The man on the side of the Road

so i met this guy today.
His name was Jake Chiefcalf.
he is native american.
he is funny.
he has the most amazing toothless smile.
he spends his days drinking away the pain of life.
he is asking questions.
he works doing construction.
he has four kids.
he taught me something today.

so the story goes that Marlee and i were walking downtown today, just kinda shopping around, casually looking, mainly just walking and talking. we were walking past this one club and we see Jake stumble out and sit down against the wall. We looked at him and offered him the smallest hello, seeing the sadness in his eyes. He responded and asked us to come talk with him for a moment and that he needed advice. Needlesss to say we talked, we listened, and we got to know this amazing man on the side of the road.
He told us about his wife, his kids, his job, and his struggles. We told him we couldn't give him much advice about his family dynamics since we had no experience but if he was hungry we would love to take him to get some food. So we headed to the mall and on the way there were tears falling from his face......he couldn't believe that someone would buy him a meal, no one had ever done that before. He prayed for us in blackfoot and we continued on. The meal consisted of tacotime.
great choice.
he asked us why we would not only buy him food, but take time out of our day to sit and talk and listen to him.
we told him about Jesus.
we talked about dealing with tragedy and about the cruel and hard things that happen in this world. we talked about the good things, and tried to focus on them.
Coming to a close we prayed for him, his family and his life.
There are some things we can't plan and some things that we would never plan, but God has a plan in everything.
Talking to Marlee tonight about our night and about this divine appointment we realize Jake taught us a lot. We realized that even though he was drunk, even though he may never remember what we talked about, or even us, that we would never forget him. That we will never forget Christs love for him to the point that he would use two small people like ourselves to show this man a glimpse of it.

funny thing is....earlier today i was telling marlee about getting involved in a homeless ministry, that Jesus had been tugging at my heart and revealing to me his love for the unloved.

I guess Jesus was listening.

Oh Canada.

Today is the 3 week mark of my return to Canada.
One week in the lovely coast of rainy Vancouver with my beautiful niece and brother. Then 2 weeks here. Alberta. Farm country.
Oh how i love this country.
First of all Tim Hortons is amazing. Good good food-delicious and nutritious-for good good prices. Plus there is now one five minutes away. Thank you Jesus.
Also dill pickle chips. The first day i was back i downed a bag.
Snow....i was welcomed home with a snow storm putting 2 feet of snow on the ground, thankfully it is now almost all melted and is a blistering 13 degrees out.
New car....2004 Honda Civic.
Those are the latest updates.

Coming back i have been spending time with family and friends, registering for University classes, and driving my new car. It is safe to say that there is culture shock. First of all the weather...my feet never seem to be warm enough. Then there is always the fact that i spent lots of time by myself (which i don't mind in the least) and seem to do things in a much slower pace. It is funny because now i am home, even though it doesn't feel like home.
It won't be my home for long.
I know that eventually i will feel at home and i will have a stable place.

Unfortunately i have not been able to make it to my most missed mountains. Luckily i will get to spend the next 2 days there breathing the mountain air and hanging out with wildlife.

One thing i have been hit with lately is the worry of money. Every where you go in the world you find it. There are few places that are "free" of it, or should i say where money is not the focus. Since coming home i am face with this worry, with this realization that the majority of my last 3 years i have made no income and i plan on being a student for the next 4 years.
wow.
crazy how it can be something you don't worry about one minute and then all the sudden it is hitting you in the face.
Well i mean i got this new car, then there is insurance, then the gas nonsense now, then phone bill, credit card bill, the list goes on.
you'd think after what i have seen, the poverty, the injustice, those who TRULLY lack, that i wouldn't worry. You'd think after what i have seen, the supernatural provision, $20,000 being raised in 20 minutes by sixty people 18-25 years old, the rent money always being there, that i wouldn't worry. You'd think after what i have learnt about Jesus, about Jehovah Jirah, about his BIGNESS and His GOODNESS, His strong strong love, that i wouldn't worry.
I guess there is still more for me to learn. More revelation for me to have about my Jesus. The more i know Him, the more i trust Him, and the more worry falls away.
Like my earthly father wants to take care of me my heavenly father wants to also take care of me.
and He will.

On another note since returning from this last trip there has been some health issues on my end. There is always the normal things, and the tests just to make sure of parasites and such (especially since being in the amazon). So the routine tests have been taken, and more in depth tests are being taken this week. Gotta love foreign coutnries eh?
Well i have a parking ticket to pay and a stomach to fill.
Sunday is the beginning of camp.
The beginning of the next 4 months.
I can't wait.

California

Okay. So the past few days have consisted of this:

#1 saying goodbye to my teddy bear that i have had since i was 4. I was packing my stuff at the hotel in Kona and i looked at him and said “i think it is about time, goodbye panda” that was the beginning of a new era for me. Yes i am 20 and i still had a teddy bear until yesterday.

#2 putting on a sweater. Oh man if i think California is cold just wait until i hit Canada. YIKES! I got off the airplane into L.A. and i was just shivering.....not good. Finally when i got to San Diego and got my bags i was able to put on another sweater and a toque. There is going ot have to be some serious shopping done when i get back to Canada....hello cold weather clothes!!

#3 In-And-Out Burger. A classic place that my good Norwegian friend Elise had never been to before, we had to make a stop there. It was grand....i enjoyed every minute of my grand greasy burger!

#4 touring San Diego. A friend from last years DTS Jeremy showed us around San Diego with me trying to stay awake in the back of the car between look out spots, since i couldn’t sleep that last night on the plane. Beautiful place indeed!

#5 Milking the last bit of my holiday to the fullest. Lying by the pool, reading, sleeping in, getting my nails done, and eating.....eating all the time.

Currently:
I am sitting in Starbucks in the Seattly airport.
1:01 am drinking a venti non-fat hazelnut latte with an extra shot of expresso
trying to stay awake until my 7 o'clock flight to beatiful british columbia.
Yesterday i said goodbye to my good friend and travel mate Elise as she is headed back to Norway. Today i hung out with a friend in San Diego and talked revival. How do we accomidate the revival that is happening? How do we stir up those around us and show them that there is SO MUCH MORE?
Tomorrow i am back in Canada, then in one short week i am home with no more vacation and only 2 weeks to say hello, unpack, say goodbye, and pack.
Sitting in the plane today i was totally bummed.
Thinking about how i am going to miss this life, the atmosphere, the hearts, oh the burning hearts, and the ripe lives of DTSers who are about to be transformed.
Then it hit me.....the real transformation doesn't happen during DTS. During the worship and prayer times and definitely during the outreach there are fresh revelation and new perspective but the ultimate proof of transformation is when the students go home. It is when they re-enter their homes, their schools, their churches, and their communities. It is when they are tested, hated, burnt out, without answers, and tempted with the same old things. THAT is when the true transformation shines.

Anyways. I could go on. For the next 3 hours until i check into my flight but i will spare you all.

Ciao for now.

Next time from Canada.
My home and native land.