We have been in Africa for just over a week and already, it has been quite eventful....
1.) we have mice in our house. I killed one yesterday....it was a baby one, but after a day of mourning, the adult mice have returned and continue to inhabit our kitchen. Plans of extermination have reached a stallmate as we are debating whether we want a cat or mouse traps. I vote cat....I will name it Timmy...in order to confuse my easily confused roomate (his name is tim) when I walk in and yell, "Timmy!!! Come here" I am picturing them both running the door, tripping over one another. Timmy, or Butters....for obvious reasons.
2.) We went to a church convention on the weekend....and that pretty much destroyed me. I got a grand total of 12 hours during 3 nights at the convention...and on top of that....I had to re learn how to drive standard, on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, down sketchy african roads, in a place I was completely unfamiliar with....we can all imagine how successful this was. On top of this....the car i was driving got a flat after I ran over a rock.....soooo, i felt pretty bad all weekend. The convention itselft was pretty intense too. The worship was very charismatic, very loud, very emotional, very spiritually driven....it was very different from what I was used to...it really rattled me because it all seemed very overwhelming after only 2 days in Africa. I was tired, I was confused, I was lonely, I was homesick, I was completely overwhelmed by everything.....it was a very challenging weekend. It has been quite a struggle for me to adjust...especially since I cant sleep very well....so I am asking for you all to pray that I can learn to sleep so I can actually be useful here and not just wonder what I'm missing at home while I lay awake at 4 in the morning night after night after night after night after night....
3.) Everyone I have met here is very supportive...it has been a very welcoming place. Its made things a little easier in adjusting.
4.) i had more to say...but i forget what it was
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
U2!!!!!!!!! and other not as magical things...
I was walking home today and I saw a man lying on the sidewalk. He was unconscious....and I was told later that he had been punched, and knocked unconscious. He was bleeding as I passed him...there were many people standing around him....but no one was doing anything to help the man. The cops were there...they too were standing near the man, doing nothing. Since I have had quite a bit of first aid training in the past, I felt that I should at least ask if I could help. I saw that the man was breathing, but fluid was running out of his ears....a sign of a possible spinal injury. I asked the police if I could help, telling them that I was trained....they said no...instead, they yelled at the man's friend who was obviously scared and was checking the man's pulse. I stayed a little while longer until I heard the ambulance coming...and left the scene. But still, I wondered why they had not let me help the man....did they know something I didnt? Were they not convinced that I could help? Did they simply not care about the man lying on the ground? Regardless, it was an experience I won't forget.
It reminded me how easy it is for us who live in North America to walk through life completely unfazed by all the hurt, and injustices that surround us. Sure, we hear about them...we read about the terrible things that happen to other ppl in the papers and we see the news headlines on TV....but usually, we can either dismiss it as a rarity in our society...or the result of incompetent people making stupid choices. We simply walk by, or stand and watch.
What we don't realize is that we all have a role to play in the suffering of others....whether it be the suffering of people in the inner city, or the suffering of those over seas...or life of luxury contributes the suffering of others.
How? I could go on and on and on and on and on and on about how....instead, I think I will leave it at one simple statement that does no justice to this topic at all.
By simply living in North America, we support a capitalist system that thrives on maintaining a hierarchical structure...thus, we NEED poor, undermined, and exploited people in order for us to stay where we are...so we dont lose anything! However, we have a choice...we can either choose to do nothing about this injustice and simply stand by (like the police). Or we can give a voice to those who have none...in whatever way we can. We can serve, we can advocate, we can watch how and where we spend our money....etc etc. again....I could go on....but i wont
This is far too deep for a Monday night....augh. If you wish to argue with me....please do! I love feedback on these stupid things.....augh I hate blogging.
Kyle
It reminded me how easy it is for us who live in North America to walk through life completely unfazed by all the hurt, and injustices that surround us. Sure, we hear about them...we read about the terrible things that happen to other ppl in the papers and we see the news headlines on TV....but usually, we can either dismiss it as a rarity in our society...or the result of incompetent people making stupid choices. We simply walk by, or stand and watch.
What we don't realize is that we all have a role to play in the suffering of others....whether it be the suffering of people in the inner city, or the suffering of those over seas...or life of luxury contributes the suffering of others.
How? I could go on and on and on and on and on and on about how....instead, I think I will leave it at one simple statement that does no justice to this topic at all.
By simply living in North America, we support a capitalist system that thrives on maintaining a hierarchical structure...thus, we NEED poor, undermined, and exploited people in order for us to stay where we are...so we dont lose anything! However, we have a choice...we can either choose to do nothing about this injustice and simply stand by (like the police). Or we can give a voice to those who have none...in whatever way we can. We can serve, we can advocate, we can watch how and where we spend our money....etc etc. again....I could go on....but i wont
This is far too deep for a Monday night....augh. If you wish to argue with me....please do! I love feedback on these stupid things.....augh I hate blogging.
Kyle
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Free hugs
Whoever has more than one blog is either: 1.) very very very bored 2.) a paid "blogger" 3.) someone who has way too much time on his/her hands 4.) has very important things to say 5.) thinks he/she has something very import to say 6.) lame. I think you know what I'm getting at here....this blog has not been my strong point during my time in Chicago....thank you to all of you who actually take the time to read it though. I will now grace the world with my thoughts and feelings....and rightfully so.
The other day I walked up and down Michigan Ave (the magnificent mile) holding a sign that said "Free Canadian Hugs." This was done in order to show friendliness and hospitality towards people who we had never known before they hugged us (me and tim). We had a lot of people who made comments about how they liked what we were doing...and even more who simply smiled and walked by....and still, about 30 people gave us a hug. Some said "thats exactly wat i needed." That was always very reassuring and made me feel a little less awkward. This obviously took me out of my comfort zone...and even though this wasnt directly attached to ministry, a lot of people asked me about what I believed, and why I was doing this....it was interesting.
For the past day and a half, we had a guest speaker who spoke to us about evangelism and peace. His name was James Krabill. He spoke about Shalom and how often, our modern translations of the Bible dont do the word justice. He spoke of shalom as peace both vertically (between God and us) and horizontally (between us and the earth and our neighbours). I found this very helpful because it made it obvious that words without actions are useless, and actions without faith less useful. He challenged us a lot and I really enjoyed it.
This has been a very brief snapshot of my week...have an excellent day
Kyle
The other day I walked up and down Michigan Ave (the magnificent mile) holding a sign that said "Free Canadian Hugs." This was done in order to show friendliness and hospitality towards people who we had never known before they hugged us (me and tim). We had a lot of people who made comments about how they liked what we were doing...and even more who simply smiled and walked by....and still, about 30 people gave us a hug. Some said "thats exactly wat i needed." That was always very reassuring and made me feel a little less awkward. This obviously took me out of my comfort zone...and even though this wasnt directly attached to ministry, a lot of people asked me about what I believed, and why I was doing this....it was interesting.
For the past day and a half, we had a guest speaker who spoke to us about evangelism and peace. His name was James Krabill. He spoke about Shalom and how often, our modern translations of the Bible dont do the word justice. He spoke of shalom as peace both vertically (between God and us) and horizontally (between us and the earth and our neighbours). I found this very helpful because it made it obvious that words without actions are useless, and actions without faith less useful. He challenged us a lot and I really enjoyed it.
This has been a very brief snapshot of my week...have an excellent day
Kyle
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Hi Everyone!
The thing I love about Chicago is that there is always something to do and to see. I could live here my whole life and not see everything there is to see. Today i am going to the Chicago Jazz Festival...which I am very excited about! Anyways...
This week the focus of our training shifted from trying to orientate ourselves to our new surroundings...to trying to build a sense of community and a greater sense of self. We have done several community building activities and have taken an enneagram test which helps us discover what personality we have, (i know that sounds dumb, but i cant describe it any other way) and hopefully provide us with greater knowledge on what we can expect of ourselves and of others. I would suggest taking the test...its kind of fun. http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/dis_sample_36.asp
We also got a change to our flight plan to Africa, and I get to visit Europe!!!......for 3 hours :( Just long enough to exit the airport in Amsterdam and hopefully not get into too much trouble. But for now I will leave. Have an excellent day.
Kyle
The thing I love about Chicago is that there is always something to do and to see. I could live here my whole life and not see everything there is to see. Today i am going to the Chicago Jazz Festival...which I am very excited about! Anyways...
This week the focus of our training shifted from trying to orientate ourselves to our new surroundings...to trying to build a sense of community and a greater sense of self. We have done several community building activities and have taken an enneagram test which helps us discover what personality we have, (i know that sounds dumb, but i cant describe it any other way) and hopefully provide us with greater knowledge on what we can expect of ourselves and of others. I would suggest taking the test...its kind of fun. http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/dis_sample_36.asp
We also got a change to our flight plan to Africa, and I get to visit Europe!!!......for 3 hours :( Just long enough to exit the airport in Amsterdam and hopefully not get into too much trouble. But for now I will leave. Have an excellent day.
Kyle
Friday, August 28, 2009
the world has come to Chicago
Hello all (i have to blog at least 2 times a week...so hear is number 2)
The other day I was riding the train from Uptown (where I am) to down town Chicago. During the 7 mile ride from where I live to the library, which was our final destination...we passed through many different, strikingly unique neighbourhoods. Chicago is actually made up of about 77 different neighbourhoods, and for me to even dream of seeing them all is completely unreasonable.
Several hours later, I crossed a bridge that goes over one of the busiest highways in America. The highway connects Milwaukee and Chicago, and continues on as interstates do. I had never seen so many cars in one place, all fighting for position in the endless maze of traffic, and racing towards a destination unknown to me, and unknown to everyone else.
Back on the train on the way home, I thought how amazing it is that one could live in the same place and know so little about the place we live. However, in a city of 8 million and 77 different ethnic neighbourhoods (including the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw), it seems all too likely that this is the case. It would be a stretch to imagine that someone could even scratch the surface of knowing what a city like Chicago is like.
So, in order to console myself as I passed by the smoke stained (but surprisingly beautiful) apartments and townhouses, I imagined the stories I would hear from the people who lived there. What events have shaped their lives? Who abandoned them? Who was there for them? Who are they missing? What are they missing? If only I could listen to the life stories of all these people... Someone who I respect very much once said, “Wherever there are people...stories to be heard, it is important that we hear them, because it is in that way that we become more human.” I believe that whole heartedly, and that is one of the biggest reasons that I have decided to go to Africa for a year. However, it is clear to me now that no matter how hard I try...I will never be able to hear all the stories that I want to, so I hope that God will guide me to those who I need to hear, and who need to hear whatever I have to say...if they even have to...and hopefully, through this process I will find out what it means to be human.
Kyle
P.S. For all of you Rise Against fans (as you should know, Chicago is where they hail from), listen to The Chamber and the Cartridge. Note the spoken part in the beginning of the song, “This is Noise!” I was riding the train and the speaker on the train that announces the stops says, “This is ____” IT IS THE EXACT SAME VOICE! Just thought I would let you know that...I was blown away by it!
The other day I was riding the train from Uptown (where I am) to down town Chicago. During the 7 mile ride from where I live to the library, which was our final destination...we passed through many different, strikingly unique neighbourhoods. Chicago is actually made up of about 77 different neighbourhoods, and for me to even dream of seeing them all is completely unreasonable.
Several hours later, I crossed a bridge that goes over one of the busiest highways in America. The highway connects Milwaukee and Chicago, and continues on as interstates do. I had never seen so many cars in one place, all fighting for position in the endless maze of traffic, and racing towards a destination unknown to me, and unknown to everyone else.
Back on the train on the way home, I thought how amazing it is that one could live in the same place and know so little about the place we live. However, in a city of 8 million and 77 different ethnic neighbourhoods (including the largest Polish population outside of Warsaw), it seems all too likely that this is the case. It would be a stretch to imagine that someone could even scratch the surface of knowing what a city like Chicago is like.
So, in order to console myself as I passed by the smoke stained (but surprisingly beautiful) apartments and townhouses, I imagined the stories I would hear from the people who lived there. What events have shaped their lives? Who abandoned them? Who was there for them? Who are they missing? What are they missing? If only I could listen to the life stories of all these people... Someone who I respect very much once said, “Wherever there are people...stories to be heard, it is important that we hear them, because it is in that way that we become more human.” I believe that whole heartedly, and that is one of the biggest reasons that I have decided to go to Africa for a year. However, it is clear to me now that no matter how hard I try...I will never be able to hear all the stories that I want to, so I hope that God will guide me to those who I need to hear, and who need to hear whatever I have to say...if they even have to...and hopefully, through this process I will find out what it means to be human.
Kyle
P.S. For all of you Rise Against fans (as you should know, Chicago is where they hail from), listen to The Chamber and the Cartridge. Note the spoken part in the beginning of the song, “This is Noise!” I was riding the train and the speaker on the train that announces the stops says, “This is ____” IT IS THE EXACT SAME VOICE! Just thought I would let you know that...I was blown away by it!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
First Few Days in Chi Town
Hello all!!!!
I am very very excited to finally get this thing going! I have spent a few days in chicago and I am falling in love with the city! it’s not as windy as people describe it as....just 10 times bigger than Winnipeg...I feel very small. This blog will basically just give you some info you may find useful either now or in the future. I am staying at an intentional community living space called JPUSA (Jesus People USA). Basically, it’s a 10 story building that houses 450 people who have decided to live as a community together in order to serve God. When it was described to me the first day, my initial thought was that it was a cult...I was very wrong. The people here are all very different and have some incredible stories to tell. I spoke to someone today who was part of a Los Angeles gang and ran away when the killing became too constant and ended up spending 13 years in the army...and now is one of the directors at JPUSA. He had some very interesting things to say, but the one thing that really stuck out to me, being from Winkler, is that essentially, the only thing that separates different denominations within the larger Church is how we define worldliness. It’s tough for us to comprehend that fully because we all want to believe that we are completely right in what we believe and are unwilling to see the good in what others believe......anyways, that’s enough deep stuff for today.
Basically, orientation takes the form of discipleship training. We do some Bible study, some group bonding activities, some preparatory activities for when we leave for South Africa/England/Paraguay/Australia. We have done 2 scavenger hunts around the city....one was in the neighbourhood that I live in called, Uptown...and the other one that I did today was in Downtown Chicago. Both showed me incredible things....I saw poverty first hand essentially for the first time in my life in Uptown. And, in down town....I saw what human beings are capable of....I havce never seen buildings so big. However, I will talk to you all later...please stay in touch...I miss you all very much.....it’s actually pathetic.
Some interesting facts about Chi town: 1.) Our building, JPUSA...was built by Al Capone and used to be one of the nicest hotels in the city....not so much anymore.
2.) Shoes on the telephone wires (which are all over our building) show wat kind of drugs are sold in the area...news to me.
3.) The sears tower...literally went into the clouds today...i was blown away.
Im sure there are more that I am missing...but thats all for now...hope to hear from you all soon.
Kyle
I am very very excited to finally get this thing going! I have spent a few days in chicago and I am falling in love with the city! it’s not as windy as people describe it as....just 10 times bigger than Winnipeg...I feel very small. This blog will basically just give you some info you may find useful either now or in the future. I am staying at an intentional community living space called JPUSA (Jesus People USA). Basically, it’s a 10 story building that houses 450 people who have decided to live as a community together in order to serve God. When it was described to me the first day, my initial thought was that it was a cult...I was very wrong. The people here are all very different and have some incredible stories to tell. I spoke to someone today who was part of a Los Angeles gang and ran away when the killing became too constant and ended up spending 13 years in the army...and now is one of the directors at JPUSA. He had some very interesting things to say, but the one thing that really stuck out to me, being from Winkler, is that essentially, the only thing that separates different denominations within the larger Church is how we define worldliness. It’s tough for us to comprehend that fully because we all want to believe that we are completely right in what we believe and are unwilling to see the good in what others believe......anyways, that’s enough deep stuff for today.
Basically, orientation takes the form of discipleship training. We do some Bible study, some group bonding activities, some preparatory activities for when we leave for South Africa/England/Paraguay/Australia. We have done 2 scavenger hunts around the city....one was in the neighbourhood that I live in called, Uptown...and the other one that I did today was in Downtown Chicago. Both showed me incredible things....I saw poverty first hand essentially for the first time in my life in Uptown. And, in down town....I saw what human beings are capable of....I havce never seen buildings so big. However, I will talk to you all later...please stay in touch...I miss you all very much.....it’s actually pathetic.
Some interesting facts about Chi town: 1.) Our building, JPUSA...was built by Al Capone and used to be one of the nicest hotels in the city....not so much anymore.
2.) Shoes on the telephone wires (which are all over our building) show wat kind of drugs are sold in the area...news to me.
3.) The sears tower...literally went into the clouds today...i was blown away.
Im sure there are more that I am missing...but thats all for now...hope to hear from you all soon.
Kyle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
