I am a CanEHdian!

I know this is a day early, but....

Happy Canada Day! I found this on a "how great is Canada" site this morning... thought I would share the insights.

SO, WHAT DO CANADIANS HAVE TO BE PROUD OF?

1.Smarties

2. Crispy Crunch, Coffee Crisp

3. The size of our footballs fields and one less down

4. Baseball is Canadian

5. Lacrosse is Canadian

6. Hockey is Canadian

7. Basketball is Canadian

8. Apple pie is Canadian

9. Mr. Dress-up was far superior to Mr. Rogers

10. Tim Hortons is Canadian

11. In the war of 1812, started by America, Canadians pushed the Americans back...past their 'White House'. Then we burned it...and most of Washington, under the command of William Lyon McKenzie who was insane and hammered all the time. We got bored because they ran away, so we came home and partied...Go figure..

12. Canada has the largest French population that never surrendered to Germany.

13. We have the largest English population that never ever surrendered or withdrew during any war to anyone, anywhere.

14. Our civil war was a bar fight that lasted a little over an hour.

15. The only person who was arrested in our civil war was an American mercenary, who slept in and missed the whole thing... but showed up just in time to get caught.

16. We knew plaid was cool far before Seattle caught on.

17. The Hudsons Bay Company once owned over 10% of the earth's surface and is still around as the worlds oldest company.

18. The average dog sled team can kill and devour a full grown human in under 3 minutes.

19. We still know what to do with all the parts of a buffalo.

20. We invented ski-doos, jet-skis, velcro, zippers, insulin, penicillin, zambonis, the telephone and short wave radios that save countless lives each year.

21. We ALL have frozen our tongues to something metal and lived to tell about it.

22. A Canadian invented Superman.

Oh yeah... 23. and our elections only take one day.

As the "Arrogant Worms" have been known to sing....

OUR mountains are very pointy, Our prairies are not, the rest is kinda bumpy, but man do we have a lot (we have a lot of land)

So STAND UP AND BE PROUD, and SAY IT VERY LOUD! CUZ CANADA

IS REALLY..... big!

Happy Canada Day one and all!

vision and purpose

I've been feeling under the weather lately. Cough due to cold... that kind of thing, as well as just generally feeling low. It's been raining for 3 days too, so I'm sure it's just a natural instinct to cuddle up and read a good book or watch a good movie and shut out the world for a bit.

Yesterday, I was sickly and well, just down right grumpy. I ended up hanging out with Lisa for a bit and found myself complaining and "choosing" to not trust that God was big enough to deal with my little issues. I'm actually embarrassed about that. I DO believe that God is big enough, infact, I COUNT on God being big enough, otherwise, I'm in serious trouble!

We ended up having a conversation with someone who was curious about what we were doing downtown. As I listened to Lisa spell it out and give the "big picture" again, of wanting to build the prayer room as a place for drug addicts and prostitutes to come and be trained, healed, and delivered by the power of God, my heart turned a corner.

Purpose is important. Vision is essential. Without them, when I "forget" them, I lose my way. With them, it gives energy and momentum that moves me forward. Hope City is an amazing adventure. There is much happening and many lives being touched, delivered, and turned around. Mine included.

Heard in the prayer room: 10:00 set

This is a pic of the old prayer room (before all the renovations, but you get the idea)

I have nothing apart from you
What I need is something supernatural
What I need is something from heaven
Something unusual
Something only you can do
The fullness of God
So I wait for you, for the fullness of all you have
This is my confidence
For those who wait on the living God will never be put to shame
So I wait
I trust in you
In every season, I will wait
As long as it takes, I will wait.

The Lord gives life to those who call upon his name
So I come to the dwelling place, I pour out my heart before you
Help me pour out my life waiting for you and sitting at your feet
I will wait for you to come.
I trust you.

Into your hands I commit my spirit
I pour out my heart
My soul cries out for the living God
I long for you with everything I am
You are my strength, my all in all
I will pour out my heart, I will trust you
You will come

You are the same, you never change
I believe in you, you come
There is no shadow of turning in you
You have always been faithful… you will come

You never change you are always the same
Forever you are faithful
You never change, You are always the same
So I pour out my heart

“Taste and see that the Lord is good
Oh taste and see that the Lord is good to me
You’ve turned my mourning into dancing
Put off my rags and clothed me with gladness
I will rise, I will praise you
I’ll sing and not be silent
Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever
Oh Lord my God, I will give thanks to you.”

and so it continues

It's been a busy week since I returned from the seemingling endless train ride! I got home Thursday and Friday my old roommates Jessica and Shaina showed up for a visit, then the Canadians (Christina and Stephanie) arrived on Saturday. OH WHAT FUN!


The Canadian's left already on Tuesday, but the Michiganders are here til tomorrow. I love being able to open my home to friends! My current roommate Allison, is getting her own apartment on Saturday, so I will be back on my own again. I enjoy living alone, but I then need to make extra sure that I am getting out and hanging out with people. It's amazing how quickly one can become "hermitish" (I'm aware that isn't a word)


I've been reading through Acts again, and I sometimes find myself wishing to be Paul (minus all the stoneings, ship wrecks, and 39 lashes of course) who travelled and told people the gospel. He did it without fear, without doubt, and sure of every word spoken. The Holy Spirit enabled him I know, and he had met with Jesus, so I'm sure that helped, but I find myself wanting to travel, (not by amtrack... haha) and to take a stand of truth that is unwavering.


Here is the reality. I need to do that more here. I need to find a braveness in me that I know is there, and with the same boldness, speak truth... in love, but truth. Paul was a smart man, and it says that he went into the synagogue and reasoned with the people, and persuaded them. I'm asking for the wisdom and the words to do the same where ever I go.

amtrack adventures

okay it went something like this:

Barb woke me up at 5:30 am and I got up, got ready and was in the van at 5:45. Al dropped me off at the train station and the adventure began. I got on the train on time settled in and left the station at 6:35. So far so good. The conductor came through a few times and apologized that there was no coffee. He also mentioned he had put in a request for a "replacement crew" as they were "dead on wheels" meaning the current crew was going into overtime.

The train STOPPED in the middle of nowhere, so the conductor says "we are waiting on the new crew" and there we sat, and sat, and sat, till the new crew met up with us from DETROIT!!! Whatever we were on our way again 2 HOURS behind.

I get into Chicago's Union Station sometime around noon. I was supposed to be there by 9:30. No worries, my train for Kansas City doesn't leave until 3:15. I wandered around the station, ate lunch and wandered some more. I got to the gate about a half hour early and just hung out. Everyone got in line and checked in and then we were told there were some engine problems and would be delayed 45 minutes. I sat down in line and pulled out a book.

AN HOUR and 45 minutes later they put us on the train. AND THEN we waited and waited and waited. 45 minutes we waited. We are then told that there is a problem with the diner car. We have to switch it out. This process took over an hour and a half. So if you aren't keeping track, we are now 4+ hours behind schedule. So instead of arriving at 10:00 we are scheduled to arrive at 2:00 am.

We, because we were not on a schedule, were forced to wait at different junctions so that the ON TIME trains could stay ON TIME and we didn't crash. I get it, but was getting annoyed. Then at 1:00 AM, we are still 3 hours from Kansas City and the train STOPS. The lights are off, the air is on, but we are not moving. No one tells us what is going on, and at 5:30 AM people are starting to wake up and we are still 3 hours from Kansas City.

Turns out there was a frieght train that derailed about 25 miles ahead of us on the tracks and we could do nothing but wait. At 6:30 AM, we were finally on our way and arrived at the Union Station in Kansas City at 9:45. I called my ride and waited. She came by 10:15, and as we were leaving, the gate to let us out of the station got stuck. At this point all I could do was laugh.

We were "rescued" by a worker, and then, headed home. About 2 miles from the exit, we hit, yes you guessed it... a traffic jam. I laughed again. Finally at 12:30 30 hours after I had gotten on the train the day before, I made it home. And I guess that is the point.

I made it home.

train woes

the details will come later, but let me say that 27 hours to get from Grand Rapids Mi, to Kansas City MO, is not only sick... it is wrong...

home again home again... jig a jig jig

Well... in 6 hours I will be on a train from Grand Rapids to Chicago... hang out in Chicago for 5 hours and then 8 hours from Chicago to Kansas City, and some time around 10:30 pm be back in KCMO. It's a long trip but the amtrack is actually quite comfy and "doable". I do enjoy traveling by myself and this is a full day of just hanging out.

I've had a great trip, and renewed a number of old friendships and that is always great. This past week has been delightfully UNEVENTFUL. I have greatly enjoyed a true vacation.

But I have missed IHOP and Hope City alot. I've watched the webcast and this morning was on my own so turned it on around 7 am and turned it off around 1. It was a great morning!
anyway, I am ready to return and from the sounds of it, there is a lot going on there too!

So... off to sleep, rise before the sun, and catch that train... catch you on the flip side! :)

chillin

If you are wondering why there are no pics as of late, I forgot my camera.
I am staying now, after a great week at my sisters, at my friends house. I have known Barb and Al since 1992. I have seen their kids grow up, and have remained close when I moved to Winnipeg, and 10 years later, moved to Kansas City.

Last night we sat around the table playing a game of Shanghai. It's a card game, and it was like those 15 years never passed. I've played Shanghai a million times (okay, maybe not a million... but close!) with these guys and it was like I never moved away. The same rivalry, the same kissing of cards, the same shouts of "freeze"! It was marvelous! I kicked butt the whole first five hands, going out and sticking both Barb and Al and keeping a zero score! WOO HOO... but then, in the last three rounds, stacked up 285 points... man that was no fun... :( The point of course is that I love being with friends where you know that no matter what time goes by, things between you rarely change.

no way!

I have gone 2 days without a single sip of diet coke... not intentionally even, just haven't wanted any... how wierd is that?