Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween everyone!

This morning was was our weekly YWAM staff meeting. We decided, in the spirit of building and developing our community, to have a less formal meeting and all bring something for a brunch. We all showed up with dishes, or tupperware full of yummys. There was a breakfast casserole, pancakes, pumpkin bread, fruit salad and a big pile of bacon! Of course, the coffee was flowing, but this morning the coffee creamer was pumpkin spice flavour - we like to be seasonally relevant(!)

Our time was spent in good conversation, and I felt totally at ease with us as a group. I know that we are going to be just fine, wherever God is taking us as YWAM, we as a community will be just fine.

There continues to be lots of conversations about what the next DTS will look like, tomorrow night some of us are going to eat dinner with another local community called 'Mustard Seed'. I look forward to hearing more about what they are doing. It feels like they are a few steps ahead of us, and rather then trying to start from scratch we should take this opportunity to learn from others around us.

I have also started working on the Mission Trip I am planning through Bethany to Mississippi. It will happen over the college spring break week in March, and will be mostly focused on poverty relief. We will be working in a very poor community and helping them wherever we can. We aim to promote the trip to skilled labourers too, and hope that we will be able to do some real building projects during our time.

I met with the church Youth Pastor, and heard his plans for the trip he will take to Costa Rica this summer. it was great to hear the plans. I also met with Megan who has led the Mississippi trip before, and will lead with me this March, and there are some huge differences in how they are approaching these short term missions. I am really seeing the need for there to be some standards set for short term mission trips through Bethany.

I think these standards will help offer a sense of consistency and this way people can know what to expect when they sign up to be a par t of a team.

The longer I am at Bethany the more I am seeing how little missions is an interest to the general congregation. Now I know that missions doesn't get everyone jumping up and down with excitement, but I think the real issue is that people do not know what's happening. With the Missions committee, I am trying to come up with ways to 'advertise' what is happening within the missions department.

We are such a huge church, weekly attendance of almost 1200 people a week, and yet I know the most effective ways share and to get people involved is through relationship. This could be a pitfall but I am choosing to see it as simply God's challenge to me. I believe he is using me. I am glad to have the space to try new things and work with them to make them fit the needs of Bethany.

The weather continues to get colder, and there has been a pretty fog to wake up to in the morning. It will not be long before it is time to bring out my heavy duty winter coat!! The pumpkins are EVERYWHERE, silly smiling faces looking at you as you walk down the street, what a strange season! However the pumpkin treats, such as the pumpkin spice lattes and the pumpkin chocolate chip bread, or the pumpkin red lentil curry are all very much appreciated, and again, it is only culturally sensitive for me to chow down whenever I get the opportunity!