Thursday, November 6, 2008

Day 179: Recapping 'All This'

it's been nearly six months, so here's a quick look back with the addition of today's developments. i'd planned on doing this on the exact date of six months of being gone, but have decided to share today and also not postpone in order to keep that day free for what it brings.

here we go.

in the rush of wrapping the sophomore baseball season on a thursday and scheduling finals to be taken on friday, i packed and got a computer on a saturday and left home in the early, dark hours of sunday morning. in all this, i didn't buy return airfare. i had no idea how to explain to my parents that i had an odd sense that i might not be coming back after the summer at camp. i knew no one in canada. i had no idea that there was a place called fernie.

all i had was a head of ideas, a sense of adventure, some college education in video work, and a one way ticket to the west coast.

that alone sounded like a dream in itself. it still does.

from may to august, relationships and friendships were formed and developed at camp. videos were produced and adventures were had and some music was made. then plans for fernie came together and i had no idea how to explain them to home. the ceiling of the bunk above mine turned into a familiar friend during the last week of camp's sleepless nights and, even though people were interested and willing to talk, i couldn't answer their questions of where i was supposed to go before heading to fernie beginning of november.

a new friend in washington stepped up huge and was able to offer a place to stay. i did chores around the house and tackled some landscaping and am thankful for the relationships formed during those two months. still, i needed a permit and sin number to legally work in canada for the winter.

i'd been in contact with people already living in fernie via couchsurfing.com trying to make friends and managed to develop some contacts for work. although none of those actual opportunities worked out, they gave hope enough to try.

finally, after being denied entrance via a greyhound and re-entering days later to meet friends in vancouver, we stayed in a best western in fernie complements of a friend's parent's frequent flyer miles. due to website repairs, communication with the next night's potential couchsurfing.com member was lost, so we loaded our luggage into shopping carts and headed straight to church for the sunday service. i knew about this church, surprisingly enough, because kirk's dad had been this pastor's preaching professor at trinity western.

so we arrived for church and ended up meeting a dozen or so of new friends and of which some who offered us their extra rooms until we moved into our house. this hookup provided more than a place to stay and helped us meet people and get involved in the things that go on here. during that same first morning of church, they announced the need for a new janitor. perfect timing.

now, a few of us have started a band to begin playing in fernie and nearby cities this winter. one new friend has offered meals in exchange for photography lessons. i'm involved with the church worship team and we play this sunday.

but today, day 179, an exciting and huge part of the big picture of this journey has been laid into the newest position and next step. the pastor and one of the heads of the 'snowboarders for Christ' ministry and i sat down in the office to plan a video production to display and engage both the congregation and community in the ministry and potential of fernie fellowship church.

as a relatively new attender to the church, my own story supports some of the printed goals and visions that the pastor and church have listed. we sat in the office discussing and planning the best ways to create a video to present their passion. the meeting clicked from the start and it was the most real and good and whole and exciting place that i've ever been. the pastor even acknowledged the divine appointment and purposes that seem have been united in all this. all this. all this.

if i, or even you, have been looking for a purpose in this departure and sometimes obscure, but faith-based steps, i believe that a huge, huge part, down to the smallest details of relationships and connections and faith, have led to be plugged into this community and church. this winter. this year. this time. this place. this beginning. all this.

1 comment:

The Joshua Field said...

God is good my friend. God is good.