I guess I haven't yet blogged about what's going on at our YWAM Seattle base this year. I want to encourage you to read my good friends, Zach & Amanda Rupp's (aka: DTS Leaders here in Seattle) blog. They talk a little bit about what we had been up to and the direction we're going as a base.
I'll go ahead and write a bit more about that in the coming week.
If you are interested, please click HERE It's entitled "what's new (the facts accoring to Zach)".
Right now I'm staffing MISSION ADVENTURES. Last night I was out doing street ministry with the team that is here from L.A. We went downtown to share lemonade and hot chocolate and conversation with the people we meet.
We ended up in Occidental Park (for a panoramic view of this, click HERE). Sitting near the fallen firefighters memorial were a bunch of people hanging out, people who have no homes.....they might be called "homeless". Only, sometimes I get tired of labelling them that, because they are, after all, people with a story, like you and I. Anyways, moving on...
Let me tell you about Lenny. I met him last night. My guess is he's in his 60's. I asked him if he would like some lemonade, he said he did. I handed him some and asked how his night was going. He told me it wasn't going well due to a very bad hangover, and his total frustration at himself because he had been doing so good saving his money and not drinking. But once he gets a beer in him, it's pretty much the downward spiral. Lenny is an alcoholic. I asked him what it's like for him when he drinks, what pressures he's relieved from temporarily and what he is like when drunk. This man was very gentle and sad, so I couldn't imagine him being violent, which turned out to be right, according to Lenny. He said he sings and laughs and in general just feels happy and forgets about how messed up his life is. Lenny and I are both only children. We talked about that....he said at one point that all his life he was told he was a spoiled brat (this is typical phrase you hear if an only child....it's total ignorance) and sometimes now he wonders if all the crap that has happened to him is deserved because maybe all he amounts to is simply a "spoiled brat". Or perhaps he just a weakling and he's simply too weak to "do life". I had to stop him from saying this about himself -I could feel myself tearing up. Lenny feels defeated and scared. He's afraid to pray or have faith because whenever he has prayed in the past, crazy bad things have happened to him and people he's cared about. He feels as though Satan has more power than God because Satan has done more damage in his life than God has done good. He says "it's a really scary thing when you have no faith at all....not even faith in yourself". The passage that says "hope deferred makes the heart sick" came to my mind. I see Lenny in those words a thousand times over. He wants to go to treatment, but says he's been in so many and it's never worked. Still, he says "I gotta get myself into treatment". He wonders if he's crazy in the head. I personally think he's simply addicted and has believed so many lies that they now represent truth in his head. He says he's had mental evaluations and the doctors have told him he's mentally sound. I asked him if he's ever been told that he was important or loved. He said he had lots when he was young. He was a star athlete and people loved him for that. But he's never had a wife, he said "there must be something wrong with me to have never had a wife". He told me about how children love him, but in these days kids can't just run over to anybody and talk because there are too many nutcases out and about....so since there are no children he's free to enjoy being around he likes animals. Animals don't judge us, only love us, and people won't look down their noses in suspicion if he's patting his dog as opposed to innocently playing with a child. Lenny is lonely. I would let him play with my kids. He has a very kind heart. I told him him I was glad he was alive and I had hope for him even if he didn't have hope for himself. I asked if it was okay that I pray for him whenever he comes to mind. He told me he felt a little bit scared, but would let me. I hope I see him again tonight.
Please PRAY for Lenny. He is caught in this horrible cycle and knows it. It doesn't have to stay this way. I know he needs God, but the only way he's going to find that God is gracious and patient and not a horrible mean judge waiting to strip him of his hope for eternity is if that's the way I treat him...and others who represent a loving Christ. Unfortunately, because he's "homeless" most people pretend they don't even see him when they walk by. I used to be one of these people, so I'm no hero. But I was reminded once again last night, that these people have names, and God knows them, and so should I. I am humbled by the great love of God....why do I forget who my God is so often?
Remember a couple months back when I volunteered with Invisible Children to staff the "Displace Me" event? Well, if not, I blogged about it and the blog was titled: "I slept in a cardboard box".
Anyways, during our stay in our cardboard box homes on April 28th-29th there were many video cameras out and this video posted below shows the event in all 15 cities across the US.
I don't know these children.....but they sure look like they're proud to be canadian, eh?
I spent Canada day in the US (this seems to happen quite a lot for me) with many Americans, but don't worry, there were quite a few Canadians in the mix. We had a big BBQ at my friends house (one of which is orignally from Manitoba). It was a double party...the first half was for my friend Mel who recently graduated as a Midwife!!! YAY MEL!!and to give her daughter Jaya a good send off to pre-school. YAY JAYA!!! As that party wound down the Canadian beach balls, food, umbrellas, literally anything that had a flag on it or was from Canada, appeared in the yard. It was a really fun day and I felt proud to be a Canadian and to celebrate with people I love so much.
4th OF JULY!
this picture really is from 4th of July @ Gasworks park in Seattle 2007
3 days later I had the opportunity to celebrate "Independance Day" (though no one really says "happy independance day") aka 4th of July. The week of parties - yay for me! My friends and I grilled on our porch and then joined the happy throng of people walking to Gasworks Park to enjoy an evening of elephant ears, fireworks, music, and hyped up patriotism (which you don't really experience in Seattle much). This was my 2nd time going to Gasworks for the fireworks and I have to say - I LOVE IT! My favourite part of the whole night (aside from the fireworks) is when the military chopper flies around the entire park flying the flag below it to Ray Charles singing his rendition of "America, America" (i don't even know if that's the actual title of the song...). It was quite the ironic experience. As I stated above, Seattle wouldn't be the top most "patriotic" city in the Nation.
7-11-07!
mmm
You might be wondering what this is all about, though perhaps some of you already know. Well, they give away free slurpees on 7-11-07. How great is that!? They were really small....but that's okay because there are LOTS of 7-11's, so you can just go from one to another all day and get lots! And it happened to be the perfect day because it was approx. 97 degrees in Seattle that day (we broke records & apparently made the news....maybe you saw it?) and we were all melting away into puddles of people - no good. Did God work that out? I don't know. But thank you God anyways..mmm...not for the heat wave, for free slurpee day on heat wave day.
DTS 05-06 REUNION!!
me, david harris, chrissie
The night I returned back to Seattle from my 3 weeks in Winnipeg I was surprised to find 3 of the students from the DTS I staffed a year ago here. Not the one that just finished this March, the year before that. The next morning I woke up and saw that there were 3 more here....by the next day there were 15 of the 21 students that made up the 05/06 DTS here in Seattle. They came from all over the US, Ireland & England. They came for the wedding of Mike & Brittany, 2 people who did their DTS that year as well, fell in love and well....got married. It was so great to see everyone again, spend time with them, and find out what has been happening in their lives post DTS. If any of y'all are reading this - I love you and hope to hang out again very soon!
also....HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY....to no one specific and yet specific at the same time. I'm sure there have been birthday's happening that I was unaware of and while this is a "HAPPY BELATED" blog, I figured it's safe to wish someone out there a Happy Belated Birthday!
This was a very unspiritual blog and doesn't tell you how I'm doing personally, but more what's been going on. Of course, as I'm staffing the Mission Adventures program right now, there is a lot more I could say but I'll save that for later. Also, it doesn't fall under the 'happy belated" category.....
i've been living in seattle for exactly two years today (June1'07)...and this is a place that i bring my thoughts on life, faith, sadness & hope. my desire is to share both the serious and the funny things that life brings our way from my 26 year old perspective both for my friends and family far away & for myself.
