Josh's Kaleo Updates

Well its come to that time of year where the homework is all in and all the adventures are finished. Yes, Kaleo 6 is ending in 3 days and looking back over the year I have been amazed at what has happened in the last 8 months. On the first day of Kaleo I sat in 211 and wondered, what are my roommates going to be like? Am I going to be able to do all these adventures this year? Can I afford my mission trip? What challenges am I going to go through? Can I do college? Will I finish all my work? and so many more questions that are still spinning around in my head. Yesterday, as Mount Washington was closed I hiked up to the top of the mountain and looked over to Mount Albert-Edward and thought back to that trip and how much everyone has changed since those days of hiking through the late summer forests. As I sat there at the top of the mountain God started revealing answers to this year to me. Your roommates were divinely placed, you have lived and grown through every adventure, you took on your mission trip with full strength, you have grown through struggles and challenges, you can do college, and your work is all done with great marks.

All though this year has been amazing, it has not been without its struggles. Many things this year have caused me much grief and pain but looking back on the year here at the end I can see that because I was taken through those struggles I have grown so much closer to God. I think one of the most memorable times for me with struggles this year did not actually happen here at Kaleo but in Vancouver. As I was at home for the funeral of a teacher and a friend, I spent time with my old buddies and learned that the way that I was living before had no positive outlook for me. Don't get me wrong, I still love my friends at home but I don't see myself going down that road anymore. I have grown comfortable with who I am and what Christ has set me aside for. Through all the struggles that I have been placed in I have come out with one teaching for every struggle. The reason why we struggle and experience pain is because we have turned away from the will that God has for us. As I walked humbly and peacefully with God I learned so much and felt such peace, but the moment I turned to do my own will, I suffered. I know this sounds old and overused but trust me, as soon as you find the true meaning behind what I just said you will never want to follow your own will ever again. Throughout this year I was worried about so many things but I have learned that I need to know that the plan that God has for me is the best and there is no way that I can possible think of a good plan myself. So stop worrying and just trust what God is doing. God will use pain and sin for his plan to teach you to be more like him.

The adventures that I have experienced this year have been life changing. Whether it would be climbing mountains or surfing waves or flying across to New York, everything that pushed me physically this year has taught me something. When I was the top of Mount Albert-Edward I learned that God was bigger then the box I was putting him in and that I needed to let him shape my life. There at the top of that mountain is where I had my first moment of surrender this year. Then on the SALTS ship I learned that God will protect me even in the scariest things and through fear. Through the first surfing trip I learned that even when everything looks horrible I still need to focus on the one thing I can trust in, God. In our first ski trip, God was setting things up that would be key in setting the first step into a new godly foundation. Missions Fest showed to me that I had grown comfortable with the Christian community in Vancouver and that it was time to become uncomfortable. A few weeks later in the cold middle of Canada, God showed me what that new community was, Briercrest. I have a new community to enter into and through that I will continue to grow more towards a Christ-centered lifestyle. My trip to New York taught me so much about who I am and revealed so much pride that I need to still work on. New York taught me so much more but if I was to list all of it this blog post would be able 2000 words long. And these last 3 trips of surfing, skiing and kayaking has taught me that I need to sit still and know that entire world is in the hands of a perfect and wonderful maker.

I think I might have found a church that I want to stick to. Warmland Community Church has given me so much confidence in who I am and also felt like a real church family where everyone knew everybody else. It just had that small church feel that I have been longing for. South Delta is an awesome church but I don't feel like I was being put to full use there. Who knows what God's plan is for me and my two most favorite churches they are both amazing. Anyways, with Warmland this year being on Media for sunday mornings made me feel like I had a role to play in the church I felt like God was truly using me. Getting to know the people around the church and being invited to their houses for lunch helped to build a community for me. I now know that I can walk into several houses when I am in trouble and there will be a family there that will care for me until I am ready again to do whatever I need to do. Ladner was a great community but I felt like all the families I knew there were like the family of my parents. Here in Crofton, this is my family and I love everyone of them. Wednesday night youth group many weeks held me here at Kaleo. There were many times this year where I felt like I couldn't go on any longer and I needed to get out. Wednesday night was exactly that for me. I loved it! There are just too many reasons to say why I loved it but it was amazing. I want to thank all the youth on Wednesday for being such great kids, and (this is for Olivia) I want to thank Olivia and Abby for being great friends to me and joining me when I didn't want to run around and play the games and also for just being crazy. Sunday night was the icing on the cake that made Warmland what it was for me. It was a chance to be a leader to kids who are going through exactly what I was going through just a few years ago. It was also an awesome time just to act like a kid again. I want to thank all the guys that would ride around in my car with me. Yeah, sure we got into trouble and we acted stupid in the car but hey it was fun and I enjoyed hanging out with you guys. I'm looking forward to seeing all the Warmland people again in a few weeks and over the years as well. I want to watch the church, the youth group and the youth themsevles grow and I want to be a part of it.