Bed Bugs

So I think we have bed bugs in our room. Right now my roommate and I are kicked out of our room for the afternoon so that they can spray it. All our clothes, bedding, teddy bears etc., have all had to be laundered. I feel like I am living in the laundry room. Anyhow, this whole experience has brought two things to my attention:
1) I think I had bed bugs in Cambodia because my bites look the same as the random bites I used to have there... which is why I have just lived with it here too.
2) I realize that I have way too many clothes. I thought I was good and not so materialistic but my closet would tell otherwise. Once my clothes come out of storage I am going to do some serious re-evaluating.

So that is my life right now.
Yeah bed bugs!

By the way... the one I found crawling inside my mattress cover looked more like the the one at 8 o'clock in the picture.

Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus...

This week, during the business of exams, my mind has been anywhere but where it should be. I had to share briefly at the inter-cultural program's special dinner about my experience last year. Reliving my experience brought back all the memories. With the memories came the question about where God is taking me and what comes next? It all feels so unknown. I have to try not to think about it, rather I need to just pray and ask God to lead me and then trust Him -- but that is easier said then done.

One song that has really spoken to me this week is "Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus":

'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, 
and to take him at his word; 
just to rest upon his promise, 
and to know, "Thus saith the Lord." 

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him! 
How I've proved him o'er and o'er! 
Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 
O for grace to trust him more! 

I'm so glad I learned to trust thee, 
precious Jesus, Savior, friend; 
and I know that thou art with me, 
wilt be with me to the end. 

Father, I am coming home to You!

Tonight, while in downtown Vancouver, we decided to go for a walk through East Hastings. For those of you who don't know about East Hastings, its where all the shelters are, where the prostitutes and drug addicts are. Its the opposite of the white picket fence neighborhood.  We ended up going to into a service at one of the missions. As I sat and listened I became overwhelmed with just how much God loves everyone who was there -- from the tough guy with the tattoos to the guy with his hands lifted up to heaven. One of the songs that they sang said "Father, I am coming home to You" and it nearly broke my heart. That's what its all about. That's what home is. Its for all of us.

Cambodian Food

So today a bunch of us drove to Vancouver because I wanted to try a Cambodian restaurant that I discovered online. I was really excited about it until we got there. The sign was in Chinese script and it said they served Cambodian and Vietnamese food (but there was no Khmer or Vietnamese on the sign). The menu was the same, except it added Vietnamese, and all the waiters and waitresses looked Vietnamese. I was so disappointed because I wanted to speak Khmer to someone. :( Anyhow, the food was good but it wasn't Cambodian (except for the loc lac beef and amok).

(Sarah, Steve, Kristena & I)

The best part about the meal was that they had ice coffee with sweet milk. HELLO! It was strong but delicious.

Blessed!

Thanksgiving was a difficult holiday for me this year because I was in Canada, yet I was not able to spend it with my family. I miss them. None the less, I realize that I am incredibly blessed. I got to know some great people this weekend, I was taken out for dinner by some family friends, and had a delicious turkey dinner on Sunday with some friends. I even played a couple rounds of Settlers of Catan -- my favourite game.  My mail box has even been full of cards -- some with special treats inside.  All in all, I have so much to be thankful for. Thank you Jesus for all your wonderful blessings! Thank you to all of you who have blessed me so much!

The View In My Rearview Mirror

This afternoon, as I was driving home from ministry, I glanced into my review mirror and noticed how beautiful the view was. I was captivated by the view of the small mountains and the trees. I kept looking back. However, while I was busy thinking about how great the view was behind, I neglected to notice the spectacular view ahead of me -- much like the view in the picture of the mountain above. I realized that sometimes the past looks so good to us that we neglect to realize that the future/the present can be just as amazing or better. In a way, I have been looking back on last year and thinking about how wonderful things were... but I need to stop looking back and recognize how amazing it is that I am in BC now and that what lays ahead is still a fascinating adventure waiting to be unleashed. The past may have been good, but the future may be even better. I am excited to see what God has in store.

Ministry

One of the things we have to do while in Bible college is participate in a ministry. The ministry that I decided to help out is Metro Kids Kids Klub in Surrey (the slum city of BC). It is a bus ministry. We set up the church and then hop on a bus and drive around and pick up the kids and bring them in. Then we have an awesome program with songs, games, and  a lesson time to teach them that there is a God who loves them. It is pretty awesome. Today was our kickoff for the school year. It went pretty well. Please remember it in prayer. 

(This is a picture I stole off of their website.)

You can check it out at: www.metrokids.ca