Beca's Journey

Holiday Update

2011-12-11T20:12:00.000-05:00

I realize that I have not written an update since the beginning of the summer so this is a little over due.

I had the opportunity to do an internship in New Liskeard this past summer as an assistant pastor at the baptist church. It was a great experience and I loved my time there. It was really nice to spend the summer with my Grandma and Uncle as I normally do not get to see them all that often. At the church,I was responsible for the senior high youth group as the couple that normally oversee it were away. The youth were really awesome and I still miss them. Nonetheless, it was a stretching experience. I also helped run VBS, help out with the junior high youth program, and fill in for the pastor when he was away. In the process I discovered that I love preaching. I guess I should not be too surprised as I used to get comments on my mini sermon'ettes many years ago. All in all it was a really great summer and I went home with mixed feelings.

While I was away, my home church in Collingwood experienced a small transition and was in need of a youth pastor. The evening before I got a call asking me if I was interested, I was up at night praying about it even though I did not think there was a chance that it would be offered to me. It was really awesome how it all worked out and I started as soon as I arrived home from New Liskeard. That being said, I am now in my fourth month of youth ministry in Collingwood. I love it but it has its challenges. The cool thing is that I know that this is where God wants me for this season in my life. It has been stretching as I have also been doing school full time as I work towards my Masters of Theological Studies and I have been working at Pita Pit too. It has been a very full semester and I am now rejoicing at the idea of a break--at least from school--for a couple of weeks.

Prayer Requests:
Please keep me in your prayers that I would have wisdom for leading the youth group and that the kids would encounter God and grow in their love for Him. Please also pray that God would send some people to help with the youth as we are in need of some more volunteers. Please also pray for continued safety as I commute back and forth between Collingwood and Hamilton each week.

Praise Reports:
We have seen a number of the kids want to know God and desire to have a Bible to read and so on. I am really excited to see the little things that God is doing in our youth!

I pray that you have an amazing Christmas!
Love, Beca

Pictures

2011-05-10T17:29:00.000-04:00

Mama

Uncle Irv and I all geared up for a ride on the four wheeler!

The waterfront near my new place.

First Baptist Church--where I work.

My new digs.

The backyard & view.

My first week!

2011-05-09T19:57:00.000-04:00

Wow, life at a church is busy! Of course I knew this already, but doing it full time is a lot. It is also enjoyable. This week they had me tearing up carpet and scrapping off the old rubber glue that was behind it. They also had me bush wacking at a Baptist camp (clearing out old srubs and weeds etc.) to make it more child friendly for the summer...this is along side of the ministry duties. As far as those go, I have been leading worship at church--Bapist style. In other words, I welcome people, pray, tell a children's story...it's wonderful. I also am responsible for the youth. This week youth was only three kids but it was still good. I am looking forward to what this summer will hold.

I have also have had the opportunity to spend a lot of quality time with my Grandmother and Uncle. It has been really special.

The challenges for this week have been adjusting to living such a busy life, and feeling lonely as I have yet to meet people my own age. Regardless, I am excited for the rest of the summer.

Beca
:)

Time Capsule

2011-04-11T19:37:00.000-04:00

When I was walking to my car today after my final class I realized that a lot has happened in my life these past three years--I have lived in two different provinces in Canada and lived in Cambodia. I have resided in seven places that I have called home. I have met many wonderful people.

Three years ago I was preparing to go to Cambodia. I was excited and scared for the adventure that lay ahead of me. I never imagined how much that nation would capture my heart nor all the adventures that I have been blessed to have there.

Two years ago I was prepare to leave Cambodia anticipating to only be gone for a short time period. Never did I imagine that I would not return and would end up in Bible College in BC instead. I got to experience the beauty of God's mountains. I got to go to Bible College which was something I always wanted to do. I made some fantastic friends and have a plethora of wonderful memories.

One year ago I was preparing to come home to Ontario for the summer to spend time with my family. I was supposed to return to Bible College for another year and even had a job as an RA. Instead, I came home and fell in love with Collingwood and all the wonderful people here. I found myself in seminary where I have been challenged to really get into my faith. I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of precious time with my family whom I had missed greatly. I have even experienced health challenges. Yet, through it all, I have seen God's hand working in me. I have seen how He has been leading and guiding me and opening up doors and closing others.

Now another school year has finished and I am preparing for my next journey to work in New Liskeard. I have no clue what God has in store. I find it exciting to realize that while I would have never imagined anything that I have done these past few years, God has made them remarkable. He has brought really special people into my life. He has filled me with His joy. He has provided for all my needs. It is so amazing that we can trust such an awesome God! I am excited to see what lays ahead in this wonderful journey of life.

Onward and Forward

2011-04-04T21:52:00.000-04:00

Guess what...school is almost done for the season. This week is my last official week of classes for the school year. I still have a couple of assignments to do yet, but things are winding down. While this season is ending, a new one is about to begin. I am heading up to New Liskeard for the summer for a job as an assistant pastor for four months. I am excited for this new change and to spend some quality time with my grandma who lives there. God has clearly provided this job and worked out all of the details so far. Now, all I need to do is finish school, get ready and go. It will be sad to leave Collingwood and all my amazing church family and friends there, not to mention my family here, but I am looking forward to meeting some more people. Please remember me in prayer. I am a little nervous as this role will take me outside of my comfort zone...but I am also excited for the challenge. I know that in our weakness God is made strong, so that is my prayer, that He would be glorified and use me in what ever way He chooses.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

2011-01-25T22:28:00.000-05:00

I am reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Letters and Papers from Prison for one of my classes. There is something special about reading the personal letters of someone as they walk their path in life. I have found that Dietrich`s letters are not at all like what I expected them to be, yet in a few there is a glimmer of raw humanity that is refreshing to read. The following quote is from his prayers for his fellow prisoners:

Morning Prayers

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you;
I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness, but with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways, but you know the way for me.

O heavenly Father,
I praise and thank you for the peace of the night;
I praise and thank you for this new day;
I praise and thank you for all your goodness and faithfulness throughout my life.

You have granted me many blessings;
Now let me also accept what is hard from your hand.
You will lay on me no more than I can bear.
You make all things work together for good for your children.
...

O Holy Spirit,
Give me faith that will protect me from despair, from passions, and from vice;
Give me such love for God and men as will blot out all hatred and bitterness;
Give me the hope that will deliver me from fear and faint-heartedness.
...

Restore me to liberty,
and enable me so to live now
that I may answer before you and before men,
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
Amen

These words just resonate with me for some reason. I find them encouraging. Here is a man sitting in a prison cell in Nazi occupied Germany. He thought he would only be there for a short stint but instead his trail was delayed and at this point he had been there for seven months. From his letters, he felt useless. He watched the bombing of the city from his window but was unable to help anyone. Yet, through it all, he still says: "Lord, whatever this day may bring, Your name be praised."

[Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Letters and Papers from Prison. Eberhard Bethge, Ed. Touchstone: New York, 1997. 130-41]

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T21:35:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I really don't have much to say other than this has been a very different Christmas for me. I have worked the past three days. Working Christmas day at Pita Pit was an interesting. Regardless, I had a nice Christmas morning with my parents and have spent the evenings with my parents and the Broomers. As for my immediate family, we celebrated Christmas together last Tuesday night.

I wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year. May God bless you richly.

Beca

Are You Ready?

2010-11-22T22:21:00.001-05:00

Today I was reminded of how easily we take life for granted. This morning I woke up with a dream of an accident that left me feeling shaken. I had this eerily feeling that something bad was going to happen. Being my selfish self I naturally thought to pray for safety while driving to school. I remember leaving home thinking: this could be the last time I see my parents. I don't know why I had such a morbid thought, maybe God was trying to get me to pray. Next time I feel that dark feeling I should just start to pray in general.

Regardless, this afternoon one of my classes was held at a funeral home. It served as yet another reminder that we do not know which day will be our last.

Tonight I discovered that last night in Cambodia (which was this morning here) over 300 people died after attending the water festival. A festival that I attended two years ago. Friends posted photos on facebook of just a pile of dead bodies. Please remember their families in prayer. Please pray that the Christians will be a light during this difficult time. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1332111/Hundreds-feared-dead-following-Cambodia-festival-stampede.html

Let's not live life as if we have an endless amount of time before us; rather, let us live life as if each day might be our last.

~FoOd FoR tHoUgHt~

2010-10-23T21:49:00.000-04:00

I just read this quote from Basil the Great in one of my text books and I thought I was worth sharing and reflecting on:

"If one who takes the clothing off another is called a thief, why give any other name to one who can clothe the naked and refuses to do so? The bread that you withhold belongs to the poor; the cape that you hide in your chest belongs to the naked; the shoes in your house belong to those who must go unshod."

(Quote taken from: Gonzales, J. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. Vol. 1. USA: HarperOne, 2010.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-10-12T14:51:00.001-04:00

To all my friends and family, I hope you had an excellent thanksgiving! There are so many things to be greatfull for. God has truly blessed me indeed.

This past week has been a challenging one. I felt like I was living under a grey cloud. I kept injurying myself. My stomach was sick all week. I didn't want to do my school work or read my Bible (since at times those things are one and the same.) This weekend has also been busy, but I have enjoyed it.

There is something about nature that just reminds me of God's greatness and I feel completely at peace and rest with Him when I am surrounded by it. This weekend I have made time to just be outdoors with God. Even though I have a mountain load of work to do, I find myself in a state of peace and rest. The song that comes to mind is Still by Reuben Morgan. Listen to it and reflect on the words.

Lyrics:
Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
Within Your mighty hands

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You, above the storm
Father, You are king over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul, in Christ alone
Know His power, in quietness and trust

This week, take the time to just reflect on God and his greatness and just feel His rest.

Can you say... GEEK

2010-09-16T23:58:00.000-04:00

This week was my first week of classes at MacDiv. I find it hard to believe that I am in Seminary. I just sit in class and eat up all the words of the professors like a starved child. I remember when I was a kid and my friend Jenn used to practicing preaching on the phone to me. She was the one who was going to be the preacher (and hopefully she keeps that up) and I wanted to be the missionary -- I still do. Now we both find ourselves in Seminary (though she may be finished by now and I am just beginning). It's just crazy to look back and see how God has been leading us and I wonder where He will take us in the future. All this week I kept thinking, "wow, I am so privileged to be here" and "why me?" Why am I in seminary? I guess I won't know until later but I plan on enjoying the journey.

Freedom

2010-09-01T12:51:00.002-04:00

I was sitting outside today reading my Bible. I was reading Galatians which is all about the law and faith. It talks about how we can get so caught up attempting to justify ourselves by trying to live up to God's law instead of allow God to justify us through our faith in Him.

As soon as I finished reading the last chapter, I heard a scratching noise. I went to check it out and I discovered a chipmunk was caught in a trap. He was running back and forth in the cage trying to escape. When I lifted up the trap door to release him he just stood there instead of running to freedom.

I realized that often we are like that chipmunk. We try and try to work hard and do good to please God. Even things that are good, such as spending time reading the Bible, can become a trap to us as they become something we have to do to please God instead of doing it because we want to build a relationship with Him. We become trapped by our legalism. Yet, Jesus came to set us free. He is standing at the trap door holding it open for us to walk out. Yet we get so caught up in our trapped mentality that we don't accept the freedom He offers.

Thank God for the grace and freedom He gives to us!
(As for the chipmunk...he eventually gained the courage to walk out of the trap.)

Another Transition

2010-08-30T16:52:00.000-04:00

This summer should be called the summer of decisions. A few weeks ago I read the book "Is That Really You God" by Loren Cunningham. (If you haven't read it, I recommend you do.) This book got me thinking and I realized that going to Summit just wasn't jiving with me. I was going because certain individuals recommended that I continue with my education, and, after having a little ousting match with God, I felt a peace with the decision. So, I decided that I would return to Summit for another year. However, going back to Summit seemed pointless to me: it would be expensive to go back to BC, I would have no health coverage there, and I would just be getting a certificate. Many individuals whom I talked to this summer recommended that I consider doing my masters. The problem was that the idea of doing my masters overwhelmed me and I had no clue what I wanted to do it in or where to go. A week ago my pastor asked me to come and talk with him. He recommended that I go to McMaster to do my masters in theological studies. He even called them to see if I could still apply this late in the game. Needless to say, after much prayer and confirmation, I will be attending McMaster Divinity College instead of returning to BC. I am super excited about this change in events and I have this crazy peace about it. The best part is that I get to be around my family this year, I can continue to volunteer at the Door and be involved with my church in Collingwood. It seems like every question mark that I have had about returning to Summit has been answered. This decision has clearly been a God thing. So now on to yet another chapter of my life.

The Door

2010-08-04T16:20:00.001-04:00

Working at the Door has been such an awesome opportunity as it is basically missions on our own front step. The teenage years are a time when kids are evaluating life and trying to figure out who they are. They go to extremes to both create an identity for themselves and to be accepted by others. What amazing opportunity for us to step in and provide for them a place where they are accepted and to guide them towards finding their identity through Christ. Through building relationships with the youth who come here we are able to offer them hope.

Over the course of the summer, I have been able to sit down and really get to know one of the young girls here. One time when we got together we talked about her hopes and dreams. What she wants to do with her life. Where she wants to go to school in the future. I told her that God has a plan and purpose for her life. I challenged her to work hard towards those dreams and not get distracted by life's ups and downs. I wish you could have seen the smile on her face after that talk. I wish life were easy and I could rest assured knowing that she will make all the right choices, but I know that is not always the case. My prayer is that she will encounter God, because I know that if she truly encounters Jesus it will affect her life and He will revolutionize her world.

Struggles and Blessings

2010-07-19T19:54:00.003-04:00

Today was a bad grocery shopping day. It was bad because because I was tempted like crazy. They say never to go grocery shopping while hungry; well, the same can be said about going grocery shopping while experiencing cravings for food you can't eat. Today I had a mighty craving to enjoy either a delicious chocolate chip cookie or a mouthwatering brownie. Somehow the gluten free and every other kind of allergy friendly options just did not look satisfactory.

Well, I decided that I would treat myself to a special dinner instead so, obviously, I headed to the Asian foods aisle. I had to forgo the butter chicken idea, but I decided to go for Pad Thai. Then I had this crazy idea of modifying my favourite green salad (which is actually made out of pistachio pudding) into an ice cream...minus the dairy part. Dinner and dessert was scrumptious. I don't know which part I like better.

Anyways, the point of writing all this is to say, isn't God good. It is like God knew I was struggling and gave me something good to eat that won't make me sick. I may have enjoyed my dinner and dessert more than I would have enjoyed the cookie or brownie. Isn't God good!

Braeside

2010-07-18T23:09:00.000-04:00

This coming week is youth camp at Braeside so I am taking kids from the Door to the service on Tuesday night. It may only be one person who comes, it could be four...but please pray for us that night. Please pray for our safety and also for awesome conversations on the way there and back and that God would touch their lives. I really want to see these kids making good choices -- including choosing to live for God.

THE DOOR

2010-07-08T16:00:00.000-04:00

This week I began a new job -- working at a youth drop-in center here in Collingwood. I am super excited about it as the job entails building relationships with the youth here and just loving them and walking with them on their journey in life. Please pray for me as I begin this job that I would be able to just be real with them and that my life would reflect Christ. As well, please remember them in prayer, that those who have already chosen to believe will grow in their faith, and that those who are are not, would see that there is a God who loves them and that they would choose to follow Him.

Thanks for your prayers :)
Beca

Anticipation

2010-06-14T20:22:00.000-04:00

All day today I have had this feeling of anticipation. In response I keep saying, "Lord have your way." It is such a weird feeling to be in this unknown state yet knowing that God is leading the way. I don't know exactly what I am anticipating but it bubbles out of me none the less. I pray that we would constantly keep our eyes on Jesus and allow Him to lead us wherever that may be.

How He Loves Us!

2010-06-09T09:25:00.000-04:00

Last night at Bible study we began to talk about the practical ways that God has shown His love for us in our lives. We talked about His provision, His grace, His goodness, and His Holy Spirit. Through it I am reminded of how amazing God is. Not only did He send His Son, Jesus, to die for us, but He continues to demonstrate His love for us each day. I am just overcome by thankfulness for how good God is and how much He has blessed me. Even this week God provided a new battery for my computer via a recall. Cambodia drained the life out of my computer battery so that it was only good for about 10 minutes. Now God has replaced it. This is just a small thing, but it is a practical way that God has blessed me recently.

~Psalm 118:29~
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

The Battle: Fear Vs: Faith

2010-05-31T22:53:00.000-04:00

This summer I was offered a job at Braeside camp working in the kitchen. I was told that I had to respond as to if I will take the job by May 31st --aka today. Meanwhile, I have been living at my parents in Collingwood and discovering that I love it hear. I have made some awesome friends here and am helping lead the young adult group. The thought of moving to Braeside to live alone and start all over again makes me sad. So, I have been applying for jobs around Collingwood but doors just keep slamming in my face. I have been wondering what I am doing wrong. I can't even land a job as a camp counselor. I was given an interview for an awesome job in my parent's backyard but they told me that I wouldn't find out if I got it until today or tomorrow. So I have been waiting and praying.

This past week, with the deadline to notify Braeside rapidly approaching, has been a challenging one. I have been wavering between where I should work/live. I didn't want to give up the job at Braeside in the event that I could not find a job here. Last night at church I realized that I have been holding onto the Braeside job as a safety net and that I wanted to go there because I am fearful of the good that could come with staying here. I also recognized that I did not want to make a decision because I am afraid of making a mistake. I have been letting fear rule me.

1 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

So, I have decided to let go of my safety net and trust God to provide a job. It's so hard to trust God because that fearful voice keeps whispering to me -- but a spirit of fear is not of God. I am choosing to step out in faith and have a little trust in God. Please pray for me that I would not longer be held back by fear but rather that I would live my life with faith.

The Heavenly Man

2010-05-19T16:35:00.000-04:00

I have been reading this book, "The Heavenly Man," and it is wrecking me. Honestly, I don't know if I would be able to handle being persecuted for my faith, to the same degree as this man has done, and still be faithful. Not only that but this man prayed and fasted just to receive a copy of the Bible and then committed to memory. If you want to be challenged in your faith, I highly recommend reading this book!

Home Sweet Home!?!

2010-05-10T16:43:00.000-04:00

Dad and I arrived home safely. We stopped in Burlington for a day to spend time with my sisters and their families. Then, we headed to Collingwood and family friends from Texas came to spend the weekend with us. It was really nice to spend time with them. I also started a course on Teaching English as a Second Language which will happen over the weekends this month. Needless to say, I am exhausted. Now, it is time to inaugurate the job hunt.

As a side note: I have seen more snow here in Ontario since being back then I saw all winter in Abbotsford. It's MAY! How does that add up?!

New Adventure

2010-05-02T23:59:00.000-04:00

School is out for the season and I am on my way home. Dad flew out for my graduation and to drive home with me. The weather has been crazy and we have driven through rain, wind, and snow. Can you believe it?! I have seen more snow on this journey home then I did all winter in Abbotsford. Here are some pictures so far:

Thank You!

2010-04-14T21:32:00.000-04:00

Today I was thinking about you -- about all of you who pray for me, encourage me, think about me, care about me. I am so grateful for you! I received another card in the mail today and it just overwhelms me as to how amazing of a support network you are. Thank you for your encouragement! Thank you for your prayers!

As a quick update, I will be returning to school here next year for another year doing general Bible courses. I will also be a Residents Assistant. Please pray that God would use to me to encourage, love, and challenge the girls on my residence wing next year.

As for the summer, I still do not know what I will be doing. I have sent out several resumes but I have not received any responses. Regardless, the plan is to return to Ontario so that I can spend some time with my family as I really miss them. Please pray that the Lord will show me what He wants me to do this summer and that He will open up that door.

Finally, school is winding down for the year. Exams start next week. Please remember me in prayer that I would finish strong. Please also pray that through the stressful period I would continue to fix my eyes on Jesus and encourage others to do so too.

In conclusion for today:
"The LORD bless you
       and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you
       and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you
       and give you peace."
~ Numbers 6:24-26 ~

Psalm 37

2010-03-26T12:16:00.000-04:00

Lately I have been wondering how much more I can handle in terms of the junk that happens in this world. My heart breaks every time I hear about someone getting raped or another child trafficked or molested, etc. I get angry and I wonder why God lets it happen.

Anyways, today I was reading Psalm 37:1-20 and it really spoke to me:

¹ Do not fret because of evil men
       or be envious of those who do wrong;
² for like the grass they will soon wither,
       like green plants they will soon die away.
³ Trust in the LORD and do good;
       dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
⁴ Delight yourself in the LORD
       and he will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the LORD;
       trust in him and he will do this:
⁶ He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
       the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
⁷ Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
       do not fret when men succeed in their ways,
       when they carry out their wicked schemes.
⁸ Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;
       do not fret—it leads only to evil.
⁹ For evil men will be cut off,
       but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
¹⁰ A little while, and the wicked will be no more;
       though you look for them, they will not be found.
¹¹ But the meek will inherit the land
       and enjoy great peace.
¹² The wicked plot against the righteous
       and gnash their teeth at them;
¹³ but the Lord laughs at the wicked,
       for he knows their day is coming.
¹⁴ The wicked draw the sword
       and bend the bow
       to bring down the poor and needy,
       to slay those whose ways are upright.
¹⁵ But their swords will pierce their own hearts,
       and their bows will be broken.
¹⁶ Better the little that the righteous have
       than the wealth of many wicked;
¹⁷ for the power of the wicked will be broken,
       but the LORD upholds the righteous.
¹⁸ The days of the blameless are known to the LORD,
       and their inheritance will endure forever.
¹⁹ In times of disaster they will not wither;
       in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
²⁰ But the wicked will perish:
       The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields,
       they will vanish—vanish like smoke.

Isn't this an awesome reminder that God is more powerful than Satan and evil will be defeated!

3 Things In the Past 24 Hours Worth Mentioning

2010-03-24T01:23:00.002-04:00

1. My Broken Heart

So last night on facebook I saw this link of a newscast on the sex trade in Cambodia. It's just so real and heartbreaking. (Note, the places shown were two of the places I was supposed to help, but that didn't work out.) I think I have a more difficult time dealing with the sex trafficking stuff now that I am at home then I did there. I think I may be experiencing a slight burn out. It breaks my heart and makes me scream "why God?" Tonight someone asked for prayer for a family friend who had been raped and all I could do was fall to my knees and moan. Somehow, I have to choose to entrust those girls to God and trust that somehow He will reign over the situation. If you haven't watched the video yet, watch it. And, please remember the girl who was raped and her family in prayer as well as those mentioned in the video and the countless others.

Cambodia Children Sold Into Slavery - ABC News

2. Awesome Opportunity to Feast on Other's Brains

So today there was a special PAOC deliberation at the school where a bunch of big wigs gathered to discuss a redefining of the term 'pentecostal.' At first I went only because my professor cancelled our class to give us the opportunity to sit in the back and listen. But it was so interesting that I stayed for the whole thing. They discussed how the identity of Pentecostals has vs: hasn't become obsolete, and if there is a need to define Pentecostal and how it should be defined. Anyways, it was very intellectually stimulating and it was an honor to get to participate.

3. The Blessing of a Church Family

This evening I attended the weekly Bible study at my church for the first time. It felt so good to attend and be a part of the intimate gathering of the church. It was so insightful and you get to know the people way better. We also ended with an awesome time of prayer that brought back old childhood memories of listening in on the church prayer meetings my parents attended. Then a couple came in off the street asking for food so my friend offered to take them to McDonalds. Many people from the meeting started putting money in her hand to pay for it. Then the pastor decided to show up at McDonalds to join us after he locked up the church. It was a really good demonstration of leading through example. It just reminded me of how good it feels to be connected to a church.

The Ugly Truth

2010-03-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

I realize that I haven't exactly written from my heart much lately. 2010 has been a difficult year for me so far. At the beginning of January I prayed asking God to open up old wounds that have not healed properly and bring complete healing. I was actually praying this for the whole student body...but God seemed to have answered this prayer in my own life.

Since returning to school in January I was told that I potentially have celiac disease. Celiac disease is a severe allergy to wheat and gluten. One of the symptoms of this disease is depression. Basically, the more you eat the food you are allergic to, the more you destroy your small intestine so that it is unable to absorb any nutrients. So now I have to watch what I eat and work on self control. As long as I stick to the rules I feel great... but it is really hard to stick to the rules when everyone around you is enjoying cookies, muffins, delicious bread and so on.

To add the physical battle, the door for me to return to Cambodia with PAOC has closed. I know God has a reason for this and I am praying to see what He wants for me. Nonetheless, this closed door has ripped open a wound in my heart and brought out a lot of nastiness that I wish was not in me. I am trying to learn to just TRUST GOD. When living at Wakil (where I lived during university) we used to always say "trust and wait." Well that is a lesson that I have to learn again and again and again.

Well that is the ugly truth about what has been going on with me this year. Thank you for all your prayers!
Love, Beca

Olympic Fever

2010-03-03T13:55:00.000-05:00

Friday night I went down to Vancouver with some people from the school to celebrate the Olympics.

It was awesome!

We drove to Surrey (which is just outside of Vancouver) to ride the Sky-train downtown. Right beside the station, at Holland park, there were some Olympic festivities which we decided to check out. Mainly we ate some sweet Vietnamese food in a tent packed with people watching the hockey game on the big screen. As soon as Canada scored a goal the tent would turn into this big awesome frenzy.

(Adina and I at Holland Park standing in the rain.)

Then we rode the train downtown and went to see the Olympic torch.

We then walked to Robson Square for the fire and light show.

Here is a little clip of the mania.

My Birthday Party

2010-02-22T20:53:00.000-05:00

For my birthday, my friends surprised me with special wheat free, gluten free, dairy free cake ( I potentially have celiac disease). It was really special because I was wanting cake so badly.

We watched part of the opening ceremonies and then migrated to the bowling ally for some fun combined with watching the ceremonies. It was a lot of fun!

(They decorated my door with balloons!)

Praise God for friends!

Abbotsford, My Playground

2010-02-22T20:46:00.000-05:00

Quick Testimony

2010-02-10T15:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I was talking to my friends and one of them really challenged me about praying for my ministry. I used to do that all the time while in Cambodia but somehow I allowed myself to get out of the habit. Anyhow, last weekend I took some time to pray, and I could just tell it made a difference...even if it was just in my attitude.

That same friend who challenged me also works with Metro Kids but she helps out with Junior Youth on Saturday evenings. Anyways, she came back this week super excited because she had the opportunity to personally lead one of the youth to Jesus. Isn't that just super awesome! I want to see more kids decide to follow Jesus.

2010-01-28T00:31:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from Metro Kids, where I help out on Saturdays.

This is a picture of me telling the kids the creation story.

We also have fun worship times and as you can see below...

lots of fun and games too.

Excitement

2010-01-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

Over the course of last semester, I have been praying for God to move at Summit. Today was super exciting because a few other students who are hungry to see God to move in our school started a prayer meeting. A bunch of us gathered together to pray. It was so exciting. I just feel so excited about what God is going to do.

Christmas in January

2010-01-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

Saturday's are ministry days for me. I drive down to Surrey (1 hour drive) to help out with Metro Kids -- a bus ministry. Anyways, today we just had a staff meeting and I did not want to drive down for it... but I did. It was awesome. Apparently, the church/people were overly generous this year in making shoe boxes for us to give away to our kids. After Christmas we had tons of boxes left over so today we went to a low income area and knocked on doors giving kids presents and inviting them to come out to kids klub. It was so awesome! I felt like Santa. The look on some of the kids and parents faces to see people knocking on their doors handing out gifts was priceless. Praise the Lord for an awesome day and the opportunity to bless people!

Joy

2010-01-14T23:34:00.000-05:00

This past year I have been struggling with depression. I wrote about it earlier because I needed prayer but then deleted the post because I was ashamed. For those of you who were praying for me, thank you very much. Since coming back to school, I have been trying to really get my focus on God. Last night while praying I started to pray the armor of God over my life. I realized that our helmet is salvation. Helmets protect the head. I am saved so why am I allowing the enemy to shoot his darts at my mind?! I asked God to protect my mind and to renew it and to replace these depressive feelings/attitude with His joy. He has! God gave me the joy back that I have allowed satan to rob. The battle may not be over, but I know that I have God on my side and God is more powerful then the attacks of the enemy.

A Reminder...

2010-01-09T13:17:00.000-05:00

This morning Mom and I went to get a manicure and a pedicure. The shop brought back so many memories. It was run by people from Vietnam. One of their sons was there and he reminded me so much of one of the kids from the orphanage that I worked in last year. Then, as I was getting my pedicure, I was talking to the lady doing it. She told me how she has no education and that she can't get one now because her English is not good enough, she can't afford it, and she thinks she is too old. She kept telling me how lucky I am to be able to go to school. I wanted to cry because I was reminded of just how amazingly blessed I am. Just being Canadian and living in North America we have so many priveledges that others don't have. I thank the Lord for blessing me. At the same, I hate that we live such priveleged lives while others struggle. All together today was a nice reminder to be grateful and work hard. I pray that God will use me to help others so that they have a fair chance at life too.

Reality

2009-12-28T22:31:00.000-05:00

Many of you already know that while I was in Cambodia, I struggled with darkness. Now I can say that there was sin in my life. The sin made the darkness grow and yet the darkness made it even harder to fight temptation. I was caught in a place where I felt detached from God. The Bible makes it clear that all of us are sinners. We have a diabolical longing. This is due to the original sin where Adam and Eve went against God and ate the forbidden fruit. Even though God made the world perfect, He gave us the ability to choose for ourselves to follow Him and man chose to sin. The special part is that He still loves us. He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to come into this world and pay the penalty for our sins. When we choose to follow Him, we are set free from our past sins. I am so glad that God forgives. I am so glad that He still desires to use me, despite my failures, and that I can have a personal relationship with Him. I know that there are a few of you who read this who have not chosen to follow Jesus. I just want you to know that Jesus loves you and desires you to come follow Him.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-28T18:46:00.001-05:00

I would just like to start by wishing everyone who reads this a merry Christmas. Thank you for your prayers...I have really felt them. This has been a wonderful Christmas.

It started with babysitting my neice. We successfully got paint everywhere...including her mom's good chair.

Then after dinner on Christmas Eve with my brother-in-law's family, my parents and I headed up to their new home for a quiet Christmas. We opened a few presents, cleaned, and relaxed. It was actually really nice. Then everyone arrived and we had a full house, snowball fights, good food, and lots of presents.

(Me, Jackie, Bobbi, Maria (my bother-in-law's mom), and my mom.)

(We discovered that Rylee really likes dada juice -- aka pop!)

(Noah and his new gecko that I brought home from Cambodia for him.)

(Mom with one of her presents -- a picture of my nephew in his hockey uniform, and my niece in her figure skating costume.)

All in all, it was really nice to spend Christmas with my family again!

Quick Update

2009-12-09T13:48:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't written anything on here for awhile. I have been a little under the weather and very stressed. I was rear ended a couple weeks ago which left me with whiplash. The whiplash plus the stress made for a very painful week last week. Now that my neck is getting better, I have started to come down with a cold/bronchitis. I am hoping to nip it before it gets the better of me. Please pray for physical healing as exams start on Friday and I want to be able to focus and do well.

Thanks so much.

The Power of Prayer

2009-11-21T01:08:00.000-05:00

This morning in class we watched a Transformations video on how 4 different communities around the globe have been transformed because of prayer. In each of the communities, as the people gathered to pray (including different denominations coming together to pray) things started to change for the good in their cities. I have noticed that we, Western Christians, have missed the message somewhere as not many people pray like they used to. Rarely do people come out to prayer meeting or have their own weekly prayer meetings at home. On Sunday night, I went to visit a church and the guest speaker spoke about how his Muslim friends make the time to pray 5 times a day. I can say, that as a Christian I don't take the time to spend in prayer 5 times a day, yet we are called to pray without ceasing. How can we expect God to change us and use us when we are not willing to make the time for Him in our day. I think its time I learn to get on my knees and spend some quality time in prayer. Will you join me?

Date with a Sweet Old Man

2009-11-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

A while ago a bunch of us were at Tim Hortons for a study break and we met this nice old guy. He was sitting by himself so we invited him to join us. We ended up having a great evening chatting with him. At the end of the night we decided to get his phone number so that we could take him out for coffee...

So that's what we did tonight. We met up with him again and spent an hour and a half talking about God, church, family, the provinces, and so on. Selfishly, I rather enjoy our conversations. I think that there is so much that we can learn from people who have already lived through most of their life and experienced so much. The seniors who God has placed in my life have been like hidden gems to me, you may think nothing of them at first but then as you get to know them you realize how much you value their friendship. My grandmother, for instance, has been one of my biggest supporters and encourager's. I have gotten to know her, all because I called her once. My old neighbour became a special friend all because we shoveled his driveway once and took the time to say hi. I wouldn't trade my conversations with them for anything. I hope that one day when I am old, someone makes the time for me.

Raw and Real

2009-11-04T20:11:00.000-05:00

This afternoon I was sitting in the library with a friend. We were both working on papers that we have to write and she was referencing from her Bible. A passage really struck her so we started talking about it. An hour later we were still talking about it, God, our failures and God’s grace. It was raw and real. This is what it is all about: spontaneously being vulnerable with each other, encouraging one another and praying for each other. Too often, we can get so focused on the task at hand and the busyness of life to actually make time for God and those around us. In the grand scheme of things, school/ work is only important in the here and now, but one's life has eternal importance. We need to make time for people. We need to make time for God.

Bed Bugs

2009-10-30T19:06:00.001-04:00

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...

2009-10-26T21:06:00.001-04:00

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!

2009-10-18T01:15:00.000-04:00

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

2009-10-18T01:13:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-10-13T15:07:00.000-04:00

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

2009-10-04T00:26:00.000-04:00

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

2009-10-04T00:14:00.000-04:00

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

Mailing Address

2009-09-24T20:39:00.000-04:00

For those of you who wanted to know my mailing address here, it is:

Box 1700
Abbotsford, BC
V2S 7e7

:)

Westminister Abbey

2009-09-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

This afternoon I went to a nearby Catholic monastery. I wanted to sign "the hills are alive with the sound of music." Meanwhile in the background a special group was there making amazing music with the tower bells.

While there, we had an interesting conversation with a monk. Oddly enough his parents were from Mississauga and Thorold (who would have thought). We chatted about how some people see Catholicism as a cult and/or separate from Christianity. However, while talking, there was no doubt in my mind that this man was a Christian. His most adamant point was that Jesus is Lord.

The nature surrounding the monastery was so beautiful and refreshing to the soul.

All in all, it was a pretty awesome experience.

I am loved!

2009-09-17T01:03:00.000-04:00

Over the past week and a half I have had difficulty adjusting to my new living situation. On the outside things are great but on the inside I have been feeling empty and shattered into a million pieces. I know this is where God wants me for this season of my life but my heart is not here. I left my heart in Cambodia.

Tonight during our chapel time, I felt like God was repeating to me "I love you".

God loves me, Rebecca Osmond. Wow! God really loves me! Sometimes we just need to be told that we are loved and today was one of those days for me. Lately I have found it hard to grasp that God really loves me. The amazing thing is He actually does. So if you have been feeling like me, remember, God really, truly, genuinely loves you.

Move In Day

2009-09-08T00:08:00.001-04:00

Welcome to my new school.

This is my residence building. We were swarmed as soon as we pulled in with upper-year students to help unload the car. I only carried in one handful of my stuff. It was very kind of them but a little overwhelming at the same time.

Here is a picture of my half of my room.

Aunt Susie really wanted to go to White Spot for a piece of their fresh blueberry pie. Most were out of it but one still had some blueberry pie left so we went for dessert tonight.

Day 4

2009-09-07T01:41:00.000-04:00

WE ARRIVED!

Km: 802.3
States & Provinces: Montana, Idaho, Washington & BC
Tolls: TOLL FREE... I don't know why the Eastern States like to charge and arm and a leg for tolls, you don't even have to pay a toll to cross the border on this side.

Observations: Idaho definitely wins the trophy for the most treacherous state to drive in!!!! The steep, winding roads were freaky, especially in the rain! As for Washington, half of it was extremely boring to drive through...

...but half was interesting. We stopped at a scenic look out along the way and the view was breathtaking. It was also extremely windy.

We took a detour to Vancouver and went to visit my great-aunt. It was kind of neat meeting my grandmother's sister.

Then we did the journey to Abbotsford in the rain and dark, so I will have to wait until tomorrow to actually see Abbotsford. I thank God for getting us here alive and with no complications.

Day 3

2009-09-06T01:15:00.001-04:00

Km: 1157.6 Km + Detour to see Mt. Rushmore
States Entered/Exited: South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana
Tolls: TOLL FREE AGAIN!! Yay!

Observations: So far, Wisconsin has been the prettiest state, South Dakota the most interesting state, Wyoming the most boring state, and Montana the most treacherous state.

(A bridge in the rock. I took this picture by just sticking my hand out the window and shooting.)

This morning we headed out to see Mount Rushmore before starting on our journey. The gift store had a Cambodian flag so I bought it and took a picture of me, the Cambodian flag and Mt. Rushmore together.

The scenery today varied from boring and dead as can be, to watching a helicopter put out hotspots after a forest fire, to freaky winding mountain roads, and the grand finally was driving into the sunset.

Day 2

2009-09-04T23:12:00.002-04:00

Km: 1192.9

States entered/exited: Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota

Tolls: TOLL FREE :)

Observations: The scenery changes soo fast. God is so creative!

Today we crossed the Mississippi River but it was to foggy to see anything.

So South Dakota makes for a very interesting ride with the badlands and the rolling hills turning to mountains.

As well, there were strange signs for "WALL DRUG" every minute or so in South Dakota, so we decided to check it out. We discovered that the Wall Drug signs were for the town of Wall. It was very unique, but not as good as the signs.

BC Here We Come...DAY 1

2009-09-03T22:54:00.000-04:00

For those of you who have not heard yet, I have decided to take a year and go to Bible College in BC. I am sad that I will not be returning to Cambodia at this time but I know in my heart that this is what I am supposed to do.

The process to leave as been very rushed as I was accepted last Thursday. I have had one week to get things together and this morning Aunt Susie and I started the long drive to BC.

Day 1

Km: 1108.3

States Entered: Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, & Wisconsin (Wisconsin is my favorite so far.)

Toll booth charges: $10.95 US

>>> and we are both still alive, praise God!

The most eventful part of our journey today was driving through Chicago.

Observations: Motorcyclists don't wear helmets. One guy wore leather chaps but no helmet. The way I see it, you can live without your legs but you can't live without your head.... priorities.

(Aunt Susie driving.)

(Chicago Skyway Toll Booth)

(Me in the car waiting in line to pay the toll... while the car behind us kept honking.)

Home!

2009-06-24T12:15:00.002-04:00

For those of you who do not know already, I am back home in Canada. Please remember me in prayer as I am in the middle of my application process and fundraising so that I can return to Cambodia on a long term assignment. Thank you for all your prayers, encouragement and support.

God Bless!
Beca

The Countdown

2009-06-05T00:57:00.002-04:00

One week from now I will be in Canada. Its really weird and surreal. I can't believe that I have less than a week left here in Cambodia. It has been great! I just want to hurry up and come back. Please pray that I get accepted and can raise the funds to come back. I don't know how I am going to say goodbye to my kids at the orphanage. It is going to be a highly emotional week with so much to do and so little time to do it.

What is Justice?

2009-06-04T02:02:00.002-04:00

Food for thought:

Yesterday a friend of mine was giving me a lift home on his moto. As we were driving we witnessed what appeared to be a moto theft. The woman yelled "thief" in Khmer and immediately everyone around was after the guy (some of them probably saw him do it too.) They caught the bike and then the men grabbed the guy and pushed him off the bike and started throwing punches at him. The cop stood by and watched until the guy received a good beating. Then the cop removed the culprit from the scene.

This is the way it works in Cambodia. I would hate to be someone wrongfully accused of a crime. It's like being guilty before proven Innocent and your fate is left to the people around at the time of the crime and the crowd that joins afterwards. It kind of parallels the stonings in Acts where Stephen was stoned and Peter, not to mention Jesus' death.

After witnessing the scene (because my friend stopped his moto to watch the whole thing) it made me really start to think about justice and what it is all about and should be all about. The way things are done here in regards to justice may not seem right at times but I can't really say they are wrong either. Its just different. It's just something to think about.

New Clothes

2009-05-30T11:53:00.003-04:00

During Christmas time, many of you were so generous in sending money for my Christmas project. For Christmas they each received a present, went to KFC and many of them experience a mall for the first time. I saved some of the money and used it this week to purchase new clothes for all the children. Here are some pictures:

Thank you for your generosity.

2 Kings 18:5-7

2009-05-26T12:30:00.002-04:00

He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses. The Lord was with him; he prospered wherever he went.

Wow! Wouldn't it be amazing to have that said about you?! My favourite part is:
For he held fast to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him

May we all strive to hold fast to Jesus and His Word.

In Need of Prayer

2009-05-26T12:23:00.002-04:00

I met a boy today. I am really worried about him. He is an orphan who was taken in by an elderly couple who do not work. Instead, the boy works as a garbage collector after school to support them. He has serious mental/cognitive problems and they told me that he has only eaten rice and salt since he was a child. I want to get him into see a doctor. I don't know if it is a caring or abusive situation that he is in.... but I do know that he needs some serious prayer. Please remember him in prayer!

Leadership Retreat at the Beach

2009-05-17T11:08:00.003-04:00

This weekend I headed to the beach with the leadership team from my church. It was fun experiencing a day at the beach Khmer style. Instead of sitting in the sun you sit in the shade. Instead of wearing a bathing suit you wear clothes -- and none of the girls actually went swimming.

(Me sitting at the table in the shade wearing a flower thing that they sell.) (One of the guys playing some worship tunes on the beach.)

(Just playing around... see they swim in clothes.)
(Evening worship.)

In the evening we all gathered together for a time of worship and then Gary shared a quick message. It was on how to be a leader. It was simple and yet important. His three points were

a) Jesus said to follow Him, so we need to follow Him. Its not follow me and I will give you... or follow me if... but just "follow me."

b) we need to have integrity. I think it was Paul who said "follow me as I follow Christ". If we are not following Christ and not living each day with integrity, how can we point others to Jesus and show them how to live according to God's Word.

c) Jesus was moved with compassion and He did something about it...and so should we. I want to be moved with compassion for the poor and the hurting etc.

Anyhow, I thought it was a good reminder on how we should be living.

(Our dinner: fresh seafood grilled on the beach. The guy in the picture is some guy who we all met on the beach. He used to believe in Jesus but then he turned away from the faith. He ended up spending the day with us and joined us through out our service. We are praying that he will decide to follow Jesus again.)

I love being near the beach. I never did like the sand, but there is something nice and refreshing about being by the beach.

My Prayer

2009-05-13T09:51:00.003-04:00

I am just sitting here playing my guitar worshipping God, and the lyrics of this song really struck me. Actually, it was my theme song as I was preparing to come here and it is my prayer again now that I am here.

Hosanna

Heal My heart and make it clean

Open up my eyes to the things unseen

Show me how to love like you have loved me

Break my heart for what is yours

Everything I am for your kingdom's cause

As I walk from earth into eternity

Lately I have been going through a tough time. I am in my final month of my first year term and I want to make it my best. I want to see God move. I want to see people's lives changed. I want to see people decide to follow Jesus and be filled with the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, I have spent the past few weeks constantly fighting this spiritual darkness. It's so hard. I pray that God will heal my heart and get rid of this darkness and use me to bring Him glory. Please remember me in prayer -- I really need it.

Cooking Class

2009-05-12T11:47:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, I went with the girls from my Bible study group to a cooking class. We learned to make a couple Cambodian dishes. YUMMY.

They started by taking us to the market and showing us what everything was. I never knew there were so many kinds of mint and herbs. Then we learned to make spring rolls.

(3 different types of eggplant.)

(Making the filling for inside the spring rolls.)

That was followed by banana salad and fish amok...two popular Cambodian dishes. It was tasty... and I really enjoy pounding all the spices together with my pestle and mortar. However, if you are ever working with chilies...KEEP YOUR FINGERS AWAY FROM YOUR EYES. I accidentally touched mine and it burned.

(Beth, myself and Caroline and our chopped banana flower).

(My banana salad once it was complete.)(The ladies pounding their spices to make fish amok.)

All in all, it was a fun day. Its fun to take a day and learn about the culture and just enjoy being with the friends that God has blessed us with.

Street Ministry

2009-05-03T21:33:00.002-04:00

Last night as Tabi and I were leaving street ministry, we ran into one of the older girls who usually comes. When we asked her what she was doing she told us that she was going to go dance for money. AHHH! We tried to talk to her about how dancing and taking off her clothes for money isn't good; but, when it comes down to it, if she doesn't, how is she going to have money to eat. It's sad how we put people in these positions and then judge them for making that choice. My heart breaks for her. Right now, there is a dream to open up a shelter for these kids so that the kids can have a place to sleep and food to eat, but the parents can still have access to their children. I just wish we had the place already. It's something that girl really needs -- and many other children just like her.

Snails, Ants, and Fish Eggs

2009-04-19T22:42:00.005-04:00

This past week was Khmer New Year. During the holiday, everything shuts down in the city and everyone goes to their home province. My housemate Tabi and I went with our Cambodian housemates to their home for the holiday. It was a lot of fun! I loved waking up in the morning to the rooster crowing and pigs snorting. All the food we ate was SO fresh...maybe a little too fresh. Tabi accidentally walked behind the house one day and saw the chicken being killed for the next meal.

(My housemates' niece drawing wonderful scribbles in my notebook.)

While I was there I left everyone for a day and went to visit one of my Bible College students in a nearby village. He took me to meet his pastor and many people from the church. We had to eat at each place. The first house cooked eel, frogs and snails for dinner but I was only served snails (I am grateful because I don't know if my stomach could have handled all three at once). Later I was also served ant soup and fish eggs.

(Eating snails!)

The church that I visited seems to be really growing and it was amazing listening to the reports on how God is changing peoples lives. They just had a special youth meeting where all the youth were filled with the Holy Spirit -- praise God! The sad part is that I saw a lot of people still clinging to their cultural spiritual traditions. It broke my heart to go visit one house that had two spirit houses and a big table set up in front filled with food to offer to the angels.

Overall, my time in Takeo province was so refreshing -- spiritually, physically and mentally. It was so nice to be able to be in the country and just be surrounded by nature and find quite places where I could be alone to pray and meditate on God's Word. I did not want to come home, but now that I am, I feel ready to start back at work with a renewed purpose.

(While at my housemates house, we made a tasty Cambodian dessert which is kind of like a macaroon. I helped clean the banana leaves and fold them. They then stuffed with fresh coconut surrounded by a dough and then we cooked them. They were so delicious.)

A Sad Conclusion

2009-04-11T03:46:00.003-04:00

This week I finished teaching at the Bible College. We had our last class on Tuesday which consisted of a pizza party and the sharing of testimonies in English. It was awesome! Then on Thursday I had the honour of attending the graduation ceremony. I walked down the isle amongst the ranks of teachers instead of students. It felt really strange and cool at the same time. I really enjoyed teaching English at the Bible College. It was such an awesome opportunity to encourage and challenge the future leaders of this nation to deeper heights in their relationship with God. I will really miss my students.

(A group shot of my class!)

testing

2009-04-06T09:41:00.001-04:00

test

What a friend we have in Jesus

2009-04-05T21:02:00.004-04:00

This week one of my housemates was giving me a mini guitar lesson. She likes older music and so one of the songs that we started to play was "What a friend we have in Jesus" but while we were playing it the lyrics really struck me:

What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry, everything to God in prayer.
Oh what peace we often forfeit. O what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.

It's just sooo very true!

WHY?!

2009-03-29T22:05:00.001-04:00

This week a team from Vangaurd Bible College in Alberta has been here helping out. Last night I took two of the team members to the Saturday kids service that my children from the orphanage attend. For Easter, they decided to show The Passion movie (they showed it early because Easter time is around Khmai New Year which is a big holiday here). During the scene where they were whipping Jesus, before they hung him on the cross, I held the girl sitting on my lap tightly and tears started dripping from my face. I was lost in thought wondering WHY?! Why did Jesus have to go through that? Why does He love us so much? I saw myself as the one with the whip and realized that each time I am disobedient I am inflicted more pain on the One I love. As I was lost in thought, one of my little boys came up behind me, wrapped his arms around me and wiped the tears from my eyes. Wow!

I was thinking that if I were in Jesus' place, I don't know if I could do it. I don't know if I could withstand all that He did. I don't know if I even love anyone enough to go through all that for them. I wish I could say that I would -- that I would go through torment and die for those I love-- but in honesty, I don't know if I could do it. But, Jesus did it for us! He died on the cross for us so that our sins can be forgiven and that we can have a relationship with Him. He went through it all because He loves us that much! Isn't it amazing that someone could love us that much?! He didn't have to die for us. He was innocent and could have proved it. Instead, He knew that He needed to make the ultimate sacrifice. I am so grateful that He did.

The point of all of this is to say that JESUS LOVES YOU! HE LOVES YOU SO MUCH THAT HE DIED FOR YOU AND HE WANTS YOU TO LOVE HIM BACK. Usually I try not to be too preachy on my blog, because I know that many of you who read this are not Christians; but, today I just really need to tell you this. Deciding to follow Jesus is the best thing that I have ever done, and I want you to experience it to. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions.

Beca

Starbucks!

2009-03-29T22:04:00.001-04:00

So we are getting a fake Starbucks in Cambodia. I am so excited. I can't wait to go try it out and see if it tastes anything like the real thing.

Hong Kong

2009-03-29T21:52:00.005-04:00

Following my family's time here in Cambodia, we all headed to Hong Kong for a few days. The first few days we spent touring around together and we met up with my friend Roz who is teaching English there. She showed us around the city and we had a fabulous time.

Hong Kong reminded me so much of Toronto with it's tall buildings, a subway, crosswalks, and all the modern conveniences of home (except its a little better).

Then I spent a day and 2 nights with Roz at her place. It was so nice and refreshing to spend time with her and we were able to spend time praying together like old times. Friends are such a wonderful blessing from God! (Thanks Roz!)

My time in Hong Kong was so refreshing and just what I needed, however, it was hard to say goodbye to my family and Roz again. Now I am home again and it feels good to be back.

Pictures

2009-03-18T21:11:00.005-04:00

Here is a picture of the floating village that I mentioned in my last post. We also went to see a silk farm, aspara dancing show (the cultural dance), and hit the beach.This morning we are heading off to Hong Kong. They are supposed to have a layover there but they decided to take a couple days to see it and I get to come too. I am excited because it means that I get to visit my former housemate, Roz, who is teaching there. Yeah!

What do you think?

2009-03-15T08:59:00.002-04:00

Right now we are living in an economic crisis and it is easy to think that we have nothing. Yesterday, I went on a boat tour with my family to a floating village. It is a village where people live in a dire state of poverty. It is such a wonderful reminder of how much we have. When you feel like you have nothing I just want to encourage you to start praising God for what you do have. I know so many people say this... but it is so true. If you live in a house that keeps the rain out then you have more than most. If you have enough food in your stomach and some food in your fridge you have more than most. During the hard times, I just want to encourage everyone to have a grateful heart, because God has blessed us with sooooo much. (I will post pictures of our trip later this week).

A friend of mine just posted a fabulous post on his blog that I highly recommend reading. http://jonjuane.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-this-what-good-news-has-become.html

Many blessings!

Photos

2009-03-10T11:46:00.004-04:00

Yesterday my family and I packed into a tuktuk for an hour long ride to place of rescue -- an orphanage and HIV hospice run by a wonderful Canadian lady. We had a great time meeting many people and praying with the children, grannies, and one family with HIV.

Today I put everyone to work at my orphanage. Mom and Aunt Susie took the younger kids and were very creative in creating a program of songs and games on the spot. Dad, Uncle Dave and Ty helped me by each taking a small group of older kids and making them practice their English.

Today was Aunt Susie's birthday so we all went out to one of the big hotels for a special dinner.

Family & Street Ministry

2009-03-08T20:30:00.006-04:00

Chum reap suer! (Formal hello)

On Saturday morning, my family arrived here in Cambodia. It was wonderful to see my dad mom, aunt uncle, and cousin.

Last night they came with me to street ministry. They were wonderful with the children. When we arrived there was a wedding in the street and so all our street people were kicked off of their street. When street ministry was over, we helped a family carry all their belongings to a near by wat so that they could sleep on the street there. It was heartbreaking as uncle Dave pulled a cart full of all the family's belongings and we walked with them. Imagine everything you ever owned fit on one small cart that you could pull and you had no home. You just lugged a baby on your hip and your kids wandered around you as you pulled your cart place to place looking for a place on the street to sleep.

Loved with an everlasting love!

2009-03-01T07:59:00.001-05:00

Today I want to share with you what God has been speaking to me. I have found myself in a battle lately. Like Paul, in Romans 7:15-20, I find myself in a loosing battle with my own desires. I end up doing the things that I know I should not do, and I don't do the things that I really badly want to do and know I should do. But despite how many times I screw up, I am reminded that God loves me with an everlasting love -- a love that will never end. Romans 8:37-39 says:

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today in church, a man from Finland spoke on Isaiah 43 and part of it really stood out to me today. Verses 1-3 say:

But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; YOU ARE MINE. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour..."

Wow, isn't it amazing how much God loves us and how much he cares about it. It's it encouraging to know that we are HIS. He paid for our sins for us by dying on the cross. He loves us more than it is humanly possible to love another person. I am constantly amazed that God would love me even though I keep hurting Him by doing things that I know do not please Him.

If you are fighting the battle like me today, do not give up. Keep fighting to serve God. Psalm 46:1 says that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Use His strength. Persevere. In Jesus' name we can win this battle.

Thank you to all of you who are praying for me! Please don't stop!

Heart Beat for the Day

2009-02-22T07:55:00.003-05:00

Today was one of those days where the pain of reality seeped through my skin. There were 3 things I noticed today that really broke my heart.

1. We have some new girls at the center -- one of which is really young and adorable. WHY????

2. While playing play dough with the girls, one of the young ones was making a penis.

3. At street ministry, one of the older boys who used to attend, spent the time with the older men sniffing glue instead.

Today is just one of those days where these things get to me. I guess its a good thing because it means I am not growing cold and callous to the hurts around me. Nonetheless, they break my heart and it really hurts.

-------------

Here are some pics from street ministry:

Pictures from Bali and KL

2009-02-19T06:54:00.011-05:00

Sorry it took me so long to post these -- and that I did not take a lot of pictures.

So when we first arrived in KL it felt so nice to be in a car driving along a highway (similar to those at home). It was really weird not seeing a thousand motos everywhere I looked. This is the hotel that we stayed at. The most exciting thing about it was that it had Starbucks (YUMMY!) The hotel restaurant was closed when we arrived so we went to a local spot close to the hotel. The food was very similar to Indian -- I really enjoyed it (unfortunately my stomach didn't... but that's another story).

In the morning, Gary, Bev and I went on what was supposed to be a 3 hour tour. Malaysia is a very Islamic country and so its architecture is a unique blend of British architecture with Islamic themes -- notice the mosque in the center of this picture.
On the streets we noticed a huge absence of women as they are in the home rather than on the streets. As we drove past this street shown below, we saw a man beating a woman in the middle of the street. It felt really different being a woman there. It really made me appreciate Canada and Cambodia.

Apparently our 3 hour tour was actually a 4 hour tour so we had to leave an hour early to get to the airport on time to catch our flight to Bali. Sadly, the last stop on the tour was a trip to the twin towers and so the view from the hotel window was the closest that I got.My time at the conference was really good, but I think I wrote about that already. I really didn't find Bali all that exciting. The best part for me was the shopping mall -- except I was too cheap to buy anything.

This is a picture of the beach which the shopping mall was on.

My favourite part of the trip to the beach was McDonald's.

Its not that I love McDonald's very much, but there is something about being able to have a treat from home that you can't get where you live. It was exciting having a mini McFlurry for fifty cents and having a fancy drink at Starbucks. But now I am back in the country which I love dearly. We don't have all the big fancy chains but we do have amazing food and some really nice places to relax (with smoothies :p). I really missed Cambodia when I was away. It's good to be home!

Birthday Pictures

2009-02-15T07:53:00.008-05:00

Here are some random pictures:

(This is a random picture of some kids from the orphanage.) (This is one of my students from the Bible College holding a birthday cake for me.)(This is how I looked at the end of our birthday celebration at the orphanage.)

(At our orphanage birthday celebration we also made valentine's cards for Valentine's Day. This card is now on my bedroom door.)(These are a few of my new housemates. They took me bowling for my birthday -- we actually have one bowling alley here.)

Blessed beyond my imagination!

2009-02-14T04:29:00.002-05:00

This week I celebrated my 25th birthday. I didn’t have any expectations for my birthday. I just thought I’d hang out with my housemates for dinner one night to celebrate and that would be all. On Wednesday, when I showed up at the Vietnamese school the other teachers somehow remembered that my birthday was this week (I think I may have told them my birth date back in July/August). They showed up in the middle of my class with cake, ice cream and presents. I was soo surprised! Then on Thursday (my actually birthday) I showed up at the Bible college to teach and my students surprised me with a birthday cake too! I also received a package from some friends from Canada (thanks guys – perfect timing!). Then when I got home some of my housemates came and gave me presents. I didn’t expect that at all. I had to run to my room because I was so overwhelmed by God’s goodness. In the afternoon, when I went to teach at the orphanage we had planned to have a big birthday party to celebrate everyone’s birthdays. It was so much fun. It was probably the best birthday party I have ever had. By the end of the night I ended up being covered in cake icing and the kids crowned me with a hat, balloons, and valentines. I looked like a goof! That evening, some of my friends had me over for Indian food to celebrate and then last night I went bowling with my housemates. I have been really blessed this birthday. I still miss my friends and family from home – but I think that this year has been the best birthday ever. Isn’t God good!

I tried postings some pictures but the connection is too slow. So please stay tuned in for some funny pictures :)

Future Direction

2009-02-08T09:28:00.003-05:00

This week I have begun the process of applying to come back to Cambodia as a long term worker. I am really excited about this possibility. Please pray for wisdom and direction for me . Pray that God would confirm to me if this is where He wants me for the next couple years of my life and if so what He wants me to do here. Please also pray that the application process and everything else will go smoothly too.

Many Blessings!

Global Development Conference

2009-02-02T05:04:00.002-05:00

This past week I had the opportunity to go to Bali for a conference. It was an honor to sit and chat with people who I have grown up hearing about and praying for. People working all over the world were able to attend. It was so exciting to sit and hear peoples stories and experiences. I met so many wonderful people.

One of the reasons I wanted to go to this conference was that I needed some time to clear my head and re-prioritize. It is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life that you lose focus. That was happening to me and I knew it. So at the conference I was able to have a lot of quiet time to pray and read my Bible and refocus. Right now I am praying that God will give me a specific vision for what I am doing/what He wants me to do.

Thank you all for your prayers!

Healing

2009-01-19T00:34:00.002-05:00

Yesterday in church a lady from Malaysia told us a story about another lady from her church. Apparently this lady's niece's tv had not worked for a couple weeks and so when her aunt arrived to visit, the little girl ran up to her and asked her to come and pray. It turned out that the little girl wanted her aunt to pray that God would heal her tv. The aunt thought it was crazy but she did not want to disappoint her niece. The niece on the other hand believed that Jesus could heal her tv. So the aunt prayed. When they tried the tv, it worked! Jesus healed the little girl's tv.

So, today my computer went crazy and stopped working. I tried to turn it off and let it rest a couple of times but that did not work. The screen was shot. So I figured, if God could heal that girls tv He could heal my computer -- so I prayed. HE DID! As I was about to pack it up to go try and get it fixed I decided to try it one more time and it worked. Praise God!

Hey, the Bible does say that if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we can tell a mountain to move and it will. So I just want to encourage you all to have a little faith and see what God will do.

A Country Wedding

2009-01-17T11:17:00.004-05:00

This morning I packed into a 12 seater van with 13 others from my church to go to a wedding in a small village in Kampot province. The groom (Da) attends my church and he also works at the Bible College. This is a picture of Da and his wife. The bride and groom have many outfits that they wear during their wedding. This is the 2nd out of 3 that they wore when I was there.In Cambodia most people are only invited to the reception. It is very different to go to a wedding just to eat and give the couple some money. When we arrived, we all sat around on mats and drank fresh coconut milk and ate the coconut flesh. There were a group of kids there who may have never seen a white person before -- at least not one with blond hair and blue eyes. They were all scared of me. They just stood and stared at me but refused to come near. It took me around 20 minutes to get near them -- they kept running away. However, eventually I made friends with them and then they wouldn't leave me alone. It was a very different feeling having kids afraid of me. When it was our turn to eat we were escorted to a table. You eat, then hand an envelope with money to the bride or groom and then leave. It was a fun experience.

I posted more pictures on my Picasa for those of you who like to look at pictures. http://picasaweb.google.com/Beca.Osmond/DaSWedding#

A New Home for Hope Orphanage

2009-01-17T06:24:00.004-05:00

This week the orphanage moved to a new location. The new place will actually be nice and close to my new place -- as I am moving too at the end of the week. So I arrived at the old orphanage yesterday dressed in decent clothes as I was expecting to help move little things and take down artwork. (I was supposed to help on Thursday but they told me not to come because they were moving the heavy things ... lol... I am probably stronger then each of those guys.) So the first thing we did was load up the tuktuk. They put a bookshelf, coffee table, and a stack of mats on the top. The scary thing was that one of the kids sat on the top with the stuff. I prayed the whole way to the new orphanage. I was so scared that we would get in an accident and something would happen to him.

So at the new place I discover that they want me to paint. So, I had to walk to the market and buy stuff to scrape off old paint and a few rollers... I also had to buy some cheap shorts so that I didn't destroy my only pair of jeans. What a day! But, it was really nice beside I was able to have fun and spend time with my kids in a different setting.

Cowboy

2009-01-09T23:22:00.002-05:00

So today I learned my new favourite word: "cowboy." It means jean. So, if you want to say 'a pair of jeans' you say "cow cowboy" hehe :p

2008: A Year of Trusting

2009-01-08T07:20:00.001-05:00

I decided to take some time tonight and reflect on 2008. I think that the thing that I learned the most was to trust in God. It started with learning to do the lindy hop. For me it was extremely hard to relinquish control and trust my partner. I learned that I don't like to trust others completely but rather I like to maintain some degree of control over everything I do.

Last January I knew I was coming to Cambodia but I did not know what I would be doing once I got here or what life would be like. During that time God threw a number of curve balls at me. When I first starting thinking about coming here, the plan was to come work with Transitions Cambodia doing more office related work but I would still be working with girls who had been rescued from prostitution and sexual abuse. When that plan fell through I continued to prepare to come here even though I did not know for sure what I would be doing. But God confirmed to me that this is what I was supposed to do as He generously provided the money to come. (Thank you so much to those of you who have supported me so far!) I didn't ask for money but people just gave. It was amazing to see God's provision!

Once I got here plans changed again and plan b fell threw. Then I went through a period of challenging God asking why He brought me this far to do nothing but sit on my butt. I tried to throw myself into learning the language but I wanted to do something more. I wanted to help people. I wanted to build relationships with people. I wanted to show people the love of Jesus. If it wasn't for the fact that I knew 100% that I was supposed to, which was confirmed by the money, there were times when I would have taken the first flight back home.

Nonetheless, these experiences did prepare me to take whatever comes at me and just trust God through it. If I had know when I was at home that I would be teaching -- especially my peers -- I honestly don't know if I would have come. After going to Kazakhstan I learned that I was a terrible teacher and so I decided I wanted to stay as far away from it as I could. God has constantly reminded me that in my weakness He is glorified. He is stretching me in the areas that I am weak and when I try to fight him He whispers to me "Rebecca trust Me!" When I think that I am not making an impact and that it is pointless for me to be here He reminds me to trust Him. Maybe a hug and a friend is what one of the girls needs to know that Jesus loves them.

Learning to trust has been a beautiful lesson but I am not a graduate yet. I don't know if I will ever get to point where I can say that I completely trust God in every area of my life, but I would like to. Trusting God brought me here. I would not trade this experience for anything. I have met amazing people and have fallen in love with Cambodia. God has also blessed me so much. Thank you to all of you who have sent me cards, packages and little notes of encouragement. I think one of my fears in coming here was that I would be forgotten about, but you have all showed me amazing love and support. Thank you so much!

I would like to end with Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.

HOA Christmas Service

2009-01-05T06:57:00.003-05:00

My kids put on a Christmas service. They worked so hard on it. I was sooo proud of them -- I felt like a proud mom. They danced, played instruments, and did a couple of skits. They were amazing! Anyways, here are a couple pictures in case you're interested.

HOA Christmas/New Years

2009-01-01T08:05:00.006-05:00

Happy New Years! Today I rang in the new year by celebrating with the kids from my orphanage. The kids dressed in their best and the older girls took the liberty of putting makeup on all the younger girls. The festivities started with gifts at the orphanage. Then 47 of us piled into 3 tuk tuks (which should typically seat 4 people each) and headed to KFC. The kids loved the chicken -- and the pop.After lunch we headed to the mall across the street. For most of the kids it was their first time in a mall and their first time riding an escalator. It was sooo funny watching them. They were scared at first but then they enjoyed riding up... but some were really scared going down. While in the mall the kids got to go in the mini arcade for a few minutes too, which they loved.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this day possible!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For more pictures check out: http://picasaweb.google.com/Beca.Osmond/NewYearsHOA#

Beach Vacation

2008-12-29T06:12:00.003-05:00

After Christmas a bunch of us headed to Sihanoukville for a little Holiday on the beach. We arrived on Friday and I spent the day visiting the AG orphanage for their Christmas party. It was fun seeing the kids again and they still remembered me from last time I was there (4 months ago). On Saturday we hit the beach. I got a pedicure and a massage without having to leave my beach chair -- it felt soo nice! We also ate a lot of fresh sea food. My favourite was the fresh grilled squid dipped in chili sauce.

(This is a picture of me having my first fresh grilled squid on a stick.)

I also met a YWAM team at the orphanage, which was cool. On Sunday the kids had their church service on the beach and then spent the rest of the morning swimming -- so we joined them. It was a lot of fun!

It was really relaxing to get out of the city for a bit and enjoy Cambodia.

For pictures, you can check out my picasa site at http://picasaweb.google.com/Beca.Osmond/Sihanoukville#

Christmas Parties

2008-12-25T11:17:00.005-05:00

So far this Christmas season I have attended 6 Christmas parties and one church play. Here are a few pictures from the Bible College Christmas party. Some of the guys put on a little skit about heaven and hell (a Cambodian mini version of the heaven's gates hell's flames drama). I must admit that one of the beautiful ladies below is one of my students. Their play was absolutely hilarious. This is a picture of the big pot of red curry (which seems to be the staple party dish). I have eaten a lot of red curry soup this holiday, but I don't mind because I love it!

Here are a couple of pictures from the staff party for the assessment center. It was a blast! Here is a picture of all the staff.

These two girls teach are training some of the staff on music therapy. They are also going to teach the girls how to play the harp. Sweet eh?!

We played many games including a gift exchange and limbo. One of the games was called fear factor. Bev had to put her hand in the basket and describe the items to me and I had to say what they were. We had a limited about of time and the team that guessed the most vegetables one -- which was us :) It was a lot of fun!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T10:48:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas from Cambodia! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

As for me, I have had a very nice Christmas which included a phone call from the kids at the orphanage. We were even able to have a delicious turkey dinner complete with Cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mashed potatoes with pecan pie for dessert. Some of the food items that you can occasionally find here is amazing. Here are a few pictures from our Christmas morning.

(Bev preparing the turkey.)

(Myself, Bev & Gary)

(Their Christmas tree.)

(My Christmas present from Gary & Bev was a recipe book called "From spiders to water lilies." I am excited to try some of the recipes ;)

May God bless you richly!

Bon Noel

2008-12-19T10:14:00.001-05:00

So today was the day for Christmas celebrations. The day started off with Christmas at the Bible College. In true Bible College fashion we had a lovely little service followed by a fun gift exchange. I received my first Khmai Bible...now I just need to learn how to read it. Then we had red curry (one of my favorites)!

After a coffee break, Bev and I headed to party #2 at the center. I wish I could have taken pictures. The place looked like every child's dream birthday party. Imagine a room that is outside but with a roof and pillars. All around are paper streamers, lais and tinsel. Hanging from the ceiling are handmade lanterns and shiny paper decorations blowing gently in the breeze. My description does not do it justice but the room looked amazing. The girls put on a little show for us that involved cultural dancing and a skit about the birth of Jesus. I was in awe. Then we played a few games and gathered around a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to Jesus. It was a reminder of what Christmas is really all about.

After party #2 Bev and I met up with her husband and we headed to party #3 -- a North American Christmas. I was wonderful. It was hosted by an American couple and they had a beautiful tree and the place smelled of cinnamon candles. Then we (a group of Americans and Canadians) sang almost every Christmas carol you can think of and then settled down to watch "White Christmas".

So far this has been a truly wonderful Christmas!

It's begining to feel like Christmas!

2008-12-15T04:57:00.003-05:00

It's starting to feel a little like Christmas here. Some stores have even put up tinsel Christmas trees on their doors. Yesterday I attended a Christmas service at the international church that I occasionally attend. It was really nice to sing Christmas carols together. Then at the end of the service, a few people from the church put together an African choir and they sang some Swaheely Christmas songs. It was really cool.

In the evening I went to my Khmai church's special Christmas event. We had a three hour service which included Khmai Christmas songs, a play put on by the youth, some dancing by the children, and of course a good message. (This is a picture of the MC's for the evening wearing traditional Khmai formal clothing.)

(The worship team. We took over the chapel at the Bible College for the service.)

(The play. The costumes were rather hilarious...notice the apron.)

(Some of the kids dancing.)

The message was good too. I even understood a lot of it. After the service we had a "potluck" -- which means a big pot of curry for everyone...plus Canadian food as the Canadians each had to bring a dish. LOL. It was fun.

More Cambodia!

2008-12-09T10:02:00.002-05:00

So a few of you have been asking about when I am coming home... and I am please to announce that I have been approved to stay another 6 months. YIPPEE. So I guess that means I`ll possibly come home in the summer sometime. Thank you for all your prayers and support!

More Pictures

2008-12-04T09:53:00.001-05:00

If you are interesting in looking at all the pictures that I took today with the kids, they are posted in my picasa at: http://picasaweb.google.ca/Beca.Osmond/HOA

HOA

2008-12-04T07:46:00.004-05:00

Today after I finished teaching at the orphanage, I decided to spend sometime just playing with the kids. Here are some pictures from my evening.

(This is one of the girls who has started to call me mom. I don't know what I should be doing about it, but she is precious.)

(Today we were learning about emotions... this is Dinal and his lonely pose. He doesn't look to lonely to me.)(Sompa, one of the older girls, is grinding the spices for tonight's dinner.)

(This is Kim, the orphanage director, with Danit.)

Shortly after class finished, the older kids all had to go to their church for music lessons. They are preparing for a special Christmas concert. While they had their lessons, the rest of us decided to take the younger children to the riverside.

(Two of the kids are on my head which is why it looks severed from my body.)
This is Sothir (in the black) and Kim (in red). Sothir is one of the guys who usually translates for me.

It was a very fun evening!