"Wild" Boys, Amazingly View

So finally I got a picture of where I work! (Left) It is the home covered in trees right beside the river. We see some interesting things go by on the river every now and again (i.e. a Jet Boat). The field to the left of the picture is the group home's property as well it is used for baseball, soccer, golf... but most commonly for walking laps when the boys misbehave (it a good size). In between the rows of trees and the road are a bunch of dirt jumps the boys made (I haven't yet seen a better hick version of them). This is actually the older boys home where I've been working since the beginning of April, it is nicknamed "Riverside".

This is the main home (for younger boys 8-12), we call it "Forestview" (Right). It is just up the hill (to the right of the last pic) from the other group home. It has a hockey rink and a great sledding hill among other things. All the bush in in front has trails through it which are great for Skidooing and other adventures. What a beautiful place out in the country! Much better then what most group homes have to offer (many are in the city).

I sure hope you appreciate these pictures because I sure took a wild trek up some cliffs to get it! Along cliff walls covered in wasps, through thorns and brutal branches, infested by mosquitoes (I'm not joking at all! It is quite the journey... actually one we take with the boys the odd time)...the view is great though!

I've got a few more pictures I'd love to share... I'll do that later probably (although I'll be posting them on my Facebook account soon as well). It is a blessing from the Lord to work where I am, there are those tough days to be sure but there is something so much better about working in this type of capacity for people rather then bending a piece of tin! Somthing the Lord seems to be pressing in my life lightly is the need and blessing to think of others and serve them with my life, actions, words and prayers. That takes a lot of work!

I Love Natives

Well let's see how this one goes... I just read a comment from a friend of mine that she recently sat thorough a long meeting with those who do not share her worldview! That is quite interesting as yesterday and today I was in a course for my work in the group home. It was an Aboriginal Cultural Awareness course and now that I'm done it I've completed the course requirements for my job (until the upgrades are needed). It is kind of neat to take these courses aside from the length of them and the times you feel like sleeping. One of the things that makes them neat is that you are able to talk with people who share much the same kind of job as you from various different organizations across the city of Edmonton and surrounding areas.

Sometimes you met pretty nifty people sometimes you thank God your not working at other homes. It helps me to be thankful for the home I work in as although I don't make as much $$ as the other people I can remain decently sane after a twelve hour shift. On top of that is the blessing of working in a situation where Christianity and it's standards are out in the open and we seek to put into what we do the truths of Scripture. This makes for a much higher standard of expectation for both staff and "clients" (a.k.a. the boys), it also provides a clear direction on how we are to do things.

Let me get back to the course I just finished... I need to be careful here... let me first of all say I appreciate the course for the knowledge it gave me (and others) about the Native culture and history. What I didn't appreciate about the course is the that the teacher seemed to teach from a type of resentment and strong basis (not that she doesn't like white people but she was against much of what the government did/is doing). Actually she (and others) ended up getting very upset at me for some questions I asked... I ended up feeling like everyone thought I was racist (which I definitely didn't mean to portray). Others in the class (who didn't know me) didn't understand why these people were so frazzled... I suppose those insecurities/hidden wounds just happened to lead them to the wrong conclusion before I was even done asking a question. How many times does that happen to us?! We jump to conclusions and in actions or just in our minds we rip someone to pieces for something that don't even believe. Anyway aside from all this I learned to have a better appreciation for the Native culture.

I was saddened for the way in which these instructors seemed to talk however... Here is someone who is involved in child/youth care and to some extent has made something a little more from her life... What does she do? In subtle ways she teaches people that all the problems of her life, but more so the Aboriginal people in general, are the fault of others... The government did this... the people are not on a 100% organic diet (took some blame for the drinking problem), White people introduced all these new things into their culture... Please don't get me wrong I'm sure many of these things have some truth to them and they likely have much to do with the beginnings of many problems among the native people...

I love native people (as I do anyone)! That is why I point out to you a lesson I learnt both though experience and through Scripture... If you don't own up to your own problems you will seriously hinder your ability to progress in life in a meaningful way! That is, we need to point at ourselves as the problem not someone or something else. There is a whole lot more people then just some Natives who need to learn that lesson (i.e. Freud). Scripture/God honors not the prefect but the humble... those who admit their need (not their problem), people who take responsibility for their problems and sins. In fact, as I have recently learned, one of the Seven Teaching of the Native culture is just that, "Humility" along with "Honesty" and "Truth". You want the truth... listen to Eze. 18:20, "The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him."

We are responsible for the lives we live! On Judgement day there is no such thing as the blame game... The scapegoat was for those who recognized their need for it, not for people to avoid understanding their need for it. So too with Christ's death on the cross, it's was done for those who would recognize their need for the salvation brought through Christ, not for people to be washed of their responsibility. Here stands the honest truth and the need for Humility which is honored among the native people, along with many others.

Herein the hope, Eze. 18:21-23...
"But if a wicked man turns away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?"

and John 6:28-29...

"Then [the disciples] asked [Jesus], 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'"

P.s. In case you where wondering this is not what the teacher got frazzled about

Blessings, Moving, Friends and Family

Well, well, well much to write about since I last wrote (as much has happened). I finally got to Alberta, we ended up being a day late due to the extended amount of time it took to pack up and clean my house in Melfort. Wanda-Marie, who helped me move and who loves to pack (actually not at all) just about killed me when she saw that I was far from being packed up when I was supposed to be (we ended up leaving not quite 24-hours from when we planned to... I don't know what she was claimplaining about :) Much thanks to her tough).
The people that I left behind are a good group to be sure! I'm sure I will miss them even as I seek to establish myself here in Edmonton (area). I very much enjoyed and appreciated the youth group I was able to be a part of there, what a great group of kids! They were sad to see me go and I was sad to leave them and yet I know it is the Lord's care that they are under and He will indeed take good care of them (unfourantly I don't have any pictures of them). I will also miss the people of the church (Lost River Church, a.k.a. Bethany Mennonite Church) I have found the people within the church to be so loving and giving! My dear friends from the Bible School (i.e. Tim G., Matthew T., etc.) and the McAurther gang show themselves to have been rich blessings in my life over the last couple of years especially. Last of all I realise what a blessing it was to have Pastor Jeff (my mentor, pastor, and friend) in my life to tell me things I didn't want to hear and to lead, direct, and pray for me and my ministry both present and future.
I'd like to let them all, and you all, know that I percieve the work/ministry I'm at now with the Group home to be rewarding, enjoyable and difficult. I realized a bit more of the reality of the whole situation and the boys lives as I went through the orientation and helped on a shift with the boys. For the most part the boys that are in the home fall under the categary of FASD (Fetal Alcohol Specterm Disorder) and there is much to learn in reguards to how to go about helping, displining, and shining forth hope and a future for these young boys (Group home #1 ages are 8-12; Group home #2 ages are 12+). For the first little while I'll be continuing to live in the second Group home until my cousin gets his place. It was interesting to have an electronic detector on my door so everyone in the house knew when I was going in and out of my room; we took care of that though, now I can go in and out without anyone knowing (oh the great freedom I now have!).
Switching from that I'd like to praise the Lord for the family that is up here now... I was able to vist with Susan, Mary-Jane (MJ) and John-Paul (Jay) along with their kids (Faith, Holly, Grace, and Joshua). Also a blessing is that my sister Shalom is down from Victora with her dauther Serenity; Hope is also coming down before Christmas (hopefully with Alisha)! Mom and Dad seem to continue to do well for the most part, it still takes some getting used to with my Mom doing so well these days, Praise God! Right now I'm enjoying all the "Uncle Paul" and laughing I get from the kids. I know that these kids don't have a lot of men in there lives (esp. Serenity) and I love to be a part of curbing that.

Thank you for your prayers, some things that you can pray specifically for are:
- That I would continue being a blessing to both of my families here
- That the Lord would grow within the Group home workers a passion and faith in the Lord for the boys in the home and that they would come to know and searve the Lord wholeheartedly
- I'd be able to get everything in for working in the home (i.e. Driver's lience and Abstract, Social Work Check, etc.). My "first" shift starts tomorrow 9-9
- That we would all enjoy the true meaning and reality of Christmas and not allow Satan to rip down the great blessing of the season (so often we can get sidetracked toward the urgent rather then the important)

I'd also like to praise the Lord that it seems car insurance won't be much more here then in Saskatchewan!