Sunday Night Post

here is the video of zac's final commentary post trip for the sunday night gathering at fbc bethany june 14

here is the link to download

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpGaxJz3f94

good morning bethany

hey everyone checking in early on a sunday morning... glad to be communicating with you... have a slideshow to try and capture some of what we did so that you can see our story in pictures... hope you like it!

here is the full video actually worth watching

youtube link

or download better resolution here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5i1GXqrIFE

we are home

for all those that were worried we wouldnt make it... we are home.... and so it comes time to post a few thoughts and trail a few credits and accolades....

(however do not stop reading... there is at least 5! yes 5 more posts coming your way just about mission trip.... and wait until we get into super summer and camp stuff... you might as well just get used to reading here and staying caught up!)

first of all i have to thank our entire team of students and adults... everyone really outperformed all expectations in service, attitude, and self-control... well done team... you have proven great wisdom and maturity and it was a pleasure to travel and serve alongside you

secondly the unsung heroes of our venture... the red and blue vans... for those that may not believe in the power of will or ford automotive believe in the divine intervention that occured in the last few days... vans well past their prime traveled cross country with no more needs than food and shelter... well done machines... well done

thirdly for our new friends and family north of the border (mettie jane, richard, ethan, mettie bell, joanie, glen, lee, byron, joyce, all the billets)... thank you... for everything... you turned a half-held half baked hope into a wonderful memorable learning experience that will shape us for the rest of our lives... and has already shaped some our immediate individual and collective destinies... we love you.. you have taught us the value of community, mission, generative friendship, and hospitality... all of which of Christ Virtures which bind us together and loosen us upon the broken world

fourthly for our family friends and church at home... your prayers, support, encouragement... testify to a commissioning vision for the children of God... we are not to remain dormant or silent or suspended but released into a watching world to emit light and unearth the broken people that lie in the dark soil of this world

finally for the renewed vision of love and repurposed testament offered to us freely and openly from the Spirit that desires to lead us all... we are to be a people about restoring the humanity that was lost, not a humanity of depravity but a humanity of beauty... it is possible... is is happening... are we of the work

dont leave us now friends we need you and you need us we have shared in this story together so now we are both accountable to it... and it does continue

"the future is not unknown, only uncharted... 

the fog does not replace what it holds only what it hides for a time...."

last night last flight

so first of all we are soooo close to being home and it is very late and we are all very tired... today was the first day that restlessness was setting in and it started to eat at us a bit but i think tomorrow will be better since we are knowingly approaching that sacred destination of home... if we get a chance tomorrow and i find my camera cable we will post some very funny pics from mount rushmore today... the monument we almost didnt get to see... (i know right!) anyways tonight has moved to morning and so i think i will rest for the safety of my van... love you all seeing our okie families soon

late night first night, drive back that is....

hey everyone trying to catch you up on some details

more interview videos hopefully up before we get home on WEDNESDAY! (but uh dont box us in to a time because we might disappoint... which would be opposite from this trip/excursion which has been joyful, educational, worshipful, and exceeding all of our expectations

below is the link to the wrap up "podcast" or audio file of karen and zac's wrapup for the trip

http://www.box.net/shared/iho0f00k1x

peace and love from the road

we miss it already.....

last night in calgary

we have come a long way friends and family and i must say as much as i do not want to leave it is probably time for us to return home, we all have full summers ahead and many miles to cover... but summer of 2009 will have always started with a trip north to a home that we didnt know we had, a mission that we discovered inside of us, and a community of faith that transcended borders... we have learned a lot about this country, this city, this community, this church... but even more about the God we serve and the people we are becoming because of His infinite, accessible, redemptive love and grace... 

i can not say enough thank you s for all the prayers and support, as a fledgling pastor in a new domain and arena of understanding; support and hope-filled encouragement are a currency that i can eat off of...

please do not stop reading this blog just because the service portion o four trip is over... we will be bringing you all kinds of digital goodies and nuggets of fun... we have videos to upload, interviews to finalize, and audio posts to cast out into the hyperthreaded sea... our spot is still operational so follow us all the way and stop back by tomorrow we will have more then if the sheridan super 8 has wifi... love you all this trip has meant so much and most of us are still processing it all...

first round of student interviews

for your late night friday evening pleasures (more to come) students respond to the question what have you learned?

kyle bellah

herby bauer

sheldon kearby

new video from gharrett

day 3 too much to express and not enough time to rest

we are all getting very tired and we are all very thankful that tomorrow is our last hard work day... we have put down some intensive "triple shift days"  this morning we spent our time again at the mustard meeting new friends and building on exisiting relationships... we have been blessed to see many of the same faces for several meals in a row now and will miss them tomorrow when we say good bye... this afternoon at blitz (our afternoon sports/snack/Jesus excursions with the grade school kids) about 50 kids attended the various activities of soccer, karate, art, and disc golf... such a blessing to see so many kids (over 80% have never set foot inside the church before) listen to the story and be told and see the love of Christ... powerful moments, tired crew... couple of us are starting to feel sick... after traveling, jostling, running, sweating, praying, talking... our bodies are about out... please pray for renewed health for some and continued health for others... we miss you all very much...  we did get to see the city from a new angle today...

a bird's eye view atop the calgary tower... one of the highest landmarks above sea level

we have seen the streets but now we see the city and the mass of the million that live, move

work, and grow in this place that we have called home for a few days... 

couple pics to close this post out... we are hoping to get some interview time with mustard seed staff, blitz kids, our team, and a host of others (well anyone) to share in what has happened and what we hope continues to happen... love you all very very very very much!

day 2b Work Mustard Seed Blitz Mustard Seed

so after a day like today it is hard to write the things we would want to say.... just know that our view of the workings of the world is constantly being reworked... that a static scripted worldview passed down may not be informed enough to survive... as a team of young students, college aged, and adults we were all touched by the stories of men, women, and children that we met today.... from a former sound tech for van halen who likes to bike at night, to a rambunctious asian-canadian boy with a rat tail, to a set of ladies from the Caribbean, to a young guy who just never took advantage of his privileges until now, to a fiery old gal who biked 100 miles to make it for a meal... we lived the life of a bottle picker this morning, we learned that there is a sub-economy for those living on the street... bottles and cans are the reap from the fields of dumpsters and dealings with small businesses... 

zac's take-

i dont want to be preachy, but i think there was a reason that the top ten list for Jesus's friend circle consisted of the publicly broken and marginalized... there is a clarity with hurting that deeply, there is a reclamation of humanity at the end of the rope... it is either a way out or a noose for sure eh... we that live with our private sins of the mind, body, and heart can live from day to day in our own battered darkness seeping and soaking in the privacy of our own kerneled dens... but eventually all of our sin leads us to death whether in the public sphere or the silent corridor it all comes around eventually... 

i dont know where you are in life friends but all our hearts, all of humanity cries out from a brokenness, you and i may have different issues that are weighed differently by a broken society and that our diversity fragments reflect on the pavement but we are all in need of a grace that is greater

mission is not a charter, organization, job, calling, or career but the unique/communal character of God

that to partake in the divine is to assimilate, replicate, duplicate, disciple into, follow hard, model, reflect...

and i am beginning to think that Grace Rescue Mission is a divine redundancy

 

canadian hello june 3

Day 2a Work Plan- Mustard Seed Blitz Mustard Seed

sandwiching our time today between working at the mustard seed in morning and evening and blitzing this afternoon we should be happy, busy people keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

it's okay to be jealous.... this city is beautiful, growing, and broken... we are hoping to see all three

Day 1b Storehouse Blitz Seed

so i think we are all a little bit overwhelmed after today....

"healing comes with a steadfast devotion to love and love always comes with expectations"

so this morning we started off by helping the Storehouse a multi-dimensional multi-ministry facility, that is coordinated by one of the members of Cambrian Heights Baptist Church... Mr. Glen Upseth had some remarkable insight about how it all can really happen and that sometimes finding supplies doesnt even involve spending money but using your brain... thanks Glen... oh and we shucked over 100 boxes of corn... you will just have to see the pics and video when we get them to believe it

this afternoon we returned to cambrian to prepare for our first after school day with the kids from the elementary... we will post that about 30-40 came but excitingly enough about half of them were first timers to the church and all promised excitedly to come back and bring friends... you would have been proud of your kids today church family they loved on these kids like no other.... taking initiative pouring investment and smiling and listening a lot... stories abound in deep sweet love

this evening we had our conceptions and worldview tilted... now to be fair we have done and have been apart of various downtown "urban" homeless mission projects, sites, and centers but never have we met any organization or location that had it all and had it all together like the mustard seed of calgary... i can not even begin to list to you the enrichment that is laid out not just for the hungry and unclothed but for the entire community... they are rebuilding the idea that a community center can be a grassroots for connectivity and growth... they are a Christ-centered organization that is literally doing it all for the lives of those they reach out too... and the number of people they help each year is easily in the thousands... multi-site, multi-focus, multi-dimensional. multi-ethnic... our hearts were touched when they toured us through facility and mentioned not only wide scale impact but personal stories of transformation... some staff and many volunteers oil a machine that is destined for kingdom greatness...

tears fill our eyes not only when we see the broken, but when we see the broken restored

Day 1a Work Community Kitchen Blitz Mustard Seed

hey friends just an early morning post (well roll your clocks back an hour for full effect... we are in mountain time baby!)

we are starting this morning by helping out with the community kitchen... they are transitioning from spring to summer activities and need some manpower for the shift, and we are more than happy to help!

after lunch we will be launching our after school sports/education program... we are calling it blitz and our family and friends at CHBC have been more than gracious hosts to our endeavor 

and then tonight we will conclude our time by starting our community missionary training with the mustard seed a life and faith rehabilitive center for the impoverished and underprivileged... this organization is legit and a well oiled machine and we are excited to see their underworkings and help out in any way we can

missing home but not too much yet!

links:  http://www.communitykitchenprogram.com/

http://www.chbclive.ca/

http://www.theseed.ca/

Travel Day 3 Falls, Mountains, Customs, Canadians

wow so another late night posting by "mac light"  well it seems like several of you have found our spot!  not near as many miles today but we HAVE ARRIVED SAFELY! for all the parents grandparents and worried pastor and church family we are here and safe and sound in Calgary, Alberta, CA! oh and for our church family and staff... the vans have never run better (i think they just needed some mountain air) so we are in and ready to get to work tomorrow so less touristy pics and more of our missionaries at work... we love you all, stay up with us lots of goodies to come!

our first taste of the mountains and beauty that became our staple scenery, we are still in awe of the majesty.... 

mountains are so beautiful but so were the falls of the infamous great falls, MT if you are a lewis and clark fan then you know all about the ardor to explore the tricky falls

we are smiling because this was pre-customs adventure... in case you hadn't heard the customs regulations have become even more astringent for those traveling by car than ever before and on the inaugural customs restriction day they delayed our transit for 2 hours because of system errors and restarts, but  we were not hassled just held back but are still so excited to be in a brand new place

oh and one other fun pit stop came from vulcan, alberta... a small quaint town dedicated to star trek and trek culture... this replica hovers outside their museum which triples as their tourist/travel center and chamber of commerce what a wonderful place full of memorabilia, dedicated fans, and host to spock days (a annual conference that trekkies attend from around the country and US)... but one of the most interesting stories is linked here!  what a cool place to pit stop at...