Guess what people! It’s nearly Christmas! We know you’re excited.
You have that turkey to look forward to, a break from school, maybe
some sledding or perhaps a nice game of scrabble in your future.
However, before you get to all that, why don’t you take a little break
from all your Christmas baking, grab a cookie, and settle down with
our newsletter. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!
We have some fabulous things for you inside this cover. Nico tells us
all about what Christmas means to him, Allan Buckingham tells us all
about his trip to the holy land, and Jeff Poynter tell us about his trip to
Nicaragua (We are full of travel this issue). As well, we have fabulous
photos from all sorts of people– no Google searching for us this issue!
In fact, we had so many things that we wanted to put into this issue,
that we had to make two issues!! So after your done reading this one,
be sure to take a look at our special “Things to Check Out” issue as
well! We’ve got some interesting information about things happening
within the United Church in the coming year!
Anyways, we hope you all have a magical Christmas, and a fantastic
New Year. We plan too. Watch out for issue number 11 in Spring
2009! Merry Christmas!
-Charley and Kathleen
Monday, December 22, 2008
Christmas Spirit
When I think of Christmas, the first thought that
pops into my mind is of a snow-filled street. Snow is
lightly falling , and the glitter of colourful Christmas
lights is bouncing gleefully off of the snow, as if they
aren’t plugged into electricity at all, but rather some-
thing else—something magical, something not quite of
this world, but still somehow a mystical part.
Ace Collins once wrote, “The "First Christmas" was a
simple time of beauty and wonder. The birth of Christ
was less about celebration than it was about family.
Though many today may grow tired of the commerciali-
zation of Christmas, in reality it has opened the door for
Christ to once again become the focal point of the season,
and for family, especially children, to be at the heart of
the celebration.” This might be true, at least in part. I
mean…I hadn’t thought of it like this before. I had been
one of the ones who had been growing ‘tired of the
commercialization of Christmas’. When I think of it this
way, though, it makes sense to me. Sure, we buy a
bunch of presents, some of which will most likely be
thrown in the farthest corner of our closets. But who
cares? Whether the presents are used or not isn’t what
is important. The importance is what the presents do:
they bring our families together.
When Jesus was born, he had only his mother Mary,
his mother’s husband Joseph, whom he would grow to
know as his earthly father and mother. There were
bunch of farm animals too, including my favorite, the
cow. They were there as a family, to celebrate life to-
gether. Now, maybe you don’t think we should buy pre-
sents for Christmas, but for some people, it’s their only
excuse to see their family. I know I don’t see my
brother and sister-in-law and their children nearly as
much as I like. In fact, I don’t really see them much at
all any more. But Christmas and the presents we have
exchanged have always been a reason for us to get to-
gether and spend time together. Regardless, didn’t Je-
sus get presents for his birth? The Three Wise Men ar-
rived some two years after with gifts of frankincense,
myrrh, and gold.
There is also another side of Christmas: the side of
Christmas that a lot of people prefer to focus on these
days. “Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time
we love, every time we give, it's Christmas”, said Dale
Evans. What I believe he is speaking of is not always
giving of physical things, commercial items, but giving
of yourself. Showing someone that you love and care
about them is a gift no words can describe— a true
Christmas present.
We tend to limit Christmas to one time a year. No,
Christmas extends beyond Demember. Christmas is
every minute of every hour of everyday. Christmas is
kindness in action, love in community and the spirit of
giving. Christmas is in the beauty of the spirit drawn to
another in harmony when there seems to be nothing
but strife. “Christmas is love in action,” Dale Evans
says. Love in action! It isn’t just saying to someone, “Oh
yeah, I love you. Where’s the turkey? Where are my
presents?” It’s so much more. It’s a feeling, an emotion,
not quite tangible, but ever present.
Christmas brings people together in a spirit of
love. When you sit down to whatever food you typically
dine on at Christmas with family or friends sitting
across from you, when you’ve made the conscious ef-
fort to be with people you care about and love, that is
the love of Christmas in action. That is what the birth of
Christ is all about.
The spirit of Christmas is not all about the presents,
and it’s not about the food— these are just catalysts
that help bring together. This is what the truest spirit
of Christmas, what that very first Christmas was all
about—being together with those who matter most to
you.To me, I would say that the ones who matter most
to me are my mother, brother, sister-in-law, nephew
and niece. But are they the only ones meaningful to
me? They do mean the world to me, of course. But
there are friends out there that mean the world to me
as well. And I’d love to be with them all the time too.
Including Christmas.
There are times when I long to be with those that I
care about. I just wish that those times of gathering like
Christmas and Easter and other such holidays weren’t
the only times that I got to see them. I always find it to
be a gift just to be able to see them. I love to see them.
But maybe that’s why Dale Evans said that Christmas
was love in action. The truest form of Christmas doesn’t
happen on December 25th but whenever we are with
those we love and care for. Whenever I am with a
friend that I love that I haven’t seen in a long time, that
is a gift, the Christmas spirit in it’s truest form. A hug
from a nephew, such a sweet little gift, is the spirit of
Christmas. And it could happen in the middle of sum-
mer, on the hottest day of the year.
“Remember,” Cindy Lew-Hoo says, “the greatest gift
is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the
hearts of true friends.” So, the next time you worry
about which present you’re going to get for your birth-
day or under the tree at Christmas, remember those
presents don’t matter. Money and presents can bring
you together with those that you care about, but most
important is that you are with someone you deeply
care about. This Christmas season, I ask you to look for
a family member, look for a friend. Find someone you
can connect to. That is the greatest gift of all. That is
where you will find the spirit of Christmas. And do
yourself a favour, don’t just look for them at Christmas.
There is an acapella music group from British Columbia
who sing a song, “Tell Them Before It’s too Late”. Heed
to these words. If there is someone you love and care
about, tell them.
The Hutterites have a saying, “Live as if you’ll live
forever, but live today as if it is your last.” The spirit of
Christmas has given us a gift. Use it wisely. In those
gifted moments with those you care for, spend them as
if they’ll last forever. Live as though they won’t be there
forever, treasure them, and tell them how much they
mean to you.
With that I leave you these words by Leo Buscaglia:
“A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my
world.” May your world be one long Christmas and may
love sprinkle down like snow upon it every single day.
-Nico Anderson
pops into my mind is of a snow-filled street. Snow is
lightly falling , and the glitter of colourful Christmas
lights is bouncing gleefully off of the snow, as if they
aren’t plugged into electricity at all, but rather some-
thing else—something magical, something not quite of
this world, but still somehow a mystical part.
Ace Collins once wrote, “The "First Christmas" was a
simple time of beauty and wonder. The birth of Christ
was less about celebration than it was about family.
Though many today may grow tired of the commerciali-
zation of Christmas, in reality it has opened the door for
Christ to once again become the focal point of the season,
and for family, especially children, to be at the heart of
the celebration.” This might be true, at least in part. I
mean…I hadn’t thought of it like this before. I had been
one of the ones who had been growing ‘tired of the
commercialization of Christmas’. When I think of it this
way, though, it makes sense to me. Sure, we buy a
bunch of presents, some of which will most likely be
thrown in the farthest corner of our closets. But who
cares? Whether the presents are used or not isn’t what
is important. The importance is what the presents do:
they bring our families together.
When Jesus was born, he had only his mother Mary,
his mother’s husband Joseph, whom he would grow to
know as his earthly father and mother. There were
bunch of farm animals too, including my favorite, the
cow. They were there as a family, to celebrate life to-
gether. Now, maybe you don’t think we should buy pre-
sents for Christmas, but for some people, it’s their only
excuse to see their family. I know I don’t see my
brother and sister-in-law and their children nearly as
much as I like. In fact, I don’t really see them much at
all any more. But Christmas and the presents we have
exchanged have always been a reason for us to get to-
gether and spend time together. Regardless, didn’t Je-
sus get presents for his birth? The Three Wise Men ar-
rived some two years after with gifts of frankincense,
myrrh, and gold.
There is also another side of Christmas: the side of
Christmas that a lot of people prefer to focus on these
days. “Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time
we love, every time we give, it's Christmas”, said Dale
Evans. What I believe he is speaking of is not always
giving of physical things, commercial items, but giving
of yourself. Showing someone that you love and care
about them is a gift no words can describe— a true
Christmas present.
We tend to limit Christmas to one time a year. No,
Christmas extends beyond Demember. Christmas is
every minute of every hour of everyday. Christmas is
kindness in action, love in community and the spirit of
giving. Christmas is in the beauty of the spirit drawn to
another in harmony when there seems to be nothing
but strife. “Christmas is love in action,” Dale Evans
says. Love in action! It isn’t just saying to someone, “Oh
yeah, I love you. Where’s the turkey? Where are my
presents?” It’s so much more. It’s a feeling, an emotion,
not quite tangible, but ever present.
Christmas brings people together in a spirit of
love. When you sit down to whatever food you typically
dine on at Christmas with family or friends sitting
across from you, when you’ve made the conscious ef-
fort to be with people you care about and love, that is
the love of Christmas in action. That is what the birth of
Christ is all about.
The spirit of Christmas is not all about the presents,
and it’s not about the food— these are just catalysts
that help bring together. This is what the truest spirit
of Christmas, what that very first Christmas was all
about—being together with those who matter most to
you.To me, I would say that the ones who matter most
to me are my mother, brother, sister-in-law, nephew
and niece. But are they the only ones meaningful to
me? They do mean the world to me, of course. But
there are friends out there that mean the world to me
as well. And I’d love to be with them all the time too.
Including Christmas.
There are times when I long to be with those that I
care about. I just wish that those times of gathering like
Christmas and Easter and other such holidays weren’t
the only times that I got to see them. I always find it to
be a gift just to be able to see them. I love to see them.
But maybe that’s why Dale Evans said that Christmas
was love in action. The truest form of Christmas doesn’t
happen on December 25th but whenever we are with
those we love and care for. Whenever I am with a
friend that I love that I haven’t seen in a long time, that
is a gift, the Christmas spirit in it’s truest form. A hug
from a nephew, such a sweet little gift, is the spirit of
Christmas. And it could happen in the middle of sum-
mer, on the hottest day of the year.
“Remember,” Cindy Lew-Hoo says, “the greatest gift
is not found in a store nor under a tree, but in the
hearts of true friends.” So, the next time you worry
about which present you’re going to get for your birth-
day or under the tree at Christmas, remember those
presents don’t matter. Money and presents can bring
you together with those that you care about, but most
important is that you are with someone you deeply
care about. This Christmas season, I ask you to look for
a family member, look for a friend. Find someone you
can connect to. That is the greatest gift of all. That is
where you will find the spirit of Christmas. And do
yourself a favour, don’t just look for them at Christmas.
There is an acapella music group from British Columbia
who sing a song, “Tell Them Before It’s too Late”. Heed
to these words. If there is someone you love and care
about, tell them.
The Hutterites have a saying, “Live as if you’ll live
forever, but live today as if it is your last.” The spirit of
Christmas has given us a gift. Use it wisely. In those
gifted moments with those you care for, spend them as
if they’ll last forever. Live as though they won’t be there
forever, treasure them, and tell them how much they
mean to you.
With that I leave you these words by Leo Buscaglia:
“A single rose can be my garden... a single friend, my
world.” May your world be one long Christmas and may
love sprinkle down like snow upon it every single day.
-Nico Anderson
Sharing the Improbable
The following is a blog post written this summer
during a Liberation Theology conference in the Holy
Land put on by Sabeel, a Palestinian Liberation Theology
organization based in Jerusalem. Allan is a United
Church member living in Banff and also a member of the
General Council Executive.
How do you share the improbable (I’d say im-
possible, but I’ve seen it, so it’s real)? So much of the
world I’ve been exposed to is completely foreign to my
reality that I’m not sure I can even comprehend it,
never mind share it. But, I’ll try.
The Holy Land is an incredibly beautiful place.
The landscape around Jerusalem is a testament to
God’s creative magic. More than that, there is some-
thing special about this place that defies my under-
standing. I don’t know that I can describe it in words,
but there is a feeling deep inside me, one that I get in
Jerusalem, one that I get few other places. I share this
because it is the backdrop where the stories of the Holy
Land take place, both those of the past and those of the
future.
While the backdrop is unbelievably beautiful,
the stories themselves are plainly unbelievable. I could
share stories of things I’ve heard, and things I have
seen, that even I have trouble believing myself. But,
seeing as I’m not sure I believe them, I will keep them
to myself for now.
What I can share, because I can’t deny its real-
ity, no matter how much I may want to, is the extreme
prejudice that is blatantly obvious everywhere we go.
This morning, on our way out of Bethlehem, we saw the
piles of taxies on each side of the checkpoint waiting to
take people to their destinations; not because the peo-
ple here are incapable of driving themselves, but be-
cause Palestinians in Bethlehem are not allowed to
drive to Jerusalem. Instead, they have to walk through
a Giant Checkpoint. We were told that people start lin-
ing up at 3:30 in the morning in order to get to work on
time even though the checkpoint doesn’t open until 6
am.
For me as middle class Canadian, it is so incredi-
bly foreign that because of completely uncontrollable
circumstances (ethnic origin) a single person, never
mind thousands of people, would not be allowed to
drive themselves 10 minutes to work. It is completely
ridiculous. I can think of no other words to describe it.
And this from a country that claims to be a part of the
‘western world’ and shares ‘western’ values!
Being in the land where Christ was made
known, I can’t help but wonder how his message has
been so tragically lost. It’s not as if the stories aren’t
remembered. Millions of people visit the Holy Land
each year to see where Christ walked, to listen to the
story of his life. But I wonder if they are perhaps listen-
ing to the words without hearing the story.
-Allan Buckingham
during a Liberation Theology conference in the Holy
Land put on by Sabeel, a Palestinian Liberation Theology
organization based in Jerusalem. Allan is a United
Church member living in Banff and also a member of the
General Council Executive.
How do you share the improbable (I’d say im-
possible, but I’ve seen it, so it’s real)? So much of the
world I’ve been exposed to is completely foreign to my
reality that I’m not sure I can even comprehend it,
never mind share it. But, I’ll try.
The Holy Land is an incredibly beautiful place.
The landscape around Jerusalem is a testament to
God’s creative magic. More than that, there is some-
thing special about this place that defies my under-
standing. I don’t know that I can describe it in words,
but there is a feeling deep inside me, one that I get in
Jerusalem, one that I get few other places. I share this
because it is the backdrop where the stories of the Holy
Land take place, both those of the past and those of the
future.
While the backdrop is unbelievably beautiful,
the stories themselves are plainly unbelievable. I could
share stories of things I’ve heard, and things I have
seen, that even I have trouble believing myself. But,
seeing as I’m not sure I believe them, I will keep them
to myself for now.
What I can share, because I can’t deny its real-
ity, no matter how much I may want to, is the extreme
prejudice that is blatantly obvious everywhere we go.
This morning, on our way out of Bethlehem, we saw the
piles of taxies on each side of the checkpoint waiting to
take people to their destinations; not because the peo-
ple here are incapable of driving themselves, but be-
cause Palestinians in Bethlehem are not allowed to
drive to Jerusalem. Instead, they have to walk through
a Giant Checkpoint. We were told that people start lin-
ing up at 3:30 in the morning in order to get to work on
time even though the checkpoint doesn’t open until 6
am.
For me as middle class Canadian, it is so incredi-
bly foreign that because of completely uncontrollable
circumstances (ethnic origin) a single person, never
mind thousands of people, would not be allowed to
drive themselves 10 minutes to work. It is completely
ridiculous. I can think of no other words to describe it.
And this from a country that claims to be a part of the
‘western world’ and shares ‘western’ values!
Being in the land where Christ was made
known, I can’t help but wonder how his message has
been so tragically lost. It’s not as if the stories aren’t
remembered. Millions of people visit the Holy Land
each year to see where Christ walked, to listen to the
story of his life. But I wonder if they are perhaps listen-
ing to the words without hearing the story.
-Allan Buckingham
Who am I?
It seems like an easy question. I'm so and so, I
like to do this and that, and I don't like such and forth.
But before you get to locked into this answer,
really really look at it. Is this who you are, or is this
what you are? It's what you are isn't it?
So now ask yourself again. WHO are you?
I'm taking some weird classes this semester.
Classes such as “Interpersonal Communication” and
“Leadership/Self-Awareness” and so I am supposed to
be learning all sorts of things about myself. Picture a
United Church event (maybe youth rally, youth forum,
or Kairos) only you get graded on it. So if you learn
nothing about yourself you fail the class. So if you don't
learn what the teacher wants you to learn about your-
self, you fail the class. And you’re not looking at your-
self through a spiritual perspective. I'm used to doing
these types of things which where God fits in, with
where Church fits in. But there is no God in these
classes. It’s all very weird. But I digress.
So in my leadership class I was told I had to
learn who I was by the end of the semester, or I would
never be a good leader, and I would not do well in the
class. It came at a weird time, because I had just de-
cided (at a United Church event the week before) that I
was going to stop searching for who I was, that I was
just going to be me. Well, so much for that plan. So now
I am once again on yet another journey to discover my-
self.
So who am I? I'm Kathleen. That's as far as I
manage to get. Maybe being “Kathleen” is what I am but
not who I am, but I have identified myself with that im-
age for so long I am somewhat unable to not be Kath-
leen. And so I am not Kathleen in a “Kathleen is a name”
but I am what being Kathleen embodies for me, Kath-
leen IS who I am. I am what you think of when you
think of me. When someone says “Hey, do you know
Kathleen” or “Hey, have you heard what Kathleen's
been up too?” its all the images that you get in your
head. This is who I am. I am Kathleen.
So then, this probably isn't going to help me
pass my class. So who is Kathleen?
We've established that who am is not an ex-
farm kid, or a dancer, or that girl who does WHY or a
student or any of the other easy labels I like to put on
myself. So instead maybe I am what I believe in. Maybe
who I am is a person who believes in doubt, in life, in
God, in fluke, in miracles, in myself.
But, as it turns out, I am not supposed to associ-
ate myself with my beliefs. It creates close-mindedness.
Questioning our beliefs is so hard because we associate
ourselves with our beliefs, because questioning our
beliefs becomes questioning who we are as a person. If
we refuse too connect our identity with our beliefs,
then we become more “intellectually courageous” and
more open minded.
So I have learned what I am not, and what I
should not be. I am not what I am. I am not what I be-
lieve in. What I have not learned is who I actually am.
Or how to discover who I am. And so I shall continue on
this journey. I will continue to learn who I am not. And
maybe under all the am nots I will find the am.
Because what I think is that I will never know
who I am. What I think is that no one will ever know
exactly who they are. I think this inability to now who
we are makes us better people as it allows us to grow
and change, and not become stuck with who we are. It
allows us to become someone new. So while I will con-
tinue to search for who I am, with some protest I might
add, I will also hope that in finding it (if I find it) that I
won't get stuck in it. I hope that I always have the abil-
ity to change.
And so I will end with a favourite quote of mine.
Don't let getting older make you stupider.
-Kathleen Kerr
like to do this and that, and I don't like such and forth.
But before you get to locked into this answer,
really really look at it. Is this who you are, or is this
what you are? It's what you are isn't it?
So now ask yourself again. WHO are you?
I'm taking some weird classes this semester.
Classes such as “Interpersonal Communication” and
“Leadership/Self-Awareness” and so I am supposed to
be learning all sorts of things about myself. Picture a
United Church event (maybe youth rally, youth forum,
or Kairos) only you get graded on it. So if you learn
nothing about yourself you fail the class. So if you don't
learn what the teacher wants you to learn about your-
self, you fail the class. And you’re not looking at your-
self through a spiritual perspective. I'm used to doing
these types of things which where God fits in, with
where Church fits in. But there is no God in these
classes. It’s all very weird. But I digress.
So in my leadership class I was told I had to
learn who I was by the end of the semester, or I would
never be a good leader, and I would not do well in the
class. It came at a weird time, because I had just de-
cided (at a United Church event the week before) that I
was going to stop searching for who I was, that I was
just going to be me. Well, so much for that plan. So now
I am once again on yet another journey to discover my-
self.
So who am I? I'm Kathleen. That's as far as I
manage to get. Maybe being “Kathleen” is what I am but
not who I am, but I have identified myself with that im-
age for so long I am somewhat unable to not be Kath-
leen. And so I am not Kathleen in a “Kathleen is a name”
but I am what being Kathleen embodies for me, Kath-
leen IS who I am. I am what you think of when you
think of me. When someone says “Hey, do you know
Kathleen” or “Hey, have you heard what Kathleen's
been up too?” its all the images that you get in your
head. This is who I am. I am Kathleen.
So then, this probably isn't going to help me
pass my class. So who is Kathleen?
We've established that who am is not an ex-
farm kid, or a dancer, or that girl who does WHY or a
student or any of the other easy labels I like to put on
myself. So instead maybe I am what I believe in. Maybe
who I am is a person who believes in doubt, in life, in
God, in fluke, in miracles, in myself.
But, as it turns out, I am not supposed to associ-
ate myself with my beliefs. It creates close-mindedness.
Questioning our beliefs is so hard because we associate
ourselves with our beliefs, because questioning our
beliefs becomes questioning who we are as a person. If
we refuse too connect our identity with our beliefs,
then we become more “intellectually courageous” and
more open minded.
So I have learned what I am not, and what I
should not be. I am not what I am. I am not what I be-
lieve in. What I have not learned is who I actually am.
Or how to discover who I am. And so I shall continue on
this journey. I will continue to learn who I am not. And
maybe under all the am nots I will find the am.
Because what I think is that I will never know
who I am. What I think is that no one will ever know
exactly who they are. I think this inability to now who
we are makes us better people as it allows us to grow
and change, and not become stuck with who we are. It
allows us to become someone new. So while I will con-
tinue to search for who I am, with some protest I might
add, I will also hope that in finding it (if I find it) that I
won't get stuck in it. I hope that I always have the abil-
ity to change.
And so I will end with a favourite quote of mine.
Don't let getting older make you stupider.
-Kathleen Kerr
What I did with my Summer Vacation
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with
those who weep. Live in harmony with one another;
live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:15-16)
My best friend Amy Collins and I spent two
months volunteering in Nicaragua this summer - it was
a trip primarily focused on service and learning. We
volunteered every day during the week and attended
Spanish school, and on the weekends we would take a
break and go on excursions around the country. We
had plans for three volunteer placements; however, we
soon learned that in Latin America, it can be very diffi-
cult to make plans months in advance and then see
them realized. Due to civil strife and natural disasters,
all these plans were cancelled once we were in the
country, and we ended up working with other (though
no less valid) organizations.
In the first city where we stayed (Managua), we
taught music to children who couldn’t afford music les-
sons (at “Musica en los Barrios”). We also volunteered
at a community centre called Generando Vida
(“Generating Life”), which is located in a poor area of
the city and has a few classrooms, feeding programs,
and microcredit for women of the community. Here, we
again learned the value of flexibility, as we never knew
quite what we would be doing, if we would even make
it there on a given day because of the nation-wide pub-
lic transit strike, and because of our lack of Spanish
skills. After three weeks in Managua, we travelled to
Estelí, a city in the northern mountains of the country.
The first place we worked was Proyecto Padre Fab-
retto, an after-school program for children who were
struggling with their studies. We worked as teachers'
assistants, helping the children with their English, arts,
and music. After a week at this school, we spent two
weeks at the Escuela Especial – a school for children
with disabilities. We did the same kind of work here,
helping the teachers and helping the students.
It was here in Estelí that we learned one of our
valuable lessons about volunteering in Central Amer-
ica. Living in Nicaragua is simpler, slower, and friend-
lier, and this came across in work and work ethic as
well. We came from a North American mentality that
dictates the essentiality of efficiency and productivity.
However, Nicaragua does not seem to share this view.
Amy and I often became frustrated because we felt we
weren’t being productive or helpful, but when we fi-
nally realized that we needed to be slower and more
relaxed, everything seemed to shift into focus and we
felt much more useful. We often dealt with indifference
from others and a lack of “productivity”, but once we
learned to just accept whatever happened as long as we
were trying hard, everything went more smoothly.
After three weeks in Estelí, we went back to Managua
to reconnect with Gonzalo Duarte, the organizer of our
trip and three other Canadians. With this expanded
group, we worked for a week at Pajarito Azul, an or-
phanage for children with disabilities. I helped in a
room of people with cerebral palsy, which was an eye-
opening experience. Because of their disability, they
were unable to perform even the basic necessities – we
needed to spoon-feed them, take them outside for fresh
air, and just provide the simple companionship that
they usually lacked. It was difficult to see people living
in this situation, and I tried my best to empathize and
do the best I could to help.
We had many other crazy and amazing adven-
tures as well, from climbing a 1,700 meter high active
volcano (on an island in a lake with the only freshwater
sharks in the world) that took 11 hours in 40-degree
weather with a guide who could speak 12 languages
and was able to smell when there was a boa constrictor
nearby, to surfing in the Pacific, to meeting some of the
most amazing people in the world, to camping over-
night on top of another active volcano and climbing up
at night to peer into the crater and watch the lava, to
frustrations with ourselves and each other, to heart-
wrenching views of poverty (Nicaragua is the poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere), to a massive
political rally calling for the downfall of the cor-
rupt government, to sitting at the foot of a cross all
morning on top of the highest mountain in a misty
coffee-growing town… the stories go on and on.
Despite repeated changes of plans and fre-
quent failures of preconceived notions, the trip
was a definite success. It is something that I will
remember for the rest of my life, and something
that will also forever affect me. I’m still figuring
out how to incorporate this incredible life experi-
ence into my everyday life – into my faith, my mu-
sic, my perspectives, my choices, my opinions… I
can only pray that my God will guide me in these
ways.
-Jeff Poynter
those who weep. Live in harmony with one another;
live peaceably with all. (Romans 12:15-16)
My best friend Amy Collins and I spent two
months volunteering in Nicaragua this summer - it was
a trip primarily focused on service and learning. We
volunteered every day during the week and attended
Spanish school, and on the weekends we would take a
break and go on excursions around the country. We
had plans for three volunteer placements; however, we
soon learned that in Latin America, it can be very diffi-
cult to make plans months in advance and then see
them realized. Due to civil strife and natural disasters,
all these plans were cancelled once we were in the
country, and we ended up working with other (though
no less valid) organizations.
In the first city where we stayed (Managua), we
taught music to children who couldn’t afford music les-
sons (at “Musica en los Barrios”). We also volunteered
at a community centre called Generando Vida
(“Generating Life”), which is located in a poor area of
the city and has a few classrooms, feeding programs,
and microcredit for women of the community. Here, we
again learned the value of flexibility, as we never knew
quite what we would be doing, if we would even make
it there on a given day because of the nation-wide pub-
lic transit strike, and because of our lack of Spanish
skills. After three weeks in Managua, we travelled to
Estelí, a city in the northern mountains of the country.
The first place we worked was Proyecto Padre Fab-
retto, an after-school program for children who were
struggling with their studies. We worked as teachers'
assistants, helping the children with their English, arts,
and music. After a week at this school, we spent two
weeks at the Escuela Especial – a school for children
with disabilities. We did the same kind of work here,
helping the teachers and helping the students.
It was here in Estelí that we learned one of our
valuable lessons about volunteering in Central Amer-
ica. Living in Nicaragua is simpler, slower, and friend-
lier, and this came across in work and work ethic as
well. We came from a North American mentality that
dictates the essentiality of efficiency and productivity.
However, Nicaragua does not seem to share this view.
Amy and I often became frustrated because we felt we
weren’t being productive or helpful, but when we fi-
nally realized that we needed to be slower and more
relaxed, everything seemed to shift into focus and we
felt much more useful. We often dealt with indifference
from others and a lack of “productivity”, but once we
learned to just accept whatever happened as long as we
were trying hard, everything went more smoothly.
After three weeks in Estelí, we went back to Managua
to reconnect with Gonzalo Duarte, the organizer of our
trip and three other Canadians. With this expanded
group, we worked for a week at Pajarito Azul, an or-
phanage for children with disabilities. I helped in a
room of people with cerebral palsy, which was an eye-
opening experience. Because of their disability, they
were unable to perform even the basic necessities – we
needed to spoon-feed them, take them outside for fresh
air, and just provide the simple companionship that
they usually lacked. It was difficult to see people living
in this situation, and I tried my best to empathize and
do the best I could to help.
We had many other crazy and amazing adven-
tures as well, from climbing a 1,700 meter high active
volcano (on an island in a lake with the only freshwater
sharks in the world) that took 11 hours in 40-degree
weather with a guide who could speak 12 languages
and was able to smell when there was a boa constrictor
nearby, to surfing in the Pacific, to meeting some of the
most amazing people in the world, to camping over-
night on top of another active volcano and climbing up
at night to peer into the crater and watch the lava, to
frustrations with ourselves and each other, to heart-
wrenching views of poverty (Nicaragua is the poorest
country in the Western Hemisphere), to a massive
political rally calling for the downfall of the cor-
rupt government, to sitting at the foot of a cross all
morning on top of the highest mountain in a misty
coffee-growing town… the stories go on and on.
Despite repeated changes of plans and fre-
quent failures of preconceived notions, the trip
was a definite success. It is something that I will
remember for the rest of my life, and something
that will also forever affect me. I’m still figuring
out how to incorporate this incredible life experi-
ence into my everyday life – into my faith, my mu-
sic, my perspectives, my choices, my opinions… I
can only pray that my God will guide me in these
ways.
-Jeff Poynter
End Notes
EMAILS THAT MADE OUR DAY:
I wanted to offer my congratulations on the Observer Article. Very well deserved. I think the church needs to hear about all
you've done with WHY, and what it means to those of us who read it. Thank you, both of you, for all you do. - Charlie Peters
Great job, WHY team! It was great to see you featured on the front page of the Observer, too. I really enjoyed Cory Bentley’s
article (but I’m a bit biased… I’m his aunt). :) -Jen
Just read your WHY newsletter for the first time. Some excellent stuff there. I will continue reading, hoping for ideas we can
use here in Northern Ontario. Keep up the good work, and all the best in your studies. -Bob Weight
Kathleen and Charley, you both are wonderful and lovely, and I wish I could give you both giant hugs. The W.H.Y in my inbox
every season is one of the only reasons I check it. I will definitely submit something sometime soon. -Emma Prestwich
Congratulations on your second anniversary!!! I am particularly grateful for this issue for its breadth and depth: the articles
are deeply personal, inspiringly honest, and incredibly humorous. I enjoyed it immensely! Thank you for providing this
wonderful forum for youth and young adults in our church to connect and reflect with one another: YOU ROCK!!!! -Shawna
Gibbons
PARTING WORDS:
Well, that’s all folks. You have reached the end. Or, soon will. If this paragraph would just end…
but it doesn’t. We’d like to send out a great big thank-you-amungo to our guest writers– Nico
Anderson, Allan Buckingham, and Jeff Poynter, as well as to our fabulous photographers, Carmen
Lansdowne, Bruce Edwards and Gord Spence (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rev_aviator/). We
couldn’t do this without you guys.
As for everyone else, now that school is done, and you have finished reading this fabulous news-
letter, perhaps you might have some time to write an article for our next issue? We would defi-
nitely recommend it. Also, maybe you get a new camera for Christmas, and have taken some
wonderful photographs— why not take a few extra seconds to send them to us, or even a link to
you Facebook (where we know you’re probably already putting your photo’s) and let us steal
them off of there! Once you’re done, send them to us at wonderingholyyouth@gmail.com
Well, that’s all folks. For real this time! Have a merry merry Christmas!!!
I wanted to offer my congratulations on the Observer Article. Very well deserved. I think the church needs to hear about all
you've done with WHY, and what it means to those of us who read it. Thank you, both of you, for all you do. - Charlie Peters
Great job, WHY team! It was great to see you featured on the front page of the Observer, too. I really enjoyed Cory Bentley’s
article (but I’m a bit biased… I’m his aunt). :) -Jen
Just read your WHY newsletter for the first time. Some excellent stuff there. I will continue reading, hoping for ideas we can
use here in Northern Ontario. Keep up the good work, and all the best in your studies. -Bob Weight
Kathleen and Charley, you both are wonderful and lovely, and I wish I could give you both giant hugs. The W.H.Y in my inbox
every season is one of the only reasons I check it. I will definitely submit something sometime soon. -Emma Prestwich
Congratulations on your second anniversary!!! I am particularly grateful for this issue for its breadth and depth: the articles
are deeply personal, inspiringly honest, and incredibly humorous. I enjoyed it immensely! Thank you for providing this
wonderful forum for youth and young adults in our church to connect and reflect with one another: YOU ROCK!!!! -Shawna
Gibbons
PARTING WORDS:
Well, that’s all folks. You have reached the end. Or, soon will. If this paragraph would just end…
but it doesn’t. We’d like to send out a great big thank-you-amungo to our guest writers– Nico
Anderson, Allan Buckingham, and Jeff Poynter, as well as to our fabulous photographers, Carmen
Lansdowne, Bruce Edwards and Gord Spence (http://www.flickr.com/photos/rev_aviator/). We
couldn’t do this without you guys.
As for everyone else, now that school is done, and you have finished reading this fabulous news-
letter, perhaps you might have some time to write an article for our next issue? We would defi-
nitely recommend it. Also, maybe you get a new camera for Christmas, and have taken some
wonderful photographs— why not take a few extra seconds to send them to us, or even a link to
you Facebook (where we know you’re probably already putting your photo’s) and let us steal
them off of there! Once you’re done, send them to us at wonderingholyyouth@gmail.com
Well, that’s all folks. For real this time! Have a merry merry Christmas!!!
The GO Project
YOUTH: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to serve a community outside of your own experience?
YOUTH LEADERS: Have you ever been frustrated at the lack of mission and outreach possibilities geared towards the teachings and theology of your ministry?
PARENTS: Have you craved for your young person to have a deeper sense of service that is grown in the radical roots and fertile soil of Jesus’ ministry?
CONGREGATIONS: Have you longed to discover how you might discern the needs of your own community?
THE GO PROJECT is a Youth Mission Program organized for the wider church by Islington United Church. It is a response to years of discernment from various young peoples experiences of mission and outreach programs. While there are fantastic programs available, there are few that respond to the unique ministry of the United Church of Canada and their partners.
YOUTH GRADE 9 TO AGE 19 and their leaders will have an opportunity to serve the communities of Islington, in the west end of Toronto and downtown Halifax in the summer of 2009, while practicing the gifts of discernment, youth listen to the needs of their own community while serving in another.
BE IMMERSED in these active and growing communities for 10 days, from July 6-16 (Toronto) or July 20-30 (Halifax)
COME be a part of this change:
- Participate in a community-focused children’s program
- Reach out to youth through community programming, shelters and street cafes
- Support seniors and newcomers through community clean up and home projects
- Practice pastoral skills through visiting
- Serve the basic needs of community members through the food bank and clothing share programs
- Learn about and care for the environment through community action and awareness programs
CONTACT: Michael Shewburg at 416.239.1131x31
Email: thegoproject@islingtonunited.org
www.islingtonunited.org/goproject
LISTEN: WHAT PAST PARTICIPANTS AND LEADERS HAVE SAID
FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS
Mission has no borders, nor limitations or barriers. I learned that it starts with one, someone like me. I learned that the pull that I thought I felt to come here was God pulling me to mission. Yes, I have faith that God is leading me to a life of mission, through this experience, I am almost sure of it! I learned to Listen for to God's voice in my life words and re-discovered how to serve my community. I was encouraged to Pause from my everyday life to take a deeper look into the world and community around me; I really saw how I can make a difference. I Prayed by serving god in my own way and found the courage to use the gifts that I have received from God. I am ready to pass on the new love that has been given to me. I am ready to Repeat this experience by passing on what I have discovered in my community, and within my every day life.
FROM ADULT LEADERS:
I was privileged to attend GO as a leader/support to youth in Saskatchewan. I think this program is really valuable to the ministry that I do with others throughout the year, and know that the experience for the youth who I attended with can be integrated more meaningfully and intentionally into our local experiences, now that we have returned home. I encourage leaders to attend the GO Project with youth from their regions.
HOW THE GO PROJECT CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM LIVES:
It's been one year since I participated in the GO project mission experience. It was a phenomenal opportunity to learn about serving, volunteering, and leadership while building friendships and memories, which I still hold to a year later. On the GO project, I discovered mission isn't just about traveling abroad (to Toronto or oversees), but in a broader sense, it is about being present in the lives of others. My experience with the GO Project led me to a trip I took this past summer to work in a Ukrainian orphanage. With the creative ideas I came home with from Toronto, as well as confidence in myself, I have been able to truly understand the value of changing my mindset from "me" to "we."
YOUTH LEADERS: Have you ever been frustrated at the lack of mission and outreach possibilities geared towards the teachings and theology of your ministry?
PARENTS: Have you craved for your young person to have a deeper sense of service that is grown in the radical roots and fertile soil of Jesus’ ministry?
CONGREGATIONS: Have you longed to discover how you might discern the needs of your own community?
THE GO PROJECT is a Youth Mission Program organized for the wider church by Islington United Church. It is a response to years of discernment from various young peoples experiences of mission and outreach programs. While there are fantastic programs available, there are few that respond to the unique ministry of the United Church of Canada and their partners.
YOUTH GRADE 9 TO AGE 19 and their leaders will have an opportunity to serve the communities of Islington, in the west end of Toronto and downtown Halifax in the summer of 2009, while practicing the gifts of discernment, youth listen to the needs of their own community while serving in another.
BE IMMERSED in these active and growing communities for 10 days, from July 6-16 (Toronto) or July 20-30 (Halifax)
COME be a part of this change:
- Participate in a community-focused children’s program
- Reach out to youth through community programming, shelters and street cafes
- Support seniors and newcomers through community clean up and home projects
- Practice pastoral skills through visiting
- Serve the basic needs of community members through the food bank and clothing share programs
- Learn about and care for the environment through community action and awareness programs
CONTACT: Michael Shewburg at 416.239.1131x31
Email: thegoproject@islingtonunited.org
www.islingtonunited.org/goproject
LISTEN: WHAT PAST PARTICIPANTS AND LEADERS HAVE SAID
FROM PREVIOUS PARTICIPANTS
Mission has no borders, nor limitations or barriers. I learned that it starts with one, someone like me. I learned that the pull that I thought I felt to come here was God pulling me to mission. Yes, I have faith that God is leading me to a life of mission, through this experience, I am almost sure of it! I learned to Listen for to God's voice in my life words and re-discovered how to serve my community. I was encouraged to Pause from my everyday life to take a deeper look into the world and community around me; I really saw how I can make a difference. I Prayed by serving god in my own way and found the courage to use the gifts that I have received from God. I am ready to pass on the new love that has been given to me. I am ready to Repeat this experience by passing on what I have discovered in my community, and within my every day life.
FROM ADULT LEADERS:
I was privileged to attend GO as a leader/support to youth in Saskatchewan. I think this program is really valuable to the ministry that I do with others throughout the year, and know that the experience for the youth who I attended with can be integrated more meaningfully and intentionally into our local experiences, now that we have returned home. I encourage leaders to attend the GO Project with youth from their regions.
HOW THE GO PROJECT CONTINUES TO TRANSFORM LIVES:
It's been one year since I participated in the GO project mission experience. It was a phenomenal opportunity to learn about serving, volunteering, and leadership while building friendships and memories, which I still hold to a year later. On the GO project, I discovered mission isn't just about traveling abroad (to Toronto or oversees), but in a broader sense, it is about being present in the lives of others. My experience with the GO Project led me to a trip I took this past summer to work in a Ukrainian orphanage. With the creative ideas I came home with from Toronto, as well as confidence in myself, I have been able to truly understand the value of changing my mindset from "me" to "we."
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