The gift of today

I have been blown away the past few days. It has been a few of the best days that I have experienced since I have been here. I am on day 70 today, which means that I am over 2/3rds done. This life has become normal to me.

It has been really hard to not have people my age constantly around me. I am the only twenty year old female in the church. Sometimes it gets frustrating to be by yourself with no one to relate to. Its not that the people here are terrible people, in fact I rather enjoy their company. The ladies here are really beautiful and they all have experiences and knowledge that I can benefit greatly from. They are incredible people who have poured out such tremendous love on me that I will forever be different because of them.

But on the flip side of this I am still alone in my age in Granby. This is where Grace comes in. Grace just turned 18 and she is so beautiful. She has this incredible call on her life. She is truly one of the most beautiful girls I know. She exemplifies patience, mercy and love. I can describe her like a peony. So understated, growing in the garden, but so beautiful and delicate and unique. She has been the one who keeps me sane. Pop tarts and Tea by the wood stove or recently House of Jazz, her friendship is greatly treasured in my life. She lives in Knolton and know that I don’t have a car our visits are a lot harder to plan, and because her mom does a home church every other weekend and the other times she is leading worship when her mom speaks at the Baptist church seeing her is something I treasure immensely since it does not happen a lot.

On Thursday night last week I decided to head into Montreal to watch Efa Etoroma Jr (from Edmonton but is currently attending McGill) and his band Ruckus Fo’tet play at Gerts. I was originally planning on taking Grace but she had a doctors appointment early morning Friday and since the show was at midnight I ended up taking Isabelle along with me. Isabelle is a girl (well lady shes 31) who Grace works with and has been checking out the youth group that I take the pastor’s son to. It was interesting to spend time with her and to attempt to answer some of her questions during the drive. It is cool to see how God is working in her life. Slowly revealing himself to her. Well apparently I hyped up the band a lot so she was expecting great things, and of course Ruckus Fo’tet delivered. An incredible show made the late night and the very early morning worth it. It was really incredible to be able to just go and see Efa Jr play. They were incredible and brief conversation with him made my week all the better. Sometimes all you need is to see someone from home to make you be able to keep going.

Saturday was spent at the Sugar Shack with Valerie and Alain who I live with! It was tones of fun to go and explore a bit of Quebec culture. They syrup was so much better than in Alberta. Valerie and Alain have been so good to me. They have gone far above and beyond what I could ask for or even dream of. Please pray blessings and favor for them. They have taken me in as if I was their own, and they deserve the very best of blessings. So please pray for them! Saturday afternoon was supposed to be a board meeting but it got canceled so when we got back that evening we watched three movies that are based on Jannette Oaks “Love Comes Softly” series. It was a great end to the day to sit and relax and Alain had quite the time laughing at Valerie and I as we cried and laughed through the three films.

Sunday was super busy, this is always a crazy day but it was great! The girl in the church who is in Ontario as a nanny came home for the week so it was great to catch up with her. I preached Sunday night and God was so faithful.

Monday came soon enough and well surprisingly Efa Jr’s status on facebook came up about the House of Jazz gig he was playing last night. So with the perfect place to take Grace to for her belated Birthday night we went to Montréal once she was done work and got to see the jam session of House of Jazz. This place is so unique and so divine. The music of course was incredible and we even had a chance to talk to Efa Jr. I do not know if you have ever had two separate parts of your world collide but last night I did. The Edmonton life and Granby life collided and it was so lovely!!!! I was in heaven last night.

In our conversation with Efa the question of what am I doing for fun while I am here came up. To be honest I really had to think about it. I enjoy what I am doing I really do, but other than the few times I went snowboarding and the few afternoons with Grace I don’t do a lot of things that I love here. That may sound weird but let me explain. Granby does not have a ton of things to do. I walked the nature center last week and I get to do things with Church people, but my life right now is the church. I am constantly at the church or with the church people. Now I love this church and the people so for me going with them and exploring little parts of the area has been fun. But these two times of going to watch Efa Jr play have been some of the nicest moments because I was able to completely relax and do something that I always love to do when I am home in Edmonton.

I love music and exploring little cafes and restaurants and discovering new things on the spur of the moment. And last night was an incredible gift to me. I was able to see someone from home and be with Grace and see incredible music in a new place all in one moment.

I love how when my sanity and my secret hopes God allows them to happen and so to you guys I send this little note, I hope that you see how much this church and the people in it have been a huge blessing to me, how they have opened their arms to me and poured out love onto me. How God provides people who you need in your life and how he cares about the small desires buried deep down and how He really does give the very best gifts to his children.

I was talking to a very wise person from home about a girl my class who got a job as a childrens pastor. This is her passion and she loves kids so much and it is so incredible when people who are young get to do what they love to do. And watching these guys last night in all their talents with music and to just get up on stage listen to each other and than come together for a jam session blew my mind. When Efa Jr and these other guys played and used their God given talents I truly believe that God was so proud of them. God was in it, that might not make sense to you but God shows up when we use our gifts and talents to the very best ability. It was truly so beautiful to listen and to enjoy it. I wonder what the world would be like if all of us did to the very best of our ability what we are passionate about. Just a thought.

“God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning