I have to be honest and tell you right off that I don't often do the laundry. If that were my responsibility we would be smelling funky most of the time. Carrie is really good about making sure that we have clean undies. Normally to do our laundry we put all of our dirty clothes into big suitcases and drag it down the steps and a couple of blocks to our community house where they have a washer and dryer that we use free of charge. This is a big hastle for everyone. No one likes it when laundry day comes around because we over take the machines and destroy their living room with all of our clothes. There really is just no good way of doing it.
Since we have had a battle of bed bugs on our hands we have had to take all of our garments and wash them in really hot water. This means more laundry to do. Carrie asked me last night if I would take the laundry and just get it done so we wouldn't have to worry about these bugs any more. I recognized this as a prime opportunity to help my wife so she doesn't feel so stressed out. So today I made a trip to the laundry mat just downstairs and down the street. We usually avoid this due to the added cost of using the machines.
For me the laundry mat was actually quite an enjoyable experience that I wish we would have utilized earlier. One thing that made it even better was the fact that I had a double americano from the cafe next door and it was amazing. I had a couple great pieces of reading material to dive into while I was waiting. The problem was that I couldn't concentrate on my reading. The mezmerizing sound of the washers and dryers was captivating. I escaped the natural world into whatever was going on in my mind. And I was also caught up in the interesting people coming in and out of the laundry mat.
That place was sweet. It was a great place to talk to some neighbors. Maybe I'll start hanging out there more often.
ACCORDING TO WIKIPEDIA:
A missionary is a member of a religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith; someone who proselytizes. The word "mission" is derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning "act of sending" or mitto, mittere, literally meaning "to send" or "to dispatch," the equivalent of the Greek-derived word "apostle" from apostolos, meaning "messenger". In Christian cultures the term is most commonly used for Christian missions, but it applies equally to any proselytizing creed or ideology. Buddhism launched 'the first large-scale missionary effort in the history of the world's religions'.[1]
This afternoon I seemed to have a series of interesting conversations mainly with folk that we Christians label "unbelievers". This of course is the huge number of people who do not profess to be a Christian for whatever reason. Any way, this one guy who I have known pretty much the entire time I have been here in Vancouver who claims to be an atheist asks me over coffee today, "so are you a missionary?" I respond with, "what is your definition of a missionary?" My friend tells me that a missionary is pretty much like the definition used above by wikipedia only he used more forceful language. I have thought about this issue a ton before, but today was different. I wasn't hurt by this or anything, but I truly desire to change the face of Christ to the world into a picture of true love and not a targeting assassin ready to strike at any moment.
Well folks, I have to be honest and say that if this is the true meaning of missionary then I am the most pathetic missionary that walked the earth. This is not my first priority here in Vancouver or anywhere that I go. I do desire and long for everyone to know the love of Jesus in their lives. However; my mission is to love my neighbor as myself and truly have an understanding of what that means. No one wants to be converted or be a target. If mere conversion is our goal we aren't putting Christ on display. To me conversion is a process of transformation. I am still being converted each day.
If I havn't lost too many supporters read on:
I am going to Honduras in April to share the good news of Jesus in my life and probably do a lot of gross things that you can only do on a guys trip. It's gonna be sweet. It's gonna take a lotta prayer and some moola. I would love to talk more with you about it.
Things are quickly winding down to the end of our time here in Canada. For the most part it has been good to us. I can do without the bed bugs and getting sick all the time. But there certainly are some things I will miss about this place. I will definitely miss the amazing coffee shops to choose from. I will miss the great views seen everywhere in British Columbia. I will miss the great hiking trails and wildlife that you can reach in a matter of minutes from where we live.
I will miss the Ferry Rides to surrounding islands. It feels like you are on a cruise ship or something.
I will really miss all the eccentric styles of dress walking around this city. You never know what you might see walking down our street here.
The sky train is a great way to get around. I can be to the other side of the city in a couple of minutes. They need one of these in every city. It is too great. You really don't need as many cars with these buzzing around.
I will miss the never ending variety of cultures, foods, and languages that I can experience in a given day. Sometimes I truly forget that I am in North America with so many different cultures all around us.
Gelato is something I wish we could get back home. It is so good.
Other than that all my wants and desires can be fulfilled in the great town of Cincinnati.
I'm sure you all have heard of the amazing planet earth dvd's, but I will testify to their awesomeness. One you start you cannot stop watching these things. Not only are these documentaries beautifully done, they give great insight into what is going on around the world. You should really watch for yourselves. Buy the series and have people over for planet earth parties. That sounds like some kind of crazy cult or something so make sure you give a description of the event.
This is maybe the coolest old lady I have ever met.
The Downtown Eastside
just to give a little context for the neighborhood.
The downtown eastside is known as the poorest postal code in Canada. It is estimated that there are 5,000 injection drug users in this neighbourhood. Some studies purport that 38% of these users have the AIDS virus, 67% have HIV, and that 92% have Hepatitis C. In addition to the intense social problems that follow serious addiction there is also an extremely high number of persons suffering from mental illness in the DTES. 18% of all those diagnosed with mental illness in the province of British Columbia live in the downtown eastside. Many of them also use street drugs. The predominant drugs of choice are heroin and crack-cocaine. Jacob’s Well is located right in the heart of this neighbourhood.
History
In 1976, at the age of 60, a woman by the name of Pauline Fell began walking the streets in the downtown eastside of Vancouver. Although she was a new Christian she asked God what He wanted her to do with her life, and felt His prompting to befriend people in the neighbourhood. For the next 25 years, almost every day, she faithfully walked the streets and alleys, visited the bars, prisons, local hospitals and hotels where her many friends could be found. She is known to many as “sister” or “mom” and virtually everyone in the downtown eastside respects this elderly woman. She has shown deep and profound love for the people who live here.
In November 2000, while in prayer, Pauline felt God urging her to give her inheritance away before she died. She pondered this and believing that God wasn’t speaking to her about money, she asked what her inheritance was. Immediately she saw in her mind’s eye faces flashing before her, hundreds of faces of the people that she had become friends with over the past 25 years. She realized that the many friendships she had built were a rich inheritance, and that it would be squandered if she didn’t pass them on before the end of her life. Her love for God and for the people of the downtown eastside compelled her to seek out other Christ followers who would simply be willing to be friends with her friends, in the hopes of imparting the love of Christ. Jacob’s Well was directly birthed out her diligence to obey what the Lord had spoken to her heart.
In June 2001 Pauline and a few friends opened the doors of the storefront at 239 Main Street. No one had any clear idea as to what would happen at Jacob’s Well but they had a lot of faith that God would help them sort it out. On opening day Joyce Heron came to see what was happening as she’d heard a bit about Pauline. Having met Pauline, Joyce asked her if she could hang out and walk the streets with her sometime. Pauline agreed and over the next few weeks the two women did Pauline’s usual walk and Joyce was able to meet many of Pauline’s friends. It wasn’t long until Pauline sat Joyce down over a cup of tea in the Carnegie Community Centre and told Joyce that she thought God had sent her to run Jacob’s Well. Joyce agreed and although there wasn’t much to run in those early days she had a lot of vision and passion for what it could grow into. Friendships were formed, a community began to take place, and our life together has evolved into a family of friends learning to know one another and God. Pauline has since turned 91! She continues to live and walk the streets of vancouver throughout the week to love, encourage, challenge and pray for those she meets. She is delighted to see that so many people are honestly building friendships with the ones she so deeply loves.
This is truly someone with some prophetic imagination. Some of my favorite memories while in Vancouver have been listening to Pauline talk about her loved ones in the neighborhood and what great people they are. She often communicates her vision of a revival that will happen right there and how glorious it will be. We need more people like Pauline thinking big and envisioning what will happen in the future to give those around her hope and excitement about working toward something better.
Yesterday, we were supposed to go somewhere to reflect on what God is doing with our lives. I chose to get out to the Vancouver Aquarium. Since being home and going to the Newport Aquarium with Ryan and Allison I have been chomping at the bit to get over to see this. I must say it was awesome. Packed, but awesome. Apparently it was some sort of special weekend where diving companies were doing special things there, but that didn't ruin my fun. I saw things that my eyes have never seen before. It sort of reminded me of my childhood sea world memories.
I loved the dolphin shows and the whale shows. The otters were cool too. They even had a huge sloth hangin out in a tree. But I think some of my favorite things to just stop and watch are the different jellyfish. Those things are so neat to look at.
All in all, I think that I think about my life enough. It was much needed to just go and do something fun. I had a great time by myself, just observing crazy creations of God.
For our community breakfast yesterday we took a field trip to a little place called bons. No where else can nine people eat a huge breakfast with enough left over to feed a village and get away for twenty eight dollars. It might not be good for you but it sure does taste good and has a great ambiance. Some would disagree. Bons is not for everyone, but I like it. So that was breakfast for lunch I got another pleasant surprise.
Deric had heard about this new mexican restaurant that had just opened. Mexican food in Vancouver is pretty scarce. And if you do find some it is probably nasty. So we went and it was wonderful. I even tried something I have never even heard of before. It was called a pupusa. You really can't go wrong with cheese, beans, and pork covered in cornmeal.
It tasted amazing. I know that we men are fairly easy to please. I'm glad it's that way. My whole day is changed by some great food or some coffee or a back massage. I love being a simple minded human being.