontario: the boys playing Thursday night hockey in Kurtzville, sister sleepovers in Kitchener, Florida road trip with Amelia, great visits with Grandma and Grandpa Meyer, summer camping and meals at the farm. Andrew hadn’t been in Ontario for 12 consecutive months in 8 years, and it was fantastic for me to get to know his family.

Amanda's 21st birthday at Moosewinoski's

9. Family time with the Hills: family day weekend in Ottawa, uncountable dinners at Mom & Dad’s, Tuesday afternoon coffee with Mom, Labour Day camping with the whole family, visiting Shannon & Laura  on May long, and seeing Gavin regularly. I love my family immensely and I miss them the most out of anything in Ontario. It was fantastic to simply ‘do life’ alongside my parents for a year.

Camping with the Hills

8. Ontario friends! – camping with Chad and Danielle in Killarney over Easter, games nights with Tim and Danielle, the Cypress Lake hike, coffee dates with Krysten and Mal, and many other friends that have been in our lives for years, but this was this first year in many that we’ve been able to be local friends again!

Sap Fest with Tim & Danielle

7. Hope Manor & Waterloo School Board – Through working with teenage boys at a youth jail, Andrew was spurred onto pursue further education in Child & Youth Care Counselling, a program he is hoping to be accepted to at Douglas College out here in Vancouver. I learned a lot about kids and myself through working at the school board this year… like that to have any impact on children, consistency is required! No more substituting for me.

6. Celebrated our First Anniversary! – we camped out on the rocks 20m from beautiful Georgian Bay. I enjoy looking back over just the past year [and a half] and seeing how we grow in our marriage, in knowing, learning and enjoying each other. 

5. Summer of Weddings! We celebrated with seven couples on their wedding days this summer! I had the privilege of standing as a bridesmaid with Malori as she married her beloved Dave. It was a joy to see my friend of 13 years wed! 

4. Cross-country road trip! – After a year of wrestling and seeking, we committed to God’s leading back to Vancouver! Which meant… another cross country raod trip. We visited great friends and family along the way in Red Lake ON, Estevan SK, Calgary and Eagle Hill AB and Kelowna BC before arriving in our beloved Vancouver. It was a fabulous 2 weeks!

With Jon & Annette in SK

3. Nepal: our Everest Base Camp trek took us 60km into the Himalayas, climaxing at the base camp of the highest mountain in the world. Thirteen days in hiking boots with packs on our backs, seeing incredible landscapes and epic mountain peaks, pushing through blisters, exhaustion, altitude sickness and food poisoning. Standing at 5550m looking up at Mount Everest made it worth every step.

2. India: What a wild country. We spent 3 weeks with my cousin and her family in Varanasi, visited ancient forts and palaces, even sleeping a night in the Jasailmer fort wall, rode camels and slept under the Thar Desert stars, and relaxed for a week by the Arabian Sea in Goa. 

1.  Back in Vancouver for the last half of December, while celebrating Christmas, we found ourselves overwhelmingly anticipating “the next stage”. We had been in limbo for 4 months and are VERY READY to start our jobs this week, find a house to make home and see what God has for our life here in Vancouver. 

Christmas at Jesse & Tena's, our BC parents