| Ok, I'm goign to update tonight, but first, a brief message from our sponsers....
And by....
And (for some people...)...
And....the A&E Biography OF.....
The Trojan Man
ers today for being of such great minds, and of such servant hearts.
So today we went up to Whistler, BC today. The best way to give you Whistler is by telling you to close your eyes, imagine the mountains all around, a town square filled with people, pubs, clothing stores and banks all around. Then, if you will, take in the surroundings. The faint smell of smoke from the persistant jerks that can't go 20 minutes without a cigarette, the awesome food, the child who just crapped his pants and won't tell mom or dad. Then imagine that the mountains are covered by not snow, but by dirt hills for mountain biking. Now imagine that it's 75 degrees and the sun is shining brightly.
Now imagine that you've just gone north in Canada by about 2 hours from Vancouver.
Yeah, nuts isn't it? What was cool was that while it was gorgeous around us, it was sweet looking up at the top of some of the mountain tops and still seeing snow covered peaks. Again, I can't stress enough that the sheer beauty of where we are is almost enough to bring a man/woman to tears if she truly appreciates what God has placed in front of them.
We were up there today to have lunch with the pastor's family from Church On The Mountain, a church plant in Whistler. Chad, Stace, Jaden and Caleb, are the family that is the leadership of COTM, well Chad and Stace at least, as Jaden and Caleb are children. We had lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory and it was great food, a little expensive but Sarah picked up the 104 dollar check for everyone, she's awesome.
Sitting down and talking with pastors over lunch is something that's pretty common these days but there was something very different about Chad. He's the kind of pastor that seems totally out of place in Canada...as a pastor. You're more likely to run into him at a skate park than a pulpit, and that was freakin' awesome. He was totally West Coast in attitude, which is very laid back and relaxed, and very genuine in what he says and does. So we had lunch with them, heard their story and then proceeded to go swimming in the Lost Lake.
Now Lost Lake is a nice place too, but when we arrived on the beach we discovered it to be a bit different than our beaches back home. It might just be me, but when I hear the word "beach", I think yellow sand, warm weather, incredibly salty water, and beer cans all over the place. Lost Lake was no such place. First off, there was no sand, there was dirt, well small rocks that were fine enough to be considered dirt. The water was salty, but blue, and it was surprisingly warm, and felt great.
If you asked my parents, they'd tell you that I'm not much for physical activity, but swimming is something that I absolutely love doing. I love being in the water, it's great. So when we get there, I'm so amped it's not even funny, I'm literally shaking to try and keep myself from just running and jumping into the water because I was so excited. We hadn't been swimming (Deep Cove kayak experience notwithstanding) all summer, and I hadn't been in much longer than that. So after all the wait, I finally got to get in, and lemme tell ya, it was worth it. Something about going out and getting into something that is so large you can't imagine it, and feeling like you have to tread to just keep life is an interesting feeling, and it's one I value very much.
But you know, I think the main reason I enjoy swimming so much is because it's something that wastes time, and clears a mind. I had two things in mind when I went today.
1. Shrinkage?
2. Can I do a double flip from that pier?
Not family, not church, not anything except for that. For the first time since we've been up here that has been the moment of clarity, not in a amazing way, but in a subtle, smooth, passing kind of way. Nate didn't swim :( but it was all good, he got some reading done.
WE HAD TACO BELL TONIGHT!!
We went to a Taco Bell just to find out it's a KFC/Taco Bell remix, and on the menu, was the 10 piece deal....5 tacos and 5 pieces of chicken. As tempting as that slice of heaven was, we settled for tacos only, instead. On the way back, on the Sea To Sky Highway (Route 99) we listened to some music, as I proceeded to stare out the window, I did a lot of thinking.
**WARNING!! THOUGHTS BELOW ARE THE ACTUAL THOUGHTS OF ONE CALEB HORTON...READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**
What I thought about was something that I had been having trouble with since I've been up here.
If you have been keeping up with this Xanga thing, then you know that my family back home has been hit time after time after time with struggle. I have nothing to complain about, especially since James Roecker lost his mom, but I can't help but think of what I was worried about before I left. My worries were that my family would be hit time and time again by struggles, and not just small ones, but huge ones. Well, one stroke, one miscarriage, and a custody battle later, and it just turns out that my fears had come true.
Another worry was that I know that I don't get homesick. Period. I make home where it needs to be, and I'm thankful to God for that. But I was worried about leaving, and coming back home. I miss Maryland a great deal. I miss hanging out, I miss my youth, I miss my bed, etc. But, I don't miss it enough to make me homesick.
But what I was thinking about today, was something I'd prayed about for a while. And that prayer was when I'd know that it was time to move on to something else, time to move on to what needed to be next. I've had an amazing time in Vancouver, and I'm not looking forward to leaving, but I do believe that our time here is done.
I never think that God is ever done working somewhere, but I do believe that God does take people out of places when the think "their work isn't done". Why? Because it's not our work...it's Gods. I believe that while we might not feel we're done here, I do feel that going back home to my family and everything around there, is where I feel God calling me next. The need at home, seems to be almost greater than the need abroad, and I feel that finally, I'm understanding what God's saying.
And for the first time, I'm doing my best to try and follow, and not double guess.
I had a conversation with Pat, and elderly one year missionary and the topic came up about feeling exhausted. It went for a while, and something came out of me that I totally didn't plan, or expect, it just flowed, and it rings true to me. I don't believe that we get tired doing God's will. I don't believe that can exhaust us. I DO believe that we only get tired when we stop relying on God, and we start relying on ourself. That's our biggest drop right there, because while our strength is limited, God has never had a moment without energy, nor has he ever felt exhaustion.
The fact he asks us to place our exhaustion upon him is pretty sweet.
That being said, we were asked today if we felt like we'd accomplished a lot here. That caught me off guard, because it was a question that I had tried so hard not to think about, much less answer lol. I answered as such.
"Ya know, I don't think we've accomplished much, and I really don't want to think that we did, because then it'll prove we accomplished nothing. I want to believe that if anything we helped plant more seeds that God will use to make himself known."
Right? I agree with what I said, one because I said it, but two because I don't want to be known for anything I did up here, I want to be forgotten, I want to be not remembered, but I do want the work Nate and myself did this summer to be a building block for the building for the church. If that's the case, then mission accomplished. I don't want recognition, I just want to for once in my life, be the first to get down on my knees to THANK GOD FOR ALL HE'S PUT ME THROUGH. Because if he hadn't?
Then these two months were for naught, and our seeds have hit rocky terrain.
But I refuse to believe that, because I refuse to think that we did this.
I don't want credit...
All I want...
Is to worship |
