Life is weird sometimes.
I'm back in Alberta out in Water Valley area. In the foothills here VTI has a training centre. We'll be here for the next month at least with the Friends & Followers team that is going to Philippines this year. Karina and myself, as well as 3 others from my team last year are on Encore That makes it Karina, Janelle, AJ, Rhys and myself. This first week we've spent refocusing and trying to get all of our programs up in order.
Getting here in itself was quite an experience. I'm glad God is watching out for each and every one of us. And thank you to all who are praying!!!
As of the day before I had to leave to come here to Alberta, I found out that the ride that Karina and I were going on wouldn't work out. Janelle, who normally goes the same way we would was taking a plane, so we couldn't get a ride with her. The short of it was that we didn't have a ride... I should have been freaking out. However, as weird as it may seem, I wasn't worried. I was saying to myself, 'If God wants me there, He'll get me there...' By 8pm that night, there was still nothing. However, my sister invited two of her friends over to jam with me in the evening on guitar. One of them was also a James that I had gone to school with. Anyways, he went on to explain that he couldn't stay too late cause he had to go to Alberta in the morning.
Alberta?
Anyways, then he was like, 'Well, near Calgary'...and I was like, 'I need to go near Calgary. Just a bit north, to Cemona.'...
He apparently was going to be driving straight through Cremona.
Presto, a ride! :D
God has been good. I have don't have a very complete idea of why I'm here, but I know this is where God wants me. Please pray that I'll be open to listening for God's voice as He leads all of us on the Encore team this year. Also please pray for the Friends and Followers team. They're a little overwhelmed, but they've been really encouraged that we are here to give them advice and to see that we are living proof that one can survive a year of this.
Just a few days ago all of the guys went on a mountain hike like I did last year at this time. Last time we were there, it was extremely hot. This year, it was freezing. In fact, it got so cold on the top of the mountain that we had to leave relatively quickly. When we got down, it began to snow. And snow it did. All the way back until it began to rain. It was a great hike. One thing that I realized while I was walking. A journey to the summit of a mountain and back is like the journey of a life. You have highs and lows and ups and downs, curves, backtracking and lots of things that can get in the way. But what I noticed more was that on a journey like that, if you're living to get to the summit... it gets boring, and long and you get tired of walking. You start to ignore the trees, rocks, sounds and all those other things. However, if you make the effort to enjoy the things around you. To be attentive to things going on, it's exciting and interesting. Time flies by quicker but every moment is worth so much more along the way. And then when you get to the top, it's so much more enjoyable. Doing this, even the way back is more exciting than it would be otherwise, and in the end, it is worth it. All the pain and effort and the joys and memories all mesh into one entity and you can look back and be satisfied.
If we are living for every moment ... living like there is no tomorrow... living knowing that we are here to be the hands and feet of the Son, life becomes worth so much more... it becomes worth so much more... to so many more...
Can you make a difference in someone's life today? Is there someone you can encourage? Something you can do to make someone's day a little brighter?
Don't wait until tomorrow... cause tomorrow never comes...
Do it today.
Live.
Grace and Peace
James
**Oh, and for the record, congrats Tim on being baptized! Way to go man!!! :D
