What a year... It's definitely been a journey. Loads of ups and downs. Failures and triumphs. Moments of sanity and breakdown. Relationships come and gone.
Nostalgia is good, but it is so useless to dwell in the past.Been some awesome things happen this past year. In 8 days, January 10, 2013, I will have had my beard growing for a whole year. That's crazy. I can't count the amount of times I've had it sticky with maple syrup or toothpaste. It's funny cause it's one of those things that so many people find gross, or don't understand... and I get that. But to me, it was a bit of a challenge, which has become a piece of my identity. For me, I always have trouble sticking to things for any length of time, and as gross, or useless, or stupid as it may have seemed it was an accomplishment for me.
Beard Timeline
I got the opportunity to rebuild a guitar, which has been sitting around my house being unused and covered in stickers for like 5 years. I know I'm not the only one who feels like this, but when I get to take something so ugly and useless and refurbish it into something that's awesome, what a great feeling it is. I feel like I'm in the middle of that process myself sometimes. Restoration is a tedious, and extensive process, but the end result is so worth it.
Guitar Rebuild
I also got the opportunity to lead Sr Teen Camp and Moose Lake, which in turn, meant many sleepless nights, loads of inside jokes, pranks, and many new relationships. It was probably the hardest week of my entire year, but one of the more rewarding. Camp is like youth pastoring on steroids, because all your ministry time, and 'dealing with issues' time is crammed into 7 days. That being said, it's a not so subtle reminder fo the world we live in. There is so much life in our youth today, but in a world that is constantly barricading itself in hurt and hate, love has to work harder to shine through. But all it takes is a little light to break through darkness. I'm so thankful that places like Moose Lake exist. I know the kind of effect that camps can have on kids growing up.
With that in mind, I want to honor the people who worked that week with me. Brent Mason, Hannah Schmaltz, Cara Pederson, Monica Soltys-Starret, Konrad Seabrook, Greg & Kim Cooper, Jackie "FEDLER" Fedler, Dave & Erin Schellenberg, Graeme Bargen, Tamara Lomenda, Katy Haydon, Addison Sims, all the Mutch's and kitchen staff. One week may not seem like a big deal, but it only takes one minute to make a connection with a youth that can change a life. That's an investment I can't measure.
In June, I got to create and host Rock the Docks which was a free concert in our town's local park that saw 200+ people get exposed to the message of Christ. We had Rend, Bracing for Downpour, Phao, Yosh Blunderfield, and our own youth band Unwritten all playing outdoors. It was small in comparison to any kind of show you would see in a big city, but it was huge for Strathmore. The music was great, but the one thing that will stick with me is the kid who showed up with a trench coat full of mangoes and offerred for me to have some.
Rock the Docks
I went to Street Invaders bootcamp in Eston, SK, and got to play worship for the week with Beggars at the BC bootcamp. What a journey that was. Getting to see the mountains again, and the coast, and getting locked outside of the church and having to read a book in +35C weather... I'm not built for that!
2012 Listed Accomplishments:
- Beard growing
- Rock the Docks
- Street Invaders
- MLGC Sr Teen
- Seeing Alexisonfire and Moneen
- Buying a homeless man a pack of cigarettes in exchange for letting me share my story
- Setting a personal record for campfires had in one year
- VBS
- #viewfromthecrapper
- Touching Nik Lewis
- Baptizing 5 congregation members including 3 of my youth
- Baptizing Joel at camp
- Pretty much any moment Alvin Kauffman was around me, which was a lot... and that's a good thing.
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