Leaving Phoenix

The car is packed, Nate is asleep and I'm sipping on the last of the eggnog. We arrived in Phoenix late September, and it has been a place of rest, adventure, study, peace and quiet. Perhaps in a couple weeks we will think back on these months and feel like they were a dream, but what a great dream! We are sad to say goodbye to the saguaros, the mountains, to our church that we connected with and learned from. We said goodbye to the park that Nate visits almost everyday, we've packed our sandals and our shorts away, and found where our toques and gloves were hiding. The blog may sit quiet for a few days, at least till we can get decent internet access. Thanks to everyone who has commented on these pages, sorry that we didn't reply, but your comments connected us back to our home. Special mention to Sheri-Lee and Trevy for all the comments. Some of you will see us before others, please pity us in the cold, we've acquired Arizona blood down here. I will continue the blog through January, as we reflect and summarize some of the main events, and people we met and the principles learned along the way. Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragements! Please keep us in mind in your prayers this week, as we travel north, we are planning on driving right through to southern Manitoba--we should be there on Tuesday but won't force it if the weather is rotten. You guys don't have rotten weather up north do you? Sorry. We're looking forward to seeing you all soon.
lots of love, ken, shonet and nate

Our Son is 2

This weekend was Nate's 2nd birthday. When Nate was born he had a collapsed lung that moved his heart within his body, it was serious, far more serious than we ever imagined. The doctor said that it was from taking too big a breath when he first saw daylight. His exuberance for life hasn't diminished one bit, though we're doing better with the whole collapsed lung thing (for those of you who don't know, he healed quickly without any medical help--God's pretty cool eh?) So, to fit the pattern of his style, here's some pics from his special day. Every day has been a gift! Sorry for the blurry pictures, he doesn't sit still much--hence the exuberance.

LA thoughts

I don’t want to paint a wrong picture, or give a false impression of what we observed this week, but the people we met, the ministries we observed and the community we lived in will have a lasting impression on our lives. For the past week, we have stayed in the home of Doug and Cynthia Peters along with their 3 beautiful children in a neighborhood that few people would live in by choice. When I first arrived here, I asked Doug, as a naïve Canadian if there were any neighborhoods that I should avoid as a white guy, his answer was: ‘Yeah, this one’, but our time here has been inspiring beyond words. We’ve driven through some of the more dangerous neighborhoods in the USA, where their missionaries live and plant churches; we’ve listened to stories of families who have been touched by the ministries of WI (World Impact) and we feel like we’ve seen the unmistakable work of God’s Spirit in these homes. We had the privilege to visit WI camp where kids from the churches can come for retreats and special events, build relationships and hear the Gospel. I think I am naturally a pessimistic person (my wife disagrees with me), but here in a part of the world where there are over 80,000 homeless people, we have seen hope and faith and expectation of great things. These guys really believe God can change people, communities and the world, because they have experienced God's hand changing their own lives and His love for them has moved them to love their neighbors as they love themselves. They’re not revolutionaries seeking a cleaner earth, or a safer city, but rather are people who believe that knowing Jesus and being known by Jesus is better than anything else this world can offer (but they also believe and practice that knowing Jesus is good for the planet and for safer communities!). In fact, they are very ordinary people (no offence guys), they have their hobbies, their jokes, their families, and routines but at the core of it is a life lived by faith and obedience to Jesus Christ. And in the process of their normal routines, they are changing lives and communities. LA is a myriad of overwhelming odds, it is a place of cultures forced together, over 200 nations are represented here in over 13 million people in the greater LA area. Buddhists, Muslims, students and workers all share the same sidewalks. It’s a city of celebrities and gangs, of smog and palm trees, but I believe WI taught me that the world will not change through a new dynamic program, food relief plans or new housing projects, but rather through the slow and purposeful (and messy) road of relationships—crossing all barriers to win as many to Christ. I’ll be honest, when I surveyed our entire sabbatical plans, I thought that our time in LA would be the most dangerous, perhaps it was, but if there was any danger experienced, it was the danger of my normal life being shaken up by these normal people. Thanks Doug, Cynthia, Olivia, Naomi and Elijah! Your hospitality was overwhelming and your encouragement and laugher was medicine to our souls. God bless you, refresh you and renew you each day. Many thanks to the other WI staff who hosted us, Bob and Tim especially for organizing much of our time there.

LA

We've been in LA for a week now, and will be heading back to Phoenix soon. There's much to say about our time here, about the stories and the missionaries from World Impact. I'll leave those thoughts for another post, but let me tell you a little about LA itself and where we are staying. First of all, its beautiful here, I understand why almost 11 milllion people cram into the greater LA area--its tropical, close to the ocean and beaches and yet right at the base of great mountain ranges. The people of LA are so diverse, over 200 nations are represented here; you have millionaires and people of world renown living in Beverly Hills and you have over 80,000 homeless people trying to keep warm on the streets. The city is home to some of the toughest street gangs and yet is also home to some of the biggest churches in America. There are more people in California than in Canada combined! There is beauty and ugliness mixed together, smog and palm trees share the same air, as do vultures and hummingbirds. I've seen birds of paradise (its an expensive flower) growing in garbage, homeless people sleeping in the shadow of the Ritz hotel, and a Mercedes Benz drive through through the projects. In the middle of this great city are people at World Impact who are an incredible light. They do not walk with the rich and famous, and do not share in the lifestyle of the wicked, but they are blessed beyond imagination with peace, community and God's favor--everything the gangs promise, the movies claim they own and the properties boast to possess. Its an inspiring place with inspiring people--World Impact that is. Ahh, but I said I would not talk about these people, its tough to talk about the beauty of coal in light of refined gold. But I digress, we've had some great opportunities to see the beach, see Hollywood and drive through Beverly Hills. We saw the stars on the streets and gawked at the huge homes, but we were more content to stay in the humble home of our hosts. The beach would have been ours and Nate's favorite place, and with sadness we will not see it for some time--the snow awaits back north! But attached are some fun pics of our travels through LA's famous places.

An old friend

If you had the chance to have a coffee with someone from your past who would it be? A teacher, a coach, perhaps a friend who moved away, no doubt it would be someone who made a lasting mark on your life. Yesterday I met an old friend from YWAM (Youth With a Mission) from Australia, his name is Dave Niebling and he is that one person I would choose to see. Some of you will remember that I spent a couple years with YWAM in Australia and parts of Asia back in the 90's (seems so long ago!). Those years made a profound impact on my life, the experiences were unforgettable, the things I discovered about God changed my life and the people I met inspired me to live for something greater than myself. Many of them lived a simple lifestyle, owning little to no property, living in community and practicing hilarious generosity. I met so many people in those years, I have lost touch with most of them but some have been there for me through the years. Dave was my leader for about 6 months while I was on staff, he's good Aussie with a keen sense of vision for his country and for God's kingdom on this earth, currently he is the director of YWAM Brisbane. God is pretty amazing in working out details that seem impossible, its those events that usually make us say 'only God could have made that possible'. Dave is teaching at a YWAM base in San Diego and happened to be coming through LA just the same week, in the same year, and the same day that we would be spending time in LA with World Impact. Shonet and I have been reading a great book by Malcolm Gladwell called 'Outliers', it takes a look at all the factors that play into the development of successful people--the reoccurring theme is--you cannot be successful on your own, you need others around you. Its difficult to articulate the impact Dave had on my life, but I suspect I would not be in ministry if God had not used his words, his family and the opportunities I had while serving with him. So to see him, his wife and his two wonderful children this week and have coffee with them on the Santa Monica pier was such a gift from God. It felt a little like Christmas morning once everyone has opened their presents only to discover there was still one more gift hiding behind the tree. Thanks Dave and Jenni for taking time to hang out with us and encourage us along the way! Dakota, Shonet really enjoyed talking with you, and Elijah you were such a blessing to Nate! Safe travels on your walkabout through the USA.