I am writing from a little coffee shop that I have a feeling is going to become a home away from home for me here in Thunder Bay. The Seattle Coffee House, has a serene atmosphere that is so much more than inviting and comforting that it difficult to describe. The sounds of typical acoustic coffee house music, mixed with a little jazz and the occasional folk remake of a popular rock song fills the air with a soothing vibe as the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tea wafts through your nostrils. All seems right with the world. It's as though your troubles and baggage were checked at the door by an invisible bell boy who kindly offers to bring them back when you are ready or lose them somewhere in the basement, whichever works best for you.
I am finding that Thunder Bay is aptly named at the trickle of rain lends a calm to my racing mind as I am reviewing another week here. Life is changing in so many ways and the product of the last few weeks work are coming to a head tomorrow as our programs kick off. Paul, my Irish friend, room mate and supervisor, and I are about (aboot or a aboat depending on your preference) find out whether all the planning we have done is going to cause us to sink or swim. Although by the sounds of the consistent rain I may be swimming out to the truck here momentarily. We are trying new things. Neither of us being from Canada, we have a different perspective on ministry and come from very different backgrounds. We are being bold in some areas by standards of the Canadian church and may find ourselves rethinking and re-planning our entire year and budget in just a few short weeks if things don't go our way. Only time will tell.
I am finally settling into my place here. Doug, our pastor at Redwood Park Church, got back this week and things are in full swing. With the reentry of the boss man focuses have changed as Doug is now taking back the reigns from those who have been directing the cart this summer.
Side note:
A giant man who sounds like he is talking through the opposite end of a 60 gallon barrel and has vocal chords that must stretch all the way from top to bottom of his 6'6" frame, just announced that it is going to be raining all weekend. I love the rain, something about it reminds me of old black and white movie romances. I digress...
We had our first staff meeting on Wednesday and the ball has begun rolling as we are now moving forward into the year! We will be reading a few books this year as a staff, thought provoking, theologically challenging and down right difficult to reconcile books. It is so intriguing to see how much our view of the world and God is shaped by the spectacles that we view the world through. We are starting with a book by N.T. Wright called "Surprised by Hope" a book about our view of the life after. There is a lot to wrestle with within it's pages, and it causes for great discussion as we are all working out what we believe, what the bible says, and if those things actually are one in the same. I am truly blessed by our staff as I find even though there may be differing views in discussion we are truly seeking to sharpen one another.
Pray for us as tomorrow starts our first step into the new year and we launch our programs. I am especially excited about beginning P90X with many of the staff members this week. We are going to take before and after pics measurements the whole 9 yards, can't wait to get back into a solid workout routine! Please continue to pray that I am diligent with my schooling as my time is being filled rather quickly. Continue to pray for my friend, Sarah as she has finally made it to Scotland and is beginning to experience life in the Highlands and process everything that goes along with leaving your family, friends, and culture to live in a place where for most of us our historical knowledge is purely based upon the magnificent cinematic colossus known as Braveheart!!! I do want to thank you all again for your constant encouragement and support. Pleases keep it up it is needed more than you will ever know.
Until we meet again friends,
Pookie
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