Canadian Fact of the Day- Apparantly, toboggans are not hats. I was informed that they are actually sleds, and the cute wintery headgear is a "touque." I mean really, who knew?
So this past week was Student Week aka "The Thing at the Field." We had so much fun hanging out with the kids, and we met some new friends. Mary Greer was also staying with us this week and she and I were in charge of messy games. I love messy games when I don't have to partake in them. Some of them were so sick, like one the kids had to see how many M&M's they could eat in 60 seconds, but we put ketchup in the middle of the candy, so it was really disgusting. Also we had a game that they had to pop a balloon with their nose, but we greased the balloons up with criso, so the balloons would stick to their faces and their hair. Pimple city. We met some way cool leaders too. Our friend Lorna works at Dairy Queen so we can go visit her there, and then our new BFFL Ken is a total mountain man but he loves "Enchanted" and will watch Gilmore Girls with us. An excellent week overall.
Also, I jumped off the Ferry Docks again, but this time I did NOT bellyflop. I had a normal jump with no bruises. I was terrified when I was up there, however, and I made Eden hold my hand until I jumped. Success.
We went and saw the new Batman movie, "Dark Knight," at midnight the day it came out. It was definitely worth it, and an incredible movie. Heath Ledger is so freaky as the joker. Really, go see it.
We're about to go camping for a couple of days, which I am way excited about. We get to go in some natural hot springs too!! Sarah hates camping, so that means we'll probably have lots of funny stories when we come back. It's pretty crazy because after we go camping we come back for two days and then leave again to go to Vancouver, and then we come home! Our time here is almost finished. Insane.
Hope everyone misses me a lot. :) I miss you guys so much too.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Kids Club Madness
Canadian Fact- Their vending machines don't have places to take bills. This is, of course, because of the loonies and toonies they have instead of small dollar bills.
This past week was nuts. The team from Peachtree City was here, and we did Kids Club (VBS) in the mornings and then we went to the Kelowna Gospel Mission in the afternoons. My job for Kids Club was pre-school and kindergarten activities, which basically means I played games with cute kids. We had this one little pair of siblings named Khaya and Kenya who were red-headed and precious. What's really cool though is they were both born in South Africa and lived their for the first couple of years of their life and just recently moved to Canada. Also there was this little Asian girl named Kai who spoke Japanese, but the only word she would tell me how to say was fart. Classic. Another part of my job was teaching the motions that go with the songs to to all the kids with Sarah, Robin, Garrett, Hanna, and some of the other youth. Thank you LifeWay (in particular Jeff Slaughter) for songs about outriggers and unshakable truth that NEVER leave your head. If I hear the Outrigger Island theme song one more time I think I might find something high to jump off. All the kids loved them though, so I suppose it was worth it.
In the afternoons we went to the Kelowna Gospel Mission, which feeds about 100-150 people for lunch and dinner and houses about 75 homeless men. They also have a place for the people who come to eat to take a shower and wash their clothes. We cooked dinner and cleaned bathrooms for them. I helped cook dinner all four nights we were there. The head chef was this crazy British guy named Jason who was great. He was so patient with all of us and made everything really fun. He was also very fond of the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, so sometimes that was playing while we cooked. We mashed potatoes with something that looked big enough to be a cow brander, and I'm sure Sarah and I buttered about 300 rolls. We peeled a lot of carrots and potatoes too. I mean really, I think I peeled more potatoes and carrots than I have ever even eaten across my whole life. It was really good though. And everyone had such good attitudes about it, even the people who had to clean the public showers. Needless to say, however, we were pretty tired by the end of the day.
The team left yesterday, which was sad, and the week went by super fast. Next week is Student Week though, and we're all pretty excited about that.
Last night Sarah and I sat out on our back deck and we saw the Northern Lights! (at least we're pretty sure we did). They were really beautiful and kind of eerie. They were like dancing brush strokes. Also we saw some shooting stars. It's so beautiful here.
I also have been getting all kinds of mail, which I love! Thanks for everyone sending me stuff, it really makes my week when I get it. And I also love reading all your comments on here, I miss everyone so much! I've been getting a little homesick, so hearing from everyone is so good.
Love!
This past week was nuts. The team from Peachtree City was here, and we did Kids Club (VBS) in the mornings and then we went to the Kelowna Gospel Mission in the afternoons. My job for Kids Club was pre-school and kindergarten activities, which basically means I played games with cute kids. We had this one little pair of siblings named Khaya and Kenya who were red-headed and precious. What's really cool though is they were both born in South Africa and lived their for the first couple of years of their life and just recently moved to Canada. Also there was this little Asian girl named Kai who spoke Japanese, but the only word she would tell me how to say was fart. Classic. Another part of my job was teaching the motions that go with the songs to to all the kids with Sarah, Robin, Garrett, Hanna, and some of the other youth. Thank you LifeWay (in particular Jeff Slaughter) for songs about outriggers and unshakable truth that NEVER leave your head. If I hear the Outrigger Island theme song one more time I think I might find something high to jump off. All the kids loved them though, so I suppose it was worth it.
In the afternoons we went to the Kelowna Gospel Mission, which feeds about 100-150 people for lunch and dinner and houses about 75 homeless men. They also have a place for the people who come to eat to take a shower and wash their clothes. We cooked dinner and cleaned bathrooms for them. I helped cook dinner all four nights we were there. The head chef was this crazy British guy named Jason who was great. He was so patient with all of us and made everything really fun. He was also very fond of the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, so sometimes that was playing while we cooked. We mashed potatoes with something that looked big enough to be a cow brander, and I'm sure Sarah and I buttered about 300 rolls. We peeled a lot of carrots and potatoes too. I mean really, I think I peeled more potatoes and carrots than I have ever even eaten across my whole life. It was really good though. And everyone had such good attitudes about it, even the people who had to clean the public showers. Needless to say, however, we were pretty tired by the end of the day.
The team left yesterday, which was sad, and the week went by super fast. Next week is Student Week though, and we're all pretty excited about that.
Last night Sarah and I sat out on our back deck and we saw the Northern Lights! (at least we're pretty sure we did). They were really beautiful and kind of eerie. They were like dancing brush strokes. Also we saw some shooting stars. It's so beautiful here.
I also have been getting all kinds of mail, which I love! Thanks for everyone sending me stuff, it really makes my week when I get it. And I also love reading all your comments on here, I miss everyone so much! I've been getting a little homesick, so hearing from everyone is so good.
Love!
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
more fireworks and sunshine.
Canadian Fact of the Day- They love those munchkin doughnut holes here, except they get them from a little chain called Tim Horton's, and the munchkins are actually "timbits."
Yesterday we got the day off because it was officially Canada Day. We went to the "beach." In reality it was a very cold lake with some pebbly sand. It was hard to stay in the water, because it was overcast, but we played some and then laid on the beach and played MASH. This was fun because there were 5 girls and one boy, and we made everyone play. I think it predicted my future husband would be Yao Ming (I don't know how to spell that, whoever that Asian basketball player is), but we would have no kids. Sad day. Todd, the one boy, said his dream job would be to shoot frozen chickens at airplane windows to test the shatter resistance. He claims this is a legitimate job, but I don't know that any of us believe him. Anyway, later that night we went to Peachland and watched more fireworks. They were highly disappointing, but that's mainly because most of our group is used to the pyro-spectacular show that is Peachtree City 4th of July.
Other than that we've just been getting ready for Kids Club next week and then Student Week the week after. And the PTC team comes on Saturday! We are so excited about that. Lots of moms cooking for us all week! woooo.
love in this club.
Yesterday we got the day off because it was officially Canada Day. We went to the "beach." In reality it was a very cold lake with some pebbly sand. It was hard to stay in the water, because it was overcast, but we played some and then laid on the beach and played MASH. This was fun because there were 5 girls and one boy, and we made everyone play. I think it predicted my future husband would be Yao Ming (I don't know how to spell that, whoever that Asian basketball player is), but we would have no kids. Sad day. Todd, the one boy, said his dream job would be to shoot frozen chickens at airplane windows to test the shatter resistance. He claims this is a legitimate job, but I don't know that any of us believe him. Anyway, later that night we went to Peachland and watched more fireworks. They were highly disappointing, but that's mainly because most of our group is used to the pyro-spectacular show that is Peachtree City 4th of July.
Other than that we've just been getting ready for Kids Club next week and then Student Week the week after. And the PTC team comes on Saturday! We are so excited about that. Lots of moms cooking for us all week! woooo.
love in this club.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
wonderful weekend.
Canandian Fact of the Day- There are all kinds of crazy chips here, including "all-dressed chips" which are basically every kind of chip flavor mixed together, also ketchup chips!
So yesterday we were in the Canada Day parade. Our Kids Club float won first place! Probably a combination of the amazing hand painted signs we made and the fact that the had Olive the octopus leading the float. And maybe the cute kids in luau gear. We handed out water to the people watching the parade and they went crazy for it! All that candy not only gave the children a sugar rush, but also obviously dried out their mouths, because they were storming the the truck bed with the bottles in the back. Late that night we went to Gallatly Beach and watched fireworks with some of the kids, it was so fun!
In spirit of Canada Day, Sarah, Robin, Jamie, Eden and I got stick on Canada tatooes for our faces. They were really cute until I tried to get mine off. Jamie and I both ended up rubbing raw spots on our faces because the tats did not want to come off. We came to church with little red spots.
Today we jumped off the Ferry Docs with Eden. They were probably about 15 feet high, and very scary. When it was my turn to go, I decided to just jump instead of thinking about it too much, which turned out to be a mistake, because I totally belly-flopped. It was very painful, and there were so many people watching because it was really hot today, so I thoroughly embarassed myself. I'm pretty sure I'm also going to have a huge bruise on my leg. It was worth it though, just to say I've done it. Also we got some pretty funny video of it.
So yesterday we were in the Canada Day parade. Our Kids Club float won first place! Probably a combination of the amazing hand painted signs we made and the fact that the had Olive the octopus leading the float. And maybe the cute kids in luau gear. We handed out water to the people watching the parade and they went crazy for it! All that candy not only gave the children a sugar rush, but also obviously dried out their mouths, because they were storming the the truck bed with the bottles in the back. Late that night we went to Gallatly Beach and watched fireworks with some of the kids, it was so fun!
In spirit of Canada Day, Sarah, Robin, Jamie, Eden and I got stick on Canada tatooes for our faces. They were really cute until I tried to get mine off. Jamie and I both ended up rubbing raw spots on our faces because the tats did not want to come off. We came to church with little red spots.
Today we jumped off the Ferry Docs with Eden. They were probably about 15 feet high, and very scary. When it was my turn to go, I decided to just jump instead of thinking about it too much, which turned out to be a mistake, because I totally belly-flopped. It was very painful, and there were so many people watching because it was really hot today, so I thoroughly embarassed myself. I'm pretty sure I'm also going to have a huge bruise on my leg. It was worth it though, just to say I've done it. Also we got some pretty funny video of it.
Now we are all just hanging out, spending some quality time, one of my favorite things.
Friday, June 27, 2008
one day till canada day!
Canadian Fact of the Day- When Canadians talk about car decals, they pronounce them "deckles" like freckles or speckles. They think it's crazy we say de-cal.
The last two days we've been preparing for our float in the Canada Day parade on Saturday. Eden and I have been working very hard on a paper mache octopus. This is a big deal for Eden because she is afraid of octopi, but we made ours very friendly looking.
Yesterday we cleaned off all the sound chords they use on Sunday mornings. They were covered with movie theater gunk. It was actually really fun for some reason and I can't really explain why. The Lysol wipees were nasty gray colored.
On Sunday Robin and I get to run the pre-school ministry, which will be so fun!
The last two days we've been preparing for our float in the Canada Day parade on Saturday. Eden and I have been working very hard on a paper mache octopus. This is a big deal for Eden because she is afraid of octopi, but we made ours very friendly looking.
Yesterday we cleaned off all the sound chords they use on Sunday mornings. They were covered with movie theater gunk. It was actually really fun for some reason and I can't really explain why. The Lysol wipees were nasty gray colored.
On Sunday Robin and I get to run the pre-school ministry, which will be so fun!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Rebars and Canned Mushrooms.
Random Canadian Fact of the Day- Canadians don't have have bills smaller than a five. Instead they have $1 and $2 coins, and they are called loonies and toonies. It's a nice surprise thinking you have no money and then looking in your change pouch and finding $5 worth of coins.
Yesterday was "We are Men" day. Basically we helped out the youth pastor, Joey, with some landscaping around the centre. It was very hard but very empowering. We had to pull up grass because we were building a little wall thingy around the garden island. After we pulled up the grass, we laid down huge beams of wood, and drove rebars as long as my arm into them so they would stay in the ground. So we got to use this huge hammer and pound on these metal bars with all our might. The first few times Joey would start them off for us and we would finish them, but after awhile we just did the whole thing by ourselves and ALL of us drove a couple of them in the ground, which we were very proud of. Now we get to see our handiwork every time we go to the centre (which is a lot). That night Joey and his wife, Maura, made us dinner. We had steak and potatoes to cap off being men for a day, because men love red meat.
Today we bleached a bunch of children's toys so that their germs from their grubby little hands won't spread to all their friends. It was fun because we got to put together all the puzzles after we finished and watch VeggieTales.
Tonight Robin, Sarah, Eden and I volunteered at the food bank. It was very fast-paced because people would write down their order and then we would box it all for them. Their would be a person at the front yelling different things from the order like "dry cereal!" or "eggs!(which were said "aygs!")." Each of us had our own section we were in charge of, and all you had to do was pass whatever was yelled at you. The problem was, that I had canned vegetables. The scary lady yelling at us (at the time, it was Eden's old baby-sitter, Vivien) screamed "nibblets!" Nibblets? What are nibblets? Luckily, Eden was standing next to me, and she grabbed the right can for me. What are nibblets you ask? Canned Corn. Who would've known? Well, I surely do now. Also in my section were wax beans. I have no idea what kind of plant they come from but it sounds gross.
That's about it. The Canada Day parade is Saturday, and we get to be in it! The church has a float for Kid's Club. I can't wait.
Love!
Yesterday was "We are Men" day. Basically we helped out the youth pastor, Joey, with some landscaping around the centre. It was very hard but very empowering. We had to pull up grass because we were building a little wall thingy around the garden island. After we pulled up the grass, we laid down huge beams of wood, and drove rebars as long as my arm into them so they would stay in the ground. So we got to use this huge hammer and pound on these metal bars with all our might. The first few times Joey would start them off for us and we would finish them, but after awhile we just did the whole thing by ourselves and ALL of us drove a couple of them in the ground, which we were very proud of. Now we get to see our handiwork every time we go to the centre (which is a lot). That night Joey and his wife, Maura, made us dinner. We had steak and potatoes to cap off being men for a day, because men love red meat.
Today we bleached a bunch of children's toys so that their germs from their grubby little hands won't spread to all their friends. It was fun because we got to put together all the puzzles after we finished and watch VeggieTales.
Tonight Robin, Sarah, Eden and I volunteered at the food bank. It was very fast-paced because people would write down their order and then we would box it all for them. Their would be a person at the front yelling different things from the order like "dry cereal!" or "eggs!(which were said "aygs!")." Each of us had our own section we were in charge of, and all you had to do was pass whatever was yelled at you. The problem was, that I had canned vegetables. The scary lady yelling at us (at the time, it was Eden's old baby-sitter, Vivien) screamed "nibblets!" Nibblets? What are nibblets? Luckily, Eden was standing next to me, and she grabbed the right can for me. What are nibblets you ask? Canned Corn. Who would've known? Well, I surely do now. Also in my section were wax beans. I have no idea what kind of plant they come from but it sounds gross.
That's about it. The Canada Day parade is Saturday, and we get to be in it! The church has a float for Kid's Club. I can't wait.
Love!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Womanly Pride.
Canadian Fact of the Day- Cash registers are called "tills." No explaination, I really have no idea why.
Today we re-organized the whole kitchen at the Potter's House Centre. I somehow got the cabinet with all the snow-cone equipment, which was disgusting. Sticky, sugary, cherry nastiness was coming out of a gallon container that was pasted to the bottom of the cabinet. It took awhile to get off, but it was very satisfying work because it looked so different when it was clean.
Also today was awesome because I got dropped off at the nut farm (which is where the picture is) and I just wandered around until I found a place I liked and read my Bible, journaled, and listened to music. It was so great, because even though I love my fellow interns, I NEED alone time. We all did actually, so we all just took about an hour and a half and chilled. It was really relaxing and beautiful.
We went to a doggy birthday yesterday. Scooby turned 2, and Cindy throws the best parties. We had doggy cake and human cake. Luckily Spencer didn't eat too much sugar again, because last time Cindy made him go out in the yard and pick 15 weeds so he would calm down.
This week we're going to be working a lot at the centre and making a float for Canada Day which is NEXT WEEK. I've never been apart of any kind of Canada Day festivities, but I love Fourth of July, so surely this will have similar elements.
Right now we're watching White Chicks. "Yo hold my poodle dawg!" baha. Love it.
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