i finally went to the ocean (Spanish Banks) on this side of the country for the first time. i know, hard to believe but true. thanks, Joel and Carla, for introducing me to the Pacific. we liked each other. later on that week, i went to Whistler for the first time. it was fun to hike down the mountain from our hotel to go eat. good times had by all.
then, my awe-inspiring ten days of MA hosting was upon me. what an amazing time of God revelation and learning and making mistakes and growing. i loved doing it, especially because i knew that this is where God specifically had me for this short period of time. on Thursday, we did this thing called "Temple Tour," where we visited a Buddist temple and a Muslim mosque (as well as the local temple-ish mall in Burnaby). i LOVE learning about different religions, so this was a wonderful experience for me. the Buddist temple brought back my heart, along with a flood of memories, for China. it was really good to remember...
my team from The Dalles, OR was pretty amazing. whether we were riding the bus to and from amazing daily outreaches, drinking some fresh bubble tea from the local store, or just taking some photos on the last night, it was a blast. i miss these guys and hope they come back next year. i really learned alot from being with them while they were in the city that i love.
4 words: my roommates are amazing. on the morning of my 20th birthday, they decorated the house with balloons that described me in one word (well, the nice ones at least...). it was real' sweet. then i talked on the phone with my Mom and Rachel and Sara as i opened up my big box of presents from them. they made it ok for me to not be there with them for the first time ever. after that, i headed to the MA venue, where we had a staff meeting for the first time in a long while, and then we proceeded to have cake in celebration of my birth. it was great. i felt so loved from all the angles that day.
ok, so this is it for now. i'm off to bed and then Montanna. please pray for safety and fun times and times of growth for us all. also, for patience as 13 people from ages 8-40 something will be sharing a 15 passenger van for the trip. thank you.
until i post again...
